AU2005244571A1 - A method and apparatus for securing doors and/or drawers within an interior space of a motorhome - Google Patents

Description

O1 0 0AUTOMATIC LOCKING APPARATUS FIELD OF THE INVENTION This invention relates to a locking apparatus for locking all movable fittings mounted on a body. The invention also extends to a body including the Iaforementioned locking apparatus.

This invention relates particularly but not exclusively to a locking apparatus for 10 locking movable fittings on a body that is a vehicle body, e.g. of a vehicle that is a motor home, so that they cannot fly open automatically and it will therefore be convenient to hereinafter describe the invention with reference to this example application. However, it is to be clearly understood that the invention is capable of broader application.

For example, the invention could also be applied to a vehicle that is a caravan as opposed to a motor home, which has its own engine and drive system. The invention could also be applied to other vehicles, e.g. train carriages and the like.

The invention will find particular application with bodies that are vehicles because they are subject to movement in use and as a result, there can be a need to lock them. However, the invention is not limited to vehicles. For example, the invention could also be applied to bodies of structures such as houses, office buildings and the like, where there is a risk of movement due to earth quake, earth tremor, or the like.

In the specification the term "comprising" shall be understood to have a broad meaning similar to the term "including" and will be understood to imply the inclusion of a stated integer or step or group of integers or steps but not the exclusion of any other integer or step or group of integers or steps. This definition also applies to variations on the term "comprising" such as "comprise" and "comprises".

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0 cBACKGROUND TO THE INVENTION Caravans and motor homes are well known types of vehicles that are widely used in contemporary Australian society. They comprise broadly a vehicle body that is mounted on wheels and that contains amenities for living and that can travel on a public road.

The vehicle body defines an interior space that contains a living area that typically has a kitchen area, a living area, a sleeping area and a toilet/bathroom area.

Each of these areas has fittings that include cupboards and cabinets having doors and/or drawers and the like, for providing access to the interior thereof.

While the vehicle is being driven on the roads the vehicle will undergo regular changes in direction, e.g. as the car turns around a corner. This will lead to changes in momentum that will have the tendency to cause the doors and drawers to fly open.

These doors and drawers are often provided with some latching system to latch or hold them in the closed position and resist their tendency to fly open.

However, each door or drawer needs to be manually clicked into the latched or retained position for the latching system to operate efficaciously. There is no means for automatically locking all the doors and drawers in the closed position when the vehicle is taken onto the road.

Each time a user took such a vehicle onto the road they would have to inspect each of the doors and drawers to make sure they were latched in the closed position. Apart from the effort of having to carefully latch each door and drawer, this procedure would take time to carry out. It would be quite inconvenient to have to carry out the procedure each time the vehicle was used for driving on the road. In addition, there is always the risk that a person thinks that a certain door is latched when this is not the case and such a door will be at risk of flying open when the vehicle is on the road. Further, there is also the risk that some person will open a door after the driver, or other user has conducted their final latching n3

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0 ccheck, as described above and then not close it properly, or worse still, not close it at all. Typically this might happen if a person needs to get an article out of a

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cupboard or drawer at the last minute. In short, the check of latches each time a _vehicle is used is a time consuming chore that requires some effort. It would be far better if it did not need to be done. In addition, as shown above it is not a failsafe process and there is still a risk that one or more doors have not been properly latched when the vehicle goes on to the road.

o Accordingly, it is widely recognised in the motor home and caravan industries that existing latching mechanisms do not provide sufficient protection against a door or drawer flying open when the vehicle is being driven. Many caravan and motor home users can recount an experience where a door or drawer has slid open and fallen onto the floor with some force. The contents of the drawer have been emptied onto the floor creating a mess and often glass bottles and the like are broken. In addition, often the floor of the motor home and/or the drawer can get damaged when this happens. For example, it is not unusual to see a scratch or scuff in the floor of a used motor home where this has occurred.

Clearly therefore, existing latching systems for doors and drawers have clear limitations and do not ensure that the doors and drawers of caravans and motor homes are locked in the closed position when they are travelling on the road.

