Patent Publication Number: US-8122745-B2

Title: Handle with a closure insert

Description:
This a continuation application of application Ser. No. 12/224,471, filed Feb. 25, 2009, which is a National Phase application of International Application No. PCT/EP2007/001065 filed on Feb. 8, 2007, which claims priority from German Patent Application No. 20 2006 003 304.1 filed on Mar. 2, 2006, the disclosure of which is incorporated herein by reference in its entirety. 
    
    
     BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION 
     1. Field of the Invention 
     The invention is directed to a handle or the like with a lock insert or the like for mounting in a preferably thin wall such as a sheet metal cabinet door leaf, sheet metal drawer front, or sheet metal box lid, the handle having a longitudinal extension at whose ends is arranged at least one fastening means such as a screw, nut, hook fastening or clip-in fastening. 
     2. Description of Related Art 
     Handles of the type mentioned above are already known in a variety of embodiment forms. The handle is often combined with lock devices which are either mounted separate from the handle in the thin wall, such as is frequently encountered in tool cabinets, or the lock is integrated in the handle, which saves space. Further, in the latter case, mounting is simplified because usually fewer openings are needed in the sheet metal of the thin wall and often also fewer parts need to be mounted. 
     It is a drawback in the prior art that although lock inserts are used the variety of forms of the lock insert for a determined handle is limited. Therefore, when the number of different possible lock inserts increases, the quantity of handles which are needed for them and adapted to them also immediately increases. 
     SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION 
     It is the object of the invention to solve this problem and to provide a handle with a lock insert for mounting in a thin wall in which very different lock inserts can be mounted with one handle, wherein the arrangement is to be carried out in such a way that the lock does not require any additional openings and/or fastening devices independent of the handle and the handle also remains unchanged in spite of different lock shapes. 
     The object is met in that the lock insert comprises a housing with a collar in the vicinity of its front end, and in that a receiving space for the front end of the housing with the collar is provided at or in the vicinity of the one fastening means, this receiving space traversing the handle to the front side of the handle while changing in cross section. In this way, the lock insert can be secured in the door leaf by the handle so that the handle serves at the same time as fastening means for the lock insert in addition to its other function as a handhold or as a cover or as other means for imparting a design to a sheet metal cabinet, a drawer, or the like. 
     According to a further development of the invention, the collar has a contour which is not round, such as a prism-shaped, in particular a square, contour which makes it possible to mount the lock so as to be rotated by 90°, which is advantageous, for example, in rotary fasteners which must be oriented differently under certain conditions depending on the arrangement by which it engages in back in the switch cabinet 
     According to another further development, the collar has rectangular or H-shaped edges and the opening is shaped in such a way that the collar can penetrate through the opening in one position, but not in the displaced or concealed position. 
     According to another further development of the invention, the front end of the housing on the near side of the collar has a round contour coaxial to the square or prism-shaped collar. This makes possible the arrangement of conventional cylinder locks. 
     According to another further development of the invention, the rear end of the housing on the far side of the collar has a square contour with rounded corners or a round contour with flattened portions, which prevents a relative rotation. 
     The receiving space can be arranged between two fastening means disposed at a distance from one another, which makes possible a particularly stable fastening. 
     The lock can be a rotary fastener or can comprise a ball-type snap-in closure or a locking cylinder. For technical reasons relating to mounting, it is advantageous to provide a door or the like with openings that are arranged symmetrically with respect to its center in order to use a handle on right-hand hinged doors or left-hand hinged doors. In such cases, it is advantageous when the handle forms, at its other end remote of the lock, a cover for an opening for a lock, which opening is provided in the thin wall, e.g., for the sake of symmetry. 
     The handle need not necessarily be designed as a handle, but can be reduced to a flange or rose or even, e.g., to a bar guide, specifically when a handle function is not required but a lock is to be provided nevertheless. 
     According to a further development of the invention, the hole pattern provided in the thin wall for the handle or rose is symmetric around an axis which is parallel to the longitudinal extension and around an axis perpendicular to the longitudinal extension. 
     A projection emerging from the handle or rose so as to be integral with it can serve as fastening means. 
     The projection can have an external thread for receiving a fastening nut or the like. 
