US3920297A

US3920297A - Locker units

Info

Publication number: US3920297A
Application number: US514266A
Authority: US
Inventors: Arthur H Brandes
Original assignee: Brandes Enterprises Inc
Current assignee: Brandes Enterprises Inc
Priority date: 1974-10-11
Filing date: 1974-10-11
Publication date: 1975-11-18
Anticipated expiration: 1992-11-18

Abstract

A locker unit of predetermined height and including upright, horizontally spaced side members, a relatively narrow lower cross member, and a wider upper panel which together define a door opening. The locker unit height is comparable to that of conventional locker units, but the extra width of the upper panel compared to the width of a conventional cross member defines a small door opening. The smaller door is more resistent to bending, and the increased height of the upper panel accommodates ventilating openings and the usual locker identification plate. The locker unit includes an insert member mountint the lock in recessed relation. The insert member includes a sloped upper wall to facilitate viewing of the recessed lock from above. The locking bolt of the lock directly operates the door latching mechanism and the lock may be used as a handle to open the door. In one form of the locker unit a pull cable can be used to operate the door latching mechanism once the lock is unlocked. In another form of the locker unit the latching mechanism is operative through a cable system, operated by the lock.

Description

United States Patent Brandes LOCKER UNITS [75] Inventor: Arthur H. Brandes, Seal Beach,

Calif.

[73] Assignee: Brandes Enterprises, Inc.,

Monrovia, Calif.

22 Filed: Oct. 11, 1974 [21] Appl. No.: 514,266

[52] US. Cl. 312/217; 70/78; 312/320 [51] Int. Cl. E05B 65/46 [58] Field of Search 312/213, 216, 217, 257, 312/320, 329; 70/78, 79, 81; 292/87, 145, 336.3; 52/1 [561 References Cited UNITED STATES PATENTS 2,750,246 6/1956 Fuerst 312/213 2,946,640 7/1960 Sitler 312/320 3,133,772 5/1964 Brandes 312/213 3,742,742 7/1973 Foote 70/78 Primary Examiner-Casmir A. Numberg Attorney, Agent, or Firm-Fulwider, Patton, Rieber, Lee & Utecht [57] ABSTRACT A locker unit of predetermined height and including upright, horizontally spaced side members, a relatively narrow lower cross member, and a wider upper panel which together define a door opening. The locker unit height is comparable to that of conventional locker units, but the extra width of the upper panel compared to the width of a conventional cross member defines a small door opening. The smaller door is more resistent to bending, and the increased height of the upper panel accommodates ventilating openings and the usual locker identification plate. The locker unit includes an insert member mounting the lock in recessed relation. The insert member includes a sloped upper wall to facilitate viewing of the recessed lock from above. The locking bolt of the lock directly operates the door latching mechanism and the lock may be used as a handle to open the door. In one form of the locker unit a pull cable can be used to operate the door latching mechanism once the lock is unlocked. In another form of the locker unit the latching mechanism is operative through a cable system, operated by the lock.

10 Claims, 13 Drawing Figures US. Patent Nov. 18, 1975 Sheetlof3 3,920,297

US. Patent Nov. 18, 1975 Sheet30f3 3,920,297

FIGJO LOCKER UNITS BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION 1. Field of the Invention The present invention relates to locker units, and more particularly to locker units having cross braces of unequal height to provide a smaller door without reducing the height of the locker enclosure.

2. Description of the Prior Art Heretofore, locker units of the prior art were characterized by spaced apart upright side members con nected together by relatively narrow, vertically spaced apart cross braces defining the door opening. Ventilating openings such as louvers were located in the door, and the usual locker identification plate was also applied to the door.

Locker units are subject to vandalism, particularly in school installations, and the doors are frequently kicked in and have to be replaced. This is expensive and burdensome and many prior art efforts have been made to eliminate this problem. The door locks are also the object of abuse and various attempts have been made to so locate and construct the locks that they are less susceptible to damage through kicking and the like.

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION According to the present invention, a locker unit is provided which is characterized by side members, a relatively narrow lower cross brace, and a relatively wide upper cross brace or panel. The locker identification plate and the louvers or ventilating openings can be provided in the upper panel, if desired. The use of a deeper upper panel does not diminish the size of the locker enclosure and has the unexpected advantage of providing a significantly smaller door much less susceptible to bending deformation. Even if damaged, the smaller door is less expensive to replace because the louvers and identification plate do not have to be replaced.

