AU635845B2

AU635845B2 - A lock tongue

Info

Publication number: AU635845B2
Application number: AU78217/91A
Authority: AU
Inventors: Michael Alchin
Original assignee: Alchin and Long Group Pty Ltd
Current assignee: Alchin and Long Group Pty Ltd
Priority date: 1990-06-05
Filing date: 1990-06-05
Publication date: 1993-04-01
Anticipated expiration: 2011-06-05
Also published as: AU7821791A

Description

S F Ref: 183209 AUSTRA 3 5 8 4 PATENTS ACT 1990 COMPLETE SPECIFICATION FOR A STANDARD PATENT 0*

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ORIGINAL

Name and Address of Applicant: Alchin Long Group Pty Limited LOt 9 ReJfern Street Wetherill Park New South Wales 2164

AUSTRALIA

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S S *5 Actual Inventor(s): Address for Service: Invention Title: Michael Alchin a so

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Spruson Ferguson, Patent Attorneys Level 33 St Martins Tower, 31 Market Street Sydney, New South Wales, 2000, Australia A Lock Tongue ASSOCIATED PROVISIONAL APPLICATION DETAILS [311 Application No(s) [33] Country [32] Application Date P,0480 AU 5 June 1990 The following statement is a full description of this invention, including the best method of performing it known to me/us:- 5815/3 1 The present "nvention relates to locks and more particularly lock tongues.

Locks are provided with a lock tongue which is movable between an extended and retracted positions. In the extended position, the lock tongue is engaged within a door jamb to retain the door closed. In the retracted position, the door may be opened. The security of the lock is dependent on the penetration of the lock tongue into the door jamb.

Accordingly it is desirable to have a ma}imum penetration of the door jamb. However the lock can become difficult to operate particularly if the tongue is retracted by a striker plate. When the door is being closed, an inclined surface of the tongue engages an inclined surface of the striker plate. If the tongue is excessively long the door will not close easily. Accordingly the depth of penetration of the tongue in the past has been limited by the interaction of the tongue with the striker plate.

Lock tongues are also made to be reversed so that the lock may be right or left handed in use. This requires work to be performed on the lock to adjust it for its particular right or left handed use.

Accordingly the current design of lock tongues suffers from the disadvantage that they require manipulation to adjust them to right hand or left hand use.

is the object of the present invention to overcome or substantially ameliorate the above disadvantages.

There is disclosed herein a lock tongue to be mounted in a lock 25 body for linear movement relative thereto along an axis between a *i retracted position and an extended position, said body having a pair of converging ramp surfaces of which one would engage a striker plate to cause movement of the lock tongue from the extended position to the retracted position, said ram surfaces being located so as to extend in a 30 direction transverse of said axis and to coverge toward said axis, said body also having at least one abutment surface adapted to engage within a door jamb to co-operate therewith, said abutment surface extend transversely of said ramp surfaces so as to have abutment portions spaced outwardly of said ramp surfaces, which abutment portions engage the door jamb.

A preferred form of the present invention will now be described by way of example with reference to the accompanying drawings, wherein: Figure 1 is a schematic side elevation of a lock tongue; TXFigure 2 is a schematic top plan view of the tongue of Figure 1; LH/LMM/448t -2- Figure 3 is a schematic side elevation of the lock tongue of Figure 1; Figure 4 is a schematic rear end elevation of the lock tongue of Figure 1; and Figure 5 is a schematic front end elevation of the lock tongue of Figure 1.

In the accompanying drawings there is schematically depicted a lock tongue 10. The lock tongue 10 is adapted to be movably mounted in a lock body, for movement between an extended (operative position) and a retracted position substantially located within the lock body. The lock tongue 10 would be associated with a lock mechanism which would be operated by a user of the lock to move the lock tongue 10 from the extended position to the retracted position. Also if required, the lock tongue 10 could co-operate with a deadlock mechanism to retain the tongue 10 in its extended position.

The leading portion 11 of the lock tongue 10 has a pair of converging striker engaging ramp surfaces 12 inclined relative to each other by an acute angle 13. The surfaces 12 converge towards the S longitudinal axis 14 of the tongue 10 and terminate at an apex 15. The S 20 surfaces 12 extend in a transverse direction with respect of the axis 14 so as to be located on opposite sides thereof. This is best seen in Figure 2 where the surfaces 12 are perpendicular to the plane of the drawing, and the axis 14 is in the plane of the drawing.

At each transverse end of the surfaces 12 there is provided S 25 abutment means In the form of flanges 16 which project beyond the edges of the surfaces 12.

In operation of the above described lock tongue 10, the tongue would co-operate with a striker plate having a projecting striker flange to engage the surfaces 12. The striker flange would engage one of the surfaces 12 and cause retraction of the tongue 10 to its retracted position to allow closing of the door to which the lock is attached.

By having a pair of surfaces 12, the lock tongue 10 is automatically adapted to right or left hand use and does not require any manipulation or alteration at the installation stage. However despite having two inclined surfaces 12, the overall effective penetration of the lock tongue 10 is not diminished due to the flanges 16.

It should be appreciated that the striker plate would need to engage the associated surface 12 to ensure that the tongue 10 retracts Sand provides clearance for the flanges 16, prior to the lock tongue SI,, being released and penetrating Into the door jamb.

LH/LMM/448t

Claims

1. A lock tongue to be mounted in a lock body for linear movement relative thereto along an axis between a retracted position and an extended position, said body having a pair of converging ramp surfaces of which one would engage a striker plate to cause movement of the lock tongue from the extended position to the retracted position, said ram surfaces being located so as to extend in a direction transverse of said axis and to coverge toward said axis, said body also having at least one abutment surface adapted to engage within a door jamb to co-operate therewith, said abutment surface extend transversely of said ramp surfaces so as to have abutment portions spaced outwardly of said ramp surfaces, which abutment portions engage the door jamb.

2. The lock tongue of claim 1, including at least one flange extending generally parallel to said axis and adjacent said ramp surfaces and providing one abutment surface.

3. The lock tongue of claim 1, wherein said body provides two abutment surfaces.

4. The lock tongue of claim 3, wherein said body has a pair of generally parallel co-extensive flanges spaced transversely of said axis and extending generally parallel thereto, said flanges being adjacent said ramp surfaces and providing said abutment surfaces.

5. A lock tongue substantially as hereinbefore described with reference to the accompanying drawings.

6. A lock incorporating a lock tongue, according to any one of 25 the previous claims. DATED this FOURTH day of FEBRUARY 1993 Alchin Long Group Pty Limited Patent Attorneys for the Applicant SPRUSON FERGUSON JLH/LMM/448t ABSTRACT A lock tongue 10 having a pair of converging ramp surfaces 12 to engage the striker plate. Bordering the ramp surfaces 12 are a pair of abutment flanges 16 which in conjunction with the ramp surfaces 12 enable the lock tongue 10 to provide for left and right hand use without any manipulation of the lock tongue 10 and without diminishing the effective penetration depth of the lock tongue *0 a 0c SO S a (Figure 2) JLH/LMM/448t