Abstract:
A privacy keypad providing privacy for keypad character entry and concealment of a joint in an escutcheon. A privacy keypad may include a faceplate, a keypad disposed on the faceplate, and at least one protrusion integral with the faceplate. An escutcheon for a door lock may include a housing, a keypad disposed on the housing for unlocking the door lock, and at least one protrusion integral with the housing. The protrusion may obstruct at least partially a line of sight to the keypad. An escutcheon may include top and bottom covers with the top cover projecting outward from the surface of a door more than the lower cover, resulting in an at least partially hidden joint between covers. Top and bottom covers may be interchangeable with covers having similar edges.

Description:
BACKGROUND OF INVENTION 
   The invention relates to the field of privacy keypads, and more particularly concerns concealment of operation of a keypad in an escutcheon for a door lock and concealment of a joint in an escutcheon. 
   Keypads are often used to enter private or secure information. For example, such information includes codes for operating door locks, banking account numbers and passwords, and long distance calling card numbers. In order to prevent people positioned behind or adjacent to a user from viewing the keypad, the user must position his or her body or hand over the keypad. In some instances doing so may be difficult or socially awkward, and in general a user may neglect to take such a precaution. 
   A keypad is disposed on an escutcheon for an electronic door lock for operation of the lock. Upon entry of a predetermined code, the keypad sends an electrical signal to the lock that unlocks the lock. Shields may be used to obstruct the view of the keypad. A conventional shield for a keypad may obstruct the view of the keypad with a front element that covers the keypad and side elements adjacent to the keypad. The front element may be stationary, leaving enough room for a user&#39;s hand to operate the keys, or may move, for example, by having a hinge that allows that element to rotate away from the keypad enough to allow a user&#39;s hand to operate the keys. The front element may be opaque, which impedes the view by the user, or it may be polarized, preventing view through the element at an angle but allowing direct viewing. However, the front element can interfere with free operation of the keypad. Further, the front element is a part commonly separate from the device that includes the keypad, and is subject to breakage and vandalism. 
   Side elements are generally mounted vertically adjacent to the sides of the keypad and may also be opaque or polarized. Unfortunately, like the front element, the side elements are parts that are commonly separate from the device that includes the keypad, and accordingly are also subject to damage. 
   Accordingly, there exists a need for a view-shielding means that is integral with a door escutcheon that includes a keypad and reduces opportunity for damage. 
   SUMMARY OF INVENTION 
   In accordance with an embodiment of the present invention, a privacy keypad includes a faceplate, a keypad, and at least one protrusion. The keypad is disposed on the faceplate. The protrusion is integral with the faceplate and extends upwardly from the surface of the faceplate laterally adjacent to the keypad. The protrusion obstructs at least partially a line of sight to the keypad by being of a sufficient height and length along the central longitudinal axis of the keypad to do so. The protrusion may be of unitary construction with the faceplate. A line from the center point of the keypad normal to the central longitudinal axis of the keypad to the top of a protrusion may form an angle of at least about 10 degrees with a plane tangential to the surface of the faceplate along the central longitudinal axis of the keypad. 
   In another embodiment according to the present invention, a privacy keypad includes two parallel protrusions laterally adjacent to and on opposite sides of the keypad. Each protrusion at least partially obstructs a line of sight to the keypad. The protrusions may define a longitudinal channel in the faceplate for receiving the keypad. 
   In another embodiment according to the present invention, a privacy keypad includes a faceplate, a keypad disposed on the faceplate, and two parallel protrusions. The two parallel protrusions extend upwardly from the surface of the faceplate laterally adjacent to and on opposite sides of the keypad to define a longitudinal channel in the faceplate for receiving the keypad. The protrusions are integral and of unitary construction with the faceplate, and each protrusion is of a sufficient height and length along the longitudinal axis of the keypad to obstruct at least partially a line of sight to the keypad. 
   In another embodiment according to present invention, an escutcheon for a door lock includes a housing, a keypad, and at least one protrusion. The keypad is disposed on the housing for unlocking the door lock. The protrusion is integral with the housing and extends upwardly from the surface of the housing laterally adjacent to the keypad. The protrusion obstructs at least partially a line of sight to the keypad by being of a sufficient height and length along the central longitudinal axis of the keypad to do so. The protrusion may be of unitary construction with the housing. A line from the center point of the keypad normal to the central longitudinal axis of the keypad to the top of a protrusion may form an angle of at least about 10 degrees with a plane tangential to the surface of the housing along the central longitudinal axis of the keypad. 
