GB2425567A

GB2425567A - Keep with movable bearing surface

Info

Publication number: GB2425567A
Application number: GB0508814A
Authority: GB
Inventors: Nigel John Haigh
Original assignee: Laird Security Hardware Ltd
Current assignee: Era Security Hardware Ltd
Priority date: 2005-04-29
Filing date: 2005-04-29
Publication date: 2006-11-01
Anticipated expiration: 2025-04-29
Also published as: GB2425567B; GB0508814D0

Abstract

The invention relates to a keep for a locking system comprising a housing and at least one movable bearing surface 30a within the housing for engaging a locking member. The keep comprises an aperture formed in an outer plate 21 of the housing, the outer plate being adjustable relative to the housing. The bearing surface 30a may be formed on a rotatable roller bearing. More than one bearing surface may be provided. These may be mounted such that the keep is not handed (see figure 5). The bearing reduces the frictional forces between the locking member and the keep during insertion. Further, if the locking member is slightly misaligned with the keep, the effort required to operate the locking system is reduced. This may prevent damage to the seal of a door.

Description

KEEPS FOR LOCKING SYSTEMS

The invention relates to keeps for locking systems, locking systems including such keeps and doors including such locking systems.

A door comprises a frame and a leaf hinged to the frame for swinging movement into and out of the frame. It is common for the door to carry a locking system including a locking member movable between a retracted position and an extended locked position in which the locking member engages the frame. At the frame, the locking member may engage in a keep mounted on the frame and including a fixed aperture for receiving the locking member.

If the locking member is correctly aligned with the keep, movement of the locking member into and out of the keep requires little effort from a person operating the locking system. The locking member may, however, be slightly misaligned with the keep. Such misalignment may occur, for example, where the leaf is to compress a seal on the frame when the leaf is closed into the frame. In such a case, on initial closing of the door into light contact with the frame, the locking member may be misaligned with the keep and the action of the moveable locking member to the extended position will draw the leaf against the frame to compress the seal. This may require more effort to move the locking member to the locked position as the locking member engages the keep.

According to a first aspect of the invention, there is provided a keep for a locking system including a locking member movable between a retracted position and an extended locking position comprising a housing including an aperture for receiving the locking member in said locked position and at least one movable bearing surface within the housing for engaging the locking member during said movement to said extended locked position.

In this way, if there is misalignment between the locking member and the keep, the effort required to operate the locking system is reduced.

According to a second aspect of the invention, there is provided a locking system including a lock having a locking member moveable between a retracted position and an extended lock position together with a keep according to the first aspect of the invention.

According to a third aspect of the invention, there is provided a door comprising a frame and a leaf hinged to the frame for swinging movement into and out of the frame, the door carrying a locking system according to the second aspect of the invention with the lock carried by the leaf and the keep carried by the frame.

The following is a more detailed description of an embodiment of the invention, by way of example, reference being made to the accompanying drawings in which:- Figure 1 is a schematic partial cross section through a first form of flush fitting door, Figure 2 is a schematic cross section through a second form of flush fitting door, Figure 3 is a perspective view of a keep of a locking system for mounting on the door of either Figure 1 or Figure 2, Figure 4 is a similar view to Figure 3 but with an upper plate of the keep removed, Figure 5 is a plan view of a mounting part carried by the plate of Figures 3 and 4, Figure 6 is a similar view to Figure 1 but showing the keep of Figures 3 and 4 fitted to the frame and a shaped linear bolt/hook fitted to the leaf, and Figures 7a, 7b and 7c are schematic side elevations of a first form of lock for cooperation with the keep of Figures 3, 4 and 5 and showing a bolt of the lock in retracted position, an intermediate position and a locked position respectively, and Figures 8a, 8b and 8c are schematic side elevations of a second form of lock for cooperation with the keep of Figures 3, 4 and 5 and showing a bolt of the lock in a retracted position, an intermediate position and a locked position respectively.

Referring first to Figure 1, the keep and locking system to be described below are designed to be fitted to, for example, flush fitting doors of the kind shown in Figures 1 and 2. Referring to Figure 1, a first door comprises a leaf 10, frame 11. The leaf may, for example, be formed of a composite material and the frame 11 formed from a plastics extrusion with a metal core 12. The leaf 10 is hinged to the frame 11 for swinging movement into and out of the frame 11. The frame 11 includes an upstand 13 that limits the inward closing movement of the leaf 10 into the frame. The upstand 13 carries a seal 14 which, when the leaf 10 is closed into the frame 11, engages an outer surface 15 of the frame 11 to reduce the passage of drafts between the leaf 10 and the frame 11.

It will be appreciated that, in order to obtain optimum sealing performance, it is important that the leaf 10 adopts a correct closed position in relation to the frame 11.

