Abstract:
An interconnected lock assembly which can remotely engage a mechanism to couple operation of an inside handle to operation of an outside handle to enable the door to be unlocked from the outside of the door without requiring a key. The interconnected lock assembly is mounted in a door and comprises a first lock assembly including an inside handle and an outside handle, and a second lock assembly interconnected to the first lock assembly. The second lock assembly comprises a deadbolt assembly operably connected to a deadbolt latch having a deadbolt movable between an extended position and a retracted position. Rotation of the inside handle operates to move the deadbolt into a retracted position. The interconnected lock assembly further comprises a remote unlocking mechanism selectively engageable to automatically couple the outside handle to the inside handle such that rotation of the outside handle moves the deadbolt into a retracted position thus unlocking the door.

Description:
TECHNICAL FIELD 
     This invention relates generally to interconnected lock assemblies used to secure doors. More particularly, the present invention relates to an interconnected lock assembly which provides a feature to remotely unlock the interconnected lock assembly. This application claims the benefit of U.S. Provisional Application No. 60/176,890 filed Jan. 19, 2000, herein incorporated by reference. 
    
    
     BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION 
     An interconnected lock assembly is characterized by an inside handle, either knob or lever, which simultaneously retracts both a deadlatch and a deadbolt. Such a lock assembly is commonly found in public accommodations such as hotels and motels in which, for security purposes, the occupant wishes to set both a deadlatch and a deadbolt. The same type of lock assembly may also be found in a residential or other environments. It is particularly important that both locks be retracted by the turning of a single inside operating member as it has been found that in the event of a fire or other panic situation it is desirable that the occupant only need turn a single knob or lever to operate all of the lock mechanisms in a particular door. 
     Such interconnected lock assemblies have been on the market for a number of years. Some interconnected lock assemblies are adjustable to compensate for varying distances between the latch assemblies. The adjustable feature is particularly helpful if there is a slight misalignment of the latch assembly bores, or when retrofitting an existing door if the distance between bore centerlines is not the same as the distance between the latch assemblies of the interconnected lock. U.S. Pat. No. 6,128,933 discloses an adjustable interconnected lock which enables interconnection of an exterior assembly that has an adjustable spacing between the exterior dead bolt assembly and a lower lock assembly. 
     One problem with interconnected lock assemblies is that when leaving, the user can open the door by using just the interior handle, even if the door is locked, but must use a key to unlock the door from the outside. This can provide an inconvenience especially when the keys are not readily available, the user is carrying objects, the user does not have a key, or the user is in a hurry. Thus the convenience and ease of operation provided by the interconnect lock is lost. 
     The foregoing illustrates limitations known to exist in present interconnected lock assembly designs. Thus, it is apparent that it would be advantageous to provide an alternative directed to overcoming one or more of the limitations set forth above. Accordingly, a suitable alternative is provided including features more fully disclosed hereinafter. 
     SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION 
     It is therefore an object of the present invention to provide an interconnected lock assembly which can remotely engage a mechanism to couple operation of an inside handle to operation of an outside handle to enable the door to be unlocked from the outside of the door without requiring a key. This and other objects of the present invention are provided by an interconnected lock assembly for mounting in a door comprising a first lock assembly including an inside handle and an outside handle, and a second lock assembly interconnected to the first lock assembly. The second lock assembly comprises a deadbolt assembly operably connected to a deadbolt latch having a deadbolt movable between an extended position and a retracted position. Rotation of the inside handle operates to unlatch the first lock assembly and move the deadbolt into a retracted position. The interconnected lock assembly further comprises a remote unlocking mechanism selectively engageable to automatically couple the outside handle to the inside handle such that rotation of the outside handle operates to unlatch the first lock assembly and moves the deadbolt into a retracted position, thus unlocking the door. 
    
    
     BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS 
     FIG. 1 is an exploded perspective view of an interconnected lock assembly; 
     FIG. 2 is a perspective view of the assembled interconnected lock assembly of FIG. 1; 
     FIG. 3 is a side elevational view of the assembled interconnected lock assembly, shown without the escutcheon assembly, in accordance with FIG. 1; 
     FIG. 4A is an rearward perspective view of the escutcheon assembly, in accordance with FIG. 1; 
     FIG. 4B is an frontal perspective view of the escutcheon assembly, in accordance with FIG. 1; 
     FIG. 5 is an exploded perspective view of the backplate assembly in accordance with FIG. 1, including an electronic power module of the remote unlocking mechanism of the present invention; 
     FIG. 6A is a partial side elevational view of the backplate assembly with the carrier component removed showing the catch mechanism components; 
     FIG. 6B is a partial side elevational view of the backplate assembly with the carrier component removed revealing the catch mechanism in a disengaged catch position; 
     FIG. 7 is a perspective view of inside housing assembly and attached remote unlocking mechanism of the present invention; 
     FIG. 8 is an exploded perspective view of the remote unlocking mechanism of the present invention. 
