Patent Publication Number: US-2022235580-A1

Title: Lock assembly

Description:
FIELD 
     This relates to a lock assembly for a panel, such as a door or a window. 
     BACKGROUND 
     Panels, such as doors or windows, often have a lock assembly which allows the panel to be locked. This can impede the door being used by an unauthorised person. For example, a lock assembly may require a suitable key to be inserted and turned before the door can be opened. Some lock assemblies have a latch for providing a first point of locking and a deadbolt for providing a second point of locking. 
     SUMMARY 
     In a first example embodiment, there is provided a lock assembly, comprising: a lock cylinder comprising a cam; a deadbolt comprising a first cam follower and a second cam follower, each of the first cam follower and the second cam follower being configured to receive the cam; wherein rotation of the lock cylinder in a first rotational direction causes the cam to communicate with the first cam follower to drive the deadbolt from a retracted position to a first extended position, and further rotation of the lock cylinder in the first rotational direction causes the cam to communicate with the first cam follower to drive the deadbolt from the first extended position to a second extended position; wherein rotation of the lock cylinder in a second rotational direction opposite to the first rotational direction causes the cam to communicate with the second cam follower to drive the deadbolt from the second extended position to the first extended position, and further rotation of the lock cylinder in the second rotational direction causes the cam to communicate with the first cam follower to drive the deadbolt from the first extended position to the retracted position. 
    
    
     
       BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF DRAWINGS 
       The invention is described by way of example with reference to the drawings, which show some embodiments of the invention. However, these are provided for illustration only. The invention is not limited to the particular details of the drawings and the corresponding description. 
         FIG. 1  shows a lock assembly according to an example embodiment. 
         FIG. 2  shows a front isometric view of the lock assembly. 
         FIG. 3  shows a back isometric view of the lock assembly. 
         FIG. 4  shows a front view of the lock assembly with the deadbolt in a retracted position. 
         FIG. 5  shows a partial front view of the lock assembly with the deadbolt in the retracted position to show the first cam follower and second cam follower. 
         FIG. 6  shows a rear view of the lock assembly with the deadbolt in a retracted position. 
         FIG. 7  shows the lock assembly with the deadbolt transitioning between the retracted position and a first extended position. 
         FIG. 8  shows a front view of the lock assembly with the deadbolt in the first extended position. 
         FIG. 9  shows a partial front view of the lock assembly with the deadbolt in the first extended position to show the first cam follower and second cam follower. 
         FIG. 10  shows a rear view of the lock assembly with the deadbolt in the first extended position. 
         FIG. 11  shows the lock assembly with the deadbolt transitioning between the first extended position and the second extended position. 
         FIG. 12  shows a front view of the lock assembly with the deadbolt in the second extended position. 
         FIG. 13  shows a partial front view of the lock assembly with the deadbolt in the second extended position to show the first cam follower and second cam follower. 
         FIG. 14  shows a rear view of the lock assembly with the deadbolt in the second extended position. 
         FIG. 15  shows the lock assembly with a deadbolt restrictor in the restricted position and the deadbolt in the retracted position. 
         FIG. 16  shows the lock assembly with the deadbolt restrictor in the restricted position and the deadbolt in the first extended position. 
     
    
    
     DETAILED DESCRIPTION 
     A lock assembly according to an example embodiment is shown in  FIGS. 1 and 2 . 
     The depicted lock assembly is a mortice lock assembly. That is, the lock assembly is intended to be installed within a mortice of a panel, such as a door or a window. 
     The lock assembly has a body  110  for holding components of the lock assembly and a cover  111  for closing the body  110 . The body  110  and cover  111  can be coupled using fasteners  112 , such as rivets. The cover  111  has a drive hub aperture  113  for allowing access to a drive hub  130 , a daylatch aperture  114  for allowing access to a daylatch hub  140 , a lock cylinder aperture  115  for allowing access to a lock cylinder  210 , and a deadbolt restrictor aperture  116  for allowing access to a deadbolt restrictor  180 . 
     A forend plate  120  is provided at one longitudinal end of the body  110 . This may be affixed to the body  110  by fasteners  121 , such as screws. The forend plate  120  has a deadbolt aperture  122  for allowing passage of a deadbolt  220  and a latch aperture  123  for allowing passage of a latch  230 . 
     A fastener  124  may pass through the forend plate  120  into the lock cylinder  210  to mount the lock cylinder  210  to the lock assembly. Fasteners may pass through holes  125  to mount the forend plate  120  (and consequently the lock assembly) to a forend of a door. 
