GB2429035A - Lock assembly casing fastening - Google Patents

Abstract

A lock assembly for a door comprises a casing 1, a faceplate 2, and a locking mechanism arranged at least partly within the casing and having a hook bolt 11 and a latch bolt 12. The casing has two casing members 3, 4 provided with fastening elements 21, 29. The faceplate 2 has a holding means 39 for holding the fastening elements together in the assembled lock, thereby simplifying assembly of the lock.

Description

Lock assembly The invention relates to lock assemblies.

One of the most widely used forms of lock is a mortise lock. The mortise lock assembly is mortise fitted within a recess that opens at the side edge of the door, that is, the edge that, when the door is closed, abuts the adjacent surface of the door surround. Because the main body of the lock including most of its operational parts are within the door itself, it is difficult for an intruder to gain access to those operational parts, thereby making it difficult for the intruder to gain unauthorised entry to a locked room or area.

Mortise lock assemblies commonly include various moving parts inside a casing. The casing is desirably openable to allow access to the interior and it is desirable that such access can be obtained relatively easily and simply.

The invention provides a lock assembly for a door, comprising: a casing having at least first and second casing members; a faceplate; and a locking mechanism arranged at least partly within the casing; wherein the first casing member has a first fastening element, the second casing member has a second fastening element and the faceplate has a holding means for holding the first and second fastening elements together for retaining the first and second casing members in position in co-operating relationship with the faceplate in the assembled lock.

The provision of the combination of the fastening elements and the holding arrangement enables one or more of the screws used in the assembly of many conventional locks to be eliminated, thus simplifying the fitting of the lock.

In a preferred embodiment, the first fastening element and the second fastening element are co-operating projections. Advantageously, the first fastening element has a recessed region and the second fastening element comprises a complementary portion which fits into said recessed region. It is preferred for the holding means to be an opening, preferably an aperture, in the faceplate.

The invention also provides a method of assembling a lock, comprising placing a first casing member in co- operation with a second casing member, placing in mated relationship complementary structures of the first and second casing members and placing a faceplate against said first and second casing members, with holding means being arranged to hold the complementary structures, for retaining them in said mated relationship. The holding means is preferred to be an opening, preferably an aperture of said faceplate which is positioned around the complementary structures.

By way of example, an embodiment of the invention will now be described with reference to the accompanying drawings, of which: Fig. 1 is a perspective view from below of a lock assembly for a door according to one embodiment of the invention; Fig. 2 is an exploded view of the lock assembly of Fig. 1; With reference to Figs. 1 and 2, the lock assembly is in many respects conventional. It is a mortise lock and includes a lock casing 1 into which the locking mechanism of the lock is fitted. The lock casing 1 includes a front faceplate 2. The lock casing also includes opposed first and second casing members 3,4. Referring to Fig. 2, the first casing member 3 has a main wall region 5, rear return portion 6 which forms a rear wall in the assembled lock and a front return portion 7 which co-operates with a front return portion 8 on the second side wall as described further below. The first casing member 3 is also formed with curved upper return portion 9 and curved lower return portion 10 forming opposed upper and lower walls in the assembled lock.

The lock assembly is suitable for use in a variety of doors, for example, but not exclusively, in a sliding door.

As shown in Fig. 1, it includes a hook bolt 11 and a retractable bevelled latch bolt 12, which in the assembled lock are arranged in the vicinity of corresponding apertures in the faceplate 2. The hook bolt 11 is arranged to be interlockable with a keeper mounted on the door surround, for example with a cooperating member or aperture provided on the keeper. The latch bolt 12 is so arranged that it can be advanced into a corresponding aperture in the keeper. The cooperating member and keeper are not shown in the drawings.

The lock assembly is designed to be mortise fitted within the section of a part of the door, typically within a frame section of the door. When received within the door, the casing of the lock assembly is concealed except for the faceplate 2, which is arranged to be substantially level with the surrounding surface of the side edge of the door.

Items of lock furniture may be added to the assembly, for example, a lock cylinder (not shown in Fig. 1) may be provided in aperture 13 and extend through the front face of the door. A lock cylinder located level with the hook bolt 11 is operable by a key to extend or retract the hook bolt 11. The relative positions of the hook bolt and the latch bolt are inverted relative to conventional locks. That facilitates opening of the door and is in particular advantageous where the door is to be used by disabled persons. Also, the positioning of the latch bolt underneath the hook bolt impedes any implement which may be inserted by an intruder with a view to lifting and releasing the hook bolt.

Other lock furniture may be attached to the lock assembly. For example, a handle may be mounted in aperture 14.

