Abstract:
A safety lock and access key for doors that otherwise need to remain locked comprising a lock body containing a spring biased catch extending from one end of the body to engage in a keep of the door frame, a lever for moving the catch into the body to unlock the door, and a tool for unlocking locked doors.

Description:
RELATED U.S. APPLICATION DATA 
       [0001]    This application is a continuation of U.S. Provisional Patent Application No. 62/084,467 filed on Nov. 25, 2014 the disclosure of the foregoing application is hereby incorporated by reference in its entirety. 
     
    
     FIELD OF THE INVENTION 
       [0002]    The invention relates generally to the field of locks, locking mechanisms, locking devices. 
       BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION 
       [0003]    The locking of door and cabinets is an essential aspect of maintaining safe homes and work places. Depending upon the circumstances involved it may be necessary to make doors and cabinets immediately unlockable in the event someone becomes incapacitated or accidentally locked where precious seconds may mean the difference between injury and serious injury or even death. It is anticipated that the application will benefit the safety of the elderly and children the most, but will also be beneficial to anyone that may have a slip and fall or a medical event that would require assistance in the shortest time possible. 
       RELATED ART 
       [0004]    U.S. Pat. No. 2,829,913—North et al—Privacy Door Lock Assembly—discloses a push button locking mechanism for locking a bedroom or other door from the interior. 
         [0005]    U.S. Pat. No. 4,861,084—Ozagir et al—Door Lock with Extra Release—discloses a door having a releasable door lock that can be unlocked from the outside for emergencies. 
         [0006]    U.S. Pat. No. 4,866,965—Urdal—Panic Proof Passage Lock Set—discloses a lock set that can be opened from the outside using a coin or screwdriver. 
         [0007]    U.S. Pat. No. 5,826,924—Huang—Lock Assembly With Emergent Forcible Unlatching From Outside—discloses a lock assembly including an inner handle that can be forcibly unlocked from the outside in an emergency. 
         [0008]    U.S. Pat. No. 6,644,077—Huang—Lock Structure for Bathroom Use—discloses a lockset that prevents unintentional locking as a result of previous insufficient unlocking. 
         [0009]    U.S. Pat. No. 7,832,309—Robins—Door Un-Locking Tool—discloses a tool capable of unlocking doors from the outside for use during emergencies or in the dark. 
         [0010]    U.S. Pat. No. 7,525,411—Strader et al., a door lock is provided with a biometric sensor and a key cylinder. The biometric sensor is protected by being positioned on a shield, and such that the sensor is not exposed to damage by being on the front face of the door lock. 
         [0011]    These publications and all other referenced patents are incorporated herein by reference in their entirety. Furthermore, where a definition or use of a term in a reference, which is an incorporated reference here, is inconsistent or contrary to the definition of that term provided herein the definition of the term provided herein applies and the definition of that term in the reference does not apply. 
       BRIEF SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION 
       [0012]    The emergency access privacy lock can be used on interior doors such as bathrooms and bedrooms where a person may be at risk of locking themselves in. It enables the user to unlock the door from either side without the need for any tools. The invention has multiple embodiments, one that uses a turning motion to lock the door and one that uses a pushing motion to lock the door. It will be appreciated that the term door as used herein includes any hinged closure and, in particular, room doors. 
         [0013]    An object of this invention is to provide a complete safety lock for use on doors to allow access in case of an emergency or accidental locking of occupants inside rooms whilst otherwise providing security and privacy. 
         [0014]    Another object of this invention is to provide kits for adapting locks that are already installed to allow access in case of an emergency or accidental locking of occupants inside rooms whilst otherwise providing security and privacy. 
         [0015]    The present invention achieves its objects by providing an emergency access privacy lock. The manners in which the invention achieves its objects and other objects which are inherent in the invention will become more readily apparent when reference is made to the accompanying drawings wherein like number indicate corresponding parts throughout. 
         [0016]    For the complete locksets, the emergency access safety function can be disabled during or after installation should a consumer prefer not to have the emergency access feature active 
     
    
     
       BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE FIGURES 
         [0017]    In the following, embodiments of the present invention will be explained in detail on the basis of the drawings, in which: 
           [0018]      FIG. 1  is an exploded view of the turn to lock style emergency access privacy lock. 
           [0019]      FIG. 2  is an exploded view of the turn to lock style emergency access privacy lock retrofit tool. 
           [0020]      FIG. 3  is a cutaway view of the push to lock style emergency access privacy lock. 
           [0021]      FIG. 4  is a close up cutaway view of the push to lock style emergency access privacy lock retrofit tool. 
       
