GB2594470A - Electro-mechanical locking apparatus for ultra-track anti-tip device - Google Patents

Abstract

An electro-mechanical locking apparatus for the Ultra-Track anti-tip device comprises an actuator 13 arranged to drive a locking cam 12 to facilitate electric locking. The actuator may be a solenoid or an electric motor. The locking apparatus may be overridden 15. Switches or sensors may be included to determine the limits of travel and the position of the actuator. The actuator may be integrated within the lock housing.

Description

Intellectual Property Office Application No. GII2006175.0 RTM Date:8 October 2020 The following terms are registered trade marks and should be read as such wherever they occur in this document: Ronis Intellectual Property Office is an operating name of the Patent Office www.gov.uk/ipo Electro-Mechanical Locking Apparatus for Ultra-Track Anti-Tip Device Any discussion of documents, acts, materials, devices, articles or the like which has been included in this specification is solely for the purpose of providing a context for the present invention. It is not to be taken as an admission that any or all of these matters form part of the prior art base.

Cabinets having a plural of stacked drawers are at risk of tipping if a number of drawers are open at the same time. There exists a number of arrangements to prevent this by mechanically interlocking the cabinet drawers. One example of such a mechanism is the Ultra-Track system as sold by Ronis, which is based in Sancoins, France.

The Ultra-Track anti-tip device is an ingenious and reliable anti-tip mechanism. However, it presents unique challenges against adding electro-mechanical locking. This is especially so if the electro-mechanical lock must include a manual override of the lock in the case of electronic failure.

The present invention relates to an electro-mechanical locking apparatus for the Ultra-Track anti-tip mechanism. The apparatus may be retrofitted to the Ultra-Track anti-tip device or fitted at the time of manufacture. The apparatus lock component is driven by an actuator which may be a solenoid, motor, geared motor or other means of actuation. The actuator may be attached to the lock housing or integrated within it.

Advantageously the actuator may include sensors or switches to determine the extremes of travel for the locking and unlocking states. Advantageously these sensors or switches may be used to determine the locked or unlocked state of the apparatus at any moment The actuator is driven by an electronic control module which is separate to the present invention. It is assumed that this electronic control module performs additional tasks relating to access control as suits the application.

Advantageously the electro-mechanical locking apparatus may include integrated electronics to drive the actuator in response to electronic messages received from an electronic access controller.

The design of this electro-mechanical locking apparatus requires very little force to cause locking and unlocking of the Ultra-Track. Thus minimal power is consumed for the process.

Advantageously the present invention may also include a mechanism to override the electric lock.

For this the cam may also embody a gear rack. This gear rack is arranged to mate with a pinion gear located in the housing. This pinion gear has a number of teeth missing in an arrangement such that when the missing teeth are presented to the gear rack, the cam is moved by the actuator. Turning the pinion gear presents the gear teeth which mesh into the gear rack in the cam thus moving it to the unlocked position. Turning the pinion gear back moves the cam into the locked position, disengaging the gear teeth and thus leaving the cam to be moved by the actuator again. The pinion gear exposes a boss with keyed orifice from the housing into which a keyed rod or shaft is located. This keyed rod or shaft is in turn located into a corresponding mechanical lock mounted in the body of the cabinet Thus, a secure mechanical override is presented to the outside of the cabinet.

The invention will now be described solely by way of example and with reference to the accompanying drawings in which: Figure 1 shows an Ultra-Track anti-tip device for two drawers. Both drawers are assumed to be in the closed position. The drawers are not shown.

Figure 2 shows an Ultra-Track anti-tip device for two drawers. The top drawer is assumed to be in the open position and the bottom drawer is assumed to be in the closed position. The drawers are not shown.

Figure 3 depicts a schematic of the Ultra-Track. Both drawers are assumed to be in the closed position.

Figure 4 depicts a schematic of the Ultra-Track. The top drawer is assumed to be in the open position. The bottom drawer is assumed to be in the closed position.

Figure 5 shows one embodiment of the current invention affixed to an Ultra-Track anti-tip device. Figure 6 shows one embodiment of the current invention revealing the locking mechanism.

Figure 7 shows the core components of the current invention in an unlocked state.

Figure 8 shows the core components of the current invention in a locked state. Figure 9 depicts a simplified view of the override gear in an inactive state. Figure 10 depicts a simplified view of the override gear in an engaged state.

In Figure 1 the Ultra-Track anti-tip mechanism is illustrated, representing a unit capable of controlling a vertical stack of two drawers (not illustrated). The Ultra-Track anti-tip mechanism may control numerous drawers in a vertical stack.

In Figure 2 the Ultra-Track presents a plural of movable tine-pairs 1. Each tine-pair 1 is arranged to mate with a hook 2 each of which would be attached to the rear of a drawer. Each tine-pair 1 is located in a housing 3 which is affixed to a metal extrusion 4 in a vertical arrangement each of which to match a corresponding drawer location. Within the metal extrusion 4 there are a plural of cylindrical metal sliders 5 each having chamfered ends. The cylindrical metal sliders 5 are in contact with each other and held in a preferred vertical geometry by springs 6 to the top and bottom of the metal extrusion 4.

