Locker lock with outer and inner housings

An electronic locker lock with outer and inner housings similar to that described in U.S. Pat. No. 5,886,644 has a cable connector extending from one housing to the other. When the two housings are installed against outer and inner sides of a locker door, with the door panel sandwiched between housings, the inner housing provides a pocket for storage of the cable after pin connections have been made. In addition, a locking connection is made between the two parts of the pin connector, with a plastic spring lock, preventing disconnection while the lock is in service, and the lock allows for a range of locker door thickness.

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION

This invention is concerned with lockers for temporary use, but also encompasses lockers for longer term use. In particular, the invention is directed to an electronic locker lock for use on such lockers.

U.S. Pat. Nos. 5,886,644 and 5,894,277, owned by the assignee of this invention describe locker locks similar to the locks disclosed herein. Those locks each include two housings, one on the outside of the door, one on the inside, secured together with the door panel sandwiched between, preferably using the standard three-hole locker door prep typically included on locker doors.

Those patents featured a pin connector without cable, the two components of the pin connector mating together as the inner and outer housings were put into place on the door. In some circumstances such a connection could be problematic, such as when different thicknesses of doors need to be accommodated. Pins of different length had to be provided, and in some cases long pins could be misdirected and deformed as the housings were put in place, preventing a proper connection.

It is therefore desirable to have a cable, such as a ribbon connector cable, extending from one of the housings, the end of the cable having a pin connector component that mates with a fixed-position opposing pin connector component on the other housing. Although this arrangement has been used on some locker door locks having inner and outer housings, the cable has presented a problem. The length of the cable must be sufficient for convenience in use for assembling the lock on the locker door, but this length must then be stowed between the housings when attached to the door. Usually the cable was simply stuffed into the small amount of space afforded by the hole through the door. With a sufficiently thick door, such as a ¾ inch wood door, the cable was jammed into the depth of the hole in a somewhat disorganized way, potentially causing damage to the cable. In some cases there has been no place to store the cable.

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION

The electronic locker lock of the invention has outer and inner housings and is somewhat similar to that described in U.S. Pat. No. 5,886,644, but with a cable connector extending from one housing to the other. When the two housings are installed against outer and inner sides of a locker door, the inner housing provides a pocket adjacent to the door for storage of the cable after pin connections have been made.

The pocket on the inner housing provides a space for neatly doubling the cable over on itself and stowing the cable between the housings.

In addition, a locking connection is made between the two parts of the pin connector, with a plastic spring lock, preventing disconnection while the lock is in service. Prior two-housing electronic locker locks often had the problem of pin connectors being disconnected inadvertently, such as by occasional slamming of the locker door.

A further feature of the invention is in the manner the two housings engage together through the locker door. The locker door preferably has a standard three-hole locker door prep, with the cable of the electronic lock extending through a central hole of the three-hole door prep and a pair of machine screws extending through the upper and lower holes of the door prep. The outer housing has internally threaded cylinders extending back on the rear side of the outer housing and through the upper and lower holes of the door prep, and the inner housing has tubular guide recesses receiving the threaded cylinders. This allows the cylinders to extend to varying distances into the tubular recesses in order to accommodate locker doors of different thicknesses, thus different separations between the housings. The machine screws extend from a back side of the inner housing through the tubular recesses and into the internally threaded nut cylinders to secure the two housings in place on the locker door. Machine screws of different lengths can be provided.

The lock of the invention is efficiently constructed and installed and reliable and rugged in service. These and other objects, advantages and features of the invention will be apparent from the following description of a preferred embodiment, considered along with the accompanying drawings.

DESCRIPTION OF PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS

In the drawings,FIG. 1shows a locker10with a locker door12, and a lock15of the invention secured to the door. The front (outer) housing16is visible inFIG. 1, having an electronic access means, preferably a keypad18with other keys20for operation of the lock, and also preferably including a terminal22for jump power and/or programming or emergency access.FIG. 4shows the housing16in better detail.

FIG. 2shows the lock15in exploded view, the front housing16being shown for connection with a rear housing24. The inner housing24is to be installed against the inside surface of a locker door, directly behind the front housing16. The inner housing contains an electromagnetic drive means to operate a bolt or latch, preferably a motor but this could be a solenoid as well. This housing24may also contain a microcontroller to operate the electronic lock, although the microcontroller could alternatively be in the outer housing16.

As discussed above, several features of the lock15of the invention add significantly to efficiency of installation and use, reliability and ruggedness in service. One of these features, demonstrated clearly inFIGS. 2, 3 and 4, is a pocket or recess26in the front side of the inner housing24, i.e. the side of that housing facing forward, for contact against the inner surface of the locker door. This pocket or recess is formed by a protruding rim28extending around the periphery of the housing24at its forward side. As shown in the drawing, the rim28preferably is simply a forward extension of top, side and bottom walls30,32and34. The depth of the pocket26can be about ¼ inch, or in the range of about 3/16 inch to ⅜ inch.

