Multi-control entry door hardware

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-9443364-B2
Application number	US-201414175782-A
Country	US
Kind code	B2
Filing date	Feb 7, 2014
Priority date	Feb 7, 2013
Publication date	Sep 13, 2016
Grant date	Sep 13, 2016

Abstract

An electronic coded entry lock that includes a multifunction switch having an actuator and a circuit member. The actuator is configured to be displaced to a plurality of input positions. For example, the actuator may be displaced to at least four, and in some instances at least eight, input positions. Further, the actuator may have at least two axes of movement. Moreover, the actuator may be configured for two or three dimensional movement. When the actuator is displaced to an input position, the circuit member may provide a signal associated with that input position. The controller may determine whether the signals provided by the circuit member correspond to a security code for the electronic coded entry lock. If the signal(s) does/do correspond to the security code, the controller may generate a command to actuate a lock actuator that displaces at least a component of a lock mechanism.

First claim

The invention claimed is:

1. An electronic coded entry lock comprising:
a multifunction switch having an actuator and a circuit member, the actuator configured to be displaced along at least three axes to a plurality of input positions, the plurality of input positions including at least a lateral input position and at least two code input positions, the circuit member configured to, when the actuator is displaced to a code input position of the at least two code input positions, provide a first signal associated with the code input position; and
a controller configured to generate a command to actuate the electronic coded entry lock when a plurality of the first signals provided by the circuit member correspond to a security code,
the actuator being laterally displaced from a rest position to the lateral input position along a central axis of the actuator, the actuator structured to close a circuit of the circuit member when the actuator is at the lateral input position, the closed circuit configured to generate a second signal for at least one of an electrical wake up of the circuit member and a door bell chime, the second signal being generated independent of the actuator being placed at any of the at least two code input positions.

2. The electronic coded entry lock of claim 1 , wherein the actuator is configured for movement along at least a first axis and a second axis of the at least three axes, the first axis and the second axis being different than the central axis, and wherein the at least two code input positions comprises at least four code input positions.

3. The electronic coded entry lock of claim 2 , wherein electronic coded entry lock further includes a biasing element structured to bias the actuator to the rest position.

4. The electronic coded entry lock of claim 1 , wherein the actuator is configured for at least two dimensional movement, and wherein the at least two axial input positions comprises at least eight input positions.

5. The electronic coded entry lock of claim 4 , wherein the actuator is configured to be displaced to the at least two code positions in directions that are not parallel to the central axis of the actuator.

6. The electronic coded entry lock of claim 1 , further including a lock actuator and a lock mechanism, the lock actuator configured to, upon receipt of the command from the controller, actuate the displacement of at least a portion of a lock mechanism to lock or unlock the electronic coded entry lock.

7. The electronic coded entry lock of claim 1 , wherein the multifunction switch includes a radio frequency transmitter that is configured to transmit one or more of the first signals to a receiver, the receiver being operably connected to the controller.

8. The electronic coded entry lock of claim 1 , wherein the displacement of the actuator to each of the plurality of code positions closes a circuit of the circuit member that is associated with the code position, and wherein the first signal is an electrical current.

9. The electronic coded entry lock of claim 8 , wherein the displacement of the actuator to the code input position of the plurality of code input positions opens a circuit of the circuit member that is associated with the code input position, and wherein the first signal is the stoppage in flow of an electrical current circuit.

10. The electronic coded entry lock of claim 1 , further comprising a display, the display being configured to provide a visual indication of the plurality of code input positions.

11. An electronic coded entry lock comprising:
a multifunction switch having an actuator, a circuit member, and at least four code input positions, the actuator configured to be displaced at least along to two axes of movement relative to, and different than, the actuator further configured to be laterally displaced to a lateral input position along the central axis and in a direction that is different than the two axes of movement, the circuit member configured to, when the actuator is displaced to a code input position of the at least four code input positions, provide a first signal associated with the code input position, and further wherein when the actuator is at the lateral input position a first circuit of the circuit member is closed, the first circuit structured to communicate, independent of the displacement of the actuator any of the at least four code positions, a second signal when the first circuit is closed, the second signal being at least one of an electronic wake signal and a doorbell chime signal; and
a controller configured to generate a command to actuate the electronic coded entry lock when a plurality of the first signals provided by the circuit member correspond to a security code.

12. The electronic coded entry lock of claim 11 , wherein the electronic coded entry lock further includes a biasing element structured to bias the actuator to a rest position, the rest position being a different position than the lateral input position.

13. The electronic coded entry lock of claim 11 , wherein the actuator is configured for at least two dimensional movement, and wherein the at least four input positions comprises at least eight input positions.

14. The electronic coded entry lock of claim 13 , wherein the actuator is pivotally displaceable relative to the central axis.

15. The electronic coded entry lock of claim 11 , further including a lock actuator and a lock mechanism, the lock actuator configured to, upon receipt of the command from the controller, actuate the displacement of at least a portion of a lock mechanism to lock or unlock the electronic coded entry lock.

16. The electronic coded entry lock of claim 11 , wherein each of the at least four code input positions is associated with a circuit of the circuit member, and wherein the displacement of the actuator to each of the code input positions of the at least four code input positions closes the circuit associated with the code input position, and wherein the first signal is an electrical current.

17. The electronic coded entry lock of claim 11 , further comprising a display, the display being configured to provide a visual indication of the at least four code input positions.

18. An electronic coded entry lock comprising:
a user interface having a multifunction switch, the multifunction switch having an actuator, a circuit member, and a plurality of input positions, the actuator configured for at least three dimensional movement, the circuit member configured to, when the actuator is displaced to a code input position of the plurality of code input positions, transmit a first signal that is associated with the code input position, the actuator being structured to close a circuit of the circuit member when the actuator is in the lateral input position, the circuit configured to, when closed, transmit a second signal, the second signal being independent of the first signal, the displacement of the actuator to the lateral input position being in a direction that is different than a direction of displacement of the actuator to the plurality of code input positions;
a controller operably connected to the circuit member, the controller configured to determine whether one or more of the signals transmitted by the circuit member corresponds to a security code, the controller further configured to generate a command to actuate the electronic coded entry lock when a plurality of the first signals provided by the circuit member correspond to the security code; and
a lock actuator operably connected to the controller, the lock actuator con

Assignees

• Schlage Lock Co Llc

Inventors

• Snider Chris Ralph

Classifications

• H04B17/318

  Received signal strength · CPC title

• Y10T70/8027

  Condition indicators · CPC title

• G07C9/0069

  actuated in a predetermined sequence · CPC title

• G07C9/00174 Primary

  Electronically operated locks; Circuits therefor; Nonmechanical keys therefor, e.g. passive or active electrical keys or other data carriers without mechanical keys (mechanical locks with electric permutation E05B49/00; arrangements for sensing or reading record carriers G06K7/00; electronic switching H03K17/00) · CPC title

• G01R31/371

  with remote indication, e.g. on external chargers · CPC title