     In use, the deadbolt  220  and the latch  230  may engage with a strike plate on a door frame. Each of the latch  230  and the deadbolt  220  can be inserted into corresponding cavities of the strike plate. When this occurs, the latch  230  and/or the deadbolt  220  prevent, or at least impede, the door from opening. The deadbolt  220  may be retracted, for example by a key in the lock cylinder  210  being turned. The latch  230  may be retracted, for example by a handle being turned. The daylatch hub  140  may prevent the handle from being operated, at least in one direction. In addition, a latch locking plate  233  may be provided in communication with the deadbolt, such that when the deadbolt is extended, the latch locking plate  233  prevents the latch from being retracted. 
       FIG. 3  shows an isometric view of the internals of the lock assembly with the cover  111  omitted. 
     The drive hub  130  comprises a central aperture  131  which can receive a spindle of a handle. The central aperture  131  may be keyed, such as by having a square cross-section in the same manner as the spindle. Operation of the handle causes the spindle to rotate, which in turn causes the drive hub  130  to rotate. 
     The drive hub  130  has an actuator  132  which rotates in concert with the drive hub  130 . The actuator  132  is located in an aperture  231  of a latch cam follower  232 . The latch cam follower  232  is connected to latch  230  via a fastener, or may otherwise be integral with the latch  230 . Rotation of the drive hub  130  in a first rotational direction (such as clockwise) causes the latch  230  to be retracted. A latch bias  133  causes the latch  230  to be extended when a user releases the handle. 
     The daylatch hub  140  comprises a central aperture  141  which can receive a spindle of a snib. The central aperture  141  may be keyed, such as by having a square cross-section in the same manner as the spindle. Operation of the snib causes the spindle to rotate, which in turn causes the daylatch hub  140  to rotate. 
     The daylatch hub  140  is in communication with a daylatch plate  142 . When the daylatch hub  140  is rotated into an engaged position, the daylatch plate  142  moves to block the drive hub  130  from rotating, at least in the first rotational direction. This requires the daylatch hub  140  to be disengaged before the handle can be operated. The daylatch hub  140  can therefore be accessed on an inside of a door to prevent a user on the outside of the door from operating the handle. This provides a level of security. 
     The deadbolt  220  moves laterally between a retracted position in which the deadbolt  220  is wholly (or at least substantially) located within the lock body  110 , a first extended position in which the deadbolt  220  extends through the deadbolt aperture  122  of the lock body  110  at a first distance, and a second extended position in which the deadbolt  220  extends through the deadbolt aperture  122  of the lock body  110  at a second distance greater than the first distance. 
     A locking plate  150  is mounted so as to pivot about a pin  151  between a locked position in which the deadbolt  220  cannot move and an unlocked position in which the deadbolt  220  can move. A biasing member  152  (such as a leaf spring) may bias the locking plate  150  towards the locked position. 
     A first cam follower  240  is connected to, or integral with the deadbolt  220 . The first cam follower  240  has a first arm  241  and a second arm  242  descending from an end, which are spaced apart to receive a cam. A post  243  extends transversely from the first cam follower  240 . 
     The post  243  can move through a channel  153  in the locking plate  150 . A first recess  154 , second recess  155 , and third recess  156  are provided off the channel  153 . These correspond respectively to the retracted position, first extended position, and second extended position of the deadbolt  220 . 
     A second cam follower  250  is provided on the body  110  of the lock assembly. The second cam follower has a track  251 , bounded at one end by an arm  252  and at the other end by a stop  253 . The first cam follower  240  is able to move along the track  251 . A spring  254  (or other bias means) biases the first cam follower  240  towards the stop  253  opposing the arm  252 . 
     The lock cylinder  210  has a cam  211  which rotates about the lock cylinder  210 . This occurs, for example, when a suitable key is inserted into the lock cylinder  210 . Rotation of the key rotates the cam  211  in concert. 
     The cam  211  is positioned to engage with the locking plate  150 , and may move the locking plate  150  into the unlocked position by resisting the biasing member  152 . 
     The cam  211  may move the deadbolt  220  between the retracting position and the first extended position through communication with a first arm  241  of a first cam follower  240  of the deadbolt  220 . The cam may move the deadbolt  220  from the first extended position to the second extended position through communication with the second arm  242  of the first cam follower  240 , and from the second position to the first extended position through communication with the arm  252  of the second cam follower  250 . This operation is shown in greater detail in  FIGS. 4 to 14 . 
