Access-control system for door lock

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-10294697-B2
Application number	US-201615040512-A
Country	US
Kind code	B2
Filing date	Feb 10, 2016
Priority date	Feb 10, 2015
Publication date	May 21, 2019
Grant date	May 21, 2019

Abstract

An access-control system is provided for a door lock that is associated with a door and a rotatable doorknob. The access-control system includes a doorknob cover.

First claim

The invention claimed is:

1. An access-control system for a door lock, the system comprising
an operative lock actuator associated with the door lock, the operative lock actuator having a locked mode and an unlocked mode and configured to be operated to change the door lock from the locked mode to the unlocked mode, the operative lock actuator being coupled to a rotatable doorknob that can be locked by the door lock in the locked mode to block rotation of the rotatable doorknob, and
a doorknob security system including a doorknob cover coupled to the rotatable doorknob for movement relative to the rotatable doorknob, and the door knob security system including a non-operative movable decoy lock-actuator button supported on an exterior facing portion of the doorknob cover in a visible position adjacent to the doorknob cover, the decoy lock-actuator button configured for movement from a normal projected position to a temporary depressed position in response to application of an external force to the non-operative movable decoy lock-actuator button, such that the decoy lock-actuator button is movable from the normal projected position to the temporary depressed position without activating the operative lock actuator to change the door lock from the locked mode to the unlocked mode.

2. The system of claim 1 , wherein the doorknob cover is formed to include a lock actuator access aperture that opens into an interior region of the doorknob cover that contains the operative lock actuator and provides a port through which a person may reach to activate the operative lock actuator to change the door lock from the locked mode to the unlocked mode, and wherein the non-operative movable decoy lock-actuator button is arranged to block access to the operative lock actuator when located in the visible position adjacent to the doorknob cover so as to hide the operative lock actuator from view in the interior region of the doorknob cover.

3. An access-control system for a door lock, the system comprising
an operative lock actuator associated with the door lock, the operative lock actuator having a locked mode and an unlocked mode and configured to be operated to change the door lock from the locked mode to the unlocked mode, the operative lock actuator being coupled to a rotatable doorknob that can be locked by the door lock in the locked mode to block rotation of the rotatable doorknob, and
a doorknob security system including a doorknob cover coupled to the rotatable doorknob for movement relative to the rotatable doorknob and a non-operative movable decoy lock-actuator button supported in a visible position adjacent to the doorknob cover, the decoy lock-actuator button configured for movement from a normal projected position to a temporary depressed position in response to application of an external force to the non-operative movable decoy lock-actuator button without activating the operative lock actuator to change the door lock from the locked mode to the unlocked mode,
wherein the doorknob cover is formed to include a lock actuator access aperture that opens into an interior region of the doorknob cover that contains the operative lock actuator and provides a port through which a person may reach to activate the operative lock actuator to change the door lock from the locked mode to the unlocked mode, and wherein the non-operative movable decoy lock-actuator button is arranged to block access to the operative lock actuator when located in the visible position adjacent to the doorknob cover so as to hide the operative lock actuator from view in the interior region of the doorknob cover,
further comprising a movable button support coupled to the doorknob cover for movement relative to the doorknob cover and wherein the non-operative movable decoy lock-actuator button is mounted on the movable button support for movement therewith relative to the doorknob cover and is arranged to cooperate with the movable button support to define an actuator access-control shield that can be moved by a knowing person relative to the doorknob cover from an aperture-closing position in which the lock actuator access aperture is closed to hide the operative lock actuator from view to an aperture-opening position in which the lock actuator access aperture is opened to reveal and expose the operative lock actuator so that the operative lock actuator can be manipulated by the knowing person to change the door lock from the locked mode to the unlocked mode.

4. The system of claim 3 , wherein the doorknob cover is formed to include an upwardly opening support-receiver channel, the movable button support is arranged to extend downwardly into the upwardly opening support-receiver channel when the movable button support is mated to the deformable cover and the actuator access-control shield is moved to assume the aperture-closing position.

5. The system of claim 3 , wherein the non-operative movable decoy lock-actuator button is made of a pliable elastic material, the movable button support is made of a relatively rigid material, and the non-operative movable decoy lock-actuator button is configured to deform elastically during movement from the normal projected position to the temporary depressed position.

6. The system of claim 3 , wherein the movable button support includes a frame that is configured to mate with the top wall of the doorknob cover upon movement of the actuator access-control shield to assume the aperture-closing position, the frame includes a platform formed to include a central aperture, and the non-operative movable decoy lock-actuator button is made of a pliable elastic material and has a supported portion that is mated with the platform and an unsupported portion that is coupled to and surrounded by the support portion and suspended in an unsupported position aligned with the central aperture formed in the platform.

7. The system of claim 6 , wherein the frame further includes a downwardly extending centering ring coupled to the underside of the platform and arranged to extend into the lock actuator access aperture when the frame is mated to the top wall to place the central aperture of the platform in communication with the lock actuator access aperture.

8. The system of claim 6 , wherein the frame further includes a button carrier base that is arranged to lie adjacent to the non-operative movable decoy lock-actuator button and to surround and mate with a perimeter edge of the platform and the movable button support further includes a tether that is coupled at one end to the top wall and at an opposite end to the button-carrier base to limit movement of the frame relative to the doorknob cover when the frame is unmated from the top wall to open the lock actuator access aperture to expose the operative lock actuator.

9. The system of claim 8 , wherein the ring includes a platform-support shelf formed to include a ring-receiving aperture and an endless rim arranged to surround and mate with a perimeter edge of the platform-support shelf, an underside of the platform is mated with a topside of the platform-support shelf, the non-operative movable decoy lock-actuator button is coupled to the platform, and the endless rim is arranged to surround the non-operative movable decoy lock-actuator button.

10. The system of claim 9 , wherein the endless rim and the tether are made of a first material, the platform is made of a second material, and the non-operative movable decoy lock-actuator button is made of a third material.

11. The system of claim 9 , wherein the endless rim and the tether cooperate to form a monolithic component.

12. The system of claim 9 , wherein the frame further includes a downwardly extending cent

Assignees

• Dorel Juvenile Group Inc

Inventors

• Sundberg Brian C
• Raffi Laura Kay
• Mayfield Alice
• Stropkay Scott E
• Matthews Mark
• Hutker Evan

Classifications

• E05C19/18

  Portable devices specially adapted for securing wings ({E05C17/54, E05C19/003, E05B65/0894, E05B67/00 take precedence}; preventing operation of handles E05B13/00) · CPC title

• E05C7/00

  Fastening devices specially adapted for two wings · CPC title

• E05B53/003

  flexible · CPC title

• E05B67/003

  Chain, wire or cable locks (alarms therefor E05B45/005; E05B69/006 takes precedence) · CPC title

• E05B67/22

  Padlocks with sliding shackles, with or without rotary or pivotal movement · CPC title