AU2017200366B2

AU2017200366B2 - A lockbox for a lock mechanism

Info

Publication number: AU2017200366B2
Application number: AU2017200366A
Authority: AU
Inventors: Gary Lloyd Lindsay; Leslie James Thomas
Original assignee: Sas Systems Australia Pty Ltd
Current assignee: Sas Systems Australia Pty Ltd
Priority date: 2016-01-19
Filing date: 2017-01-19
Publication date: 2022-09-15
Anticipated expiration: 2037-01-19
Also published as: AU2017200366A1

Abstract

An extruded housing for a lock mechanism, the housing comprising, at least one formation for receiving a fastener for securing the housing to a first member, at least one formation forming part of the extrusion. Also disclosed is a method for making a closure such as a door or gate, the method comprising the steps of: providing opposed first and second stile assemblies, each said stile assembly including a plurality of formations for receiving slat ends disposed therealong; mounting a forward side of a lockbox to an interior side of the first stile assembly, the lockbox having a rearward side arranged to engage a slat; locating a plurality of the slats between the receiving formations of the first and second stile assemblies; and locating at least one shortened slat between the rearward side of the lockbox and one of the plurality of formations of the second stile assembly. 1/4 n ...... ... ............... - - ........................ ....... ........................... - .... .......................................... .................................... ..................... .......................................... ..................... .............. ..................... 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FIGURE 2

Description

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FIGURE 2

AUSTRALIA PATENTSACT1990

COMPLETE PATENT SPECIFICATION A LOCKBOX FOR A LOCK MECHANISM

The following statement is a description of the invention:

A LOCKBOX FOR A LOCK MECHANISM TECHNICAL FIELD

The present invention is directed to a lockbox for a lock mechanism which is straightforward and economical to manufacture and which can be readily installed to a metal door frame.

BACKGROUND

Any reference to methods, apparatus or documents of the prior art are not to be taken as constituting any evidence or admission that they formed, or form part of the common general knowledge.

One type of lockbox that is presently provided on the market comprises a diecast metal box that is specially drilled to complement fastening features for a lock mechanism. It will be realized that casting, finishing and drilling such a lockbox is time-consuming and adds to the cost of the product. Where it is desired to installed a large number of the lockboxes, for example in a residential complex of housing units, the cost involved is considerable.

In many situations lockboxes must be welded to a vertical door member, i.e. a "stile". It will be realized, that such welding, particularly where aluminum must be welded is disadvantageous because of the associated expense and time that must be taken.

Another disadvantage with many lockboxes is the difficulty in correctly fitting the lockbox to the door. It is important that a hole through the stile for the lock latch be formed at the correct position.

There would be an advantage if a lock housing could be manufactured such that the housing size could be made larger or smaller without the complexity in needing to recast the mold and realign various fastening openings which enable the housing to be attached to a member such as a stile of a door or gate and the like.

It is an object of the present invention to provide for a lock mechanism which can overcome at least some of the above-mentioned disadvantages or which can provide a commercial choice in the marketplace.

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION

According to a first aspect of the present invention there is provided a lockbox for a lock mechanism comprising an extruded housing, the housing comprising, at least one fastening formation for receiving a fastener for securing the housing to a stile of a closure such as a door or gate, wherein the at least one formation is integrally formed with the housing.

In this manner the housing can be formed in any length and cut to size without needing to remold the die cast to another casing size.

The extruded housing maybe box like in configuration and therefore may comprise a top wall, bottom wall and opposed side walls. Suitably the housing has a forward end and a rear end which are open.

The housing should be of sufficient size to accommodate a suitable lock mechanism and this can vary depending on the type of lock for mounting in the housing. As an example the housing may have a length of between 5 to 20 cm, a width between 2 to 6 cm and a height of between 5 to 10 cm. It should be appreciated that no unnecessary limitation should be placed on the invention merely by identification of certain preferred sizes of the housing.

The housing contains at least one formation for receiving a fastener for securing the housing to a first member.

Preferably the at least one fastening formation is suitably located within the confines of the housing for protection against damage. The at least one formation suitably extends from the forward end to the rear end of the housing. Suitably the at least one formation extends from the top and/or bottom wall of the housing. It is preferred that the at least one fastening formation comprises an elongate channel adapted to engage with a fastener to fasten the housing to the stile.

The elongate channel is preferably arcuate in cross section adapted for receiving a threaded fastener therealong. The elongate channel is suitably spaced from the respective upper wall and bottom wall by a spacing member.

The extruded housing may be provided with at least one sidewall being formed with an aperture therethrough to enable a handle to cooperate with the lock mechanism. There is preferably an aperture on each side wall, to enable handles to be fitted to both sides of the housing. The aperture is preferably sized to accommodate a door look such as is typically used for urban housing.

The housing may have a backplate across the rear open end with attachment means adapted to support an end of a second extruded member such as a door panel slat. The backplate may be the size of the rear end of the housing with one or more holes therethrough to enable a fastener to secure the backplate via the elongated channel. The slat is preferably hollow with a lumen therethrough. The backplate may have a projection to support an end of the slat by inserting the projection into the lumen.

