EP0237421B1 - Locking device, especially for the door of a cold-storage room - Google Patents

Abstract

1. A closure device for a door (P) pivotably mounted on a door frame (D), the device comprising : a lock keeper assembly (10) attached to the door frame ; a handle and sliding bolt assembly (20) borne by the leaf of the door and comprising a casing (24) attached to the outer face of such leaf and projecting beyond the edge of the door ; a handle (50) properly so-called hinged to the casing around a pivot (54) parallel with the pivoting axis of the door ; and a sliding bolt (40) also articulated to the casing around an axis (45) parallel with the pivoting axis of the door and disposed in the projecting portion, the sliding bolt being adapted to cooperate with the fixed lock keeper, and the handle comprising a portion (52) to be operated by the user and an actuating portion adapted to disengage the sliding bolt from the lock keeper when the handle is operated, characterized in that the handle and sliding bolt assembly comprises a backplate (21) attached to the door and the casing (24) attached to the backplate, which it covers, masking the members for attaching the plate to the door, the casing comprising two side walls (27, 28) connected at one end by a first end wall (30) and by a front wall (29) behind which the sliding bolt is situated, and at the opposite end by a second end wall (31), the handle (50) comprising a pallet hinged at an intermediate point of its length around an axis contained entirely inside the casing, the pallet bounding an operating portion disposed adjacent the second end wall (31) of the casing and completing the volume bounded by the side walls (27, 28), the front wall (29) and the second end wall (31) of the casing.

Description

The present invention relates to closing devices for pivoting doors, these devices being able in particular but not exclusively to be used on doors of cold rooms or cold stores.

There is known such a closing device for a door pivotally mounted on a frame, of the type comprising a strike assembly fixed on the frame, a handle and bolt assembly carried by the door leaf and comprising a housing fixed on the face external of the leaf and projecting from the edge of the door, a handle proper articulated on this housing around an axis parallel to the pivot axis of the door, a bolt also articulated on the housing around a parallel axis to the pivot axis of the door and located in said projecting part, this bolt being adapted to cooperate with the fixed strike, the handle comprising a part for operation by the user and an actuation part intended to cause the release of the bolt out of the keeper when operating the handle. Preferably, a bolt release mechanism is also provided, which comprises an operating member accessible from the internal face of the door and arranged to cause the release of the bolt and the opening of the door.

In a known arrangement, the housing of this device has a U-shape and the ends of the two branches of this U are in abutment against the exterior face of the door. The handle itself is projecting in the bottom of the U, between the two branches of the latter, so that the user must place his hand in this U to be able to actuate the handle by pulling it towards him. Such an arrangement has at least two drawbacks: it has a large thickness, and therefore protrudes appreciably over the thickness of the door. In addition, it is relatively heavy and expensive.

There is also known (US-A-4,519,641) a device in which an operating lever articulated on a housing acts on the bolt by means of an intermediate lever mounted rotatably about the same axis as the operating lever. In this known arrangement, the common axis of articulation of the two levers is accessible from the outside of the housing, so that it can be easily "pushed out" and that the closure device is not tamper-proof, in the current sense of this term. This drawback is further accentuated by the fact that the elements for fixing the housing to the door are also accessible.

In addition, the operating lever protrudes very widely from the housing and therefore risks being accidentally hooked.

Document GB-A-2 084 643 having served as a basis for the preamble of claim 1, also describes a closing device comprising a housing fixed to the door by members accessible from the outside and which can therefore be easily dismantled. On this housing is articulated a lever or an operating handle which acts directly on the bolt and which protrudes very largely relative to the housing.

The invention therefore aims to provide a door closing device, of the type defined above and which is compact in thickness, can not be disassembled or broken easily, and nevertheless allows to obtain costs reduced manufacturing.

• - le boîtier est fixé sur la contre-plaque par des organes de fixation qui ne sont accessibles qu'à partir de la face interne de la porte et lorsque cette dernière est ouverte;
• - la contre-plaque fait saillie sur le chant de la porte et des organes de fixation du boîtier sur la contre-plaque sont disposés dans les parties du boîtier et de la contre-plaque qui font saillie sur le chant de la porte.
• - La poignée est articulée sur le boîtier autour d'un axe parallèle à l'axe d'articulation du pêne sur ce même boîtier, un levier étant articulé sur le boîtier autour du même axe que la poignée, ce levier comportant une première branche coopérant avec la face interne de la poignée et une deuxième branche reliée par au moins une biellette au pêne.
• - Le levier comporte une troisième branche qui peut être actionnée par un organe de manoeuvre accessible par la face interne de la porte.
• - Il est prévu une serrure portée par la poignée.
• - La serrure comprend un corps fixé sur la face interne de la poignée et un barillet pouvant tourner par rapport au corps, lorsqu'il est actionné par une clé, ce barillet étant solidaire d'un paneton, ce paneton étant agencé pour coopérer avec un organe de verrouillage de la poignée, pour placer cet organe de verrouillage, soit dans une position active dans laquelle il se trouve en face d'une pièce solidaire du boîtier, soit dans une position effacée dans laquelle il est dégagé de ladite pièce.

