WO2022195359A1

WO2022195359A1 - A lock assembly for a sliding door

Info

Publication number: WO2022195359A1
Application number: PCT/IB2022/050130
Authority: WO
Inventors: Prabhakar Anant JOSHI; Salil Prabhakar JOSHI
Original assignee: Joshi Prabhakar Anant; Joshi Salil Prabhakar
Priority date: 2021-03-16
Filing date: 2022-01-10
Publication date: 2022-09-22

Abstract

The present disclosure relates to and envisages a lock assembly for a sliding door. The assembly comprises a support structure (10, 20), at least one pivoting hook (50A, 50B) and an actuation mechanism. The actuation mechanism comprises a slider (30), a crank (40) and a locking bracket (90). The crank (40) is operable by the locking means (12). The slider (30), mounted on the support structure (20), slides along a plane parallel to the plane of the support structure (20). The slider (30) is linked to the pivoting hook (50A, 50B) to facilitate rotation of the pivoting hook (50A, 50B) to a locked state from an unlocked state and vice versa. The locking bracket (90) is rotatable and has a locking profile (92) that enables locking of the slider (30) and thereby pivoting hook (50A, 50B) in either a locked or in an unlocked state.

Description

A LOCK ASSEMBLY FOR A SLIDING DOOR

FIELD

The present disclosure relates to door locks. Particularly, the present disclosure relates to locks for sliding doors for furniture and the like. BACKGROUND

The background information herein below relates to the present disclosure but is not necessarily prior art.

Generally, sliding doors in furniture have lock assemblies embedded into the door or fitted on one of the sides and positioned at an edge. On turning the key, a locking bolt is configured to protrude out of the housing of the lock and get inserted into an opening in the door jamb configured to receive the locking bolt.

Nowadays wardrobes having hinged doors are being replaced by wardrobes with a sliding door. So, the conventional wardrobe locks having locking bolt slides in straight line are not suitable for the wardrobes having sliding doors due to different constructional configuration. Presently, rotating hook type locks, which can be used for sliding doors, are available. However, the lock thickness is relatively more. Hence, they are not suitable for minimum door thickness. These locks have to be installed by making a bigger recess in the door from the edge of the door, which reduces the overall rigidity and hence reliability of the locking arrangement. For lesser door thickness, installing the rotating hook type locks is not possible. Also, the distance between the key entry hole and the door edge is less. Thus, it becomes inconvenient for a user to rotate the key since the hand of the user rubs with the side panel of the wardrobe during rotation. Further, this type of lock requires a compact cylinder assembly which has less key combinations, thus encouraging theft attempts.

Another type of hook lock available is fitted onto doors by making a recess on the door edge, closer to the door surface. It is easy to make the recess on the door edge, however, the strength of the locking bolt of the lock is considerably reduced against forced opening or theft attempt.

Previous designs incorporating a rotating bolt in a lock assembly for a sliding door have been unable to provide a high rigidity and strength and thus, reliable locking mechanism, wherein the rotating bolt tends to have a play. There still remains a possibility of unlocking the door lock with a sufficiently high force.

Thus, there is felt a need for a lock assembly which alleviates the aforementioned drawbacks of prior art. OBJECTS

Some of the objects of the present disclosure, which at least one embodiment herein satisfies, are as follows:

It is an object of the present disclosure to ameliorate one or more problems of the prior art or to at least provide a useful alternative. An object of present disclosure is to provide a lock assembly for sliding doors.

Another object of the present disclosure is to provide a lock assembly having a sturdy locking mechanism for sliding doors.

Yet another object of this invention is to provide a lock assembly for sliding doors, which is suitable for minimum panel thickness. Still another object of this invention is to provide a lock assembly for sliding doors, which can be easily installed on the door.

Yet another object of this invention is to provide a lock assembly for sliding doors, which is aesthetically appealing in shape and finish.

Still another object of this invention is to provide a lock assembly for sliding doors, which allows a large number of possible key combinations.

Other objects and advantages of the present disclosure will be more apparent from the following description, which is not intended to limit the scope of the present disclosure.

