GB2174139A - Door catches - Google Patents

Abstract

A catch for a door comprises a housing 1 fixed to the item to which the door is attached and a keeper 15 mounted on the door. A heart-shaped groove 10 is formed in a slider 5 slidably mounted in the housing 1 and engaged by a projecting member 11. A pair of jaws 3, 3' are pivotally mounted on the slider and have free ends which are biased apart by a spring 6 and extend through holes 2, 2' in the front surface of the housing 1. The keeper includes a spherical member 16 which projects an adjustable distance from a support seat and which is clamped between the jaws during closure of the door. On further closure of the door the jaws 3, 3', and hence the slider connected thereto, slide in the lock housing until the projecting member 11 is located in a recess 13 formed between the cups of the heart-shaped groove 10 to lock the door. To release the door, it is further pushed to move the projecting member out of the recess 13 of the heart-shaped groove 10. <IMAGE>

Description

SPECIFICATION Locking devices The present invention relates to a locking device for opening or closing a door which is used in kitchen furniture and the like.

I < itchen furniture for accommodating tableware and kitchen utensils is usually installed below or above a sink or a cookig range. Therefore, one must stretch oneself or bend down to open or close the door of such kitchen furniture, so that the door cannot be reliably opened or closed. However, the door must be surely locked to prevent entrance of insects and to maintain necessary hygienic conditions.

In accordance with one aspect of the present invention, a locking device for opening or closing a door is provided which comprises a lock mechanism and a key unit; said lock mechanism being mounted in an appropriate position on a kitchen furniture box and including a lock housing having a pair of holes formed in the front surface thereof, a slider which can slide within the lock housing, a pair of clamps, one end of each of which is pivotally mounted on the slider, and the outer free end of each of which has a spring force acting outward, the clamps being movable in the holes, a groove having a heart-shaped contour formed in the slider, and a projecting member which can slide in the groove and which provides back pressure; and said key unit being mounted on the door to oppose the lock mechanism and comprising a spherical member for clamping between the clamps and a supporting seat for adjustably supporting the spherical member.

When the door begins to be closed, the spherical member provided in the key unit is clamped between the pairs of clamps of the lock mechanism.

While most conventional lock mechanisms merely have holes formed in predetermined positions to receive the spherical member, the lock mechanism according to the present invention additionally has clamps for clamping it. Therefore, even if the door has some play, the spherical member can be reliably held. Furthermore, since the spherical member is adjustably supported by the supporting seat, the clamping positional relationship between the clamps and the spherical member can be readily and accurately adjusted.

Then, as the door is further closed, the clamps which clamp the spherical member therebetween slide into the lock housing thereby moving the slider. The projecting member situated in the pointed end of the groove of the slider is guided along the heart-shaped groove, and is then engaged with a recess formed in a position corresponding to the cups of the heart and momentarily stopped. In this state, the door is locked. When the door is to be opened, the door is slightly pushed to move the projecting member out of the recess, and the door is then opened by pulling the door. Since the heart-shaped groove gradually increases in depth in the direction of the sliding movement of the projecting member, the projecting member which has been once moved out of the recess during the opening operation of the door is prevented from returning through the recess.In this manner, the lock mechanism according to the present invention locks the door by the spherical member of the key unit being pulled into the lock mechanism, so that the door can be reliably opened or closed.

Other objects, effects and features of the present invention will be apparent from the following description of an embodiment of the present invention with reference to the accompanying drawings.

The illustrated embodiment does not limit the scope of the present invention, and the scope of the present invention is limited only by the attached claims.

Brief description of the drawings Figure 1 is a perspective view showing an embodiment of the present invention; and Figure 2 is an exploded view of this embodiment.

A lock housing 1 is made of a relatively hard synthetic resin or a cast metal. A pair of holes 2 and 2' are formed in the upper and lower portions of the front side of the locking housing 1. A pair of clamps 3 and 3' are movably fitted into the holes 2 and 2', respectively. The free front ends of the clamps 3 and 3' have hemispherical recesses 4 and 4' in their opposing surfaces, respectively, while the rear ends thereof are pivotally mounted on the front end face of a slider 5 which is provided in the lock housing 1 and which can slide along the axis of the housing 1. A spring member 6 is attached at its middle portion to an appropriate part of the lock housing 1. The ends of the spring member 6 extend along the opposing surfaces of the clamps 3 and 3'.In this arrangement, the clamps 3 and 3' are respectively urged outward, that is, in the direction to increase the distance between their free ends. A pair of rollers 7 and 7' provided on the upper and lower portions of the front side of the locking housing 1 have annular grooves 8 and 8' in the respective middle portions thereof. A pair of rails 9 and 9' are provided along the outer surfaces of the clamps 3 and 3' and are engaged in the grooves 8 and 8', respectively. When the clamps 3 and 3' are moved toward the interior of the lock housing 1, the rollers 7 and 7' urge the clamps 3 and 3' toward each other to reduce the distance between the free ends thereof.

