WO2007020622A2

WO2007020622A2 - Mortise lock assembly

Info

Publication number: WO2007020622A2
Application number: PCT/IL2006/000836
Authority: WO
Inventors: Martin Stace; Gary Brookes; Simon Baker
Original assignee: Assa Abloy Ltd; Borokovsky, Reuven
Priority date: 2005-08-12
Filing date: 2006-07-19
Publication date: 2007-02-22
Also published as: AR054883A1; EP1913219A2; WO2007020622A3; TW200720520A

Abstract

A mortise lock assembly for a door, including a casing, a locking mechanism arranged at least partly within the casing and having a hook bolt, a latch bolt, and a deadlock assembly which is in cooperation with the latch bolt and is further so in cooperation with the hook bolt that, when the hook bolt is in a locked configuration, the deadlock assembly effects locking of the latch bolt.

Description

MORTISE LOCK ASSEMBLY FIELD OF THE INVENTION

The present invention relates generally to mortise lock assemblies. BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION

One of the most widely used forms of lock is a mortise lock. The mortise lock assembly is mortise fitted within a recess that opens at the side edge of the door, that is, the edge that, when the door is closed, abuts the adjacent surface of a door jamb. Because the main body of the lock and most of its operational parts are within the door itself, it is difficult for an intruder to gain access to those operational parts, thereby making it difficult for the intruder to gain unauthorized entry to a locked room or area.

Mortise lock assemblies commonly include various moving parts inside a casing. The casing is desirably openable to allow access to the interior and it is desirable that such access can be obtained relatively easily and simply.

Certain mortise lock assemblies include a movable hook-like latch, known as a hook bolt, which can engage with a keeper provided in a recess of the door jamb. Certain kinds of doors having a hook bolt are susceptible to forcing by an intruder. In particular, if a bar or other elongate implement can be forced between the door and the door jamb, vertical motion of the bar may be sufficient to force open the hook bolt, thus allowing the door to be forced open. There is a need for improved mortise lock assemblies which are less susceptible to forcing.

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION

The present invention seeks to provide an improved mortise lock assembly, as is described in detail further hereinbelow.

There is thus provided in accordance with an embodiment of the present invention a mortise lock assembly for a door, including a casing, a locking mechanism arranged at least partly within the casing and having a hook bolt, a latch bolt, and a deadlock assembly which is in cooperation with the latch bolt and is further so in cooperation with the hook bolt that, when the hook bolt is in a locked configuration, the deadlock assembly effects locking of the latch bolt.

The provision of a deadlock as defined above enables the latch bolt to be locked against inadvertent or deliberate unauthorized opening when the hook bolt is in the closed position. In one preferred arrangement, the hook bolt is arranged to be above the latch bolt when the lock is fitted and the deadlock assembly is positioned between the hook bolt and the latch bolt. The positioning of the hook bolt above the latch bolt is advantageous in that the latch bolt presents an obstruction to an intruder attempting to slide an object vertically upwards against the hook bolt in order to force the hook bolt open.

It is preferred for the hook bolt to be in sliding interaction with the deadlock assembly. The deadlock assembly advantageously includes interlocking means that are interlockable with complementary interlocking means associated with the latch bolt. Advantageously, the latch bolt is movable substantially horizontally by a movable member including the complementary interlocking means, and the deadlock assembly is able to lock the movable member in a fixed position. Preferably, the interlocking means and complementary interlocking means include interlockable ratchet means. Advantageously, the interlockable ratchet means each include a plurality of asymmetric tips.

In one embodiment, the hook bolt is pivotable about a pivot and includes an element eccentrically arranged relative to the pivot for acting upon the deadlock assembly. It is preferred for the deadlock assembly to include a bearing surface with which the element interacts for effecting vertical displacement of the deadlock assembly. Preferably, the deadlock assembly is slidably movable in a substantially vertical direction. Preferably, the deadlock assembly includes a compression spring for urging the deadlock assembly, in use, away from the latch bolt. The compression spring may be a helical compression spring.