   In another embodiment according to the present invention, an escutcheon for a door lock includes two parallel protrusions laterally adjacent to and on opposite sides of the keypad. Each protrusion at least partially obstructs a line of sight to the keypad. The protrusions may define a longitudinal channel in the housing for receiving the keypad. 
   In another embodiment according to the present invention, an escutcheon for a door lock includes a housing and a keypad disposed on the housing for unlocking the door lock. Two parallel protrusions extend upwardly from the surface of the housing laterally adjacent to and on opposite sides of the keypad to define a longitudinal channel in the housing for receiving the keypad. The protrusions are integral and of unitary construction with the housing, and each protrusion is of a sufficient height and length along the longitudinal axis of the keypad to obstruct at least partially a line of sight to the keypad. 
   In another embodiment according to the present invention, a lockset for a door includes a housing, a lock, and a keypad operatively connected to the lock for unlocking the lock by electrical signal. The lock is disposed in and the keypad is disposed on the housing. Two parallel protrusions extend upwardly from the surface of the housing laterally adjacent to and on opposite sides of the keypad to define a longitudinal channel in the housing for receiving the keypad. The protrusions are integral with the housing, and each protrusion is of a sufficient height and length along the longitudinal axis of the keypad to obstruct at least partially a line of sight to the keypad. The protrusions may be of unitary construction with the housing. 
   In another embodiment according to the present invention, an escutcheon for a door lock includes a lower cover having an opening through which a door latch operator passes. The lower cover has a surface projecting a first distance away from the surface of the door and has a top edge. An upper cover having a bottom edge has a surface that projects away from the surface of the door a second distance that is greater than the first distance. The upper cover is mounted to the surface of the door above the lower cover such that the bottom edge of the upper cover and top edge of the lower cover are in close and complementary registration. The top edge of the lower cover and the bottom edge of the upper cover may be arcuate. The arcuate top edge of the lower cover may be convex while the arcuate bottom edge of the upper cover is concave. The arcuate top edge of the lower cover may be concave while the arcuate bottom edge of the upper cover is convex. 
   In another embodiment according to the present invention, an escutcheon system for a lock on a door includes a lower cover through which a latch operator passes, adapted to be mounted to the surface of the door and having a top edge. A first upper cover has a bottom edge. The first upper cover is adapted to be mounted to the surface of the door above the lower cover such that the bottom edge of the first upper cover and the top edge of the lower cover are in close and complementary registration. A second upper cover differing from the first upper cover in size, features, or a combination thereof, has a bottom edge. Like the first upper cover, the second upper cover is adapted to be mounted to the surface of the door above the lower cover such that the bottom edge of the second upper cover and top edge of the lower cover are in close and complementary registration. The top edge of the lower cover, bottom edge of the first top cover, and bottom edge of the second lower cover may be arcuate. 
   In another embodiment according to the present invention, an escutcheon system for a lock on a door includes an upper cover adapted to be mounted to the surface of the door and having a bottom edge. A first lower cover through which a latch operator passes has a top edge. The first lower cover is adapted to be mounted to the surface of the door below the upper cover such that the top edge of the first lower cover and bottom edge of the upper cover are in close and complementary registration. A second lower cover through which a latch operator passes differs from the first upper cover in size, features, or a combination thereof. The second lower cover has a top edge. Like the first lower cover, the second lower cover is adapted to be mounted to the surface of the door below the upper cover such that the top edge of the second lower cover and bottom edge of the upper cover are in close and complementary registration. The bottom edge of the upper cover, top edge of the first lower cover, and top edge of the second lower cover may arcuate. 

   
     BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF DRAWINGS 
       FIG. 1  is an exploded perspective view of an embodiment of a lockset according to the present invention. 
       FIG. 2  is a front elevation view of an outer escutcheon and door handle of the lockset of  FIG. 1 . 
       FIG. 3  is a side elevation view of the outer escutcheon and door handle of  FIG. 2 . 
       FIG. 4  is a section view of the escutcheon and door handle taken along the line  4 — 4  of  FIG. 2 . 
       FIG. 5  is a section view of the escutcheon and door handle taken along the line  5 — 5  of  FIG. 2 . 
       FIG. 6  is a perspective view of the escutcheon and door handle of  FIG. 2 . 
       FIG. 7  is a front elevation view of an inner escutcheon and door handle of the lockset of  FIG. 1 . 