     The lock assembly has a deadbolt restrictor  180  to selectively restrict the level of extension of the deadbolt  220 . In particular, the deadbolt restrictor  180  can prevent the deadbolt  220  entering the second extended position. The deadbolt restrictor  180  has an integrally formed restrictor cam  181  which pivots within the body. The deadbolt restrictor  180  moves between a restricted position and an unrestricted position, which may be about  90 ° apart. When the deadbolt restrictor  180  is in the restricted position, the restrictor cam  181  is in the path of the first cam follower  240 . When the deadbolt  220  is in the first extended position, the first cam follower  240  abuts the restrictor cam  181 . This impedes further movement of the deadbolt  220  towards the second extended position. When the deadbolt restrictor  180  is in the unrestricted position, the restrictor cam  181  is not in the path of the first cam follower  240 . The deadbolt restrictor  180  in the second position does not prevent movement of the deadbolt  220 . 
     The deadbolt restrictor  180  may be selectively rotated between the restricted and unrestricted positions, for example using a tool (such as a hex key) or by a user&#39;s finger. The deadbolt restrictor  180  couples with a formation  182  on the body  110  and/or the cover  111 . The formation  182  has two recesses  183 . A spring (or other bias means) biases the deadbolt restrictor  180  into the recesses  183  in order to prevent the deadbolt restrictor  180  from rotating. In some cases, the deadbolt restrictor  180  may require transverse force before a rotational force can be applied to rotate the deadbolt restrictor  180  to resist the bias of the spring. This allows the deadbolt restrictor  180  to exit one of the recesses  183  and be rotated to alignment with the other recess  183 . Each recess may correspond to one of the restricted and unrestricted positions. When the user releases the transverse force, the deadbolt restrictor  180  then re-enters the recess  183 . This allows the restrictor cam  181  to resist lateral force from the first cam follower  240  without rotating back into the unrestricted position. 
     Retracted Position to First Extended Position 
       FIGS. 4 to 6  show the lock assembly with the deadbolt  220  in the retracted position. The locking plate  150  is in the locked position and the post  243  is positioned in the first recess  154  of the locking plate  150 . The deadbolt  220  therefore cannot move laterally. 
     When a user rotates the lock cylinder  210 , the lock assembly moves to the state shown in  FIG. 7 . 
     The cam  211  enters the first cam follower  240 . The second arm  242  of the first cam follower  240  may be bevelled to allow the cam  211  to pass the second arm  242  without contact. As the cam  211  enters the first cam follower  240 , the cam  211  pushes against the locking plate  150 . This resists the bias of biasing member  152 , and causes the locking plate  150  to pivot into the unlocked position. This causes the post  243  to exit the first recess  154 . 
     Further rotation of the lock cylinder  210  causes the lock assembly to move to the state shown in  FIGS. 8 to 10 . 
     The cam  211  pushes against the first arm  241  of the first cam follower  240 . This moves the first cam follower  240  along the track  251  of the second cam follower  250 , which in turn drives the deadbolt  220  to enter the first extended position. The cam  211  then passes out of the first cam follower  240 . Because the cam  211  is no longer pushing against the locking plate  150 , the biasing member  152  urges the locking plate  150  back into the locked position. The post  243  then enters the second recess  155 . The second recess  155  is located such that when the cam  211  moves out of contact with the locking plate  150 , the post  243  is aligned with the second recess  155 . This prevents further lateral movement of the first cam follower  240 . 
     The movement of the first cam follower  240  removes the compression on the spring  254 . The spring  254  retains sufficient tension to maintain the second cam follower  250  in position relative to the first cam follower  240 . 
     In this state, the deadbolt  220  is in the first extended position, and so may engage with a strike plate on a door frame. This may be sufficient to deadlock the door, and therefore may provide sufficient security. 
     The key may therefore be removed from the lock cylinder  210 , optionally after further rotation to return the lock cylinder  210  to a neutral position. 
     The deadbolt  220  may be moved from the first extended position to the retracted position by rotating the lock cylinder in the opposite direction. The cam  211  forces the locking plate  150  into the unlocked position and pushes against the second arm  242  of the first cam follower  240 . This slides the first cam follower  240  along the track  251  of the second cam follower. This in turn moves the deadbolt  220  into the retracted position. As the cam  211  exits the first cam follower  240 , the locking plate  150  is urged into the locked position from biasing member  152  and the post  243  enters the first recess  154 . 
     First Extended Position to Second Extended Position 
     From the state shown in  FIGS. 8 to 10 , further rotation of the lock cylinder  210  causes the lock assembly to move to the state shown in  FIG. 11 . This may require at least a full rotation of the lock cylinder  210 . 
     The cam  211  enters the space between the arm  252  of the second cam follower  250  and the second arm  242  of the first cam follower  240 . The arm  252  of the second cam follower  250  may be bevelled to allow the cam  211  to pass the arm  252  without contact. As the cam  211  enters the space, the cam  211  pushes against the locking plate  150 . This resists the bias of biasing member  152 , and causes the locking plate  150  to pivot into the unlocked position. This causes the post  243  to exit the second recess  155 . 