To this end, such a device is characterized in that the handle and bolt assembly comprises a counter plate fixed to the door and a housing fixed to this counter plate, and covering it by masking the fixing members of this plate on the door, this housing comprising two side walls connected, at one end, by a first end wall and by a front wall behind which the bolt is located, and at their opposite end by a second end wall , the handle comprising a pallet articulated at an intermediate point of its length around an axis housed entirely inside the housing, this pallet delimiting an operating part disposed in the vicinity of said second end wall of the housing and completing the volume delimited by the side walls, the front wall of the second end wall of the housing. Following other developments:

• - The housing is fixed on the counterplate by fixing members which are accessible only from the internal face of the door and when the latter is open;
• - The counter plate protrudes on the edge of the door and the housing fixing members on the counter plate are arranged in the parts of the housing and the counter plate which protrude on the edge of the door.
• - The handle is articulated on the housing around an axis parallel to the axis of articulation of the bolt on this same housing, a lever being articulated on the housing around the same axis as the handle, this lever comprising a first cooperating branch with the internal face of the handle and a second branch connected by at least one link to the bolt.
• - The lever comprises a third branch which can be actuated by an operating member accessible from the internal face of the door.
• - There is a lock carried by the handle.
• - The lock comprises a body fixed on the internal face of the handle and a barrel which can rotate relative to the body, when it is actuated by a key, this barrel being integral with a peg, this peg being arranged to cooperate with a handle locking member, to place this locking member, either in an active position in which it is located opposite a part secured to the housing, or in a retracted position in which it is released from said part.

• - la fig. 1 est une vue en coupe longitudinale avec arrachement d'un dispositif de fermeture suivant l'invention;
• - la fig. 2 est une vue de face d'une partie de ce dispositif;
• - la fig. 3 est une vue en coupe suivant la ligne 3-3 de la fig. 1;
• - la fig. 4 est une vue en coupe suivant la ligne 4-4 de cette même fig. 1;
• - la fig. 5 est une vue de détail représentant la face arrière de la poignée et le mécanisme de serrure fixé sur cette poignée;
• - la fig. 6 est une vue en coupe suivant la ligne 6-6 de la fig. 5; et
• - les figures 7 et 8 sont deux vues illustrant respectivement deux positions de mécanisme de verrouillage.

The invention will be described in more detail below with reference to the accompanying drawings, given solely by way of example and in which:

• - fig. 1 is a view in longitudinal section with cutaway of a closure device according to the invention;
• - fig. 2 is a front view of a part of this device;
• - fig. 3 is a sectional view along line 3-3 of FIG. 1;
• - fig. 4 is a sectional view along line 4-4 of this same fig. 1;
• - fig. 5 is a detailed view showing the rear side of the handle and the lock mechanism attached to this handle;
• - fig. 6 is a sectional view along line 6-6 of FIG. 5; and
• - Figures 7 and 8 are two views respectively illustrating two positions of the locking mechanism.

The closure device shown in the drawings is intended to equip a door P pivotally mounted on a frame D, around a vertical axis not shown.

On this frame is fixed a striker assembly 10, comprising a housing 11 and conventional fixing means which need not be described in detail. In this housing is mounted an actual striker 12 here constituted by a cylindrical sleeve 13 carried by a rod 14 itself fixed between two uprights 15 integral with the housing. This striker rod is arranged vertically, parallel to the vertical edge of the frame and to the pivot axis of the door.

The device is completed by a handle and bolt block 20 carried by the door leaf. This block comprises first of all a counter plate 21 fixed on the external fax machine of the door and of which a part 22 projects on the edge of the door. This counter plate is fixed by screws (not shown).

An actual box 24 is fixed to this counter-plate, for example by means of two screws 25 arranged in the part 22 of the plate. It is also fixed in the vicinity of the opposite edge 23 of the plate, in line with an opening 26 formed in the latter and in the thickness of the door, and which is intended to allow the passage of an operating member that the 'will be described in more detail below.

This housing 24 completely covers the counter plate 21 and in particular the screws for fixing the latter on the door. It comprises two side walls 27 and 28 connected to their left part by considering Figures 1 and 2 by a front wall 29 and by an end wall 30. At their other ends, the two side walls 27, 28 are connected by a second end wall 31 also constituting a base applied against the surface of the door and which delimits a space allowing access to the handle, as will be described below. This base also includes an internally threaded barrel 32 which in particular constitutes an anchoring point.

