ITRM20130178A1 - SILENT LOCKING DEVICE FOR DOOR LOCKS, GATES OR SIMILAR. - Google Patents

Description

`` SILENT LOCKING DEVICE FOR LOCKS OF DOORS, GATES OR SIMILAR ...

DESCRIPTION

Technical sector

The present invention relates to accessories for doors, gates or the like, and in particular to an accessory for locks on doors, gates or the like.

Known technique

In the prior art, the locks of doors, gates or the like are equipped with a conventional strike plate in whose hole the latch is inserted at the end of the rotation of the leaf the door closing spring acts on it.

For example, in a very common model of electric lock produced by the CISA company, the strike plate has a plastic wheel which, acting on a striker of the electric lock, makes the striker return to the electric lock while the latch enters the relevant hole of the electric lock. counterplate. However, this lock system has the drawback that it is neither silent nor safe, as the user often has to give a final blow to permanently close the door or the like, thus allowing the latch to enter inside. of the strike plate hole.

Moreover, very often, due to climatic changes, when the temperature drops, the oil density of the door closer spring increases and therefore the door closes more slowly or it can simply approach and remain open, not being there (in the final phase of movement of the door) a force sufficient to make the latch enter its hole and also make the striker re-enter the electric lock. As is known, the striker (in the condition pressed inside the lock) is used to enable the opening of the door or the like through the control button of the intercom, so that an electromagnet residing inside the electric lock causes the ™ retraction of the latch following the command. In summary, traditional strike plate electric locks often do not facilitate a correct closing of the door or the like.

Another factor that can prevent the door or the like from closing correctly, even in the non-winter months, is the wind. In fact, it is well known that not paying attention to a possible gust of wind while entering or exiting a condominium door, the force exerted by the door closer spring - being opposed by the wind in the final phase of rotation of the door - could not enough to permanently close the door and therefore also its lock. Often the user does not have the patience or the foresight to give the classic final blow to the door, which would be absolutely essential in these situations. It follows that the door remains open to the detriment of the security of the condominium. This is inadmissible especially at night.

Therefore, there is a need to provide a system which allows to eliminate the disadvantages of the known art.

Furthermore, such a system must preferably be of a universal type, i.e. applicable on - or at least adaptable to - all doors and almost all locks existing today, whether they are mechanical, electrical or electronic (i.e. operating with cards and / or with programmable entry and exit times), but with the aforementioned drawbacks.

Furthermore, another object of the present invention is to provide a safe and passive closure device, ie one which does not require electrical energy for its operation.

Doors can also undergo such changes over time (material expansion, misalignments, wear of the door hinges, etc.) that they hinder or even prevent the latch from entering the hole in the traditional strike plate. Therefore, another purpose, in addition to guaranteeing silence and safety, is to ensure easy adjustment of the silent closing device according to the present invention. Thus, the device of the invention can simply be registered each time to always guarantee the closing of the door (or similar), even in cases where the latter has undergone changes over time. Therefore, the user (for example a private individual, or a condominium) will not be forced to purchase a new silent closing device according to the present invention, as it is sufficient to perform a simple new registration.

Overall, the present invention solves both a safety problem, when the door does not close, and the problem of making the closing of the door silent.

Whoever leaves a door equipped with a lock, for example of the electric type, and with the device according to the present invention, will no longer have to worry about verifying that the correct closing of the door has actually taken place.

Finally, the device of the invention has the property of being directly adaptable even to pre-existing locks. In fact, it will be sufficient to replace the strike plate of the traditional lock with the device of the invention. Therefore, it is not necessary to replace the entire lock.

The introduction in the technique of innovative materials (in particular of plastics) with a very low coefficient of static and kinetic friction also allows to optimize the operation (safety) of the device of the present invention, using precisely these materials for the manufacture of the device .

Brief description of the drawings

The present invention will now be illustrated purely by way of non-limiting example with reference to the drawings and to a particular, widespread type of electric lock, in which:

FIGURE 1 shows the front view of the traditional closing system for electric lock doors;

FIGURE 2 is a top view of the traditional lock of Figure 1, in which however the traditional strike plate (of figure 1) is replaced by the silent closing device according to the invention;

FIGURES 3 to 5 show the operation of the device of the invention; Figure 6 shows the section A-A of Figure 8;

FIGURE 7 illustrates, in perspective, a possible assembly and adjustment system of the device of the invention;

FIGURE 8 is a view of the device of the invention looking from the side of the latch insertion slot, in which the figure shows a tear that allows you to see a sliding nut (one of the adjustment elements).

