GB2199612A

GB2199612A - Door lock arrangement

Info

Publication number: GB2199612A
Application number: GB08729579A
Authority: GB
Inventors: Elis Nabb; Olli Pihlaja
Original assignee: Wartsila Oy AB
Current assignee: Wartsila Oy AB
Priority date: 1986-12-29
Filing date: 1987-12-18
Publication date: 1988-07-13
Anticipated expiration: 2007-12-18
Also published as: DE3743939A1; NO173290B; FR2613753A1; DK161031B; FI79170B; DK666787A; FI865327A0; FI865327A; SE8705072L; SE462722B; DK161031C; GB2199612B; DK666787D0; NO173290C; GB8729579D0; SE8705072D0; NO875452L; FI79170C; NO875452D0

Description

1 Door lock arrangemen t219961 The invention relates to a door lock

arrangement comprising a housing which includes a latch bolt movable between a protruding and a retracted position, at least one operation axis, provided with a follower and at which a lock operating device can be installed, means for transmitting force from said follower to the latch bolt for moving the latch bolt into its retracted position, and first spring means for returning the latch bolt to its protruding position.

A problem relating to door locks, in which different lock operating devices can be installed at an operation axis for withdrawing a latch bolt into the lock housing, is that different spring forces are needed to satisfactorily operate the loc k with different operating. devices. Firstly a spring force is needed to return the latch bolt from its retracted position to its protruding position. In the case of a turn knob being used as the operating device, the mass of which as-. a rule is not substantial, a rather small spring force is sufficient to return the turn knob and the follower operated therethrough. On the other hand if a handle, which is substantially bigger in c.omparison with a turn knob as regards its mass and its torsional,moment, is installed at the operation axis, an essentially greater spring force is required for the lock to return the.handle back into the horizontal position and to retain the.handle in this position. For this purpose it is known to provide the lock housing with an additional spring. If one wished to use this kind of door lock as a universal lock, the lock housing would heed to be opened and the above-mentioned additional spring would have to be removed - in case one wished to use a turn knob instead of a handle. Otherwise turning of the turn knob would require the generation of a substantial turning force and could be awkward especially for children and/or. disabled persons. For 1 Z_.

this reason two kinds of lock housings have been used: some provided with an additional spring for handle operation and others without the additional spring for turnknob operation.

One aim of this invention is to eliminate the problem mentioned above and to provide a universal lock housing, that is equally adapted for handle operation or turn knob operation. A further aim of the invention is to provide a solution to the aforementioned problem, which is advan- tageous in view of its construction and manufacturing costs and in which one form of lock operating device can be changed for a different kind of operating device without the need to remove the lock housing from the door and to open it to modify the above described spring forces.

is The aims of the invention are fulfilled by a construc- tion falling within the scope of the following claim 1.

According to the invention the door lock comprises a second spring means, which with the assistance of the follower is arranged to act on the lock operating device installed at the operation axis for moving the lock operating device into a position corresponding to the protruding position of the latch bolt, one end of said second spring means being detachably supported to the follower so that in its supported position the second spring means augments the action of the first spring means during a bolt-moving operation, the lock housing being provided with an opening through which the second spring means is accessible to permit it being moved from the position in which it is supported to the follower, to a non-operative position, at which it does not act on the follower.

Thus the correct spring force for a handle or a knob can be set from outside of the lock housing through the opening made in the lock housing. This can be set at i the same time when the lock operating device is installed at the operation axis in the lock or when an operating device is detached and changed for another kind, for instance a turn knob for a handle or vice versa. In this simple manner the lock housing operates properly with different kinds of operating devices and there is no need to detach the housing from the door nor to open it when changing an oprating device.

In practice to accommodate the second spring, the follower can be provided with a retainer, which is open in the direction of increasing tension in the second spring and allows removal of the end of the second spring from its supported position to a free position. The lock housing is with advantage provided with a stop member to guide the second spring in its non-operative position so that the second spring remains accessible through the opening in the housing. The second spring itself can, with advantage, be a coil spring and can be installed around a guiding member of the follower turnable at the operation axis.

In the event that.the force transmission means return ing the latch bolt comprisesa separate guiding element turnably supported to the lock housing, the first spring means returning the latch bolt can with advantage be arranged to act through said guiding element also on the follower for returning it into a position corresponding to the protruding position of the latch bolt.

The invention will now be further described, by way of example, in greater detail with reference to the accompanying drawings, in which Figure 1 shows an arrangement according to the inven tion, the lock housing being shown opened and the spring for a handle being in its pretensioned position, Figure 2 shows the arrangement of Figure 1 with the lock housing closed but partially broken away, and Figure 3 shows an arrangement according to the invention, the lock housing being shown opened and with the 5 spring for a handle in its free non-pretensioned position.

In the drawings, reference numeral 1 designates a lock housing, which is provided with a latch bolt 2.

