GB2534837A

GB2534837A - A template for use by a locksmith

Info

Publication number: GB2534837A
Application number: GB1422230.1A
Authority: GB
Inventors: Jennings David; Mcloughlin John
Original assignee: UAP Ltd
Current assignee: UAP Ltd
Priority date: 2014-12-15
Filing date: 2014-12-15
Publication date: 2016-08-10
Anticipated expiration: 2034-12-15
Also published as: GB2534837B

Abstract

A template 1 for use by a locksmith, for example after a break-in in order to remove an external door handle 2 that accommodates a europrofile cylinder lock that conforms to DIN standards. The template 1 comprises a first aperture 10 sized to locate over a handle lever 12 and manually retained in position against backplate 4. The template includes a second aperture or notch 13 in the first aperture to indicate the location of concealed threaded fasteners 3. The template may include a projecting flange 8 to locate against an edge of the handle cover/back plate 4 (fig.6) and a third aperture or notch, that may be coincident with notch 13, spaced a predetermined distance from the flange 8 and indicates the location of additional concealed bolts 3. The template visually indicates the position of hidden fixing bolts allowing them to be drilled out in order to remove the exterior handle assembly. Preferably template 1 is of photoluminescent plastics allowing use in low light environments and at night time, a plurality of protruding nodules may be provided to increase frictional grip against surface of back plate 4.

Description

A TEMPLATE FOR USE BY A LOCKSMITH

The present invention relates to a template for use by a locksmith in order to remove a door handle that accommodates a cylinder lock, in particular one that conforms to DIN standards commonly known as a europrofile cylinder lock, from the exterior side of a locked door. The locksmith may have to remove such a door handle in order to replace or repair the cylinder lock mechanism, for example after a break-in.

Housebreakers often try to gain entry to properties fitted with europrofile cylinder door locks by trying to break the lock cylinder to gain access to the bolt mechanism that retains the door locked and in doing so they often damage the door handle. However, most europrofile cylinder locks include safeguards that prevent access to the bolt mechanism if attacked in this way, for example the lock cylinder may snap and block access to the bolt mechanism. Such a failed attempt to gain entry often leaves the householder unable to gain access to the property through the door without the services of a locksmith. From a locksmith's point of view the main advantage of a europrofile cylinder lock is that the cylinder may be changed without altering the boltwork mechanism. Removing the cylinder typically requires only the loosening of a fixing screw so that the cylinder can be slid out of the door away from the bolt mechanism and replaced. However, first the broken door handle must be removed to provide access to the cylinder of the lock. The locksmith is required to do this from the exterior of the locked property, where the fixing bolts used to secure the handle are hidden behind the backplate of the handle, without causing damage or further damage to the door. Also, he must often work at night or in low light levels.

The object of the present invention is to provide an aid that enables 30 the locksmith to overcome the aforementioned problems when attempting to remove a door handle that incorporates a europrofile cylinder lock.

According to the present invention there is provided a template for use in locating the position of a fixing bolt of a door handle in particular one that accommodates a europrofile cylinder lock, the template defining a first aperture therethrough such that it can be located over a lever of the door handle and manually retained in a first fixed position in relation to a backplate of the door handle and defining a second aperture therethrough that may comprise a notch in an edge defining the first aperture, which second aperture or notch has a centre point that is a predetermined first distance from an edge of the first aperture when the template is retained in the first fixed position, said predetermined first distance being equal to the distance between a surface part of the lever and the centre of a first fixing bolt of the door handle.

Preferably, a projection juts out from one side of the template and is is adapted to locate against an edge of the backplate in order that the template can be manually retained in a second fixed position in relation to the door handle wherein the surface of the projection in contact with said edge of the backplate is a predetermined distance from the centre of a third aperture or the notch in the template, said predetermined second distance being equal to the distance between said edge of the backplate and the centre of a second fixing bolt of the door handle.

It will be appreciated that in some embodiments the template comprises a first aperture with a notch in an edge thereof, which notch comprises both the "second" and "third" apertures and the claims should be interpreted to cover the template having separate or coincident apertures as appropriate.

Preferably also, the projection comprises a curving flange that 30 projects from one side of the template and that is adapted to fit around the edge of the backplate.

Advantageously, the template is comprises of a photoluminescent plastics material.

Other preferred but non-essential features of the present invention 5 are described in the dependent claims appended hereto.

An embodiment of the present invention will now be described by way of example with reference to the accompanying drawings, in which:-Fig. 1 is a plan view of a template in accordance with present invention; Fig. 2 is a view from the other side of the template shown in Fig. 1; Fig. 3 is a side view of the template shown in Figs. i and 2; Fig. 4 is a perspective view of the template from the side of the template shown in Fig. 2; Figs. 5 and 6 are schematic drawings showing the template when in use in conjunction with interconnected interior and exterior door handles, an intervening door being omitted from the drawings for clarity; and Fig. 7 is a view similar to Fig. 6 but showing the template when in use 25 with a different style of door handle, only the exterior handle of a pair and no fixing bolts being shown.

