APPARATUS FOR LOCKING A CLOSURE

Abstract: Keepers 1 and 10 are mounted near a jamb of the door, in which jamb the leading edge of the door carrying handle/espagnolette gear is received to lock the door. Using the apparatus embodying the invention, the door can be locked in any one of three additional positions. This provides for the door to be locked open in different ventilating positions without having a sufficient gap between the leading edge of the door and the jamb to permit unautho­ rised entry. The door is merely slid to the required position and then the espagnolette rods are moved to engage in a desired one of the facing pairs 2, 11, depending on the ventilation gap required.

Description: APPARATUS FOR LOCKING A CLOSURE The invention relates to apparatus for locking a closure, for example a door such as a french winow or patio door which may be a sliding closure. According to the invention there is provided apparatus for looking a sliding closure in any one of a plurality of positions, comprising facing keepers adapted for mounting on opposite frame parts of a frame for mounting the closure, each keeper having a plurality of facing means adapted to co-operate with slidable espagnolette rods, and lock means adapted to slide two espagnolette rods in opposite directions in order to engage with desired facing ones of the facing means. Each keeper may comprise three facing means. The facing means of one keeper may comprise parallel blind holes, which may be elongate, and the facing means of the other keeper may comprise three slots, each slot being aligned with a respective hole. The lock means may comprise a toothed gear which engages with engagement means of the espagnolette rods. The engagement means of each espagnolette rod may comprise a rack. The slidable locking means may comprise a stud or studs, say two studs, the or each of which has an enlarged head for engagement with the keeper which comprises a plate with one or more key-hole shaped slots for receiving the or each stud and in one position locking the head. The invention extends to a closure incorporating apparatus as hereinbefore defined. Apparatus eDJKxtFiyg the invention is hereinafter described, by way of example, with reference to the accompanying drawings. BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF DRAWINGS Figs. 1 to 3 are respective plan, side elevational, and part sectional enlarged views of a keeper for a head and frame; Figs. 4 to 7 are respective plan, side elevational, end elevational and part sectional enlarged views of a keeper for a cill of a frame; Fig. 8 shows schematically a plan view of a lock with parts of the top plate removed to show the interior. Figs. 9 and 10 show end elevational views of a gear of the lock of Fig. 8; and Fig. 11 shows a exploded perspective view of locking apparatus of a sliding door and a striker plate arrangement for the locking apparatus, according to the invention. Referring to Figs. 1 to 3, the head keeper 1 comprises a cast metal plate with three discrete facing means in the form of three elongate blind holes 2 with rounded ends 3 which are substantially parallel. The keeper 1 has a ramp 4 inclined at 200 to provide for smooth passage of a closure, and countersunk holes 5 for receiving securing means such as screws whereby the keeper 1 can be secured to a head frame part of a frame in which a slidable closure such as a patio door is mounted for sliding movement. Referring now to Figs. 4 to 7, the cill keeper 10 shown therein is similar to the head keeper 1 in that it comprises a cast metal plate with three discrete facing means in the form of three blind slots 11 with rounded ends 12, which slots 11 are substantially parallel. The keeper 10 has opposite ramps 13 inclined at 300 and inclined in opposite directions, at each end, and projection 14 with a base 15 which is inclined at 1605'to the horizontal in order to conform to cill formation. The holes 2 and slots 11 have identical widths, 9mm in the embodiment shown, and adjacent ones are separated by an identical distance, namely 5mn in the embodiment. The facing means are "facing" in the sense that the keepers 1 and 10 are mounted opposite each other on respective head and cill frame parts of a frame in which a patio door is slidably mounted so that opposite pairs of holes and slots are aligned in the same vertical plane. In use, the keepers 1 and 10 are mounted near a jamb of the door, in which jamb the leading edge of the door carrying handle/espagnolette gear is received to lock the door. Using the apparatus en)oing the invention, the door can be locked in any one of three additional positions. This provides for the door to be locked open in different ventilating positions without having a sufficient gap between the leading edge of the door and the jamb to permit unauthorised entry. The door is merely slid to the required position and then the espagnolette rods are moved to engage in a desired one of the facing pairs 2, 11, depending on the ventilation gap required. The espagnolette rods are locked by locking apparatus 20 as shown in Figs. 8-11. The apparatus 20 has separate connectors 22 and 23 in the form of racks which are adapted as at 24 for connection with espagnolette rods 25 and a slidable locking means in the form of studs 26 in a housing 27 which studs 26 project from and are secured to the rack 22, so that when the racks move in the direction of the arrow X, the studs move too. The racks 22 and 23 are flat, stiff, metal slots with holes through them and are engaged with teeth of a meanssatne for-.oftwo parallel spaced, of which one is shown in Fig. 8, gears 28, which are turned in unison on insertion of a key in a key hole 29 of a lock 30, there being the usual differ pins (not shown) for operation by the key to permit turning of the lock, a projecting shaft 31 of which engages in a bush 32 to drive the gears 28 in unison, the gears being solid with the bush and each gear engaging in holes of both racks to drive same. The gear 28 and racks 22 and 23 are mounted between two plates one of which 33 is shown which is supported by housing 27. The housing 27 have grooves in which the racks sent and which act as guides therefor. The housing includes a face plate 34 with spaced key-hole slots 35 through which heads of the studs 26 project, the enlarged parts of the slots 35 enabling the studs 26 to be passed through the face plate 34 as the studs are smaller in diameter than the diameter of the enlarged parts (which are essentially circular). The narrower part of each keyhole slot provides a guide for a limb 36 of each stud 26 which is connected to a respective rack 22 or 23. The locking arrangement 20 is set in a slot or recess in the leading edge of the patio door with the face of the housing 27 and face plate 34 with the key-hole slots 35 flush with that edge, so that there is a gap between the rear faces (to the left in Fig. 11) of the heads of the studs 26 and the leading edge. A handle 37 with the key operated lock 30 is mounted on an inner face of the door adjacent the leading edge so that the shaft 31 engages the bush 32 for turning the gears 28, and hence for raising and lowering the studs 26, and espagnolette rods 25,in unison. There is also on the inside face of the door a dead lock 38 which is essentially a slidable bolt which can be pushed under finger pressure to engage a hole of the upper rack to prevent operation of the whole locking mechanism. The door frame (not shown) includes a striker plate arrangement 39 set into a slot or recess so that key-hole slots 40 of a strike plate 41 of the arrangement are at the same vertical height as the key hole slots 35 in the face plate 34. The strike plate 41 lies over an intermediate plate 42 having elongate slots 43 which have a lateral extent at least as great as the diameter of the enlarged parts of the key hole slots 35, 40 and both plates 41 and 42 are secured to a base plate 44. The three striking plates 41, 42, 44 are adjustably secured together as by adjustment screws 45, and the whole assembly or arrangement 39 is secured to the door frame by screws 46 passing through aligned holes 47. The arrangement is such that when the door is slid up to the frame in the fully closed position with the studs 26 in the lower, unlocked position, the studs pass through the enlarged parts of the key-hole shaped slots 40, and into the slots 43. When the key is turned (anticlockwise in Fig. 11) to lock the door shut the shafts of the studs 26 ride up the narrower parts of the key-hole slots 35 and 40 so that the heads of the studs 20 ride in the slots 43 and are held captive by the striker plate arrangement 39, the rear surfaces of the heads being caught behind the parts of the striker plate 41 flanking the narrower parts of the two key-hole slots 40. At the same time, the racks 21 and 23 move away from one anther so that the espagnolette rods 25 move-upwardly and downwardly respectively to engage in upper and lower keepers. The door is thus locked shut. Turning the lock 30 clockwise (Fig. 11) provides a reverse motion so the studs are aligned with the key hole slot enlargements, and the espagnolette rods 25 are lowered and raised respectively out of engagement with their keepers. The door is thus unlocked, and can be slid away from the striker plate arrangement to open the door. When it is desired to lock the door open, it is merely necessary to align the nose or leading edge of the door with the keepers 1 and 10 so that the espagnolette rods 25 can engage in a desired facing pair of three pairs of holes 2 and slots 11 so that on'insertion of the key and turning it anti-clockwise as viewed raises the rack 22 and lowers the rack 23 to "throw" the connected espagnolette rods to engage in the respective head and cill keepers 1 and 10. On withdrawal of the key, the door is locked in the "open" position. The apparatus thus has a four-point locking action.