SUMMARY

The present disclosure envisages a lock assembly for a sliding door. The lock assembly comprises a support structure, a locking means, at least one pivoting hook and an actuation mechanism. The support structure is configured to support the components of the lock assembly and to be fitted to the sliding door. The locking means is configured to receive a key therein and is configured to facilitate displacement of the key to initiate locking and unlocking of the lock assembly. The pivoting hook is pivotably mounted on the support structure. The pivoting hook is configured to be ejected out of the support structure in a locking state and be received in the housing in an unlocking state. The actuation mechanism comprises a slider, a crank and a locking bracket. The crank is operable by the locking means. The slider is mounted on the support structure and is configured to slide along a plane parallel to the plane of the support structure. The slider is linked to the pivoting hook to facilitate angular displacement of the pivoting hook to a locked state from an unlocked state and vice versa. The locking bracket is angularly displaceable and has a locking profile that enables locking of the slider and thereby locking of the pivoting hook in either a locked or in an unlocked state at a time.

In a preferred embodiment, the locking profile of the locking bracket has at least two slots, i.e., a locking slot and an unlocking slot. The slots are configured to alternatingly receive a stub fixed on the slider. The locking bracket is rotatable to allow shifting of the slider between locked and unlocked states.

In an embodiment, the locking bracket has a pivot point, configured thereon, and having a pivot hole to receive a pin that pivotably holds the locking bracket on the base plate.

In an embodiment, the crank is configured to receive a predetermined angular displacement on turning the key from an unlocked state to a locked state and vice versa, to facilitate sliding of the slider.

In a preferred embodiment, the lock assembly includes a tension spring configured to be located between a stopper pin is fixed on the base plate and a protrusion fixed on the locking bracket. The tension spring is configured to bias the locking bracket towards the stub on the slider.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE ACCOMPANYING DRAWING

A lock assembly for a sliding door, of the present disclosure, will now be described with the help of the accompanying drawing, in which:

Figure 1 shows an exploded view of the lock assembly of the present disclosure; Figure 2 shows an unlocked state of the lock assembly of the present disclosure;

Figure 3 shows a first intermediate state of the lock assembly of Figure 2;

Figure 4 shows a second intermediate state of the lock assembly of Figure 2;

Figure 5 shows a locked state of the lock assembly of Figure 2; Figure 6A illustrates a locking bracket of the locking assembly of the present disclosure;

Figure 6B illustrates a crank of the locking assembly of the present disclosure;

Figure 7A, 7B illustrate pivoting hooks of the locking assembly of the present disclosure; and

Figure 8 illustrates a slider of the locking assembly of the present disclosure. LIST OF REFERENCE NUMERALS 100 - lock assembly 10 - lock housing 10a - outer wall 10b - front wall 10c - slot lOd - flange 12 - locking means 20 - base plate 22 - pivot pin 24 - projection

28 - stopper Pin

30 - slider 34 - drive slot

36 - stub 40 - crank 42 - driving lug 50A, 50B - pivoting hook

50’ - first surface of pivoting hook 52 - first protrusion 54 - second protrusion 56 - locking limb 58 - third protrusion

60 - top support plate 70 - tension spring 90 - locking bracket 92 - locking profile 92A - locking slot

92B - unlocking slot 94 - locking bracket pivot point DETAILED DESCRIPTION

The embodiments herein and the various features and advantageous details thereof are explained with reference to the non-limiting embodiments in the following description. Description of well-known components and processing techniques are omitted so as to not unnecessarily obscure the embodiments herein. The examples used herein are intended merely to facilitate an understanding of ways in which the embodiments herein may be practised and to further enable those of skill in the art to practise the embodiments herein. Accordingly, the examples should not be construed as limiting the scope of the embodiment herein.

The description of the specific embodiments will so fully reveal the general nature of the embodiments herein that others can, by applying current knowledge, readily modify and/or adapt for various applications such specific embodiments without departing from the generic concept, and, therefore, such adaptations and modifications should and are intended to be comprehended within the meaning and range of equivalents of the disclosed embodiments. It is to be understood that the phraseology or terminology employed herein is for the purpose of description and not of limitation. Therefore, while the embodiments herein have been described in terms of preferred embodiments, those skilled in the art will recognize that the embodiments herein can be practiced with modification within the spirit and scope of the embodiments as described herein.

A lock assembly 100, of the present disclosure, for a sliding door is described with reference to Figure 1 through Figure 8.

