US2815655A

US2815655A - Adapter kit for mortise lock openings

Info

Publication number: US2815655A
Authority: US
Inventors: Boer Louie
Original assignee: KWIKSET LOCKS Inc
Current assignee: KWIKSET LOCKS Inc
Priority date: 1957-03-11
Filing date: 1957-03-11
Publication date: 1957-12-10
Anticipated expiration: 1974-12-10

Description

Dec. 10, 1957 L. BOER ADAPTER KIT FDR MORTISE LOCK OPENINGS 7 Filed March 11, 1957 United States Patent Louie Boer, Santa Ana, Califi, assignor to Kwikset Locks,

Inc., Anaheim, Calif., a corporation of California Application March 11, 1957, Serial N 0. 645,206 4 Claims. (Cl. 70-451) This invention relates to an adapter kit for utilization in con unction with a rectangular receptacle opening formed in the edge of a door for a mortise lock whereby a modern tubular lock set or latch can be installed in the rectangular mortise opening withoutthe conventional modification of said opening by the insertion of a wood filler or the like.

During modernization programs in older homes it is frequently necessary to remove antiquated mortise-type lock sets from association with doors in which they are installed and to substitute therefor more modern tubular lock sets and latches. Since conventional mortise locks incorporate relatively large rectangular housings, a large rectangular opening is left in the edge of the door which is too large for the reception of the conventional tubular latch or lock set.

The conventional approach to the solution of this problem is to accurately measure the dimensions of the rectangular opening in the edge of the door and to fill said opening with a wooden block of the same dimensions prior to the installation of a tubular lock set. Naturally, this conventional procedure entails considerable expenditure of time because of the accurate fitting of the wooden block and the subsequent modification thereof to accept the tubular lock set.

It is, therefore, a primary object of my invention to provide an adapter kit for use in conjunction with a rectangular mortise opening in the edge of a door whereby said adapter kit will permit a conventional tubular lock set to be installed in the rectangular mortise opening without the modification of said opening by the insertion therein of a wooden adapter block, or the like.

A further object of my invention is the provision of an adapter kit of the aforementioned character which includes a face plate mounting plate which is designed to receive the face plate and the tubular housing of the tubular lock set and to support the same in the mortise opening at the outer extremity thereof.

Of course, the relatively large mortise receptacle has a greater vertical dimension than the conventional escutcheon plates provided with tubular lock sets and since such lock sets are generally installed by clamping the escutcheon plates against the sides of the door adjacent the edge thereof, the conventional installation might possibly cause the collapse of the relatively thin wall sections overlying the mortise receptacle.

It is, therefore, an additional object of my invention to provide a pair of escutcheon mounting plates adapted to be installed in overlying relationship with'the opposite sides of the door and the mortise receptacle, the vertical dimensions of the escutcheon mounting plates being greator than the vertical height of the mortise opening so that the load created by the mounting of the escutcheon plates is borne by the escutcheon mounting plates and thus transmitted to the solid portions of the door adjacent the mortise receptacle.

Another object of my invention is the provision of ice escutcheon mounting plates which are provided with centrally located recesses for the reception of the conventional escutcheons of the tubular lock sets and said recesses are provided with bottom walls incorporating centrally located openings for the reception of the actuator spindle and with openings on opposite sides of the centrally located openings for the reception of the mounting studs and fastener means associated with said mounting studs and utilized to mount the escutcheon plates and the associated knobs of the tubular lock set in operative relationship with the door.

A further object of my invention is the provision of an adapter kit for a mortise receptacle which materially reduces the installation time entailed in the installation of a conventional tubular latch or lock set in the mortise receptacle and which thus facilitates the adaptation of the receptacle for use with a tubular latch or lock set.

Other objects and advantages of my invention will be apparent from the following specification and the accompanying drawing which is for the purpose of illustration only and in which:

Fig. 1 is a perspective view showing the components of the adapter kit of my invention mounted in operative relationship with a door and a tubular lock set installed in said door;

Fig. 2 is an exploded view showing the various components of the adapter kit of my invention;

Fig. 3 is a perspective view illustrating the relationship of a conventional mortise lock set with the mortise receptacle in the edge of the door;

Fig. 4 is a perspective view of the mortise receptacle showing the modification thereof which may be necessary to accommodate the adapter kit and the tubular lock set;

Fig. 5 illustrates the manner in which the adapter kit is installed in operative relationship with the door in which the mortise receptacle is formed; and

Fig. 6 is a vertical, sectional view taken on the broken line 6--6 of Fig. 1 showing the manner in which the face plate mounting plate is installed in operative relationship with the door and the mortise receptacle and with the face plate itself.

