GB2206641A - Panic bar lock - Google Patents

Abstract

A mechanism intended for use with the oppositely directed bolts of a panic bar lock includes a keeper 26 extending from a door header to be held in a locked position in the helical guideway of a cam member 98 which is horizontally pivoted at 96 to a door surface (figs 6B, 7B). Downward (unlocking) movement of upper bolt 60 removes bolt end 32 from a slot 110 in the member 98 which is weighted to rotate until a stop 106 contacts end 32. The rotation frees the keeper 26 for release (Fig. 7A). On door closure the keeper re-enters the guideway of element 98 and rotates it back to the engaged position. <IMAGE>

Description

DOOR SURFACE MOUNTED UPPER BOLT MECHANISM FOR PANIC EXIT DEVICE rield of the invention : This invention relates to a lock mechanism for a door, particularly a lock mechanism that may be conveniently mounted to the inside face of the door.

Background Discussion: Safety exit doors are widely used in commercial cstabllshments and they employ a lock mechanism which is released by pushing against a panic bar actuator mounted to the inside face of the door. Lock mechanism for such safety exit doors are illustrated in United States Patents Nos.

1,638,74X, 4,130,306, 4,083,590, and 4,368,905.

In many instances, it is desirable to convert a conventional door into a safety exit door. Typically these doors are solid and the locking mechanism must be mounted to the inside face of the door. It is the objective of this invention to provide a lock mechanism which can be installcd on a conventional door to convert it into a safety exit door.

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION The present invention is a lock mechanism for a safety exit dooc which is convenient to install and provides a high degree of secucity. When installed, it presents an aesthetically pleasing, streamlined structure.

There are several features of this invention, no single one of which is solely responsible for its desirable attributes of ease of installation, s".curity, and physical attractiveness, Without limiting the scope of this invention, as expressed by the claims, its more promlnent features will now be discussed briefly. After considering this discussion, and particularly after reading the section of this application entitled 'DeTAILeD DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EHBODtHENT", one will understand how the features of this invention provide the advantages of ease of installation, security, and physical attractiveness.

One feature of the present invention is the use of a rotatably mounted, pendulum type, cam member secured to the inside face of the door between a keeper element mounted in the header of the door frame and a bolt Member which engages the cam. The bolt member is movable between locked and unlocked positions. When in the unlocked position, it allows the cam member to revolve to permit the keeper element to disengage from the cam as the door is opened.

The second feature of this invention is the use of a conventional panic bar actuator mounted to the inside face of the door for actuating the bolt member to move it between the locked and unlocked positions. The panic bar actuator, when pressed inwardly, pulls the bolt member downwardly in a vertical direction to allow the can to rotate, for example clockwise, as the door is pushed open. As soon as the actuator is released, the bolt member is moved partially upward to engage the cam which has now rotated to an unlocked position. When the door is closed,-the keeper element engages the cam, causing it to rotate in the opposite direction, for example counter clockwise, and return to its locked position.As the cam moves to its locked position, the bolt member is extended to its full upward position, locking the cam in position until the panic bar actuator is agaln pushed inwardly.

The third feature of this invention is the use of a guideway in the cam that rides along the keeper element as the door is opened and closed. This guideway has a latch section which, when the door is closed, secures the keeper element in the locked position. The guldeway also has an exit sect ton which allows the keeper element to disen9ae from the cam as the door is opened. The guidew includes at least one wall which has a helical surface over which the keeper clement rides as the cam rotates. This allows for the smooth, jam-free opening and closure of the door.

The fourth feature of this invention is the use of housing to cover the cam and bolt member so that, although the lock mechanism of this invention is mounted to the exterior of the door, it still presents a pleasing appearance. A bracket is secured to the face of the door which hoods the bolt in a vertlcal position and provides support to inhibit buckling of the bolt. For example, if soneone attempted to force the lock by musing a crosher Inserted between the door and the door frame, the boIt woi,i present a rigid structure supported by brackets that would not tend to buckle although being forced by a crowiar.