Claims: CLAIMS 1. Apparatus for locking a sliding closure in any one of a plurality of positions, comprising facing keepers adapted for mounting on opposite frame parts of a frame for mounting the closure, each keeper having a plurality of facing means adapted to co-operate with slidable espagnolette rods, and lock means adapted to slide two espagnolette rods in opposite directions, characterised by the keepers (1) and (10) having a respective plurality of facing means (2) and (11) in opposite ones of which the espagnolette rods (25) can engage. 2. Apparatus according to Claim 1, characterised in that each keeper (1) and (10) comprises three facing means (2) and (11) respectively. 3. Apparatus according to Claim 2, characterised in that the facing means (2) and (11) of the respective keepers (1) and (10) are three espagnolette rod receiving apertures. 4. Apparatus according to Claim 3, characterised in that the facing means (2) of one keeper (1) comprises substantially parallel blind holes, and in that the facing means (11) of the other keeper (10) comprises three slots, each slot being aligned with a respective hole. 5. Apparatus according to Claim 4, characterised in that the holes (2) are elongate. 6. Apparatus according to any preceding claim, characterised in that the lock means (30) is adapted to turn a toothed gear (28) which engages with engagement means (22, 23) of the espagnolette rods. 7. Apparatus according to Claim 6, characterised in that the engagement means (22, 23) of the each espagnolette rod (25) comprises arrack. 8. Apparatus according to Claim 7, characterised in that one rack (22) has catch means (26) for engagement with a keeper- (41) of a jamb of the closure, whereby on movement of the gear the racks and catch means are moved in unison. 9. Apparatus according to Claim 8, characterised in that the catch means comprises one or more studs (26), the or each of which has an enlarged head for engagement with one or more key-hole shaped slots (40) for receiving the or each stud and in one position of the or each stud locking the or each head whereby to lock the closure. 10. A closure, characterised by incorporating apparatus according to any preceding claim.

Inventors: DALEY, ERNEST CHARLES REGENT LOCK COMPANY LIMITED
Applicants: REGENT LOCK CO. LTD.
Application year: 1984
Main classification: E05B15
IPC codes: E05C17, E05B65, E05C9