The housing may be attached to the first member wherein the first member comprises a stile of a door or gate or the like. The stile suitably will have a rectangular cross section and may be secured to the housing with screws via the elongated channels. The door or gate may be comprised of the first member in the form of a stile and a plurality of second members in the form of slats extending laterally from the first member. The front end of the housing is preferably secured to the stile and the rear end of the housing is suitably connected to one or more of said slats.

The housing may be formed with a guide means to assist an installer to correctly position an opening through the stile for a lock latch of the mechanism. The opening may be formed by drilling a hole in the post for passage of the lock latch therethrough.

According to a further aspect of the present invention there is provided a method for making a closure such as a door or gate, the method comprising the steps of: providing opposed first and second stile assemblies, each said stile assembly including a plurality of formations for receiving slat ends disposed therealong; mounting a forward side of a lockbox to an interior side of the first stile assembly, the lockbox having a rearward side arranged to engage a slat; locating a plurality of the slats between the receiving formations of the first and second stile assemblies; and locating at least one shortened slat between the rearward side of the lockbox and one of the plurality of formations of the second stile assembly.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

Preferred features, embodiments and variations of the invention may be discerned from the following Detailed Description which provides sufficient information for those skilled in the art to perform the invention. The Detailed Description is not to be regarded as limiting the scope of the preceding Summary of the Invention in any way. The Detailed Description will make reference to a number of drawings as follows:

Figure 1. Illustrates an extruded housing, comprising a lockbox according to an embodiment of the present invention, shown fastened to a stile of a door. Figure 2. Figure 2 is an exploded view of the lockbox fastened to the stile of the door that is depicted in Figure 1. Figure 3. Is a view of a forward side of the stile with the lockbox attached.

Figure 4. Shows a cross sectional area of the stile to which the lockbox is attached. Figure 5. Figure 5 is a view of the rear of the housing and the stile. Figure 6. Is a view of the extruded housing backplate attached. Figure 7. Is a close up view of the backplate. Figure 8. Shows the lockbox in use.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS

In the following detailed description of the preferred embodiment dimensions are mentioned only as a non-limiting guide for the understanding of the invention. It will be realised that the dimensions may be varied to suit different situations and so the invention is not limited by the exemplary dimensions that are mentioned.

Referring now to Figure 1 there is shown an extruded housing 1 which comprises a lockbox according to an embodiment of the present invention for a lock mechanism.

The extruded housing 1 is box-like in configuration and comprises a top wall 13, bottom wall 15 and opposed side walls 17, 19. The housing 1 has a forward end 21 and a rear end 23 which are open. The housing 1 comprises two opposed fastening formations in the form of channels 3, 5 for receiving fasteners such as screws 7, 9 (figure 2) to thereby secure the extruded housing 1 to a first member 9 such as a stile of a door or gate. Each of the fastening channels comprises opposed arcuate arms that define a space therebetween for a shaft of a screw or bolt. It will be observed that the fastening channels 3, 5 are integrally formed with the remainder of the extruded housing 1.

The fastening channels 3, 5 project inwards from the middle of the bottom wall 15, and top wall 17 respectively. Each fastening channel 3, 5 is spaced from its respective wall 15, 17 by an integral fin.

The extruded housing 1 is of sufficient size to accommodate a suitable lock mechanism for usual urban use. The size of the housing may vary depending on the type of lock mechanism that is intended to be used in the housing. In the presently described preferred embodiment the extruded housing 1 has a length between 5 to 20 cm, a width between 2 to 6 cm and a height between 5 to 10 cm.

As may be seen in figure 1 the side walls 17, 19 of the extruded housing 1 are formed with apertures 25, 27 therethrough. The apertures 25, 27 are equal in diameter, usually having a diameter range 5 to 6 cm and are made during fabrication of the lockbox. In the course of making the apertures 25, 27 concave indents are formed through mid-sections of the fastening channels 3 and 5.

Alignment markers in the form of grooves 29, 31 are formed on the outside surface of the middle of the side walls 17, 19. The alignment grooves 29, 31 extend from the forward end 21 to rear end 23 of the extruded housing 1.

Referring now to figures 2, 5 the extruded housing 1 is fastened to stile 9 by attaching the forward end 21 to the rearward side of stile 9 with screws 7, 9. The screws 7, 9 have a length of 4 to 5 cm. The shanks of the screws pass through holes 33, 35, which are formed through stile 9 and thence are received into the fastening channels 3, 5.

In the presently described embodiment the stile 9 is made from aluminum. As can be seen in Figure 4 the stile 9 has a generally rectangular cross section with right and left sidewalls 37, 39. Forwardly and medially the outer sides of the J shaped returns are formed with square indents 41, 43. Referring now to figure 3 right and left edges of a latch plate 45 locate level and true into the square indents 41, 43.

