Patent Description:
The door lock fixture is in particular a mortice lock or a keep for a door lock. The word "door" is used in the present specification to embrace all kinds of closure members such as doors, having a full door panel, and gates. The door can either be a hinged or a sliding closure member.

<CIT> discloses a mortice lock which is arranged to be mounted onto a tubular member of for example a garden gate. This mortice lock comprises a latch bolt which is operable by means of two handles and a dead bolt which is operable by means of a key operated lock cylinder. The lock itself consists of a lock body and of a faceplate which is fixed thereto by means of two bolts. To mount the lock onto the tubular member, the lock body is inserted through a slot which is cut in a wall portion of the tubular member until the faceplate engages the outer surface of this wall portion. Above and below the slot a hole is made in the wall of the tubular member. By means of two self-tapping screws/bolts, which are applied through openings in the faceplate into the respective holes in the tubular member, the lock is fixed to the tubular member.

A drawback of such a fixation system is that the holes for the self-tapping screws/bolts have to be made in the correct position in a lateral wall of the tubular member. This position has to be determined quite accurately since in the front and the back walls of the tubular member holes are made for the lock cylinder and the handles. Since the handle shaft and the lock cylinder extend entirely through the tubular member, the position of the lock within the tubular member is fixed by these elements. The holes for the self-tapping screws/bolts and for the lock cylinder and the handles have thus to be made in the right mutual positions which is not so easy since these holes are situated on three different sides of the tubular member.

A further drawback of the fixation system of this prior art lock is that the slot for the lock body and the holes for the handles and the lock cylinder have to be made in the tubular member before it is coated with a protective coating so that also at the location of this slot and these holes the coating remains intact. The tubular member is for example painted or galvanised to protect it against oxidation. However, even when making first the holes in the tubular member before coating it, the coating layer is damaged at the location of the holes when screwing the self-tapping screws/bolts into these holes in the tubular member.

Still a further drawback of this know fixation system is that the screw threads of commercial screws generally do not start directly from the head of the screws. Consequently, since the faceplate is clamped directly against the relatively thin wall of the tubular member and since the holes in the faceplate have to be countersunk to receive the heads of the screws/bolts, the faceplate has to be quite thick. Such a thick faceplate is not only more expensive but is also less aesthetic.

A final drawback of the prior art fixation system is that, due to the limited thickness of the wall of the tubular member, which comprises in practice for example only <NUM> to <NUM>, a strong fixation is or cannot always be obtained. In particular when tensioning the screws too strongly into the holes, the holes in the tubular member may even be damaged so that the required grip of the screws in the holes is lost. Drilling new holes in the tubular member is not possible since the location of the holes for the screws is determined completely by the position of the holes for the handles and the lock cylinder.

<CIT> discloses a bolt and plug fixation system which enables to fix for example a keep for a lock to a tubular member. This fixation system enables to achieve a strong fixation. A drawback of this fixation system is however that the holes for the bolts need to be drilled again in the correct location. Moreover, it is relatively expensive due to the milling steps required to make especially the metal plug part.

In order to avoid having to drill holes in the lateral wall of the tubular member for fixing the faceplate thereto, <CIT> proposes to provide snap-fitting tabs right behind the faceplate on the lock body. When pushing the lock into the tubular member, these tabs snap behind the wall portion of the tubular member that surrounds the slot through which the lock is inserted into the tubular member so that the lock is automatically fixed to the tubular member.

A drawback such an automatic fixation system is that the lock is not always solidly fixed to the tubular member since the distance between the faceplate and the snap-fitting tabs should generally be somewhat larger than the thickness of the wall of the tubular member to enable the tabs to snap behind the wall of the tubular member. Moreover, the thickness of this wall may vary quite considerably in particular due to the coating material which is applied onto the tubular member. This coating material can indeed run off somewhat and accumulate in particular in the form of droplets at the edges of the slot. When this occurs, it may become problematic to mount the lock onto the tubular member. As a matter of fact, at the location of such droplets, the wall of the tubular member would be too thick to enable the snap-fitting tabs to snap behind this wall to fix the lock in the tubular member.

A further drawback of this prior art automatic fixation system is that once the lock has been snap-fitted into the tubular member, it is no longer possible to remove it, for example when it needs to be oiled or when it is broken and should be replaced.

