US2909711A

US2909711A - Electric lock mechanism

Info

Publication number: US2909711A
Application number: US444192A
Authority: US
Inventors: James T Neville; Della M Neville
Original assignee: Individual
Current assignee: Individual
Priority date: 1954-07-19
Filing date: 1954-07-19
Publication date: 1959-10-20
Anticipated expiration: 1976-10-20

Description

2 Sheets-Sheet 1 J. T. NEVILLE ET ELECTRIC LOCK MECHANISM Q8 M W e vs [1| mm MM E M a M wQ M 1 n i g Y B Oct. 20, 1959 Filed July 19, 1954 Oct. 20, 1959 NEVlLLE ET AL 2,909,711

ELECTRIC LOCK MECHANISM Filed July 19, 1954 2 Sheets-Sheet 2 Fig.2

James I Neville Del/o M. New'l/e 44 ENVEN TO S BY n 5%,

2,909,111 ELECTRIC LOCK MECHANISM James T. NevilleandDella M.,Nevil le, Sacramento, Calif.

Application July 19, 1954, Serial No. 444,192

' 2 Claims. 01. 311-134 This invention relates to an electric lock and a novel mechanism :for actuating "the electric lock and has for its primary object the provision of -a safe and efiicient lock mechanism providing complete control of a door such as is utilized for homes, business establishments and the like thereby eliminating'the necessity for keys.

of the contacts are either connected to a control unit or to a door bell, chimes, buzzer or the like so that depending upon the setting of the actuation member, either the door bell is rung or one of the control units is activated.

The construction of the invention further features novel control units which include rotary contact members adapted to engage successively a plurality of spaced contacts. Means are provided for resetting the rotary contact member either automatically upon closing of the door or upon actuation of a manual reset switch.

Further objects and features of this invention reside in the provision of an electric lock mechanism that is simple in construction and installation, capable of being readily utilized in various types of buildings, which is inexpensive to manufacture thereby permitting wide distribution and utilization.

These, together with the various ancillary objects and features of the invention which will become apparent as the following description proceeds, are attained by this electric lock mechanism, a preferred embodiment of which has been illustrated in the accompanying drawings, by way of example only, wherein:

Figure 1 is a schematic illustration of the various electrical components of the present invention;

Figure 2 is an exploded perspective view of the novel actuating unit including the switch adapted to be mounted in conjunction with the door knob or the like; and

Figure 3 is a perspective view of one of the control units.

With continuing reference to the accompany-ing drawings wherein like reference numerals designate similar parts throughout the various views, reference numeral generally designates an actuation unit utilizing the present invention. This actuation unit includes a cylinder 12 which may be formed of a suitable insulative material such as any of the various synthetic plastic materials and which has a plurality of

contacts

14, 16, 18, and 20 attached thereto. Mounted in the cylinder 12 is a switch 22 of the push button variety and also mounted thereon and spring pressed by means of spring 24 to return it to an initial position is a control lever 26. The control lever 26 is adapted to complete an operative elec- Patented Oct. 20, 1959 ICE ,having an aperture 34 therethrough for reception of a reset switch 36, the function thereof to be further explained. Additionally, a slot 38 is formed in the cover 30 through which the lever 26 extends, the lever 26 being provided with a handle portion 40. The cover 30 may be threadedly secured or otherwise attached to the cylinder 12.

As can be seen best in Figure l, the contact 14 is connected to the bell 42. Obviously, chimes, buzzer or any other audible lock can be substituted for the bell 42. Hence, when the lever 26 is in position engaging -the contact 14, current will flow from the battery 28 to the audible alarm 42.

The contact 16 is connected to the coil 44 which actuates a core 46 which is connected to a spring biased .52 back to an initial position. A spring 62 likewise is provided for urging the core.46 and hence the pawl 48 to a return position thereby enabling the coil 44 to again actuate the core 46 to successively drive the ratchet wheel 50.

A spring biased core 64 which is urged by spring 66 to an extended position is provided with a pawl 68 having a cam surface permitting rotation of the ratchet wheel 50 in one direction while preventing the rotation thereof in the opposite direction. A coil 70 is provided for the core 64 for urging the core 64 outwardly so that the pawl 68 will permit rotation of the shaft 52 due to the tension on the spring 60 until the enlarged tooth 72 engages the pawl 68, the enlarged tooth 72 being provided for assuring that the rotary contact member 54 will return to an initial position. The operation of the solenoid formed by the coil 70 and the core 64 is insufficient to withdraw the pawl 68 enough to permit rotation of the enlarged tooth 72 past the pawl 68.

