WO2004065733A1

WO2004065733A1 - Panic exit device for a cylinder lock

Info

Publication number: WO2004065733A1
Application number: PCT/IL2004/000033
Authority: WO
Inventors: Eyal Artsiely; Guy Peretz
Original assignee: Rav Bariach Security Products Ltd.
Priority date: 2003-01-22
Filing date: 2004-01-13
Publication date: 2004-08-05
Also published as: IL154085A0; IL154085A

Abstract

A panic exit device comprising a handle, and a force transmission device that couples the handle to a cylinder lock installed in a mortise lock of a door, wherein sufficient movement of the handle (e.g., rotation) in a first direction (e.g., in a plane parallel to a planar face of the door) causes the force transmission device to rotate the cylinder lock so as to unlock the mortise lock regardless of whether the door is currently locked or not.

Description

PANIC EXIT DEVICE FOR A CYLINDER LOCK

FIELD OF THE INVENTION

The present invention relates generally to panic exit devices, and particularly to a panic exit device for a cylinder lock, such as one installed in a mortise lock.

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION

A panic exit device or emergency exit device (the terms being used interchangeably throughout) is a device, the main objective of which is to enable a door to be opened at all times regardless of whether the door is currently locked or not.

Panic door devices generally comprise a horizontal bar pivoted with respect to the door, which may be pushed to open the door. Such horizontal bar devices are suitable for installation in areas which are open to the public, for example public buildings, places of public entertainment, stores, schools and hospitals, where it is necessary for the panic device to give simple and effective escape through a doorway with minimum effort.

Panic exit devices are known which are designed to operate mortise locks. Mortise locks, also known as rim locks, are well known locks set in a recess at an edge of a door and which includes latches or bolts which can be thrown into a locking engagement with recess formed in the door post. An example of such a panic exit device is described in the published European Patent Document 0491486 to Corbin Co. of Italy. This exit device comprises a lever handle fitted to a horizontal panic bar. In the housing of the device is a rack-and-pinion mechanism, wherein the pinion of the rack-and-pinion mechanism is adapted to receive the spindle of a mortise lock. Pushing the horizontal panic bar unlocks and actuates the mortise lock.

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION

The present invention seeks to provide a novel panic exit device for a cylinder lock, such as one installed in a mortise lock, wherein the handle of the mortise lock may be turned to open a door in a panic or emergency situation, as is described more in detail hereinbelow.

There is thus provided in accordance with an embodiment of the present invention a panic exit device comprising a handle, and a force transmission device that couples the handle to a cylinder lock installed in a mortise lock of a door, wherein sufficient movement of the handle (e.g., rotation) of the handle in a first direction (e.g., in a plane parallel to a planar face of the door) causes the force transmission device to rotate the cylinder lock so as to unlock the mortise lock regardless of whether the door is currently locked or not. The panic exit device may include other features. For example, sufficient rotation of the handle in a second direction different from (e.g., opposite to) the first direction

(e.g., in the plane parallel to the planar face of the door) may cause the force transmission device to rotate the cylinder lock so as to lock the door. The force transmission device may include a gear wheel coupled to the handle that meshes with a spur gear that couples with the cylinder lock. A gear ratio between the gear wheel and the spur gear may be such that one-quarter turn of the handle rotates the spur gear one complete revolution. The handle may be journaled in an escutcheon fastened to an inner side of the door. A catch may be pivotally mounted in the escutcheon and arranged to be received in a detent formed in the gear wheel. A biasing device may urge the catch to be seated in the detent.

A method for retrofitting a door is also disclosed including providing a cylinder lock installed in a mortise lock of a door, and coupling the panic exit device described herein to the cylinder lock.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

The present invention will be understood and appreciated more fully from the following detailed description, taken in conjunction with the drawings in which:

Fig. 1 is a simplified pictorial illustration of a panic exit device installed in a mortise lock, constructed and operative in accordance with an embodiment of the present invention, as viewed from the inner side of a door;

Fig. 2 is a simplified sectional illustration of the panic exit device of Fig. 1 , taken along lines II-II in Fig. 1 ;

Fig. 3 is an enlarged illustration of a portion of the panic exit device shown in Fig. 2, as indicated by the circle designated III in Fig. 2;

