AU659035B2

AU659035B2 - A lock

Info

Publication number: AU659035B2
Application number: AU48651/93A
Authority: AU
Inventors: Goran Ford
Original assignee: Whitco Pty Ltd
Current assignee: Assa Abloy Australia Pty Ltd
Priority date: 1992-10-07
Filing date: 1993-09-28
Publication date: 1995-05-04
Anticipated expiration: 2013-09-28
Also published as: AU4865193A

Description

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AUSTRALIA

Patents Act 1990 COMPLETE SPECIFICATION FOR A STANDARD PATENT Name of Applicant: Address for Service: WHITCO PTY LTD CULLEN CO., Patent Trade Mark Attorneys, 240 Queen Street, Brisbane, Qld. 4000, Australia.

Invention Titles A LOCK Details of Associated Provisional Applications: No. PL5133 filed 7.10.92 The following statement is a full description of this invention, including the best method of performing it known to us: 2 THIS INVENTION relates to a lock and particularly relates to a lock for sliding wings such as sliding doors, sliding security screen doors, sliding glass doors and sliding windows.

Locks for sliding doors usually include a hooked lock tongue which can engage with a keeper or striker. The keeper or striker is fastened to the door or window surround frame and the lock is recessed into an edge of the door or

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S window. The hooked lock tongue is rotatably moveable and 1 usually can rotate between an upper keeper engaging position and a lower release or free position. In the upper position, the sliding door or window is locked to the keeper and in the lower position, the sliding door or window is moveable. The lock tongue is typically biased into its upper keeper engaging position. The lock tongue typically includes a ramped nose Ssuch that the door or window can be slid to a closed position and the lock tongue can ride over or under a portion of the keeper and then be biased to engage with the keeper.

A disadvantage with this known arrangement is that if the door is slammed shut, the lock tongue and/or keeper can 63 3 be damaged or destroyed. This is because the lock tongue has insufficient time to properly ride over or under the portion of the keeper. Additik .ally, if the door is inadvertently locked prior to being closed, damage may also result.

It is generally not satisfactory to improve the ramped nose of the lock tongue in order to allow it to ride more smoothly over or under the portion of the keeper, as this can reduce the strength of the lock tongue and requires closer tolerances when fitting the keeper to ensure that it is correctly positioned in relation to the lock tongue.

The present invention has been developed to provide a lock which may overcome the abovementioned disadvantages or provide the public with a useful or commercial choice.

In one form, the invention resides in a lock for attachment to a sliding wing, the lock comprising a housing, a lock tongue located in said housing and being rotatable between a keeper engaging position and a free position, and being biased into a normally keeper engaging position, an engagement member moveable between a lock tongue engaging position where the engagement member maintains the lock tongue in its free position and a release position where the lock tongue can adopt its keeper engaging position, the engagement member being biased into a normally lock tongue engaging position, and, means to move the engagement member into its S release position, the means including a member extending from the housing or from an adjacent jamb, the member moving the engaging member into its release position upon closing of the Swing.

,0 The lock may be fitted to a sliding screen door, sliding glass door and the like.

S"The housing may comprise a pair of spaced side walls, a rear end wall, a top end wall, a bottom end wall and a front end wall. The front end wall may include an opening.

The opening may allow the keeper to enter and engage with the lock tongue. The lock tongue may be substantially elongate and may comprise a forward nose portion and a rear portion.

The forward nose portion may include a keeper engaging means.

SThe keeper engaging means may comprise an abutment, hook, 3a shoulder or like member which can engage with the keeper to prevent the sliding wing from being opened.

The rear portion of the lock tongue may be pivotally i 4 mounted to the housing to allow the lock tongue to rotate between its keeper engaging position and its free position.

The lock tongue is suitably biased to its keeper engaging position by a spring. The spring may comprise a helical spring which can be located between the lock tongue and the housing.

