EP2675974A1

EP2675974A1 - Interchangeable mortise lock cylinder

Info

Publication number: EP2675974A1
Application number: EP12820830.3A
Authority: EP
Inventors: Bret HOLBROOK; Anthony Joseph; Eric L. Jones; Steven ZOSS; Steve Williams
Original assignee: Indiana University Research and Technology Corp; Stanley Security Solutions Inc
Current assignee: Indiana University Research and Technology Corp; Stanley Security Solutions Inc
Priority date: 2011-02-16
Filing date: 2012-02-16
Publication date: 2013-12-25
Also published as: WO2013019281A1

Abstract

A mortise lock includes a mortise lock case, a bolt that extends and retracts relative to the mortise lock case, and a lock core that extends and retracts the bolt. The lock core includes a lug positioned within the mortise lock case that prevents withdrawal of the lock core from the mortise lock case.

Description

INTERCHANGEABLE MORTISE LOCK CYLINDER

RELATED APPLICATIONS

This application claims priority to U.S. Provisional Patent Application Serial No. 61/463,391 filed February 16, 201 1 , titled "Mortise Lock Mechanism," to Holbrook et al., the entire disclosure of which is expressly incorporated by reference herein.

FIELD OF THE INVENTION

The present disclosure relates to a mortise lock mechanism.

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION

According to the present invention, a mortise lock is provided including a case having a wall defining an aperture having a circular portion and an

elongated portion, a bolt positioned in the case to move relative to the case between an extended position and a retracted position, and a lock core. The lock , core includes a core base including a body portion and at least one lug coupled to the body portion. The body portion is positioned on a first side of the wall of the case and the lug is positioned directly behind an opposite second side of the case. The lock core further includes a core sleeve coupled to the body portion of the core base, a core plug positioned in the core sleeve and having a keyway sized to receive a key, and a cam operably coupled to the core plug and

positioned to move the bolt between the extended position and retracted position.

According to another aspect of the present invention, a method of installing a lock core in a mortise lock case is provided. The mortise lock case has a wall defining an aperture having a circular portion and an elongated portion having a length and a width. The method includes the steps of providing a lock core having a lug, inserting the lug of the lock core into the circular portion of the aperture of the wall of the mortise lock case, and moving the lug of the lock core along the length of the elongated portion of the aperture.

According to another aspect of the present invention, a method of installing a lock core in a mortise lock is provided. The mortise lock has a mortise lock case and a bolt that extends and retracts relative to the mortise lock case to secure and unsecure a door. The mortise lock case has a wall defining an aperture defined by a perimeter. The perimeter defines a column of space normal to the wall. The method includes the steps of providing a lock core having an interactive element interacting with the bolt to extend and retract the bolt and a lug, inserting the lug of the lock core into the column of space within the mortise lock case, and moving the lug of the lock core out of the column of space.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

The above-mentioned and other features of the present disclosure will become more apparent and will be better understood by reference to the following description of embodiments of the present disclosure taken in

conjunction with the accompanying drawings, wherein:

Figure 1 is a perspective view of a mortise lock mechanism;

Figure 2 is another perspective view of the mortise lock mechanism of

FIG. 1 ;

Figure 3A is a perspective view showing a case of a mortise lock;

Figure 3B is a perspective view showing a core base of the mortise lock mechanism of FIG. 1 positioned adjacent the case of FIG. 3A;

Figure 3C is a perspective view showing the core base of FIG. 3B positioned within an enlarged portion of an aperture of the case;

Figure 3D is a view similar to FIG. 3C showing the core base positioned within a narrow portion of the aperture;

Figure 3E is a side elevation view showing the core base positioned within the narrow portion of the aperture;

Figure 4 is an exploded perspective view of the mortise lock mechanism of

FIG. 1 ;

Figure 5 is a perspective view of the core base of FIG. 3A;

Figure 6 is a perspective view of a thumb turn sleeve of the mortise lock mechanism of FIG. 1 ;

Figure 7 is a perspective view of a core sleeve of the mortise lock mechanism of FIG. 1 ;

Figure 8 is a perspective view of a cam of the mortise lock mechanism of

FIG. 1 ; Figure 9 is a perspective view of a clutch of the mortise lock mechanism of

FIG. 1 ;

Figure 10 is a perspective view of a core plug of the mortise lock mechanism of FIG. 1 ;

Figure 1 1 is a perspective view of a thumb turn plug of the mortise lock mechanism of FIG. 1 ;

Figure 12 is a perspective view of a shear lug of the mortise lock mechanism of FIG. 1 ;

Figure 13 is a perspective view of a thumb turn of the mortise lock mechanism of FIG. 1 ; and

Figure 14 an end view of a portion of the mortise lock case.