The preferred embodiment of this Invention illustrating all of its features will now be discussed in detail. This embodiment shows the lock mechanism being mounted on a solid wood door. It could be used on other types of doors and in several different configurations than the one specifically illustrated.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWING The lock mechanism of this invention Is illustrated in the draving, with like numerals Indicating like parts, and in which: Pig. 1 is an elevational view showing the lock mechanism of this invention mounted to the exterior of the inside face of a door.

Fig. 2 is a cross-sectional view taken along line 2-2 of Fig. 1.

rig. 3 is a cross-sectional view taken along line 3-3 of Fig. 2.

rig. 4 is a perspective view of a portion of the actuator mechanism for the bolt member employed to lock or unlock the door.

Flg, 5 is a cross-sectional view taken along line 5-5 of Fig. 1.

Fig. 6A is a cross-sectional view taken along line 6A-6A of Fig. 5 with the lock mechanism in the unlocked position.

Fig. 68 is a cross-sectional view taken along line 68-68 of Fig. 5 vith the lock mechanism in t!e locked position.

Fig. 7A is a cross-sectional view taken along line 7A-7A of Fig. 6A shoving the unlocking position as the door opcns.

Fig. 78 is a cross-sectional view taken along line 7B-78 of Fig. 6B showing the locked position.

Fig. 8 is a cross-sectional 7iew taken along line 8-8 of Fig. 1.

Fig. 9 is a cross-sectional view taken along line 9-9 of Fig. 8.

Fig. 10 is a cross-sectional view taken along line 10-10 of Pig, 9.

Fig. 11 is a front elevational vies showing an enlarged fragmentary view, with sections broken away, of the housing and bracket for the bolt member.

Fig. 12 is a cross-sectional view taken along line 12-12 of Fig. 11.

Fig. 13 is an enlarged cross-sectional viev, with sections broken away, showing the keeper element of the lock mechanism of this invention.

Fig. 14 is a pertpective view looking at the front of the caa.

rig. 15 is r perspective view looking at the back of the ca@.

DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENT Referring to rig. 1, the lock mechanism 10 of this invention is shown mounted to the exterior of the Inside face 12 of a door'l4 which is mounted to swing outwardly (into the plane of the paper). The door 14 is hinged along the right hand edge as ;hown in tig. 1, with the lock mechanism 10 belng mounted adjacent the free, swinging edge 16 of the door.The door 14 is carries within a door frame 18 with an upper keeper element 20 counted in the header 18a of the door frame and a lower keeper element 56 engaging the threshold lab of the door frame. A bolt member 60 coacts with keeper elements 20 and 56 to lock and unlock the door. The bolt member 60 has two section': upper bolt section 60a and lower bolt section 60b, which are aligned with each other alonq a common longitudinal axis. A panic actuator bar 62 moves the tolt sections 60a ani 60b between the locked and unlocked positions.

The upper keeper element 20 is best shown in Figs.

S, 6a, 6b and 13 and it includes a shaft 22 having one end 22a threaded and the othor end 22b car tying an enlarged hub element 24 (Fig. 13) on which is seated a cylindrical roller element 26 that acts as a cam follower. The roller element 26 has an enlarged central opening with an internal lip 40 which is formed by two bores 50 and 52 of different diameters. The shaft 22 is received within a plate 28 hiving on its inside surface a pair of spaced teeth 30 and a central opening 42 extending through a pair of rings 46 and 48 integral with and on opposite sides of the plate.

Opposite this plate 28 is a wing type nut 32 which is threaded onto the end 22a of the shaft. As best shown In Fig. 5, the upper keeper element 20 is partlally received within a cavity 34 In the header 18a. A cover 36 is seated over the open mouth of the cavity 34 and secured in position by screws 38 which are embedded into the header 18a. The cover 36 has a central opening 44 therein which receives the ring 46.

