GB2536855A

GB2536855A - A door lock

Info

Publication number: GB2536855A
Application number: GB1415510.5A
Authority: GB
Inventors: Luczyn Steffan
Original assignee: Individual
Current assignee: Individual
Priority date: 2014-09-02
Filing date: 2014-09-02
Publication date: 2016-10-05
Anticipated expiration: 2034-09-02
Also published as: GB2536855B; GB201415510D0

Abstract

A door-handle lock 10 comprises: a shaft 12, with a fixing plate 14 perpendicularly connected to its one end and a lock system 16 connected to its other end; and a locking arm 18, lockable perpendicularly to the shaft 12. The door handle lock 10 may comprise a cradle 20 with a curved lower surface. The fixing plate 14 may have a hole 24. The shaft 12 may have an S bend 26 closer to the fixing plate 14 than to the lock system 16. The lock system may comprise a lock housing (30) in which a lock block (28) may be slidably mounted; the latter having locking arm 18, e.g. a flat rectangular arm, may be key activated. The position of the lock block may be screw adjusted. The underside of the lock system may comprise a U shaped arm (36). The invention locks lever-type or pivoting door handles.

Description

DESCRIPTION

A DOOR LOCK

This invention relates to a door lock.

Exterior doors and some interior doors are commonly provided with locks that allow the door to be secured in a shut position so that unauthorised access cannot be made through the door. Usually the door will be closed and the lock activated using a key to pass a bolt from the door to the door frame, which will prevent the door being opened. To subsequently unlock the door, the reverse action has to be performed, with the key used to unlock the door by returning the bolt to its unlocked position, no longer engaging the door frame. However, if an interior door is not initially provided with a lock, then it is a non-trivial task to add a lock to that door, usually requiring a locksmith to fit a lock to the door. This however, is an expensive process and also will cause damage to, or irreversibly modify the door in the fitting process.

It is therefore an object of the invention to improve upon the known art.

According to the present invention, there is provided a door lock comprising an elongate shaft, a fixing plate connected to one end of the shaft and substantially perpendicular to the shaft, and a lock system connected to the other end of the shaft, and comprising a locking arm lockable in a position substantially perpendicular to the shaft.

Owing to the invention, it is possible to provide a door lock that can be retrofitted to an existing door that does not have a lock, without the need for any alteration of the door itself. The door lock can be easily fitted by a non-skilled user and does not cause any damage to the door. Once fitted to a door, the device allows a user to lock that door as and when they wish, since the locking arm can be locked into a position that will prevent the door's handle from being turned. The door lock can only be removed when the door is open, so while it cannot be removed by someone trying to gain unauthorised entry, the user can easily remove the door lock if it is no longer required.

The door lock, when in the locked position, aims to prevent someone from opening a door by its handle, by preventing the handle from being pushed down/depressed. The door lock can be fitted on the outside or the inside of a door. The door lock works by fixing to the door using an existing screw and screw-hole necessary for the presence of a latch. From there, the door lock preferably contours the edge of the door and eventually hooks over the stem of the door handle. It then extends to the locking mechanism, which when in locked position protrudes under the door handle. When the door lock is in a locked position, it prevents the handle from being pushed down as the device is braced around it, utilising the stem of the handle as a fulcrum for leverage.

The door lock can preferably be adjusted to suit different shapes and sizes of door handles, which enables a more secure fit. Adjustments to the depth of the device can be made by turning screws on the back of the device. Turning the screws will affect how much the lock-block protrudes from the casing.

The door lock has numerous advantages. It prevents the handle of a door from opening the door, when the device is in the locked position. The door lock allows locking from the outside, but can also be used to lock a door from the inside. It does not cause damage to the door, door handle or door latch. The door lock can preferably be adjustable and is adjustable in 'depth' to fit different stem lengths (the distance to which the handle is from the door) and is adjustable to fit different distances of stem to edge of door. The door lock uses existing screws and screw holes on a standard door latch to fix the device onto the door.

Embodiments of the present invention will now be described, by way of example only, with reference to the accompanying drawings, in which:-Figures 1 and 2 are perspective views from above of a door lock, Figures 3 and 4 are perspective views from below of the door lock fitted to a door, Figure 5 is a perspective view from above of the door lock fitted to the door, Figure 6 is a side elevation of the door lock fitted to the door, Figure 7 is a perspective view from above of the door lock, Figures 8 and 9 are perspective partial cut-away views of the lock housing of the door lock, and Figures 10 and 11 are perspective views of a cradle connecting to a shaft of the door lock.