     In case of a handle or a rose, the projection can form a channel which extends parallel to the thin wall and in which a slide can be inserted against spring force, this slide having at its end remote of the spring an inclined stop face and an inclined holding surface extending substantially at a right angle to the latter. A corresponding hole pattern provides the possibility for a particularly secure clip-in fastening in a thin wall. 
    
    
     
       BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS 
         FIG. 1  shows a perspective view of a handle constructed according to the invention in which a locking cylinder drives a rotary fastener; 
         FIG. 2  shows a top view of the arrangement shown in  FIG. 1 ; 
         FIG. 3  shows a plan view of the handle from  FIG. 1 ; 
         FIG. 4  is a bottom view and  FIG. 5  is a sectional view along line V-V in  FIG. 4 , the handle according to  FIGS. 1 to 5  having a snap-in fastening device; 
         FIGS. 6A ,  6 B and  6 C show a handle designed similar to that of  FIG. 1 , but with a stud fastening, wherein the three different views illustrate the progressive assembly of a closure of the constructional type according to the invention; 
         FIG. 6D  shows an axial section through the handle according to  FIG. 6C ; 
         FIGS. 7A ,  7 B and  7 C are views similar to  FIGS. 6A to 6C  showing a handle similar to that of  FIG. 1 , but in different stages of installation; 
         FIG. 7D  is a view of the lock similar to  FIG. 6D ; 
         FIG. 8  shows the four parts making up the rotary fastener which can be received by the handle according to  FIGS. 7A to 7C ; 
         FIGS. 9A to 9C  and  FIG. 9D  show a closure in different assembly stages and in cross section having, in contrast to the embodiment form described thus far, a cover plate which makes possible and which covers a symmetrical arrangement of holes in the door leaf which, among other things, makes it possible for the handle arrangement to rotate when the hinging direction of the door is changed; 
         FIGS. 10A to 10C  show the different installation situations for a handle which is reduced to a rose and which receives a rotary fastener; 
         FIGS. 11A ,  11 B and  11 C show different installation situations and a sectional view of a handle having a snap lock as closure; 
         FIG. 11D  is a side view showing an installed snap lock handle to illustrate its operation; 
         FIG. 11E  is a side view showing a latch bolt lock with push button unlocking which can be installed according to the invention; 
         FIGS. 12A to 12C  and  FIG. 12D  in views similar to those in  FIGS. 6A to 6D  show the various stages of construction of a T-handle closure with rotary fastener, which closure can be fastened in the thin wall alternatively by means of a clip-in fastening (left side) or screw fastening (right side); 
         FIGS. 13A to 13D  show a snap lock of a different constructional type in which a square opening rotated by 45 degrees is provided in the thin wall; 
         FIGS. 14 to 16  show differently shaped openings in the thin wall for collar shapes of corresponding contours; 
         FIG. 17A  shows a perspective view of a reversible bar lock with an attachable reversible adapter cage which provides the bar lock with a mounting collar; 
         FIG. 17B  is a perspective view showing the bar lock of  FIG. 15A  with mounted cage, the associated opening in a thin wall for mounting the adapter by insertion and displacement in the opening, and the escutcheon for clip-in mounting in the ends of the opening and locking of the adapter position by the cage contour being received in the locked position; 
         FIG. 17C  shows an enlarged longitudinal section through the lock case with mounted cage, which combination is reversibly inserted in a thin wall; 
         FIG. 18A  is a perspective view showing an arrangement similar to that in  FIGS. 17A to 17C , but in the completely assembled state; 
         FIG. 18B  shows an enlarged axial section through the escutcheon mounted in the wall; 
         FIG. 18C  is a plan view of the parts located on the back side of the wall; and 
         FIG. 18D  is another enlarged sectional view through a non-reversible adapter holder for the lock case from  FIG. 17C . 
     
    
    
     DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF EMBODIMENTS 
     It is to be understood that the figures and descriptions of the present invention have been simplified to illustrate elements that are relevant for a clear understanding of the present invention, while eliminating, for purposes of clarity, many other elements which are conventional in this art. Those of ordinary skill in the art will recognize that other elements are desirable for implementing the present invention. However, because such elements are well known in the art, and because they do not facilitate a better understanding of the present invention, a discussion of such elements is not provided herein. 