The present invention includes a universally mountable insert member adapted to locate the lock in recessed relation so that the lock is protected from kicking or the like. The insert member includes a sloping upper wall to facilitate viewing of the lock from above, with the upper wall characterized by surface reflectivity sufficient to concentrate the available light on the lock. The insert member also locates the rearward portion of the lock such that the locking bolt is adapted to directly engage the door latching mechanism whereby the lock knob may be used not only to operate the latching mechanism, but also as a handle for opening the door.

In another embodiment the lock is of that type which when unlocked simply releases the latching mechanism for movement. A separate pull cable is then operable to pull upon and move the latching mechanism.

Still another embodiment of the present locker unit includes a latching mechanism having a system of cables operative to unlatch the door, and thereby eliminating the conventional slidable latch bar. The use of such a cable system eliminates the noise caused by operation of a slidable latch bar. This is particularly significant in a school installation where noise is a problem at class change time.

Other objects and features of the invention will become apparent from consideration of the following description taken in connection with the accompanying drawings.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE. DRAWINGS FIG. 1 is a front elevational view of a plurality of assembled locker units, according to the present invention;

FIG. 2 is an enlarged view taken along the line 22 of FIG. 1;

FIG. 3 is an enlarged view taken along the line 33 of FIG. 1;

FIG. 4 is a perspective view of the' rear of the door frame of the upper one of the locker units of FIG. 1;

FIG. 5 is an enlarged front elevational view of the lock assembly;

FIG. 6 is an enlarged front elevational view of the formed insert member forming a part of the lock assembly of FIG. 5;

FIG. 7 is a side elevational view of the insert member 0 of FIG. 6;

FIG. 8 is a view taken along the line 8-8 of FIG. 6;

FIG. 9 is a partial perspective view of the rear of a locker door and frame, illustrating a different form of door unlocking mechanism operated by the lock;

FIG. 10 is an enlarged rear elevational view of the structure of FIG. 9;

FIG. 11 is a view taken along the line 1l--ll of FIG.

FIG. 12 is a partial perspective view of the rear of a locker door and frame, illustrating another form of door unlocking mechanism operated by a pull cable once the lock is unlocked; and

FIG. 13 is a view taken along line 13-13 of FIG. 12.

DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS Referring now to FIGS. 1 through 4, there is illustrated a three tier high assembly of locker units 10. The locker units 10 illustrated are sometimes known as book lockers, measuring less than full size lockers. However, the present invention is equally applicable to full size lockers and the present showing of a three tier high assembly of book lockers is merely exemplary.

As previously indicated, an important object of the present invention is to provide locker units 10 which are resistant to damage by vandals kicking or otherwise forcibly striking the locker unit. Such destructive attacks on lockers have caused school districts, for example, to spend significant time and money in repair and maintenance of damaged lockers. As will be seen, the construction and arrangement of the locker and its components, according to the present invention, reduces the expense of maintenance, renders the locker more resistant to damage, and facilitates use of the locker.

The three locker units 10 are arranged on top of one another in vertical alignment and include a pair .of spaced upright or vertical side members 12, each preferably formed as an angle iron. The forward or front flange or leg 13 of the side member 12 forms a part of the front face of the locker frame, while the other leg 15 extends rearwardly and forms an attachment area for a pair of locker side panels 14.

Each locker unit 10 includes an upper cross member or louver panel 16 which extends between the upright side members 12, a locker door 18 which is located below the louver panel 16, and a horizontally oriented lower cross member 20 which extends between the side 3 members 12 below the door 18. Thus, the three tiered construction illustrated in FIG. 1 comprises three sets, each comprising a louver panel 16, a door 18 below the panel 16, and a cross member 20 located below the doors 18, with all three sets having the common side members 12.

The side margins of the louver panels 16 and the cross members 20 are secured in any suitable manner, such as by spot welding, to the side members 12 to define the rectangular openings within which the doors 18 are disposed.

For optimum strength, each louvered panel 16 is of channel shape, including upper and lower, rearwardly extending

flanges

22 and 24, respectively, as best seen in FIG. 2. Each flange 22 is bolted to a horizontal panel 26.