In the part of the housing which projects laterally with respect to the edge of the door is articulated a bolt 40 having the shape of a hook provided with a ramp 41 allowing its engagement on the keeper when the door is closed. This bolt is articulated around an axis 42 and it is urged by at least one spring 43 towards its closed position. This spring is wound around the axis 42 and is supported by a first branch 44 on a second axis 45 secured to the bolt and, by the end of its other branch 46, on the handle itself 50. As can be seen on fig. 4, the bolt is in fact double and constituted by two identical parts connected by a spacer constituting the axis 45.

The handle itself has an elevational view in FIG. 2, the shape of a rectangular pallet and engages with a small clearance in the volume delimited by the lateral faces 27, 28, the front face 29 and the wall or base 31 of the housing. This handle has on its internal face a rib 51 intended to come into abutment against a complementary surface 31a of the base of the housing as well as an operating part 52 disposed at its end close to the base 31. It further comprises on its face directed towards the inside of the housing two bosses 53 constituting a yoke and by which it is articulated on a cylindrical rod 54 entirely housed inside the housing and carried between the two lateral faces 27, 28 of this housing.

Around this same vertical axis rod is articulated a lever 60 with three branches. The first branch 61 is in abutment against the internal face of the handle, in a zone 55 of the latter arranged relative to the bosses 53, opposite the operating part 52.

The second branch 62 is articulated by means of an axis 63 on a connecting rod 64 which is here constituted by a double connecting rod formed by two elbowed elements which can be connected in an intermediate part by a spacer 65 and whose opposite ends 66 are articulated on the bolt, around axis 45.

The third branch 57 of the lever 60 is arranged opposite the orifices provided in the barrel 32 of the base, in the counter-plate 28 and in the door P. This third branch is intended to cooperate with a rod 70 which is made of preferably a thermally insulating material which is slidably mounted in a guide 71 which simultaneously ensures the fixing of the base 31 on the counter plate 21. This rod can be actuated from the internal face of the door, by means of 'a pusher 72 covered by a flexible cover 73 and biased towards the outside by a spring 74.

This device is completed by a locking mechanism with a lock allowing the handle to be locked in the closed position. That is to say in the position shown in FIG. 5. This mechanism is described in more detail in Figures 5 to 8.

This lock 80 is carried by the handle 50. In the example shown, it is a conventional cylinder lock known as "with European profile", comprising a body 81 fixed to the handle by means of two balusters 82, d 'a bar 83 and screws 84. The barrel 85 rotatably mounted relative to the body of the lock is integral with a bit 86 which, when the key 87 is engaged in the barrel and this key is actuated, can be driven at an angle of 360 °, the key can only be engaged in the lock and released from this lock in one position. The body of the lock has a cylindrical part 88 around which a metal sector 89 is rotatably mounted surrounding this cylindrical part at an angle greater than 180 °, so that it cannot escape from it laterally. This sector includes a boss 90 which, in the closed position of the lock, is placed between the internal face of the handle and a stop piece 91 carried by the counterplate. In addition, this sector carries a finger 92 which is axially projecting so as to be able to be on the path of the bit 86. A plate 93 secured to the body of the lock has a notch 94 in which passes the finger 92, the two ends of this notch constituting two stops which limit the angular travel of the sector 89.

The operation of such a device is as follows:

It is first of all important to note that the movements of the bolt 40 are free even if the handle is blocked by means of the lock, due to the possible clearance of the lever 60. The door can therefore be closed simply by pushing it towards the dormant, even if the lock is locked. The latch engages on the fixed strike and the door is in the closed position. If the lock is in the locking position, the tab 86 and the sector-shaped blocking part 89 occupy the position shown in FIGS. 5 and 7. The handle cannot then be actuated since it comes into abutment against the boss 90 which is itself in abutment against the column 91.

However, even in this locked position of the handle, the door can be opened from inside the room or warehouse. It suffices to exert a pressure on the pusher 72, which causes the displacement of the rod 70 and the actuation of the lever 60 in a direction such that the rod 64 and the bolt 40 are actuated in the direction of the opening (fig. 1).

To unlock the handle, the user engages the key in the lock and turns it anti-clockwise, considering fig. 2 or fig. 7. The bit 86 then moves until its face 86a comes into contact with the finger 92 and drives the sector 89 to the release position of the key (fig. 8). The boss 90 is then released from the baluster 91 and the handle can be actuated normally by the user who pulls it towards him in the direction which causes the door to open.

During this actuation, the handle rotates about its articulation axis 54 and acts by its internal face on the branch 61 of the lever. The latter is therefore driven clockwise by considering fig. 2, which causes the bolt 40 to be actuated by means of the rods 64.

