Security lock mechanism incorporating hydraulic dead locking
OwnerRaymond B. Bushnellinventor
Life of this patent
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Abstract
A locking system for a dead bolt and slam bolt locking of a movable door to a stationary keeper comprises a lock housing defining a cylinder chamber having an opening alignable with a keeper recess in the closed position of the door. A spherical locking bolt is mounted on a piston which is slidably and sealably movable in the cylinder chamber between an inner non-locking position and an outer locking position. The interior of the cylinder chamber is filled with a non-compressible fluid by outward movement of the piston and a normally closed check valve prevents exhaust of such fluid to produce a dead lock conditon. The check valve is alternatively opened by a manual key or by remotely controlled energization of a solenoid.
Claims21
A security lock mechanism for use between a movable door having a striker plate and a stationary door frame comprising, in combination:
- an elongated housing normally mountable in a door frame with its longitudinal axis vertical;
- said housing defining a first fluid chamber having a horizontal axis opening;
- a locking bolt slidably and sealably mounted in said horizontal axis opening;
- resilient means urging said locking bolt outwardly relative to said opening to a projecting position lockingly engagable with the striker plate;
- said housing defining a second fluid chamber having at least a portion thereof disposed vertically above said first fluid chamber;
- a fluid passage interconnecting said first fluid chamber with said portion of said second fluid chamber;
- a non-compressible fluid filling said first fluid chamber and at least said portion of said second fluid chamber when said locking bolt is in said projecting locking position;
- a check valve in said fluid passage having a normally closed position preventing fluid flow from said first fluid chamber to said second fluid chamber, thereby maintaining said locking bolt in said projecting locking position;
- and
- means for shifting said check valve from said closed position to an open position, thereby permitting said locking bolt to be moved inwardly in said opening to an unlocked position.
A remotely operated door locking system for use in effecting locking or unlocking of a door having a striker plate relative to a cooperatively positioned door frame, the system comprising:
- an elongated lock housing mountable in an edge of the door frame;
- said housing defining an operating fluid chamber having a cylindrical opening adjacent the door frame edge;
- a locking bolt slidably and sealably mounted in said cylindrical opening;
- resilient means for urging said locking bolt outwardly relative to said cylindrical opening to cooperate with the striker plate;
- said housing further defining a fluid reservoir chamber;
- means defining a fluid passage between said operating fluid chamber and said fluid reservoir chamber;
- a non-compressible fluid filling said operating fluid chamber, said fluid passage, and at least a portion of said fluid reservoir chamber when said locking bolt is disposed in said outward position engaging the striker plate;
- check valve means normally preventing fluid flow through said fluid passage only from said fluid reservoir chamber to said operating fluid chamber;
- and
- remotely operated means for shifting said check valve to permit flow through said fluid passage from said operating fluid chamber to said fluid reservoir chamber, thereby permitting said locking bolt to be moved inwardly in said opening to disengage from the striker plate.
The method of controlling the position of a lock bolt relative to a cooperative striker plate comprising the steps of:
- forming the lock bolt as a portion of a piston;
- slidably and sealably mounting said piston in a first fluid chamber for movement between a locking and unlocking position relative to the striker plate;
- resiliently biasing said piston outwardly relative to said first fluid chamber to engage said lock bolt with said striker plate;
- providing a second fluid chamber and a fluid passage communicating between said first and second fluid chambers;
- filling the first fluid chamber, the fluid passage and at least a portion of the second fluid chamber with a non-compressible fluid when said piston is in its outward position;
- and
- controlling the flow of fluid through said fluid passage to alternatively lock said lock bolt in engagement with said striker plate by fluid trapped in said first fluid chamber, or to permit said lock bolt to move out of engagement with said striker plate by permitting fluid flow from said first fluid chamber through said passage and into said second fluid chamber.
Apparatus for dead bolt locking a movable door having keeper and a stationary door frame comprising:
- a housing mountable on said door frame;
- said housing defining a cylindrical bore having an opening facing said keeper in the closed position of said door;
- a spherical locking element co-operable with said keeper;
- support means slidably mounted in the bore of said cylinder and abutting said spherical locking element;
- resilient means biasing said support means in an outward direction relative to said cylindrical bore opening to a locking position wherein said spherical locking element is positioned in locking engagement with said keeper in the closed position of said door, and
- means for selectively preventing movement of said support means inwardly in said cylindrical bore from said locking position;
- said means for selectively preventing inward movement of said support means comprising a non-compressible fluid filling said cylinder bore inwardly of said support means;
- said housing defining a fluid exit from said cylinder bore;
- and a selectively operable valve for opening and closing said fluid exit.
Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.