Referring to the drawing, I show an adapter kit 10 which includes a face plate mounting plate 12, a pair of escutcheon plate mounting plates 14 and an adapter strike plate 16. In considering the construction and utilization of the face plate mounting plate 12 and the escutcheon plate mounting plates 14, these various plates will be referred to, respectively, as the first mounting plate and second and third mounting plates for purposes of convenience and facility in claiming the invention.

In order to illustrate the manner in which the adapter kit 10 of my invention is utilized, reference must be made to the fact that prior to the development and general acceptance of tubular lock sets, it was customary to install mortise-type lock sets such as the lock set 18 of Fig. 3 in doors such as door 20.

The mortise-type lock set 18 incorporates a relatively large, rectangularly shaped housing 22 having an elongated face plate 24 provided thereupon or formed integrally therewith. Normally, a spring-biased latch bolt 26 and a dead bolt 28 are projected through the face plate 24 by the action of the mechanism of the mortise lock into engagement with a strike, not shown, overlying a large opening 30, Fig. 6, formed in the door jamb 32 for the reception of the latch and

dead bolts

26 and 28.

The large rectangular housing 22 of the mortise lock 18 entails the formation of an enlarged, rectangular mortise opening 34 and the formation of additional mortise cuts 36 adjacent the upper and lower extremities of said mortise opening for the reception of the opposite extremities of the face plate 24.

It will also be noted that the formation of the mortise receptacle 34 in the door. 20 leaves a relatively large area of the sides 38 of the door where the cross section of'thes'ides is quite thin and fundamentally incapable of sustaining the considerable compression loads which are imposed thereupon by the installation of a tubular lock set in the mortise receptacle 34. When the mortise lock 18 is located in the receptacle 34, the housing 22 thereof. serves, of course, as a stiffener and bears any loads to which the sidewalls 38 overlying the mortise lock are 1 subjected.

When mortise lo'ck's, such as the mortise lock 18, are removed from their associated receptacles 34 during a modernization program, conventional practice entails the filling of the receptacle 34 with a carefully fitted block of wood which serves to fill the mortise receptacle 34 and which must be glued or otherwise secured in place therein to provide the requisite foundation for the installation of a tubular lock set. Furthermore, the installation of the mortise lock entails the formation of spindle openings 40 and keyhole openings 42 in the sides 38 of the door 20 which must be plugged or filled in order that they will not detract from the appearance of the sides 38 of the door 20 after the installation of the tubular lock set.

Such conventional tubular lock sets, as best illustrated by the lock set 44, shown in Figs. 1, and 6 of the drawing, include a tubular housing 46 having a face plate 48 formed on the outer extremity thereof. A spindle receiving transverse bore 50 is formed in the inner extrernity of the housing 46 and stud receiving opening 52 extends transversely of said housing adjacent the spindle receiving opening 50. A stud receiving mounting lug 54 is also formed on the inner extremity of the housing 46 for the reception of a mounting stud, to be described in greater detail below.

A bolt 56 is projected outwardly beyond the faceplate 48 of the tubular lock set 44 by a spring mechanism, not shown. In order to actuate the bolt 56, there is provided a spindle 60 which has inner and outer knobs 62 and 64 mounted upon the opposite extremities thereof. Disposed in overlying relationship with the shanks of the 'knobs62 and 64 are relatively small, circular escutcheon plates 66, only the inner escutcheon plate being shown in the drawing. I

The inner escutcheon plate 66 is provided with holes 68-for the passage of fasteners such as screws 70 and there are mounted on the outer escutcheon plate studs 72 whichare'en'gaged by the inner extremities of the screws 70 and which thus draw the escutcheon plates 66 toward each other at the sides 38 of the door 20 in order to maintain the escutcheon plates and the knobs in operative relationship with the door 20.

It will be noted that the spindle 60 passes through the transversely oriented spindle receiving bore 50 in the housing 46 and that the studs 72 are engaged in the opening 52 and the lug 54 to maintain the inner end of the housing 46 in a predetermined location with respect to the door 20.

In conventional installations of the lock set 44, it is only necessary to form a longitudinal bore in the edge of the door for the reception of the housing 46 with a mortised depression for the reception of the face plate in the edge of the door. A large transverse opening communicating with the axial bore is formed in the side of the door and the escutcheon plates 66 disposed in overlying relationshiptherewith while the studs 72 and spindle 60 extend through said opening.

Whenthe conventional method of adapting the mortise receptacle 34 'for a tubular lock set, such as the lock set 44, is' utilized, a plug of wood is carefully fitted within the mortise receptacle 34 and then the axial bore is drilled therethrough, a transverse opening being formedinthe sides of the door which extends through the plug to permit the passage of the spindle 60 and the studs 72 through the door.