Description of a preferred embodiment of the invention

The preferred embodiment of the device of the invention is represented in Figs. 2 to 8, while the known technique is illustrated in Fig. 1. Starting from this last figure (considered as a matter of comparison with the other figures in order to better illustrate the inventive concept), the reference number 1 indicates the real electric lock, reference 2 the classic strike plate, 3 the handle of the electric lock, 4 the movable leaf of the door, 5 the fixed leaf, 6 the opening button that activates the internal solenoid to return the latch 7 (shown in transparency) inside the block 8 of the lock, the reference 9 indicates the so-called striker mentioned above, and finally the reference 10 indicates the cylinder of the safety key which prevents the operation of the button 6; however, normally the door opening function using button 6 (or the intercom) is not disabled to allow anyone inside the building to quickly escape to the outside in case of danger (fire , etc.). It can be seen in Fig. 1 that while the latch 7 enters the respective slot of the strike plate 2 (in the closing position shown on the door (4, 5)), the striker 9 remains pressed in this closing position, thus enabling the function of the door opening button 6, as well as remote opening via the intercom.

In this traditional door closing system (4, 5), during the door closing the strike plate 2 must act on the latch 7 - in a very short time - with a force greater than that exerted by its antagonist spring, to make it retract first. into the block 8 of the electric lock 1 and immediately afterwards to exit, in order to allow it to be inserted into the slot of the strike plate 2. However, this force may not be sufficient, as already mentioned above.

The invention simply consists in replacing the striking plate 2 of Fig. 1 with a particular silent closing device, indicated as a whole by the numerical reference 100 in Fig. 2 and in the following figures. Fig. 2 corresponds exactly to the view from above (observation direction F in Fig. 1) of the door lock (the latter being shown in section).

In short, the silent closing device 100 according to the present invention comprises a main block 101 and a fixing plate 102 for fixing the main block 101 to the fixed leaf 5 of the door. The details of such fastening will be explained later. The side 103 of the main block 101 of the device 100 of the invention, that is the side facing the electric lock 1, has a smooth surface 105 having a slot 104 (Fig. 8) for introducing the latch 7. The dimensions of the latch 7. Slot 104 correspond (more or less) to those of the homologous slot provided on the classic strike plate 2.

The fundamental difference with respect to the known technique lies in the fact that the device 100, despite having larger dimensions than the classic strike plate 2 in the `` X '' direction (direction orthogonal to the surface of the door), has the advantage of allowing a safe and gradual retraction / retraction of the latch 7 in block 8 of the lock, and its subsequent snap insertion into slot 104. Specifically, as shown in figures 5-4-3, considered in this order, latch 7 slides along the rounded and regular surface 105 of the side 103 of the main block 101, whereby the mechanical work performed to compress the antagonist spring of the latch 7 extends for a longer period of time (the crushing force of the spring is not impulsive) and therefore requires less force. Furthermore, the surface is smooth and has a minimal coefficient of friction. The door closes silently and safely, in any situation, even in the event of gusts of wind or a door closer spring that is not in perfect condition (see above). Using particular castings of plastic materials, it is currently possible to reduce the friction between the latch 7 (normally metallic) and the rounded surface 105 (here a fusion of plastic materials) to a minimum. However, the rounded surface 105 could also be made of metal (brass or other).

For the purposes of the present invention, given the considerable dimensions (in the "X" direction) of the silent closing device 100, the interior of the device 100 will be hollow or substantially hollow. In fact, a block made of solid material would be too heavy and impractical to manage and assemble.

