Door lock indicator
OwnerJonathan E. Levineinventor
Life of this patent
Estimating the term…
Abstract
A door lock indicator device is disclosed. The door lock indicator device can include a rotatable portion, a lock status display, and a switch (e.g., a button). The rotatable portion can define an opening shaped to receive a key blade. The door lock indicator device can be installed on a face of a door lock with the opening aligned with a keyhole of the door lock. Rotating a key blade within a keyway of the door lock can cause the rotatable portion to rotate with the door lock's cylinder. The lock status display can include a first indicator light and a second indicator light. Activating the switch can cause the lock status display to indicate a direction of a most recent rotation of the rotatable portion and/or a locked or unlocked status of the associated door lock.
Claims22
A door lock indicator device, comprising:
- a frame including a rotatable portion defining an opening shaped to receive a key blade;
- a lock status display;
- and
- a check-status switch, wherein the door lock indicator device is battery powered, the door lock indicator device is configured to be attached to an existing door lock with the opening aligned with a keyhole of the door lock such that a key extending through the opening and into the keyhole of the door lock is capable of operating the door lock, activating the check-status switch is independent of rotation of the rotatable portion, and activating the check-status switch when the door lock indicator device is attached to the door lock causes the lock status display to indicate a direction of a most recent rotation of the rotatable portion, a locked or unlocked status of the door lock, or both the direction of the most recent rotation of the rotatable portion and the locked or unlocked status of the door lock.
A door lock indicator device kit, comprising:
- a door lock indicator device having a rotatable portion defining an opening shaped to receive a key blade, a lock status display, and a check-status switch, wherein the lock status display includes a first indicator light and a second indicator light, independently activating the check-status switch when a direction of a most recent rotation of the rotatable portion is clockwise causes the first indicator light to illuminate, and independently activating the check-status switch when the direction of the most recent rotation of the rotatable portion is counterclockwise causes the second indicator light to illuminate;
- and
- a locked marking separate from the door lock indicator device and affixable to the door lock indicator device either adjacent to the first indicator light or adjacent to the second indicator light.
A method for using a door lock indicator device, comprising:
- inserting a key blade through an opening of a rotatable portion of a door lock indicator device and into a keyway of a door lock to which the door lock indicator device is attached;
- rotating the key blade to lock or unlock the door lock, wherein rotating the key blade rotates the rotatable portion of the door lock indicator device;
- removing the key blade from the keyway of the door lock and the opening of the rotatable portion of the door lock indicator device;
- and
- activating a check-status switch after removing the key blade from the keyway to cause a lock status display on the door lock indicator device to indicate a direction of a most recent rotation of the rotatable portion, a locked or unlocked status of the door lock, or both the direction of the most recent rotation of the rotatable portion and the locked or unlocked status of the door lock.
Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.