As illustrated in the exploded view of Figure 1, the lock assembly 100 comprises a striker 80, a support structure preferably comprising a lock housing 10 and a base plate 20, an actuation mechanism, and at least one pivoting hook 50A, 50B. The striker 80 is mounted in a jamb, a wall of a cupboard, or in another embodiment an edge of a mating door. The lock housing 10 is mounted on the base plate 20 on the sliding door facing the striker 80 using threaded fasteners passing through the base plate 20. The lock housing 10 is provided with a locking means 12 configured to receive a key therein, and is further configured to facilitate angular displacement of the key in clockwise and anti-clockwise direction to initiate locking and unlocking of the lock assembly 100. The base plate 20 supports the actuation mechanism and the pivoting hooks 50A, 50B, whereas, the lock housing 10 covers the assembly thus obtained.

The actuation mechanism of the present disclosure comprises a slider 30, a crank 40 and a locking bracket 90. The crank 40 is operable by a locking means 12. The slider 30 is mounted on the base plate 20 and it slides sideward. The pivoting hooks 50A, 50B are pivotably mounted on the base plate 20, and are linked to the slider 30. The crank 40 is coupled to the locking means 12. The crank 40 is configured to receive a predetermined angular displacement on turning the key from an unlocked state to a locked state and vice versa, to facilitate sliding of the slider 30. As shown in Figure 6A, the locking bracket 90 has a locking profile 92 having at least two slots, i.e., a locking slot 92 A and an unlocking slot 92B. The locking bracket 90 has a pivot point 94 having a pivot hole to receive a pin 22 that pivotably holds the locking bracket 90 on the base plate 20. The locking profile 92 is configured to hold the slider 30 in either an unlocked position or in a locked position at a time. The lock assembly 100 further includes a tension spring 70 configured to be located between a stopper pin 28 of the base plate 20 and a protrusion on the locking bracket 90. The tension spring 70 is configured to bias the locking bracket 90 towards a stub 36 on the slider 30.

As shown in Figure 6B, the crank 40 has a drive lug 42 radially extending therefrom. The drive lug 42 is configured to mate with the driving slot 34 of slider 30 when the crank 40 is angularly displaced, to facilitate sliding of the slider 30.

The predetermined angular displacement of the crank 40 is configured to cause sliding of the slider 30 which in turn causes the pivoting hooks 50A, 50B to eject out and hook onto the striker for facilitating locking of the sliding door with the jamb.

The slider 30 has a driving slot 34 and a stub 36 configured thereon. As shown in Figures 7A, 7B, the pivoting hooks 50A, 50B are defined by a body having a first protrusion 52 configured on a first surface 50’ of the body and a locking limb 56 extending from the body. The first protrusion 52 is configured to be received in the driving recess 32 of the slider 30 to facilitate engagement of the pivoting hooks 50A, 50B with the slider 30.

The lock housing 10 is defined by an upper wall 10a and a front wall 10b extending from the upper wall 10a. In an embodiment, the upper wall 10a includes a flange lOd extending therefrom. The front wall 10b of the housing 10 includes a second slot 10c configured thereon. The second slot 10c allows the passage of the locking limbs 56 therethrough. At least one aperture is configured on the lock housing 10 complementary to a lug (not shown) to enable snap fitting of the lock housing 10 with the base plate 20, thus facilitating a screw less fitting of the lock housing 10 with the base plate 20.

Figure 2 illustrates a first operative configuration wherein the lock assembly 100 is in unlocked state. The pivoting hooks 50A, 50B are initially in a withdrawn position. The stub 36 of slider 30 is in an unlocking slot 92B of locking bracket 90. In an operative configuration, at a predetermined angular displacement of the crank 40 in a first direction, the drive lug 42 lifts the locking bracket 90 and pushes the side of driving slot 34 of the slider 30 which causes the slider 30 to be slideably displaced towards the striker 80. As the pivoting hooks 50A, 50B are engaged with the slider with the help of the first protrusion 52, the pivoting hooks 50A, 50B are rotated in the direction of displacement of the slider 30 to facilitate pivoting of the pivoting hooks 50A, 50B. As a result of the pivoting of the pivoting hooks 50A, 50B, the locking limb 56 is ejected out of the lock housing 10 to enter the striker slot 82 and brace against the striker to facilitate locking of the sliding door with the jamb. The pivoting hooks 50A, 50B remain in locked state until the key is inserted again and turned in a reverse direction to do unlocking.

Figure 3 illustrates a second operative configuration wherein the lock assembly 100 is in a first intermediate state. As illustrated in the first intermediate state of the locking mechanism of the lock assembly 100 in Figure 3, the locking means 12 receives the key which is angularly displaced in a first direction. After completing a predetermined angular displacement, the drive lug 42 of the crank 40 is pushed against the locking bracket and lifting it in upward direction against the force of tension spring 70 and frees stub 36 of the slider 30. The drive lug 42 is in contact with driving slot 34 of slider 30 to facilitate linear displacement of the slider 30. Thus, the stub 36 of the slider 30 is free to move in slots 92A of the profile 92 of locking bracket 90 when the slider 30 linearly displaced forwardly.

