US 2007/0120012 A1Published application

Safe escape lock

OwnerJohn Rickerinventor

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Abstract

A locking mechanism for use on watertight doors includes a mounting plate having a threaded shaft on one side and an eye element on the other side. A chain associated with the watertight door is securely attached to the eye element and is adapted to be padlocked to a lock on the watertight door to lock the door against unauthorized entry into the compartment associated with the door. A threaded nut is threadably attached to the threaded shaft. The threaded shaft extends through a bore defined through the bulkhead associated with the door into the interior of the compartment associated with the door. In the event of an emergency, the threaded nut is removed from the threaded shaft, and the locking mechanism can be removed from the bulkhead associated with the door thereby freeing the door from the bulkhead and permitting the door to be opened from inside the compartment even if the chain remains locked to the door.

A watertight door locking mechanism comprising:

A) a watertight door for use on a compartment of a vessel, the watertight door having a bulkhead associated with the door, the bulkhead associated with the door having a bore defined therethrough with the bore being in communication with an interior of the compartment;
B) a mounting plate having
(1) a first surface which is located adjacent to the bulkhead associated with the door when the mounting plate is in place on the bulkhead associated with the door,
(2) a second surface which is interposed between the first surface and the bulkhead associated with the door when the mounting plate is in place on the bulkhead associated with the door,
(3) a sealing element mounted on the second surface of the mounting plate to be interposed between the second surface of the mounting plate and the bulkhead associated with the door when the mounting plate is in place on the bulkhead associated with the door, and
(4) an eye element securely mounted on the first surface of the mounting plate;
B) a locking chain securely fixed to the eye element;
C) a threaded post, the threaded post having a first end which is unitary and one-piece with the second surface of the mounting plate and a second end which is spaced apart from the first end of the threaded post, the threaded post being accommodated in the bore defined through the bulkhead associated with the door when the mounting plate is in place on the bulkhead associated with the door;
and
D) a threaded nut which is threadably mounted on the threaded post and which is located in the interior volume of the compartment when threadably engaged with the threaded post when the mounting plate is in place on the bulkhead associated with the door to hold the mounting plate in place on the bulkhead associated with the door, the mounting plate being freed of the bulkhead associated with the door when the threaded nut is removed from the threaded post whereby the mounting plate can be removed from the bulkhead associated with the door after the threaded nut is removed from the threaded post.

7 more elements

Abstract

Claims7