There is thus provided in accordance with an embodiment of the present invention a mortise lock assembly for a door, including a casing having at least first and second casing members, a faceplate, and a locking mechanism arranged at least partly within the casing, wherein the first casing member has a first fastening element, the second casing member has a second fastening element and the faceplate has a holding means for holding the first and second fastening elements together for retaining the first and second casing members in position in co-operating relationship with the faceplate in the assembled lock.

The provision of the combination of the fastening elements and the holding arrangement enables one or more of the screws used in the assembly of many conventional locks to be eliminated, thus simplifying the fitting of the lock.

In a preferred embodiment, the first fastening element and the second fastening element are co-operating projections. Advantageously, the first fastening element has a recessed region and the second fastening element comprises a complementary portion which fits into said recessed region. It is preferred for the holding means to be an opening, preferably an aperture, in the faceplate.

The invention also provides a method of assembling a lock, comprising placing a first casing member in co-operation with a second casing member, placing in mated relationship complementary structures of the first and second casing members and placing a faceplate against said first and second casing members, with holding means being arranged to hold the complementary structures, for retaining them in said mated relationship. The holding means is preferred to be an opening, preferably an aperture of said faceplate which is positioned around the complementary structures. BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

The disclosed technique will be understood and appreciated more fully from the following detailed description taken in conjunction with the drawings in which:

Fig. 1 is a perspective view from below of a lock assembly for a door according to one embodiment of the invention;

Fig. 2 is a side view of the lock assembly of Fig. 1 ;

Fig, 3 is a side view of an upper part of the lock assembly with its casing removed and with the hook bolt shown in the unlocked condition;

Fig. 4 is a side view of the upper part of the assembly from the same side as Fig. 3 and with the hook bolt in a locked condition;

Fig. 5 is a perspective view of the hook bolt; and

Fig. 6 is an exploded view showing internal components of the lock assembly of Fig. 1.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF EMBODIMENTS

With reference to Figs. 1 and 2, the lock assembly is in many respects conventional. It is a mortise lock and includes a lock casing 1 into which the locking mechanism of the lock is fitted. The lock casing 1 includes a front faceplate 2 and a rear wall 3. The lock casing also includes opposed side walls 4 and opposed upper and lower walls 5 and 6.

The lock assembly is suitable for use in a variety of doors, for example, but not exclusively, in a sliding door. It includes a hook bolt 7 and a retractable beveled latch bolt 8, which are arranged in the vicinity of corresponding apertures in the faceplate 2. The hook bolt 7 is arranged to be interlockable with a keeper (not shown) mounted on a door jamb (not shown), for example with a cooperating member or aperture (not shown) provided on the keeper. The latch bolt 8 is so arranged that it can be advanced into a corresponding aperture in the keeper. The lock assembly is designed to be mortise fitted within the section of a part of a door (not shown), typically within a frame section of the door. When received within the door, the housing of the lock assembly is concealed except for the faceplate 2, which is arranged to be substantially level with the surrounding surface of the side edge of the door, that is, the surface that in use will be the leading surface when the door is slid shut. Items of lock furniture may be added to the assembly, for example, a lock cylinder (not shown) may be provided in an aperture 9 and extend through the front face of the door.

In accordance with a non-limiting embodiment of the present invention, the positions of the hook bolt 7 and the latch bolt 8 are inverted relative to conventional lock arrangements. That facilitates opening of the door and is in particular advantageous where the door is to be used by disabled persons. Furthermore, in that way the latch bolt 8 impedes any implement inserted by an intruder with the objective of forcing the hook bolt 7 upwards from below. The structure and operation of the lock cylinder are otherwise conventional.

Other lock furniture may be attached to the lock assembly. For example, a handle may be mounted in a (e.g., square) aperture 10.