As shown in figure 4, the stile 9 is attached to an elongate slat mounting member 52. It will be realized that the slat mounting member 52 does not need to be present for the lockbox extrusion housing 1 to be mounted to the stile 9. However, the elongate slat mounting member 52 is advantageous in forming a door panel of slats as will be explained.

Rearwardly the right and left stile sidewalls 37, 39 are formed with medial extensions each of which have opposed square indents 53, 55 that locate outer edges of the elongate slat mounting member 52.

The sidewalls 37, 39 are joined together by a crossbar 47. Two stile fins 49, 51 extend rearwardly from the crossbar 47. Each stile fin 49, 51 ends in a barb for engaging with a correspondingly shaped one of locking fins 56, 58 of member 52.

Referring again to figure 2 in order to install the lockbox to the stile 9 an opening for latch 57 is formed through the stile 9 between openings 33, 35. The diameter of the opening 57 is sufficient for passage of latch 59. The latch plate 45 is secured to the stile 9 via screws 61, 62.

Referring now to figures 6 and 7 it is preferable that lockbox includes a backplate 63 that covers the rear end of the housing extrusion 1. The backplate 63 is rectangular in shape and is secured to the extruded housing 1 with fasteners in form of screws 75, 77 (figure 8) whose threaded portions proceed through openings 65, 66 of the backplate to be engaged by the fastening channels 3, 5 (best seen in in figure 1). The backplate 63 is formed with rearwardly extending attachment means in the form of slat fins 67 which are adapted to support an end of the extruded member 10.

Referring now to figure 8 an extruded, hollow slat 10 can be fastened securely to the backplate by locating its end snugly over the backplate fins 67. Ends of additional slats are received into slots formed through the slat mounting extrusion 52 to thereby produce an outside door or a gate. Opposite ends of the slates are received through corresponding slots of an opposing stile assembly. At least some of the slats are screwed to the stiles in order to securely fasten them thereto.

Accordingly, with reference to figure 8, an embodiment of the invention encompasses a method for making a closure such as a door or gate by firstly providing opposed first and second stile assemblies 69, 71. Each of the stile assemblies includes a plurality of formations for receiving slat ends, e.g. the slots 75 formed through the slat mounting member 52. The method further includes mounting a forward side of the lockbox 1 to an interior, i.e. "rearward" side of the first stile assembly 69. The lockbox has a rearward side, i.e. backplate 63, that is arranged by means of fins 67, to engage slat 10. The method then involves locating a plurality of slats 73 between the receiving formations of the first and second stile assemblies. In addition at least one shortened slat, i.e. slat 10, is located between the rearward side of the lockbox and one of the plurality of slots of the second stile assembly 71.

In compliance with the statute, the invention has been described in language more or less specific to structural or methodical features. The term "comprises" and its variations, such as "comprising" and "comprised of" is used throughout in an inclusive sense and not to the exclusion of any additional features. It is to be understood that the invention is not limited to specific features shown or described since the means herein described comprises preferred forms of putting the invention into effect. The invention is, therefore, claimed in any of its forms or modifications within the proper scope of the appended claims appropriately interpreted by those skilled in the art.

Throughout the specification and claims (if present), unless the context requires otherwise, the term "substantially" or "about" will be understood to not be limited to the value for the range qualified by the terms.

Any embodiment of the invention is meant to be illustrative only and is not meant to be limiting to the invention.

Claims

THE CLAIMS DEFINING THE INVENTION ARE AS FOLLOWS:

1. A housing for a lock mechanism of a closure, such as a door or a gate, of the type that in use includes a generally vertically orientated style, a plurality of generally horizontally orientated slats that extend away from the style, and a lock mechanism for retaining the closure in a closed position wherein a portion of the lock mechanism extends through the style into said housing, said housing including: an extrusion having a top wall and an opposing bottom wall that are maintained in a spaced relationship by at least one side wall, said extrusion having a first end that in use is located adjacent the style and a second end that is remote from said first end, and wherein said extrusion also includes at least one formation for receiving a fastener used to secure said extrusion to the style, said formation being integrally connected to either said top wall or said bottom wall and extending from said first end to said second end, and a plate that is secured to said second end of said extrusion, said plate having attachment means that is adapted to support an end of a slat.

2. A housing as claimed in claim 1, wherein said plate is secured to said extrusion by a fastener that engages with said formation.

3. A housing as claimed in claim 1 or claim 2, wherein said attachment means extends outwardly away from said plate and is locatable in an opening in an end of the slat.

4. A housing as claimed in any one of the preceding claims, wherein said extrusion includes a first side wall and a second side wall that is spaced from said first side wall by said top and bottom walls and wherein an aperture is made in at least one of said side walls so as to enable a handle to cooperate with the lock mechanism.

cSASO1107claimsamd24August2022

5. A housing as claimed in any one of the preceding claims, wherein said extrusion includes a first formation that is integrally connected to said top wall and a second formation that is integrally connected to said bottom wall.

6. A housing as claimed in claim 5, wherein each of said formations includes an elongate channel that is adapted to accommodate a fastener and a web portion that connects said channel to either said top wall or said bottom wall.

cSASO1107claimsamd24August2022