Patent ID: 8720960

Claim:
A lock device comprising: a lock mechanism configured to be mounted on a door, the lock mechanism including a locking member having extended and retracted positions relative to the door for releasably securing the door relative to an adjacent structure, and the lock mechanism including a pivoting member operably connected to the locking member such that pivotal movement of the pivoting member about an axis moves the locking member between the extended and retracted positions, and an assembly including a handle manually pivotable about the axis, and a clutch mechanism connecting the handle to the pivoting member, the clutch mechanism transmitting a torque from the handle to the pivoting member when the torque is below a predetermined value, and the clutch mechanism allowing the handle to pivot relative to the pivoting member when the torque exceeds the predetermined value, wherein the clutch mechanism includes a cam member fixed to the pivoting member for pivotal movement therewith, the cam member having a cam surface having therein a cam recess, a rotor fixed to the handle for pivotal movement therewith, the rotor having a rotor surface facing the cam surface and having therein a rotor recess, a drive member seated in the cam recess and in the rotor recess when the rotor is in a normal position relative to the cam member, and a spring biasing the cam surface and the rotor surface together, such that, when the drive member is seated in the recesses and the handle is pivoted with a torque less than the predetermined value, pivotal movement of the rotor about the axis is transmitted to the cam member via the drive member, whereby pivotable movement of the handle is transmitted to the pivoting member of the lock mechanism, and such that, when the handle is pivoted with a torque greater than the predetermined value, the drive member moves against the force of the spring and out of at least one of the recesses, so that the rotor is able to pivot relative to the cam member, whereby the handle is able to pivot relative to the pivoting member of the lock mechanism.