GB2189836A - Door security apparatus for buildings - Google Patents

Abstract

High security lock installation for a hinged door 10, in which a face plate 20A of the lock 12 and a face part 30A of the keeper 13 are provided with interengagement means to prevent forcible separation of the plate 20A and part 30A. Said means comprises a slot 34 in the plate 20A to receive a protuberance 14 on the part 30A when the door is closed, the protuberance having a head 25 to engage behind the plate 20A. In alternative arrangements the bolt 22A of the lock may be situated between two such interengagement means; and the slots 30A may be provided in the keeper to receive protuberances 14 provided on the face plate. <IMAGE>

Description

SPECIFICATION Door security apparatus for buildings This invention primarily concerns security apparatus, for retaining a closure such as a window or door in a closed position in a frame to which the closure is connected by hinges, of a kind which comprises a closure mountable unit and a frame mountable unit, each of which units has a face portion intended to confront the face portion of the other unit, each of which face portions is apertured to provide an acceptance aperture for a movable member of the apparatus, which movable member is retractable in a direction substantially perpendicular to said face portions from an extended position, in which it extends between and occupies the acceptance apertures whereby to prevent or limit relative movement of the face portions in a direction transverse thereto, to a retracted position in which it is clear of one of said acceptance apertures to permit relative transverse movement of the face portions and thereby, in use, allow the closure to be moved from the closed position.

Various forms of such units are known, for example, rim, mortice and flush fitting locks, latches and like units incorporating the movable member and which are hereinafter referred to generally as lock units; and for example receiving units, such as striker or keeper plates and like devices arranged to accept the movable member. In some lock units, the face portions are provided by fixed parts of the units; whereas in other lock units the face portions are provided by plates or other members releasably securable to bodies of the lock units.

However, it is a well known problem that closures can often be opened illegally, e.g. by application of force to prise apart the closure and the frame to the extent that the movable member is or can be moved or forced out of the receiving unit to allow one face portion to be moved transversely relative to the other, thus aliowing the closure to be swung open, for access into a room or building. The problem can be reduced by fitting expensive high strength closures and frames, and by using supplementary securing devices such as dead bolts operable only from inside the building, but such remedial measures are expensive or inconvenient.

Furthermore, such supplementary securing devices incorporate mechanisms or movable parts, which can fail, jam or become difficult to operate e.g. because of wear, paint accumulation or corrosion.

In order to overcome these problems, the invention generally provides apparatus of said kind wherein the face portions are provided with interengagement means comprising made and female fixed formations provided in, on or by the face portions, which formations cooperate to limit the spacing between the face portions when the latter confront, and are disenageable by transverse relative movement of the face portions in a predetermined direction.

The spacing limiting effect of the interengagement means is preferably centred on or adjacent to the acceptance apertures.

According to the present invention there is further provided apparatus for retaining a closure such as a window or door in a closed position in a frame to which the closure is connected by hinges, of a kind which comprises a closure mountable unit and a frame mountable unit, each of which units has a face portion intended to confront the face portion of the other unit, each of which face portions is apertured firstly to provide an acceptance aperture for a movable member of the apparatus, and secondly to receive fasteners for securing the unit to a closure or frame, wherein said face portions are provided with first and second fixed interengagement means to limit the spacing between the face portions when the latter confront, the acceptance aperture being situated in a part of the face portion which extends to, or lies, between the first interengagement means and the second interengagement means.

The present invention further provides security apparatus for retaining a closure such as a window or door in a closed position in a frame to which the closure is connected by hinges, of a kind which comprises a closure mountable unit and a frame mountable unit, each of which units has a face portion intended to confront the face portion of the other unit, each of which face portions is apertured firstly to provide an acceptance aperture for a movable member of the apparatus, and secondly to receive fasteners for securing the unit to a closure or frame, wherein said face portions are provided with fixed interengagement means disposed transversely alongside the acceptance apertures to limit the spacing between the face portions when in mutual confrontation.

The or each interengagement means preferably comprises a headed protuberance secured or securable to one of the face portions, and a slot which extends from one side to part way across the other of the face portions to receive the protuberance so that the head thereon is disposed behind the other of the face portions.

The invention also concerns and provides security conversion or adaptation apparatus, for use with a known form of lock unit having a face portion which is securable to a closure by fasteners, the apparatus comprising a plurality of headed members securable to said face portion by elongate fasteners, and a receiving unit having an acceptance aperture, to receive a movable member of the lock unit, which acceptance ape rture is formed in a part which is disposed between or extends to between slots arranged to receive said headed members.

