Abstract:
The present invention relates to a lock device for a door of the type with seating unit through the door shutter. The seating unit has a first seating body, a second seating body, a first cover and a second cover. There are provided connecting elements, generally self-tapping screws, that engage both the first cover to the first seating body and the second cover, closing the second seating body as a package thereinbetween. Among the other things, the lock device allows a wide rotation of the handle.

Description:
This application is a continuation of International Application No. PCT/IT2006/000695, filed Sep. 29, 2006. 
    
    
     FIELD OF THE INVENTION 
     The object of the present invention is a lock device for doors of the type with through seating unit. 
     BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION 
     The lock devices of the above type comprise a handle, a square pin, handle return means, an engagement unit and seating unit, placed through the door shutter thickness. 
     The seating unit is inserted through the door shutter, in an especially made hole. The square pin is inserted through the unit, at the end thereof there are mounted the handles; the return means are seated in the unit and are engaged with the square pin; the square pin is also engaged with the engagement unit, comprising an engagement element, in the jargon called “bolt”, suitable for engaging the door shutter to the jamb thereof, for keeping the door closed. 
     The seating unit must meet several requirements, to make a durable lock device functional to the requirements of user and installer. 
     In particular, the seating unit must make a suitable support for the handles, often heavy, and must reliably absorb the actions relieved thereon for the repeated actuations of the handles. 
     For installation requirements, the seating unit comprises two bodies slidingly associable to one another, for adapting the unit to different dimensions of the door shutter thickness. 
     To make a unit sufficiently resistant to the above actions it is therefore necessary that the two component bodies thereof are strongly engaged to each other. 
     In known embodiments, such requirement is partly met through screws that engage the two unit bodies. 
     The bodies seat the elastic return means, so there are provided covers for covering the return means seating rooms. Also the covers must be strongly engaged with the bodies. 
     In known embodiments, such requirement is met through three screws that engage the covers to the bodies. 
     The above requirements create a set of structural hindrances inside the seating unit that strongly limit the available angle of rotation for the handle rotation. 
     SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION 
     The object of the present invention is to make a lock device of the type with through seating unit which should meet the above requirements and which should provide a wide angle of rotation for the handle. 
     Such object is achieved by a lock device for a door comprising:
         at least one handle suitable for being gripped and turned from a rest configuration to an actuation configuration;   an engagement unit suitable for engaging the door shutter to a jamb thereof in a forward configuration and suitable for releasing shutter from the jamb in a retracted configuration;   connecting means suitable for mechanically connecting handle with engagement unit, so that the rest configuration of the handle corresponds to the forward configuration of the engagement unit and the actuation configuration of the handle corresponds to the retracted configuration of the engagement unit;   return means suitable for constantly influencing the handle from the actuation configuration to the rest configuration;   a seating unit suitable for being mounted through the door shutter, the handle and the engagement unit being coupled to the seating unit, seating unit comprising       

     a) a first seating body and a second seating body, reciprocally engaged so as to form an intermediate room wherein the engagement unit engages with the connecting means, seating bodies exhibiting each a front room wherein there are seated return means;
         a first cover suitable for being associated to first seating body for covering, at least partly, front room;   connecting means suitable for mechanically connecting first cover to first seating body,       

     wherein the connecting means are suitable for concurrently influencing also second seating body, holding it to first seating body. 
    
    
     
       BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE FIGURES 
         FIG. 1  shows a perspective view of a lock device comprising a seating unit according to the present invention. 
         FIG. 2  shows a perspective exploded view of the seating unit of  FIG. 1 . 
         FIG. 3  shows a further perspective view of the seating unit of  FIG. 2 . 
         FIG. 4   a  shows a view of a mounting bush for the seating unit according to the present invention. 
         FIG. 4   b  shows an unlock key for the lock device according to the present invention. 
         FIGS. 5   a  and  5   b  show further embodiment variations of covers of the seating unit of  FIGS. 2 and 3 . 
     