By the utilization of the adapter kit 10 of my invention, it is possible to dispense with the formation of a wood plug and the installation thereof and to insure that a tubular lock set 44 will be properly and rigidly installed in the edge of the door without the possibility of buckling of the relatively thin sides 38 of the door over the mortise receptacle 34 or the mislocation of the housing 46 of the tubular lock set 44 with respect to said mortise receptacle.

The face plate mounting plate 12 of the adapter kit 10 is, as best shown in Figs. 2 and 6 of the drawing, of substantially rectangular configuration and is provided with a centrally located depression 74 whose vertical and transverse dimensions are the substantial equivalent of the vertical and transverse dimensions of the face plate 48 of the tubular lock set 44. Screw receiving openings 76 are formed in the opposite extremities of the face plate mounting plate 12 and the length of the plate 12 is calculated to fit the greatest number of sizes of mortise receptacles 34 and, more particularly, to fit within the additional mortise cuts 36 formed in the edge of the door for the reception of the face plate 24 of the mortise lock '18. A centrally located aperture 78 is formed in the wall of the depression 74 and screw receiving holes 80 are provided in said wall on opposite sides of said aperture.

The centrally located aperture 78 is adapted to receive the housing 46 of the tubular lock set 44 when it is inserted therein and the face plate 48 of said tubular lock set is of such a depth that it fits flush within the depression 74 of the plate 12. With the face plate 48 of the tubular lock set 44 located in the depression 74 of the plate 12, the bolt 56 is adapted to project therethrough into engagement with the rectangular opening 82 in the adapter strike plate 16.

The adapter strike plate 16 is provided with screw receiving holes 83 at its opposite extremities and with a lip 8'5adapted to overlie the adjacent portion of the jamb 32. Thus, the opening 82 will overlie the larger opening 30 in the jamb 32 and provide an accurately shaped and sized receptacle for the reception of the latch bolt 56.

The escutcheon plate mounting plates 14 are, as best shown in Figs. l-2 and 5 of the drawing, of substantially rectangular configuration and of considerably greater vertical length than the vertical height of a mortise receptacle formed in a door with which they are to be associated, as will be illustrated in greater detail below.

Circular recesses 84 are formed in the plates 14 intermediate the extremities thereof and spindle receiving openings 88 are formed in the bottom walls 86 thereof. Formed in the bottom walls 86 on opposite sides of the spindle receiving openings 88 are stud or fastener receiving openings 90 whose function will become apparent from the detailed description of the installation of the adapter kit 10 in association with the tubular lock set 44 and a mortise receptacle 34 in the door 20 as presented hereinbelow in greater detail.

Installation of the tubular lock set 44 in the door 20 in substitution for the mortise lock set 18 of course entails the initial removal of the mortise lock set 18 from the mortise receptacle 34 in the manner illustrated in Fig. 3 of the drawing. After the removal of the mortise lock set 18, spindle receiving holes 92 are formed in the sides 38 of the door 20 in conjunction with stud receiving holes 94, as best illustrated in Figs. 4 and 5 of the drawing.

The face plate mounting plate 12, which constitutes the first plate of the adapter kit 10, is then located in overlying relationship with the outer extremity of the mortise geceptacle 34 and is secured in said position by screws The housing46 ofthe lock 44 is then inserted through the centrally located opening 78 in the depression 74 and screws 98 utilized in fastening the face plate 48 in operative relationship with the plate 12. Therefore, the plate 12 serves to support the outer extremity of the housing 46 of the lock set 44 and the face plate 48 thereupon in a predetermined relationship with the mortise receptacle 34.

After installation of the housing 46 in the above described manner, the escutcheon plates 66 are located in the escutcheon plate supporting plates 14 and the spindle 60 and studs 72 inserted through the openings 92 and 94 in the sides 38 of the door 20. The plates 14 are then juxtaposed to the sides 38 of the door and the fastening screws 70 inserted through the opening 68 in the interior escutcheon plate 66.

The inner extremities of the fastening screws 70 engage the studs 72 and thus the escutcheon plates 66 are drawn toward each other to maintain the escutcheon plates 66 and the plates 14 in operative relationship with the sides 38 of the door 20 and to further maintain the escutcheon plates 66 within the recesses 84 in the plates 14.

It will be noted that, when the plates 14 are mounted on the sides 38 of the door 20 in the above described manner, the upper and lower extremities thereof overlie solid portions of the door 20 and span the relatively thin walled mortise receptacle 34 so that, as the compressive loads are exerted by the escutcheons 66 due to the action of the fasteners 70 and the associated studs 72, said compressive loads are transmitted through the plate 14 to the solid portions of the door 20.