The front return portion 7 has an upper region 15, a mid-region 16 and a lower region 17. The upper region 15 is substantially semicircular, and has a partially cut away portion l5a to allow co-operation with corresponding parts of the opposed casing member 4. In the cut away region 15a there is an aperture 18. The lower region 17 has a cut away portion 17a having an aperture 19. The apertures 18, 19 are suitable for receiving screw-threaded fastening means.

The mid-region 16 has a semicircular cutout 20 and a protruding member 21 of semi-annular cross-section.

The second casing member 4 has a main wall region 22 and a front return portion 8, the latter being configured to form, with the return portion 7 of casing member 3, an upper aperture for passage of the hook bolt 11 and a lower aperture for passage of the latch bolt 12 in use of the lock. For that purpose, the return portion 8 has an upper region 23, a mid-region 24 and a lower region 25, which are configured to co-operate, respectively, with the upper region 15, mid-region 16 and lower region 17 of return portion 7. The upper and lower regions 23, 25 have apertures 26, 27 which, in the assembled lock, lie in register with the apertures 18, 19 for receiving screw- threaded fastening means.

The mid-region 24 includes a semicircular cutout 28, which in use cooperates with the cutout 20 to form a circular aperture for receiving a screw-threaded fastener.

Mid-region 24 also includes a protrusion 29 which is of semicircular cross-section except for a lateral rib 30 which is configured to be received snugly within the protruding member 21 when the lock is assembled.

The faceplate 2 is of generally elongate configuration, and has aperture 31 for passage of the hook bolt 11 and aperture 32 for passage of the latch bolt 12 during use of the lock. The faceplate includes three spaced apertures 33 for receiving screw-threaded means 34 for attachment of the faceplate to the assembled casing members 3, 4. The faceplate 2 includes an upper portion 35 which extends beyond the upper wall 9 of the casing and a lower portion 36 which extends beyond the lower wall 10 of the assembled casing. In the upper portion 35 and the lower portion 36 respectively are provided upper and lower apertures 37, 38 for securing the faceplate to the door above and below the mortise. The faceplate 2 includes a central aperture 39 which is sized to fit snugly over the cooperating projections 21, 29.

In use, the lock is assembled on the casing member 3 and the casing member 4 is then laid over the assembled parts and attached to the casing member 3 by means of upper and lower screws 40, 41 which are engaged in screw-threaded bores 42, 43. The projection 29 on return portion 8 is mated with the projection 21 on return portion 7, and the faceplate is then placed over the co-operating return portions 7, 8, with the cooperating projections 29 and 21 projecting through the aperture 39 in the faceplate 2. The faceplate 2 is affixed to the remainder of the lock assembly by means of screws 34, which engage in screw-threaded receiving boresl8 and 19. The assembled lock is then ready for mortise fitting.

The provision of the co-operating projections 21, 29 and the aperture 39 which secures those projections together in the assembled lock enables additional screws required for securing of the casing to be eliminated, and provides an especially simple and easily visible way of aligning the main casing parts and the faceplate, thereby simplifying assembly of the lock.

Whilst there is described above a mortise lock assembly having a hook bolt, the invention is applicable to any mortise lock. In particular, it will be appreciated that the provision of case fastening elements as claimed herein may be applied to mortise locks having hook bolts or other types of bolt, and which are suitable for any kind of door, including hinged doors or sliding doors.

Claims (7)

1. Claims 1. A lock assembly for a door, comprising: a casing having at least

   first and second casing members; a faceplate; and a locking mechanism arranged at least partly within the casing; wherein the first casing member has a first fastening element, the second casing member has a second fastening element and the faceplate has holding means for holding the first and second fastening elements together for retaining the first and second casing members in position in co- operating relationship with the faceplate in the assembled lock.
2. 2. A lock assembly according to claim 1, in which the first fastening element and the second fastening element are co-operating projections.
3. 3. A lock assembly according to claim 2, in which the first fastening element has a recessed region and the second fastening element comprises a complementary portion which fits into said recessed region.
4. 4. A lock assembly according to any one of the preceding claims, in which the holding means is an opening in the faceplate.
5. 5. A lock assembly having a fastening means substantially as described herein with reference to and as illustrated by the accompanying drawing.
6. 6. A method of assembling a lock, comprising placing a first casing member in co-operation with a second casing member, placing in mated relationship complementary structures of the first and second casing member and placing a faceplate against said first and second casing members, with holding means of said faceplate being arranged to hold the complementary structures for retaining them in said mated relationship.
7. 7. A method according to claim 6, in which the holding means is an opening which is positioned around the complementary structures.