Portable drawer and door lock for retrofit applications
AssigneeTriTeq Lock and Security, LLC
InventorsWilliam Denison, James E. McLane
Life of this patent
Estimating the term…
Abstract
A lock for retrofitting onto a drawer or a door includes a drawer having a front panel. The drawer slidingly engages an item of furniture having a front face that is positioned above the front panel when the drawer is closed. A bracket has a vertically disposed flat front plate, a horizontally disposed flat top plate, a vertically disposed fiat back plate, and a horizontally disposed motor platform that extends horizontally into an interior of the drawer. A motor having an output shaft is mounted on the motor platform. A latch supported by the motor platform is engaged by the output shaft. The latch is retracted when the drawer is unlocked and is extended to engage an interior side of the front panel of the furniture item when the drawer is locked.
Claims23
A locking mechanism comprising:
- a bracket having a front portion defining a top front edge and a first plane, a back portion defining a top back edge and a second plane, and a top portion defining a third plane and connecting the top front edge of the front portion and the top back edge of the back portion, wherein the front portion, top portion and back portion of the bracket define an empty space between the first plane and the second plane beneath the third plane;
- a moveable latch and latch operator disposed in a housing connected to the back portion of the bracket and external of the empty space;
- a user interface operatively disposed on the front portion of the bracket and external of the empty space, wherein the user interface is in electrical communication with the latch operator to control movement of the latch.
A locking mechanism for retrofitting onto an openable enclosure having at least one access panel and defining an interior and an exterior, the locking mechanism comprising:
- a generally U-shaped bracket having at least a first surface and a second surface, wherein the generally U-shaped bracket defines a space adapted to receive and freely mount the bracket on a top edge portion of the access panel of the enclosure;
- a user interface operatively positioned on the first surface of the bracket;
- and
- a moveable latch and latch operator positioned in a housing connected to the second surface of the bracket;
- wherein the user interface is in electrical communication with the latch operator to control movement of the latch between a locked position and an unlocked position.
A method for retrofitting a locking mechanism onto an openable enclosure having at least one access panel and defining an interior and an exterior, comprising the steps of:
- removably sliding a generally U-shaped bracket, having a user interface operatively positioned on a first surface of the bracket and a moveable latch and latch operator positioned in a housing connected to a second surface of the bracket, over a top edge portion of the access panel of the enclosure;
- and
- controlling movement of the latch between a locked position and an unlocked position via the user interface communicating with the latch operator electronically.
Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.