     FIG. 9 is a perspective view of the assembled remote unlocking mechanism of the present invention in a disengaged position. 
     FIG. 10 is a perspective view of the assembled remote unlocking mechanism of the present invention in an engaged position; and 
     FIG. 11 is a side elevational view of a remote unlocking signal transmitter for the remote unlocking mechanism of the present invention. 
    
    
     DETAILED DESCRIPTION 
     Referring now to the drawings, wherein similar reference characters designate corresponding parts throughout the several views, there is generally indicated at  10  an adjustable interconnected lock assembly which can be used with the remote unlocking feature of the present invention. Referring specifically to FIGS. 1 and 2, lock assembly  10  comprises a first or lower interconnected lock assembly  18  comprising outside housing assembly  12 , rose  14 , and outside knob/lever  16 , attached from the outside of a door (not shown) through a first or lower bore in the door, and through a back plate assembly  20  positioned on the inside of the door, to inside housing assembly  22 . Interconnect cam  24 , escutcheon assembly  28 , and inside knob/lever  26  are attached to inside housing assembly  22  on the inside of the door. Although not shown, a latch assembly could be operably connected between outside housing assembly  12  and inside housing assembly  22 . Interconnected lock assembly  10  also comprises a second or upper interconnected lock assembly  40  comprising a deadbolt housing assembly  42  and a deadbolt latch assembly  44 . Deadbolt housing assembly  42  is attached from the outside of the door through a second or upper bore and operably connected to deadbolt latch assembly  44 , and through back plate assembly  20  and secured thereto by deadbolt plate  46  and mounting screws  48 . Deadbolt housing assembly  42  is operably connected to a deadbolt pinion  50  which engages a deadbolt rack  52  connected to back plate assembly  20  as discussed in detail below. The lower interconnected lock  18  and upper interconnected lock  40  are standard configurations that are well-known in the art, and as such, the workings of these locks will not be described in detail, except as they relate to the present invention. 
     Referring now to FIG. 3, interconnected lock  10  shown with escutcheon assembly  28  removed. Back plate assembly  20  comprises a carrier component  54  vertically movable on, a slidably attached to a black plate  56  by a plurality of tangs  58 . Deadbolt rack  52  is oriented vertically and fixedly attached to a carrier component  54  such that it engages pinion  50 . Interconnected lock  10  is adjustable in that upper lock assembly  40  can move up or down to properly fit the upper bore of the door. Deadbolt plate  46  is movable within a slot  62  in back plate  56  to allow the proper positioning of upper lock assembly  40 . Upper lock assembly  40  is then secured to deadbolt plate  46  by mounting screws  48  which secure upper lock assembly  40  in a fixed position. Deadbolt assembly  42  is operably connected to deadbolt pinion  50  by a driver bar  60  which is co-rotatingly attached to deadbolt pinion  50 . Carrier component  54  is shown in a raised, or unlock position. When carrier component  54  is in a lowered, or locked position, a mating cam surface  64  of carrier component  54  engages cam  24 . Cam  24  is attached to knob/lever  26  in a co-rotating manner such that rotation of knob/lever  26  rotates cam  24  which engages mating cam surface  64 , causing carrier component  54  to move vertically, upwardly to a raised, or unlock position. The rack  52  attached to carrier component  54  causes deadbolt pinion  50  to rotate as carrier component  54  moves either upward or downward. Driver bar  60  co-rotates with deadbolt pinion  50 . Rotation of driver bar  60  causes retraction and extension of a deadbolt  90  of deadbolt latch assembly  44  in a standard fashion. Accordingly, as carrier component  54  moves upward, deadbolt  90  of deadbolt latch assembly  44  is retracted, allowing the door to be opened. Deadbolt  90  is distinguished from standard deadbolts in that deadbolt  90  includes a cam surface at a distal end. While this cam surface is similar to cam surfaces used in standard spring latch assemblies, this cam surface only partially extends along the extended deadbolt  90 . Accordingly, the door cannot be closed when the deadbolt  90  is in an extended position. However, when the deadbolt  90  is partially extended, the door can be closed as the cam surface will engage a strike plate forcing deadbolt  90  to retract. It should be noted that depression of deadbolt  90  results in deadbolt latch  44  rotating deadbolt pinion  50  in a standard manner, moving carrier component  54  to a raised position. 
