AU700126B2

AU700126B2 - A lock

Info

Publication number: AU700126B2
Application number: AU42042/96A
Authority: AU
Inventors: Malcolm Douglas Campbell; Michael John Maceachern
Original assignee: DOWELL AUSTRALIA Pty Ltd; Dowell Australia Ltd
Current assignee: Crane Enfield Metals Pty Ltd
Priority date: 1995-01-18
Filing date: 1996-01-18
Publication date: 1998-12-24
Anticipated expiration: 2016-01-18
Also published as: AU4204296A

Description

AUSTRALIA

Patents Act 1990

ORIGINAL

COMPLETE SPECIFICATION STANDARD PATENT 04 e 0 *s 0990 00*0 94*9 9 9 o *099 On.

99 99 *000 too.

@9 9 0 9,9999 0 0099 9 0 9 9 9 @9 @99009 9 Title of Invention: A LOCK Name of Applicant: DOWELL AUSTRALIA PTY LTD The following description is a full description of this invention, including the best method of performing it known to me:- 1- 2 A LOCK The present invention relates to a lock and has particular application as an auxiliary lock for a security door and is herein described in this context. However, it should be appreciated that the invention has broader application and is not limited to this particular use. For example, the lock may be used in other locking arrangement such as a standard mortice lock or the like.

Security doors often include a key actuated lock and at least one auxiliary lock which is connected to the key lock by a cable or rod. The auxiliary lock is arranged to be remotely actuated by qperation of the key lock through movement of the cable or rod. Because the auxiliary lock is remotely actuated in this way, the range of actuation movement to operate the auxiliary lock is often limited and this may restrict the throw of o the bolt.

An aim of the present invention is to provide a lock which includes an o improved drive arrangement for moving the bolt and which in a preferred form may ameliorate the above problem. It is a further aim of the invention to provide a lock which is versatile and compact.

Accordingly, the present invention provides a lock including a housing, a bolt slideably mounted within the housing and movable between a retracted and a latched position, and a drive arrangement, the drive arrangement including a drive assembly 0 operable to move from a collapsed to an extended position and translating means operable to move the drive assembly relative to the housing and/or the bolt, wherein the bolt is movable from the retracted position to the latched position under operation of the drive arrangement with a part of the bolt movement being caused by operation of the drive assembly and a part being caused by operation of the translating means.

With the combined movement of the drive assembly and the translating means, the throw of the bolt is increased beyond that which could be achieved merely by operation of the drive assembly.

In a preferred arrangement, operation of at least one of either the drive assembly or the translating means causes operation of the other. This arrangement is particularly advantageous as it enables the amount of movement to initiate actuation of the drive arrangement to be minimised. An actuator merely needs to move the one of either the translating means or the drive assembly to enable its operation and this will 3 automatically cause the other to move, thereby resulting in the bolt fully moving to the latched position.

Preferably the operation of either the drive assembly or the translating means causes the operation of the other. The benefit of this arrangement is that it enables the drive arrangement to be operated by two separate actuation movements, both of which incorporate the benefits of a reduced actuation movement mentioned above. In a preferred arrangement, one of these actuation movements is in a direction transverse to the direction of movement of the bolt between the retracted and the latched position, whereas the other is in a direction parallel to the direction of bolt movement.

In a preferred arrangement, the drive assembly is in the form of a linkage arrangement comprising a first member pivotally connected to a second member through a pivot pin and movable from the collapsed position to the extended position by Spivoting about the pivot pin. Preferably the first member is connected to the translating means, which in turn is connected to one of either the bolt or the housing, whereas the 45 second member is connected to the other of the bolt or housing.

Preferably the translating means provides translation of the drive assembly oO°° by moving the first member. The translating means may be in the form of a further *C linkage arrangement pivotally secured to the first member such that the drive assembly and the translating means together act as a four bar chain. However, in a preferred 0,.0 arrangement, the translating means is in the form of a rack and pinion gear arrangement with the pinion being secured to the first member and the rack being secured to, or integral with, either the bolt or the housing.

Preferably the first and second members are over-centred in the extended position enabling the bolt to be locked in a dead latching position. In this way the application of force to the bolt in its latched position will not cause it to move to the retracted position.

