Removable spindle

A door locking assembly which facilitates removal and replacement of a damaged lockset without the need to remove the cylinder, levers or knobs, or the escutcheon plates, which includes a lockset mountable within a door, said lockset including a latch for locking the door, a spindle engageable with the lockset, said lockset including a bushing defining a spindle aperture for accommodating a first end of the spindle, said spindle being adapted to rotatably displace the bushing for actuating the latch, a handle for securing a second end of the spindle, said handle means defining a socket for withdrawing the spindle to remove the lockset from within the door.

FIELD OF THE INVENTION 
This invention relates to an improved door locking assembly and, more 
particularly, relates to a means for quickly and readily gaining access to 
a damaged or vandalized latch lock or deadlatch and replacing same without 
the need to remove and replace the cylinder, the knobs or levers, and the 
decorative trim, such as escutcheon plates. A tamperproof cap for the door 
locking assembly is also provided. 
BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION 
In large apartment houses in urban areas, where there is considerable 
traffic entering and exiting the building, various locking devices have 
been employed on the front entrance doors in order to secure the premises 
and to deter unauthorized entry. In such buildings, however, where the 
front entrance is not manned or patrolled, damage to the mechanical or 
electromechanical locking systems employed is an all too frequent 
occurrence. As a consequence, the repair of the locking mechanism, which 
most often means repair of a mortise style latch lock, or a deadlatch, 
requires the services of a professional locksmith, which is both 
time-consuming and expensive, and in some instances where the lock is 
electro-mechanical in nature, it also requires the services of an 
electrician. In mechanical locks, in order to replace the vandalized lock, 
the locksmith must remove the cylinder, the lever or knobs and the 
decorative trim in order to remove the damaged lock and replace it with a 
new one. 
Accordingly, it is an object of the present invention to provide a means 
for quickly and easily gaining access to a damaged mortise style latch 
lock or deadlatch and to remove and replace it with a new lock without the 
need of removing the cylinder, the lever or knobs and the escutcheon 
plate. 
It is another object of the present invention to provide a capping means on 
a handle of a door locking assembly to prevent a latch lock or a deadlatch 
from being damaged. 
It is still another object of the present invention to provide a hub member 
of a doorlocking assembly with means to limit the degree of rotation of 
the door's handle. 
SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION 
By means of the present invention, a door locking assembly for a mortise 
lock set, whether a latch lock or a deadlatch, is provided with a spindle, 
which is readily removable from the locking assembly when the lock is 
damaged and in need of repair without the need to disturb or remove the 
escutcheon plates, the levers or knobs, or the cylinder. 
The door locking assembly comprises a lockset mountable within a door, said 
lockset including latch means for locking the door, spindle means 
engageable with the lockset, said lockset including a bushing defining a 
spindle aperture for accommodating a first end of the spindle means, said 
spindle means being adapted to rotatably displace the bushing for 
actuating the latch means, handle means for receiving a second end of the 
spindle means, said handle means defining a socket for withdrawing the 
spindle means to remove the lockset from the edge of the door without 
removing the escutcheons. 
Once the spindle is removed, the damaged lock is readily accessible and can 
be removed and replaced by a new lock. By means of the foregoing, the 
replacement of a lock can be accomplished by building personnel without 
the need to call upon the services of a professional locksmith. 
Furthermore, the downtime normally associated with a broken lock and the 
time needed for its repair can be considerably foreshortened, without 
comprising the safety and security of the building tenants. 
Additionally, the present invention contemplates the use of a novel and 
securable end cap which rotates freely in conjunction with the handle and 
whose novel tamperproof construction deters damage due to vandalism. 
The features of the invention which are believed to be novel are 
particularly pointed out and distinctly claimed in the concluding portion 
of the specification. The invention, however, together with further 
objects and advantages thereof, may best be appreciated by reference to 
the following detailed description taken in conjunction with the drawings.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION 
Referring now to the drawings, a door 10, having a recessed or mortised 
latch lockset 12 is depicted, having latches 14 and a deadlatch 15 shown 
in their extended position. A latch lock is shown for purposes of 
description since the present invention can also be employed with a 
deadbolt lock, or a combined deadbolt and latch lock. On the inside of the 
door 10, which is, for example, the entry door to a large urban apartment 
house, an inside escutcheon plate 16 is secured to the interior surface of 
the door 10 by means of bolts 18a, 18b, 18c, and 18d, which are secured in 
apertures 20a, 20b, 20c and 20d in the inside escutcheon plate. The bolts 
18a-d, inclusive, emanate from the inner surface of an outside escutcheon 
plate 22 which is secured to the exterior surface or front of the door 10. 
The outside escutcheon plate has an exterior lever handle 24 which can be 
activated upon the insertion of a key into a lock cylinder 26. While the 
locking assembly is depicted as being mechanical in nature, the present 
invention can also be employed with an electromechanical locking system as 
well. 
Extending transversely and outwardly of the inside escutcheon plate 16 is a 
rotatable post 28 having integrally formed therewith, at its outermost 
end, an interior lever handle 30 which extends transversely from post 28. 
While it is preferred to employ a lever handle, the present invention 
could also employ a knob, or a paddle, or a panic bar to advantage. 
The post 28 has a hollow center, i.e., socket 29, and is rectangular or 
square in cross-sectional configuration and is adapted to accommodate or 
receive the spring-loaded end of a square or rectangular spindle 32, as 
will be discussed in greater detail hereinafter. 
