Patent Publication Number: US-8540290-B2

Title: Structure for electrical lock

Description:
TECHNICAL FIELD OF THE INVENTION 
     The present invention relates to a structure for electrical locks and, more particular to, a structure for electrical locks that can be applied in a door where one of two handles can be selectively operated via energizing a solenoid. 
     DESCRIPTION OF THE PRIOR ART 
     Although digital locks, such as card locks or code locks, have advantages of exempting from carrying keys over conventional locks, they are more complicated in structure. In particular, it is not easy for the digital locks to be adapted for the existing locks or modified for a door in which one handle can be freely operated while the other handle can be selectively operated. Thus, for applying a digital lock, the existing lock should be dismantled and cannot be used again, thereby adding additional cost. 
     In view the foregoing, based on the long-term experiences of the lock devices and after constant efforts on the development and innovation of the related products, the applicant has contrived an improved structure for electrical locks that can be easily applied in conventional locks and applicable to a door where the handles can be selectively operated. 
     SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION 
     The primary object of the present invention is to provide a structure for electrical locks that can be applied in a door where one handle can be freely operated while the other handle can be selectively operated via energizing a solenoid. 
     The structure for electrical locks comprises two rotational members, a latching assembly, and a controlling means. The two rotational members are respectively secured to two handles respectively at two sides of a door, each rotational member adapted to be mechanically connected with a bolt for locking or unlocking the door, each rotational member defining a recess on a periphery thereof. The latching assembly includes a cartridge, a sliding element, and a resiliently dividing rod. The cartridge defines a first through passage and a second through passage substantially perpendicular to the first through passage. The sliding element has a first end and a second end, opposite to the first end, and defines a recess on a periphery between the first end and the second end. The recess of the sliding element extends in a direction substantially parallel to the second through passage of the cartridge. The resiliently dividing rod is fitted in the second through passage of the cartridge to divide the first through passage into two lateral zones respectively corresponding to the recesses of the rotational members. The sliding member is slidably fitted in one of the lateral zones of the first through passage capable of engaging with one of the recesses of the rotational members at the first end, wherein the second end of the sliding element is formed as a curved peripheral surface. The controlling means includes a resiliently pushing assembly and a solenoid for driving the resiliently pushing assembly to move back to a retracted position, the resiliently pushing assembly having an arm extending generally parallel to its moving direction, the arm being capable of engaging with the second end of the sliding element of the latching assembly such that, when said solenoid is de-energized, the resiliently pushing assembly can be normally moved forward to a latching position to have the first end of the sliding element moved out of the first through passage of the cartridge to be engaged with one of the recesses of the rotational members so as to lock a respective handle for protecting the door from being unlocked by the respective handle; when the solenoid is energized, the resiliently pushing assembly can be moved back by the solenoid to the retracted position so that the first end of the sliding element can move into the first through passage of the cartridge so as to free the respective handle to allow the door to be unlocked by the respective handle. In such arrangement, the sliding element can be selectively fitted in one of the lateral zones of the first through passage to allow the sliding member to engage with one of the recesses of the rotational members so as to selectively lock a respective handle to protect the door from being unlocked by the respective handle. 
     In the aforementioned structure, the sliding element can be moved from one lateral zone to the other lateral zone of the first through passage by fitting the resiliently dividing rod into the recess of the sliding element and then pushing the sliding element toward the other lateral zone via using a tool through a hole of the cartridge. 
     Other objects, advantages, and novel features of the present invention will become more apparent from the following detailed description when taken in conjunction with the accompanying drawings. 
    
    
     
       BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS 
         FIG. 1  is a 3-dimensional view of the present invention. 
         FIG. 2  is a 3-dimensional view showing a latching assembly of the present invention. 
         FIG. 3  is a sectional view showing the latching assembly of the present invention. 
         FIG. 4  is a plan view showing an operating condition of the present application in which the latching assembly is in normal state. 
         FIG. 5  is a plan view showing another operating condition of the present application in which the latching assembly is in actuated state (the solenoid being energized). 
     
    
    
     DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS 
     Referring to  FIGS. 1 ,  2  and  3 , a structure for electrical locks according to the present invention is shown, which generally comprises two rotational members  1 ,  2 , a latching assembly  3 , and a controlling means  4 . The two rotational members  1 ,  2  are secured to two handles respectively at two sides of a door (not shown), each rotational member being connected to a bolt  5  (see  FIG. 4 ) via a mechanical linkage for locking or unlocking the door, each rotational member defining a recess  11  or  21  on a periphery thereof. The latching assembly  3  includes a cartridge  31 , a sliding element  32 , and a resiliently dividing rod  33 . The cartridge  31  defines a first through passage (or a vertical passage) and a second through passage (or a horizontal passage) substantially perpendicular to the first through passage. The sliding element  32  has a first end (or a top end) and a second end (or a bottom end), opposite to the first end, and defines a recess  321  on a periphery between the first end and the second end. The recess  321  of the sliding element  32  extends in a direction substantially parallel to the second through passage of the cartridge  31 . The resiliently dividing rod  33  is fitted in the second through passage of the cartridge  31  to divide the first through passage into two lateral zones respectively corresponding to the recesses  11 ,  21  of the rotational members  1 ,  2 . Furthermore, the resiliently dividing rod  33  is provided with a stopping collar at an outward end thereof and a compression spring  34  around a portion thereof within the second through passage of the cartridge  31  to provide a normally resilient force toward the second through passage. The sliding member  32  is slidably fitted in one of the lateral zones of the first through passage of the cartridge  31  capable of engaging with one of the recesses  11 ,  12  of the rotational members  1 ,  2  at the first end, wherein the second end of the sliding element  32  is formed as a curved peripheral surface. 
     As shown, the controlling means  4  includes a resiliently pushing assembly  41  and a solenoid  42  for driving the resiliently pushing assembly  41  to move back to a retracted position. The resiliently pushing assembly  41  has an arm extending generally parallel to its moving direction, the arm being capable of engaging with the second end of the sliding element  32  of the latching assembly  3  such that, when the solenoid  42  is de-energized, the resiliently pushing assembly  41  can be normally moved forward, by a compression spring  421  fitted around a shaft of the assembly  41  between the arm and the solenoid  42 , to a latching position, at which the door is fasten by the bolt  5  (see  FIG. 4 ), to have the first end of the sliding element  32  moved out of the first through passage of the cartridge  31  to be engaged with one of said recesses  11 ,  12  of the rotational members  1 ,  2  so as to lock a respective handle secured thereto for protecting the door from being unlocked by the respective handle. When the solenoid  42  is energized, the resiliently pushing assembly  41  can be moved back by the solenoid  42  to the retracted position so that the first end of the sliding element  32  can move into the first through passage of the cartridge  31  so as to free the respective handle to enable the respective handle secured thereto to rotate to unlock the door by the respective handle. Preferably, the arm have a front end  411  extends in a curved direction capable of mating with the second end of the sliding member  32  to facilitate a movement of the sliding element  32  along the first through passage of the cartridge  31 . 
     In such arrangement, the sliding element  32  can be selectively fitted in one of the two lateral zones of the first through passages in the cartridge  31  to allow the sliding member  32  to engage one of the recesses  11 ,  12  of the rotational members  1 ,  2  so as to selectively lock the respective handle connected thereto so that the door cannot be unlocked by the respective handle. 
       FIG. 4  shows an operating condition of the present invention applied in a door. In operation, as shown, when the solenoid  42  is de-energized, the resiliently pushing assembly  41  can be normally moved forward, by the compression spring  421  fitted around a shaft of the assembly  41  between the arm and the solenoid  42 , to a latching position, at which the door is fastened by the bolt  5 , whereby the arm of the resiliently pushing assembly  41  can slidably engage with the second end of the sliding element  32  so that the sliding element  32  can be moved upward along the first through passage of the cartridge  31  to have the first end of the sliding element  32  moved out of the first through passage of the cartridge  31  to engage with one of the recesses  11 ,  12  of the rotational members  1 ,  2  so that a respective handle secured thereto can be locked and thus the bolt  5  cannot be moved inward of the lock by the respective handle so that the door will remain a closed state. 
       FIG. 5  shows another operating condition of the present invention applied in a door. In operation, as shown, when the solenoid  42  is energized (the energizing can be controlled via the electronic signal as used in card locks or code locks or the like), the resiliently pushing assembly  41  can be moved back by the solenoid  42  to a retracted position so that the first end of the sliding element  32  can move into the first through passage of the cartridge  31  so that the respective handle can be freely rotated to move the bolt  5  inward of the lock so as to unlock the door. 
     Referring again to  FIG. 2 , the sliding element  32  can be laterally moved from one lateral zone to the other lateral zone of the first through passage of the cartridge  31  to change an originally lockable handle to a free handle and to change an originally free handle to a lockable handle. To accomplish the purpose, the resiliently dividing rod  33  may be fitted into the recess  321  of the sliding element  32 . Then, using a tool through a hole  35  of the cartridge  31  to push the sliding element  32  toward the other lateral zone, the sliding element  32  can be moved to the other lateral zone of the first through passage of the cartridge  31  so that the operating states of the two handles can be exchanged. 
     In view of the foregoing, the present invention provides a structure for electrical locks, which employs a latching assembly in cooperation with a controlling means, whereby an electrical lock can be applied in a door where one of handles can be freely operated while the other of handles can be selectively operated via energizing a solenoid of the controlling means. It is believed that the present invention is a useful design with novel features. 
     Although the present invention has been described with a certain degree of particularity, it is understood that the present disclosure is made by way of example only and the combination and arrangement of parts may be resorted to without departing from the spirit and scope of the invention hereinafter claimed.