Corresponding reference characters indicate corresponding parts throughout the several views. Although the drawings represent embodiments of the present invention, the drawings are not necessarily to scale and certain features may be exaggerated in order to better illustrate and explain the present invention.

DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS OF THE INVENTION

The embodiments disclosed below are not intended to be exhaustive or limit the invention to the precise forms disclosed in the following detailed description. Rather, the embodiments are chosen and described so that others skilled in the art may utilize their teachings.

A lock core or mortise lock mechanism 10 is shown in Figs. 1 and 2 and is designed for use in a typical European mortise lock. European mortise locks have a case 12 that is inserted into a mortise pocket in the vertical edge of a door. As shown in Fig. 3A (see also Fig. 14), case 12 includes a pair of keyhole- shaped apertures 14 having a circular top portion 16 and an elongated bottom portion 18. Case 12 includes a pair of walls 19 having outer first sides 21 and inner second sides 23. Apertures 14 extend from respective first sides 21 to respective second sides 23 of walls 19.

As shown in Fig. 4, lock mechanism 10 includes a core base 20 (see also Fig. 5), a thumb turn sleeve 22 (see also Fig. 6), a core sleeve 24 (see also Fig. 7), a cam 26 (see also Fig. 8), a first clutch 28 (see also Fig. 9), a second clutch

30 (see also Fig. 9), a core plug 32 (see also Fig. 10), and thumb turn plug 34 (see also Fig. 1 1 ), a shear lug 36 (see also Fig. 12), and a thumb turn 37 (see also Fig. 13).

As shown in Fig. 5, core base 20 includes a body portion 38 matching the shape of elongated bottom portion 18 of keyhole-shaped apertures 14 and a pair of lugs 40 integrally coupled to body portion 38. Together, lugs 40 are wider than elongated bottom portion 18 of keyhole-shaped apertures 14, but not as wide as circular top portion 16. One of lugs 40 is positioned on one side of body portion 38 and the other lug 40 is positioned on the opposite side of body portion 38.

During initial installation (see Fig. 3B), core base 20 is inserted into circular top portion 16 of keyhole-shaped apertures 14 so that lugs 40 are positioned as shown in FIG. 3C. Next, core base 20 is lowered to the position shown FIG. 3D and 3E. Because combined lugs 40 are wider than elongated bottom portion 18 of apertures 14, core base 20 cannot be withdrawn horizontally from case 12. A set screw (not shown) may be installed into the set screw hole 42 in core base 20 to further block horizontal movement..

Upon insertion into elongated bottom portion 18, lugs 40 are positioned below an uppermost portion of elongated bottom portion 18 and above a lowermost portion of elongated bottom portion 18. Similarly, lugs 40 are positioned below a lowermost portion of enlarged upper portion 16 of apertures 14. If enlarged portion 16 of aperture 14 is positioned below elongated portion 18 (i.e. apertures 14 are upside down from the position shown in the figures), lugs 40 will be positioned above an uppermost extent of enlarged portion 16 of apertures 14.

During insertion into elongated bottom portion 18, lugs 40 move from being spaced apart from second sides 23 of walls 19 to abutting one or both of second sides 23 of walls 19. This abutment blocks withdrawal of core base 20 from case 12. Also during this movement, lugs 40 move along the length of elongated portion 18 of apertures 14 in a linear direction away from enlarged portions 16 of apertures 14.

