Fenestration lock assemblies and methods

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-11268308-B1
Application number	US-201816154895-A
Country	US
Kind code	B1
Filing date	Oct 9, 2018
Priority date	Oct 10, 2017
Publication date	Mar 8, 2022
Grant date	Mar 8, 2022

Abstract

Fenestration lock assemblies, fenestration units including the lock assemblies, and methods of operating the lock assemblies. The lock assemblies offer a lock assembly construction that is capable of being assembled, installed, and used in a purely manual mode (i.e., in the absence of any driving unit such as, e.g., a motor, solenoid, etc.) or that may be assembled, installed, and used with a driving unit such that the lock assembly can be operated manually or in a driven mode, with the manual and driven modes of operation being unaffected by each other.

First claim

What is claimed is:

1. A fenestration lock assembly comprising:
a drive shaft defining a drive shaft axis extending between a first end and a second end;
a lock member fixedly coupled to the drive shaft proximate the first end of the drive shaft, wherein movement of the lock member between a locked position and an unlocked position rotates the drive shaft over a lock/unlock arc about the drive shaft axis, wherein the lock/unlock arc comprises a first end corresponding to the locked position and a second end corresponding to the unlocked position;
a drive gear coupled to the drive shaft between the lock member and the second end of the drive shaft, wherein the drive gear comprises a rotational home position relative to the drive shaft axis; and
a lock follower fixedly coupled to the drive shaft between the lock member and the second end of the drive shaft such that the lock follower rotates with the drive shaft, wherein the lock follower comprises a locked configuration corresponding to the locked position of the lock member and an unlocked configuration corresponding to the unlocked position of the lock member;
wherein the lock follower and the drive gear are coupled to each other such that, when the drive gear is in the rotational home position and the lock follower is in the locked configuration, rotation of the drive gear in an unlock direction over the lock/unlock arc rotates the lock follower and the drive shaft, wherein the lock follower moves to its unlocked configuration and the lock member moves to its unlocked position;
and wherein rotation of the drive shaft and the lock follower about the drive shaft axis between the first end and the second end of the lock/unlock arc does not rotate the drive gear when the drive gear is in the rotational home position.

2. A fenestration lock assembly according to claim 1 , wherein, when the lock follower is in its locked configuration and the drive gear is in its rotational home position, rotation of the drive gear in the unlock direction over the lock/unlock arc rotates the lock follower to its unlocked configuration and moves the lock member to its unlocked position through rotation of the drive shaft by the lock follower.

3. A fenestration lock assembly according to claim 1 , wherein, when the lock follower is in its unlocked configuration and the drive gear is in its rotational home position, rotation of the drive gear in a lock direction that is opposite the unlock direction over a distance at least as great as the lock/unlock arc rotates the lock follower to its locked configuration and moves the lock member to its locked position through rotation of the drive shaft by the lock follower.

4. A fenestration lock assembly according to claim 1 , wherein the assembly comprises a controller operably connected to a motor that is operably connected to the drive gear, wherein the controller is configured to operate the motor such that the motor rotates the drive gear about the drive shaft axis.

5. A fenestration lock assembly according to claim 4 , wherein the controller is configured to operate the motor such that the drive gear returns to its rotational home position after motor rotates the drive gear in the unlocking direction over the lock/unlock arc to rotate the lock follower and the drive shaft such that the lock follower moves to its unlocked configuration and the lock member moves to its unlocked position.

6. A fenestration lock assembly according to claim 4 , wherein the controller is configured to operate the motor such that the drive gear returns to its rotational home position after the motor rotates the drive gear in the lock direction to rotate the lock follower to its locked configuration and move the lock member to its locked position through rotation of the drive shaft by the lock follower.

7. A fenestration lock assembly according to claim 1 , wherein the lock follower comprises a pin and the drive gear comprises an arcuate slot occupying a slot arc at least as large as the lock/unlock arc, and wherein the pin is located in the arcuate slot, wherein the pin moves within the arcuate slot when the lock member is moved between the locked position and the unlocked position and the drive gear is stationary in its rotational home position.

8. A fenestration lock assembly according to claim 7 , wherein, when the drive gear is in the rotational home position and the lock follower is in the locked configuration, rotation of the drive gear in an unlocking direction over the lock/unlock arc moves the arcuate slot and the pin to rotate the lock follower and the drive shaft, wherein the lock follower moves to its unlocked configuration and the lock member moves to its unlocked position.

9. A fenestration lock assembly according to claim 8 , wherein, after rotating the drive gear in the unlocking direction over the lock/unlock arc to rotate the lock follower to its unlocked configuration and move the lock member to its unlocked position, rotation of the drive gear in a locking direction that is opposite the unlocking direction moves the arcuate slot and the pin to rotate the lock follower and the drive shaft, wherein the lock follower moves to its locked configuration and the lock member moves to its locked position.

10. A fenestration lock assembly according to claim 1 , wherein the drive gear comprises a pin and the lock follower comprises an arcuate slot occupying a slot arc at least as large as the lock/unlock arc, and wherein the pin is located in the arcuate slot, wherein the arcuate slot moves along the pin when the lock member is moved between the locked position and the unlocked position and the drive gear is stationary in its rotational home position.

11. A fenestration lock assembly according to claim 10 , wherein, when the drive gear is in the rotational home position and the lock follower is in the locked configuration, rotation of the drive gear in an unlocking direction over the lock/unlock arc moves the arcuate slot and the pin to rotate the lock follower and the drive shaft, wherein the lock follower moves to its unlocked configuration and the lock member moves to its unlocked position.

12. A fenestration lock assembly according to claim 11 , wherein, after rotating the drive gear in the unlocking direction over the lock/unlock arc to rotate the lock follower to its unlocked configuration and move the lock member to its unlocked position followed by moving the drive gear to its rotational home position, the lock follower can be moved to its locked configuration and the lock member moved to its locked position by rotating the drive gear in a locking direction that is opposite the unlocking direction such that the pin acts against an end of the arcuate slot to rotate the lock follower to its locked configuration.

13. A fenestration unit comprising:
a frame defining opening within the frame,
a movable panel mounted in the frame, wherein the movable panel is configured for movement within the frame between a closed position in which the opening is closed, and an open position in which the opening is open; and
a fenestration lock assembly operably attached to the fenestration unit, wherein the fenestration lock assembly comprises a fenestration lock assembly as recited in claim 1 .

14. A method of operating a fenestration lock, wherein the fenestration lock comprises a fenestration lock assembly including: a drive shaft defining a drive shaft axis extending between a first end and a second end; a lock member fixedly coupled to the drive shaft proximate the first end of the drive shaft, wherein movement of the lock member between a locked position and an unlocked position rotates the drive

Assignees

• Andersen Corp

Inventors

• Wernlund Chad
• Plummer David D

Classifications

• E05B2047/0084

  Key or electric means; Emergency release · CPC title

• E05B2047/0025

  in the form of grooves · CPC title

• E05B2047/002

  Geared transmissions · CPC title

• E05B65/0841 Primary

  and parallel to the sliding direction of the wings · CPC title

• E05B47/023

  the bolt moving pivotally or rotatively · CPC title