The adapter strike plate 16 can then be installed in operative relationship with the jamb 32 by the use of fasteners 102 inserted through the openings 83 in the plate 16. Thus, the plate 16 covers the larger bolt opening in the jamb 32 which was formed for the simultaneous reception of the latch bolt 26 and the dead bolt 28 of the mortise lock 18. It also provides the opening 82 for the reception of the bolt 56 of the tubular latch 44. It should also be noted that the plates 14 serve to cover the old spindle openings 40 and keyhole openings 42 formed in the sides 38 of the door 20 and thus no need to plug or otherwise fill said openings arises.

Occasionally the mortise receptacle 34 must be modified slightly to accommodate the adapter kit 10 and the tubular lock set 44 and a typical modification is illustrated in Fig. 4 of the drawing wherein the mortise cuts 36 have been enlarged as at 36' to receive the opposite extremities of the plate 12. Furthermore, the side walls of the mortise receptacle 34 have been bored as at 34 to widen the receptacle for the reception of a slightly wider tubular housing of a tubular latch installed in said receptacle.

I thus provide by my invention an adapter kit which facilitates the installation of a tubular latch in a mortise receptacle for a conventional mortise lock without extensive modification or repair of the door in which the mortise receptacle is located. The use of the adapter kit of my invention materially reduces the cost of installation of tubular lock sets in such receptacles and provides a cleaner and neater installation at a relatively low cost.

I claim as my invention:

1. In an adapter kit for use in mounting a tubular lock in operative relationship with a rectangular mortise opening in a door where said lock includes a tubular housing having a face plate at one end of smaller vertical height than said opening and a knob mounting spindle associated with said housing with knobs mounted on opposite extremities thereof, said knobs having escutcheon plates thereupon, the combination of: a mounting plate securable in overlying relationship with said opening for supporting said housing, said plate having a centrally located aperture therein for the reception of said housing; and a pair of escutcheon mounting plates disposable in overlying relationship with the opposite sides of said door and extending beyond the vertical limits of said opening to support said spindle in operative relationship with said opening, said escutcheon mounting plates having recesses therein for the reception of said escutcheon plates.

2. In an adapter kit for mounting a tubular lock set in a rectangular mortise opening in a door where said lock set includes a tubular housing having a face plate at one end, a spindle extending transversely of said housing, knobs on the opposite ends of said spindles, an escutcheon plate on each of said knobs and mounting studs extending from one escutcheon plate for engagement by fasteners extending through the other escutcheon plate, the combination of: a first mounting plate insertible in one edge of said opening to support said housing, said first mounting plate having an aperture therein for mounting said housing; and second and third mounting plates on opposite sides of said door which extend beyond the vertical limits of said opening and support said escutcheon plates on said sides of said door, said second and third plates having aligned holes for the passage of said spindle therethrough.

3. In an adapter kit for mounting a tubular lock set in a rectangular mortise opening in a door where said lock set includes a tubular housing having a face plate at one end, a spindle extending transversely of said housing, knobs on the opposite ends of said spindle, an escutcheon plate on each of said knobs and mounting studs extending from one escutcheon plate for engagement by fasteners extending through the other escutcheon plate, the combination of: a first mounting plate insertible in one edge of said opening to support said housing, said first mounting plate having an aperture therein for mounting said housing; and second and third mounting plates on opposite sides of said door which extend beyond the vertical limits of said opening, said second and third plates having aligned holes for the passage of said spindle therethrough and recesses for the reception of said escutcheon plates.

4. In an adapter kit for mounting a tubular lock set in a rectangular mortise opening in a door where said lock set includes a tubular housing having a face plate at one end, a spindle extending transversely of said housing, knobs on the opposite ends of said spindles, an escutcheon plate on each of said knobs and mounting studs extending from one escutcheon plate for engage ment by fasteners extending through the other escutcheon plate, the combination of: a first mounting plate insertible in one edge of said opening to support said housing, said first mounting plate having an aperture therein for mounting said housing; and second and third mounting plates on opposite sides of said door which extend beyond the vertical limits of said opening, said second and third plates having recesses therein for receiving said escutcheon plates and said recesses having bottom walls provided with centrally located holes for the passage of said spindle and with holes on opposite sides of said centrally located holes for the reception of said studs and said fasteners to maintain said knob and said escutcheon plates in operative relationship with said second and third mounting plates.

Kaiser Aug. 21, 1956 Schlage Mar. 19, 1957