Apertures 14 are defined by perimeters 43. Perimeters 43 define a horizontally extending column of space 45. During installation of core base 20, lugs 40 are positioned within column of space 45. As core base 20 are moved down, lugs 40 are positioned outside of column of space 45. To block vertical removal of core base 20, the remainder of lock

mechanism 10 is assembled and inserted into circular top portion 16. Thumb turn plug 34 is inserted into thumb turn sleeve 22 and secured with a spring clip (not shown). With thumb turn plug 34 inserted therein, turn sleeve 22 is slide into a channel 44 of core base 20 and through circular top portion 16 of apertures 14 of case 12 until it hits a shoulder 46 at the back of channel 44. Thumb turn 37 is then coupled to thumb turn plug 34 to permit turning of thumb plug 34 from the unsecured side of the door.

First clutch 28, second clutch 30, and cam 26 are assembled and inserted into circular top portion 16 of front aperture 14 so that second clutch 30 is partially inserted into thumb turn plug 34 and an interactive member or lug 48 of cam 26 is free to rotate within case 12.

Upon insertion of a properly bitted key (not shown) into a keyway 49 of core plug 32, the key will rotate core plug 32 and second clutch 30, which will cause cam 26 to rotate. During rotation of cam 26, lug 48 interacts with a bolt 52 positioned in case 12. After installation, lug 48 is positioned in recess 58 of bolt 56 to extend and retract bolt 56 in and out of case 12 during rotation of cam 26. Similarly, when thumb turn 37 rotates thumb turn plug 34 and first clutch 28 to rotate cam 26 with lug 48 to extend and retract bolt 56 during rotation of thumb turn 37. During movement of lug 48 to extend and retract bolt 56, lugs 40 remain stationary.

A spring (not shown) may be added between thumb turn plug 34 and second clutch 30 to bias second clutch 30 into engagement with thumb turn plug 34. When fully assembled, first and second clutches 28, 30 (which are identical) have a gap between their respective teeth 52. The gap is large enough so that only one set of teeth 52 (either those of first clutch 28 or second clutch 30) mesh with teeth 54 of cam 26. Thus, only one of thumb turn plug 34 (using thumb turn 37) or core plug 32 (using an authorized key, not shown) may rotate cam 26 at one time.

Core plug 32 and shear lug 36 are inserted into core sleeve 24 and secured thereto with a spring clip (not shown). With the appropriate "control key," shear lug 36 can be rotated relative to core sleeve 24 to enable insertion (and removal) of core plug and core sleeve 24. Next, the assembly including core plug 32, core sleeve 24, and shear lug 36 is inserted into channel 44 of core base 20 until first clutch 28 is positioned within core sleeve 24. During this insertion, shear lug 36 is rotated inward toward core sleeve 24. Once fully inserted, shear lug 36 is rotated outward into a recess 50 of core base body 38. When in this position, shear lug 36 blocks removal of the remainder of lock mechanism 10 from core base 20. In some embodiments, the thumb turn assembly (thumb turn 37, thumb turn sleeve 22, and thumb turn plug 34) may be replaced with a key core assembly (core plug 32 and core sleeve 24) so that lock mechanism 10 can be operated by a key on either side of the door.

Because core base 20 is blocked from being moved vertically, it and the remainder of lock mechanism 10 can't be moved vertically or horizontally so that lock mechanism 10 can't be removed from mortise case 12 (or the remainder of the door). To remove core plug 32 and core sleeve 24 for "rekeying," a control key is used to rotate shear lug 36 inward to permit removal of core plug 32 and core sleeve 24. The remainder of lock mechanism 10 does not need to be removed.

When fully assembled and inserted into case 12, portions of lock mechanism 10 extend beyond case 12. These portions are often covered by a door of adequate thickness. However, doors are often of different thicknesses. To accommodate doors of different thickness, core bases 20 of different lengths may be provided. For example, on a thinner door, a shorter core base 20 is used and for a thicker door, a longer core base 20 is used. An installer will have core bases 20 of different lengths on hand to account for doors of different thickness they may encounter during installation. Similarly, adaptors of different lengths (not shown) may be provided between core plug 32 and first clutch 28 and thumb turn pug 34 and second clutch 30 to extend the length of the remainder of lock mechanism 10. The other components remain unchanged.

