Door Locking System
20170002591 ยท 2017-01-05
Inventors
Cpc classification
International classification
Abstract
A door locking system includes a first locking assembly and a second locking assembly. The first and second locking assemblies each have a locking actuator mounted on a door and a catch plate mounted on a door frame. Each of the locking actuators includes a lever and a locking plate, such that, in response to rotating the lever from an open position to a close position, the locking plate rotates from an unlocked position to a locked position, respectively, in which the locking plate is inserted into a groove of the corresponding catch plate when the locking plate is in its locked position.
Claims
1. A door looking system, comprising: a first locking assembly having a first locking actuator mounted on a door and a first catch plate mounted on a door frame, the first locking actuator including a first lever and a first locking plate, the first locking assembly being configured such that, in response to rotating the first lever from an open position to a close position, the first locking plate rotates from an unlocked position to a locked position, respectively, in which the first locking plate is inserted into a groove of the first catch plate when the first locking plate is in its locked position; and a second locking assembly having a second locking actuator mounted on the door and a second catch plate mounted on the door frame, the second locking actuator including a second lever and a second locking plate, the second locking assembly being configured such that, in response to rotating the second lever from an open position to a close position, the second locking plate rotates from an unlocked position to a locked position, respectively, in which the second locking plate is inserted into a groove of the second catch plate when the second locking plate is in its locked position.
2. The door locking system of claim 1, wherein the first locking assembly is located 12-16 from a top edge of the door along a first edge of the door and the second locking assembly is located 12-16 from a base edge of the door along the first edge of the door.
3. The door locking system of claim 1, wherein the first and second levers are configured to rotate 90 degrees.
4. The door locking system of claim 3, wherein, in response to rotating first and second levers 90 degrees, the first and second locking plates rotate 90 degrees, respectively.
5. The door locking system of claim 1, wherein the first and second catch plates are mounted to the door frame using 3 screws.
6. The door locking system of claim 2, further comprising: at least two door hinges secured to a second edge of the door and being configured to rotatingly mount the door on the door frame, wherein the first locking assembly and a first one of the at least two door hinges are located at substantially a first same distance from the top edge of the door, and the second locking assembly and a second one of the at least two door hinges are located at substantially a second same distance from the base edge of the door.
7. The door locking system of claim 1, wherein the groove of the first and second catch plates includes tapered edges that correspond with tapered edges of the first and second locking plates, respectively.
8. The door locking system of claim 6, wherein the at least two door hinges each include a protrusion configured to be received by a thimble, the thimble being mounted to an internal metal frame within the door along the second edge of the door.
9. The door locking system of claim 1, wherein the first and second locking assemblies comprise a hard metal, such as aluminum, steel, titanium, or something similar thereto in durability and hardness.
10. The door locking system of claim 1, wherein the first and second locking assemblies comprise a hard metal alloy, such as an aluminum alloy, steel alloy, titanium alloy, or some alloy similar thereto in durability and hardness.
11. The door locking system of claim 10, wherein the first and second locking assemblies are coated with any one of aluminum, iron, and zinc.
12. The door locking system of claim 1, wherein the first and second locking actuators each include a dampener located between the locking plate and a surface thereof.
13. A door locking system, comprising: a first locking assembly; and a second locking assembly, wherein the first and second locking assemblies each include a locking actuator mounted on a door and a catch plate mounted on a door frame, the locking actuator includes a lever and a locking plate, such that, in response to rotating the lever from an open position to a close position, the locking plate rotates from an unlocked position to a locked position, respectively, in which the locking plate is inserted into a groove of the catch plate when the locking plate is in its locked position, and wherein the first locking assembly is located 12-16 from a top edge of the door along a first edge of the door and the second locking assembly is located 12-16 from a base edge of the door along the first edge of the door.
Description
BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS
[0029] These and/or other features and utilities of the present general inventive concept will become apparent and more readily appreciated from the following description of the embodiments, taken in conjunction with the accompanying drawings of which:
[0030]
[0031]
[0032]
[0033]
[0034]
[0035]
[0036]
[0037]
[0038]
[0039]
[0040]
DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS
[0041] Reference will now be made in detail to the embodiments of the present general inventive concept, examples of which are illustrated in the accompanying drawings, wherein like reference numerals refer to the like elements throughout. The embodiments are described below in order to explain the present general inventive concept while referring to the figures.
[0042] It will be understood that, although the terms first, second, etc. may be used herein to describe various elements, these elements should not be limited by these terms. These terms are only used to distinguish one element from another. The terminology used herein describes exemplary embodiments only and is not intended to be limiting of the present general inventive concept. As used herein, the singular forms a, an and the are intended to include the plural forms as well, unless the context clearly indicates otherwise.