The drive assembly and translating means may be actuated by any suitable technique. In one form, the drive assembly is driven under operation of an actuation plate. The actuation plate is slideably mounted to the lock housing and the drive assembly is actuated on movement of the plate in a direction transverse to the bolt movement. In one form, where the translating means comprises a rank and pinion assembly, an actuation pin is located at the axis of rotation of the pinion and the

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4 translating means is operable on the application of a lateral force to the pin substantially in the direction of bolt movement.

The drive assembly and the translating means may be operable under a mechanical drive or may be electrically actuated. In the arrangement described above, the actuation plate may include lugs with the plate being driven by a cable drive which is connected to the lugs. A similar arrangement may be employed to drive the actuation pin. Alternatively, the drive assembly or the translating means may be electrically actuated. Typically, in this latter arrangement a solenoid or similar device is mounted to the mechanism to impart the necessary drive.

It will be convenient to hereafter describe an embodiment of the invention in greater detail with reference to the accompanying drawings. The particularity of these o, drawings in the related description is not to be understood as superseding the 0 0 generality of the preceding broad description of the invention.

00 In the drawings: Figure 1 illustrates a side view of a lock according to an embodiment of the 0000 .00 invention with the bolt in a retracted position; 8 Figure 2 illustrates the lockof Figure 1 with the bolt in a latched position; 000 Figures 3 4 illustrate the loci( of Figure 1 incorporating an actuator plate and with the bolt in the retracted position and latched position respectively; o0 Figures 5 6 illustrate the reverse side view of the lock of Figure 1 with the bolt in the retracted position and latched position respectively; and 00 Figure 7 illustrates a top view of the lock of Figure 1 located within an extruded cavity of a security door with the bolt in the latched position.

Figures 1 and 2 illustrate a lock 10 according to an embodiment of the invention. In these Figures, an actuator (as seen in Figures 3 and 4) has been removed to more clearly show the drive arrangement of the lock.

The lock 10 includes a housing 11 having a bolt 12 slideably mounted within the housing and moveable from a retracted position as illustrated in Figure 1 to a latched position as illustrated in Figure 2. A drive arrangement 13 interconnects the bolt 12 to the housing 11 and is operable to move the bolt between the retracted and the latched position. The drive arrangement 13 incorporates two main elements, namely a drive assembly 14 and a translating means The drive assembly 14 is moveable between a collapsed position (when the bolt is in the retracted position) to an extended position (when the bolt is in the latched position) and in the illustrated arrangement, is in the form of a linkage arrangement having a first member 16 and a second member 17 interconnected at respective ends 18,19 by a pivot pin As illustrated in Figure 2, the first and second members are arranged to be over-centred in the extended position such that they are locked in a dead latching position. In this way, the bolt is arranged to be locked in the latched position as the application of force to the bolt will not cause the drive assembly to move to the collapsed position. It is only through movement of the members 16,17 that the drive assembly will move to the collapsed position.

aAs part of the operation of the drive arrangement 13, the translating means o)o 15 is arranged to move the drive assembly 14 relative to either the housing or the bolt.

In the illustrated arrangement, the translating means moves the drive assembly relative *1 5 to the housing 11 while the drive assembly remains fixed to the bolt 12. It should be othat appreciated, however, that the arrangement could be reversed with the drive assembly moving relative to the bolt and being fixed relative to the housing, or could be arranged such that the drive assembly is movable relative to both the housing and the bolt. The important feature is that as a result of this translation of the drive assembly, the throw of the bolt the amount the bolt moves from the retracted to the latched position) is increased beyond that which may occur solely by operation of the drive assembly.

o 0 *In the illustrated arrangement, the translating means is in the form of a rack and pinion gear arrangement where a pinion 21 is formed integral with the first member 16 at an end opposite the end 18, and a rack 22 is secured to the housing 11. With this arrangement, pivoting of the first member 16 about the pinion axis 23 causes the pinion to move along the rack 22 thereby causing the drive assembly 14 to move relative to the housing 11.

The drive arrangement is arranged such that operation of either the drive assembly, or the translating means will cause the operation of the other. This is achieved in the illustrated arrangement as follows.

