Lever handle lock assembly

A cylindrical lock assembly for mounting in a door panel having a transverse bore includes a lock chassis adapted to fit within the bore which has lever handles on rotatable spindles for actuating a latch bolt. The chassis additionally has a support opening on at least the first side of the door panel. A support plate having a diameter greater than the bore is mounted on each side of the door panel and is non-rotatably secured to the panel. The support plate includes an opening corresponding to and aligned with the chassis support opening. A threaded support plate fastener having a hollow, elongated body with an internal opening extending along its length is adapted to extend through the opening in one of the support plates and into the chassis support opening to non-rotatably secure the chassis to the support plate. A rose through which a spindle extends for mounting on the door panel on the exterior side of each support plate is securable to the lock assembly by an threaded fastener extending through the hollow support plate fastener between the two roses.

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION 
This invention relates to a cylindrical lock for mounting on a door panel 
and, in particular, to an improved cylindrical lock assembly with use 
lever-type handles. 
Cylindrical locks utilized in exterior door applications must be made to 
withstand more severe environments and higher security usage than those 
utilized on interior doors, especially when lever-type handles are used. 
Potential damage can result from vandalism, burglary and general misuse 
and/or abuse, and such damage is often magnified by the availability of 
the lever handle to exert considerable torque on the lock assembly. 
Overloading of such lock assembly may jam and disable it, or damage it to 
the extent that the door may be forced open. 
An improved cylindrical handle lock for heavy duty exterior door 
application has been disclosed in U.S. Pat. No. 4,869,083 to DeMarseilles, 
et al., the disclosure of which is incorporated herein by reference. This 
patent utilizes a pair of tongue members extending inwardly from support 
plates which mate with corresponding openings in the lock chassis. 
However, in order to provide for the greater resistance to damage in such 
heavy duty lock mechanisms, it is necessary to drill additional holes in 
the door panel outside of the bore which receives the lock chassis. These 
additional holes permit the passage of thru bolts which provide resistance 
and support against rotation of the support plates and which connect the 
lock roses covering the support plates. 
In medium duty applications, for sake of simplicity, it is not generally 
necessary to utilize drilled holes outside of the door panel bore. 
Nevertheless, for strength reasons, it is still desirable to have bolts 
connecting the support plates to the lock chassis, along with thru bolts 
connecting the two exterior roses. However, this presents the problem that 
if the thru bolts connecting the roses and the fasteners connecting the 
support plate to the chassis are configured to pass separately within the 
diameter of the door panel bore, valuable space necessary for the lock 
assembly mechanisms are eliminated. Up to now, the only alternatives have 
been either: 1) reduce the space available for the lock mechanism so as to 
permit both sets of bolts to pass within the bore diameter, with the 
result of weakening the mechanism or making it less secure, or 2) drill 
extra holes outside of the bore diameter to accommodate the thru bolts for 
the roses, with the result of making installation more difficult. 
Bearing in mind the problems and deficiencies of the prior art, it is 
therefore an object of the present invention to provide an improved lever 
handle lock assembly which is highly resistent to abuse, vandalism and 
damage in general. 
It is another object of the present invention to provide a strengthened 
cylindrical lock assembly which is easily installed in conventional door 
opening without the necessity of drilling additional holes outside of the 
bore diameter. 
It is a further object of the present invention to provide an improved 
cylindrical lock assembly which meets the above objects but which does not 
eliminate space in the lock chassis devoted to the lock mechanisms. 
SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION 
The above and other objects, which will be apparent to those skilled in the 
art, are achieved in the present invention which comprises a cylindrical 
lock assembly for mounting in a door panel having first and second sides 
and a transverse bore therethrough. The lock assembly includes a lock 
chassis, adapted to fit within the bore, having rotatable spindles 
extending therefrom for actuating a latch bolt upon rotation of the 
spindles. The chassis additionally has a support opening on at least the 
first side of the door panel. A support member, preferably a disk-shaped 
plate, having a diameter greater than the bore is mounted on at least the 
first side of the door panel and is adapted to be non-rotatably secured 
thereto. The support member has thereon an opening corresponding to and 
aligned with the chassis support opening. A support member fastener having 
a hollow, elongated body with an internal opening extending along its 
length is adapted to fit through the support member opening and into the 
chassis support opening to non-rotatably secure the chassis to the support 
member. A rose through which a spindle extends for mounting on the door 
panel on the exterior side of the support member is securable to the lock 
assembly by an elongated rose fastener extending through the hollow 
support member fastener. 
Preferably, the support member fastener and the support opening in the 
chassis are complimentarily threaded. The support member may have at least 
one opening near its periphery such that a screw fastener may be inserted 
through the support member peripheral opening for non-rotatably securing 
the support member to the door panel. 
The preferred embodiment of the invention further includes a second rose on 
the second side of the door panel and a second support member beneath the 
second rose which is then non-rotatably secured to the lock chassis and 
door panel. The second support member has an opening therein for passage 
of the rose fastener so that the first rose may be secured by the rose 
fastener to the second rose. The support member fastener may be threaded 
to be received in a complimentarily threaded opening in the chassis, and 
the rose fastener is threaded to be received in a complimentarily threaded 
opening in the second rose. The lock assembly is especially intended for 
use where a lever handle is employed for rotating the spindles to and 
extra torque may be applied to the assembly.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION 
Reference is made herein to FIGS. 1-3 which illustrate the preferred 
embodiments of the present invention and in which like numerals refer to 
like features of the invention. Except where specifically noted, the 
components of the present invention are preferably made of steel, brass or 
such other conventional materials which possess the strength and wear 
characteristics for use in cylindrical lock assemblies. 
FIG. 1 and 2 illustrate preferred embodiments of the present invention in 
cross sectional and exploded perspective views, respectively. These 
embodiments differ only slightly, in a manner to be explained further 
below. 