     Referring now to FIGS. 4A and 4B, escutcheon assembly  28  comprises escutcheon  30 , thumbturn  32 , and thumbturn link component  34 . Thumbturn  32  is coupled to thumbturn link component  34  in a co-rotating manner through an aperture in escutcheon  30 . Thumbturn link component  34  comprises at least one pin  36  which engages an aperture  38  in rack  52 , linking thumbturn  32  to carrier component  54 . It is noted that rack  52  can be positioned on either side of carrier component  54  such that a pin  36  will engage an aperture  38  in rack  52 , allowing thumbturn  32  to be appropriately attached for right and left-hand opening doors. Movement of the carrier component  54  results in rotation of thumbturn  32 , and conversely, rotation of thumbturn  32  causes movement of carrier component  54  and extension and retraction of said deadbolt  90 . 
     Referring now to FIG. 5, the back plate assembly  20  is shown in greater detail. Interconnected lock  10  utilizes carrier component  54  which is biased in a downward, or locked position. Accordingly, a spring carriage  72  is attached to carrier component  54 . Spring carriage  72  houses a spring  74  such that one end of spring  74  is attached to the assembled spring carriage  72 /carrier component  54  and the other end of spring  74  is fixedly attached to back plate  56 . Spring  74  is of sufficient strength to cause carrier component  54  to move downward to locked position and cause extension of deadbolt  90  of deadbolt latch assembly  44 . Backplate assembly  20  further comprises an electronic module  66  housing a power component  68  shown as a plurality of batteries to operate an automatic locking solenoid  70  and a signal receiver  75 . Electronic module  66  may also be used to power a speaker  78  or status lights  91 . 
     In order to prevent spring  74  from returning carrier component  54  to a locked position, back plate assembly includes a catch mechanism  80  comprising a catch component  82 , a catch release  84 , and a spring trigger rod  86  as shown in FIGS. 6A and 6B. Catch component  82  and catch release  84  are each pivotally attached to back plate  56  by a pin  88 . Catch release  84  is biased toward catch component  82  by catch release spring  83 . Spring trigger rod  86  is affixed to carrier component  54  and moves along a guide portion  92  in catch component  82 . Spring trigger rod  86  is also biased toward spring  74 . 
     The operation of interconnected lock  10  is best described in a dynamic manner starting with carrier component  54  position in a lowered, or locked position. Interconnected lock  10  includes a keyless exit feature in which enables automatic locking actuation. Movement of carrier component  54  from a locked position to an unlocked position can be accomplished by either rotating inside knob/lever  26 , rotating thumbturn  32 , or by turning a key to rotate the rotating driver bar  60  of deadbolt assembly  42 , typically with a key. As carrier component  54  moves upward, spring trigger rod  86  moves upward along guide portion  92  of catch component  82  from its initial position A, shown in FIG.  6 A. Movement of carrier component  54  and attached rack  52  causes rotation of pinion  50  and driver bar  60 , retracting deadbolt  90  of deadbolt latch assembly  44 . At the end of the carrier component  54  travel, the deadbolt  90  of deadbolt latch assembly  44  is fully retracted: Spring trigger rod  86 , now at position C, and catch release  84 , biased by catch release spring  83 , force a tab feature  93  of catch  82  to move underneath spring carriage  72  in a manner locking carrier component  54  in an unlocked position. Spring  74  is now in an extended position, storing energy needed to extend the deadbolt  90 . At this point, further opening enclosing of the door will not affect catch mechanism  80  as the guide path of the spring trigger rod  86  does not release the spring carriage  72 . Spring trigger rod  86  will move upward from position A to position C along guide path  92  of catch component  82 . When carrier component  54  moves downward, trigger spring rod  86  will move downward from position C, through position B, back to position A. Spring trigger rod  86  deviates from guide path  92  in the downward direction. Guide path  92  of catch component  82  is configured with a ramp portion between lowered portions generally corresponding to positions A and C. Between positions A and C, trigger spring rod  86  moves up a ramp portion to a drop-off  76  shown generally adjacent to position B. In the downward direction, spring trigger rod  86  is forced by the wall of drop-off  76  to move off of catch component  82  to a position below a portion of catch release  84 . In normal operation of the lock  10 , spring trigger rod  86  will continue downward from position B and return to position A. Accordingly, standard operation of the lock does not affect the catch mechanism. 
