Abstract:
A mortise lock comprising: a case having opposite inner and outer sides which are horizontally spaced when the mortise lock is mounted on a door; a latchbolt supported by the case for movement between extended and retracted positions, the latchbolt extending from the outer side of the case; an element configured to be operably connected to a latch adjacent a top or a bottom of the door, the element being movably supported by the case and partially extending from the inner side of the case; and a latchbolt bar movably supported by the case, the latchbolt bar having an outer end operably connected to the latchbolt for moving the latchbolt between the extended and retracted positions, and the latchbolt bar having an inner end operably connected to the element for moving the element when the latchbolt bar moves the latchbolt.

Description:
BACKGROUND 
     The present invention relates to mortise locks and to doors with a lock at the top and/or bottom of the door. 
     SUMMARY 
     The invention provides a mortise lock comprising a case having opposite inner and outer sides which are horizontally spaced when the mortise lock is mounted on a door, a latchbolt supported by the case for movement between extended and refracted positions, the latchbolt extending from the outer side of the case, an element configured to be operably connected to a latch adjacent a top or a bottom of the door, the element being movably supported by the case and partially extending from the inner side of the case, and a latchbolt bar movably supported by the case, the latchbolt bar having an outer end operably connected to the latchbolt for moving the latchbolt between the extended and retracted positions, and the latchbolt bar having an inner end operably connected to the element for moving the element when the latchbolt bar moves the latchbolt. 
     The invention also provides a mortise lock comprising a case having opposite inner and outer sides which are horizontally spaced when the mortise lock is mounted on a door, a latchbolt supported by the case for movement between extended and refracted positions, the latchbolt moving horizontally between the extended and retracted positions when the mortise lock is mounted on the door, and the latchbolt extending from the outer side of the case, an element mounted on the case for pivotal movement about an axis which is horizontal and perpendicular to a vertical plane defined by a direction of movement of the latchbolt when the mortise lock is mounted on the door, the element partially extending from the inner side of the case, the element including an element surface outside of the case, the element surface moving vertically when the mortise lock is mounted on the door and when the latchbolt moves to the retracted position, a latchbolt bar movably supported by the case, the latchbolt bar having an outer end operably connected to the latchbolt for moving the latchbolt between the extended and retracted positions, the latchbolt bar moving along a horizontal line beneath the axis when the mortise lock is mounted on the door, and the latchbolt bar having an inner end operably connected to the element for moving the element when the latchbolt bar moves the latchbolt, and a rod which is entirely outside of the case and is configured to be operably connected to a latch adjacent a top or a bottom of the door, which extends vertically when the mortise lock is mounted on the door, and which has therein a recess into which the element extends, the recess being at least partially defined by a rod surface, the rod surface being engaged by the element surface and the rod moving in response to movement of the element. 
     The invention also provides a method of operating a latch mounted adjacent a top or a bottom of a door, the method comprising providing the door with an internal rod operably connected to the latch, thereafter mounting on the door a mortise lock including a case, a latchbolt supported by the case for movement between extended and retracted positions, and a manually movable member operably connected to the latchbolt for moving the latchbolt between the extended and retracted positions, and operating the latch via the rod in response to movement of the latchbolt. 
     Other aspects of the invention will become apparent by consideration of the detailed description and accompanying drawings. 
    
    
     
       BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS 
         FIG. 1  is a perspective view of a lock assembly embodying the invention. 
         FIG. 2  is an enlarged, exploded perspective view of the upper latch. 
         FIG. 3  is an enlarged, exploded perspective view of the lower latch. 
         FIG. 4  is an enlarged elevational view, partially in section, of the mortise lock with the latchbolt in its extended position. 
         FIG. 5  is an enlarged elevational view, partially in section, of the mortise lock with the latchbolt in its retracted position. 
         FIG. 6  is a further enlarged view of the lifter. 
         FIG. 7  is a view similar to  FIG. 4  showing an alternative embodiment of the invention. 
     