To assemble the upper keeper eleven 20, the roller element 26 is first slid over the threaded end 22a of the shaft 22 with the internal lip 40 (Fig. 13) on the inside of the roller element serving as a stop to limit the downward movement of this roller element. Next, the shaft 22 it Inserted through the central opening 42 in the plate .8 with the downward projectir ring 48 being received in the upper bore 50 of the roller element 26 and hub 24 beIng received in the lower bore 52. This assembly is then inserted through the opening 44 in the cover 36 and the shaft 22 is turned until the wing nut 32 bears against the surface of the cover 36.This assembly is then secured by the screws 38 to the header 18a, with the screws being tightened down so that the upper keeper element 20 is securely held in position.

The lower bolt section 60b includes .an elongated thrcaded shaft having its upper end attached to the panic bar actuator 62. The lower end of the bolt section GOb is removably attached to the hexagonal piece 58. As best shown in Figs. 8, 9 and 10, the lower keeper element 56 includes a housing 136 secured to the inside face 12 of tie door 14 at its lower end by a pair of screws 138 which pass through the housing and into the door and a hexagonal metal piece 58 movably seated in the threshold 186. A guide element 140 integral with the housing 136 holds the hexagonal piece 58 between teceptacles 142 for the screws 138 and enables the lower bolt section 60b to be turned to adjust it for different door heights.The upper end of the housing 136 has an opening 144 which receives the bracket housing 94 for the lower bolt section 60b. The end of this bracket housing 94 rests on a pair of inwardly projecting stop members 146 that extend from the side walls of the housing. The tapered end 58a of the hexagonal piece 58 is received in a bushing 148 held in the lower end of the guide element l40 with the upper end of the piece extending through an opening 150 In the guide element.

This tapered end 58a is held in the retracted position when the door 14 is opened.

Both the upper and lower keeper elements 20 and 56 are easy to install by simply cutting away cavities 34 and 64, respectively, in the header 18a and threshold 18b.

These cavities 34 and 64 are aligned so that the upper and lower keeper elements 20 and 56 vill be aligned with the bolt member 60 when the door is closed.

A cam assembly 66 is mounted immediately below the upper keeper element 20 on the inside face 12 of the door 14. This cam assembly 66 includes a cam housing 68 which is a generally box-like structure with a closed side 70 facing outwardly as shown in Fig. 1 and an open side 72 which is immediately adjacent the inside face 12 of the door 14. Internal mounts 74 for a palr of screws 76 extend inwardly from the opposing vertical side walls 78 and 80 of the housing with the screws extending through mounts and into receptacles 82 in the door 14 to hold the cam housing securely in position.Near the upper edge of the closed side 70 of the cam housing 68 is an opening SB therein to allow the roller element 26 of the upper keeper member 20 to extend into the housing 68, and the bottom wall 90 of the housing has an opening 92 therein which receives the upper end of a bracket housing 94 and the upper end of upper bolt section 60a.

Rotaesbly mounted within the cam housing 68 on a shaft 96 which extends from the closed side 70 into the inside of the housing is a cam 98. As best shown tn Figs.

14 and 15, this cam 98 has a generally cylindrical configuration with one flat end 100 of the cam being adjaceht the inside face 12 of the dooc and the other flat end 102 being adjacent the closed side 70. The cam 98 is carried by a roller bearing 104 on the shaft 96 whi ' allows it to revolve either clockwise or counter clockwise. The bearlng 104 also decreases friction to accelerate cam motion to maximize the pendulum effect. Extending from the cam 98 is a raised stop element 106 having opposed generally flat walls 106a and i06b which limit the rotatlon of the cam 98, as will be explained in greater detail below.

The cam 98 has a guideway recess 108 and a keyway recess 110. The guideway recess 108 is on a slant with respect to the shaft 96 and it is formed by an elongated, arcuate wall 112 which lies within a helically curving plane, a rounded end wall ill4, and a short wall which also lies wlthin a helically curving plane. The short wall is part of a wedge shaped latch member 99 that moves into or away from the opening 88 in the cam housing 68 depending on the position of the cam (Figs. 7a and 7b). The ends of the walls 112 and 116 are spaced to provide an entry and exit way 118 (Fig. 15) for the roller element 26 as the door 14 is opened and closed.