The cross members 20 are also preferably made of channel shape, with the lower flange or leg of the channel of the lowermost cross member 20 (not shown) being welded or otherwise attached to a panel (not shown) to form the bottom of the assembled locker units 10. The lower legs 27 of the upper two cross members 20 are riveted, spot welded, or otherwise attached to the adjacent upper flanges 22 of the louver panels 16.

The plurality of panels 26 form the top and bottom walls of the enclosures defined by the locker units 10. The side panels 14 form the sides of such enclosures and are bolted or riveted to the side flanges of the upright side members 12. The panels 14 and 16 include appropriate flanges (not shown) at their rear margins for attachment to a rear panel (not shown), which forms the back wall to complete the locker enclosure. Thus, a generally rectangular frame is provided which is self-bracing and of rigid construction.

The particular configuration of the side members 12, louver panels 16, and cross members 20, and their manner of attachment to the panels 14 and 26, are not critical to the present invention. Thus, the manner of attachment can be by riveting, welding, or by any other means suitable to provide structural integrity, and the configuration of the locker unit elements can be an angle, a channel, a modified channel, or a box section or the like, the described structural configuration merely being a preferred form for strength and ease of fabrication.

Preferably a plurality of vertically spaced louvers 28 are provided in each louver panel l6. The number and location of the louvers is not critical. The louvers are preferably located in the upper portion of each louver panel 16 to leave space for attachment of alocker identification plate 29.

By way of background, the conventional locker unit of the prior art usually includes a pair of cross members of approximately the same size located above and below the locker door, with louvers located in the door. The door is made sufficiently high to accommodate such louvers, and the usual identification plate is attached to the door as well. Consequently, if the locker door is damaged by vandals, replacement of the door also requires replacement of the identification plate and the louver section.

In contrast, the locker units 10 of the present invention are different in that the locker doors 18 are made shorter and the upper cross brace or panel 16 is made much wider or higher than the lower cross brace or member 20, approximately four to five times higher. Consequently, if a door 18 is damaged it can be replaced at much less expense than the prior art door because the identification plate and louvers are located in t the louver panel 16. Even more important, the relatively shorter locker door is structurally more resistant to deformation by persons attempting to kick it in.

However, despite the fact that the height of the door 18 is less than that of a prior art locker, the vertical height of the interior of the locker unit 10 is the same. By simply increasing the depth of the upper cross member, in the form of the panel 16, the door 18 is thus not only made structurally stronger, but also the panel provides room for louvers and an identification plate so that 1 these extra items of expense need not be replaced with each damaged door.

Each door 18 includes a flat planar wall 30 generally Each door is pivotally supported by a pair of hinges I 40. Each hinge 40 includes cooperating leaves pivotally connected by a hinge pin in the usual manner, one leaf being secured to the front leg 13 of the adjacent upright side member 12, as by rivets 46, with the other leaf 42 being secured to the door 18 by nut and bolt assemblies 48.

Each door 18 is provided with a lock 52 of any suitable construction. The particular construction of the lock is not a part of the present invention except to the extent that the lock 52 includes a handle or knob 54 rotatable to raise a laterally extending lock bolt 56 to unlock the latching mechanism 38.

As best seen in FIG. 4, the lock bolt 56 projects from the lock 52 into an opening or slot provided in an offset bracket 58 attached to a vertically elongated latch bar I 60. The bar 60 is mounted for vertical movement on the inner face of the door wall 30 along its swinging V edge. The particular construction of the latch bar 60 does notform a part of the present invention, being well known in the prior art and shown, for example, in 4 US. Pat. No. 3,074,750 issued Jan. 22, 1963. As more particularly set forth in that Patent, a typical latch bar is constrained to move in a fixed vertical path by engagement between slots in the guide bar and guide pins fixed to the adjacent side flange 34 of the door 18 and extending throughthe slots.

The latch bar 60 is illustrated, as best seen in FIG. 4, includes a pair of vertically spaced apart slots 62 into which extend lugs 64 which form part of a pair of U- shaped brackets 66. The brackets. 66 are riveted or otherwise securely attached to the front flange 13 of the adjacent side member 12. The weight of the latch bar 60 normally causes the bar 60 to drop to a point where Y 4 the lugs 64 are located within the upper terminus of the associated slot 62 to constrain the door 18 from opening. However, when the lock bolt 56 is moved upwardly, the corresponding upward sliding movement of the latch bar 60 aligns the slots 62 with the lugs 64, al-

lowing the latch bar 60 and door 18 to be swung away.

from the lugs 64.