In Figures 3 and 4 as a drawer is pulled open the hook affixed to the rear of the drawer draws the tine-pair 1 from the closed position to the open position thus rotating the tine-pair 1 about a hinge point 7. As the tine-pair 1 are rotated around the hinge point 7 they bear a cam profile 8 against a moveable metal ball 9 captured within the housing. The metal ball 9 is forced against the chamfer between adjacent cylindrical metal sliders 5 forcing them apart and thus displacing the cylindrical metal sliders 5 vertically. The vertical displacement of the cylindrical metal sliders 5 results in presenting the body of other sliders against the metal ball 9 of other tine-pairs 10. Thus all other tine-pairs 10 are prevented from moving and thus locking shut all other drawers.

When the open drawer is closed the hook affixed to the rear of the drawer strikes against the furthest tine of the tine-pair 1, thus, closing the tine-pair 1, releasing the ball 9 and allowing the cylindrical metal sliders 5 to return to their original position.

Summary of the invention

In Figure 5 an embodiment of the present invention is affixed to the Ultra-Track anti-tip device. The electro-mechanical lock apparatus comprises of a lock cam 12 which is able to move Literally within the lock housing 11. The lock cam 12 is attached an actuator 13. The actuator is mounted to the lock housing 11 by a lock mount 14 or in another embodiment of the present invention may be integrated into the lock housing. Advantageously, the actuator may include sensors or switches to determine the limit of travel. Advantageously, the sensors or switches may provide electronic information as to the locked and unlocked state of the actuator. The actuator is activated by an external electronic controller which allows or denies unlocking according to access control rules which are not part of this invention.

Advantageously, the electro-mechanical lock apparatus may include an electronics embedded within the lock housing to drive the actuator in response to electronic messages from an external electronic controller.

Advantageously, there may be an override mechanism 15 which is housed within the lock housing 11 and presented to the outside via a keyed boss. This override mechanism 15 would be connected to a mechanical lock mounted on the outside of the cabinet via a keyed shaft.

In Figure 6 the lock housing 11 of the electro-mechanical lock apparatus is shown as cut away to reveal the workings of the locking mechanism. The lock cam 12 bears a cam profile 16 against a boss 18 moveable within the Ultra-Track extrusion. Lateral movement of the lock cam 12 presents alternate segments of the cam profile 16 against the boss 18 thus displacing the cylindrical metal sliders5 vertically to their locked position or allowing them to return to their unlocked position.

In Figure 7 the lock cam 12 is shown in the unlocked position. The cam profile 16 allows the boss 18 to rise, allowing the cylindrical metal sliders 5, biased by the springs 6 to move to their unlocked position.

In Figure 8 the lock cam 12 is shown in the locked position. The cam profile 16 bears against the boss 18 to vertically displace the cylindrical metal sliders 5 downwards into their locked position. The lower of the springs 6 is compressed to allow for the movement.

Figure 9 shows a simplified view of the override mechanism in a disengaged state. The lock cam 12 presents a gear rack 17 to the override pinion gear 19. The pinion gear 19 has a section of teeth missing. The external key lock is coupled to the override mechanism via keyed rod. In normal operating mode the pinion gear 19 is held in a rotary position by the external key lock such that the section with teeth missing is presented to the gear rack 17 on the lock cam 12. Thus the lock cam 12 is able to move laterally between the locked and unlocked positions when driven by the actuator.

In such case the electronic locking fails, the override can be activated by inserting and turning a key in the external key lock. The external key lock is coupled to the override mechanism via keyed rod and thus tunis the pinion gear 19. As the pinion gear 19 turns the teeth engage with the rack gear 17 in the lock cam 12 thus moving the lock cam into the unlocked position.

Figure 10 shows a simplified view of the override mechanism in an engaged state. With the pinion gear 19 engaged with the rack gear 17, the lock cam 12 is in the unlocked position. Turning back the external key lock causes the pinion gear 19 to rotate against the rack gear 16 and thus move the lock cam 12 back to a locked position. The pinion gear 19 having rotated to move the lock cam 12 now presents the section with teeth missing. The lock cam may once again be driven by the actuator.

Thus the override mechanism may both unlock and lock the electro-mechanical system.

Claims (9)

1. Electro-Mechanical Locking Apparatus for Ultra-Track Anti-Tip DeviceCLAIMS1. Electro-mechanical locking apparatus for the Ultra-Track anti-tip mechanism comprising an actuator arranged to drive a locking cam to position the chain of Ultra Track sliders between their locked and unlocked positions.
2. 2. Electric locking device according to claim 1, where the actuator may be a solenoid or electric motor or other electrically activated device.
3. 3. Electric locking device according to claim 1, which utilises switches or electronic sensors to determine the limits of travel required for the actuator locked and unlocked positions.
4. 4. Electric locking device according to above claims that utilises electronic switches or sensors to determine the position of the actuator and hence the locked or unlocked state.
5. 5. Electro-mechanical locking apparatus according to the above claims where the actuator is integrated within the electro-mechanical lock housing.
6. 6. Electric locking device according to claim 1, which includes a manual override mechanism whereby the Ultra-Track and-tip device may be brought to the unlocked state if the electric actuation should fail.
7. 7. Electro-mechanical locking apparatus according to claim 1 which includes integrated electronics to drive the actuator in response to electronic messages from an external electronic controller.
8. 8. Electro-mechanical locking apparatus according to claim 1, which includes a manual override mechanism by which the device may be brought to the locked position. Whereupon electric actuation of the device may resume.
9. 9. Electric locking device according to claim 1, where the actuator is controlled by an electronic controller which can detect a stall or jam condition and cut power to the motor to prevent damage or fire.