     In order to actuate the keyless exit feature, when deadbolt  90  of deadbolt latch assembly  44  is retracted, thumbturn  32  is rotated to an intermediate position. Rotation of thumbturn  32  causes thumbturn link component  34  to rotate. At least one pin  36  of thumbturn link component  34  engages rack  52 , such that rotation of thumbturn  32  causes carrier component  54  to move partially downward, partially extending deadbolt  90 . In addition, spring trigger rod  86  moves from position C to a position adjacent catch release  84 , shown as position B. 
     Referring now to FIG. 6B, operation of the keyless exit feature is shown. The deadbolt  90  is in a partially extended position. When a cam surface of deadbolt  90  is driven back by a strike plate of the door jamb (not shown) such as when the door is closed, linear movement of deadbolt  90  within deadbolt latch  44  is converted to rotation of deadbolt pinion  50  in a standard manner. Rotation of deadbolt pinion  50  causes carrier component  54  to move upward, moving spring trigger rod  86  to position D, forcing catch release  84  to rotate and free catch  82 . This action allows spring carriage  74 /carrier component  54  to move downward under the force of spring  72 . As carrier component  54  moves downward, the deadbolt  90  of deadbolt latch assembly  44  is fully extended via the interaction of the deadbolt pinion  50  and rack  52 . 
     When the keyless exit function is not in use, interconnected lock  10  will operate as a normal, or standard, interconnected lock. 
     The remote unlocking feature of the present invention is shown in FIGS. 7-11. Inside housing assembly  22  houses remote unlocking mechanism  110  as best shown in FIG.  7 . Remote unlocking mechanism  110  comprises a solenoid  112  housed in an inside spindle  211  of inside housing assembly  22 . Referring now to FIG. 8, solenoid  112  includes a solenoid plunger  124  attached to a coupling bar  114  which is selectively coupled to coupling driver  116 . Coupling driver  116  is coupled to an inner cam  209  by a tab portion  134  of coupling driver which matingly engages an aperture  136  on inner cam  209 . Inner cam  209  is coupled through outside housing assembly  12  to outside handle  16  such that rotation of outside handle  16  causes rotation of inner cam  209  and coupling driver  116 . Coupling bar  114  is biased by spring  118  away from solenoid  112 . Coupling bar  114  is coupled at a first end  122  to solenoid plunger  124 . Coupling bar  114  has a coupling driver engaging portion at a second end  126 . Coupling driver  116  has a first recess  128  and a second interior recess  130 . Second end  126  of coupling bar  114  is biased by spring  118  into second interior recess  130  of coupling driver  116 . Second interior recess  130  allows coupling driver  116 . Second interior recess  130  allows coupling driver  116  to be rotated without engaging second end  126  of coupling bar  114  as best shown in FIG.  9 . In this state, the door cannot be unlocked by rotation of outside handle  16 . 
     Electrical wires  120  provide power from power component  68  of electronic module  66  to solenoid  112 . A remote signal device  98  is utilized with the remote unlocking mechanism  110 , shown in FIG. 11 as a standard keychain transmitter of the type used to unlock cars, garages, etc. When the remote unlocking signal is received by signal receiver  75 , electrical power is provided through electrical wires  120  to solenoid  112 , actuating solenoid plunger  124  which axially moves away from coupling driver  116 . The solenoid plunger  124  axially pulls coupling bar  114  such that second end  126  engages first recess  128  of coupling driver  116 . Second end  126  mates with first recess  128  to couple coupling bar  114  to coupling driver  116  in a co-rotating manner as best shown in FIG.  10 . At this point outside handle  16  is coupled to inside handle  26  such that rotation of outside handle  16  unlocks interconnected lock  10  in the same manner as if operated by inside handle  26 . 
     Although the present invention has been described above in detail, the same is by way of illustration and example only and is not to be taken as a limitation on the present invention. Accordingly, the scope and content of the present invention are to be defined only by the terms of the appended claims.