While most doors and drawers are equipped with a latching system of some sort they rely on the doors and drawers being manually latched one at a time.

Further, the doors and drawers may not be latched securely or they may not be latched at all. Further, the latching systems are subject to wear and may fair after extensive use. Further, fairly laborious checking procedures need to be carried out each time the vehicle is taken onto the road to make sure the drawers and doors are latched. Yet further, even if this is done there is a risk that it has not been done thoroughly, or that someone has subsequently opened a door or drawer and then not closed it properly again.

Clearly it would be advantageous if a system could be devised that ameliorated at least some of these drawbacks.

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0 cSUMMARY OF THE INVENTION According to one aspect of this invention there is provided an apparatus for automatically locking a plurality of movable doors and drawers mounted on a body, the apparatus comprising: a plurality of locking members, each said locking member being n associated with one of said plurality of doors or drawers that are mounted on the body and movable between open and closed positions, each locking member obeing movable between a locked position in which it positively holds the door or 0 10 drawer in the closed position and a release position in which it does not interfere with movement of the door or drawer; means for physically moving each said locking member from the release to the locked position and then back to the release position, said moving means being operatively coupled to said plurality of locking members; and control means for causing the moving means to physically move the locking members into the locked position and also back to the release position in response to predetermined events and/or on demand.

Thus, each of the doors and drawers has a locking member associated therewith that is moved to the locked position to thereby lock the door or drawer when caused to do so by the control means, e.g. when a vehicle is taken onto the road and it is desirable to lock all doors and drawers. The control means might do this on demand, or automatically, in response to a signal that the vehicle is about to be taken onto the road such as turning the ignition key. Thus, a centralised locking system is used to automatically lock all the doors and drawers in the locked position at the same time.

The means for moving the locking members may include at least one solenoid that is operatively coupled to an electric circuit that can be energised. Each said solenoid may move at least one locking member. The moving means may also include a servo operatively coupled to each solenoid to provide the mechanical movement to physically move the locking member.

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0Thus, the solenoid is an electrical switch that extends the servo when current flows through it in one direction and retracts the servo when current is moved through it in the other direction. The movement of the servo is transferred to the _associated locking member/s to move it to the locked or the release position, as the case may be.

The locking members may comprise active latching formations mounted on the body and complementary passive latching formations mounted on the doors, or o drawers, for engaging the active latching formations in the locked position and for C 10 being free of interference with the active latching formations in the release position.

Specifically the servo may be coupled to the active latching formation either directly or indirectly in such a way that the mechanical movement in the servo produces a corresponding movement in the latching formation.

At least one of the active latching formations may include a hook portion towards one end thereof. The active latching formation may be pivotally mounted to the body and be pivoted in one direction into the locking position in which the hook portion is engaged with the passive latching formation and then pivoted in an opposite direction back out of the recess into the release position.

One or more passive latching formations may have a complementary formation for engaging the hook portion, e.g. with a snug fit with a close tolerance, such that the two are securely engaged with each other.

The active latching formation may be pivotally mounted to the body at a pivot point and the hook formation may be located on one side of the pivot point and the servo may be coupled to the active latching formation on the other side of the pivot point. Thus, movement of the servo affects pivoting movement of the active latching member into the locked position and then back into the release position.

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0 The features of the locking members described above describe the latching type mechanism for locking the sliding drawers in the locked position. An alternative mechanism for holding pivotal doors in the locked position will be described _below.

One or more locking members may include an active locking formation that is a pin, e.g. mounted on a door frame that can be displaced in an axial direction into locking engagement with a complementary passive locking formation on the door.

The passive locking formation may simply be an opening defined in the door or a formation associated with the door within which the locking pin is received in the locked position. Thus, this type of locking member can be used to lock a pivotal door in the locked position. In the release position the locking pin is simply withdrawn from the opening permitting the door to pivot.

The servo may be operatively coupled to at least one active latching formation, by means of a link that transfers the axial to and fro movement of the servo to the link.