In Fig. 3 there is shown an upper part of the lock assembly with the casing omitted and with certain parts of the lock mechanism omitted for ease of illustration. Whilst the latch bolt 8 shown in the drawings has a chamfered end the invention is also applicable to the case where the latch bolt 8 has a square end. The latch bolt 8 and its operating mechanism are located in the lower part of the assembly shown in Fig. 3.

The latch bolt is retractable and extendable through an aperture in the faceplate 2 by means of a slidable member 11 which is moveable to and fro in a horizontal direction (in the sense of the drawings). The slidable member 11 is attached to the latch bolt 8 via a neck portion 12 and includes a bolt-carrying portion 13 and an elongate portion 14. The rear of elongate portion 14 is received in a horizontally extending channel (not shown) provided on the interior of the casing wall and is able to slide horizontally to and fro therein for the purpose of retracting or extending the latch bolt 8. The elongate portion 14 cooperates with a compression spring 15. At a first end 16 of the elongate portion 14, a first end 17 of the spring 15 bears upon a return portion 18 of the elongate member 14, whereby the return portion 18 is moveable with the elongate portion 14 relative to the casing. In the vicinity of the other end 19 of the elongate portion 14, a plate 20 is provided in a fixed position on the interior of the casing wall and extending into the interior of the lock assembly. The second end 21 of spring 15 bears on the plate 20 in such a manner that, on retraction of the latch bolt 8 by means of drawing slidable member 11 including elongate member 14 from left to right in Fig. 3, the spacing between the return portion 18 and plate 20 is reduced, causing compression (or further compression) of the spring 15.

A ratchet surface 22 is provided on the top of the elongate portion 14. The ratchet surface 22 is suitably configured to cooperate with a deadlock assembly by which the latch bolt 8 can be locked into the closed position when the hook bolt 7 is operated, that deadlock assembly being described further below.

The hook bolt 7 is pivotable about a pivot 23 between an unlocked condition shown in Fig. 3 and a locked condition shown in Fig. 4. The mechanism for causing pivoting of the hook bolt 7 between the locked and unlocked positions by means of a lock cylinder and associated key is conventional and is therefore not described herein. The hook bolt 7 is shown in more detail in Fig. 5, from which it may be seen that it has a hook portion 24. The hook bolt 7 has two substantially parallel members 25 and 26 which are spaced apart, the space between the members 25 and 26 being occupied in a part of the hook bolt 7, including the hook portion 24, by (metal) inserts 27. Adjacent to the pivot 23 is a pin 29 which is fixed to each of, and extends between, the members 25 and 26. The pin 29 is provided for the purpose of interaction with the deadlock assembly.

The deadlock assembly has a deadlock body 30, cooperating with compression spring 32, the purpose of which is to cause the deadlock body 30 to be urged in the upward direction when the door is unlocked, as is further explained below. The spring at one end contacts a plate 30a that extends inwardly from the deadlock body 30. The other end of the spring 31 is arranged upon a plate 32, which extends forwardly from the casing of the lock assembly.

Extending upwardly from the deadlock body 30 is a curved extension member 33, which provides a bearing surface 34 for the pin 29. Extending downwardly from the bottom of the deadlock body are (asymmetric) ratchet tips 35 of a ratchet edge 36 provided on a plate portion 37 of the deadlock body 30. A vertically extending channel (not shown) for receiving the deadlock body 30 is provided on the interior of the lock assembly casing, and the deadlock body 30 is slidable vertically to and fro within that channel. The bearing surface 34 is so configured and the position of the pin 29 relative to the pivot 23 is so selected that, on closing of hook bolt 7, the pivoting movement of the hook bolt 7 results, through the action of the moving pin 29 upon the bearing surface 34, in the deadlock assembly, including the ratchet edge 36, being urged downwards. Thus, on moving the hook bolt from the unlocked position shown in Fig. 3 to the locked position shown in Fig. 4, the ratchet edge 36 is caused to move downwardly to interact with the complementary ratchet surface 22 on the elongate member 14, thereby locking the latch bolt 8 against horizontal movement. As a result, the spring 31 is compressed.