If the leaf 10 does not properly bear against the seal 14, then the sealing performance will be compromised. If, however, the leaf 10 overcompresses the seal 14, the seal may be damaged.

A second form of flush fitting door is shown in Figure 2. In this door, the leaf 16 is of wood and is hinged to a wooden frame 17 for swinging movement into and out of the frame 17. Again, the frame 17 is provided with an upstand 18 carrying a seal 19 that, when the leaf 16 is closed into the frame 17, is compressed by an outer surface 20 of the leaf 16 to compress the seal 19 and so reduce the passage of drafts between the leafl6andtheframe 17.

Again, as described above, it is important that the leaf 16 and the frame 17 are correctly relatively positioned when the leaf 16 is closed to the frame 17, for the reasons given above.

Referring now to Figure 3, the keep comprises a generally elongate rectangular plate 21 which may, for example, be of metal. The plate 21 has a first end 22 provided with first fixing holes 23 and a second end 24 provided with second fixing holes 25.

The centre of the plate 21 is provided with a central rectangular aperture 26 having first and second longer sides interconnected by first and second ends. The aperture 26 is surrounded by a mounting 29. The mounting 29 is formed by first and second mounting parts 46a, 46b. The mounting parts 46a, 46b are identical and only the first of these parts 46a will be described in detail, with reference to Figure 5.

The first mounting part 46a has parallel longer sides interconnected by rounded ends.

An aperture 47 is formed in the centre of the mounting part 46a and is similarly sized to the aperture 26 in the plate 21, with parallel longer sides 48a, 48b interconnected by shorter ends 48c, 48d. The mounting part 46a is formed, adjacent each longer side 48a, 48b, with respective elongate part-cylindrical channels 49a, 49b each having an axis extending parallel to but spaced from the associated side 48a, 48b. The channels 49a, 49b are intermpted by respective spaced co-axial part-cylindrical recesses 50a, 50b, 50c, SOd with their common axis parallel to the axis of the associated channel 48c, 48d. As seen in Figure 5, the recesses 50a, SOb, 50c, SOd open into the aperture 47.

Each end of the mounting part 46a is formed with a respective hexagonal recess 51 a, Sib having two sides 52s, 52b that extend normal to the longer sides 48a, 48b and that are longer than the other sides of the hexagon. The centre of each hexagonal recess 51a, Sib is formed with a slot 53a, 53b that is elongate in a direction parallel to the longer sides 52a, 52b of the associated hexagonal recess 51 a, Sib.

Two spaced holes 54a, 54b are formed adjacent one end 48c of the aperture 47 and extend through the mounting part 46a from the front face 55 to the rear face. A pair of spaced posts 34 are provided adjacent the other end 48d of the aperture 47 with each post 34 extending normal to the plane of the aperture 47.

Referring again to Figures 3 and 4, the first mounting part 46a carries two pairs of roller bearings 30a, 30b and 3 la, 3 lb. Each bearing 30a, 30b, 3 la, 3 lb has a cylindrical outer surface. The first pair of bearings 30a, 30b are mounted co-axially on a common shaft 32. The shaft 32 is received in one of the channels 49a on the first mounting part 46a with each associated bearings 30a. 30b being received in an associated recess SOa, SOb, with the channel 49 and the recesses 50a, SOb being sized to fit the associated parts closely and hold them for rotation. As seen in Figure 3, when so mounted, the bearings 30a, 30b project into the aperture 47. The second pair of bearings 31a, 31b are mounted on a shaft 33 and are received in the other channel 49b and the other recesses 50c, 50d on the first mounting part 49a in the same way as the first pair of bearings 30a, 30b.

Hexagonal nuts 56 are then placed in respective hexagonal recesses 51a, 51b for a purpose to be described below. The second mounting part 46b is then inverted and placed over the first mounting part 46a such that the free ends of the posts 34 on one mounting part 46a, 46b extend through the respective open holes 54a, 54b in the other mounting part 46b, 46a. The ends of the posts 34 that project through the holes 54a, 54b to the rear face 55b are then deformed into counterbores (not shown) formed around the holes 54a, 54b at the rear face 55b to rivet the first and second mounting parts 46a, 46b together.

The plate 21 includes two holes (not shown) receiving two counter-sunk screws (not shown) that pass through respective slots 52a, 52b in the hexagonal recesses 5 la, 5 lb and engage in the respective nuts 54. When these screws are tightened, the mounting 29 is fixed to the plate 21. However, when the screws are slackened the presence of the slots 52a, 52b allows a degree of lateral movement of the mounting 29, and thus the apertures 47 in the mounting 29, relative to the plate 21 and the associated aperture 26. The length of the slots 52a, 52b is such that, even at the limits of movement, the surfaces of the bearings 30a, 30b, 31a, 31b are still within the space bounded by an imaginary projection of the periphery of the aperture 26. The purpose of this will be described below.