     The present invention will now be described in detail on the basis of exemplary embodiments. 
       FIG. 1  shows a handle  10  with a lock insert  12  for mounting in a preferably thin wall  14  such as a sheet metal cabinet door leaf  14  which may be articulated in a door frame  16  (see  FIG. 2 ) or such as a sheet metal drawer front which can be inserted into a cabinet, or such as a sheet metal box lid which closes a sheet metal box, wherein the handle  10  has a longitudinal extension at whose ends  18 ,  20  is arranged at least one fastening means such as a screw, nut, hook fastening or clip-in fastening  22 ,  24  (see also  FIG. 5 ). 
       FIG. 5  and particularly  FIG. 8  show how a lock insert can be constructed. Accordingly, the lock insert comprises a housing  26  which comprises a collar  28  in the vicinity of its front end  32 . In the end of the handle in the vicinity of the fastening means, proceeding from the contact surface contacting the thin wall, a receiving space is provided for the front end of the housing with the collar, which receiving space traverses the handle to the front side of the handle while changing (decreasing in size, circular shape). 
     The receiving space  30  advisably has a contour similar to the collar, for example, a square contour. This prevents relative rotation. 
     The front end  36  of the housing  26  on the near side of the collar  28  has a round contour which is advisably coaxial to the square collar  28 . In this way, the housing can be arranged in four different rotational directions. This is advisable in rotary fastener locks such as those provided herein. 
     The rounding can have chord-like necked down portion  34  which are provided at four edges so as to again prevent relative rotation within the correspondingly shaped opening in the thin wall (reference number  36 ). 
     According to  FIG. 8 , a commercially available locking cylinder  40 , whose locking core  42  can be provided with a square  44 , can be received in the housing  26 . A correspondingly shaped rotary fastener  46  can be placed on this square  44  so as to be offset by 90° in four different positions and can be secured by screws  48 . Projections  50  project from the collar  28  with stops for a projection  52  at the rim of the locking cylinder  40  so that the latter cannot rotate in the installed state. 
     The locking core  42  can rotate only when a corresponding key is inserted and the core suitably releases the corresponding tumblers. Assembly of the four parts according to  FIG. 8  results in a lock insert  12  according to  FIG. 7A , shown in cross section in  FIG. 5 . As can be seen from  FIG. 5A , the receiving space  30  is arranged between two fastening means  22 ,  24  having a distance from one another. The bore hole  38  is arranged between the bore holes  54 ,  56  in a corresponding manner. Assembly is carried out in such a way that the rotary fastener is first inserted through the opening  38  and the housing  26  is then pushed through with the collar coming to rest on the surface of the door leaf on the thin wall  14  as can be seen in  FIG. 7B . Thereupon the handle  10  is inserted through openings  54 ,  56  and snapped in by the two fastening devices which are arranged at both of its ends in the form of clip-in arrangements  22 ,  24  in the present case. The housing with the collar penetrates into the corresponding openings and recesses of the handle and are securely held there by the handle. This state is shown in  FIG. 7C . 
     In the embodiment forms according to  FIGS. 6A to 6D , a stud  122  or  124  is provided as fastening means instead of the clip-in fastening. A threaded nut  56  can be screwed onto this stud  122  and  124 , respectively, to hold the handle element on the thin wall  114 . In a corresponding manner, the openings  154 ,  156  provided for the fastening elements  122 ,  124  are also shaped differently; namely, instead of being right-angled as in the embodiment form according to  FIGS. 7A  to D, a round hole is provided. 
     The disadvantage of this screw fastening is that the back of the thin wall must be accessible, whereas in the embodiment form according to  FIGS. 7A to 7D  insertion is carried out in a simple manner from the front without requiring that the back side be accessible. 
     The embodiment form according to  FIGS. 9A to 9D  differs from the embodiment form according to  FIGS. 7A to 7D  only in that the handle, at its other end  220  remote of the lock, forms a cover  58  for an additional opening  60  for a lock, which additional opening  60  may possibly be provided in the thin wall  214  for the sake of symmetry. In the embodiment form according to  FIGS. 10A to 10C , the handle  110  is reduced to a flange or rose, simultaneously a visual covering for the locking cylinder device, so that the fastening function for the rotary fastener is the focus in this case. 