Optionally the link can be used to operatively couple a single said servo to a plurality of active latching formations, e.g. located at spaced intervals along the link. This way a single servo can be used to lock a plurality of locking members.

This might be used for example where there is a plurality of drawers one on top of each other in a cabinet and each of the drawers needs to be locked.

Preferably the servos are connected in parallel with each other in the electrical circuit. This causes them to extend and retract in unison, which provides for simultaneous locking and release of all locking members, which is one of the features of this invention.

The control means may comprise means for directing current in one direction through the solenoids when it is desired to move the locking members to the locked position and means for directing the current in an opposed direction

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c, through the solenoids when it is desired to move the locking members to the ounlocked, or release position.

The control means may comprise two relays and at least one switch operatively coupled to each other to direct current in one direction through the circuit and solenoids in one switch position and to direct current through the circuit and 'solenoids in the opposite direction in the other switch position.

oIn said one switch position the current is passed through the solenoid in one 10 direction causing the servos the move the locking member towards the locked position. In said other switch position the current is passed through the servos and particularly the coils thereof in the opposite direction and this causes the servos to move the locking members out of the locking position and into the release position.

The at least one switch of the control means may include a manual switch that is manually moved by an operator. The control means may include a further switch that is operatively associated with one of the following systems of the vehicle: an ignition system, a handbrake, or a turning of the wheels of the car. The switch associated with these systems may be activated to move the locking members to the closed position when the car is started, the handbrake is released or the vehicle wheels start turning.

In a preferred form the further switch may be operatively coupled to the ignition system of the vehicle.

The further switch causes the servos to move the locking members to the locked position when the ignition switch is turned on. The manual switch enables a user to move the locking members to the release position once they have been locked by starting the vehicle. The manual switch may be used if a person wants to access a cupboard while the vehicle is travelling on the road. This feature enables the person to quickly unlock the active latching formations, open the doors or drawers to get what they want and then lock it again. It also provides a vc 8

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0 cmeans for unlocking the locking members when the vehicle is stopped after travelling on the road.

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In some forms of the invention the switch means may comprise only a manual switch that is switched by a user to move all the locking members to the locked position when they require this to be done. The user then switches the switch again to release the locking members when they no longer require the doors and drawers to be locked. This is a more rudimentary form of the invention but it still oeffects a locking all the doors and drawers on demand using a centralised system 0 S 10 and is just as efficacious.

According to another aspect of this invention there is provided a body comprising: a floor and a wall extending circumferentially around the floor, the floor and wall defining an interior space; a plurality of fittings in the interior space mounted to the body wall and/or floor, each fitting having a stationary part and a moving part, which is a door and/or drawer mounted thereto and movable between open and closed positions to provide access to the interior of the fitting/s; a locking member mounted on each door and/or drawer, each locking member being movable between a locked position in which it positively holds the door or drawer in the closed position and a release position in which it does not interfere with movement of the door or drawer; means for physically moving each said locking member from the release to the locked position and then back to the release position that is operatively coupled to said plurality of locking members; and control means for causing the moving means to physically move the locking member into the locked position and also back to the release position in response to predetermined events and/or on demand.

The body may be a vehicle. The vehicle may be a caravan or a motor home.

The locking members may comprise active latching formations mounted on the stationary part of the fitting such as a frame, a cabinet or a cupboard and In 9 0 ccomplementary passive latching formations mounted on the moving part, which is the door or drawer for engaging the active latching formations in the locked

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position and for being detached from the active latching formations in the release position.

The body, which is a vehicle, may have at least one door and at least one drawer that are locked by said locking members. The door may be a door of a cupboard and/or a shower door within the interior of the body. The at least one drawer may obe a plurality of drawers forming a set of drawers within a cabinet of a kitchen 0 S 10 cupboard. The at least one drawer may also be a general storage drawer and it may also be a drawer for clothing in a bedroom area of the body.

Where the body includes a cabinet and one or more drawers mounted on the cabinet the body may further include a compression strut, e.g. a gas strut, extending between a point on the cabinet and a point on the drawer, e.g. such that the strut extends in the direction of movement of the drawer between the open and closed positions.

