Wall lock device

Abstract

A lock for locking a cart, such as is used by hospital attendants, to a wall such device comprising a box for attachment to a wall, a keeper spaced from the lower end of the box providing in conjunction with the lower end of the box an opening for accepting a horizontal part of the cart as, for example, the push handle and a rocker pivotally mounted in the box with portions extending into the opening comprising a gate which is held withdrawn from the opening by spring means, an actuator operable by movement of the part into the opening to move the gate into a position closing the opening and a key operated latch bolt for holding the gate in its closing position.

Description

BACKGROUND OF INVENTION

Wall locks as such are shown in U.S. Pat. No. 557,990; 621,072 and 631,665. In each of these patents the locks are designed for the specific purpose of securing a bicycle and are provided with jaws normally held separated from each other, which are either automatically closed by pushing the bicycle wheel into engagement with an actuator between the jaws or by manually closing the jaws after the wheel is moved between the jaws. The devices shown in these patents are not suitable for hospital use where appearance, simplicity and maintenance are of paramount importance. The locking device of this invention is designed to afford the foregoing requirement and to embody a mechanical simplicity in operation and construction which are not to be found in the patents referred to above.

SUMMARY OF INVENTION

As herein illustrated, the device of this invention is for locking a cart to a wall when unattended comprising a gate, means supporting the gate for pivotal movement relative to the wall in a position substantially parallel to the wall to a position disposed angularly relative thereto, said gate in said parallel position providing between it and the wall a confining enclosure for receiving a part of the cart parallel to the pivot axis of the gate and said gate in the angular position permitting the part to be moved inwardly thereof between it and the wall, means disposed inwardly of the gate operable by inward movement of the part against it to automatically move the gate to said parallel position and means operable at this parallel position to lock it in said position. There is spring means connected to the gate operable to yieldably hold the gate at its angularly disposed position, a normally distended latch bolt which may be retracted by a key and means on the gate movably behind the latch bolt by movement of the gate to said closed position to hold the gate closed. The gate, actuator and latch bolt are supported within a box adapted to be attached to the wall open at its lower end. A keeper spaced from the lower open end of the box provides an opening for receiving a horizontal part of a cart and the gate is arranged within the lower open end of the box to be moved from a position closing the opening to a position retracted within the box. In the retracted position of the gate the acutator is supported within the opening in a position to be engaged by the part of the cart as the latter is moved into the opening and to be displaced by such movement to move the gate into the opening behind the part.

The invention will now be described in greater detail with reference to the accompanying drawings, wherein:

FIG. 1 is a perspective showing the lock mounted on a wall and a hospital cart being moved into a position to be locked to the wall;

FIG. 2 is a fragmentary perspective showing the cart in the locked position;

FIG. 3 is a front elevation of the lock;

FIG. 4 is a side elevation as seen from the left side of FIG. 3 with the gate in its closed position, and

FIG. 5 is a fragmentary section at the lower part of the lock showing the gate in its withdrawn position.

Due to the frequency with which hospital carts are surreptitiously removed from the corridors and serving stations in hospitals, rest homes and the like when unattended it is desirable to provide some simple yet attractive means for locking the carts so that they cannot be removed without attracting attention. The wall lock of this invention is designed for this purpose and comprises a rigid metal box 10 of rectangular section having a back 12, spaced parallel sides 14--14 and a front 16. The top of the box is closed by a top 18 and the bottom is open. The lower portion of the back wall 12 has an extension 20 at the lower end of which there is a horizontally disposed forwardly extending keeper 22 which is spaced from and parallel to the open end of the box and provides in conjunction therewith an opening 24 extending from the front of the box to the back wall extension 20. This opening is designed to be of such vertical height as to accept the handle bar 26 of the cart to be locked to the wall. The box 10 is attached to the wall so that the opening 24 is at a level corresponding to that of the handle bar 26. Brackets 28--28 are provided for attaching the box to the wall.

A rocker 30 is mounted within the box adjacent the lower open end for pivotal movement about a horizontal shaft 32 the opposite ends of which are supported in reinforcing plates 34--34 secured to the inner sides of the side walls 14--14. The rocker comprises a gate 36 and an actuator plate 38 disposed at opposite sides and in spaced parallel relation to each other of the axis of the shaft 32. The rocker is arranged to be rotated about the shaft 32 to substantially withdraw the gate 36 from the opening 24 as shown in FIG. 5, in which position the handle bar 26 can be moved beneath its lower end into the opening 24. In the withdrawn position of the gate the actuator 38 is disposed in the path of movement of the handle bar 26 into the opening and when the latter is pushed against it it will rotate the rocker about the axis of the shaft 32 to bring the latch plate 36 downwardly into the opening behind the handle bar as shown in FIG. 4, thus making it impossible to withdraw the cart until the gate is again moved to its withdrawn position.