The lock tongue may include an engagement means which can engage with the engagement member. The engagement means suitably comprises a projection. The projection may comprise an outwardly-extending lip.

IThe engagement member may be substantially L-shaped in configuration and may include a pair of arms. The engagement member may be pivotally connected to the housing and is suitably pivotally connected adjacent a free end of one arm. The other arm may comprise an engaging means to engage with the lock tongue. If the lock tongue includes a projection, the engaging means may comprise a complementary recess or slot. Alternatively, the lock tongue comprises a recess, the engagement means may comprise a complementary projection.

The means to move the engagement member may comprise a moveable member having a portion extending from the housing.

The moveable member may be biased to extend from the housing and may be moveable between an extended position where the portion extends from the housing and a retracted position where the portion is retracted into the housing. In the retracted position, the moveable member may cause the engagement member to move to its release position.

Alternatively, or in addition to the above, a portion of the keeper may cause the engagement member to move to its release position upon the door adopting the closed position.

An embodiment of the invention will be described with reference to the drawings in which Figure 1 illustrates the lock in its free position; Figure 2 illustrates the lock of Figure 1 in its locked position.

.,o.ot Figure 3 illustrates an engagement member.

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Referring to the figures, there is shown a lock

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which can be morticed into an edge face of a sliding door.

SThe lock comprises a housing having a pair of spaced side walls 11 (upper wall not shown for clarity), a rear end wall 12, a top end wall 13, a bottom end wall 14, and a front end wall 15. Front end wall 15 can include openings 16 which can .:accommodate fasteners (not shown) to fasten lock 10 to a sliding door or window. Front end wall 15 also includes an I, C opening 17 which can accommodate a head portion 18 of a keeper 19 (see Figure 2).

Within the housing is located a lock tongue

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0 00 Lock tongue 20 is formed from an elongate planar member and has a forward nose portion 21 and a rear portion 22. Forward nose portion 21 is formed with a hook 23 to allow it to engage behind the keeper head portion 18 as illustrated in Figure 2.

Rear portion 22 of lock tongue 20 is pivotally mounted to side wall 11 and allows the lock tongue to rotate clock-wise between a lower free position as illustrated in Figure 1 and an upper keeper engaging position as illustrated in Figure 2.

Lock tongue 20 is biased into its keeper engaging 6 position by spring 24 which is a helical spring, one end of which locates within a bore 25 in lock tongue 20, and the other end of which abuts against rear end wall 12 of the housing and can locate between locating lugs 26 and 27.

Rear portion 22 of lock tongue 20 is also provided with an engaging means in the form of a projection or lip 28 which shall be described in greater detail below.

Located above lock tongue 20 is an engagement member Engagement member 30 is substantially L-shaped in configuration and comprises a pair of arm members 31, 32 integrally joined together. Engagement member 30 is pivotally mounted to side wall 11 through pivot point 33 located adjacent the free end of arm 31. Furthermore, engagement member 30 is biased by spring 34 to adopt a position where it l engages with lock tongue 20. Tie other arm 32 of engagement member 30 is provided with a hooked portion 35 which can catch against lip 28 of lock tongue Figure 3 illustrates a further engagement member which is biased by a resilient member 46 integrally formed with member 45 and which bears up against a wall of the I I housing.

In use, lock tongue 20 can be rotated anti-clockwise by an external handle (not shown) thereby allowing lock tongue to adopt its free position as illustrated in Figure i. In this position, the sliding door can be freely moved between open and closed positions. Also, lock tongue 20 is prevented from moving to its keeper engaging position as illustrated in Figure 2 as lip 28 is captured by hooked portion 35. Thus, although spring 24 attempts to bias lock tongue 20 to its keeper engaging position as illustrated in Figure 2, engagement member 30 prevents such movement.

When the door is moved to a closed position, head portion 18 of keeper 19 enters through opening 17 and abuts against engagement member 30 and in the process lifts arm member 32 free from lip 28 of the locking tongue Subsequent to this occurrence, spring 24 causes lock tongue to be biased to its upper keeper engaging position as shown in O4.OO.