    
    
     DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENT 
       [0022]    Referring now to the drawings wherein the showings are for purposes of illustrating a preferred embodiment of the present invention and not for purposes of limiting the same, according to a first embodiment of this invention there is a “turn-to-lock” style knob, see  FIG. 1 . From the inside of the door, the door can be locked with the standard thumb turn  1  found on all turn-to-lock style privacy locks. The interior knob  2  permanently houses the thumb turn. The interior knob  2  is mounted to a standard door via a rosette  3 . The outside portion of the lock will still function the same way as a traditional privacy lock in non-emergency situations. However, the exterior knob  14  is spring loaded which allows the user to push the knob  14  inwards towards the door to engage a fluted spindle  4  and the fluted spindle  4  twists the thumb turn  1  thereby unlocking the door. The spring-loaded knob  14  requires necessary force, between a minimum of 7 to a maximum of 20+/− foot-pounds, in order to unlock the door so that a locked door cannot be easily unlocked and opened. In this embodiment the lock can still be unlocked using an emergency tool, such as the manufacturer provided tool or a small slot screwdriver. The exterior portion of this lockset uses a return spring  7 , which is housed between the latch  6  on one side and the knob keeper ring  8 . The knob keeper ring is further disposed on to the mounting plate  9  on the inside the door (not shown). The exterior knob  14  is mounted to the door in standard fashion with two mounting screws  13 . The exterior knob  14  has a knob insert  12  crimped to the inner surface of the exterior knob  14  so that when the exterior knob is pushed in the spindle is turned to unlock the door. The knob insert and engaging pin  12  slides through the exterior rosette  15 . The fluted spindle  4  rests inside a spindle housing  5 . The fluted spindle  4  is made from solid metal or appropriately durable material with a groove that can be characterized as helical or fluted in shape. As the knob insert slides across the spindle, the engaging pin contacts the flute, which forces the spindle to rotate, thus unlocking the door. The return spring, which allows unlocking from the outside, requires at least minimum of 7 and maximum of 20 foot-pounds +/− of force before it will engage. Once the exterior knob/lever is depressed and the door unlocked, it will return to its original position so that the door and knob can continue to be used as normal. 
         [0023]    According to a second embodiment of this invention, the knob and door can be locked from the inside using the standard thumb turn found on all turn to lock style privacy locks, for example a Kwikset® privacy lock.  FIG. 2  shows a kit  40  for adapting to existing installed door locks. The kit  40  portion comprises a thumb turn  21  attached to frictional mounting tube  22  and the frictional mounting tube  22  retains an activating pin  24 . The frictional mounting tube  22  is designed to have a slight taper so that when the kit  40  is pushed into the existing emergency hole the kit will remain stably mounted therein. The activating pin  24  has a flat head shape and spring  23  that engages the proximal end of the spindle  34 . When the thumb turn  21  is twisted, the activating pin  24  turns the spindle  34  to unlock the door. When the thumb turn  21  is twisted back to the locked position the door will be re-locked. The outside portion of the lock still functions as a traditional privacy lock in non-emergency situations, and the standard emergency tool can still be used to unlock the door. 
         [0024]      FIG. 4  discloses a similar third embodiment of a linear lock release kit  50  wherein an activating pin  54  is disposed within a frictional mounting tube  53 , the frictional mounting tube  53  is pushed into the existing emergency tool-hole of an installed privacy lock. While the kit  50  is removable it is intended to remain permanently in place. The kit  50  further comprises a handle set seat  52  and a rubber dome  51  to cover the activating pin  54 . The activating pin  54  engages the spindle (not shown) of a previously installed lock. The handle set seat  52  keeps frictional mounting tube  53  from shifting and can be comprised of any suitable material. The rubber dome  5  lcould be glued or attached to the activating pin  54  to return the activating pin to its original position after actuation. Alternatively, a return spring would return the activating pin  54  to its original position after actuation. 
         [0025]    A fourth embodiment as shown in  FIG. 3  shows a Schlage® like push button privacy lock adapted with a sliding knob  64  with an engaging tube  62  and engaging spring  61 . Two keeper pins  63  allow the sliding knob  64  to slide in and out of the lock body  65  via narrow parallel slits  66  on the knob stem  67 . The slits  66  and keeper pins  63  act together like rails to keep the knob  64  oriented with the axis between the two knobs of a lock. The parallel slits  66  are variable in length to accommodate actuation of various lock manufacturer designs and door thicknesses. The operator pushes the exterior knob  64  causing the engaging tube  62  to depress the spindle, thus unlocking the door. 
         [0026]    In an alternative embodiment the lock incorporates biometric data analysis such as voice recognition, finger print, retinal scan, facial recognition, hand grip, and similarly known unique identifying details of a person. Biometric data would be utilized to set over ride the lock. For example, security settings could be incorporated to allow users to open the door based upon preprogramed settings. Much like a user account on a computer network, there could be an administrator account with the fullest access to the network, a user account could be used to override a more junior account, such as one for a child. 
         [0027]    The foregoing descriptions are, at present, considered to be the preferred embodiments of the present invention. However, it is contemplated that various changes and modifications apparent to those skilled in the art, may be made without departing from the present discovery. Therefore, the foregoing description is intended to cover all such changes and modifications encompassed within the spirit and scope of the present discovery, including all equivalent aspects.