# US 4,674,776 A · Mortise lock having secured stops

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- Number: US 4,674,776 A
- Document ID: US4674776A
- Status: Granted
- Kind: A
- Application number: 06/835,547
- Filed: 1986-03-03
- Granted: 1987-06-23
- Earliest claimed: 1986-03-03
- Assignees: Baldwin Hardware Corporation
- Inventors: Paul James
- Web page: https://patentgrep.com/patent/US4674776A

## CPC

- E05B 13/004: {by locking the spindle, follower, or the like}
- E05B 59/00: Locks with latches separate from the lock-bolts or with a plurality of latches or lock-bolts
- E05B 63/16: with the handles on opposite sides moving independently
- E05B 65/1086: {Locks with panic function, e.g. allowing opening from the inside without a ley even when locked from the outside}
- Y10T 292/0844: Lever
- Y10T 292/1028: Sliding catch
- E05B: LOCKS; ACCESSORIES THEREFOR; HANDCUFFS
- Y10T: TECHNICAL SUBJECTS COVERED BY FORMER US CLASSIFICATION

## Abstract

A mortise lock has two relatively-rotatable knob or lever-controlled spindles for independent operation from opposite sides of a door of a resiliently extending latchbolt and positively extending deadbolt, and stop buttons accessible at an edge of the door for blocking operation of the bolts from one side in a higher security state. The lock also has a safeguard effective to block a change in the state of the stop buttons to a lower-security state unless the deadbolt is first positioned at a pre-determined point between full retraction and full extension using a key. The lock is a double cylinder lock such that operation of the deadbolt from either side requires a key. The lock may be mastered such that operation of the deadbolt requires a master key while operation of the latch requires a common key. Therefore the ability to change the stop buttons is restricted.

## Claims

### Claim 1

A mortise lock of the type having relatively rotatable spindles permitting independent operation of the spindles from opposite sides of a door using handles connected to the spindle, and a deadbolt extendible for engaging a doorframe and retractable into the lock, the lock having a stop means accessible from an edge of the door, the stop means being movable between at least two states, in one of which states the stop means blocks operation of the spindle on one of said opposite sides, the lock comprising:
safeguard means connected to the deadbolt and positioned by the deadbolt to prevent movement of the stop means between said two states when the deadbolt is fully extended and when the deadbolt is fully retracted, said safeguard means permitting movement of the stop means when the deadbolt is partially retracted, whereby the state of the stop means can be changed only during operation of the deadbolt.

### Claim 2 (depends on 1)

The lock of claim 1, further comprising at least one spring urging the deadbolt toward stable positions at full extension and full retraction of the deadbolt.

### Claim 3 (depends on 2)

The lock of claim 2, wherein said at least one spring includes a detent intermediate full extension and full retraction of the deadbolt, at which detent the deadbolt can be reset for changing the state of the stop means.

### Claim 4 (depends on 1)

The lock of claim 1, where the deadbolt is extendable only by means of a key, whereby the key is needed for changing the state of the stop means.

### Claim 5 (depends on 4)

The lock of claim 4, further comprising means for retracting the deadbolt using a handle on one of said opposite sides.

### Claim 6 (depends on 1)

The lock of claim 1, further comprising a spindle hub for each of said opposite sides, and a latchbolt resiliently biased to extend from said edge, rotation of the spindle hub causing retraction of the latchbolt, the stop means having a slidable pin with an abutment engaging the spindle hub for one of the opposite sides in a blocking state and slidable clear of the spindle hub in a free state.

### Claim 7 (depends on 6)

The lock of claim 6, comprising two stop buttons connected in a flip-flop manner and wherein the safeguard means includes a linkage pivotally connected to the deadbolt and to a casing of the lock, the linkage having an end opposite the deadbolt that bears against one of the stop means when the deadbolt is fully advanced and bears against the other of the stop means when the deadbolt is fully retracted, whereby the stops can be changed only during partial retraction of the deadbolt.

### Claim 8 (depends on 1)

The lock of claim 1, wherein the lock is a double cylinder lock having key-operable lock cylinders on both opposite sides thereof, the cylinders being connected to withdraw the deadbolt if turned in a first direction and to withdraw the latchbolt, independent of the spindle and independent of the stop means, if turned in a second direction.

### Claim 9 (depends on 8)

The lock of claim 8, wherein said at least one of the lock cylinders is a multiple-key master cylinder for use with a plurality of different keys, a limited number of which keys are operable to turn the cylinder in said second direction.

### Claim 10

A lock to be mounted at a free edge of a hinged door for affixing the door to the doorframe, the lock having means for receiving at least one handle and a key-operable lock cylinder accessible at a face of the door, a latchbolt and a deadbolt extendible from an edge of the door to engage the doorframe, and at least one manually-movable control stop accessible at the edge of the door for controllably enabling an operating characteristic of the door, the lock comprising:
a deadbolt linkage connecting said lock cylinder and said deadbolt, the deadbolt being retractable by operating the lock cylinder using a key;
a latchbolt linkage connecting said means for receiving at least one handle to said latchbolt, the latchbolt linkage being engaged by said control stop when said operating characteristic is set; and,
a connecting linkage between the deadbolt and the control stop, the connecting linkage blocking movement of the control stop when the deadbolt is fully extended and when the deadbolt is fully retracted, the connecting linkage having an intermediate position free of the control stop when the deadbolt is partly retracted, whereby said operating characteristic can be enabled and disabled only by operation of the deadbolt.

### Claim 11 (depends on 10)

The lock of claim 10, wherein the operating characteristic is a capability to retract the latchbolt using the handle.

### Claim 12 (depends on 11)

The lock of claim 11, further comprising a two-part spindle, each part having means for receiving a handle on one of two opposite sides of the door, and the parts of the spindle being relatively-rotatable, the operating characteristic being a capability to retract the latchbolt on one of the opposite sides using the handle on said side.

### Claim 13 (depends on 10)

The lock of claim 10, wherein the lock cylinder is operable by means of a least two different keys, said different keys enabling different functions of the lock cylinder.

### Claim 14 (depends on 10)

The lock of claim 10, further comprising a second lock cylinder accessible at an opposite face of the door.

### Claim 15

A mortise lock comprising:
a casing with key cylinders on opposite sides;
a deadbolt in the casing, the deadbolt being extendable from an edge of the casing and spring biased to fully extend and fully retract, the deadbolt adapted to engage a doorframe when extended;
a latchbolt in the casing, the latchbolt being spring biased to fully extend through the edge to engage the doorframe;
a split spindle extending through the casing and having relatively rotatable opposite ends for carrying handles;
a spindle hub for each of the two ends of the spindle, the spindle hubs having eccentric means for engaging and retracting the latchbolt, one of the spindle hubs having a stop cooperating with an eccentric means on the spindle hub for receiving the stop, the stop being movably mounted at the edge of the casing;
a linkage attached to the deadbolt and positioned by the deadbolt to block movement of the stop when the deadbolt is retracted and when the deadbolt is extended, the linkage allowing movement of the stop when the deadbolt is positioned intermediate extension and retraction.

### Claim 16 (depends on 15)

The lock of claim 15, wherein the stop has two buttons connected to flip-flop and the linkage is urged against a surface of one of the buttons during extension of the deadbolt and against a surface of the other of the buttons during retraction.

### Claim 17 (depends on 16)

The lock of claim 16, wherein the linkage has a movable cam and a locking lever, the cam bearing on one of the stop buttons in a first direction and bearing on the locking lever in an opposite direction, the locking lever bearing on said other of the stop buttons.