[0043] It will be further understood that the terms comprises and/or comprising, or includes and/or including when used in this specification, specify the presence of stated features, regions, integers, steps, operations, elements, and/or components, but do not preclude the presence or addition of one or more other features, regions, integers, steps, operations, elements, components, and/or groups thereof. It will also be understood that when an element is referred to as being on or onto another element, it may lie directly on the other element or intervening elements or layers may also be present. It will be understood that when an element is referred to as being connected or coupled to another element, it may be directly connected or coupled to the other element or intervening elements may be present. In contrast, when an element is referred to as being directly connected or directly coupled to another element, there are no intervening elements present. Other words used to describe the relationship between elements should be interpreted in a like fashion (e.g., between versus directly between, adjacent versus directly adjacent, etc.).
[0044] Unless otherwise defined, all terms used herein have the same meaning as commonly understood by one of ordinary skill in the art. It will be further understood that terms, such as those defined in commonly used dictionaries, should be interpreted as having a meaning that is consistent with their meaning in the context of the relevant art and will not be interpreted in an idealized or overly formal sense unless expressly so defined herein.
[0045]
[0046] Referring to
[0047] The housing 110 may have a box-type rectangular shape with four long-edged surfaces extending approximately 3 in length (x-direction) and 1.25 in width (y-direction) that are held together by two opposing short-edged surfaces extending approximately 1.25 in height (z-direction) and 1.25 in width. The locking lever 120 may include a handle portion 122 that extends approximately 3 in length in a first direction and an actuator portion 123 that extends approximately 1 in length in a second direction substantially perpendicular to the first direction. However, the present general inventive concept is not limited to the dimensions discussed above. For example, the housing 110 and locking lever 120 may have larger or smaller dimensions substantially relative to the dimensions discussed above to favor personal aesthetic and/or ergonomic preference.
[0048] Referring to
[0049]
[0050] The actuator portion 123 of the locking lever 120 extends through the lever hole 113 of the housing 110 and through the hole 162 of the locking plate 125. A washer 119 may be provided in the lever hole 113 between the housing 110 and the actuator portion 123 to reduce friction and wearing. The bulbous metal end 124 contacts a bottom surface 132 of the cavity 126 and the sidewall surfaces 127 of the cavity 126 to rotatably fasten the locking plate 125 to the housing 110. The bulbous metal end 124 may completely or partially fill the cavity 126 of the locking plate 125.
[0051] Referring to
[0052] The bulbous metal end 124 and the cavity 126 are shaped so that, upon rotation of the locking lever 120 from its open position to its close position, i.e., rotating 90 in the direction of arrow A, the bulbous metal end 124 contacts the sidewall surfaces 127 of the cavity 126 which causes the locking plate 125 to rotate 90 in the direction of arrow B. The locking lever 120 may be configured to rotate 90 from a first position, e.g., open position illustrated in solid lines, to a second position, e.g., locking position illustrated in dotted-lines, as illustrated in
[0053] The locking actuator device 100 may include padding or a dampener 133 disposed between the locking plate 125 and a surface 118 of the housing 110 to reduce friction and provide a smooth rotation of the locking lever 120 as the locking plate 125 rotates from its first position, e.g., open position, to its second position, e.g., locking position. The dampener 133 may be comprised of a metal, a metal alloy, a plastic, a resin, or something similar thereto.
[0054]
[0055] Referring to
[0056] The groove 216 of the catch plate 200 may extend from a first long-edge 214 of the catch plate 200 toward a second long-edge 215 of the catch plate 200 that is opposite to the first long-edge 214, as illustrated in
[0057] More specifically, the tapered shape of the groove 216 of the catch plate 200 is substantially similar to the tapered shape of the locking edge 195 of the locking plate 125 such that the locking plate 125 snugly fits into the groove 216, as discussed in detail below with reference to
[0058]
[0059] Referring to
[0060] The second metal plate 320 may be rectangular in shape and include at least four (4) mounting holes 322 and a protrusion 317. The mounting holes 322 of the second metal plate 320 may be larger in cross-section than the mounting holes 312 of the first mounting plate 310. The protrusion 317 may be cylindrical in shape having a height between 1-3 and is configured to be inserted into the protrusion hole 313, as discussed in detail below with reference to
[0061] The present general inventive concept is not limited to a cylindrical protrusion. For example, the protrusion 317 may have a three-dimensional (3D) oval shape, a cubic shape, a 3D star shape, or any shape so long as it conforms to the shape of the protrusion hole 313 of the first metal plate 310 and does not deviate from the scope and spirit of the present general inventive concept. The second metal plate 320 may include coupling members 316 along a coupling edge 319.
