Patent ID: 8807606

Claim:
An electrically powered lock comprising: a housing that defines an outer recess and an interior chamber of the housing; a latch mounted with respect to the housing in said outer recess so as to be pivotable about a latch axis between an open position and a locking position, and having a latch face and an integral projecting segment that extends into said chamber, projecting laterally of both the latch axis and the latch face; a locking element mounted in said interior chamber for rotation about a lock axis normal to but offset from the latch axis for selectively blocking said integral projecting segment at a face of the locking element to hold the latch in said locking position or allowing the integral projecting segment to move past said face as the latch moves to said open position, to thereby place the lock respectively in a locked condition or an unlocked condition; and an electrically powered driver disposed within said housing laterally of said latch axis and having a shaft actuable along a driver axis in a direction generally parallel to the latch axis to effect said rotation of the locking element, wherein the projecting segment of the latch lies axially beyond the shaft of the electrically powered driver when said shaft is extended and the latch is in its locking position, and wherein the locking element is behind or below the shaft relative to a plane of the latch axis and the driver axis, and has a recess that registers with the projecting segment of the latch when allowing the latch to move to its open position but is rotatably displaceable to a position in which the locking element holds the latch in the locking position by blocking movement of the projecting segment.