Referring now to FIGS. 5 through 8, there is illustrated a preferred configurationand location of the lock 52 to reduce susceptibility of the lock to damage by vandals.

By way of background all of the known locker doors provided for schools and similar installations include a central hole and adjacent upper and lower holes. These three holes are standard in size and in location relative to one another, although the three hole combination is often located in different areas of the door, sometimes higher or lower, or closer to or farther from the free edge of the door, depending upon the lock and latch bar mechanism employed. In any event, the three hole arrangement is standard so as to accept the mounting studs, bolts or the like of any locker lock. Of course, the various lock manufacturers also utilize this same standard arrangement so that their locks will fit any locker manufacturers door.

According to the present invention the same standard three-hole arrangement, as will be seen, is provided in an insert member 70 stamped out of sheet metal or the like. The member 70, in turn is fitted within a vertically elongated, rectangular cut-out or opening 68 provided in the locker door, as seen in FIG. 4. The opening 68 is provided in the same location as the prior art three-hole arrangement would have been located, so that when the insert member 70 is fitted within the opening 68, the holes in the member 70 serve the same function as the prior art three-hole arrangement served.

The insert member 70 is secured in position by four nut and bolt assemblies 72 which secure a peripheral attachment flange 74 of the member 70 to the margins defining the opening 68.

As best seen in FIGS. 7 and 8, each insert member 70 includes a central dished or recessed portion defined by a generally flat, vertically oriented rear wall 76, a pair of sides 78 disposed at approximately right angles to the wall 76, a bottom side 80 also at approximately right angles to the rear wall 76, and a top portion or wall 82 which is inwardly and downwardly inclined or sloped at an angle of not less than 45 with respect to the adjacent attachment flange 74.

In the particular embodiment illustrated, the lock 52 is a permutation or combination type of lock and includes a dial portion 84 integral with the knot 54. Rotation of the knob 54 enables selective alignment of the graduations on the dial portion 84 with a suitable reference mark, all as is well known in the lock art. The knob 54 and dial portion 84 are mounted to an escutcheon plate 86, which is secured to the rear wall 76 of the insert member 70 by a pair of nut and bolt assemblies 88, as best viewed in FIGS. 3 and 5.

The operative shaft (not shown) associated with the knob 54 extends through a central opening 90 provided in the insert member rear wall 76, as seen in FIG. 6, for cooperation with the usual internal mechanism housed in a lock casing 92 which is located behind the rear wall 76 and secured thereto by the nut and bolt assemblies 88.

The location and size of the opening 90 and the openings 93 provided in the insert member 70 to receive the nut and bolt assemblies 88 are made to conform to the three-hole standard discussed previously. Consequently, the insert member 70 is adapted to mount all of the locks utilizing this threehole standard, including a great number of combination or permutation locks.

The depth of the dish portion of each insert member 70, that is, the distance between the rear wall 76 and the mounting flange 74, is great enough to house the lock 52 so that the knob 54 thereof is completely re- 6 cessed behind the flange 74. Consequently, the knob 54 is protected from abuse, such as kicking by vandals.

The approximate 45 slope of the top portion 82 of each insert member satisfies an important purpose in that it enables a user to easily view the lock dial portion 84 from above. This is particularly important in trying to dial the combination of the lock 52 of the lowermost locker unit 10 without having to stoop or kneel.

The material of the insert member 70 can be made of any material, although sheet metal is preferred because it is easily polished. The polished surface then concentrates the available light on the dial portion 84, which makes reading of the dial graduations easier.

The insert member 70 thus simultaneously provides a number of important functions. It is adapted to accept all known, currently used school locker locks, in recessed protected relation, and in a manner affording easy viewing of the recessed dial portions thereof. Moreover, the member 70 orients the lock casing of the recessed lock sufficiently rearwardly that the lock bolt thereof is located immediately adjacent the usual latch bar or equivalent latch mechanism for convenient latching and unlatching of the door.

