Electronically controlled lock system for tool containers
AssigneeFort Lock Corporation
InventorsGary L. Myers, Paul D. Caplinger, William D. Denison, Calin V. Roatis
Life of this patent
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Abstract
A lock system for a tool container provides the convenience of remote control without compromising the simplicity of the manual key operation. The lock system has an electronically controlled actuating mechanism coupled to the locking mechanism for locking and unlocking the tool container. The coupling between the electronically controlled actuating mechanism and the locking system allows a user to manually override the electronically controlled actuating mechanism with the conventional key-turning operation.
Claims10
An electronic and manual actuating locking assembly for a multiple drawer cabinet of the type having a plurality of horizontally sliding drawers mounted vertically one above the other in a cabinet, the drawers including a latch member projecting from a side thereof, said cabinet including a latch bar movable generally vertically to engage or disengage from the drawer latch members;
- said locking assembly comprising, in combination:
- a manually operable locking device, said locking device including an actuating rod movable between a locking and unlocking position, said latch bar including an engagement flange for engagement by the actuating rod to effect movement of the latch bar between engagement and disengagement of the latch bar with the drawer latch members;
- a carrier attached to the latch bar and movable vertically therewith, said carrier including a pawl attached thereto, said pawl pivotally mounted on the carrier;
- a rotatable cam disk mounted on the cabinet;
- a motor for rotating the cam disk;
- means for controlling the operation of the motor including a processor and at least one control signal input receiver to the processor for receipt of a remote control signal from a remote transmitter;
- said cam disk including a pawl driving member for engaging the pawl upon rotation of the disk to translate the latch bar to an unlocked position;
- and
- said latch bar being movable by the actuating rod to disengage the cam disk pawl driving member from the pawl causing the pawl to pivot on the carrier to permit independent movement of the latch bar to the locked position.
In a combination, a multiple drawer cabinet having an electronically and manually operated drawer latch bar mounted in the cabinet, said latch bar operable independently for locking and unlocking the drawers by a manual operator and by an electronically controlled motor, said manual operator also operable to lock said cabinet drawer by effecting release of said latch bar from engagement by the electronically controlled motor, said latch bar including a first latch member operable by said electronically controlled motor and a second latch member operable by the manual operator, said first and second latch members projecting separately from the latch bar and each engageable by a separate drive member for moving the latch bar vertically upward from a locked to an unlocked position;
- the drive member for the first latch member including a biased, pivotal pawl;
- said electronically controlled motor including a rotatable disk driven by the motor, said disk having a pawl engaging member for engaging the pawl upon rotation of the disk to lift the latch bar to the unlocked position, said pawl engaging member rotatable with the disk to effect release from engagement with the pawl and consequent release of the latch bar from the unlocked position by the disk;
- said drive member for the second latch member movable between the locked position for the latch bar and the unlocked position for the latch bar and further moveable to a vertically extended position of the latch bar to effect disengagement of and release of the pawl from the disk and allow the pawl to be biased pivotally out of an engagement position with the disk, whereby upon release of the drive member for the second latch member when in the vertically extended position, the latch bar is released from control of the electronically controlled motor.
Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.