One of the contacts 56 is connected by means of a conductor 74 to the coil 76 of a second control unit 78. Likewise one of the contacts 80 of the control unit 78 is connected to the coil 82 of a third control unit 84. The coil 70 of the reset mechanism is connected through conductor 86 to a door actuated reset switch 88 which is connected parallel with a manual reset switch 90 either of which is sufficient to excite the coil 70 to actuate the reset mechanism. Further, the

coils

92 and 94 of the reset mechanism of the

control units

78 and 84 are connected in parallel with the coil 70 and are also actuated by the

reset switches

88 and 90.

One of the contacts 96 of the control unit 84 is connected to the coil 98 of a relay 100 which when actuated excites the coil 102 of a conventional electric door latch mechanism 104 to permit the door to be opened.

In operation, with the lever 26 in an initial position on contact 14, upon actuation of switch 22, the door bell or buzzer 42 will be rung. In order to open the door, it is necessary to successively place the lever 26 on the

contacts

16, 18 and 20 and then press the switch 22 a predetermined number of times so that the rotary contact makers of the respective control units will engage the proper contact to thereby enable the next successive control unit to be actuated and thence to permit the relay 100 to be excited thereby actuating the door latch mechanism 104. If, of course, a wrong number of acti- 3 vations of the switch '22 is made for the any of the

individual contacts

16, 18 and 20, it will be impossible to complete an operative electrical circuit to the relay 100 and thereby the door will be prevented from opening by proper functioningv of the latch 104.

The shaft 52 serves as a conductor and it is to be realized that suitable commutator means 106 as necessary is provided to assure proper circuitry when the shaft 52 is rotated.

From the foregoing, the construction and operation of the device will be readily understood and further explanation is believed to be unnecessary. However, since numerous modifications and changes will readily occur to those skilled in the art, it is not desired to limit the invention to the exact construction shown and described, and accordingly, all suitable modifications and equivalents may be resorted to, falling within the scope of the appended claims.

What is claimed as new is as follows:

1. An actuation means for a lock comprising a switch having a plurality of contacts and a contact arm adapted to selectively engage said contacts, a plurality of control units individually connected to said contacts, saidswitch controlling flow of electrical energy to a first of said control units, said first control unit and said switch jointly controlling flow of electrical energy to the next successive control unit, each of said control units including an insulation disk having contact elements attached thereto, a rotary contact maker adapted to engage said contact elements, a ratchet wheel for driving said rotary contact maker, and a solenoid actuated pawl controlled by said switch for actuating said ratchet wheel, spring return means for returning said rotary contact maker to an initial position, a holding pawl engaging said ratchet 4 wheel to retain said rotary contact maker in set position, and means for urging said holding pawl to release said ratchet wheel.

2. An actuation means for a lock comprising a switch having a plurality of contacts and a contact arm adapted to selectively engage said contacts, a plurality of control units individually connected to said contacts, said switch controlling flow of electrical energy to a first of said control units, said first control unit and said switch jointly controlling flow of electrical energy to the next successive control unit, said actuation means further including a lock opening relay, said switch and said control units jointly controlling flow of electrical energy to said relay, each of said control units including an insulation disk having contact elements attached thereto, a rotary contact maker adapted to engage said contact elements, a ratchet wheel for driving said rotary contact maker, and a solenoid actuated pawl controlled by said switch for actuating said ratchet wheel, spring return means for returning said rotary contact maker to an initial position, a holding pawl engaging said ratchet wheel to retain said rotary contact maker in set position, and means for urging said holding pawl to release said ratchet wheel.

References Cited in the file of this patent UNITED STATES PATENTS 1,805,167 Fitzgerald May 12, 1931 1,905,965 Leschke et a1. Apr. 25, 1933 2,436,809 Joel Mar. 2, 1948 2,561,076 Tassin July 17, 1951 2,677,814 Miller May 4, 1954 2,762,952 Bruderlin Sept. 11, 1956