In both embodiments, the lock assembly of the present invention is shown 
mounted in a door panel 38 which may be made of wood, steel or other 
conventional door materials, and which has a conventional transverse 
circular bore 39 between exterior door face 55 and interior door face 57. 
Disposed concentrically within bore 39 is a lock chassis 29 which has 
spindles 13 and 15 extending out from the interior and exterior sides of 
the door panel, respectively. Inside and outside lever handles 56 and 58 
are respectively secured to spindles 13 and 15, and may also include 
conventional exterior key lock 80 and inside hand lock 82 mechanisms. The 
view in FIG. 1 shows these handles rotated out of their normal horizontal 
position. Although the present invention is considered to be most useful 
for lever handle applications where high amounts of torque may be applied 
via the handles, it is also useful for conventional round knob handle 
applications. A latch bolt assembly 11 is operable by the lock chassis 29 
upon rotation of either of the spindles 13, 15 in their unlocked position. 
To secure lock chassis 29 to door panel 38, a pair of support members or 
plates 12 and 14 are respectively disposed on interior face 57 and 
exterior face 55 of the door. Each support member is preferably of a 
planar, circular, disk shape of a diameter greater than the diameter of 
bore 39. The support plates have central annular openings for passage of 
the spindles. Inside support plate 12 is adapted to be non-rotatably 
secured to the door panel by screw fasteners 68 which pass through 
openings 69 in the support plates and are screwed into the door panel in 
suitable locations outside of the perimeter of bore 39. To provide further 
resistance to rotational stresses, support plates 12 and 14 include 
optional inwardly extending tabs 44 which are intended to mate with 
corresponding slots 45 at the periphery of door bore 39. 
Lock chassis 29 is secured in a non-rotatable manner to the door panel 38 
by a pair of support plate fasteners or bolts 66 which pass through holes 
or openings 67 provided in interior support member 12 and into 
corresponding aligned holes or openings 63 in chassis 29 which extend 
longitudinally through the entire length of the lock chassis. As will be 
discussed in more detail below, these support member fasteners 66 are 
hollow and are preferably threaded at their ends to mate with 
corresponding threads in chassis openings 63. The connection between 
exterior support plate 14 and lock chassis 29 is effected by an internally 
threaded sleeve 84 which defines the central opening and which mates with 
correspondingly threaded sleeve 86 which extends around the chassis 
spindle. 
Disposed over the support members 12 and 14 are interior and exterior 
esctucheons or roses 40 and 42 respectively. To secure these roses to the 
lock assembly and to each other without having to drill additional holes 
through the door panel outside of the bore, and without sacrificing 
additional space inside the bore, a pair of elongated threaded fasteners 
70 pass sequentially through opening 71 in interior rose 40, the central 
opening along the longitudinally axis of fastener 66, chassis opening 63, 
opening 67 in exterior support member 14, and finally into complimentarily 
threaded opening 72 in exterior rose 42. In this manner, the roses are 
securely fixed in a non-rotatable manner to the lock assembly and to each 
other without sacrificing space in the lock chassis, and without the 
necessity of extra drilling in the door panel outside of the bore opening 
39. 
As shown in more detail in FIG. 3, support member fastener 66 has a hollow 
elongated body with an interior opening extending along its full length. 
Fastener 66 is adapted to fit through the opening 67 in support member 12 
so that the threaded end may be screwed into the corresponding opening 63 
in chassis 29. Threaded bolt fastener 70 is then able to pass through the 
central opening of support member fastener 66 and through opening 63 in 
chassis 29 to secure the two roses to each other and to the lock assembly. 
A decorative scalp 50 made of plated sheet metal is secured over and covers 
rose 40 to hide and protect the heads of threaded bolts 70. The scalp is 
secured on in a conventional manner by dimple 51 which fits tightly into 
slot 49 on rose 40. In this regard, FIG. 1 depicts an embodiment of the 
invention which also includes a decorative scalp 50' which serves to cover 
and protect exterior rose 42. Lever handles 56, 58 are maintained in their 
initial horizontal positions on the spindles by a torsion spring assembly 
60' inside each of the roses which serve to return the handles to their 
initial position after unlatching. 
To install the lock assembly of the present invention in a door panel, 
first a suitable bore opening 39 is prepared with or without the optional 
slots 45. The latch mechanism 11 is then installed. After assembly of 
exterior support plate 14, rose 42, lock cylinder 80 and exterior lever 
handle 58 over exterior spindle 15 and onto chassis 29, the chassis is 
then inserted into the bore from the outside of the door panel to engage 
the latch assembly. Interior support plate 12 is fitted over interior 
spindle 13 and hollow fasteners 66 are installed to secure support plate 
12 to the lock chassis. At that point, screw fasteners 68 are then screwed 
into the opening 69 in the outer periphery of the interior support plate 
to anchor and secure it to the door panel surface outside of bore 39. Rose 
40 is then installed utilizing the threaded bolts 70 which pass through 
hollow fastener 66 and the interior of lock chassis 29 to rose 42. 
Finally, lever handle 56 is installed over spindle 13. 
Thus, the present invention provides a secure cylindrical lock assembly for 
at least medium duty applications which may be secured to the door panel 
to resist rotational forces on the lever handles. The unique construction 
of the present invention permits the same space be utilized for both the 
support plate fasteners and the roses fasteners to avoid extra drilling 
and/or loss of lock mechanism space within the bore. 
While this invention has been described with reference to specific 
embodiments, it will be recognized by those skilled in the art that 
variations are possible without departing from the spirit and scope of the 
invention, and that it is intended to cover all changes and modifications 
of the invention disclosed herein for the purposes of illustration which 
do not constitute departure from the spirit and scope of the invention.