GB2371831A

GB2371831A - Lockable handle

Info

Publication number: GB2371831A
Application number: GB0102806A
Authority: GB
Inventors: Ian Frazer-Holland; Peter Briscoe
Original assignee: LYDNEY CONTAINERS Ltd
Current assignee: LYDNEY CONTAINERS Ltd
Priority date: 2001-02-03
Filing date: 2001-02-03
Publication date: 2002-08-07
Also published as: GB0102806D0

Abstract

Lock mechanism suitable for a door 10a (e.g. a transport container), comprises: a housing 14, a pivotally mounted handle member 16, a barrel lock 24 disposed within the free end of the handle, locking members 18 for engaging an adjacent fixed member 10b when rotated by the handle, and a retaining means 20 attached to the housing for securely engaging the barrel lock when the handle is received in the housing. The handle may also include a retaining element 28 which a shaft 26 may engage after it has passed through the retaining means 20. The lock mechanism is preferably mounted on the exterior surface of the door.

Description

LOCK MECHANISM

This invention relates to a lock mechanism for a door, particularly a door of a container.

The use of lock mechanisms on double door type transport containers is wellknown. These typically take the form of a lever which is pivotably mounted on the first of the two doors and which is attached to an elongate rod. The lever can pivot outwardly from the plane of the first door. The rod is located on the first door and generally extends the length of the door. Locking tab elements are usually fastened in spaced relationship along the length of the rod. The tab elements are adapted to extend beyond the edge of the first door, to engage with the interior surface of the adjacent second door. Since the adjacent second door is fixed, typically via interior floor and ceiling bolts, the first door can be locked relative thereto.

To prevent easy access to the container, the lever is generally padlocked in place.

The fundamental problem with the use of a padlock is that it can be relatively easily forced open by use of a crowbar or other jimmying device, or cut by the use of bolt cutters or a saw.

The present invention seeks to provide a solution to this problem.

According to a first aspect of the present invention, there is provided a lock mechanism for a door, the lock mechanism comprising a housing, a lock carrier which is pivotably mounted and receivable in the housing, and one or more locking tab elements which is/are adapted to pivot with the lock carrier and which can extend beyond the edge of the door to engage an adjacent fixed member, the housing including a retaining element and the lock carrier including a barrel lock assembly securely engagable with the retaining element when the lock carrier is received in the housing.

Preferably, the barrel lock assembly comprises a retractable shaft and a receiving element into which the shaft can be slid, during a locking operation, the shaft engaging the retaining element prior to engaging the receiving element.

Preferably, the housing is provided in the exterior surface of the door, and the door opens outwardly.

Preferably, the lock carrier is mounted in relative fixed angular relationship on an elongate pivot element which extends the length or substantially the length of the door. In this case, the locking tab elements may be mounted in spaced relationship on the elongate pivot element.

According to a second aspect of the present invention, there is provided a lock mechanism in accordance with the first aspect of the present invention in combination with a structure which includes a door, the adjacent fixed member being another door.

According to a third aspect of the present invention, there is provided a lock mechanism in accordance with the first aspect of the present invention in combination with a structure which includes a door, the adjacent fixed member being a doorframe.

The invention will now be more particularly described, by way of example, with reference to the accompanying drawings, wherein: Figure 1 is an exterior view of the double doors of a container fitted with one embodiment of a lock mechanism, in accordance with the present invention; Figure 2 is a schematic plan view taken along line A-A in Figure 1 of the lock mechanism, when in a first condition; and Figure 3 is a schematic plan view, similar to that of Figure 2, of the lock mechanism in a second condition.

Referring to the drawings, a lock mechanism for a door 10a is generally referenced at 12. The lock mechanism 12 comprises a housing 14, a lock carrier 16 which is pivotably mounted at one end in the housing 14, and one or more locking tab elements 18 which is/are adapted to pivot with the lock carrier 16.

The housing 14 is typically formed as a recess in the exterior surface of the door lova, and the lock carrier 16 can be received flush or substantially flush therein. The housing 14 also has a retaining element 20, typically in the form of a locking

ring, which upstands from the base 22 of the recess of the housing 14. The retaining element 20 is typically formed integrally with the base 22, generally in the vicinity of its mid-point.

The lock carrier 16 comprises a barrel lock assembly, generally referenced as 24, formed in its free end 16a. The barrel lock assembly 24 comprises a retractable shaft 26, typically sprung (not shown), which has a barrel lock (not shown) incorporated therein. The barrel lock is operated via a suitable key being inserted into a keyhole opening (not shown) which is typically provided in the free end 26a of the shaft 26. The housing 14 is provided with sufficient space adjacent the free end 16a of the lock carrier 16 to enable the key to be inserted.