[0062] Referring to
[0063] The present general inventive concept is not limited to a cylindrical thimble 377. For example, the thimble 377 may have a three-dimensional (3D) oval shape, a cubic shape, a 3D star shape, or any shape so long as it conforms to the shape of the protrusion 317 of the second metal plate 320 and does not deviate from the scope and spirit of the present general inventive concept
[0064] Referring to
[0065]
[0066] A perimeter door 20 of a home or building may include an internal metal frame 25 along its perimeter and is secured to a door frame 40 using three (3) door hinges 30, as illustrated in
[0067] Referring to
[0068] The thimble 377 of the door hinge 300 may be inserted through the protrusion hole 313 and secured within the internal metal frame 25 of the door 20. Here, the door 20 may include a recess or hole, having similar dimensions as the thimble 377, within the internal metal frame 25 to accommodate the thimble 377. Upon assembly of the door hinges 300, the protrusion 317 is configured to be inserted through the protrusion hole 313 and fit snugly into the thimble 377 when the door is in is closed position.
[0069] Referring to
[0070] Referring to
[0071] The first locking assembly 1000 may be configured such that the first locking actuator device 100 is located near the top edge 21 of the door 20, e.g., between 12-16 from the top edge 21 of the door 20, along the first edge 23 of the door 20, and the first catch plate 200 is located adjacent the first locking actuator device 100 so that when the locking lever 120 is in its closed position (i.e., extending in a direction parallel to the first edge 23 of the door 20, as illustrated in dotted-lined of
[0072] Accordingly, the first locking assembly 1000 and the uppermost hinge 300 may be disposed at substantially the same distance from the top edge 21 of the door 20 such that the first locking assembly 1000 is located along the first edge 23 of the door 20 and the uppermost hinge 300 is located along the second edge 24 of the door 20. Similarly, the second locking assembly 2000 and the lowermost hinge 300 may be disposed at substantially the same distance from the base edge 22 of the door 20 such that the second locking assembly 2000 is located along the first edge 23 of the door 20 and the lowermost hinge 300 is located along the second edge 24 of the door 20.
[0073] The catch plate 200 of the first locking assembly 1000 may be mounted on an inside surface 42 of the door frame 40 (i.e., surface of the door frame that faces the door 20 when the door is in its closed position) using at least two (2) 3 screws 213. However, the present general inventive concept is not limited thereto. For example, the catch plate 200 may be mounted on the inside surface 42 of the door frame 40 using three (3) 3 screws 211.
[0074] The second locking actuator device 101 and the second catch plate 201 of the second locking assembly 2000 may be mounted to the door 20 and door frame 40, respectively, in a similar manner to that described above with respect to the first locking assembly 1000.
[0075] Accordingly, the catch plates 200, 201, when coupled with the locking plates 125 of the first and second locking actuator devices 100, 101, respectively, locks the door 20 in its closed position while removing the single point of failure 444. Due to the location of the first and second locking assemblies 1000, 2000 with respect to the door's first edge 22 and with respect to the door hinges 300, and because the screws used to secure the catch plates 200, 201 to the door frame 40 are up to six (6) times larger than conventionally used screws, the door locking system 5000 provides a unified vertical line of security 555 and two horizontal lines of security 888.
[0076] More specifically, as discussed above, conventional locking mechanisms typically utilize two (2) 0.5 screws to secure a corresponding striker metal plate to a door frame and each of the locking mechanisms are located at a middle region of a door. The present general inventive concept, on the other hand, provides the door locking system 5000 that strategically locates first and second locking assemblies 1000, 2000 at positions that are 12-16 from the top and bottom edges, respectively, of the door 20. Further, the catch plates 200 are properly secured to the inside surface 42 of the door frame 40 using 3.0 screws to prevent the catch plate from being ripped from the door frame 40 when force is applied thereto.
[0077] Mounting the first and second locking assemblies 1000, 2000 along the door's 20 first edge 23 at positions 12-16 from the top edge 21 and base edge 22, as illustrated in
[0078] Embodiments of the present general inventive concept remove the single point of failure 444, as illustrated in
[0079] In contrast with previous locking systems, the closure junction between the door 20 and the door frame 40 does not include the single point of failure 444 such that a potential intruder may apply force thereto in order to circumvent the locking mechanism and open the door. Rather, the first and second locking assemblies 1000, 2000 of the door locking system 5000 work in concert to provide the unified vertical line of security 555 along the closure junction between the door 20 and the door frame 40 and the unified horizontal lines of security 888 along lines connecting the first and second locking assemblies with its corresponding door hinge 300. The door locking system 5000 may be used together with conventional door locking systems or the door locking system 5000 may replace conventional door locking systems.
[0080] Referring to
[0081] Although a few embodiments of the present general inventive concept have been shown and described, it will be appreciated by those skilled in the art that changes may be made in these embodiments without departing from the principles and spirit of the general inventive concept, the scope of which is defined in the appended claims and their equivalents.