    
    
     DESCRIPTION OF PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS 
     With reference to the annexed figures, reference numeral  1  globally denotes a lock device for a door. 
     Hereinafter, reference is made to an “axial” direction to indicate with such term a direction along the door shutter thickness. 
     The lock device comprises at least one handle  10  suitable for being gripped and turned from a rest configuration  12 , wherein it remains when it is not influenced by a user, to an actuation configuration, wherein it is turned relative to the previous configuration. 
     The lock device  1  further comprises an engagement unit  20  suitable for engaging the door shutter to a jamb thereof in a forward configuration  22  and suitable for releasing the shutter from the jamb in a retracted configuration. 
     The lock device further comprises connecting means  30  suitable for mechanically connecting handle  10  with the engagement unit  20 , so that the rest configuration  12  of handle  10  corresponds to the forward configuration  22  of the engagement unit  20  and the actuation configuration of handle  10  corresponds to the retracted configuration of the engagement unit  20 . 
     According to a preferred embodiment, connecting means  30  comprise a square pin having axial prevailing extension and such length as to cross the door shutter axially and protrude therefrom from one side and the other. 
     Moreover, lock device  1  comprises return means suitable for constantly influencing handle  10  from the actuation configuration to the rest configuration. 
     According to a preferred embodiment, return means comprise a spring holder body  40  and a spring  42 , seated in the spring holder body  40  and engaged with the latter to influence it in rotation. 
     Moreover, the lock device  1  comprises a seating unit  50  suitable for being mounted through the door shutter. 
     The seating unit  50  is coupled to handle  10  and engagement unit  20 . 
     The seating unit  50  comprises a first seating body  52  and a second seating body  54 , reciprocally engaged so as to form an intermediate room  56  wherein the engagement unit  20  engages with the connecting means  30 , that is, with the square pin. 
     Moreover, each seating body  52 ,  54  exhibits a front room  58 ,  60 , wherein there are seated return means. 
     In particular, the front room  58 ,  60  exhibits a recess wherein there is inserted the spring holder body  40 . Inside the spring holder body  40  there is seated spring  42  that protrudes with the ends thereof from spring holder body  40 . 
     Peripherally to the front room  58 ,  60 , the seating bodies  52 ,  54  comprise a fixed stop  62 , comprised in return means, with which spring  42  is engaged to be under tension. 
     According to a preferred embodiment, the fixed stop  62  exhibits stop faces, with which spring  42  engages, turned relative to the horizontal of a recovery angle. 
     Preferably, recovery angle is comprised within the interval 1-5 hexadecimal degrees. Especially suitable for compensating the weight of the handles usually used, that thus arrange perfectly aligned with the horizontal, is a recovery angle equal to 3 hexadecimal degrees. 
     Moreover, the seating unit comprises a first cover  70  associated to first seating body  52  for covering, at least partly, the front room  58 . 
     According to a preferred embodiment, the first cover  70  comprises a cover body  72  that covers room  58  and at least one tab  74  peripherally axially protruding from the cover body  70 . Tab  74  is suitable for engaging snap-wise, preferably in a releasable manner, with the first seating body  52 . 
     Tab  74  is a preferred example of snap-wise connecting means. 
     According to a preferred embodiment, the first cover  70  comprises four tabs  74  arranged in diametrically opposite pairs. 
     Preferably, between a first tab and the immediately adjacent tab advancing in clockwise direction there is a reduced angular distance whereas between the first tab and the immediately adjacent tab in counter clockwise direction there is a high angular distance. The high angular distance is more than the reduced angular distance. 
     The lock device  1  further comprises connecting means suitable for mechanically connecting the first cover  70  to the first seating body. Connecting means are suitable for concurrently influencing also the second seating body  54 , holding it to the first seating body  52 . 
     Preferably, the connecting means comprise at least a single connecting element  80  that engages the first cover  70  to the first seating body  52  and keeps the second body  54  to the first seating body  52 . 
     Preferably, the connecting means comprise a pair of connecting elements  80 , arranged diametrically opposite relative to the first cover  70 . 
     Preferably, the connecting elements  80  are screws, for example self-tapping. 
     According to a preferred embodiment, the connecting elements  80  are arranged between tabs  74  having high angular distance. 
     Advantageously, the connecting elements concurrently connect the first cover  70  to the first seating body  52  and pull the second seating body  54  towards the first body  52 , thus making a compact unit suitable for withstanding the actions relieved thereon by actuating the handle. 
     Even more advantageously, the first cover  70  is coupled to the first seating body  52  through peripheral tabs that make the cover edge adhere perfectly to the seating body edge. 