With reference to the remaining Figures 6, 7 and 8, the assembly (to the fixed wing 5) and adjustment system (of the dimensions of the slot 104) of the device 100 of the present invention will now be illustrated. The mounting and adjustment system of the device 100 is based primarily on having conceived the device 100 in two components: the fixing plate 102 and the main block 101. This allows first of all fixing the fixing plate 102 to the fixed leaf 5, subsequently fixing (in a second assembly and adjustment step) the main block 101 on the fixing plate 102 itself. In this last phase it is also possible to adequately adjust the dimensions of the slot 104 of the latch 7, in order to allow the closing of the door upon initial assembly of the lock assembly (manufacturing tolerances must always be taken into account or other unpredictable effects). Furthermore, a further, new adjustment may be necessary in the event of misalignments of the door, deformation / expansion of the materials, etc., as effects due to the elapsed time.

If the door is made of iron, the metal fixing plate 102 could be welded (by electric welding) to the fixed leaf 5. In the case of a wooden or aluminum door, the fixing plate 102 can be rigidly connected to the Fixed leaf 5 by inserting sealing screws (not shown) through the fixing holes 106 of the plate and then into the wood or aluminum of the leaf 5.

The means that allow the adjustment of the transversal dimensions of the slot 104 for the latch 7 (Fig. 8) could be the following (illustrative and non-binding example of a possible adjustment system):

- a plurality of slotted mounting and adjustment tabs 107, bearing respective slots 108, and integral with the fixing plate 102;

- a plurality of sliding cage nuts 109, which can be inserted in various positions (in the direction defined by the slot 108) on each respective slotted tab 107 (for simplicity, a single sliding nut 109 is shown in Fig. 7);

- fixing and adjustment screws 110, which are first inserted into respective holes (not numbered in the figures) of the main block 101, then through the adjustment slots 108 of the fins 107, and which are finally screwed into the threaded part 109a (threaded hole 109a ) of the sliding nut 109.

The first adjustment (during the initial assembly of the device 100 on the door) takes place as follows: insert all the sliding nuts 109 (elastic and U-shaped) on the respective slotted tabs 107, so that the elastic return force of the arms of the U of the sliding nuts hold each sliding nut in the desired position (which must be the same along slot 108 for all sliding nuts). Then the main block 101 is applied on the fixing plate 102, aligning the holes for the screws 110 with the holes of the sliding nuts, after which the screws 110 are tightened in the threaded holes 109a. The 110 screws pass through two opposite holes on the arms of the U of the sliding nuts 109, only one of which (109a), that of the actual nut 111, is threaded (see Fig. 6, section A-A of Fig. 8) .

The main block 101 is internally hollow and forms a sort of hood. At least the material of its curved slide surface 105 which interacts with the latch 7 during closing (Figs. 5-4-3) must be a material with a very low coefficient of static and kinetic friction. This material could be a particular fusion of plastics.

The dimensions in the vertical direction (ie the height) of the device 100 do not necessarily have to coincide with the dimension of the lock, but could also be smaller.

It should be noted that also the striker 9 of the traditional electric lock 1 can gradually slide along the surface 105 with a very low coefficient of friction, exactly like the latch 7, although this obviously does not appear in Figs. 5-4-3. However, this striker will remain pressed when the door is closed. The present invention therefore does not make use of the classic plastic wheel (not shown for simplicity in Fig. 1), and this constitutes a further advantage of the invention in terms of simplification of the production process.

Even if in the previous detailed description of a preferred embodiment of the invention we have always referred to a door, obviously it could be a gate, a glass door, or a French window, etc. The present invention is therefore generally applicable in all those cases in which there is a revolving door 4 and a fixed door 5, on which a lock (mechanical, electrical, or electronic) and the device can be mounted respectively. of the present invention.

It should be noted that with the adjustment system described, a small gap may form between the edge of the plane 112 (Fig. 7) of the fixing plate 102 and the base edge 113 (Fig. 8) of the main block 101. This does not disturb at all, given the minimum size of this gap, and in any case it could be covered with suitable means, for example by a gasket (but not in correspondence with slot 104!).

In the preferred embodiment, the device 100 of the invention has the shape of a substantially U or V-shaped hood 101, with thin walls 114 to lighten its weight; moreover, the total dimension (depth) of the hood 101 in the X direction (orthogonal to the door, see Fig. 5) is at least 2-3 times greater than that (in the same X direction) of block 8 of lock 1. In this way you get the following effects:

- maximum lightening of the weight of the device 100 and maximum material saving;

- complete gradualness of the latch return movement (Figs. 5-4-3) with consequent maximum safety and silence.