The gas strut will displace the drawer into the fully open position once it is extended beyond a threshold position towards the open position. Further, it will hold the drawer in the open position. Correspondingly if the drawer is opened a small distance but not up to this threshold position, then the gas strut will push the drawer back into the closed position and hold it in the closed position.

Thus, the gas strut helps to ensure that the associated drawer is either in the fully open or fully closed position and not somewhere in between. This helps to ensure that all the drawers are in the fully closed position when the locking members are activated and again this helps to make sure all the locking members engage properly. The gas strut also helps to reduce rattling and movement of the associated drawer, particularly during movement of the body, e.g. travel of the vehicle on the road.

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N The means for moving the locking members may be as described above for the first aspect of the invention. The moving means may include any one or more of

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the optional features described above according to the first aspect of the invention.

The control means may be as described above for the first aspect of the n invention. The control means may include any one or more of the optional or preferred features described in the first aspect of the invention.

In' S 10 DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION A vehicle having a locking apparatus in accordance with this invention may manifest itself in a variety of forms. It will be convenient to hereinafter provide a detailed description of one embodiment of the invention with reference to the accompanying drawings. The purpose of providing this detailed description is to instruct persons having an interest in the subject matter of the invention how to put the invention into practice. It is to be clearly understood, however, that the specific nature of this detailed description does not supersede the generality of the preceding statements. In the drawings: Fig. 1 is a schematic plan view of an example layout of a body of a motor home in accordance with the invention; Fig. 2 is a three dimensional view of a cabinet and associated set of drawers with details omitted for clarity showing a set of active latching formations in a release position; Fig. 3 is a side view of the cabinet and set of drawers of Fig 2 again with the latching formations in a release position; Fig. 4 is a side view of the cabinet and set of drawers of Fig. 2 showing the latching formations in a locked position; i.o 11 0 Fig. 5 is a three dimensional view of part of a body of a motor home showing one fitting that is a pivotal door having a pin type locking member in the

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release position and another fitting that is a cabinet with a set of drawers showing the active latching formations in the release position; and Fig. 6 is a circuit diagram for the locking apparatus shown in the preceding drawings.

oFig. 1 shows a lay out of a motor home indicated herein by numeral 1 having some of the fittings usually found in a motor home.

The motor home 1 comprises broadly a body 2 mounted on wheels having a floor and an outer wall that defines an interior space. The interior space can broadly be divided up into a front seat space and a living space rear of the front seat.

The living space is fitted out so that it provides the necessary amenities for living including: a kitchen area 3, a bathroom area 4, a living area 5 and also a sleeping area 6. In each of these areas the body 2 is equipped with fittings to make the area suitable for living in. These fittings include cupboards and/or cabinets with hinge mounted doors and drawers, e.g. sets of drawers. It also includes full length doors, such as a shower door.

Fig. 2 shows a set of vertically stacked drawers 10 mounted in a housing that is a cabinet 12, of the type that might be found in a bedroom or kitchen area of a motor home. Each of the drawers 10 is capable of sliding between an open position providing a person with access to the drawer 10 and a closed position where the contents of the drawer 10 are not accessible.

The drawers 10 and cabinet 12 are fitted with a locking apparatus 15 that enables the drawers 10 to be securely locked in a closed position from a central location whenever the vehicle is taken onto the road.

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0Broadly the locking apparatus 15 comprises locking members 20 for locking each of the doors/drawers 10 in the closed position that is movable between a locked position (Fig. 4) in which it positively holds the door/drawer in the closed position against movement to the open position and also a release position (Figs. 2 and 3) in which it does not interfere with movement of the door/drawers between the open and closed positions. The apparatus 15 also includes means for physically moving each of the locking members 20 into the locked position and back into the release position in the form of a solenoid having a servo 25 that is operatively ocoupled to the locking members 20 and effects displacement of the locking 0 10 members The solenoids are electrically connected to an associated electrical circuit 28 with a power supply. The flow of current in one direction through the associated circuit causes the solenoid to be switched in a way that causes the servo to be extended, to move the locking members to the locked position. The flow of current through the circuit in a reverse direction causes the solenoid to switch the other way and this causes the servos to retract. This causes the locking members to move to the release position in unison.