The lock carrier 16 also includes a receiving element 28 which is provided adjacent internally housed end 26b of the shaft 26 along its longitudinal axis. Both the retaining element 20 of the housing 14 and the receiving element 28 are each formed with respective apertures 29 and 30, which are dimensioned to be able to receive the shaft 26.

The lock carrier 16 is mounted on an elongate pivot element 32 in relative fixed angular relationship. The elongate pivot element 32 extends the length or substantially the length of the door 10a and passes through the housing 14. The elongate pivot element 32 is mounted for angular displacement about its longitudinal

extent, typically on the interior side of the door 10a.

The locking tab elements 18, four of which are shown in Figure 1, are provided in spaced relationship along the length of the elongate pivot element 32. The locking tab elements 18 are also in fixed angular relationship relative to the elongate pivot element 32, and can extend beyond the edge of the door 10a to overlap adjacent door 10b, when the lock carrier is received flush in the housing 14.

It should be noted that, in the case of the door 10a being a single door, the locking tab elements 18 would be able to overlap the respective doorframe (not shown).

In use, the door lOb is initially bolted in place via floor and ceiling bolts 1Oc and 10d. The door 10a is closed, and, during closing, the lock carrier 16 is in or substantially in the first condition as shown in Figure 2. In other words, the lock carrier 16 is pivoted to a position whereby it projects from the housing 14, and the free end 26a of the shaft 26 of the barrel lock assembly projects, in a released or unlocked state, from the lock carrier 16. Consequently, the locking tab elements 18 are at a position by which they do not interfere with the door closing operation.

Once both doors 10a and lOb lie in the same or substantially the same plane, the lock carrier 16 can be pivoted into the housing 14 by the external application of a manual pushing or pressing force thereon. The application of this force on the lock carrier 16 has the effect of rotating the elongate pivot element 32 about its longitudinal axis. This, in turn, causes the locking tab elements 18 to move in the same relative angular direction to a position which overlaps the adjacent door 10b. Typically, at this

position, the locking tab elements 18 contact or engage the interior surface of the adjacent door 10b.

With the lock carrier 16 flush or substantially flush in the recess of the housing 14, the apertures 29 and 30 of the retaining element 20 and the receiving element 28, respectively, are coaxially or substantially coaxially aligned with the longitudinal axis of the shaft 26.

The shaft 26 can then be manually pushed or pressed home, against the urging force of the spring, into the lock carrier 16 by application of a force on its free end 26a. During insertion, the shaft 26 first passes through the aperture 29 of the retaining element 20 of the housing 14 before then passing into the aperture 30 of the receiving element 28. Once fully inserted, the barrel lock automatically activates to retain the shaft 26 in the lock carrier 16.

With the lock mechanism described above, it is possible to provide a secure fastening by which a door can be prevented from being easily opened. Since the components which are critical to maintaining the integrity of the lock, namely the lock carrier, keyhole and locking ring element, are all, when the lock is activated, recessed within the housing in the door, it becomes difficult to forcibly open the lock.

The embodiment described above is by way of example only, and various modifications will be apparent to persons skilled in the art without departing from the scope of the invention. For example, a locking tab element could be fixed directly to the lock carrier; the housing need not necessarily be recessed relative to the surface of the door ; the retaining element may be in the form of a hook or bar; and the receiving element of the lock carrier may not be necessary.

Claims

1. A lock mechanism for a door, the lock mechanism comprising a housing, a lock carrier which is pivotably mounted and receivable in the housing, and one or more locking tab elements which is/are adapted to pivot with the lock carrier and which can extend beyond the edge of the door to engage an adjacent fixed member, the housing including a retaining element and the lock carrier including a barrel lock assembly securely engagable with the retaining element when the lock carrier is received in the housing.

2. A lock mechanism as claimed in claim 1, wherein the barrel lock assembly comprises a retractable shaft and a receiving element into which the shaft can be slid, during a locking operation, the shaft engaging the retaining element prior to engaging the receiving element.

3. A lock mechanism as claimed in claim 1 or claim 2, wherein the housing is provided in the exterior surface of the door, and the door opens outwardly.

4. A lock mechanism according to any one of the preceding claims, wherein the lock carrier is mounted in relative fixed angular relationship on an elongate pivot element which, in use, extends the length or substantially the length of the door.

5. A lock mechanism as claimed in claim 4, wherein the locking tab elements are mounted in spaced relationship on the elongate pivot element.

6. A lock mechanism according to any one of the preceding claims in combination with a structure which includes a door, the adjacent fixed member being another door.

7. A lock mechanism according to any one of claims 1 to 5 in combination with a structure which includes a door, the adjacent fixed member being a doorframe.

8. A lock mechanism substantially as hereinbefore described with reference to the accompanying drawings.