A template 1 for use in locating the position of a fixing bolt of an exterior door handle 2 (see Figs. 5, 6 and 7) that is adapted to accommodate a europrofile cylinder lock is shown in the drawings. It should be appreciated that door handles 2 incorporating such locks typically all have the same overall dimensions as europrofile cylinder locks conform to European standards. Pairs of such handles comprising interior and exterior handles 2 are usually secured to a door at top and bottom by bolts 3 that are generally located at the same standard positions relative to backplates 4 of the handles 2. In particular, the backplates 4 are generally either 219 mm or 243 mm in length, both ± 2 mm, and the bolts 3 are always in the same positions relative to the backplate 4. Hence, a single template 1 can be used for most such door handles 2 but, of course, a range of templates can be provided for use by a locksmith wherein each template is suited to one or more of the range of commercially available door handles.

The template 1 preferably takes the form of a plastics moulding, as shown in the drawings, that is moulded in one piece. As locksmiths often have to work in the dark or in low light levels, preferably the template is moulded from a photoluminescent plastics material. This can be made by adding one or more photoluminscent pigments to the plastics material prior to moulding in known manner. Such photoluminescent pigments emit visible light after charging by the absorption of photons during daylight or exposure to light, that is after photoexcitation. By choosing appropriate pigments, the period between absorption and emission of photons can be hours. Also, as the template 1 has to provide a guide for drilling into the backplate 4 of a door handle, it is preferably made from a tough, shatterproof plastics material that is resistant to abrasion by a drill bit. Such a material may be thermoplastic polyurethane.

With reference to the drawings, the template 1 comprises a substantially oval plate 5. One side 6 of the plate 5 is substantially flat but the other side 7 of the plate 5 is provided with a projection 8 that is preferably a curving flange 8 that juts out from the periphery of the plate 5 at one end of the oval. The shape of the flange 8 is such that it fits closely around an edge of the backplate 4, in particular its lower and upper edges as shown in Figs. 6 and 7 respectively. Both sides of the plate 5 may be provided with one or more and preferably a series of projecting nodules 9 that are adapted to grip the backplate 4 of the door handle 2 frictionally when the template 1 is in use, as is described below. The nodules 9 are preferably located at the other end of the oval plate 5 from the flange 8.

The central portion of the plate 5 defines a first aperture lo therethrough that preferably has an at least part-circular edge 11 at one side thereof and is of such a size that a lever 12 of a door handle 2 can be passed through it so that the side 6 of the template 2 can lie contiguous with the backplate 4 of the door handle 2. The central portion of the plate 5 also defines a second aperture 13 therethrough. This aperture 13 may be separate from the aperture 10 but preferably comprises a notch that is located in an edge 14 of the aperture 10 opposite the edge a The centre of the second aperture or notch 13 is arranged to be a predetermined distance from the part-circular edge 11 of the first aperture 10. Preferably, the centre of the second aperture or the notch 13 is located at the centre of a circle defining an arc coincident with that part of the edge ii of the aperture 10 furthest from the second aperture or notch 13. This means that in use, as described below, there is some leeway allowed in the vertical positioning of the template 1. In door handles wherein the lever 2 is located close to the top of the backplate 4, as shown in Figs. 5 and 6, the predetermined distance between the edge rr of the aperture lo and the centre of the aperture or notch 13 is arranged to be the distance between the top of the lever 12 and the centre of the uppermost bolt 3. In other handles, such as that shown in Fig. 7 wherein the lever 2 is located more centrally of the backplate 4, the predetermined distance between the edge a of the aperture 10 and the centre of the aperture or notch 13 may be arranged to be the distance between the top of the lever 12 and the centre of the lowermost bolt 3.

In addition to the foregoing, the template 1 may define another aperture therethrough the centre of which is a second predetermined distance from the surface of the projection in contact with the lower edge of the backplate 4, namely from the apex of the curving flange 8 in the illustrated embodiment. Preferably, this "third" aperture is coincident with the second aperture or the notch 13 although it will be appreciated that it could be separate therefrom. This second predetermined distance is arranged to be the distance between either a bottom edge of the backplate 4 of the door handle 2 and the centre of the lowermost bolt 3, as shown in Fig. 6, or an upper edge of the backplate 4 of the door handle 2 and the centre of the uppermost bolt 3, as shown in Fig. 7.

In some templates, the first and second predetermined distances are the same.