Preferably the whole hood 101 (and not only the portion 105 interacting with the latch 7 and with the possible abutment 9) is obtained by molding a particular fusion of plastic materials with a very low coefficient of friction. This serves to further lighten the total weight of the device 100 compared to the use of metals; furthermore, the plastic material molding process is quick to carry out and a single piece 101 is obtained which simplifies the production and speeds up the assembly of the entire device 100 of the invention.

The electric locks are made for doors with fixed leaf 5 on the right (as in Fig. 1), but also for doors with fixed leaf 5 on the left and opening leaf 4 on the right. Obviously the invention is applicable to both cases.

In most cases, a door is already fitted with an overlapping lock type â € œCISAâ € or â € œYALEâ €, which can also be without the opening button 6 (this obviously does not affect the operation of the device of the invention ).

Furthermore, the term â € œfixed leaf (5) â € used in the claims includes any fixed structure (upright, frame or column) where lock 1 is mounted. Therefore, it is not necessary that the door is actually formed by a â € Mobile door and by a door fixed by a bolt or similar permanently.

From the drawings it can be seen that the surface 105 is rounded, with a "soft belly" in the final part.

Once the device 100 of the invention has been installed, it will not be possible to keep the opening door 4 ajar or ajar, as is the case with all current locks.

Finally, remember once again that with the cold the oil inside the door closer spring (not shown in the figures) becomes denser and the speed of leaf 4 decreases, therefore it does not close. On the contrary, in summer the oil is more fluid, therefore the doors slam.

After the installation of the device (100), a summer / winter adjustment of the door closer spring will no longer be necessary, as closing will always be guaranteed; the thrust derived from the internal spring of the door closer of the mobile leaf 4 is always sufficient since the system of the invention never makes use of the speed (kinetic moment) of leaf 4 to close leaf 4.

Claims (6)

CLAIMS 1. Silent closing device (100) for locks on doors, gates or the like, usable in combination with a lock of any type of the door, gate or the like, in particular with an electric lock (1), characterized in that it comprises a main lock (101) having a side (103) with a rounded and smooth surface, with a low coefficient of friction, a portion (105) of which can interact with the latch (7) of the lock, the device (100) also including a base or fixing plate (102) which can be fixed on its first side to a fixed leaf (5) and on the side opposite to said main block (101); in which, moreover, in the mounting condition of the device (100) on the fixed leaf (5), said portion (105) which can interact with the latch (7) extends beyond the block (8) of the lock (1) with respect to the direction (X) orthogonal to the fixed leaf (5), first causing a gradual return of the latch (7) into the lock (1) while it slides along the portion (105), and only in the last phase of the movement of the latch (7), a snap insertion of the latter into a slot (104) of said side (103) with a rounded and smooth surface, with a low coefficient of friction. 2. Silent closing device (100), according to claim 1, characterized in that said portion (105) which can interact with the latch (7) can protrude beyond the block (8) of the lock (1), with respect to the direction (X) orthogonal to the fixed leaf (5), so as to at least double up to triple the size of the device (100) compared to that of the block (8) of the lock (1), thus optimizing a gradual re-entry effect latch (7) into the lock (1) and the subsequent safe snap-in of the latch (7) into the slot (104). 3. Silent closing device (100), according to claim 1 or 2, characterized in that an adjustment and locking system (107, 108, 109, 109a, 110, 111) is associated with the fixing plate (102) to adjust and fix the fixing plate (102) on the main block (101) of the device (100) in different positions, thus increasing or reducing the dimensions of the slot (104) for inserting the latch (7). 4. Silent closing device (100), according to any one of the preceding claims, characterized in that the main block (101) is shaped like a V-shaped or U-shaped hood, and internally it is hollow, since it is formed only by a thin wall (114) to lighten its weight. Silent closing device (100) according to any one of the preceding claims and in particular according to claim 4, wherein its main block (101) is formed by molding a casting of plastics with a very low coefficient of friction. 6. Silent closing device (100), according to claim 3, in which the adjustment and locking system (107, 108, 109, 109a, 110, 111) comprises slotted tabs (107) integral with the fixing plate (102) , inserted in a free internal space of the main block (101), which receive respective sliding nuts (109), which are lockable both on the main body (101) and, in various adjustable positions, on the slotted tabs (107).