A groove 10 having a heart-shaped contour is provided in the slider 5 in the vertical plane thereof. A horizontal U-shaped projecting member 11 is inserted at its one end into the rear (pointed) portion of the groove 10, when the door is open (Figure 1). The other end of the projecting member 11 is attached to an appropriate part of the lock housing 1. A leaf spring 12 appropriately provided in the lock housing 1 serves to urge the projecting member 11 from the rear end thereof so as to keep that end of the projecting member which is inserted into the groove 10 in constant contact with the bottom of the groove 10. When the leaf spring 12 urges the rear side of the projecting member 11 as shown in Figure 1, the distal end of the projecting member 11 can be smoothly inserted into the groove 10.The depth of the groove is preferably relatively small between the upper side of the heart-shaped contour and a recess 13 formed by a pair of cups of a central ridge, and is preferably relatively large between the recess 13 and the lower side thereof. A lock mechanism 14 of the structure described above is mounted in contact with the front side of a box A for accommodating kitchen items. A key unit 15 is provided on the rear side of a door B of the kitchen furniture opposite to the lock unit 14. A spherical member 16 is attached to a horizontal rod 17 in such a manner that the total length of the spherical member 16 and the horizontal rod 17 can be adjusted. The spherical member 16 is engaged with the opposing recesses 4 and 4' on the clamps 3 and 3' of the lock mechanism 14.The rear end of the rod 17 is fixed to a rectangular fixing plate 18, which is movably engaged with and supported on a rectangular recess 20 in a supporting seat 19 which is attached to the door B.

When the door B begins to be closed, the surface of the support seat 19 of the key unit 15 first abuts against the ends of the clamps 3 and 3' of the lock mechanism 14 to urge the clamps within the lock housing 1. The clamps 3 and 3' are guided due to engagement of their rails 9 and 9' with the annular grooves 8 and 8' of the rollers 7 and 7' provided on the housing 1, and are urged inward against the urging force of the spring member 6.

Then, the spherical member 16 of the key unit 15 situated between the clamps 3 and 3' becomes clamped between the recesses 4 and 4'. In this manner, since the spherical member 16 is almost forcibly inserted into the recesses 4 and 4', the spherical member 16 can be kept in an appropriate position, even if the door has some play and the key member 15 is slightly misaligned with respect to the lock mechanism 14.

As the door B is further closed, the slider 5 slides in the housing 1 in cooperation with the clamps 3 and 3'. Consequently, the end of the projecting member 12 engaged in the groove 10 slides along the upper side of the groove 10 to reach the recess 13 in the central ridge. Since force is always applied by the spring member 6 so as to separate the free ends of the pair of clamps 3 and 3', the end of the projecting member is momentarily stopped at the bottom of the recess 13. In this manner, the door B is locked to the box A. In this state, when the closing force acting on the door is released, the door is kept in the locked state.

When the door B is to be opened, it is first slightly pushed so that the end of the projecting member 12 is moved out of the recess 13 of the groove 10. Then, when the door B is pulled to be opened, the end of the projecting member 12 reaches the lower side of the heart-shaped groove 10. Since the depth of groove 10 downstream of the recess 13 is greater than that upstream of the recess 13, the end of the projecting member 12 is prevented from returning to the upstream side.

The restoring force of the spring member 6 causes the clamps 3 and 3' to return to their respective initial positions, and consequently, the slider 5 also returns to its initial position.

Claims (3)

CLAIMS 1. A locking device for opening or closing a door, comprising a lock mechanism and a key unit; said lock mechanism including a lock housing having a pair of holes formed in a front surface thereof, a slider slidable in said lock housing, a pair of clamps of an overall V-shape one end of each of which is pivotally mounted on said slider and the other free end of each of which has a spring force acting outward, said clamps being slidable in said holes, a groove of a heart-shaped contour formed in said slider, and a projecting member which provides back pressure and which can slide in said groove; said key unit including a spherical member which can be clamped between said pair of clamps, and a supporting seat for supporting said spherical member so as to allow adjustment thereof; said lock mechanism and said key unit being mounted on a box and on said door to oppose each other. 2. A locking device according to claim 1, wherein a depth of said groove of a heart-shaped contour is increased in a direction of the sliding movement of said projecting member in said groove. Amendments to the claims have been filed, and have the following effect: (a) Claims 1 an 2 above have been deleted or textually amended. (b) New or textually amended claims have been filed as follows:

1. A catch for a door comprising a male unit which in use is mounted on the door and a female unit which in use is mounted on the item to which the door is attached for cogoperation with the male unit, said female unit comprising a housing, a slider slidable in said housing, a pair of jaws pivotally mounted on said slider and extending from said housing with the free ends of the jaws being spring biased apart such that the arrangement of the jaws forms a V-shape, and a projecting member slidable in, and biased into engagement with, a groove having a heart-shaped contour formed in said slider; and said male unit comprising a spherical member adapted to be clamped between said jaws and a supporting seat for supporting said spherical member so as to allow adjustment of the position thereof.

2. A catch as claimed in claim 1, wherein the depth of the groove increases in the direction of sliding movement of the projecting member therein.

3. A catch for a door, substantially as herein described with reference to the accompanying drawings.