<CIT> has previously addressed these issues and disclosed a door lock fixture with an improved fixation system. <CIT> discloses a door lock fixture comprising a faceplate and a fixture body, the door lock fixture being configured to be mounted with its fixture body through an elongated slot in a wall of a tubular member with the faceplate engaging an outer surface of said wall, the elongated slot extending in a longitudinal direction, the faceplate comprising at least one opening arranged to receive a bolt for fixing the door lock fixture to said wall, the fixture body comprising, for said at least one opening, a support arm which is slideably mounted onto the fixture body along the longitudinal direction between a retracted position in which the fixture body can be inserted through said elongated slot into the tubular member, and an extended position.

A downside of this known door lock fixture is particularly relevant for a sliding support arm. As illustrated in figure <NUM> of <CIT>, depending on the thickness of the wall portion, the support arm is bent when tightening the bolt. Such bending weakens the support arm and may cause a less reliable fixation.

An object of the present invention is therefore to provide an alternative door lock fixture which can be fixed strongly and reliably into a slot in a tubular member and this independent of the wall thickness of the tubular member.

To this end, the fixture according to the invention is characterised in that the door lock fixture further comprises a nut which is irrotatably and slideably mounted on the support arm along a transverse direction which is substantially perpendicular to the longitudinal direction between a rest position and an engaging position in which the nut, when the support arm is in its extended position, is arranged to engage an inner surface of said wall of the tubular member to clamp said wall between the faceplate and the nut, the nut being provided with a screw threaded hole which is axially aligned with said opening in the faceplate in the extended position of the support arm and which is configured to receive said bolt.

Since the bolt used to fix the fixture in the tubular member is screwed in the screw threaded hole in the nut, it can be tightened strongly so that the wall of the tubular member is clamped strongly and reliably between the faceplate and the nut. The functioning of the support arm is hereby not affected by the thickness of the wall of the tubular member. The support arm does not hamper the insertion of the body of the fixture into the tubular member since it is hold in its retracted position when the fixture is inserted into the tubular member. In other words, the advantages of the solution proposed in <CIT> are maintained also with the present invention.

Furthermore, the support arm itself is not deformed when tightening the bolt as the nut is slideably with respect to the support arm. In other words, when tightening the bolt, the nut slides closer to the wall portion without deforming (e.g. bending or otherwise) the support arm. Naturally, the nut could also be slid against the wall portion prior to tightening the bolt, e.g. due to a biasing member and a latch.

In an embodiment of the present invention, the fixture body is manufactured from a plastic material. This is advantageous as a plastic material may be more readily, e.g. faster and cheaper, moulded (e.g. by injection moulding) in the desired shape when compared to a metal material. Moreover, due to the fixation system, little to no forces are exerted on the fixture body and are instead directly transferred from the faceplate to the bolt to the nut and thus to the tubular support.

In an embodiment of the present invention, the faceplate is manufactured from a metal, preferably stainless steel. A metal faceplate is preferred to withstand the large forces that may occur when someone attempts to force open the closure system on which the door lock fixture is mounted. This is further advantageous for outdoor applications to avoid corrosion and generally improve weather resistance.

In an embodiment of the present invention, the support arm is accessible through the front plate. This avoids having to provide additional space/openings in the tubular support to reach the support arm which could weaken the support.

In an embodiment of the present invention, the nut is configured to be moved from its rest position to its engaging position by tightening said bolt. This avoids having to perform additional operations to move the nut to its engaging position.

In an embodiment of the present invention, the support arm is manually slideable from its retracted to its extended position. This avoids that additional tools are required. This further offers a simple design avoiding the need for biasing members and/or latches.

In an embodiment of the present invention, the support arm comprises an engagement means allowing to engage the support arm to slide the support arm from its extended position to its retracted position. This is beneficial as it allows to, after assembly, again remove the door lock fixture from the tubular support. Furthermore, depending on the engagement means, these may be designed no to be accessible without a dedicated tool thus avoiding that anyone can easily remove the door lock fixture.

In an embodiment of the present invention, the support arm comprises one or more latches for avoiding that the support arm reaches a position outside a range defined by its retracted position and its extended position. This improves robustness as undesired positions of the support arm are obstructed and unreachable.

In an embodiment of the present invention, said at least one opening comprises a first opening and a second opening which are located at opposing ends of the faceplate in the longitudinal direction, wherein the support arm associated with said first opening and the support arm associated with said second opening slide away from one another in the longitudinal direction when sliding from their retracted position to their extended position. In other words, two separate and distinct fixations are used. This improves the overall strength of the connection between the door lock fixture and the tubular support.

