Patent ID: 8070192

Claim:
A dogging device for a latch assembly comprising: a base mounted in a housing for a latch assembly; a first cover plate having a through-hole; a second cover plate, with a lock core mounted to the second cover plate and including an actuating portion, with the base including a first end, a second end, and an intermediate section between the first and second ends, with the intermediate section having a hole extending through the base along a longitudinal axis and a limiting keyway in the base extending from the hole along a radial direction perpendicular to the longitudinal axis; a shaft rotatably extending through the hole of the base along the longitudinal axis, with the shaft including a shaft key formed on an outer periphery thereof, with the limiting keyway of the base receiving and limiting rotation of the shaft key, with the shaft further including a driving groove in an end thereof, with the driving groove being adapted to be engaged with and driven by a tool; a dogging member including a first end, a second end, and an intermediate portion between the first and second ends of the dogging member, with the intermediate portion of the dogging member including a through-hole receiving the shaft, with a keyway extending from the through-hole and receiving the shaft key of the shaft, allowing joint rotation of the shaft and the dogging member, with the first end of the dogging member including at least one arm extending perpendicularly from the first end of the dogging member and spaced from and parallel to the longitudinal axis, with the housing being alternately mounted to the first cover plate and the second cover plate, with the at least one arm actuated by the actuating portion of the lock core mounted in the second cover plate, with the dogging member rotated when the housing is mounted to the second cover plate and when the lock core is turned by a lock core key different from the tool, with the second end of the dogging member being pivotable between a first position adapted to engage with a latching/unlatching control rod of the latch assembly and a second position adapted to disengage from the latching/unlatching control rod of the latch assembly by turning the shaft with the tool or by turning the lock core with the lock core key; and a spring mounted between the base and the dogging member to bias the dogging member in one of the first and second positions, wherein with the housing mounted to the first cover plate, the driving groove of the shaft is aligned with the through-hole of the first cover plate, the second end of the dogging member is moveable to the first position by turning the tool extending through the through-hole of the first cover plate into the driving groove of the shaft. wherein with the housing mounted to the second cover plate, the second end of the dogging member is moveable to the first position by turning the lock core with the lock core key to actuate the at least one arm of the dogging member.