The direction of flow of current through the circuit is controlled by an arrangement of relays and switches as will be described in more detail below.

The locking member shown in Figs. 2 to 4 comprises an active latching formation that is pivotally mounted to the cabinet 12 and a complementary passive latching formation 32 that is mounted on the associated drawer 10 in a fixed position such that it does not move at all relative to the drawer 10. The active latch formation 30 may include a hook portion towards one end thereof and the passive latching formation 32 may define a complementary engagement surface for engaging the hook portion with a close tolerance.

Each active latching formation 30 may be pivotally mounted to the housing 12 about a broadly central pivot point 38. The hook portion of the active latch formation may be positioned on one side of the pivot point 38 and the portion of n 13

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0 cthe active latching formation 30 on the other side of the pivot point 38 may be indirectly coupled to the servo 25 of the solenoid. Thus, movement of the servo

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displaces the other side of the latching formation 30 and this in turn, causes _the latching formation 30 to pivot about the pivot point.

As shown in Figs. 2 and 3, the servo 25 may be operatively coupled to the active n latching formation 30 by means of a linkage 40 that transmits the displacement of the servo 25 directly to the latching formation 30. The linkage 40 is pivotally S mounted to the other side of the active latching formation 30 and displacement 0 10 thereof moves the active latching formation 30 between the locked and release positions. Further, as illustrated in Figs. 2 and 3 the linkage may be used to couple a plurality of active latching formations 30 to the same servo.

The active latching formations 30 are moved from the release position in Figs. 2 and 3 to the locked position in Fig. 4 by the flow of electric current through the solenoids in one direction. This causes the servo 25 to be extended, e.g. move upwardly. This displacement is transferred to the active latching formation 30 to pivot the active latching formation 30 into engagement with the passive latching formation 32 as shown in Fig. 3. In this position the drawer 10 is held firmly and securely in the closed position and does not fly open even when induced to do so by a change in direction of the vehicle.

When the current is passed in a reverse direction through the solenoids the servos are moved in the opposite direction or retracted. This causes the locking members to move to the unlocked or release position.

Fig. 5 shows a locking member 50 that is suitable for locking a pivotal door, e.g. a hinge mounted door 52 in its closed position as well as a set of drawers like those in Figs. 2 to 4.

The locking member 50 comprises an active locking formation that is in the form of a barrel 54 and a passive latching formation that is in the form of an aperture 14

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0 c56 for receiving the barrel 54. When the passage 56 of the barrel is received in the aperture this holds the door closed and stops it pivoting into its open position.

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With this locking member 50 the movement from the release to the locked position comprises a simple axial movement of the barrel 54. Thus, the barrel is operatively coupled to the servo such that the displacement of the servo when the relay is closed and current is passed through the coil is transmitted directly through to the barrel 54. This simply moves the barrel axially forward through the oopening 56 and locks the door.

A separate servo may be used to drive each locking member 50 that is used to lock a pivotal door.

All of the servos of the locking apparatus are connected in parallel to the same electric circuit and as such, all are energised together and move all the locking members to the locked position together.

Fig. 6 shows a circuit diagram of the locking apparatus. The operation of the servos and relays in the circuit diagram that is Fig 6 will now be discussed.

In the illustrated circuit there are two relays and they are arranged such that current can be passed through the solenoids in one direction to move the servos to the extended positions (locked position) and then the current can be passed through the solenoids in the other direction to move the servos to the retracted position (release position). The circuit also has two switches one of which is a manual switch and the other of which is coupled to the ignition circuit.

When the driver turns the ignition switch to start the engine the first relay 60 is displaced to connect together terminals 63 and 64 that are normally open. The two terminals 64 and 65 are normally closed but these are now opened by the movement of the coil to close terminals 63 and 64.