       FIG. 8  is a front elevation view of another embodiment of an outer escutcheon and door handle according to the present invention. 
   

   DETAILED DESCRIPTION 
   In the Figures herein, unique features receive unique reference numerals, while features that are the same in more than one drawing receive the same reference numerals throughout. Where a feature is modified between figures or is modified only by a change in location, a letter may be added or changed after the feature reference numeral to distinguish that feature from a similar feature in a previous figure or the same feature in an alternate location. Further, certain terms of orientation may be used, such as “upper”, “lower”, “top”, “bottom”, “left”, “right”, “inside”, “outside”, “inner”, and “outer”. These terms are generally for convenience of reference, and should be so understood unless a particular embodiment requires otherwise. 
   The scope of the invention is not intended to be limited by materials listed herein, but may be carried out using any materials that allow the construction and operation of the present invention. Materials and dimensions depend on the particular application. In general the materials of the components may be metal, and selectively may be plastic, as known by one of ordinary skill in the art. 
   Referring now to the drawings, an embodiment of a lockset  20  according to the present invention is shown in  FIG. 1 . The lockset  20  includes an inner rose assembly  22  mounted through an opening  24  in a door  26  to an outer rose assembly  28  as is conventional. Fasteners and electrical wiring are omitted from  FIG. 1  for clarity. 
   A lower cover  32  fits over the outer rose assembly  28  and against the outside surface  30  of the door  26 . An opening  36  in the lower cover  32  allows connection of an outside lever handle  34  to an operating spindle associated with the outer rose assembly  28 . As best seen in  FIG. 4 , the diameter of the hub of the outside lever handle  34  is slightly larger than the opening  36  in the lower cover  32  so that the lower cover  32  is held snugly against the outside surface  30  of the door  26 . Referring again to  FIG. 1 , a lower cover  32   a  is similarly mounted against the inside surface  42  of the door  26 . Specifically, a hub of an inside lever handle  34   a  having a diameter slightly larger than an opening  36   a  in the lower cover  32   a  is fixed for rotation with an operating spindle associated with the inner rose assembly  22 . It is understood that rotation of either handle  34 ,  34   a  functions to retract a latch (not shown) which extends through an opening  38  in the edge of the door  26 . 
   A battery holder  50  is fastened to the inside surface  42  of the door  26  above the lower cover  32   a  for accommodating batteries (not shown) which provide an electrical power source for operating the lockset  20 . An upper cover  52  is fastened to the battery holder  50  and against the inside surface  42  of the door  26  with a fastener (not shown) through an opening  53  in the upper cover  52 . Similarly, an upper cover  56  is mounted against the outside surface  30  of the door  26  above the lower cover  32 . The upper cover  56  includes a transverse threaded socket  78  ( FIGS. 3 and 4 ) that is received in an opening  57  in the door  26 . A fastener (not shown) extends through an opening  58  in the battery holder  50  for securing the outer upper cover  56  to the door  26 . The upper and lower covers  52 ,  32   a ,  56 ,  32  on each side of the door  26  form inner and outer escutcheon housings, respectively. A keypad  60  is provided on the outer upper cover  56 . 
   The outer escutcheon  62  is shown in  FIG. 2 . The bottom edge  74  of the upper cover  56  is concave and mates with the top edge  76  of the lower cover  32 , which is convex. A channel  64  having a central longitudinal axis A—A is formed in the surface of the upper cover  56  and is defined by upstanding sidewalls  70 ,  72 . In this embodiment of the present invention, the sidewalls  70 ,  72  are of unitary construction with the upper cover  56 , in that the sidewalls  70 ,  72  and upper cover  56  are all formed from one piece of material. This integral and unitary construction reduces or eliminates the opportunity for damage to the sidewalls  70 ,  72 . 
   The keypad  60  is mounted in the channel  64 . In this embodiment the central longitudinal axis A—A of the channel  64  is also the central longitudinal axis of the keypad  60 . The keypad  60  may comprise a touch sensitive device or buttons, as shown, that extend outwardly from the surface of the channel  64 . The channel  64  that is shown has a substantially planar surface, but other shapes such as a curved surface or the like may be used. 
   As best seen in  FIG. 3 , when the outer escutcheon  62  is viewed from a position adjacent to the door  26 , the keypad  60  is obstructed by the sidewalls  70 ,  72  that shield the keypad  60 .  FIGS. 4 and 5  are section views of the outer escutcheon  62  showing that the sidewalls  70 ,  72  protrude from the surface of the channel  64  and beyond the keys to shield the keypad  60  from the view of an observer. 