The rotatable post member 28 is concentrically mounted within a stationary 
hub member 34, which is an integral transverse extension of the inside 
escutcheon plate 16. The outer extent or upper edge of the hub 34 is 
partially cut away to provide a generally arcuate-shaped, partial cut-out 
segment 36, within the limited confines of which the interior lever handle 
30 can rotate in response to its being actuated. Either end of the cut-out 
segment 36 of hub 34 serves to define stops 38 and 38', which can best be 
seen by reference to FIG. 3. The stops 38 and 38' limit the extent or 
degree to which the interior lever handle 30 can rotate, thus preventing 
damage to the interior parts of the lock by wear and tear. 
The spring-loaded end of spindle 32 is threadably secured, with its spring 
in a compressed state, as can be seen in FIG. 4, within socket 29 of post 
28, by a screw 39, exemplary of which is a hexagonal, or Allen screw. 
Seated atop post 28 and the integral inner end of interior lever handle 30 
is an end cap 40. The end cap 40 which has a mushroom-like configuration, 
and which has a downwardly extending circular discontinuous wall element 
or skirt 42, which defines its outer body, and which when secured in its 
operative mode extends or lies between the inner wall of hub 34 and the 
outer surface of post 28. The end cap 40, whose construction will be 
discussed in greater detail hereinafter, is in overlying relationship to 
hub 34 and is secured thereto by means of set screws 44 and 46, exemplary 
of which are hexagonal or Allen screws. While the end cap 40 is secured in 
place, it does, nonetheless, rotate in unison with the lever handle 30. 
While hexagonal-type screws are depicted, other appropriate securing means 
can be employed to good advantage. 
FIG. 2 depicts the lockset 12 affixed to a faceplate 48 by means of screws 
50 and 52, exemplary of which are Phillips screws, which is recessed or 
mortised in door 10. In lieu of the Phillips screws, either Allen or Torx 
head screws may be employed. 
From FIGS. 3, 4 and 6, we can see the construction of the end cap 40 to 
better advantage. The end cap 40 consists of a top cap portion 54, 
downwardly extending, discontinuous circular wall element or skirt 42, 
having angular abutment surfaces 56 and 58, which are contiguous with 
opposite sides of the inner lever handle 30, and which rotate therewith in 
unison with the rotation of the post 28. Wall element or skirt 42 has a 
circumferential groove or channel 60 cut therein, proximate to, but 
slightly offset, from the top cap 54. 
The functioning of the end cap 40 can best be seen by reference to FIG. 3. 
When the latch lock 12 is in its operative, undamaged state and is 
functioning in its intended manner, upon the application of a downward, 
counterclockwise force or pressure to the interior lever handle 30, end 
cap 40 and post 28 rotate simultaneously with one another. The presence of 
skirt 42 in conjunction with stops 38 and 38' prevents the insertion of an 
implement to vandalize the end cap and, concomitantly, prevents damage to 
the lock by limiting the movement of the interior lever handle 30. The set 
screws 44 and 46 hold the end cap 40 in secured alignment within 
circumferential groove 60. 
As can be seen by reference to FIG. 5, the spindle 32 is depicted as 
comprised of two ends, namely, a second end 62 and a first end 64, both of 
which are square in cross-section. Second spindle end 62, which is, for 
example, 8 mm. On each side, has a spring 66 fixedly mounted in a recess 
68 provided in the front of end 62. First spindle end 64 of spindle 32 has 
a stepped-down area or stop, i.e. shoulder, 70, which is, for example, 7 
mm. On each side, which serves as a line of demarcation or transition 
between the ends 62 and 64 of the spindle 32. Thus, the total area or 
dimensions of the second end 62 of spindle 32 is greater than the first 
end 64 of spindle 32. The stop or shoulder 70 serves to limit the extent 
of the spindle's entry into a bushing 71 which defines a spindle aperture 
72 in lock 12, and which bushing 71 is adapted to accommodate the first 
end 64 of spindle 32. 
At the first end 64 of spindle 32, there is provided a threaded, screw-on 
spindle extension 74. Spindle extension 74 fits into and is seated in 
rotatable socket 76 formed in a post 78. Thus, under normal operating 
conditions, i.e., key insertion or electrical activation followed by 
actuation of the exterior lever handle 24, or by actuation of the interior 
lever handle 30 from within the apartment house, the spindle 32 is adapted 
to rotatably displace the bushing 71 and thereby actuate the latch 14. 
Turning to FIG. 4 of the present invention, one can best see the 
functioning of the spring-loaded spindle 32 of the present invention. 
While it is preferred to employ a spring-loaded spindle, it should be 
understood that a spindle without a spring can also be employed. Assuming 
the latch lock 12 has been damaged, by vandalism or otherwise, end cap 40 
is first removed by unscrewing set screws 44 and 46. Next, screw 39 is 
readily removed from socket 29 in post 28. Once screw 39 has been removed, 
spring 66 will expand to allow removal of the spindle 32 outwardly from 
the socket 29, thus avoiding the need to remove the inside escutcheon 
plate 16, or lock cylinder 26, or interior lever handle 30, or outside 
escutcheon plate 22 to gain access to the damaged lock. 
Phillips screws 50 and 52 holding the faceplate 48 to the damaged latch 
lock 12 are then unscrewed and the entire lock 12 is removed. A 
replacement lock is inserted in its stead and resecured. Thereafter, the 
spindle 32 is reinserted and resecured as is the end cap 40. 
Thus, by employing the structure of the present invention a damaged latch 
lock may be readily and easily replaced by building maintenance personnel 
in a shortened period of time without the need to call upon the services 
of a professional locksmith.