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This causes current to flow from the power supply, e.g. the battery 67 through the terminals 63, 64, then through the servos and back to the earth shown by reference numeral 68. This moves the locking elements and locking formations shown in the earlier drawings to the locked position locking all of the drawers and doors in the motor home.

n The second relay which is indicated generally by reference numeral 70 has J- terminals 71 and 72 in the normally closed configuration that remain in the n normally closed configuration. The two terminals 72 and 73 that are normally 0 o 10 open stay in the normally open position. This way current flows through the relay and then to earth 68, completing the circuit.

Similarly when the switch 75, which is a manual switch, is moved upwards it has the same affect of passing current through the first relay 60 to connect or close normally open terminals 63 and 64. This also opens terminals 65 and 66 that are normally closed. Current flows through the servos 25 causing to move to the locking position again locking all the drawers and doors.

This movement of the servos 25 in one direction, say an upward direction acts to lock the locking mechanism of the drawers and the like.

The reversal of the flow of current and the movement of the servos 25 in the opposite direction will now be described.

This is initiated by the switch 75 being moved downwardly. This causes current from the supply 68 to flow in the opposite direction through the circuit. The current in the coil causes it to move and this places the terminals 72 and 73 that are normally open in the closed position. Further, terminals 71 and 72 that are normally closed are placed in the open position. This causes current to flow from the power supply, through the lower leg of the circuit, through the servos 25 and back through the upper leg of the circuit.

In the relay 60 the terminals 64 and 65 that are normally in the closed position remain in this closed position and this permits current to flow back through the Vn 16

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circuit to the earth. It will be appreciated that this current flows in a reverse direction through the coils of the servos and this causes them to move in a reverse or opposite direction. This has the affect of unlocking all the locking formations in the motor home enabling a user to open the doors and drawers thereof.

In use the motor home alternates between two modes of use one of which is vehicle use when it is being driven on the road as a vehicle in the normal way.

oThe other mode is recreational, or camping use, when it is set up in a camping 0 ground and is used to live in as a small self contained home.

When in the camping or recreational mode it is not necessary to have the doors 52 and drawers 10 always locked. In fact, this would be inconvenient because users will want to gain access to the drawers 10 and cupboards 52. In this mode therefore the locking members 30, 50 are in the release position. They do not interfere with the drawers 10 and doors 52 being opened and shut.

When the vehicle is used on the road as a vehicle it is different and it is highly desirable to have all the doors 52 and drawers 10 locked in the closed position.

When the driver turns the ignition switch this directs current through the solenoids in a direction that will cause the servos to move out and displace all the locking members 10, 50 simultaneously and automatically into the locked position. This will lock the doors 52 and drawers 10 in the positions shown in Figs. 3 and 4.

Thus, when the vehicle turns a corner, e.g. at speed and there is a change in momentum, the locking members 10, 50 will hold the doors 52 and drawers against flying open.

When the vehicle stops and current is directed in the opposite direction through the circuit and the solenoids the servos move in the opposite direction and retract, thereby displacing all the locking members 10, 50 to the release position.

This enables the doors 52 and drawers 10 to be opened again and used in the normal way without interference from the locking members.

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cThe manual switch enables a driver to open the circuit when the vehicle is being driven and the ignition switch is on. This enables a user for example to open a

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drawer or cupboard while the vehicle is being driven, if this is required. This also enables the user to also lock all the doors and drawers again when they have finished accessing the door/drawer.

In another embodiment that has not been illustrated in the drawings, each of the drawers 10 has a compression strut, which is a gas strut extending between it oand the support or cabinet 12 on which the drawer 10 is mounted.

The gas strut is like the strut used on a hatchback vehicle to hold the hatchback in an open position once it is lifted above a certain height. Such a strut also moves the hatchback back to the closed position if it is not lifted up above a threshold height. That is there is no stationary intermediate setting. The gas strut moves the member to either the open or closed positions.

Thus, the strut ensures that once the drawer is opened it is moved to the fully open or fully closed position. This feature enhances operation of the locking members 20 because it ensures that the passive locking formation 32 component on the drawer 10 is always in the same position, which is the correct position to receive the active locking component. It thus enhances the efficacy of the locking members the overall efficacy of the locking apparatus. Further, the gas struts also assist in reducing rattling of the drawers when the vehicle is in transport mode.