     Further rotation of the lock cylinder  210  causes the lock assembly to move to the state shown in  FIGS. 12 to 14 . 
     The cam  211  pushes against the second arm  242  of the first cam follower  240 . This pushes the first cam follower  240 , which in turn drives the deadbolt  220  to enter the second extended position. In addition, the first cam follower  240  pushes against the stop  253  of the second cam follower  250 , which causes the second cam follower  250  to move laterally in concert with the first cam follower  240 . The cam  211  then passes out of the space between the arm  252  of the second cam follower  250  and the second arm  242  of the first cam follower  240 . Because the cam  211  is no longer pushing against the locking plate  150 , the biasing member  152  urges the locking plate  150  back into the locked position. The post  243  then enters the third recess  156 . The third recess  156  is located such that when the cam  211  moves out of contact with the locking plate  150 , the post  243  is aligned with the third recess  156 . The locking plate  150  therefore prevents the first cam follower  240  from moving laterally, and the spring  254  prevents the second cam follower  250  from moving relative to the first cam follower  240 . 
     In this state, the deadbolt  220  is in the second extended position. This may cause the deadbolt  220  to engage with a strike plate on a door frame (if, in the first extended position, there remains a gap), or to further enter the strike plate. 
     The key may therefore be removed from the lock cylinder  210 , optionally after further rotation to return the lock cylinder to a neutral position. 
     The deadbolt  220  may be moved from the second extended position to the first extended position by rotating the lock cylinder in the opposite direction. The cam  211  forces the locking plate  150  into the unlocked position and pushes against the arm  252  of the second cam follower  250 . This moves the second cam follower  250  laterally. In addition, due to the stop  253  and the spring  254 ,the first cam follower  240  and consequently the deadbolt  220  are moved laterally in concert with the second cam follower  250 . This moves the deadbolt  220  into the first extended position. As the cam  211  exits the space between the arm  252  of the second cam follower  250  and the second arm  242  of the first cam follower  240 , the locking plate  150  enters the locked position and the post  243  enters the second recess  155 . The locking plate  150  therefore prevents the first cam follower  240  from moving laterally, and the spring  254  prevents the second cam follower  250  from moving relative to the first cam follower  240 . 
     Restrictor 
       FIGS. 4 to 14  show the deadbolt restrictor  180  in the unrestricted position. In this position, the deadbolt restrictor  180  does not prevent the deadbolt  220  from entering the second extended position. 
     However, in some cases, it may be desirable to restrict the deadbolt  220  from entering the second extended position. One situation may be if a deadbolt recess in the door frame is too shallow to accommodate the deadbolt  220  in its second extended position. To avoid the need to reassemble the lock assembly with a different deadbolt size, the deadbolt restrictor  180  may be set into the restricted position. 
       FIG. 15  is similar to  FIG. 4 , except with the deadbolt restrictor  180  in the restricted position. The restrictor cam  181  is aligned with the path of the first cam follower  240 . However, because the deadbolt is in the retracted position, the restrictor cam  181  does not abut the first cam follower  240 . The deadbolt restrictor  180  therefore does not prevent the deadbolt  220  from moving between the retracted position and the first extended position. 
       FIG. 16  is similar to  FIG. 8 , except with the deadbolt restrictor  180  in the restricted position. The transition between  FIGS. 15 and 16  is therefore the same as between  FIGS. 4 and 8 . 
     The restrictor cam  181  is aligned with the path of the first cam follower  240 . The restrictor cam  181  may abut the first arm  241  of the first cam follower  240  in this position, or may abut the first arm  241  of the first cam follower  240  on further movement of the deadbolt  220  towards the second extended position. 
     The restrictor cam  181  resists the force of the cam  211  on the second arm  242  of the first cam follower  240 . Rotating the lock cylinder therefore does not cause the deadbolt  220  to move from the first extended position to the second extended position. 
     In this way, a single lock assembly can be used for multiple configurations of door frame. 
     Interpretation 
     The discussion of any existing technology should not be construed as an admission that such technology forms part of the common general knowledge. 
     The term “comprises” and other grammatical forms is intended to have an inclusive meaning unless otherwise noted. That is, they should be taken to mean an inclusion of the listed components, and possibly of other non-specified components or elements. 
     The present invention has been illustrated by the description of some embodiments. While these embodiments have been described in detail, this should not be taken to restrict or limit the scope of the claims to those details. 
     Additional advantages and modifications will readily appear to those skilled in the art. Therefore, the invention in its broader aspects is not limited to the specific details of the illustrative examples shown and described. Accordingly, modifications may be made to the details without departing from the spirit or scope of the general inventive concept.