Fig. 4 is a simplified pictorial illustration of inner components of the panic exit device of Fig. 1, as viewed from the outer side of the door, wherein the panic exit device is coupled to a cylinder lock of the mortise lock;

Fig. 5 is a simplified pictorial illustration of the panic exit device of Fig. 1, wherein a handle has been turned to throw locking bolts to a locked (extended) position, in accordance with an embodiment of the present invention;

Fig. 6 is a simplified pictorial illustration of inner components of the panic exit device of Fig. 1, as viewed from the outer side of the door, corresponding to the position of Fig. 5;

Fig. 7 is a simplified pictorial illustration of the panic exit device of Fig. 1, wherein the handle has been turned in an opposite direction to that shown in Fig. 5 to unlock the cylinder lock in a panic situation, in accordance with an embodiment of the present invention; and

Fig. 8 is a simplified pictorial illustration of inner components of the panic exit device of Fig. 1, as viewed from the outer side of the door, corresponding to the position of Fig. 7.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF A PREFERRED EMBODIMENT

Reference is now made to Fig. 1, which illustrates a panic exit device 10 constructed and operative in accordance with an embodiment of the present invention.

Panic exit device 10 may comprise an escutcheon 12, which may be fastened to an inner side 14 of a door 16. Door 16 may be provided with a mortise lock 18, which may include a key-operated cylinder lock 20 (seen in Fig. 4) and a plurality of mortise-case lock bolts or latches (the terms bolts and latches being used interchangeably throughout the specification and claims) that may be thrown or retracted by a handle 22 or by actuation of cylinder lock 20.

Although any number of lock bolts or latches may be employed in the present invention, in the illustrated embodiment mortise lock 18 includes a latch bolt 23 and a plurality of dead bolt latches 24 which are configured to protrude from a faceplate 26. An outer side 28 of the door 16 may be provided with a non-movable handle 30.

Reference is now made to Figs. 2-4, which illustrate panic exit device 10 more in detail. A shaft 32 of handle 22 may be journaled in a bushing 34 (Fig. 3) mounted in escutcheon 12. A rod 36 may be secured to shaft 32 and may be attached to a gear wheel 38, such as by means of a clutch plate 40 to which rod 36 may be secured by means of Belleville washers 42 and a circlip 44.

Gear wheel 38 has inner teeth 46 which may mesh with a spur gear 48. Spur gear 48 may be secured to a spindle 50, which may be journaled in a bushing 52 mounted in a backplate 53 of escutcheon 12. A circlip 54 may be attached to spindle 50 on the outside of bushing 52. Spindle 50 may comprise a lug 56 which may be fixedly received in a groove (not shown) of cylinder lock 20 so that turning lug 56 turns a lock actuation gear 57 of cylinder lock 20. Gear wheel 38 and spur gear 48 form a force transmission device.

A catch 58 may be pivotally mounted in escutcheon 12 and arranged to be received in a detent 60 formed in gear wheel 38. A biasing device 62, such as but not limited to, a coil spring, may urge catch 58 to be seated in detent 60. The mechanism of catch 58, detent 60 and biasing device 62 may provide an audible indication of handle 22 being in a nominal position shown in Fig. 1. Rotation of handle 22 causes gear wheel 38 to turn spur gear 48, which in turn rotates lock actuation gear 57 of cylinder lock 20, so as to actuate mortise lock 18. The gear ratio between gear wheel 38 and spur gear 48 may be 1:4, for example, such that one-quarter turn of handle 22 may rotate spur gear 48 one complete revolution. Other gear ratios may be used to carry out the invention.

Accordingly, as seen in Figs. 5 and 6, rotating handle 22 one-quarter turn upwards from the position of Fig. 1 (counterclockwise, as indicated by arrow 64 in Fig. 5) may rotate spur gear 48 one complete revolution, which in turn rotates lock actuation gear 57 of cylinder lock 20 one complete revolution and throws latch bolt 23 and dead bolt latches 24 to a locked position. Thus, rotation of handle 22 (in a plane parallel to a planar face of door 16) may be used to lock the door 16 even without inserting a key (not shown) in a keyway 66 of cylinder lock 20.