In an embodiment of the present invention, said transverse direction is perpendicular to the faceplate.

In a first alternative embodiment of the present invention, the door lock fixture is a keeper for a door lock, the keeper comprising an elongated opening in the faceplate and a corresponding elongated slot in the fixture body, said at least one opening being preferably adjacent said elongated opening. The keeper preferably comprises an L-shaped stop configured for stopping a closing motion of a closure member, the L-shaped stop having a first leg and a second leg which protrudes with respect to the faceplate, the faceplate being provided with a grooved region on its rear side and the first leg of the L-shaped stop being provided with a corresponding grooved region which cooperate with one another to allow adjusting a spacing between the second leg of the L-shaped stop and said elongated slot. The keeper more preferably comprises an insert which forms said grooved region on the rear side of the faceplate, the insert having an opening axially aligned with said at least one opening, the L-shaped stop and the insert preferably being manufactured from metal. In case the door lock fixture is a keeper, an L-shaped stop is advantageous as this may be easily mounted on the door lock fixture and the grooved regions allow for varying the distance with the elongated slot in which the latch bolt and/or deadbolt are received. This may account for various misalignments of the closure system. Having one of the grooved regions formed as a separate insert allows for simple and easy to manufacture components while avoiding that the fixture body needs to be made from a metal material to avoid damaging a plastic grooved region. Having the insert also disposed about the fixation bolts improves force transfer when someone attempts to force open the closure system.

In a second alternative embodiment of the present invention, the door lock fixture is a mortice lock.

The object according to the present invention is also achieved with a system comprising a tubular member having a wall with an elongated slot therein, the elongated slot extending in a longitudinal direction, the system further comprising a door lock fixture as described above mounted on the tubular member by a bolt extending through the opening in the face plate and bolted into the screw threaded hole provided in the nut to clamp said wall of the tubular member between the faceplate the nut. The system includes the door lock fixture as described above and thus achieves the same advantages.

Other particularities and advantages of the invention will become apparent from the following description of some particular embodiments of a mortice lock and of a keep according to the present invention. The reference numerals used in this description relate to the annexed drawing.

Moreover, the terms top, bottom, over, under and the like in the description and the claims are used for descriptive purposes. The terms so used are interchangeable under appropriate circumstances and the embodiments of the invention described herein can operate in other orientations than described or illustrated herein.

The present invention generally relates to a door lock fixture which comprises a faceplate and a fixture body. In one embodiment, the door lock fixture is a mortice lock to be inserted into a closure member, in particular in a hollow tubular member thereof. In another embodiment, the door lock fixture is a morticed lock keep which comprises a body portion that is recessed in the support onto which it is mounted. The support is generally formed by a hollow tubular member and can either be a fixed post or a leaf of a double door or gate.

The invention will be further explained in detail with reference to a morticed lock keep <NUM>. The morticed lock keep <NUM> is configured to be mounted with its body <NUM> through an elongated slot <NUM> in a wall portion <NUM> of a tubular member <NUM>. This tubular member <NUM> is part of a gate, as illustrated for example in <FIG>, or of a door or any other type of hinged closure member. The tubular member <NUM> extends in a longitudinal direction <NUM> indicated in <FIG>.

The morticed lock keep <NUM> is designed for cooperation with a lock <NUM> as shown in <FIG>. The lock <NUM> may have a locking mechanism of any type. It may comprises a latch bolt <NUM> which is operated by means of handles <NUM>, a deadbolt <NUM> which is operated by means of a key in particular through the intermediary of a lock cylinder <NUM> (for example a single-barrel euro-profile cylinder), or it may comprise a combination of a latch bolt <NUM> and a deadbolt <NUM> as in the embodiments illustrated in the drawings. Usually the latch bolt <NUM> and the deadbolt <NUM> are slideably mounted in the lock <NUM> to slide between a retracted and an extended position. In the embodiments illustrated in the drawings, the deadbolt <NUM> is however hook-shaped and pivots in the lock <NUM> between its extended and its retracted positions. The lock illustrated in <FIG> is in particular a lock as disclosed in <CIT> and <CIT> and further details about this lock can be found therein.