     According to a preferred embodiment, the lock device  1  comprises a second cover  90  associated to the second seating body  54  for covering at least partly the front room  60 . 
     Preferably, the connecting means comprise second cover  90 . In other words, screws  80  engage the second cover  90 , holding it to the second seating body  54  while pulling the second seating body  54  towards the first body  52 . 
     Also the second cover  90 , like the first cover  70 , comprises a cover body  92  and tabs  94  axially projecting therefrom. 
     Moreover, the second cover  90  further comprises at least one tubular element  96  axially projecting from the cover body  92 . tubular element  96  is engaged with connecting means. 
     Preferably, there are provided two tubular elements  96  and the connecting elements  80  couple therewith. 
     According to a preferred embodiment, the first seating body  52  and the second seating body  54  are slidingly engageable to each other, for adapting the length of the seating unit  50  to the door shutter thickness. 
     The first body  52  and the second body  54  are relatively translatable, remaining in engagement with each other, between a maximum extension configuration and a minimum extension configuration. 
     Preferably, the first seating body  52  comprises a first bottom  52   a , wherein there is obtained front room  58 , and at least a first guiding wall  52   b , axially projecting from the first bottom  52   a  on the side opposite the front room  58 . Moreover, the second seating body  54  comprises a second bottom  54   a , wherein there is obtained the front room  60 , and at least a second guiding wall  54   b , axially projecting from the second bottom  54   a  on the side opposite the front room  60 . 
     Preferably, the second guiding wall  54   b  comprises, at the distal end from the second bottom  54   a , interconnecting tongues  54   c , of reduced section as compared to the remaining portion of guiding wall. 
     The guiding walls  52   b ,  54   b  are slidingly engageable. 
     In the minimum extension configuration, the distance between the first bottom  52   a  and the second bottom  54   a  is the minimum structurally possible. 
     In the minimum extension configuration, the second guiding wall  54   b  penetrates at least partly through openings  53  in the first bottom  52   a . In particular, in the minimum extension configuration, interconnecting tongues  54   c  penetrate through the openings  53  in the first bottom  52   a , protruding into the front room  58  of the first seating body  52 . 
     According to a preferred embodiment, the lock device  1  comprises locking means suitable for being manually actuated for locking the engagement unit  20  in forward configuration or for locking handle  10  in rest configuration. 
     Locking means can be influenced from the outside through an unlock key  100  for unlocking the engagement unit  20  from the forward configuration or for unlocking handle  10  from the rest configuration. 
     For example, locking means comprise a lock pin actuable, from one side of the lock device, for locking the engagement unit  20  or handle  10 . On the other side of the lock device there is provided a hole made for reaching the locking pin with unlock key, for unlocking the locking means in the event of an emergency. 
     According to a preferred embodiment, the lock device  1  comprises coverings  110  suitable for covering covers  70 ,  90 , for hiding seating unit  50  when mounted on the door shutter. 
     Moreover, the lock device  1  comprises an externally threaded bush  120  having an annular projection  122 . Bush  120  is screwable to cover  70 ,  90  of the seating unit  50  for coupling covering  110  to the seating unit  50  through the annular projection  122 . 
     Preferably, bush  120  exhibits recesses  124 , or projections, suitable for coupling to a mounting tool  130  for screwing/unscrewing the bush. The mounting tool  130  exhibits elements suitable for coupling with shape coupling to bush  120 , for example teeth  132  suitable for inserting in recesses  124 . 
     Innovatively, the simplification of the connections between the covers and the seating bodies allows having more space in the front rooms for turning the handle. 
     In fact, for the lock device described above, the handle has an angular stroke of 60 hexadecimal degrees available for the rotation, almost twice the stroke available for the known embodiments. 
     Moreover, advantageously, the seating unit that withstands actions due to the handle actuation, exhibits a compact and resistant structure. 
     According to a further advantageous aspect, the covers remain perfectly adhering to the seating bodies. 
     According to an even further advantageous aspect, the seating unit is suitable for being mounted on thick doors and thin doors. In particular, the unit according to the present invention can be mounted on doors having a shutter with thickness between 60 millimetres and 30 millimetres. Known embodiments, on the other hand, are not suitable to be mounted on thinner thicknesses. 
     Advantageously, moreover, the seating unit according to the present invention allows keeping the handle aligned with the horizontal, compensating the specific weight of the handle. 
     According to a further advantageous aspect, the cover is fixed in a steady manner to the seating unit, so that an accidental disconnection therefrom is impossible. 
     Finally, according to an embodiment variation, covers  70 ,  90  comprise a collar  140  projecting from the cover body outwards. Collar  140  is suitable for seating spring holder bodies for shaped covers.