Conversely, as seen in Figs. 7 and 8, rotating handle 22 one-quarter turn downwards from the position of Fig. 1 (clockwise, as indicated by arrow 68 in Fig. 7) may rotate spur gear 48 one complete revolution, which in turn rotates lock actuation gear 57 of cylinder lock 20 one complete revolution and retracts latch bolt 23 to an unlocked position. Thus, downward rotation of handle 22 (in a plane parallel to a planar face of door 16) may be used as a panic exit feature to unlock the door 16 even if the door is currently locked.

It is appreciated that the force transmission device of the invention may be constructed such that it couples with a horizontal panic door bar, which serves as the handle. In such an embodiment, pushing or downward rotation of the panic door bar rotate cylinder lock 20 so as to unlock mortise lock 18 regardless of whether door 16 is currently locked or not. A different movement of the panic door bar, such as an upward rotational movement may cause the force transmission device to rotate cylinder lock 20 so as to lock door 16.

It will be appreciated by persons skilled in the art that the present invention is not limited by what has been particularly shown and described hereinabove. Rather the scope of the present invention includes both combinations and subcombinations of the features described hereinabove as well as modifications and variations thereof which would occur to a person of skill in the art upon reading the foregoing description and which are not in the prior art.

Claims

C L A I M SWhat is claimed is:

1. A panic exit device comprising: a handle; and a force transmission device that couples said handle to a cylinder lock installed in a mortise lock of a door, wherein sufficient movement of said handle in a first direction causes said force transmission device to rotate said cylinder lock so as to unlock said mortise lock regardless of whether the door is currently locked or not.

2. The panic exit device according to claim 1, wherein sufficient rotation of said handle in a plane parallel to a planar face of the door causes said force transmission device to rotate said cylinder lock so as to unlock said mortise lock regardless of whether the door is currently locked or not.

3. The panic exit device according to claim 1, wherein sufficient movement of said handle in a second direction different from said first direction causes said force transmission device to rotate said cylinder lock so as to lock said door.

4. The panic exit device according to claim 2, wherein sufficient rotation of said handle in a second direction opposite to said first direction in the plane parallel to the planar face of the door causes said force transmission device to rotate said cylinder lock so as to lock said door.

5. The panic exit device according to claim 1, wherein said force transmission device comprises a gear wheel coupled to said handle that meshes with a spur gear that couples with said cylinder lock.

6. The panic exit device according to claim 5, wherein a gear ratio between said gear wheel and said spur gear is such that one-quarter turn of said handle rotates said spur gear one complete revolution.

7. The panic exit device according to claim 6, wherein said handle is journaled in an escutcheon fastened to an inner side of the door.

8. The panic exit device according to claim 7, wherein a catch is pivotally mounted in said escutcheon and arranged to be received in a detent formed in said gear wheel.

9. The panic exit device according to claim 8, wherein a biasing device is adapted to urge said catch to be seated in said detent.

10. A panic exit device comprising: an escutcheon fastened to an inner side of a door; a mortise lock mounted in said door comprising a key-operated cylinder lock and a plurality of mortise-case lock bolts; and a handle journaled in said escutcheon and coupled to a gear wheel, said gear wheel meshing with a spur gear, wherein said spur gear is journaled in said escutcheon and is coupled to said cylinder lock, wherein rotation of said handle in a plane parallel to a planar face of said door causes said gear wheel to turn said spur gear, which in turn rotates said cylinder lock so as to actuate said mortise lock.

11. The panic exit device according to claim 10, wherein a catch is pivotally mounted in said escutcheon and arranged to be received in a detent formed in said gear wheel.

12. The panic exit device according to claim 11, wherein a biasing device is adapted to urge said catch to be seated in said detent.

13. The panic exit device according to claim 10, wherein a gear ratio between said gear wheel and said spur gear is such that one-quarter turn of said handle rotates said spur gear one complete revolution.

14. A method for retrofitting a door comprising: providing a cylinder lock installed in a mortise lock of a door; coupling a panic exit device to said cylinder lock, said panic exit device comprising a handle and a force transmission device that couples said handle to said cylinder lock, wherein sufficient movement of said handle in a first direction causes said force transmission device to rotate said cylinder lock so as to unlock said mortise lock regardless of whether the door is currently locked or not.

15. The method according to claim 3, wherein sufficient rotation of said handle in a plane parallel to a planar face of the door causes said force transmission device to rotate said cylinder lock so as to unlock said mortise lock regardless of whether the door is currently locked or not.