     Naturally, the handle can be carried out, and the door also opened, by a corresponding tool. In any case, the key itself could be used for opening by pulling on it as soon as the rotary fastener has reached the release position. 
     As can be seen in  FIG. 10A , a hole pattern is provided for the thin wall  14  in which an axis arranged parallel to the longitudinal extension  62  and an axis  60  perpendicular to the latter are arranged symmetrically. 
     Accordingly, the hole pattern in the arrangement according to  FIG. 9A  is also arranged symmetrically in a twofold manner. 
     In the embodiment form according to  FIGS. 11A to 11D , a closure is provided as a slide snap lock (see reference number  464 ).  FIG. 11C  shows how the snap lock  464  engages behind the frame  416  of a switch cabinet in order to securely hold the door  414 . 
     It should be noted that the projection  422  of the fastening means according to  FIG. 11A  forms a channel  68  which extends parallel to the thin wall  414  similar to snap lock  64  in which a slide  70  can be inserted against spring force  72 , this slide  70  having an inclined stop face  74  at its end remote of the spring  72  and an inclined holding surface  76  extending substantially at right angles to the latter. 
     The side view in  FIG. 11E  shows a latch bolt lock with push button unlocking which can be installed according to the invention. Pressing the button  75  leads to a retraction of the latch bolt  77  as indicated by the arrow. 
       FIGS. 12A to 12C  and  FIG. 12D , in views similar to those in  FIGS. 6A to 6D , show the different construction stages of a T-handle closure  510  with rotary fastener, which closure can be fastened alternatively by means of a clip-in fastening (left side) in rectangular openings  556  or by means of a screw fastening (right side) in round holes  554  in the thin wall  514 . 
     In the embodiment forms described thus far, the lock housing is inserted, for example, into the opening  538  from the outside, i.e., the collar  528  of the housing  526  need not be inserted through the opening; it remains on the outer side and is securely held by subsequent arrangement of the handle  510  (see  FIGS. 12B and 12C ) by its olive  78 . 
     However, in the embodiment form according to  FIGS. 13A to 13D  which shows a snap lock of a different constructional type, the collar  628  can be inserted through the opening  638  from the back. A square opening  638  which is rotated by 45 degrees is provided in the thin wall  614  so that the opening rims of the housing are securely held after insertion and rotation of the housing by 45 degrees when the rose is placed on the lock. 
       FIG. 14  shows an embodiment form with an opening  738  with a first wide region  80  through which the collar  728  of the housing  712  can be inserted, and a second narrow region  82  where the collar does not fit through and is securely held. The housing is mounted in that the collar  728  of the housing  612  is first inserted from behind in the wide region  80 , whereupon a translational displacement of the housing in the narrow region  82  is carried out and subsequently the handle with the collar is held in the manner described above in a recess formed by the handle or the like so as to be fixed with respect to rotation relative to it and secured axially against displacement. 
       FIGS. 15 and 16  show an H-shaped collar shape  828  and a correspondingly contoured opening  838 , wherein displacement (see  FIG. 16 ) is also carried out in this case after insertion according to  FIG. 15 , in which position the handle is mounted so as to securely hold the collar. 
       FIG. 17A  is a perspective view showing a reversible bar lock  912  with an attachable, reversible adapter cage  84  that creates a mounting collar  928  for the bar lock. The adapter cage  84  is symmetrically constructed (see also the enlarged longitudinal section through the lock case  912  with mounted cage  84  in  FIG. 17C ) in such a way that the combination can be inserted in a thin wall  914  in a reversible manner. To avoid increasing the overall height on the back side of the lock case, the arrangement of the cage is adapted to the lock case  912  in such a way that it is displaceable by the protruding amount  86 . Accordingly, the portion of the cage that is not needed disappears into the countersunk areas of the front face of the lock case  912  that are present in any case (see the underside in  FIG. 17C ). 