Figure 4 illustrates a second operative configuration wherein the lock assembly 100 is in a second intermediate state. The stub 36 of the slider 30 is free to move forward without hindrance towards the locking slot 92A. The angular displacement of the crank 40 due to turning of the key causes further forward linear displacement of the slider 30. In the meanwhile, the pivoting hooks 50A, 50B are provided angular displacement due to sliding of the slider 30, thereby causing an intermediate outward displacement of their locking limbs 56 in a partially locked state.

Figure 5 illustrates a fully locked state of the locking mechanism of the lock assembly 100. The forward displacement of the slider 30, further from the position shown in Figure 4, brings the stub 36 in alignment with the locking slot 92A of the locking bracket 90. The tension spring 70 immediately pulls the locking bracket 90 downwards to lock the locking slot 92A against the stub 36 of the slider 30. In this locking position no angular moment would be exerted on the locking bracket 90 due to a horizontal force on the slider 30 through pivoting hooks 50A, 50B in the operative reverse/inverse direction so stopping the angular play in pivoting hooks 50A, 50B. Effectively, the pivoting hooks 50A, 50B would remain outside of the lock housing 10 in the locked state, as shown in Figure 5. Overall, a very secure state of locking is guaranteed by the locking mechanism realized by the locking profile 92 of the locking bracket 90 combined with the stub 36 of the slider 30. The dimensions and the weight of the various links in the mechanism are optimized due to the configuration described above.

In an embodiment, a driving recess 32 having an oblong shape is configured on the slider 30 to facilitate travel of the first protrusion 52 of the pivoting hooks 50A, 50B when the slider 30 is slideably moved.

The pivoting hooks 50A, 50B include a second protrusion 54 configured on the first surface 50’ of the body of the pivoting hooks 50A, 50B. In a preferred embodiment, each of the pivoting hooks 50A, 50B has a stepped configuration, wherein the height of the first surface 50’ of the pivoting hooks 50A, 50B is lesser than the thickness of the body of the pivoting hooks 50A, 50B. The stepped configuration of the pivoting hooks 50A, 50B allows the slider 30 to fit in and push the pivoting hooks 50A, 50B to the maximum extent. Further, the stepped configuration of the pivoting hooks 50A, 50B minimizes the overall thickness of the lock assembly 100. The pivoting hooks 50A, 50B further includes a third protrusion 58 configured to extend from the second protrusion 54 to a second surface of the pivoting hooks 50A, 50B.

The base plate 20 includes two holes (not shown) configured thereon to receive the second protrusions 54 therein and to allow pivoting of the pivoting hooks 50A, 50B thereabout. The base plate 20 further includes a plurality of projections 24 configured thereon for locating the slider 30 therebetween. Focating the slider 30 in between the projections 24 ensures that the slider 30 is only linearly displaced.

The lock assembly 100 includes a top support plate 60 that is configured to be mounted on the pivoting hooks 50A, 50B. The top support plate 60 has at least one hole configured thereon to locate the third protrusion 58 of the pivoting hooks 50A, 50B on opposite sides of the second protrusions 54. The top support plate 60 is further provided with a pair of flanges which abut the base plate 20 when assembled to secure the pivoting hooks 50A, 50B against the base plate 20. The overall configuration of the components of the lock assembly 100 allows the lock assembly 100 to maintain a thinner configuration as compared to the conventionally available locks for sliding doors. Further, the strength provided by the lock assembly 100 of the present disclosure is also greater than the conventionally available locks. The lock assembly 100 of the present disclosure can be used in locking sliding doors of a wardrobe, cupboards and the like.

The foregoing description of the embodiments has been provided for purposes of illustration and not intended to limit the scope of the present disclosure. Individual components of a particular embodiment are generally not limited to that particular embodiment, but, are interchangeable. Such variations are not to be regarded as a departure from the present disclosure, and all such modifications are considered to be within the scope of the present disclosure.

TECHNICAL ADVANCEMENTS

The present disclosure described herein above has several technical advantages including, but not limited to, the realization of a lock assembly for sliding doors, which:

• provides a highly reliable locking mechanism;

• is easy to be manufactured and assembled at a low cost;

• has optimum weight and dimensions;

• facilitates large number of different key combinations; and · is difficult to tamper and break open.