The invention further concerns and provides closure and frame apparatus, for a building, which comprises a frame and a closure provided with a lock unit having a movable member which is extendable into an acceptance aperture in the frame when the closure is in a closed position; wherein said movable member and acceptance aperture are situated in a zone between spaced apart first interengagement means and second interengagement means arranged to limit any spacing between the frame and the closure at said zone.

The invention will be described further, by way of the accompanying diagrammatic drawings, wherein: FIGURE 1 is a longitudinal part-sectional diagram of a first embodiment apparatus of the invention with a door portion, which normally abuts a frame portion, shown separated from the frame portion for clarity, FIGURE 2 shows part of the frame portion in elevation, FIGURE 3 shows a transverse cross section through the portions shown in FIGURE 1; and FIGURE 4 is a transverse part-sectional diagram of a second embodiment of the invention showing separated door and frame portions.

There are shown in the drawings parts of a door 10 and a frame 11 which form part of or are provided with apparatus to hinder unauthorised opening of the door.

The apparatus includes a lock unit 12, and a reception unit 13 which are provided with first and second interengagement means 14.

In the first embodiment, the lock unit 12 is a standard mortice lock having a face plate 20 or equivalent portion, flush with the edge 21 of the door, and a bolt 22 and, optionally, a latch 23 which may be extended through apertures in the face plate 20. The face plate is apertured to receive lock retaining screws 24, which, in this embodiment, are longer than standard to serve also as mountings for fixed male formations, which comprise headed members 25, of the interengagement means 14. Each member 25 is hollow, has a shank 26 and a terminal head 27 and is secured to the face plate 20.

The reception unit 13 has a central part or zone 30 which is similar to known striker plates in that it provides an acceptance aperture or apertures 31 for the bolt and optional latch, apertures for screws 37, and has a face 32 which abuts or confronts the face plate 20 when the door is closed. However, in this embodiment the unit has further parts 33 which are separated by the zone 30 and are slotted to provide fixed female formations, in the form of slots 34, of the interengagement means 14. Each slot 34 extends transversely partially across the face 32 from one edge thereof, and a side wall 35 at that edge is cut away to provide lateral openings 36 for the heads 27 to enter behind the slots 34 as the door is closed to move the plate 20 transversely into confrontation with the face 32.The parts 33 are apertured to receive further screws 37 to secure the unit flush with a surface 38 of the frame 11. The wall 35 and an opposite wall 39 (FIGURE 2) serve as longitudinal stiffeners for the unit.

It will be readily appreciated that, in order to minimise the number of parts projecting from the surface 38, the face plate could be cranked to allow the members 25 to be setback into the door, and the unit 13 to be cranked to offset the slots 34 in the direction of the door so that the parts 33 extend into the face plate to receive the members 25; or the members 25 could be provided on the unit 13, and the slots could be formed in the face plate, e.g. as in the second embodiment shown in FIGURE 4.

In FIGURE 4 parts of the second embodiment which have functional equivalents in the first embodiment are denoted by the same reference members with the suffix A. In this embodiment the acceptance aperture 31A is not directly between the first and second interengagement means 14, but the zone 30A in which the aperture 31A is provided extends to between the parts 33A on which the members 25 are mounted relatively close to each other, in order to suit the configuration of the lock unit 12 which is in the form of a rim lock; and the face plate 20A may be secured to the door independently of the rim lock, e.g.

to overlie or underlie a face flange portion of the lock, or may be provided by a face-flange portion of the lock.

The invention is not confined to details of the foregoing examples and many variations are possible within the scope of the invention as defined by the appended claims. For example the members 25 or functionally headed equivalents thereof may be integral with the face plate, flange, striker plate or other mounting member. Where the frame or door comprises a metal part or parts, the slots (and optionally the acceptance aperture or apertures) may be provided directly in the frame or door. Furthermore, where the door or frame provides sufficient strength, the interengagement means or parts thereof may be secured to the door or frame independently of but proximal to the lock and/or receiving unit.