In accordance with this invention, the cam 98 is welghted so that it acts like a pendulum and will revolve only upon release of the bolt sections 60a and 60b from their respective keeper elements 20 and 56. The upper bolt section 60a controls rotation of the cam 98. This bolt section 60a includes an elongated threaded shaft 120 as shown best in Fig. 4 which has secured to its upper end a cam follower assembly 122 and has its lower end received in the upper arm 124 of the panic bar actuator 62. The cam follower assembly 122 includes a block 126 having a threaded bore in its lower face into which the bolt section 60a is attached. A pair of brackets 128 extend upwardly from the top surface of the block and a cylindrical roller 130 is rotatably mounted on a shaft (not shown) extending between these brackets.As beat shown in Figs. 6A and 65, the cylindrical roller 130 coacts with the cam 98 to lock and unlock the lock mechanism 10.

As illustrated In Figs. 11 and 12, the bolt sections 60a and 60b are covered by, respectively, an upper and lower bracket housings 94. These housings 91 are removably mounted to brackets 152 which are secured to the inside face 12 of the door 14 by screws 154. These brackets 94 have a unique cross-sectional configuration as shown in Fig. 12 which allows the shaft of the bolt member 6O to be snapped into position between two outwardly extending fingers 156 that form an open mouth 158 with inwardly projecting knuckles 160 that create the narrow mouth 158 therebetween which is slightly less than the diameter of the bolt member 60. To the rear of the youth 158 is an outwardly projecting stand 162 on which the bolt member 60 rests.At the edges of the bracket are two outwardly projecting tabs 164 which coact with tapered rlbs 166 on the inside wall of the housing 94 to hold the housing into position.

In accordance with one of the features of this invention, the lock mechanism 10 is easy to retrofit on conventional doors to convert them into safety exit doors.

With the upper and lower keeper elements 20 and 56 placed in the doc. frame as discussed above, the cam assembly 66 and bolt member 60 are attached to the inside face of the door by simply screwing the cam housing 68 in position and placIngXthe ends cf bolt sections 60a and 60b in position respectively at the upper and lower edges of the door opposite the keeper elements. The bolt sections 60a and 60b are rotated to adjust for the height of the door. With the brackets 152 secured to the inside face 12 of the door 14, the shafts of the bolt sections 60a and 60b are pushed through the open mouth 158 between fingers 156 with the fingers expanding outwardly slightly as the bolt sections pass through the mouth and then returning to the position shown in Fig. 12.The brackets are made out of a suitable plastic such as polypropylene which Is easy to mold in the desired cross-section and has the desired flexibility and resiliency to allow the bolt sections 60a and 60b to pass through the mouth 158.

As shown in Figs. 2, 3 and 4, the control assembly 168 for the bolt member 60 is secured to the face 12 of the door by means of a bracket 169. Control assembly 168 includes upper and lower arms 170 and 172 connected, respectlvely, to the faces of an upper gear 174 and a lower gear 176 that mesh. An axle 178 pcojects outwardly from the lower gear 176 and, as shown in Fig. 2, It may be turned by either an outside key controlled actuator 180 or a lever arm 182 that is actuated by a push bar assembly l84 upon inwardly pushing the push bar 186.

The details of the panic bar actuator are disclosed in United States Patent No. 4,083,590, and do not form a part of this invention since any suitable panic bar actuator may be used.

OPERATION The lock mechanism 10 of this invention operates as follows With the door closed as shown in Fig. 1, the upper bolt section 60a is in its fully upward extended position toward the header 18a of the door frame 18. As shown In Fig. 68, the cam 98 is positioned with the keyway recess 110 aligned with the cylindrical roller 130 of the cam follower assembly 122. The roller element 26 extends through the opening 88 in the closed side 70 of the cam housing 68 into the guideway recess 108. With the upper bolt section 60a in the position shown in Fig. 68, the wedge-shaped latch member 99 is lodged between the roller element 26 and the opening 88. Thus, the roller element 26 is lodged firmly in the guideway recess 108 and holds the door in a locked position.

