Adjust dead-latching bolt mechanisms

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-10435927-B2
Application number	US-201615002296-A
Country	US
Kind code	B2
Filing date	Jan 20, 2016
Priority date	Jan 20, 2015
Publication date	Oct 8, 2019
Grant date	Oct 8, 2019

Abstract

Latch mechanisms adapted to prevent unauthorized displacement of a latch bolt from an extended, locked position to a retracted, unlocked position. The latch mechanisms prevent the failure of a latch bolt of one latch mechanism to return to an extended lock position from interfering with the ability of a latch bolt of an inter-related latch mechanism from being able to return to an extended, locked position. Further embodiments provide a mounting bracket mounted to a door to allow the associated latch mechanism to be indirectly secured to the door. Additionally, the mounting bracket may have a plurality of mounting orifices that allow the mounting bracket to be used with a wide range of latch mechanisms, as well as provide adjustable attachment of the latch mechanism to the mounting bracket.

First claim

What is claimed is:

1. An apparatus, comprising:
a housing including a housing slot extending in a longitudinal direction;
a displacement rod movably mounted in the housing, the displacement rod having a rod protrusion, a rod slot, and an aperture connected with the rod slot, the displacement rod adapted for longitudinal displacement between a first rod position and a second rod position;
a lever member pivotally coupled to the housing, the lever member having an abutment member and a foot portion, the abutment member extending from the lever member toward the displacement rod, the rod protrusion structured to engage the abutment member to pivotally displace the lever member from a first position to a second position as the displacement rod is displaced from the first rod position to the second rod position;
a latch bolt slidably mounted in the aperture, the latch bolt having a bolt protrusion, the foot portion structured to impede displacement of at least the bolt protrusion from an extended position to a retracted position when the lever member is in the first position; and
a pin extending through the housing slot, the rod slot, and the latch bolt, the pin guiding longitudinal displacement of the displacement rod and the latch bolt.

2. The apparatus of claim 1 , wherein the abutment member includes an abutment apex, and wherein the lever member is in the second position at least when the rod protrusion is engaged with the abutment apex.

3. The apparatus of claim 1 , further comprising a lever biasing element and a latch biasing element, the lever biasing element adapted to bias the lever member to the first position, the latch biasing element adapted to bias the latch bolt to the extended position.

4. The apparatus of claim 1 , wherein the housing includes a plurality of sidewalls that generally define an inner region, the inner region sized to receive at least a portion of the displacement rod, at least a portion of the latch bolt, and at least a portion of the lever member.

5. The apparatus of claim 1 , wherein the aperture is sized to accommodate displacement of the displacement rod from the second position to the first position when the latch bolt remains in the retracted position.

6. The apparatus of claim 1 , wherein the apparatus further includes a static pin that extends into the slot in the displacement rod, and wherein the static pin is coupled to the housing and remains in a relatively static position relative to the housing.

7. The apparatus of claim 1 , further comprising a pushbar assembly and a connector operably connecting the pushbar assembly and the displacement rod such that actuation of the pushbar assembly drives the displacement rod in the retracting direction, thereby retracting the latch bolt.

8. A latch mechanism, comprising:
a housing;
a displacement rod mounted to the housing for movement along a longitudinal axis between an extending position and a retracting position, wherein the longitudinal axis defines an extending direction and an opposite retracting direction;
a deadlocking lever movably mounted to the housing and engaged with the displacement rod, the deadlocking lever having a blocking position and an unblocking position, wherein the deadlocking lever is biased toward the blocking position, and wherein the displacement rod is structured to urge the deadlocking lever toward the unblocking position as the displacement rod moves from the extending position to the retracting position; and
a bolt slidably mounted to the displacement rod for movement along the longitudinal axis between a first position and a second position;
wherein the deadlocking lever in the blocking position blocks movement of the bolt in the retracting direction from the first position to the second position; and
wherein the deadlocking lever in the unblocking position permits movement of the bolt in the retracting direction such that movement of the displacement rod in the retracting direction causes a corresponding retraction of the bolt.

9. The latch mechanism of claim 8 , wherein the displacement rod comprises a longitudinal slot, and wherein the bolt is slidably coupled to the displacement rod by a pin that extends through the longitudinal slot.

10. The latch mechanism of claim 9 , wherein the displacement rod is slidably coupled to the housing by a static pin that extends through the longitudinal slot.

11. The latch mechanism of claim 8 , wherein the deadlocking lever is pivotably mounted to the housing such that the deadlocking lever pivots between the blocking position and the unblocking position.

12. The latch mechanism of claim 8 , wherein the displacement rod comprises a protrusion that engages an abutment member of the deadlocking lever to drive the deadlocking lever from the blocking position to the unblocking position as the displacement rod moves from the extending position toward the retracting position.

13. The latch mechanism of claim 8 , wherein the deadlocking lever comprises a foot that engages a protrusion of the bolt when the deadlocking lever is in the blocking position and the bolt is urged in the retracting direction by an external pushing force, thereby preventing the external pushing force from driving the bolt in the retracting direction.

14. The latch mechanism of claim 8 , further comprising a spring engaged between the displacement rod and the bolt such that the spring biases the bolt toward the second position relative to the displacement rod.

15. An exit device including the latch mechanism of claim 8 , wherein the exit device further comprises a pushbar assembly and a connector operably connecting the pushbar assembly and the displacement rod such that actuation of the pushbar assembly drives the displacement rod in the retracting direction, thereby retracting the latch bolt.

16. A latch mechanism, comprising:
a housing including a housing slot extending in a longitudinal direction;
a fixed pin coupled to the housing;
a movable pin slidably coupled to the housing and movable along the longitudinal slot;
a displacement rod mounted to the housing and including a rod slot extending in the longitudinal direction, wherein each of the fixed pin and the movable pin extends through the displacement rod such that the fixed pin and the movable pin guide longitudinal movement of the displacement rod;
a bolt mounted for longitudinal movement between an extended position and a retracted position, wherein the movable pin slidably couples the bolt with the displacement rod and the housing; and
a deadlocking lever mounted to the housing for movement between a blocking position in which the deadlocking lever retains the bolt in the extended position and a retracted position in which the deadlocking lever permits the bolt to move from the extended position to the retracted position;
wherein the deadlocking lever is engaged with the displacement rod such that the deadlocking lever moves between the extended position and the retracted position in response to longitudinal movement of the displacement rod.

17. The latch mechanism of claim 16 , further comprising a spring biasing the deadlocking lever toward the blocking position.

18. The latch mechanism of claim 16 , wherein the bolt is connected to the displacement rod via a lost motion connection permitting the displacement rod to move between a first position and a second position when the bolt is in a retracted position.

19. The latch mechanism of claim 16 , further comprising a spring engaged between the bolt and the displacement rod, the spring urging the

Assignees

• Schlage Lock Co Llc

Inventors

• Arlinghaus Paul Raymond
• Ali Mohammed Maksood
• Pattar Jonah M
• Putaswamy Kemparaju
• Kondi Sushanth Anand Rao
• Graham Matthew Scott
• Rai Subashchandra
• Tantri Keshav

Classifications

• E05C9/042

  with pins engaging slots · CPC title

• Y10T292/546

  Sliding detent · CPC title

• Y10T292/0834

  Sliding · CPC title

• E05B63/0056

  Locks with adjustable or exchangeable lock parts (adjustable strikers E05B15/024; adjustable to different keys E05B35/083; adjustable bolt or backset E05B63/06; adjustable coupling means for bars, rods, cables E05C9/20) · CPC title

• E05B17/2034

  moving pivotally or rotatively · CPC title