Figure 2.

1Q The above sequence can be assisted by a moveable S member which comprises a button 40 having a forward portion extending proud from front end face 15 of lock 10. Button also has a rear end 41 which closely adjacent to, or abuts against engagement member 30 or a portion of its spring 34.

This arrangement provides a biasing effect to bias button into its extended position. However, upon closing of the door, button 40 contacts against keeper 19 as illustrated in Figure 2 and is pushed into the lock housing and in doing so causes engagement member 33 to lift free from lock tongue Thus, button 40 can also function to cause lock tongue 20 to move to its keeper engaging position.

It can be seen that the above arrangement minimises the possibility of either lock tongue 20 or keeper 19 being damaged in the event that a sliding door or window is slammed to its shut position. This is achieved by having lock tongue held in its free position and able to automatically move to its keeper engaging position once the keeper has entered into the housing of lock 10. Thus, there is no initial contact between the keeper and lock tongue 8 It should be appreciated that various other changes and modifications may be made to the embodiment described without departing from the spirit and scope of the invention as claimed.

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Claims

1. A lock for attachment to a sliding wing, the lock comprising a housing, a lock tongue located in said housing and being rotatable between a keeper engaging position and a free position, and being biased into a normally keeper engaging position, an engagement member moveable between a lock tongue engaging position where the engagement member maintains the lock tongue in its free position and a release position where the lock tongue can adopt its keeper engaging position, the engagement member being biased into a normally lock tongue engaging position, and, means to move the engagement member into its release position, the means including a member extending from the housing or from an adjacent jamb, the member moving the engaging member into its S release position upon closing of the wing.

2. The lock as claimed in claim i, wherein the wing comprises a sliding door or window.

3. The locik as claimed in claim 1 or 2, wherein the lock tongue stays totally within the housing in its keeper engaging position and its free position.

4. The lock as claimed in any one of the preceding S claims, wherein the housing comprises a pair of spaced side walls, a rear end wall, a top end wall, a bottom end wall and a front end wall, the front end wall having an opening to allow the keeper to enter and engage with the lock tongue.

The lock as claimed in any one of the preceding claims, wherein the lock tongue has a forward nose portion including a keeper engaging means and a rear portion which is Srotatably mounted relative to the housing.

6. The lock as claimed in claim 5, wherein the keeper engaging means is a hook.

7. The lock as claimed in any one of the preceding i i I claims, wherein the lock tongue is biased by a spring extending between a rear portion of the lock tongue and a rear end wall of the housing.

8. The lock as claimed in any one of the preceding claims, wherein the engagement member is pivotally movable between its engaging and release positions and is located within the housing and above the lock tongue.

9. The lock as claimed in any one of the preceding claims, wherein the engagement member is substantially L- shaped comprising a pair of arms connected at their proximal ends, one arm having an engaging means to releasably engage with the lock tongue to hold it in its free position, the other arm being pivotally connected relative to the housing.

The lock as claimed in any one of the preceding claims, wherein the engagement member is biased by a spring.

11. The lock as claimed in any one of claims 1 to 9, wheroin the engagement member is biased by a resilient memb.- extending from the remainder of the engagement member and which bears up against a portion of the housing.

12. The lock as claimed in any one of the preced -:4 claims, wherein the means to move the engagement member into its release position comprises a reciprocatable imember having a portion thereof extending from the housing and able to be depressed into the housing upon contact with the keeper or striker to move the engagement member against its bias to its release position. 11

13. A lock substantially as hereinbefore described with reference to the accompanying drawings. DATED this twenty-eighth day of September 1993. WHITCO PTY LTD By their Patent Attorneys CULLEN &CO 4 a 12 ABSTRACT A lock for a sliding door has a rotatable lock tongue (20) which can be held in its free position by an engagement member (30) which in turn can be operated by a depressable button