The function of the pocket26is for efficient and organized stowage of an electrical cable36that connects electrical components of the two housings when installed on a locker.FIGS. 2, 3 and 4all show the cable36, which can be a ribbon connector cable. The cable36has an outer end with a pin/socket connector component38, for connection to a mating component40on the back side of the outer housing16, as shown. In this view the female connector (socket) is shown on the cable, at38, while the male connector (pin) is shown fixed on the outer housing, at40. The pin and socket connectors can be reversed in position if desired. As illustrated, the pocket26of the inner housing allows the electrical cable36to be folded over on itself for stowage, as the two housings are brought together against the inner and outer sides of a locker door.

The pin/socket connection is made before housings have been secured, and with the cable36extended, generally as indicated inFIG. 3. At this point the outer housing16can be in place (but not secured) on the outside of the locker door, via upper and lower internally threaded cylinder posts42that have been positioned through holes in the locker door. These holes may be part of a three-hole standard locker door prep.

After connection, the cable36is positioned as shown inFIG. 3, then as shown inFIGS. 2 and 4as the two housings are secured together via the pin/socket connector38,40. The excess length of the cable36is stowed within the pocket36, without crimping, pressure or sharp bends.

As seen particularly inFIG. 3, the cable in this embodiment emerges from a cable well or depression44which extends deeper into the inner housing as shown. This well44, if present, is directly opposed to the position of the outer housing's pin connector element40. When the connection has been made and the housings16and24are secured to the locker door, the pin/socket connector element38can extend back slightly into the well44if needed. This is seen inFIGS. 2, 4 and 5.

FIG. 6shows a variation in which a cable-storing pocket26ais formed by a rim28aat the back of the outer housing16a, rather than on the inner housing. The cable can still extend from the inner housing (not shown) in this case, although it could originate in either housing, provided space (such as the well or depression44inFIG. 3) is provided, preferably in the inner housing, to accommodate the two connected pin/socket connector elements38and40. The pocket26aprovides some of the space.

Another important feature, as explained above, is the pin/socket connector lock that retains the two pin/socket connector elements together, resisting separation even under repeated locker door slamming. A pair of plastic springs or spring arms46are provided on one of the connector elements, here shown at top and bottom of the element38at the end of the electrical cable. These spring arms46, preferably integral with the plastic body of the pin connector element38, each have a small barb48at the outer end as shown, for engagement in a recess or over a ledge or edge (seeFIG. 5) provided on the opposing pin/socket connector element40that is secured in the outer housing16. The cross section view ofFIG. 5shows, somewhat schematically, the two connector components38and40, the spring arms46and the engagement of the barbs48each over a ledge50that forms part of the outer housing's fixed pin/socket connector element40. Note that the spring arms can be released by pinching back ends46atoward one another, which spreads apart the barb ends.

As indicated in the drawings, the connector component40preferably extends out rearwardly somewhat from the back wall52of the outer housing, and it may include top and bottom tracks or grooves54as shown inFIG. 2to guide the plastic spring arms46as the two connector elements are mated. The locker door12is also seen inFIG. 5, in this case shown as a sheet metal door which is relatively thin.

Although plastic spring locks generally similar to the illustrated locking device have been known for securing together pin connectors in other types of devices, they have not been applied to electronic locker locks having inner and outer housings as in the invention. This has caused problems of occasional dislodging of the connection, whereby the locker lock is rendered inoperable, and a locker door may have to be forced open.

A third important feature of the invention involves the internally threaded cylindrical posts42of the outer housing, discussed above. The inner housing24includes generally tubular guideways56, preferably formed by the inside of the housing walls, to receive the cylindrical posts42. This provides for a smooth and accurate alignment of the inner and outer housings as they are moved together, and also helps provide for different thicknesses of locker doors that result in variation of distances between the two housings when assembled. Upper and lower machine screws58are inserted into the inner housing from a back side, not shown in these views. The machine screws engage with the threaded interior60of each post42. With considerable thread length in each cylindrical post42, a range of different housing separations can be accommodated. Machine screws of different lengths can be provided, but even a single length of machine screw will accommodate a good range of separation distances, as can be envisioned fromFIG. 2.

The above described preferred embodiments are intended to illustrate the principles of the invention, but not to limit its scope. Other embodiments and variations to these preferred embodiments will be apparent to those skilled in the art and may be made without departing from the spirit and scope of the invention as defined in the following claims.