At an operation axis 6 there is installed a follower 7, which can be turned with a lock operating device, for instance a handle or a turn knob (not shown in the Figures), which surrounds the operation axis 6. The follower 7 turns a guiding element 3 around a pivot 4 and the movements of the guiding element 3 are further arranged to cause the reciprocating movements of the latch bolt 2.

A spring 5 provides the force to return the latch bolt 2 into its protruding position shown in the Figures.

The lock housing 1 can include a second operation axis located symmetrically with regard to the axis of the latch bolt in a lower (unillustrated) part of the housing and would be provided with a corresponding force transmission mechanism for transmitting force from a desired, for instance key operated, operating device to the latch bolt. Such a symmetrical arrangement is not shown because it does not acutally relate to the present invention.

The lock housing 1 is also provided with a second spring 8 (a coil spring), which is installed around a guiding member 7a in the follower 7 located at the operation axis. In case the intention is to install a handle at the operation axis 6, the second spring 8 is installed in the manner shown in Figures 1 and 2 so that one" end thereof is supported against a retainer 8 f ixed to the follower 7. The retainer 9 is desirably open in the direction of increasing tension in the second spring means i i 1 1 and allows moving of the end of the second spring means into a position supported by the follower or a detaching of the second spring means from this position to its nonoperational position.

When the spring 8 is mounted in the retainer 9, the pretension generated therein is adequate to augment the action of spring 5 and return the handle, after a door opening. operation (i.e. a retracting of the latch bolt into the housing), and retain the handle in a horizontal position when not in use.

If there is a desire to use a turn knob instead of a handle, the end of the spring 8 is removed from the retainer 9 by means of a suitable tool acting through an opening 11 provided in the lock housing 1 and is allowed to move into a non-operational position shown in Figure 3, whereby the latch bolt 2 can be moved into the lock housing by turning the turn knob against the resisting force only of the spring 5. Naturally, the force created by the spring 5 is selected to be quite adequate to return the latch bolt and additionally to turn simultaneously the turn knob into its initial position with the aid of the guiding element 3 and the follower 7.

The lock housing 1 includes a stop member 10, which on one hand prevents excessive turning of the follower 7 in the wrong direction and on the other hand prevents the spring 8, when moved into the non-operational position shown in Figure 3, from moving out of access through the opening 11, since placement or replacement of the spring 8 into the retainer 9 would be difficult or even impossible without opening the lock housing.

The location of the opening 11 is desirably selected to be close enough to the operation axis so that it is possible to gain access to the opening simply by detaching 6 - the operating device (with its shroud member) installed at the operation axis. Thus the position of the spring 8 can be changed (e.g. when replacing an operating device) without removing the lock from the door.

The bolt 2 can be turned through 1800 about its axis by pulling it out of the housing 1 beyond its normal pro truding position (shown in the drawings), a helical spring 12 shown in Figure 1 around the stem 29 of the bolt allow ing for this additional outward movement of the bolt.

The invention is not limited to the embodiment illu strated since several modifications are feasiblewithin the scope of the following claims.

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Claims

1. A door lock arrangement comprising a housing which includes a latch bolt movable between a protruding and a retracted position, at least one operation axis, provided with a follower and at which a lock operating device can be installed, means for transmitting force from said follower to the latch bolt for moving the latch bolt into its retracted position, and first spring means for returning the latch bolt to its protruding position, wherein the door lock comprises a second spring means which with the assistance of the follower is arranged to act on the lock operating device installed at the operation axis for moving the lock operating device into a position corresponding to the protruding position of the latch bolt, one en-d of said second spring means being detachably supported to the follower so that in' its supported position the second spring means augments the action of the first spring means duiring a boltmoving operation, the lock housing being provided with an opening through which the second spring means is accessible to permit it being moved from the position in which it is supported to the follower, to a non-operative position, at which it does not act on the follower.

2. A door lock arrangement according to claim 1, in which the follower is provided with a retainer which is open in the direction of increasing tension in the second spring means and allows moving of the end of the sec6nd spring means into a position supported by the follower or a detaching of the second spring means from this position to its nonoperational position.

3. A door lock arrangement according to claim 1 or claim 2, in which the lock housing includes a stop member which supports the second spring means in its non operational position so that the second spring means re mains accessible through the opening in the housing.

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4. A door lock arrangement according to any one preceding claim, in which the second spring means is a coil spring and is installed around a guiding member of the follower turnable at the operation axis.

5. A door lock arrangement according to any one preceding claim, in which the force transmission means comprises a separate guiding element turnably supported in the lock housing and the first spring means returning the latch bolt is also arranged to act through said guiding element on the follower for returning the follower into a position corresponding to the protruding position of the latch bolt.

6. A door lock arrangement substantially as hereinbefore described with reference to, and as illustrated in, the accompanying drawings.

Published 19SP- it The Patent Office, State House. 6671 High Holborn, London WCIR 4TP. Further copies may be ObtAined from The Patent office. Sales Branch, St Mary Cray, Orpington, Kent BRS 3RD Printed by Multiplex techniques Rd. St Mary Cray, Kent. Con. 1/87.

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