In the case of lock units in which the movable member is set back from the median plane of the door, e.g. rim locks such as that shown in FIGURE 4, the invention further concerns and provides security apparatus which is equivalent to any form of apparatus generally disclosed hereinbefore except in that it comprises a single or at least one such interengagement means which is disposed in front of the movable member, e.g. so that the centreline of the slot would, if extended transversely of the face plate 20A, pass through the movable member at least when the closure is in the closed condition. FIGURE 4 can be considered alternatively as being an illustration of an embodiment of such apparatus incorporating a single interengagement means disposed substantially medially of the zone 30A and plate 20A.

It will be readily appreciated that many forms of existing lock installations can be usefully adapted to incorporate the invention, and that the apparatus of the invention does not involve additional movable mechanisms or manually actuable members. The apparatus is especially suitable for use with plastics framed closures.

Claims (9)

1. Security apparatus, for retaining a closure such as a window or door in a closed position in a frame to which the closure is connected by hinges, of a kind which comprises a closure mountable unit and a frame mountable unit, each of which units has a face portion intended to confront the face portion of the other unit, each of which face portions is apertured to provide an acceptance aperture for a movable member of the apparatus, which movable member is retractable in a direction substantially perpendicular to said face portions from an extended position, in which it extends between and occupies the acceptance apertures whereby to prevent or limit relative movement of the face portions in a direction transverse thereto, to a retracted position in which it is clear of one of said acceptance apertures to permit relative transverse movement of the face portions and thereby, in use, allow the closure to be moved from the closed position, and wherein the face portions are provided with interengagement means comprising male and female fixed formations provided in, on or by the face portions, which formations cooperate to limit the spacing between the face portions when the latter confront, and are disenageable by transverse relative movement of the face portions in a predete rmined direction.

2. Apparatus as claimed in Claim 1 wherein the spacing limiting effect of the interengagement means is centred on or adjacent to the acceptance apertures.

3. Apparatus as claimed in Claim 1 or 2 wherein the or each male formation comprises a headed protuberance secured or securable rigidly to one of the face portions, and wherein the or each female formation comprises a slot which extends from one side to part way across the other of the face portions to receive the protuberance so that the head thereon is disposed behind the other of the face portions.

4. Security apparatus, for retaining a closure such as a window or door in a closed position in a frame to which the closure is connected by hinges, comprising a closure mountable unit and a frame mountable unit, each of which units has a face portion intended to confront the face portion of the other unit, each of which face portions is apertured firstly to provide an acceptance aperture for a movable member of the apparatus, and secondly to receive fasteners for securing the unit to a closure or frame, wherein said face portions are provided with first and second fixed interengagement means to limit the spacing between the face porticns when the latter confront, the acceptance aperture being situated in a part of the face portion which extends to, or lies, between the first interengagement means and the second interengagement means.

5. Security apparatus, for retaining a closure such as a window or door in a closed position in a frame to which the closure is connected by hinges, comprising a closure mountable unit and a frame mountable unit, each of which units has a face portion intended to confront the face portion of the other unit, each of which face portions is ape rtured first ly to provide an acceptance ape rture for a movable member of the apparatus, and secondly to receive fasteners for securing the unit to a closure or frame, wherein said face portions are provided with fixed interengagement means disposed transversely alongside the acceptance apertures to limit the spacing between the face portions when in mutual confrontation.

6. Closure and frame apparatus, for a building, comprising a frame and a closure provided with a lock unit having a movable member which is extendable via a face portion of the lock unit into an acceptance aperture in a face portion of the frame when the closure is in a closed position; wherein said movable member and acceptance aperture are situated in a zone between spaced apart first interengagement means and second interengagement means arranged to limit any spacing between the frame and the closure at said zone.

7. Apparatus as claimed in Claim 4, 5 or 6 wherein the or each interengagement means comprises a headed protuberance secured or securable to one of the face portionS, and a slot which extends from one side to part way across the other of the face portions to receive the protuberance so that the head thereon is disposed behind the other of the face portions.

8. Security conversion or adaptation apparatus, for use with a known form of lock unit having a face portion which is securable to a closure by fasteners, the apparatus comprising a plurality of headed members securable to said face portion by elongate fasteners, and a receiving unit having an acceptance aperture, to receive a movable member of the lock unit, which acceptance aperture is formed in a part which is disposed between or extends to between slots arranged to receive said headed members.

9. Apparatus substantially as hereinbefore described with reference to FIGURE 1, FIG URES 2 and 3, or FIGURE 4 of the accompanying drawings.