Figures 1 and 2 show the door lock 10, which comprises an elongate shaft 12, a fixing plate 14 connected to one end of the shaft 12 and substantially perpendicular to the shaft 12, a lock system 16 connected to the other end of the shaft 12. The lock system 16 comprises a locking arm 18 which is lockable in a position substantially perpendicular to the shaft 12, as shown in Figure 2. The locking arm 18 is movable from a position substantially parallel to the shaft 12 (Figure 1) to a position substantially perpendicular to the shaft 12 (Figure 2). The door lock 10 also comprises a cradle 20 movably mounted along the shaft 12, the cradle 20 comprising a curved lower surface 22.

The fixing plate 14 is provided with a hole 24 and the shaft 12 includes an S-bend 26 closer to the fixing plate 14 than the lock system 16. The shaft 12 and the fixing plate 14 are formed from the same piece of metal. The locking arm 18 comprises a substantially flat rectangular arm 18. In Figure 1, the locking arm 18 is shown in a first position substantially parallel to the shaft 12 and in Figure 2 the locking arm 18 is shown in a second position substantially perpendicular to the shaft 12. The door lock 10 is designed to be retrofitted to an existing door and the fixing plate 14 allows the door lock 10 to be securely fixed to the edge of the door.

Figures 3 and 4 show the door lock 10 after it has been fitted to a door 50. A screw 52 has been removed from the latching mechanism 54 and then replaced through the hole 24 in the fixing plate 14. The cradle 20 slides along the shaft 12 and cradles the stem 56 of the door handle 58 in order to prevent damage to the door handle 58 and allow height adjustment in the fitting process. Also visible in these Figures is a curved arm 36 connected at both ends to the underside of the lock system 16, which provides further stability and rigidity to the door lock 10 when in use.

In Figure 3, the locking arm 18 is shown in the first position substantially parallel to the shaft 12 (unlocked) and in Figure 4 the locking arm 18 is shown in the second position substantially perpendicular to the shaft 12 (locked). In Figure 3, the door handle 58 can be pressed downwards to open the door 50 in the normal manner and the door lock 10 is therefore unlocked. However, in Figure 4, the locking arm 18 is preventing the downwards movement of the door handle 58 and the door lock 10 is locked and prevents the door 50 from being opened.

Figure 5 shows the same configuration of door lock 10 as in Figure 4, but seen from above, rather than below. The locking arm 18 has been locked into position and this prevents the handle 58 from being pressed down while the door lock 10 is in the locked position. The cradle 20 can be seen in position on the stem 56 of the handle 58 and this provides a counter balance to any attempt to force down the handle 58. The purpose of the S-bend 26 can be seen clearly in this Figure, as it is designed to accommodate the shape of the handle body 60 which is a common fixture on door handles. The S-bend 26 also allows the fixing plate 14 to fit between the edge of the door 50 and the door frame.

Figure 6 shows again the door lock 10 in the same configuration as Figures 4 and 5 but in a side elevation. The curved arm 36 can be seen clearly in this Figure and this element of the door lock 10 provides stability for the door lock 10 when it is in its locked position if the handle 58 is pushed down and excessive force is applied. The curved arm 36 prevents the door lock 10 rocking away from the door 50 under any excessive pressure. In locked position the locking arm 18 extends underneath the handle 58 and the handle 58 cannot be turned downwards while the locking arm 18 is in the locked position.

Figure 7 shows more detail of the lock system 16. The lock system 16 comprises a lock block 28 mounting the locking arm 18 and a lock housing 30, the lock block 28 being slidably mounted in the lock housing 30. The position of the lock block 28 relative to the lock housing 30 is adjustable via one or more screws located in the lock housing 30. The lock block 28 includes a key activated lock 34. The lock block 28 can be adjusted using the screws to ensure that the door lock 10 is in a snug fitting between the door 50 and door handle 58.

Figure 8 shows the lock system 16 with a partial cut-away to show the internal components of the lock system 16. The screws 32 can be seen, which are accessed from the rear of the lock housing 30. The rear of the lock housing 30, when the door lock 10 is fitted in place on the door 50, will be flush to the surface of the door 50 and will not be accessible. These screws 32 can be turned by the user, before fitting the door lock 10 to the door 50, to adjust the position of the lock block 28 relative to the lock housing 30.

The user will adjust the relative position of the lock block 28 and the lock housing 30 using the screws 32, prior to fitting of the door lock 10 to the door 50, in order to adjust the door lock 10 to the specific position of the door handle 58 relative to the door 50. Different doors have different handles and there is not a uniform distance between the door surface and the handle across different doors. The adjustability provided by the screws 32 resolves this problem. In Figure 8, the screws 32 have been turned only a small amount to move the lock block 28 forward a short distance.

