Mortise lockset with internal clutch having override feature
AssigneeHarrow Products, Inc.
InventorGeorge Frolov
Life of this patent
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Abstract
A lock mechanism has a housing and a latch extending from the housing. The latch has an extended position and a retracted position. The mechanism includes apparatus for biasing the latch to the extended position, apparatus for defining a locked mode and an unlocked mode, and apparatus including a clutch for transferring an operator input motion to move the latch to the retracted position in the unlocked mode. The clutch includes a cam surface and a cam follower. A spring biases the cam follower toward the cam surface and a second override spring which biases the cam follower to compensate for any off-center relationship due to wear, excessive force and/or assembly misalignment and to prevent jamming.
Claims20
A lock mechanism which comprises:
- a housing;
- a latch extending from said housing, said latch having an extended position and a retracted position;
- means for biasing said latch to the extended position;
- means for defining a locked mode and an unlocked mode;
- and
- means for transferring an operator input motion to move said latch to said retracted position in said unlocked mode, said means for transferring an operator input motion uncoupling said operator input motion from said latch in said locked mode, said means for transferring including a cam surface and a cam follower, said cam follower having first means biasing said cam follower toward said cam surface and second means biasing said cam follower toward said cam surface, said second biasing means exerting a biasing force which is independent and greater than the biasing force of said first biasing means.
A lock mechanism which comprises:
- a housing;
- a latch extending from said housing, said latch having an extended position and a retracted position;
- a lock assembly for selectively defining a locked mode and an unlocked mode;
- an operator assembly comprising a displaceable cam surface which transfers operator input motion to move said latch to said retracted position in said unlocked mode wherein said cam surface is in a first position and uncouples said operator input motion from said latch in said locked mode wherein said cam surface is in a second position, said operator assembly including a cam follower which controls a lock member and a first spring biasing said cam follower toward said cam surface and a second spring biasing said cam follower toward said cam surface.
A lock mechanism comprising:
- a displaceable cam surface;
- a lock assembly for selectively positioning said cam surface to define a locked mode and an unlocked mode;
- an operator assembly which is rotatable about an axis to selectively retract a latch in accordance with a radial position of a radially displaceable lock member;
- and
- a clutch assembly comprising a follower which engages said cam surface and controls the radial position of said lock member, said clutch assembly comprising a first spring and an independent spring biasing said follower against said cam surface.
Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.