Use of a permutation or combination type of lock 52 having a lock bolt 56 is preferred for actuation of the latch bar. This is because the lock bolt 56 is directly engaged upon the latch bar 60, and there is therefore no necessity for aseparate handle. Not only is this a less expensive construction, but it also eliminates a common target forvandals.

The diameter of the knob 54 inwardly of the usual knurled outer portion is preferably reduced or made smaller to enable the knob 54 to be grasped and used as a handle to pull the door 18 outwardly upon its release by the latching mechanism 38.

In addition to the features thus far described, including the shortened door 18 and deeper panel 16, the recessed mounting provided by the insert member70 for the lock 52, and the elimination of a door handle, it is preferred also to eliminate the rigid latch bar 60 and provides a lighter, relatively noise-free construction for the latching mechanism. The usual latch bar 60 is characterized by noisy operation, and this is particularly distracting in a school during class changes.

A preferred latching construction is illustrated in FIGS. 9 through 11 wherein sections of steel cables are illustrated in substitution for the latch bar 60 of the previously described first embodiment.

More particularly, a modified form of latch housing 96 is provided which is generally similar in configuration and channel cross section to the elongated latch bar 60. However, the housing 96 is non-slidable. It includes three-slots 98 in its rear face, the upper and lower ones of the slots 98 housing a pair of pivot shafts 100 which each pivotally support a catch or dog 102.

The dogs 102 project rearwardly out of the slots 98, as best illustrated in FIG. 11, andnormally engage a pair of brackets 104 similar to the brackets 66 of the previous embodiments. The brackets 104 are fixed to the locker frame, being secured by nut and bolt assemblies 106 or by spot welding to the front flange or leg 13 of the adjacent side member 12. The dogs 102 are normally biased into a locked or engaged position with the brackets 104, as illustrated, by a pair of tension springs 108 secured between the respective dogs 102 and a pair of pins 110 which are anchored to a side wall of the latch housing 96.

7 The latch housing 96 is rigidly secured to the door 18 adjacent the free edge thereof by a pair of rivet assemblies 114 extending into the door side flange 34.

Since the latch housing 96 is fixed to the door 18, and

the brackets 104 are fixed to the locker frame, selective engagement and disengagement is effective to lock and unlock the door 18. More particularly, a U-shaped actuator 116 is rotatably mounted by a rivet and shaft assembly 118 which is attached to the adjacent side wall of the latch housing 96. The spaced legs of the U-shape actuator 116 project laterally out of the central slot 98 of the latch housing 96 and straddle the upper and lower faces of the lock bolt 56, as best seen in FIG. 9. Consequently, when the lock knob 54is rotated in a clockwise direction, as viewed from the front of the door, to unlatch the door 18, the U-shape actuator 116 will be rotated in a counter-clockwise direction, as viewed in FIG. 11. This counter-clockwise rotation is transmitted to the pair of dogs 102 by sections of steel cable 120 to move the upper dog 102 downwardly and the lower dog 102 upwardly, disengaging the dogs 102 from the associated brackets 104. The cables 120 extend from the dogs 102 and are attached to the actuator 116 on opposite sides of its axis of rotational movement, as best seen in FIG. 11.

In the absence of rotational movement of the actuator 116, the springs 108 tend to bias the dogs 102 to the latched or locked positions illustrated in FIG. 11.

With the arrangement illustrated in FIGS. 9-11, the locker door 18 can be unlatched, opened, and even slammed without the noise generally attendant use of a rigid latch bar 60 of the type described in the first embodiment.

The arrangement and material of the cables 120, and their points of connection to the actuator 116 and dogs 102, can be altered to suit the particular application. For example, there may be instances when it is desired to release the door 18 by rotation of the actuator 116 in I an opposite direction to that just described.

Referring now to FIGS. 12 and 13, a modified latching and releasing mechanism is illustrated for use with locks which do not include a lock bolt 56 positively movable by a knob 54 upon unlocking of the look. In the previously described embodiment of FIG. 4, rotation of the lock knob of the unlocked lock 52 caused the lock bolt 56 to move upwardly, thereby upwardly moving the bracket 58 and latch bar 60 to unlatch the door. There are other types of locks on the market which utilize a lock bolt which similarly engages a latch bar to renderthe latch bar immovable when the lock is locked. However, in some of these other types of locks the lock bolt is not positively movable by rotation of the lock knob when the lock is unlocked. Instead, the lock bolt is simply rendered movable when the lock is unlocked, and the latch bar must be moved by a separate mechanism. Normally this is accomplished by a handle mounted to the front of the locker door and coupled to the latch bar. However, in the embodiment of FIGS. 12 and 13 a different kind of separate mechanism is employed to move the latch bar when the lock bolt is rendered movable upon unlocking of the lock.