To open the door 14 one simply pushes inwardly against the push bar 186, causing the lever arm 182 to pivot clockwise, as shown in Fig. 3, rotating the upper and lower gears 174 and 176 in a clockwise direction as vieved in Fig. 4 to pull the assembly of upper arm 170 and upper bolt section 60a and lover arm 172 and lower bolt section 60b Inwardly toward each other. This will move the cam 01 lower assembly 122 downwardly to the position shown in Fig. 6 and move the hexagonal piece 58 upwardly so that the tapered end 58a clears the mouth of the lower cavity 64.As the upper bolt section 60a moves downwardly in a vertical direction, the cylindrical roller 130 moves out of the keyway recess ill0, and is positloned so that it rides along the arcuate surface of the cam 98. The cam 98 is weighted to act like a pendulum so that as the follower assembly 122 moves downwardly and out of the keyway recess 110, the can 98 begins to rotate under the force of gravity until the stop element 106 moves to the position shown in Fig. 6A, whereupon the wall l06b strikes the cylindrical roller 130 and acts.as a stop. Simultaneously, the roller element 26 of the upper keeper assembly rides in the guideway recess l0t on the helical walls 112 and 116.This now positions the exit and entry opening 118 of the guldeway recess 108 opposlte the opening 88 in the cam housing 68.

The roller element 26 is nov in position to pass through the opening 88 upon opening of the door since the locking wedge member 99 has been moved from a location between tho roller 26 and the opening 88.

The user by continuing to press against the push bar 186, maintaining the bolt sections 60a and 60b in an unlocked position, forces the door 14 to pivot on its hinges and open outwardly. The roller element 26 passes through the opening 88 in the side 70 of the cam housing 68 as the door 14 swings open. Upon release of the push bar 186 the upper and lower bolt sections 60a and 60b will be retained in their unlocked positions until the door 14 is closed. As the door 14 closes, the roller element 26 passes through the opening 88 in the cam housing 68 and enters the exit and entry way 118 of the guideway recess 108.The continued closure of the door 14 forces the roller element 26 to coact with the helical surfaces of the walls 112 and 116 to rotate the cam 98 in a counterclockwise direction as viewed in Fig. 6. The cylindrical roller 130 rides along the arcuate surface of the cam until it is opposite the keyway recess 110. When it is opposite this recess 110, a spring force transmitted through the lever arm 182 and gears 174 and 176 will cause the upper and lower bolt sections 60a and 60b to move vertically outwardly, pushing the cylindrical roller 130 into the recess 110 and the tapered end 58a of hexagonal ptece 58 into the lover cavity 64.

Thus, upon closure of the door 14 the lock mechanism 10 is automatically locked.

SCOPE OF THe INVENTION The above descrIption presents the best mode contemplated for carrying out the present invention. This invention is, however1 susceptible to modifications and alternate constructions from the embodiment shown in the drawing and described above. Consequently, it is not the intention to limit this invention to the particular embodiment disclosed. On the contrary, the intention is to cover all modIfications and alternate constructions coming within the spirit and scope of the invention as expressed by the claims.

Claims (12)

1. A lock mechanism for a safety exit door mounted to swing outwardly from a door frame, including a keeper element in the door frame, a bolt member mounted to the door in a manner to be moved reciprocably between an extended locked position and a retracted unlocked position, cam means mounted to the door between the keeper element and the bolt member in a manner that allows the cam means to revolve as the deor is opened and closed, said cam means engaging the bolt member and being prevented from revolving by said bolt member when said bolt member is in the locked position and,upon disengagement with the bolt ember when said bolt member is in the unlocked position, being allowed to revolve a guideway in the cam means which receives the keeper element, said guideway changing its position relative to the keeper element as the cam means revolves, a latching section in the cam means that moves Into a locking position relative to the keeper element upon closing of the door, an entry and exit opening in the cam means through which the keeper element passes as the door opens and closes, with said keeper element causing the cam means to revolve as the cam means engages the keeper element upon closure of the door to move the latching section into the locking position, and panic bar actuator weans for moving the bolt amber betweon the locked and unlocked position.