A lock mechanism 40 is mounted in the upper part of the box against the inner side of the front wall 16 comprising a normally distended latch bolt 42 which is yieldable to displacement by pressure applied to one side but resistant to displacement by pressure applied to the other side and may be withdrawn by means of a key inserted into a key engaging receptacle 44 in the front wall 16. There is a catch plate 46 mounted on the gate 36 provided with a curved end 48 extending beyond the gate 36 so that it moves in an arcuate path as the gate is rotated relative to the latch bolt 42. When the rocker is rotated in a clockwise direction as shown in FIG. 5, the convex side of the end 48 engages the latch bolt and displaces it so that it passes beneath the bolt allowing the gate 36 to be moved to a closed position. At the closed position of the gate the end 48 clears the latch bolt 42 allowing the latch bolt to extend to a position behind it as shown in FIG. 4. In the extended position of the latch bolt the catch plate 46 is prevented from being rotated in a counterclockwise direction and this in turn prevents withdrawal of the gate from the opening until the latch bolt 42 is withdrawn by inserting a key into the key receptacle. A spring 48 normally holds the rocker with the gate withdrawn from the opening by engagement at one end with a hook 50 and at its opposite end with a bar 52 affixed to the lower part of the lock mechanism 40.

The preferred position of the wall lock is that shown in FIG. 1 wherein the gate is moved about a horizontal axis from a position disposed angularly with respect to the wall to a position parallel thereto, however, the wall lock may be disposed at right angles to that shown to receive a vertical part of the cart, for example, one of the vertical frame members 54 of the cart.

The structure is a very simple design attractively housed within the box so as to conceal, for the most part, the operative mechanism, to prevent unauthorized tampering and to insure cleanliness.

It should be understood that the present disclosure is for the purpose of illustration only and that this invention includes all modifications and equivalents falling within the scope of the appended claims.

Claims

I claim:

1. A lock comprising a receptable of generally rectangular section having a back, front and side walls, a closed top and an open lower end, bracket means for fastening the back wall to a wall with the open lower end down, a keeper plate extending forwardly from the back wall in spaced parallel relation to the open lower end providing an open ended horizontal space between the open lower end and the keeper plate for accepting a horizontal part of a cart, a rocker pivotally mounted between the side walls within the receptacle with parts extending through the lower end into said space, said rocker comprising a gate and an actuator, said rocker being rotatable to a position to substantially withdraw the gate from the opening and to dispose the actuator in the opening in a position to be engaged by movement of the part into said space and from thence to a position to substantially close the space by pressure of the part against the actuator so as to displace it inwardly relative to the open end of said space, a spring connected to the rocker normally holding the rocker in a position such that the gate is withdrawn from said space and means for holding the rocker in said position with the gate in the closing position.

2. A lock according to claim 1, comprising a spring extended latch bolt supported adjacent the rocker, and a catch plate movable with the gate relative to the latch bolt, said latch bolt yielding to movement of the catch plate when the gate is moved to its closing position and opposing movement of the catch plate in a direction to withdraw the gate.

3. A lock for locking a cart to a wall when unattended, comprising a rigid box open at one end and provided with means for fastening it to a wall, means extending from the back of the box beyond the open end and from thence forwardly toward the front defining at the open end an enclosure open at the front of such dimensions as to admit a part of a cart to be locked to the wall, a gate pivotally mounted within the box on a pivot concealed within the box for rotation about an axis parallel to the front of the enclosure, the gate being movable from a position withdrawn into the box through the open end to an extended position closing the open front of the enclosure, means yieldingly holding the gate withdrawn in the box, an actuator fixed to the gate having a part at the opposite side of the pivot axis of the gate, extending through the open end of the box into the enclosure to a position therein between the back of the enclosure and the open front thereof, said actuator being operable by movement of said part into the open end of the closure toward the back to rotate the gate about its pivot axis to extend it to its closed position and key controlled means for automatically locking the gate in its closed position.

4. A lock according to claim 3, wherein the box is vertically mounted with its open end down so that the enclosure at the lower open end of the box is disposed to receive through its open end a horizontally disposed part of the cart.

5. A lock according to claim 3, wherein the box is mounted horizontally so that the enclosure at the open end is disposed to receive a vertical part of the cart.

6. A lock according to claim 3, wherein the key controlled means for locking the gate in its closed position is inaccessibly mounted within the box.

7. A lock according to claim 3, wherein the key controlled means for automatically locking the gate in its closed position comprises a normally extended latch bolt which may be retracted by a key and a latch plate mounted on the gate for movement therewith, said latch plate being shaped so that its movement in one direction displaces the extended bolt to permit the gate to be closed and to oppose rotation in the opposite direction to prevent opening of the gate except by withdrawal of the latch bolt.