       FIG. 17B  is a perspective view showing the bar lock  912  of  FIG. 15A  with mounted cage  84 , the associated opening  938  in a thin wall  914  for mounting the adapter  84  in that its part projecting over the lock case  912  is inserted and displaced in the opening  938 , and the escutcheon  910  for snap-in mounting in the ends  956  of the opening  938  and locking the adapter position in that the cage contour is received in the locked position insofar as it projects through the opening  938  of the thin wall  914  and protrudes over its front side plane. 
       FIG. 18A  is a perspective view showing an arrangement similar to that in  FIGS. 17A to 17C , but in the completely mounted state; namely, a bar lock  1012  which engages around rim areas of an opening  1038  by means of an adapter  1028  with collar  1028 , which adapter  1028  is asymmetric in the present case, after insertion through and displacement in the opening  1038 , whereupon an escutcheon which can be secured in the opening  1038  by means of clip-in devices  1022 ,  1024  in turn securely holds the adapter  1028  in the receiving space  1030  (see  FIG. 18B  showing an enlarged axial section through the escutcheon  1010  mounted in the wall  1014 ). 
       FIG. 18C  is a plan view of the parts located on the back side of the wall  1014 , and  FIG. 18D  is an enlarged sectional view through a non-reversible adapter holder  1028  for the lock case  1012  of  FIG. 17C . 
     The lock case  1012  is known per se and comprises two halves, between which a pinion  92 , which drives locking bars  90 , is arranged so as to be displaceable and rotatable. The pinion  92  is driven in turn by a drive  94  that can be actuated by a socket wrench. 
     The two lock case halves can be glued together or held together through special screwing or riveting. In this case, they are held together by a head screw  96  which is received by a threaded bore hole in the adapter  1028  (right-hand side of  FIG. 18D ) or, alternatively, by flattening or head-forming  98  of a pin emerging from the adapter  1028  (left-hand side of  FIG. 18D ). 
     COMMERCIAL APPLICABILITY 
     The invention is commercially applicable in switch cabinet construction. 
     While this invention has been described in conjunction with the specific embodiments outlined above, it is evident that many alternatives, modifications, and variations will be apparent to those skilled in the art. Accordingly, the preferred embodiments of the invention as set forth above are intended to be illustrative, not limiting. Various changes may be made without departing from the spirit and scope of the inventions as defined in the following claims. 
     REFERENCE NUMBERS 
     
         
           10 ,  110 ,  210 ,  310 ,  410 ,  510 ,  610 ,  910 ,  1010  handle 
           12 ,  112 ,  212 ,  312 ,  412 ,  512 ,  612 ,  712 ,  812 ,  912 ,  1012  lock insert 
           14 ,  114 ,  214 ,  314 ,  414 ,  514 ,  614 ,  714 ,  814 ,  914 ,  1014  thin wall 
           16  door frame 
           18  end 
           20 ,  220  end 
           22 ,  122 ,  422 ,  1022  fastening means, screw, nut, clip-in device 
           24 ,  124 ,  1024  fastening means, screw, nut, clip-in device 
           26  housing 
           28 ,  928 ,  1028  collar, adapter 
           30 ,  1030  receiving space 
           32  front end 
           33  rear end 
           34  flattened portion 
           36  chord-like constrictions 
           38 ,  138 ,  238 ,  638 ,  738 ,  838 ,  938 ,  1038  opening 
           40  locking cylinder 
           42  locking core 
           44  square 
           46  rotary fastener 
           48  screw 
           52  projection 
           54 ,  154 ,  354 ,  454  opening, left-hand side 
           55  projection 
           56 ,  156 ,  356 ,  456 ,  956  opening, right-hand side 
           57  nut 
           58  cover 
           60  axis of symmetry 
           61  additional opening 
           62  axis of symmetry 
           64 ,  464  snap lock 
           66  projection 
           68  channel 
           70 ,  470  slide 
           72 ,  472  spring force 
           74  inclined stop face 
           75  button 
           76  inclined holding face 
           77  latch bolt 
           78  olive 
           80  wide region 
           82  narrow region 
           84  adapter cage 
           86  amount 
           88  front side plane 
           90  locking bars 
           92  pinion 
           94  drive 
           96  screw 
           98  rivet