2. The lock mechanism of claim 1 vherein the guideway is formed by helical wall means.

3. The lock mechanism of claim 2 vherein the latching section is a wedge-like member.

4. The lock mechanism of claim 1 adapted to be mounted on the exterior inside face of a door.

5. A lock mechanism for a safety exit door mounted to swing outwardly from a door frame including a header and a threshhold, said lock mechanism tncludlnq keeper elements respectively mounted in the header and threshhold in alignment with each other, a bolt mechanism mounted to the face of the door, said bolt rechani dm including upper and lower bolt members adapted to move in unison with each other recjproczily in a vertical direction between extended locked positions where the bolt members are respecttvely received in the keeper elements in the header and threshhold and retracted unlocked positions where the bolt members from said keeper elements are withdrawn a cam assembly mounted to the face of the door between the upper keeper element and the upper bolt member, said cam assembly including a generally cylindrical cam element adapted to freely revolve in elther a clockwise or counterclockwise direction and being weighted so that it acts like a pendulum, said cam element including therein a guideway recess receiving the keeper element tn the header and a keyway recess with the upper bolt member engaging the keyway recess when the lock mechanism Is locked and upon withdrawal of the upper bolt member from the keyway recess said cam element adapted to swing like a pendulum, a latching section that moves into a locking position relative to the keeper element in the header upon closing of the door and an entry and exit opening'through which said keeper element passes as the door opens and closes, with said keeper element causing the cam to revolve as it cnters and exits the guideway recess through the entry and exit opening upon closure and opening of the door, and panic bar actuator means for moving the bolt member between locked and unlocked positions.

f. The lock mechanism of claim 5 wherein the bolt sections are carried in brackets that maintain the erttcal orientation of the bolt sections.

7. The lock mechanism of clam 6 including a housing number removably attached to the bracket which covers the bolt section.

8. A lock mechanism for a door mounted to swing outwardly from a door frame, including a keeper element attached to the door frame and Including a roller element which extends outwardly from the door frame, a bolt member mounted to the door in a manner to be moved reciprocally in a vertical direction between an extended locked position and a retracted locked position, a generally cylindrically shaped cam elemcnt mounted between the keeper element and bolt member to freely revolve in elther a clockwise or counterclockwise direction and weighted to act like a pendulum, said cam element including therein a guideway which receives the roller element upon closure of the door, said guideway having an entry and exit opening through which the roller element passes as the door opens and closes and helically shaped walls over which the roller element ride6, a latching section integral vith the cam element which ts adjacent the entry and exit opening and which, upon rotation of the cam element during closing of the door, retains the roller element.

9. The lock mechanism of claim 8 wherein the bolt member is secured to the door by brackets and encased in a housing.

10. The lock mechanism of claim 8 wherein the latching section has a wedge-like shape.

11. A lock mechanism for a safety exit door mounted to swing outwardly from a door frame, including: a keeper element mounted to the door frame including an outwardly projecting follower member, a bolt member mounted to the door in a manner to be moved reciprocally between an extended locked position and a retracted unlocked position, a rotatably mounted cam between the keeper element and the bolt member which is prevented from rotating when the bolt member is in the locked position and is free to rotate when the bolt member is in the unlocked position, said cam including a substantially helical guideway which receives the follower member, with the follower member moving along said guideway as the cam rotates, and a panic bar actuator means for moving the bolt member between the locked and unlocked position.

12. A lock mechanism substantially as herein described with reference to the accompanying drawings.