When the hook bolt 7 is unlocked, the pin 29 moves in a clockwise direction and on reaching an upper return portion of the bearing surface 34 serves to lift the extension member 33 and the attached deadlock body 30 including the ratchet edge 36. The compressed spring 31 also urges the deadlock upwardly and, in the event of breakage of the extension member 33, thus ensures that the latch bolt will not remain in the locked position. Thus, on failure of the extension portion 30, opening of the door is not prevented by the deadlock assembly so that a user will in those circumstances still be able to open the door.

Reference is now made to Fig. 6, which illustrates a non-limiting construction of the lock casing 1. The lock casing 1 may include opposed first and second casing members 41 and 42. The first casing member 41 may have a main wall region 43, rear return portion 44 which forms a rear wall in the assembled lock and a front return portion 45 which co-operates with a front return portion 46 on the second side wall as described further below. The first casing member 41 is also formed with a curved upper return portion 47 and a curved lower return portion 48 forming opposed upper and lower walls in the assembled lock.

The front return portion 45 has an upper region 49, a mid-region 50 and a lower region 51. The upper region 49 is substantially semicircular, and has a partially cut away portion 49a to allow co-operation with corresponding parts of the opposed casing member 4. In the cut away region 49a there is an aperture 52. The lower region 51 has a cut away portion 51a having an aperture 53. The apertures 52 and 53 are suitable for receiving screw-threaded fastening means. The mid-region 50 has a semicircular cutout 54 and a protruding member 55 of semi-annular cross-section.

The second casing member 42 has a main wall region 56 and front return portion 46, the latter being configured to form, with the return portion 45 of casing member 41, an upper aperture for passage of the hook bolt 7 and a lower aperture for passage of the latch bolt 8 in use of the lock. For that purpose, the return portion 45 has an upper region 57, a mid-region 58 and a lower region 59, which are configured to co-operate, respectively, with the upper region 49, mid-region 50 and lower region 51 of return portion 45. The upper and lower regions 57 and 59 have apertures 60 and 61, respectively, which in the assembled lock, lie in register with the apertures 52 and 53, respectively, for receiving screw-threaded fastening means.

The mid-region 58 includes a semicircular cutout 62, which in use co-operates with the cutout 54 to form a circular aperture for receiving a screw-threaded fastener. Mid-region 58 also includes a protrusion 63 which is of semicircular cross-section except for a lateral rib 64 which is configured to be received snugly within the protruding member 55 when the lock is assembled.

The faceplate 2 is of generally elongate configuration, and has aperture 65 for passage of the hook bolt 7 and aperture 66 for passage of the latch bolt 8 during use of the lock. The faceplate includes three spaced apertures 67 for receiving screw-threaded means 68 for attachment of the faceplate to the assembled casing members 41 and 42. The faceplate 2 includes an upper portion 69 which extends beyond the upper return portion 47 of the casing and a lower portion 70 which extends beyond the lower return portion 10 of the assembled casing. In the upper portion 69 and the lower portion 70 respectively are provided upper and lower apertures 71 and 72 for securing the faceplate to the door above and below the mortise. The faceplate 2 includes a central aperture 73 which is sized to fit snugly over the cooperating projections 55 and 63.

In use, the lock is assembled on the casing member 41 and the casing member 42 is then laid over the assembled parts and attached to the casing member 41 by means of upper and lower screws 74 and 75 which are engaged in screw-threaded bores 76 and 77, respectively. The projection 63 on return portion 46 is mated with the projection 55 on return portion 45, and the faceplate 2 is then placed over the co-operating return portions 45 and 46, with the co-operating projections 63 and 55 projecting through the aperture 73 in the faceplate 2. The faceplate 2 is affixed to the remainder of the lock assembly by means of screws 68, which engage in screw-threaded receiving bores 52 and 53. The assembled lock is then ready for mortise fitting.