To re-lock the handle, the user operates the lock clockwise, considering fig. 1 or fig. 8. The bit 86 turns around an angle of about 330 ° until its face 86b comes into contact with the finger 92 carried by the sector 89. The latter is then driven on an angle such that the boss 90 comes to the right of the baluster 91 and therefore prevents actuation of the handle.

Such a device has significant advantages: first of all, it is tamper-proof because none of the fixing screws, both of the counter-plate on the door and of the housing on the counter-plate, are accessible from the outside.

It has a very small thickness and no part is likely to be hooked, unlike what occurs in prior devices.

The locking device is particularly simple and effective and does not prevent the opening operation for a user disposed inside the enclosure. It will be added that this mechanism is particularly robust and of simple construction, so that the assembly can have a relatively low cost price.

Claims (13)

1. A closure device for a door (P) pivotably mounted on a door frame (D), the device comprising: a lock keeper assembly (10) attached to the door frame; a handle and sliding bolt assembly (20) borne by the leaf of the door and comprising a casing (24) attached to the outer face of such leaf and projecting beyond the edge of the door; a handle (50) properly so-called hinged to the casing around a pivot (54) parallel with the pivoting axis of the door; and a sliding bolt (40) also articulated to the casing around an axis (45) parallel with the pivoting axis of the door and disposed in the projecting portion, the sliding bolt being adapted to cooperate with the fixed lock keeper, and the handle comprising a portion (52) to be operated by the user and an actuating portion adapted to disengage the sliding bolt from the lock keeper when the handle is operated, characterized in that the handle and sliding bolt assembly comprises a backplate (21) attached to the door and the casing (24) attached to the backplate, which it covers, masking the members for attaching the plate to the door, the casing comprising two side walls (27, 28) connected at one end by a first end wall (30) and by a front wall (29) behind which the sliding bolt is situated, and at the opposite end by a second end wall (31), the handle (50) comprising a pallet hinged at an intermediate point of its length around an axis contained entirely inside the casing, the pallet bounding an operating portion disposed adjacent the second end wall (31) of the casing and completing the volume bounded by the side walls (27, 28), the front wall (29) and the second end wall (31) of the casing.

2. A device according to claim 1, characterized in that the casing (24) is attached to the backplate (21) via attaching members (25, 71) which are accessible only from the inner face of the door and when the door is opened.

3. A device according to claim 2, characterized in that the backplate (21) projects (at 22) over the edge of the door, and members (25) for attaching the casing to the backplate are disposed in those portions of the casing and the backplate which project over the edge for the door.

4. A device according to claim 1, characterized in that the handle is hinged to the casing around a pivot (54) parallel with the axis of the hinging (42) of the sliding bolt to the casing, and a lever (60) is hinged to the casing around the same pivot (54) as the handle, such lever comprising a first arm (61) cooperating with the inner face (55) of the handle, and a second arm (62) connected via at least one rod (64) to the sliding bolt (40).

5. A device according to claim 4, characterized in that the lever (60) comprises a third arm (67) which can be actuated by an operating member (70, 72, 73) accessible via the inner face of the door.

6. A device according to claim 5,characterized in that it comprises a member (71) for attaching the casing (24) to the backplate (21), such member enclosing the operating member (70).

7. A device according to any of the preceding claims having a lock adapted to lock the handle in the closure position, characterized in that the lock (80) is borne by the handle (50).

8. A device according to claim 8, characterized in that the lock (80) comprises a body (81) attached to the inner face of the handle and a barrel (85) which can rotate in relation to the body (81) when it is actuated by a key (87), the barrel being integral with a key bit (86) adapted to cooperate with a member (89, 90, 92) for locking the handle to position the locking member either in an operative position, in which it is situated opposite a member (91) integral with the casing, or in a retracted position, in which it is disengaged from such member.

9. A device according to claim 8, characterized in that the lock body (81) comprises a cylindrical portion (88), and the locking member comprises a member (89) which encloses the cylindrical portion (88) over an angle greater than 180° and can rotate in relation to such portion, such member comprising on the one hand a boss (90) adapted to cooperate with the member (91) integral with the casing, and on the other a finger (92) adapted to cooperate with the key bit (86).

10. A device according to claim 9, characterized in that a small plate (93) is provided which is integral with the lock body (81) and comprises at least one scalloping (94) in which the finger (92) extends, the two ends of the scalloping forming two abutments which limit the angular travel of the member (89).

11. A device according to one of claims 9 and 10, characterized in that the boss (90) extends laterally in relation to the member (89) which has as a whole the shape of an annular sector, and the finger (92) extends axially from one of the end faces of such member (89).

12. A device according to any of claims 8 to 11, characterized in that the key and the barrel rotate through an angle of 360°, and the key bit (86) cooperates with the finger (92) via its two faces (86a and 86b) respectively in the final portion of its rotary movement through 360°.

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