As the drive assembly moves from the collapsed to the extended position, not only is there relative movement of the first and second members about the pivot pin but also each member moves relative to the housing. The first member pivots about 6 the pinion axis 23 and the second member pivots about a pivotal connection 24 connecting the second member 17 to the bolt 12. Consequently, on movement of the drive assembly from the collapsed to the extended position, the first member 16 is caused to pivot about the pinion axis 23 thereby causing the translating means to be operable as the pinion 21 will be caused to move across the rack 22. Likewise, operation of the translating means 15 to move the pinion 20 over the rack 21, causes the first member to pivot about the pinion axis 23 thereby causing the drive assembly to move from the collapsed to the extended position.

In this way, the amount of movement to initiate actuation of the drive arrangement is reduced from that which would occur if it was necessary to separately actuate both the drive assembly and the translating means. Furthermore, the drive assembly may be operated by two different actuation movements; one to move the first and second members of the drive assembly from the collapsed to the extended position, the other to move the pinion across the rack. In the illustrated arrangement, the first of these actuation movements is arranged to be in a direction transverse to the direction of movement of the bolt between the retracted and the latched position whereas the latter actuation movement is in a direction parallel to the direction of bolt movement. However, it should be appreciated that the direction of actuation movement may be other than that described above.

The first of these actuation movements is illustrated in Figures 3 and 4.

These figures incorporate an actuation plate 25 omitted from Figures 1 and 2.

(.The actuation plate 25 is mounted to the housing 11 and slideable in a direction transverse to the latching direction of the bolt. While not shown, typically the actuation plate is mounted to the housing by a cover plate which is generally spaced from the housing except along two edges, at which location the cover plate is secured to the housing. The space between the housing and the cover plate is arranged to receive the actuation plate and provides a guide track for the plate 25 to slide in the required direction transverse to the latching direction of the bolt.

The actuation plate incorporates a guide slot 26 in which the pivot pin 20 is slideably captured. The plate is arranged such that above mentioned movement of the plate relative to the housing applies a force to the pin to move the drive assembly from the collapsed to the extended position. The pin is caused to slide in the slot as the 7 drive assembly is operated as the position of the pin relative to the housing moves when the drive assembly moves from the collapsed to the extended position.

When the lock 10 is used as an auxiliary lock, the actuation plate is remote actuated. The drive for this remote actuation may be a mechanical or an electrical drive. In the illustrated arrangement, a mechanical drive is disclosed with the actuation plates incorporating connecting lugs 27 on its opposing ends, to which a cable or rod (not shown) may be attached. The cable or rod is of a "push-pull" type to enable the actuation plate to be moved to operate the drive assembly between the retracted and the latched position. By having the lugs 27 on both ends of the plates ensures the lock is not handed. The lock may be operated with the actuation plate on the left-hand side of lock (as viewed from the front of the lock) or may be rotated through 1800 and .O operated with the actuation plate on the right-hand side of the lock.

SoThe second arrangement for actuating the drive arrangement is illustrated in Figures 5 and 6. In this arrangement, an actuating pin 28 is secured at the pinion axis 5 23 and extends through a guide slot 29 located in the housing 11. In the illustrated arrangement, the guide slot 29 is located on the opposite side to that which the actuation plate 25 is mounted enabling the lock 10 to provide both means of actuation.

SThe guide slot extends parallel to the latching direction of the bolt and movement of the pin 28 in the slot causes the actuation of the translating means by causing the pinion 21 to move along the rack 22. As the actuation of the translating means causes the operation of the drive assembly, this movement which is imparted by a lateral force applied to the pin, causes the bolt to move from the retracted to the latched position.

Similar to the actuation plate 25, this lateral force may be applied to the pin 28 by a mechanical or an electrical drive.

An advantage of the lock 10 is that the drive arrangement enables the lock to be compact and small enough to be secured within the extruded cavity 30 of a security door 31, as illustrated in Figure 7. The lock incorporates flanges 32 which extend from the front face of the lock 10. The flanges are arranged to provide a securing mount for the lock 10 and include apertures 33 arranged to receive suitable studs (not shown) to secure the lock 10 in the cavity. The lock 10 is arranged to be located wholly within the extruded cavity such that the flanges 32 abut the inner side of the front edge 39 of the security door 31. This arrangement is preferred as the thickness of the flanges 32 is not restricted by space requirements as would occur if the lock was externally mounted 8 with the flanges on the outer side of the front edge 34. A further benefit of securing the lock on the front edge 34 is that access to the studs is inhibited as the front edge 34 is arranged to abut a suitable doorjamb when the security door is closed.