    
    
     Before any embodiments of the invention are explained in detail, it is to be understood that the invention is not limited in its application to the details of construction and the arrangement of components set forth in the following description or illustrated in the following drawings. The invention is capable of other embodiments and of being practiced or of being carried out in various ways. 
     DETAILED DESCRIPTION 
       FIG. 1  shows a lock assembly  10  mounted on a door  14 . The door is mounted in a door frame  18  and has a top  22  and a bottom  26 . The lock assembly  10  comprises a mortise lock  34  mounted on the door, an upper latch  38  mounted adjacent the top  22  of the door, and a lower latch  42  mounted adjacent the bottom  26  of the door. 
     The mortise lock  34  is best shown in  FIGS. 4 and 5 . Some elements of the lock not related to the invention are not shown. The mortise lock  34  includes a chassis case  46  and a latchbolt  50  supported by the case  46  for movement between an extended position ( FIG. 4 ) and a retracted position ( FIG. 5 ). The mortise lock  34  also includes a latchbolt bar  54  operably connected to the latchbolt  50  for moving the latchbolt between the extended and retracted positions. The latchbolt bar can either be a separate piece connected to the latchbolt in any suitable manner, or the latchbolt bar and the latchbolt can be unitary. The latchbolt bar  54  has a generally horizontal longitudinal axis  58  and moves along the axis. The mortise lock  34  also includes a spindle  62  that extends generally horizontally and generally perpendicular to the plane of the door. Interior and exterior manually movable members, such as handles or levers, are connected to the opposite ends of the spindle  62 . One lever  66  is shown in  FIG. 1 . Other types of manually movable members, such as door knobs, can be used. A crank member  70  operably connects the spindle  62  to the latchbolt bar  54  for causing translational movement of the latchbolt bar  54  in response to pivotal movement of the spindle. The mortise lock  34  as thus far described is conventional and need not be described in greater detail. An example of such a mortise lock is the Schlage L9000 Series Mortise Lock, which is known in the art. It should be understood that the invention is applicable to other types of mortise locks and to locks made by other manufacturers. 
     The lock assembly  10  also includes a vertical rod  74  inside the door  14 . The upper end of the rod  74  is operably connected to the upper latch  38 , which is best shown in  FIG. 2 . The upper latch  38  is a soffit latch and ratchet release. Part of the upper latch  38  is mounted in the door, and part is mounted in the door frame. Upward movement of the rod  74  opens or releases the upper latch  38 . Also, the rod  74  is held in its upper position until the door is closed, at which time the rod  74  is released and is allowed to drop back to its original position. The upper latch  38  will not otherwise be described in detail. The invention is applicable to any upper latch that can be actuated by movement of a vertical rod. The lower end of the rod  74  is operably connected to the lower latch. Actually, in the construction shown in  FIG. 3 , the lower end of the rod  74  is part of the lower latch  42 . The lower end of the rod  74  extends into a recess in the floor when the lower latch  42  is closed or engaged, and the lower end of the rod  74  is retracted from the recess when the lower latch  42  is open or disengaged. Thus, upward movement of the rod  74  releases the lower latch  42 , and downward movement of the rod  74  engages the lower latch  42 . The lower latch will not otherwise be described in detail. The invention is applicable to any lower latch that can be actuated by movement of a vertical rod. The vertical rod  74  and the latches  38  and  42  as thus far described are also conventional. An example of such a vertical rod and two-point latch is the Von Duprin 237, which is known in the art. It should be understood that the invention is applicable to other types of rods and latches and to those made by other manufacturers. 
     In the illustrated construction, as best shown in  FIGS. 4 and 5 , the rod  74  includes upper and lower sections  78  and  82 , respectively, connected by a middle section  86 . The upper end of the lower section  82  extends into a recess in the middle section  86  and is secured to the middle section  86  by a pin  94 . The lower end of the upper section  78  is threaded into a recess in the middle section  86 . Upward movement of the middle section  86  pulls the lower section  82  upward and pushes the upper section  78  upward. The middle section  86  has therein a recess  90  opening toward the case  46  of the mortise lock. The recess  90  is partially defined by a horizontal, downwardly-facing rod surface  98 . 
