Drawer lock mechanism
AssigneeWaterloo Industries, Inc.
InventorGregory Jon Holcomb
Life of this patent
Estimating the term…
Abstract
A drawer storage container having a plurality of lockable drawers includes a movable lock bar with a drawer catch associated with each of the lockable drawers. The lock bar is moved between an unlocked position and a locked position with an actuator that is coupled to a locking mechanism, such as for example, a key cylinder. Each drawer includes a striker mechanism that is configured to be held by the drawer catch when the lock bar is in the locked position. The actuator includes a release that allows the lock bar to be moved by the striker from the locked to the unlocked position when the striker impacts a camming surface on the catch.
Claims23
A drawer lock for use with a storage container having a top wall, a bottom wall, a pair of spaced side walls and a rear wall that define a drawer cavity in which one or more drawers are housed, the drawers being moveable between an open and a closed position, the drawer lock comprising:
- a striker attached to a rear portion of each drawer, the striker including a retention feature;
- a vertical lock bar slideably mounted to the back wall and moveable between a locked position and an unlocked position, the lock bar including a catch aligned with the striker on a corresponding drawer such that the catch engages and retains the retention feature when the lock bar is in the locked position and the drawer is in the closed position and wherein the catch includes a camming surface that urges the lock bar from the locked position to the unlocked position when the striker impacts the camming surface as the drawer is moved from the open position to the closed position;
- and
- an actuator coupled to the lock bar configured to move the lock bar between the locked and unlocked position in response to movement of a container lock mechanism.
A method that locks a drawer within a lockable storage container comprising:
- providing a striker plate with a retention feature on a rear surface of the drawer;
- with an actuator, positioning a lock bar in a locked position such that a catch on the lock bar is engaged with the retention feature;
- contacting the catch with the striker plate by closing the drawer to move the guide pin up into the relief;
- and
- passing the striker plate under the catch until the retention is constrained by the catch.
A drawer lock assembly comprising:
- a lock bar including a protruding guide pin at a top end and a plurality of spaced protruding catches spaced the majority of the length of the bar, each catch comprises a generally L-shaped finger that includes a first leg that projects orthogonally from the bar and a second leg that projects orthogonally from the first leg toward a bottom end of the lock bar;
- and
- an actuator coupled to the lock bar and comprises a slot including an upper horizontal portion, a lower horizontal portion and a vertical portion, wherein the lock bar in engaged to the actuator such that the guide pin can ride within the slot.
Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.