The foregoing disclosure has been described with reference to the accompanying embodiments which do not limit the scope and ambit of the disclosure. The description provided is purely by way of example and illustration.

The embodiments herein and the various features and advantageous details thereof are explained with reference to the non-limiting embodiments in the following description. Descriptions of well-known components and processing techniques are omitted so as to not unnecessarily obscure the embodiments herein. The examples used herein are intended merely to facilitate an understanding of ways in which the embodiments herein may be practiced and to further enable those of skill in the art to practice the embodiments herein. Accordingly, the examples should not be construed as limiting the scope of the embodiments herein.

The foregoing description of the specific embodiments so fully reveal the general nature of the embodiments herein that others can, by applying current knowledge, readily modify and/or adapt for various applications such specific embodiments without departing from the generic concept, and, therefore, such adaptations and modifications should and are intended to be comprehended within the meaning and range of equivalents of the disclosed embodiments. It is to be understood that the phraseology or terminology employed herein is for the purpose of description and not of limitation. Therefore, while the embodiments herein have been described in terms of preferred embodiments, those skilled in the art will recognize that the embodiments herein can be practiced with modification within the spirit and scope of the embodiments as described herein.

Throughout this specification the word “comprise”, or variations such as “comprises” or “comprising”, will be understood to imply the inclusion of a stated element, or group of elements, but not the exclusion of any other element, or group of elements.

While considerable emphasis has been placed herein on the components and component parts of the preferred embodiments, it will be appreciated that many embodiments can be made and that many changes can be made in the preferred embodiments without departing from the principles of the disclosure. These and other changes in the preferred embodiment as well as other embodiments of the disclosure will be apparent to those skilled in the art from the disclosure herein, whereby it is to be distinctly understood that the foregoing descriptive matter is to be interpreted merely as illustrative of the disclosure and not as a limitation.

Claims

CLAIMS:

1. A lock assembly for a sliding door, said lock assembly comprising: a. a support structure (10, 20); b. a locking means (12) supported on the support structure (10, 20) and configured to receive a key therein, said locking means (12) configured to facilitate displacement of the key to initiate locking and unlocking of said lock assembly (100); c. at least one pivoting hook (50A, 50B) pivotably mounted on said supporting structure (10, 20), said pivoting hook (50A, 50B) configured to be ejected out of said supporting structure (10, 20) in a locking state and to be received in said supporting structure (10, 20) in an unlocking state; and d. an actuation mechanism comprising a slider (30), a crank (40) and a locking bracket (90), said crank (40) operable by said locking means (12), said slider (30) mounted on said support structure (20) and configured to slide along a plane parallel to the plane of said support structure (20), said slider (30) linked to said pivoting hook (50A, 50B) to facilitate angular displacement of said pivoting hook (50A, 50B) to a locked state from an unlocked state and vice versa, said locking bracket (90) being angularly displaceable and having a locking profile (92) that enables locking of said slider (30), and thereby locking of said pivoting hook (50A, 50B) in either a locked or in an unlocked state.

2. The lock assembly as claimed in claim 1, wherein said support structure comprises a base plate (20) configured to support the components of said lock assembly and to be fitted to the sliding door and a lock housing (10) mounted on said base plate (20).

3. The lock assembly as claimed in claim 1, wherein said locking profile (92) of said locking bracket (90) has at least two slots, i.e., a locking slot (92A) and an unlocking slot (92B), said slots (92A, 92B) configured to alternatingly receive a stub (36) fixed on said slider (30), said locking bracket (90) being rotatable to be allow shifting of said slider (30) between locked and unlocked states. 4. The lock assembly as claimed in claim 2, wherein said locking bracket (90) has a pivot point (94) having a pivot hole, configured thereon, to receive a pin (22) that pivotably holds said locking bracket (90) on said base plate (20).

5. The lock assembly as claimed in claim 1, wherein said crank (40) is configured to receive a predetermined angular displacement on turning the key from an unlocked state to a locked state and vice versa, to facilitate sliding of said slider (30).

6. The lock assembly as claimed in claim 1, wherein said lock assembly (100) includes a tension spring (70) configured to be located between a stopper pin (28) fixed on said base plate (20) and a protrusion fixed on said locking bracket (90), said tension spring (70) configured to bias said locking bracket (90) towards said stub (36) on the slider

(30).