The morticed lock keep <NUM> comprises a faceplate <NUM> and a partially hollow body <NUM>. The faceplate <NUM> comprises an elongated opening <NUM> and the partially hollow body <NUM> forms a corresponding elongated slot <NUM> in which the latch bolt <NUM> and/or the deadbolt <NUM> are received as shown in <FIG>. The hollow body <NUM> is designed to be located inside the tubular member <NUM> and the faceplate <NUM> is designed to engage an outer surface of a wall portion <NUM> of the tubular member <NUM>. The faceplate <NUM> comprises two openings <NUM> (i.e. one on either side of the elongated opening <NUM>) which, as described below, are used to mount the morticed lock keep <NUM> to the tubular member <NUM>. The morticed lock keep <NUM> illustrated in the figures is in particular a morticed lock keep as disclosed in <CIT> and further details about this morticed lock keep can be found therein.

An essential difference between the morticed lock keep illustrated in <CIT> and the morticed lock keep according to the present invention is the way wherein the morticed lock keep <NUM> is fixed in the tubular member <NUM>. The fixture body comprises, for each opening <NUM>, a support arm <NUM> which is slideably mounted onto the fixture body <NUM> along the longitudinal direction <NUM> between a retracted position (shown in <FIG>) in which the fixture body <NUM> can be inserted through the elongated slot <NUM> into the tubular member <NUM> and an extended position (shown in <FIG>). On each support arm <NUM>, there is provided a nut <NUM> which is irrotatably and slideably mounted on the respective support arm <NUM> along a transverse direction <NUM> (indicated in <FIG>) between a rest position (shown in <FIG>) and an engaging position (shown in <FIG>). Each nut <NUM> comprises a threaded opening <NUM> configured to receive a bolt <NUM> (having a bolt head 17a and a threaded part 17b) used to mount the morticed lock keep <NUM> on the tubular member <NUM>. In the illustrated embodiment, the nut <NUM> is irrotatable with respect to the support arm <NUM> due to its square (in general non-circular) outer shape.

In the position illustrated in <FIG> and <FIG> the two support arms <NUM> are held in a retracted position, more particularly in a position wherein they are retracted into the fixture body <NUM> so that the morticed lock keep <NUM> can be inserted easily with its body <NUM> through the slot <NUM> into the tubular member <NUM>. In their retracted position, the support arms <NUM> therefore do not project out of the body <NUM>. Each of the support arms <NUM> can slide along the longitudinal direction <NUM> from this retracted position to an extended position wherein they project out of the body <NUM> so that the threaded openings <NUM> in each nut <NUM> align with a corresponding one of openings <NUM> in the faceplate <NUM> as shown in <FIG>. In this extended position, the support arms <NUM> project respectively above and below the body <NUM>. By applying bolts <NUM> through openings <NUM> in the faceplate <NUM> and screwing these into screw threaded openings <NUM> in the nuts <NUM>, the nuts <NUM> engage the inner surface of the wall <NUM> of the tubular member <NUM> as shown in <FIG>. In this position, the wall <NUM> of the tubular member <NUM> is clamped between the faceplate <NUM> and the nuts <NUM>.

Each supporting arm <NUM> is slideable from its retracted to its extended position. This may be achieved manually since the opening <NUM> in the faceplate <NUM> and the elongated slot <NUM> in the body <NUM> allow easy access to the supporting arms <NUM> in their retracted positions. Alternatively, biasing members (e.g. a compression spring) and cooperating latches may be used causing an automatic sliding motion when unlatched. Each supporting arm <NUM> is further provided with tool engagement means <NUM> (e.g. a hole) which allows inserting a tool to slide the supporting arms <NUM> back from their extended position to the retracted position. This may be beneficial in case the morticed lock keep <NUM> needs removal from the tubular member <NUM>.

Each supporting arm <NUM> is bar- or beam-shaped and fits in a corresponding guide on the body <NUM> as best shown in <FIG> and <FIG>. This allows for easy sliding of the supporting arms <NUM>. In the illustrated embodiment, the supporting arms <NUM> are provided with a latching protrusion <NUM> which abuts with a catch <NUM> in the body <NUM>. This avoids that the supporting arm <NUM> can be removed from the body <NUM>. In other words, in the illustrated embodiment, each supporting arm <NUM> forms a separate element which is fixed to the body <NUM> during manufacturing. The latching protrusion <NUM> and catch <NUM> also help define the extended position of the supporting arms <NUM> as no further sliding movement is possible beyond catch <NUM> as best shown in <FIG>. The retracted position on the other hand is limited by wall <NUM> against which the nut-holding part 11a of the supporting arm <NUM> abuts as best shown in <FIG>.