A further advantage of the lock 10 is that only a limited amount of actuation movement is required to enable the bolt to move from the retracted to the latched position. Furthermore different actuation movements can be provided to operate the drive arrangement.

A further advantage of the lock 10 is that the drive arrangement is of a relatively simple and sturdy construction with the bolt having an extended throw and being locked in the latched position.

Finally, it is to be understood that various alterations, modifications and/or additions may be introduced into the construction and arrangement of parts previously described without departing from the spirit or ambit of the invention.

0eo •oo oC ,o9 **0 S-1 *o o,

Claims

1. A lock including a housing, a bolt slideably mounted within the housing and movable between a retracted and a latched position, and a drive arrangement, the drive arrangement including a drive assembly operable to move from a collapsed to an extended position and translating means operable to move the drive assembly relative to the housing and/or the bolt, wherein the bolt is movable from the retracted position to the latched position under operation of the drive arrangement with a part of the bolt movement being caused by operation of the drive assembly and a part being caused by operation of the translating means.

2. A lock according to claim 1, wherein operation of at least one of either the drive assembly or the translating means causes operation of the other. S

3. A lock according to either claim 1 or claim Nherein the operation of either the drive assembly or the translating means causeb deration of the other. 600

4. A lock according to any preceding claim, wherein the drive assembly and the o5 translatior, means are operable under different actuation movements. .999

5. A lock according to claim 4, wherein one of said actuation movements is in a direction transverse to the direction of bolt movement, and the other is in a direction 0oe substantially parallel to the direction of bolt movement.

6. A lock according to any preceding claim, wherein the drive assembly is in the :420 form of a linkage arrangement comprising a first member pivotally connected to a second member through a pivot pin and movable from the collapsed position to the extended position by pivoting about the pivot pin.

7. A lock according to claim 6, wherein the first member is connected to the translating means, which in turn is connected to one of either of the bolt or the housing, whereas the second member is connected to the other the bolt or housing.

8. A lock according to either claim 6 or claim 7, wherein the translating means provides translation of the drive assembly by moving the first member.

9. A lock according to claim 8, wherein the translating means is in the form of a further linkage arrangement pivotally secured to the first member such that the drive assembly and the translating means together act as a four bar chain. A lock according to claim 8, wherein the translating means is in the form of a rack and pinion gear arrangement with the pinion being secured to the first member and the rack being secured to, or integral with, either the bolt or the housing.

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11. A lock according to claim 10, wherein the translating means further includes an actuation pin located on the axis of rotation of the pinion and wherein the rack is aligned substantially in the direction of bolt movement such that the translating means is operable by the application of a lateral force to said actuation pin substantially in the direction of said bolt movement.

12. A lock according to any one of claims 6 to 11, wherein the drive assembly further includes an actuation plate mounted to said housing and movable thereto in a direction transverse to said bolt movement, the actuation plate including a guide slot in which said pivot pin is captured such that the drive assembly is operated by said movement of said actuation plate relative to said housing, said movement causing an actuation force to be imparted to said first and second members through the engagement of the :o actuation plate and the pivot pin.

13. A lock according to any one of claims 6 to 12, wherein the first and second members are over-centred in the extended position enabling the bolt to be dead latched o5 in the latched position, such that the application of force to the bolt will not cause it to 0,@o *0e move to the retracted position. o

14. A lock according to any preceding claim wherein at least one of the drive 9@i* assembly or the translating means is actuated under a mechanical drive.

A lock according to any preceding claims wherein at least one of the drive assembly or the translating means is activated under an electrical drive.

16. A lock substantially as herein described with reference to the accompanying drawings. Co DATED: 18 January, 1996 PHILLIPS ORMONDE FITZPATRICK Attorneys for: DOWELL AUSTRALIA LIMITED L I i C ABSTRACT A lock 10 is disclosed which includeL a lock bolt drive arrangement 13 of compact form. The drive arrangement which is operable under a limited actuation l 5 movement includes a drive assembly 14 which can move from a collapsed to an extended position and a translating arrangement 15 which is adapted to move the drive assembly 14. S 1 I t I f C6 o *8 8Ift 11 l 8e.8