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US 8,424,935 B2Granted
Mortise lock assembly
AssigneeTownsteel, Inc.
InventorCharles W. Moon
Life of this patent
Estimating the term…
Abstract
A mortise lock is provided with independently rotatable spindles and a highly accessible lock-handing selector. Also, a clutching mortise lock is provided that enables operative rotation in both directions to retract the latch.
Claims19
A mortise lockset comprising:
- a mortise lockset case configured for insertion into a door mortise;
- a latchbolt enclosed at least partially within the mortise lockset case and guided for movement between positions in which the latchbolt extends out of the case and in which the latchbolt is substantially retracted within the case;
- a latch retractor, enclosed within the mortise lockset case, operable to retract the latchbolt;
- a hub assembly, enclosed within the mortise lockset case, operable to drive the latch retractor into a latchbolt-retracting position;
- first and second handle-operated spindles each configured for selective operative engagement with the hub assembly;
- a lock-handing selector configured to enable a selection of one of the first and second handle-operated spindles to operate the hub assembly to drive the latch retractor into the latchbolt-retracting position;
- wherein the lock-handing selector is operable to be changed from a first configuration operatively enabling the first handle-operated spindle to retract the latchbolt to a second configuration, distinct from the first configuration, enabling the second handle-operated spindle to retract the latchbolt, and vice versa, without opening the mortise lockset case;
- and
- a faceplate-accessible access control link assembly enabling a user to manually switch between access-enabling and access-denying configurations that respectively enable and disable an opposite one of the first and second handle-operated spindles to operate the hub assembly to drive the latch retractor into the latchbolt-retracting position;
- wherein the first and second door handle-operated spindles are permanently rotationally decoupled from each other so that operative rotation of either handle-operated spindle does not rotate the opposite handle-operated spindle, even when the faceplate-accessible access control link assembly is in the access-enabling configuration so that both handle-operated spindles are configured for operative movement of the hub assembly.
7 more elements
A clutching mortise lockset comprising:
- a mortise lockset case configured for insertion into a door mortise;
- a latchbolt enclosed at least partially within the mortise lockset case and guided for movement between positions in which the latchbolt extends out of the case and in which the latchbolt is substantially retracted within the case;
- a latch retractor, enclosed within the mortise lockset case, operable to retract the latchbolt;
- a hub assembly comprising a pair of coaxial cams, each operable to rotate, independently of the other, both counterclockwise and clockwise with respect to a rotationally intermediate position, in order to drive the latch retractor into a latchbolt-retracting position;
- first and second handle-operated spindles each configured for selective operative engagement with the hub assembly;
- a clutch enclosed within the mortise lockset case operative between engaged and disengaged positions;
- a faceplate-accessible clutchworks operating the clutch and enabling a user to switch between access-enabling and access-denying configurations that respectively enable and disable an outside handle-operated spindle to operate the hub assembly to drive the latch retractor into the latchbolt-retracting position;
- wherein the clutch, when engaged, rotationally interlocks a non-selected one of the first and second handle-operated spindles, opposite the selected handle-operated spindle, with a latch-retracting actuating portion of the hub assembly, thereby operatively enabling the non-selected spindle to retract the latchbolt;
- and
- wherein the clutch, when disengaged, rotationally decouples the non-selected spindle from the latch-retracting actuating portion of the hub assembly, thereby allowing the non-selected spindle to turn without retracting the latchbolt.
7 more elements
Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.