With the fixation system according to the present invention as described above, i.e. the supporting arms with slideably nuts provided thereon, all forces exerted on the faceplate <NUM> are directly transferred to the supporting member <NUM>. In other words, little to no forces are exerted on the fixture body <NUM>. In view thereof, the faceplate <NUM> in the illustrated embodiment is manufactured from metal (e.g. stainless steel which is beneficial for outdoors use) so that the large forces that may occur when someone is forcing open a lock do not lead to a deformation of the faceplate. Furthermore, in the illustrated embodiment, the fixture body <NUM> is made from a plastic material. This allows to manufacture this using injection moulding which is advantageous for mass producing complex-shaped articles.

The morticed lock keep <NUM> further comprises an L-shaped stop <NUM> having a first leg 26a and a second leg 26b. The second leg 26b protrudes with respect to the faceplate <NUM> and stops a closing motion of a gate, door, or other kind of pivotable closure member. The first leg 26a is pressed between the faceplate <NUM> and the wall portion <NUM> of the tubular member <NUM>. In order to adjust the distance between the second leg 26b and the slot <NUM> inside the morticed lock keep <NUM> (e.g. to account for uneven alignment with the closure member, varying closure member thicknesses, etc.) the first leg 26a is provided with a grooved region <NUM> that cooperates with another grooved region <NUM> provided on the rear side of the faceplate <NUM>.

In the illustrated embodiment, the grooved region <NUM> provided on the rear side of the faceplate <NUM> is formed by a separate metal insert <NUM> having an opening <NUM> through which the bolt <NUM> extends. Alternatively, the grooved region <NUM> could be integrally formed with the faceplate <NUM>, e.g. as a cast element. However, a separate insert <NUM> is preferred as this allows forming the faceplate <NUM> from a single metal plate which is typically less brittle than a cast element. Either embodiment is advantageous compared to providing the grooved region <NUM> in the fixture body <NUM> as this could lead to damage of the fixture body <NUM>. In particular, the grooved region in such an injection moulded element may break when large forces are exerted on the second leg 26b.

The illustrated morticed lock keep <NUM> is further provided with a covering <NUM> for aesthetic purposes. This covering <NUM> is wedged between the faceplate <NUM> and the first leg 26a as shown in <FIG>.

The elongated slot <NUM> is provided with notches <NUM> in which the bolts <NUM> are partially located. These notches <NUM> allow for an easy alignment of the lock fixture and other details and advantages thereof are described in a patent application titled "Door lock fixture mounted onto a tubular member" filed on the same day by the same applicant as the present application and are incorporated herein by reference.

It will be readily appreciated that the fixation systems with the supporting arms and slideably nuts provided thereon can also be applied to a lock.

It will be further appreciated that, in non-illustrated embodiments, one of the two supporting arms <NUM> can be omitted, for example the lowermost one, and can be replaced by a gap between the faceplate <NUM> and the fixture body <NUM>, illustrated for example in <FIG> of <CIT>, so that the fixture can first be slid with this gap at the bottom edge of the slot <NUM> over the lateral wall <NUM> of the tubular member <NUM>, after which the fixture body can be pivoted about this edge of the slot <NUM> into the tubular member <NUM>.

Claim 1:
A door lock fixture (<NUM>) comprising a faceplate (<NUM>) and a fixture body (<NUM>), the door lock fixture being configured to be mounted with its fixture body through an elongated slot (<NUM>) in a wall (<NUM>) of a tubular member (<NUM>) with the faceplate engaging an outer surface of said wall, the elongated slot extending in a longitudinal direction (<NUM>), the faceplate comprising at least one opening (<NUM>) arranged to receive a bolt (<NUM>) for fixing the door lock fixture to said wall,
the fixture body comprising, for said at least one opening, a support arm (<NUM>) which is slideably mounted onto the fixture body along the longitudinal direction between a retracted position in which the fixture body can be inserted through said elongated slot into the tubular member, and an extended position,
characterized in that the door lock fixture further comprises a nut (<NUM>) which is irrotatably and slideably mounted on the support arm along a transverse direction (<NUM>) which is substantially perpendicular to the longitudinal direction between a rest position and an engaging position in which the nut, when the support arm is in its extended position, is arranged to engage an inner surface of said wall of the tubular member to clamp said wall between the faceplate and the nut, the nut being provided with a screw threaded hole (<NUM>) which is axially aligned with said opening in the faceplate in the extended position of the support arm and which is configured to receive said bolt.