The provision of the co-operating projections 55, 63 and the aperture 73 which secures those projections together in the assembled lock enables additional screws required for securing of the casing to be eliminated, and provides an especially simple and easily visible way of aligning the main casing parts and the faceplate, thereby simplifying assembly of the lock.

Whilst there is described above a mortise lock assembly having a hook bolt, the invention is applicable to any mortise lock. In particular, it will be appreciated that the provision of case fastening elements as claimed herein may be applied to mortise locks having hook bolts or other types of bolt, and which are suitable for any kind of door, including hinged doors or sliding doors.

It is appreciated that various features of the invention which are, for clarity, described in the contexts of separate embodiments, may also be provided in combination in a single embodiment. Conversely, various features of the invention which are, for brevity, described in the context of a single embodiment, may also be provided separately or in any suitable subcombination.

Claims

CLAIMS What is claimed is:

1. A lock assembly for a door, comprising: a locking mechanism arranged at^' least partly within a casing and having a hook bolt and a latch bolt; and a deadlock assembly which is so in cooperation with the hook bolt that, when the hook bolt is in a locked configuration, the deadlock assembly effects locking of the latch bolt.

2. The lock assembly according to claim 1 , in which the hook bolt is arranged above the latch bolt when the lock is fitted, and the deadlock assembly is positioned between the hook bolt and the latch bolt.

3. The lock assembly according to claim 1 or claim 2, in which the deadlock assembly comprises interlocking means that are iiiterlockable with complementary interlocking means associated with the latch bolt.

4. The lock assembly according to claim 2, in which the latch bolt is movable substantially horizontally by a movable member comprising the complementary interlocking means, and the deadlock assembly is able to lock the movable member in a fixed position.

5. The lock assembly according to claim 3 or claim 4, in which the interlocking means and complementary interlocking means comprise interlockable ratchet means.

6. The lock assembly according to claim 5, in which the interlockable ratchet means each comprise a plurality of asymmetric tips.

7. The lock assembly according to any one of the preceding claims, in which the hook bolt is pivotable about a pivot and comprises an element eccentrically arranged relative to the pivot for acting upon the deadlock assembly.

8. The lock assembly according to claim 7, in which the deadlock assembly comprises a bearing surface with which the element interacts for effecting vertical displacement of the deadlock assembly.

9. The lock assembly according to any one of the preceding claims, in which the deadlock assembly is slidably movable in a substantially vertical direction.

10. The lock assembly according to claim any one of the preceding claims, in which the deadlock assembly comprises a compression spring for urging the deadlock assembly, in use, away from the latch bolt.

11. The lock assembly according to claim any one of the preceding claims, wherein said casing comprises a faceplate, and wherein the first casing member has a first fastening element, the second casing member has a second fastening element and the faceplate has holding means for holding the first and second fastening elements together for retaining the first and second casing members in position in co-operating relationship with the faceplate in the assembled lock.

12. The lock assembly according to claim 11, in which the first fastening element and the second fastening element are co-operating projections.

13. The lock assembly according to claim 12, in which the first fastening element has a recessed region and the second fastening element comprises a complementary portion which fits into said recessed region.

14. The lock assembly according to any one of the preceding claims 11-13, in which the holding means is an opening in the faceplate.

15. A lock assembly substantially as described herein with reference to and as illustrated by the accompanying drawing.

16. A method of assembling a lock, comprising placing a first casing member in cooperation with a second casing member, placing in mated relationship complementary structures of the first and second casing member and placing a faceplate against said first and second casing members, with holding means of said faceplate being arranged to hold the complementary structures for retaining them in said mated relationship.

17. A method according to claim 16, in which the holding means is an opening which is positioned around the complementary structures.