More particularly, a lock 52a is employed which is mounted to an insert member 70 in a manner identical to that described in connection with the embodiment of FIG. 4. The lock bolt 56a of the lock 52a projects through an aperture of a bracket 58a attached to the latch bar 60. The lock bolt 56a is immovable when the 8 I lock 52a is locked, rendering the latch bar 60 immovable and thereby locking the door.

When the lock 52a is unlocked, the lock bolt 56a is enabled to move, as is well known to those skilled in this type of lock art. Instead of using a handle (not shown) mounted to the front of the door 18 for lifting the latch bar 60, as is conventional with most school locker door installations, the embodiment of FIGS. 12

and 13 effects upward movement of the latch bar 60 by means of a pull ring 122. The ring 122 is normally recessed within the hollow portion of the insert member 70 in a position immediately below the inclined top wall or portion 82.

The ring 22 is attached to a short cable 124 which extends through an aperture 126 provided in the upper portion 82. The opposite extremity of the cable 124 is I trainedabout a pulley 128 which is rotatably mounted 1 by a pulley bracket 130 to the inner face of the upper portion 82. The inner end of the cable 124 is attached to a laterally and inwardly directed finger or projection 130 which is integral with the upper extremity of the bracket 58a.

Once the lock 52a is unlocked, releasing the lock bolt 56a for movement, a pulling force upon the pull ring 25 122 raises the bracket 58a and also the latch bar 60 to which the bracket 58a is attached, thereby unlatching the doorfor opening movement.

This arrangement is particularly advantageous in that it eliminates any need for the separate door mounted handle which is conventional in most prior art school locker installations. This reduces the cost of a locker installation. Also, the recessed location of the pull ring I I 122 protects it from being kicked and hammered by. j

vandals.

the present invention is adapted to be used, it will be apparent that the invention herein described can be used in conjunction with other structures without desired to limit the invention to the exact construction of the locker unit as shown and described and, accordingly, all suitable modifications and equivalentsmay be 1 resorted to falling within the scope of the invention as claimed. I

I claim:

1. A locker unit defining an enclosure having a top,

bottom and spaced apart sides and comprising:

a pair of horizontally spaced apart upright side members defining the side edges of a door opening to edge of said door opening, said lower cross mem-.. ber being generally aligned with the bottom of said,

enclosure;

said side members and having a lower edge portion defining the upper edge of said door opening and" an upper edge portion generally aligned with the top of said enclosure; and

to said cross member thereby to reduce the door While locker units of typical design and construction I have been illustrated and described as ones with which parting from the spirit and scope of the invention. Moreover, since numerous modifications and changes will readily occur to those skilled in the art, it is not dean upper panel extending between and attached to a door located in said door opening and hingedto one of said side members, said upper panel being approximately four times greater in height relative 9 height relative to the height of said enclosure whereby the resistance of said door to bending deformation is increased compared to a door approximately equal to said height of said enclosure.

2. A locker unit according to claim 1 wherein said upper panel includes ventilating openings and said door is absent any ventilating openings whereby the resistance of said door to bending deformation is increased.

3. A locker unit according to claim 1 wherein said upper panel includes ventilating openings and said door is absent any ventilating openings, and wherein said upper panel includes a locker identification plate.

4. A locker unit according to claim 1 wherein said door includes an opening, and said locker unit further includes an insert member having a recessed central portion adapted to mount a lock in recessed relation with respect to the front surface of said door thereby to shield the lock from kicking whereby the resistance of said door to bending deformation is increased.

5. A locker unit according to claim 4 wherein said insert member central portion includes an upper wall sloped at an angle of not less than 45 relative to said front surface of said door thereby to facilitate viewing the lock from above.

6. A locker unit according to claim 4 wherein said insert member central portion is characterized by a relatively highly light reflective surface thereby to facilitate illumination of the lock with the available light.