An advantage of the apparatus described above is that it provides a way of automatically locking all the doors and drawers before a vehicle is driven onto the road. Further, it does this automatically without any operator involvement. This will hugely reduce the burden of users having to carefully check each door and drawer to see that it is fully latched each time that they want to travel on the road with the motor home. This will make life easier for motor home users. It will also avoid instances where the doors or drawers fly open because they have not been (18

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clatched properly or someone has opened a door after the standard check has been conducted.

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2A further advantage of the apparatus described above is that the technology that it uses for moving the locking members namely the use of servos is well established. Servos that are suitable for this application are commercially available at reasonable cost. Accordingly, Applicant believes that the apparatus will be reliable in use which is important and will not require much maintenance oand upkeep.

c~I A yet further advantage of the locking apparatus is that the components that it uses are readily available and it will not be unduly expensive to manufacture. In fact it will not add significant cost to the cost of the motor home.

It will, of course, be realised that the above has been given only by way of illustrative example of the invention and that all such modifications and variations thereto as would be apparent to persons skilled in the art are deemed to fall within the broad scope and ambit of the invention as is herein set forth.

Claims (26)

1. An apparatus for automatically locking a plurality of movable doors and drawers mounted on a body, the apparatus comprising: a plurality of locking members, each said locking member being n associated with one of said plurality of doors or drawers that are mounted on the body and movable between open and closed positions, each locking in member being movable between a locked position in which it positively holds 0 o the door or drawer in the closed position and a release position in which it does not interfere with movement of the door or drawer; means for physically moving each said locking member from the release to the locked position and then back to the release position, said moving means being operatively coupled to said plurality of locking members; and control means for causing the moving means to physically move the locking members into the locked position and also back to the release position in response to predetermined events and/or on demand.

2. An apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the means for moving the locking members includes at least one solenoid that is operatively coupled to an electric circuit that can be energised and each said solenoid moves at least one locking member.

3. An apparatus according to claim 2, wherein the moving means also includes a servo associated with each solenoid, each servo being operatively coupled to a said solenoid to provide the mechanical movement to physically move the locking member.

4. An apparatus according to claim 3, wherein one or more of said locking members comprises active latching formations mounted on the body and complementary passive latching formations mounted on the doors, or drawers, for engaging the active latching formations in the locked position and for being free of interference with the active latching formations in the release position.

In O O ci An apparatus according to claim 4, wherein the servo is coupled to the N active latching formation either directly or indirectly in such a way that the mechanical movement in the servo produces a corresponding movement in the latching formation.

6. An apparatus according to claim 4 or claim 5, wherein at least one of the In active latching formations includes a hook portion towards one end thereof. O

7. An apparatus according to claim 6, wherein the active latching formation is pivotally mounted to the body and can be pivoted in one direction into the locking position in which the hook portion is engaged with the passive latching formation and then pivoted in an opposite direction back out of the recess into the release position.

8. An apparatus according to claim 7, wherein one or more of said passive latching formations is shaped to be capable of receiving an associated hook portion such that the two are securely engaged with each other.

9. An apparatus according to claim 7, wherein the active latching formation may be pivotally mounted to the body at a pivot point and the hook portion may be located on one side of the pivot point and the servo may be coupled to the active latching formation on the other side of the pivot point, such that movement of the servo effects pivoting movement of the active latching formation into the locked position and then back into the release position.

An apparatus according to claim 4 or claim 5, wherein one or more of said active latching formations is a pin mounted on a door frame that can be displaced in an axial direction into a complementary passive locking formation on the door such that it is received by the formation and the door is locked against pivoting movement to the open position. o

11. An apparatus according to claim 4, wherein each servo is operatively C) coupled to at least one active latching formation by means of a link that Itransfers the axial to and fro movement of the servo to the link.