While this invention has been described as having an exemplary design, the present invention may be further modified within the spirit and scope of this disclosure. This application is therefore intended to cover any variations, uses, or adaptations of the invention using its general principles. Further, this application is intended to cover such departures from the present disclosure as come within known or customary practice in the art to which this invention pertains.

Claims

What is claimed is:

1 . A mortise lock including:

a case having a wall defining an aperture having a circular portion and an elongated portion,

a bolt positioned in the case to move relative to the case between an extended position and a retracted position, and

a lock core including

a core base including a body portion and at least one lug coupled to the body portion, the body portion being positioned on a first side of the wall of the case and the lug being positioned directly behind an opposite second side of the case,

a core sleeve coupled to the body portion of the core base, a core plug positioned in the core sleeve and having a keyway sized to receive a key, and

a cam operably coupled to the core plug and positioned to move the bolt between the extended position and retracted position.

2. The mortise lock of claim 1 , wherein the core base includes another lug positioned on a side of the body portion opposite of the other lug, the lugs of the core base defining a width greater than a width of the elongated portion of the aperture.

3. The mortise lock of claim 1 , wherein the lug is positioned above an uppermost extent of the circular portion or below a lower most extent of the circular portion.

4. The mortise lock of claim 1 , wherein the lug is position below an uppermost extent of the elongated portion and above a lowermost extent of the elongated portion.

5. The mortise lock of claim 1 , wherein the lug is integral with the body portion of the core base.

6. The mortise lock of claim 1 , wherein the lug abuts the second side of the wall adjacent the elongated aperture.

7. A method of installing a lock core in a mortise lock case having a wall defining an aperture having a circular portion and an elongated portion having a length and a width, the method including the steps of

providing a lock core having a lug, inserting the lug of the lock core into the circular portion of the aperture of the wall of the mortise lock case, and

moving the lug of the lock core along the length of the elongated portion of the aperture.

8. The method of claim 7, wherein the aperture of the mortise lock case extends from a first side of the wall of the mortise lock case to an opposite second side of the wall of the mortise lock case and the moving step moves the lug from a position spaced apart from the second side of the wall to a position abutting the second side of the wall.

9. The method of claim 7, wherein the moving step moves the lug away from the circular portion of the aperture.

10. The method of claim 7, further comprising the step of blocking movement of the lug along the length of the elongated portion of the aperture.

1 1. The method of claim 10, wherein the lock core further includes a core plug having a keyway sized to receive a key to operate the mortise lock and the blocking step includes coupling the core plug to the mortise lock case.

12. The method of claim 1 1 , wherein the lock core further includes a core sleeve and the blocking step further includes coupling the core sleeve to the mortise lock case and inserting the core plug into the core sleeve.

13. The method of claim 7, further including a step of operating the mortise lock to extend a bolt of the mortise lock, wherein the lug remains stationary during the operating step.

14. A method of installing a lock core in a mortise lock having a mortise lock case and a bolt that extends and retracts relative to the mortise lock case to secure and unsecure a door, the mortise lock case having a wall defining an aperture defined by a perimeter, the perimeter defining a column of space normal to the wall, the method including the steps of

providing a lock core having an interactive element interacting with the bolt to extend and retract the bolt and a lug,

inserting the lug of the lock core into the column of space within the mortise lock case, and

moving the lug of the lock core ut of the column . of space.

15. The method of claim 14, wherein the lug remains stationary during dynamic interaction of the interactive element with the bolt to extend and retract the bolt.

16. The method of claim 14, wherein the lock core includes a core base including the lug, a core sleeve coupled to the core base, a core plug having a keyway sized to receive a key to operate the mortise lock, and a core cam including the interactive element that interacts with the bolt.

17. The method of claim 14, wherein the aperture includes an enlarged portion and an elongated position and the moving step includes moving the lug away from the enlarged portion of the aperture.

18. The method of claim 17, wherein the moving step moves the lug in a linear direction.

19. The method of claim 14, further comprising steps of inserting the interactive element into the column of space and moving the interactive element out of the column of space.

20. The method of claim 19, wherein the step of moving the interactive element into the column of space occurs after the step of moving the lug out of the column of space.