7. A locker unit of predetermined height comprising:

a pair of horizontally spaced apart upright side members defining the side edges of a door opening;

a lower cross member extending between and attached to said side members and defining the lower edge of said door opening;

an upper panel extending between and attached to said side members and having a lower portion defining the upper edge of said door opening;

a door located in said door opening and hinged to one of said side members, said upper panel being approximately four times greater in height relative 10 to said cross member thereby to reduce the door height whereby the resistance of said door to bending deformation is increased compared to a door approximately equal to said predetermined height; a latching mechanism having portions carried by said door and by the other one of said side members, and latch means operative to move said portions into and out of latching engagement to lock and unlock said door, respectively; and a lock having an operating knob and a lock bolt coupled to said latch means, said lock bolt being movable upon movement of said knob to operate said latch means. 8. A locker unit according to claim 7 wherein said lock knob includes a reduced diameter annular section located inwardly of the knob outer face whereby said knob may be used as a handle to open said door upon operation of said latch means by said movement of said knob.

9. A locker unit according to claim 7 wherein said latch means comprises an actuator rotatably mounted to said door, and wherein said latching mechanism portions comprise a pair of brackets secured to said other one of said side members; a pair of dogs rotatably mounted to said door for movement between latching positions in engagement with said brackets and unlatching positions out of said engagement; bias means coupled to said dogs and tending to urge said dogs toward said latching positions; and cable means extending between said actuator and said dogs and operative in response to rotation of said actuator to rotate said dogs against the bias of said means and toward saidunlatching positions to unlock said door.

10. A locker unit according to claim 9 wherein said lock knob includes a reduced diameter annular section located inwardly of the knob outer face whereby said knob may be used as a handle upon unlocking of said

Claims

1. A locker unit defining an enclosure having a top, bottom and spaced apart sides and comprising: a pair of horizontally sPaced apart upright side members defining the side edges of a door opening to said enclosure, said side edges being generally aligned with the sides of said enclosure; a lower cross member extending between and attached to said side members and defining the lower edge of said door opening, said lower cross member being generally aligned with the bottom of said enclosure; an upper panel extending between and attached to said side members and having a lower edge portion defining the upper edge of said door opening and an upper edge portion generally aligned with the top of said enclosure; and a door located in said door opening and hinged to one of said side members, said upper panel being approximately four times greater in height relative to said cross member thereby to reduce the door height relative to the height of said enclosure whereby the resistance of said door to bending deformation is increased compared to a door approximately equal to said height of said enclosure.

5. A locker unit according to claim 4 wherein said insert member central portion includes an upper wall sloped at an angle of not less than 45* relative to said front surface of said door thereby to facilitate viewing the lock from above.

7. A locker unit of predetermined height comprising: a pair of horizontally spaced apart upright side members defining the side edges of a door opening; a lower cross member extending between and attached to said side members and defining the lower edge of said door opening; an upper panel extending between and attached to said side members and having a lower portion defining the upper edge of said door opening; a door located in said door opening and hinged to one of said side members, said upper panel being approximately four times greater in height relative to said cross member thereby to reduce the door height whereby the resistance of said door to bending deformation is increased compared to a door approximately equal to said predetermined height; a latching mechanism having portions carried by said door and by the other one of said side members, and latch means operative to move said portions into and out of latching engagement to lock and unlock said door, respectively; and a lock having an operating knob and a lock bolt coupled to said latch means, said lock bolt being movable upon movement of said knob to operate said latch means.

8. A locker unit according to claim 7 wherein said lock knob includes a reduced diameter annular section located inwardly of the knob outer face whereby said knob may be used as a handle to open said door upon operation of said latch means by said movement of said knob.

9. A locker unit according to claim 7 wherein said latch means comprises an actuator rotatably mounted to said door, and wherein said latching mechanism portions comprise a pair of brackets secured to said other one of said side members; a pair of dogs rotatably mounted to said dOor for movement between latching positions in engagement with said brackets and unlatching positions out of said engagement; bias means coupled to said dogs and tending to urge said dogs toward said latching positions; and cable means extending between said actuator and said dogs and operative in response to rotation of said actuator to rotate said dogs against the bias of said means and toward said unlatching positions to unlock said door.

10. A locker unit according to claim 9 wherein said lock knob includes a reduced diameter annular section located inwardly of the knob outer face whereby said knob may be used as a handle upon unlocking of said door.