In use, as seen in Figure 6, the frame 11 is formed with an opening in an edge surface 41 of the frame 11 which faces and is parallel to an edge surface 42 of the leaf 10, when the leaf 10 is closed into the frame 11. In this position, the apertures 27, 47 lie in respective planes parallel to the surfaces 41, 42 and form an opening extending in a direction normal to those surfaces. The keep is carried on the frame surface 41 and is connected to the frame by screws (not shown) passing through the holes 23, 25.

The leaf 10 carries a locking system including a linear bolt or hook 43. A first example of a lock is shown in Figures 7a, 7b and 7c in which the lock 55 includes a hook 43 that pivots from a retracted position (Figure 7a) through an intermediate position (Figure 7b) to a locking position (Figure 6c). A second example of a lock 56 is shown in Figures 8a, 8b and 8c in which the lock includes a linear bolt 43 that moves from a retracted position (Figure 8a) through an intermediate position (Figure 8b) to a locking position (Figure 8c). The bolt or hook 43 can be extended and retracted by operation of a handle (not shown) of conventional kind carried on the leaf 10. The bolt or hook 43 has a tapered outer surface 44 and, as the bolt or hook 43 enters the opening formed by the apertures 26, 47 it engages one pair of the bearings 30a, 30b, 31 a, 31 b, which guide the bolt or hook 43 into the keep and at the same time minimise the resistance forces transmitted back to the handle. As the increasing width of the surface 44 of the bolt or hook 43 enters the opening and engages the bearings 30a, 30b, 31a, 31b the leaf 10 is drawn against the frame 11 to compress the seal 14.

The mounting 29 and the upper plate 36 can be adjusted to provide the desired compression. A typical range of adjustment made may be 2mm i.e. 1mm to either side of a central position.

It will be appreciated that the keep is not handed. It may be used on left and right hung doors and on inwardly and outwardly opening doors. It also provides precise location of the leaf 10 relative to the frame 11 in flush fitting doors where the spacing between the frame surface 41 and the door surface 42 may be only 3 to 5mm. The keep could also be used with doors other than the door of Figure 6. It could be used with a door of the type shown in Figure 2.

Although the keep described above has been shown used with a locking system including a linear bolt or hook 43; it could be used on any locking system including a locking member that is movable between a retracted position and an extended locked position. For example, the keep could be used with the bolt of a mortise lock.

Claims

I. A keep for a locking system including a locking member movable between a retracted position and an extended locked position comprising a housing including an aperture for receiving the locking member and at least one movable bearing surface within the housing for engaging a locking member during said movement.
2. A keep according to claim 1 wherein the aperture lies in a plane normal to the direction of movement of the locking member and includes a periphery defining the aperture, the bearing surface projecting into a space bounded by an imaginary projection of the periphery of the aperture normal to the plane of the aperture, for engagement with the locking member.
3. A keep according to any one of claim 1 or claim 2 wherein the aperture is fonned in an outer plate of the housing, the outer plate being adjustable relative to the remainder of the housing in the plane of the aperture.
4. A keep according to claim 3 when dependant on claim 2 wherein the degree of adjustment and the location of the bearing surface are such a portion of the bearing surface always projects into said space throughout the adjustment of the outer plate.
5. A keep according to any one of claims 1 to 4 wherein the aperture is generally rectangular with spaced longer side edges interconnected by shorter end edges.
6. A keep according to claim 5 wherein the movable bearing surface is located along one side edge of the aperture.
7. A keep according to any one of claims 1 to 6 wherein the bearing surface is one of two or more such surfaces.
8. A keep according to any one of claim 1 to 6 wherein the or each bearing surface is formed on a rotatable roller bearing.
9. A keep according to claim 8 wherein the or each roller bearing comprises a cylindrical body rotatable about the axis of the cylinder, said axis lying in a plane parallel to the plane of the aperture and extending in a direction normal to the direction of movement of the locking member.
10. A keep for a locking member of a locking system substantially as hereinbefore described with reference to the accompanying drawings.
ii. A locking system including a lock having a locking member movable between a retracted position and an extended locked position together with a keep according to anyone of claims ito 10.
12. A locking system substantially as hereinbefore described with reference to the accompanying drawings.
13. A door comprising a frame and a leaf hinged to the frame for swinging movement into and out of the frame, the door carrying a locking system according to claim 11 or claim 12 with the lock carried by the leaf and the keep carried by the frame.
14. A door substantially as hereinbefore described with reference to the drawings.