12. An apparatus according to claim 11, wherein the link can be used to n operatively couple a single said servo to a plurality of active latching formations located at spaced intervals along the link. O 0

13. An apparatus according to any one of claims 4 to 12, wherein the servos are connected in parallel with each other in the electrical circuit to cause them to extend and retract in unison to effect simultaneous locking and release of all locking members.

14. An apparatus according to any one of claims 1 to 13, wherein the control means comprises means for directing current in one direction through the solenoids when it is desired to move the locking members to the locked position and means for directing the current in an opposed direction through the solenoids when it is desired to move the locking members to the unlocked, or release position.

An apparatus according to claim 14, wherein the control means comprises two relays and at least one switch operatively coupled to each other, to direct current in one direction through the circuit and solenoids in one switch position and to direct current through the circuit and solenoids in the opposite direction in the other switch position, whereby in said one switch position the servos the move the locking member towards the locked position and in said other switch position the servos move the locking members out of the locking position and into the release position.

16. An apparatus according to claim 15, wherein the at least one switch of the control means includes a manual switch that is manually moved by an operator. n 22 O O

17. An apparatus according to claim 16, wherein the control means includes IND a further switch that is operatively coupled to the ignition system of the vehicle, whereby to cause the servos to move the locking members to the locked position when the ignition switch is turned on. r-

18. A body for a vehicle comprising: a floor and a wall extending circumferentially around the floor, the floor O o and wall defining an interior space; a plurality of fittings in the interior space mounted to the body wall and/or floor, each fitting having a stationary part and a moving part, which is a door and/or drawer mounted thereto and movable between open and closed positions to provide access to the interior of the fitting/s; a locking member mounted on each door and/or drawer, each locking member being movable between a locked position in which it positively holds the door or drawer in the closed position and a release position in which it does not interfere with movement of the door or drawer; means for physically moving each said locking member from the release to the locked position and then back to the release position that is operatively coupled to said plurality of locking members; and control means for causing the moving means to physically move the locking member into the locked position and also back to the release position in response to predetermined events and/or on demand.

19. A body according to claim 18, wherein the vehicle is a caravan or a motor home. A body according to claim 18 or claim 19, wherein the locking members comprise active latching formations mounted on the stationary part of the fitting such as a frame, a cabinet or a cupboard and complementary passive latching formations mounted on the moving part, which is the door or drawer for f ~23 O O o engaging the active latching formations in the locked position and for being C) detached from the active latching formations in the release position.

IND

21. A body according to any one of claims 18 to 20, wherein the body includes a cabinet and one or more drawers mounted on the cabinet and further n includes a compression strut extending between a point on the cabinet and a point on the drawer such that the strut extends in the direction of movement of n the drawer between the open and closed positions, the gas strut displacing the O o drawer into the fully open position once it is extended beyond a threshold position towards the open position holding the drawer in the open position and displacing the drawer back to the closed position if it is pulled out to a position short of the threshold position.

22. A vehicle according to claim 18, wherein the means for moving the locking members are as defined in any of claims 2 to 17.

23. A vehicle according to any one of claims 18 to 22, wherein the control means are as defined in any one of claims 2 to 17.

24. A body for a vehicle comprising: a cabinet and one or more drawers mounted on the cabinet; and a compression strut extending between a point on the cabinet and a point on the drawer such that the strut extends in the direction of movement of the drawer between the open and closed positions, the gas strut displacing the drawer into the fully open position once it is pulled out beyond a threshold position towards the open position holding the drawer in the open position and displacing the drawer back to the closed position if it is pulled out to a position short of the threshold position. An apparatus for automatically locking a plurality of movable doors and drawers mounted on a body substantially as herein described and illustrated in the detailed description of the preferred embodiments with reference to the drawings.

In 24 0 0 ci

26. A motor home substantially as herein described and illustrated in the _0 detailed description of the preferred embodiments with reference to the drawings. IC DATED THIS SIXTEENTH DAY OF DECEMBER 2005 PARADISE MOTOR HOMES PTY LTD I BY 0 PIZZEYS PATENT AND TRADE MARK ATTORNEYS ci