     Movement of the rod  74  is controlled by an auxiliary mechanism in the mortise lock  34 . The auxiliary mechanism includes (see  FIGS. 4-6 ) an element or cam member or lifter  100  pivotally mounted inside the case  46 , with the lifter  100  partially extending from the inner side or rear of the case. More particularly, the inner side of the case  46  has therein an opening  104  through which the lifter  100  extends. The lifter  100  is pivotable relative to the case about a horizontal axis  108  that is perpendicular to the plane of the door or perpendicular to the vertical plane defined by the direction of movement of the latchbolt  50 , or defined by the longitudinal axis  58  of the latchbolt bar  54 . The axis  108  is above the latchbolt bar  54 , such that the latchbolt bar moves along a line (axis  58 ) beneath the axis  108  of the lifter  100 . In the illustrated construction, the lifter  100  hangs from and pivots about a pin or post  112  that is mounted on the chassis case  46  and that extends along the axis  108 . The lifter  100  is pivotable between a non-actuated position shown in  FIGS. 4 and 6  and an actuated position shown in  FIG. 5 . 
     The lifter  100  has an outer or left side and an inner or right side. The inner side of the lifter  100  includes (see  FIG. 6 ) an element surface or lifter surface  116  outside of the case  46 . The surface  116  extends horizontally when the lifter  100  is in the non-actuated position. The surface  116  moves vertically, and specifically upward, when the lifter  100  moves to the actuated position. The rod surface  98  rests on the lifter surface  116  such that the rod  74  moves upward when the lifter surface  116  moves upward. Thus, movement of the lifter  100  from the non-actuated position to the actuated position moves the rod  74  upward and thereby, as described above, releases the upper and lower latches. Because pivotal movement of the lifter  100  may also exert a horizontal force (to the right) on the rod  74 , the door includes a wall  118  limiting movement of the rod  74  to the right or away from the case  46 . 
     The lifter  100  also includes an engagement surface  120  that engages the outer surface of the case  46 . Such engagement limits clockwise movement of the lifter  100  and defines the non-actuated position of the lifter  100 . The surface  120  extends vertically when the lifter  100  is in the non-actuated position. In the illustrated construction, the lifter  100  has therein an arcuate slot  124  that provides clearance for a pin  128  that is fixed to the case  46  and that performs a function unrelated to the invention. The slot  124  would not be necessary with some mortise locks. 
     As shown in  FIG. 6 , a surface  132  on the outer or left side of the lifter  100  is engaged by the inner or tail end of the latchbolt bar  54 . The surface  132  extends vertically when the lifter is in its non-actuated position. In this way the latchbolt bar  54  is operably connected to the lifter  100  such that movement of the latchbolt bar  54  to the right (when the latchbolt  50  moves to the retracted position) moves the lifter  100  from its non-actuated position to its actuated position. While in the illustrated construction the latchbolt bar  54  only pushes against, and is not otherwise connected to, the lifter  100 , other types of connections are possible, so long as the lifter  100  pivots in response to movement of the latchbolt bar  54 . When the latchbolt bar  54  moves to the left as the latchbolt moves to its extended position, the lifter  100  returns to its non-actuated position, which allows the rod  74  to drop when it is released by the upper latch  38  when the door closes. 
     Because the mortise lock  34  engages the rod  74  from the rear or inner side of the case  46 , and the rod is entirely outside of the case, the mortise lock can be installed or removed from a door while the door is in place. Preferably, the door is provided with the rod  74  operably connected to the portion of the upper latch  38  that is in the door. The door can be mounted on the door frame, and then the mortise lock  34  is mounted on the door. When the lock  34  is mounted on the door, the lifter  100  is inserted into the recess  90  so that the lifter  100  engages the rod  74 . The lock  34  is then operated as described above. Because the rod  74  does not pass through the case  46 , the lock does not have to be installed in the door prior to the rod, or prior to hanging the door. 
       FIG. 7  shows an alternative lock assembly  200 . Except as described below, the lock assembly  200  is substantially identical to the lock assembly  10 , and common elements have been given the same reference numerals. Rather than using a rod to actuate the upper and lower latches, the lock assembly  200  uses a non-rigid device, and specifically a cable  204 . The cable has an inner core  208  fixed to a vertically movable member  212  that is similar to the middle section  86  of the lock assembly  10 . The member  212  moves in response to movement of the lifter  100  in the same way the rod  74  moves. The cable  204  also has a sheath  216  that is fixed relative to the door. The opposite end of the cable  204  is connected to an upper latch (not shown). One skilled in the art can easily understand how the latch  38  can be actuated by the cable, or other types of latches can be employed. The upper latch can be connected to a lower latch by another cable, or another cable can be connected between the member  212  and a lower latch. Also, a push-pull cable can be connected between the top of the member  212  and the upper latch. 
     Various features and advantages of the invention are set forth in the following claims.