Figure 9 shows a view similar to Figure 8, but with the screws 32 adjusted so that the lock block 28 has been moved further outwards relative to the lock housing 30. By turning the screws 32, the user can slide the lock block 28 forward away from the lock housing 30. The user will make this adjustment prior to fitting the door lock 10 to the door 50, in order to accommodate the size of the gap between the door 50 and the door handle 58. By turning the screws 32, the lock block 28 is moved into the user's desired position. Also seen in this Figure are springs 38 that tend to push the lock block 28 outwards relative to the lock housing 30, as the screws 32 are rotated, which assist in the positioning of the lock block 28.

Since the lock block 28 mounts the locking arm 18, the movement by the user of the lock block 28 via the screws 32 will affect the position of the locking arm 18, so that the user can locate the door lock 10 to ensure that the locking arm 18 will be securely positioned under the door handle 58, when in the locked position. Since the screws 32 are on the back of the lock housing 30 and will be flush to the door 50, they are not accessible when the door lock is in position on the door 50. It will be appreciated that the screws 32 will be accessible from above, in the configuration shown in Figure 9. To increase the security of the door lock 10, sleeves could be present that cover the screws 32, to avoid any unauthorised access to the screws 32, which could otherwise be attacked by someone wishing to gain unauthorised access to the lock 10.

Figures 10 and 11 show more detail of the cradle 20 and how it is mounted by the shaft 12 of the door lock 10. The cradle 20 fits into a slot 40 in the underside of the shaft 12 and is fitted in place by moving a plate 42 on the cradle 20 up into the shaft 12, and then along the shaft 12 to secure the cradle 20 in place. Once in place, the cradle 20 still has lateral movement in order to slide along the shaft 12, and can be twisted/turned/screwed to adjust its height, therefore allowing a further way to get a snug fit to the stem 56 of the handle 58. The cradle has elongate sides, which come down on either side of the stem 56, thus preventing the cradle 20 from being forced aside and freeing up the lock 10.

The Figures above show the door lock 10 fitted to a door 50 with a handle 58 on the right hand side of the door 50 (from the front view of Figure 6, for example). If the door lock 10 were to be fitted to the other side of the door 50, or if the handle was on the left hand side of the door 50, then a door lock 10 would be used that is a mirror image of the door lock 10 shown in the Figures.

Claims

CLAIMS1. A door lock (10) comprising: * an elongate shaft (12), * a fixing plate (14) connected to one end of the shaft (12) and substantially perpendicular to the shaft (12), and * a lock system (16) connected to the other end of the shaft (12), and comprising a locking arm (18) lockable in a position substantially perpendicular to the shaft (12).
2. A door lock according to claim 1, and further comprising a cradle (20) movably mounted by the shaft (12), the cradle (20) comprising a curved lower surface (22).
3. A door lock according to claim 1 or 2, wherein the fixing plate (14) is provided with a hole (24).
4. A door lock according to claim 1, 2 or 3, wherein the shaft (12) includes an S-bend (26) closer to the fixing plate (14) than the lock system (16).
5. A door lock according to any preceding claim, wherein the lock system (16) further comprises a lock block (28) mounting the locking arm (18) and a lock housing (30), the lock block (28) slidably mounted in the lock housing (30).
6. A door lock according to claim 5, wherein the position of the lock block (28) relative to the lock housing (30) is adjustable via one or more screws (32) located in the lock housing (30).
7. A door lock according to claim 5 or 6, wherein the lock block (28) includes a key activated lock (34).
8. A door lock according to any preceding claim, and further comprising a curved arm (36) connected at both ends to the underside of the lock system (16).
9. A door lock according to any preceding claim, wherein the locking arm (18) comprises a substantially flat rectangular arm (18).Amendments to the Claims have been filed as follows CLAIMS 1. A door lock (10) comprising: * an elongate shaft (12), * a fixing plate (14) connected to one end of the shaft (12) and substantially perpendicular to the shaft (12), and * a lock system (16) connected to the other end of the shaft (12), and comprising a locking arm (18) lockable in a position substantially perpendicular to the shaft (12) and a lock block (28) mounting the locking arm (18) and a lock housing (30), the lock block (28) slidably mounted in the lock housing (30), wherein the lock block (28) includes a key activated lock (34).2. A door lock according to claim 1, and further comprising a cradle (20) movably mounted by the shaft (12), the cradle (20) comprising a curved lower surface (22).3. A door lock according to claim 1 or 2, wherein the fixing plate (14) is provided with a hole (24).4. A door lock according to claim 1, 2 or 3, wherein the shaft (12) includes an S-bend (26) closer to the fixing plate (14) than the lock system (16).5. A door lock according to claim 1, wherein the position of the lock block (28) relative to the lock housing (30) is adjustable via one or more screws (32) located in the lock housing (30).6. A door lock according to any preceding claim, and further comprising a curved arm (36) connected at both ends to the underside of the lock system (16).7. A door lock according to any preceding claim, wherein the locking arm (18) comprises a substantially flat rectangular arm (18).