   To shield the keypad from the view of an observer the sidewalls  70 ,  72  must be a certain height. The height of a sidewall  70 ,  72  may be determined by considering that the sidewalls  70 ,  72  protrude to a height from the surface of the channel  64  that corresponds to a predetermined angle from the center of the keypad  60 , in conjunction with the lateral spacing of the sidewalls  70 ,  72  from the keypad  60 . Referring to  FIGS. 2 ,  4 , and  5 , this necessary height is best shown by a line from the center point  73  of the keypad  60  normal to the central longitudinal axis A—A to the top  75 ,  77  of the sidewall  70 ,  72  that forms an angle □ of at least about 10 degrees with a plane  79  tangential to the surface of the channel  64  along the central longitudinal axis A—A. In the embodiment shown, the tops  75 ,  77  of the sidewalls  70 ,  72  are closely adjacent to the keypad  60  and are sufficiently close to obstruct at least partially the view of the keypad  60  by an observer. The sidewalls  70 ,  72  may taper longitudinally as shown, but need not do so and must remain a height that continues to obstruct at least partially the view of the keypad  60  by an observer. 
     FIG. 6  is a perspective view of the outer escutcheon  62  as viewed by a typical observer. This figure shows that as the outer escutcheon  62  is viewed from this angle, the line of sight to the keypad  60  is obstructed. The keypad  60  becomes less visible as the observer moves closer to the door  26 . Also, from the vantage point shown in  FIG. 6 , the line of sight to the joint between the upper cover  56  and lower cover  32  is obstructed. Even where the joint may be in view, the joint can appear to be a bend in the escutcheon  62  rather than a joint between two parts. 
   The inside escutcheon  80 , comprising an upper cover  52  that covers the battery holder  50  and the lower cover  32   a , is shown in  FIG. 7 . The bottom edge  81  of the upper cover  52  is concave and mates with the upper edge  82  of the lower cover  32   a , which is convex. Conversely, the bottom edge of the upper cover  52  could be convex and the top edge of the lower cover  32   a  could be concave. In addition, the bottom edges of the upper covers  52 ,  56  and the top edges of the lower covers  32 ,  32   a  could be straight. A feature of the present invention is the ability to interchange upper covers and lower covers of different shape as long as they have complimentary edges that mate to form a continuous joint. For example, the outer upper cover  56  and inner upper cover  52  are interchangeable because they fit with complementary lower covers. 
   Another embodiment of an outer escutcheon is shown in  FIG. 8  and generally designated at  84 . This embodiment includes an upper cover  92  and a lower cover  94 . The upper cover  92  is generally circular in cross-section. The lower cover  94  is elongated relative to that of the prior embodiment of the outer lower cover  32 . The bottom edge  96  of the upper cover  92  is convex, and mates with the top edge  98  of the lower cover  94 , which is concave. Similarly to the previous embodiments, the upper cover  92  and lower cover  94  may be interchanged with other parts having like joint edges. 
   Similar to the previously described embodiment of the outer escutcheon  62 , a keypad  60   a  is disposed in a longitudinal channel  64   a  defined by upstanding sidewalls  86 ,  88  on the upper cover  92 . The sidewalls  86 ,  88  are similar to those in the previous embodiment  62  in that the sidewalls  86 ,  88  are integral with and are a part of the upper cover  92 , but differ in that they are not of unitary construction. One sidewall  88  is made of rubber and may be bonded or otherwise attached to the remainder of the upper cover  92 . A light source  90 , such as a light emitting diode, is provided in one of the sidewalls  86  for illuminating the keypad  60   a . Optionally light sources may be located on both sidewalls  86 ,  88 . 
   Specific embodiments of an invention are described herein. One of ordinary skill in the lock and security hardware arts will recognize that the invention has other applications in other environments. In fact, many embodiments and implementations are possible. For example, the escutcheon of the present invention may be made in different shapes and sizes. The mating edges of upper and lower covers may be straight or arcuate, so long as they are in close and complimentary registration. The sidewalls could be applied as shields anywhere keypad security is needed. In addition, the recitation “means for” is intended to evoke a means-plus-function reading of an element in a claim, whereas, any elements that do not specifically use the recitation “means for”, are not intended to be read as means-plus-function elements, even if they otherwise include the word “means”. The following claims are in no way intended to limit the scope of the invention to the specific embodiments described.