The template 1 is used to enable a locksmith the determine the position of the concealed bolts used to fix an exterior door handle 2 to a door from the exterior of the door in order that the handle 2 can be removed to permit access to the lock cylinder and associated bolt mechanism used to lock the door. The template 1 is used in the same way with all the handles 2 for which it is suitable but its positioning may vary dependent on the design of the handle 2. With handles 2 wherein the lever 12 is located towards the top of the backplate 4 the locksmith firstly locates the template 1 over the lever 12 of the door handle 2 and orientates it so that it hangs vertically therefrom with the flange 8 at the bottom projecting outwards from the door, as shown in Fig. 5. This means that the side 6 of the template 1 can be manually retained contiguous with the backplate 4 in a first position. When pressed against the backplate 4 by the locksmith the projecting nodules 9 prevent the template from slipping out of position by frictionally gripping the backplate 4. The centre of the second aperture or notch 13 should now be aligned with the centre of the uppermost bolt 3 and the locksmith can use the template 1 to mark this position on the backplate 4, as shown by the solid arrow in Fig. 5. The template 1 should then be slipped off the lever 12, inverted and turned around so that the flange 8 locates around the lower part of the backplate 4, as shown in Fig. 6. The centre of the third aperture or notch 13 should now be aligned with the centre of the lowermost bolt 3 and the locksmith can again use the template 1 to mark this position on the backplate 4 as indicated by the solid arrow in Fig. 6, the nodules 9 again preventing the template from slipping out of position. Once the marks have -7 -been made, the locksmith can drill small pilot holes through the backplate 4. If the locksmith can see the bolt 3, he can apply a drill onto the bolt 3 and slowly drill. This should undo the bolt. Should the bolt 3 be rusted into position, he can drill the whole bolt out as usually these bolts are only made of soft metal. Should either of the pilot holes be misaligned, then he can drill a larger hole over the pilot hole to expose the bolt 3. Once the door handle 2 has been removed, he can take the appropriate action to open the door. Thereafter, as the door handle 2 is still useable, he can use coach bolts to refit the handle 2 to the door as a temporary measure until it can be 0 replaced. Hence the template 1 provides a simply yet effective aid for the locksmith when removing a door handle that accommodates a cylinder lock.

In other designs of handles, for example the handle shown in Fig. 7 wherein the lever 12 is located towards the centre of the backplate 2, the is template can be used as shown in Fig. 7 with the flange 8 located around the upper part of the backplate 4 so that the centre of the third aperture or notch 13 aligns with the centre of an uppermost bolt 3 (not shown). The solid arrow again indicates the way in which the backplate 4 can be marked for the drilling of a pilot hole. Thereafter, the template 1 can then be slipped over the lever 12 to hang vertically therefrom so that the centre of the second aperture or notch 13 is aligned with the centre of the lowermost bolt 3.

It will be appreciated that templates similar to that described herein can be readily produced for most commercially available door handles that 25 accommodate cylinder locks for use as described. -8 -

Claims

CLAIMSi. A template for use in locating the position of a fixing bolt of a door handle in particular one that accommodates a europrofile cylinder lock, the template defining a first aperture therethrough such that it can be located over a lever of the door handle and manually retained in a first fixed position in relation to a backplate of the door handle and defining a second aperture therethrough that may comprise a notch in an edge defining the first aperture, which second aperture or notch has a centre point that is a predetermined first distance from an edge of the first aperture when the template is retained in the first fixed position, said predetermined first distance being equal to the distance between a surface part of the lever and the centre of a first fixing bolt of the door handle.
2. A template as claimed in Claim 1, wherein the centre of the second aperture or the notch is located at the centre of a circle defining an arc coincident with that part of an edge of the first aperture furthest from the second aperture or the notch.
3. A template as claimed in Claim 1 or Claim 2, wherein a projection juts out from one side of the template and is adapted to locate against an edge of the backplate in order that the template can be manually retained in a second fixed position in relation to the door handle wherein the surface of the projection in contact with said edge of the backplate is a predetermined distance from the centre of a third aperture or the notch in the template, said predetermined second distance being equal to the distance between said edge of the backplate and the centre of a second fixing bolt of the door handle.
4. A template as claimed in Claim 3, wherein the second and third apertures are coincident.
5.
6.
7.
8. is
9.

A template as claimed in Claim 3 or Claim 4, wherein the projection comprises a curving flange that projects from one side of the template and that is adapted to fit around the edge of the backplate.

A template as claimed in any of Claims 1 to 5, wherein the template comprises a substantially flat plate that is provided with one or more projecting nodules adapted to grip the doorplate frictionally when the template is manually retained in its first fixed position or in its second fixed position.

A template as claimed in any of Claims 1 to 6, that is moulded in one piece from a plastics material.

A template as claimed in any of Claims 1 to 7, that is comprised of a photoluminescent plastics material.

A template as claimed in any of Claims 1 to 8, that is comprised of thermoplastic polyurethane.
10. A template for use in locating the position of a fixing bolt of a door handle, in particular one that accommodates a europrofile cylinder lock, substantially as described herein with reference to any of the accompanying drawings.