AU2017208355B2

AU2017208355B2 - Trim assembly for a door lock

Info

Publication number: AU2017208355B2
Application number: AU2017208355A
Authority: AU
Inventors: Dean Grant Beardmore; Bryan Hugh Marshall
Original assignee: Illinois Tool Works Inc
Current assignee: Illinois Tool Works Inc
Priority date: 2016-07-29
Filing date: 2017-07-28
Publication date: 2023-02-02
Anticipated expiration: 2037-07-28
Also published as: AU2017208355A1; NZ734164A

Abstract

ll:\ejl\Interwoven\NRPortbl\DCC\EJL\15264866 _.docx-28072017 Abstract A trim assembly for concealing a locking mechanism housed within a recess of a door in use, the trim assembly comprising a mounting plate configured to be seated substantially 5 over the recess of the door and mountable to the locking mechanism by a fastening arrangement, the mounting plate having an opening for receiving an actuator that is rotatably movable relative to the mounting plate and adapted for operating the locking mechanism; and a cover adapted to be coupled to an external-facing surface of the mounting plate by way of a magnetic coupling arrangement such that the locking 10 mechanism and the fastening arrangement are substantially concealed from view. 1/6 en coI roN

Description

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Trim Assembly for A Door Lock

Field of the invention The invention relates to a trim assembly and fitting method for concealing the fitting arrangement and locking mechanism of a door lock, and particularly relates to locks for cavity slider doors.

Background of the invention Installing a conventional door lock involves cutting a recess on both sides of a door panel, deploying a locking mechanism inside the recess and covering the recess with a washer plate along with a handle or snib for operating the lock. However, a drawback with such an arrangement is that, conventionally, the head of screws used in fastening the washer plate is located inside the recess, which makes accessing the screws a difficult and time-consuming task during installation of the lock. Further, if the screws are applied from the outside, then the screw heads become exposed which can be unsightly and difficult to conceal.

The applicant has determined that it would be advantageous to provide an improved lock trim assembly and fitting method that is suitable for use in concealing the fitting arrangement and locking mechanism of a door lock. The present invention seeks to at least in part alleviate the problems identified above.

Summary of the invention

According to an aspect of the present invention, there is provided a trim assembly for concealing a locking mechanism housed within a recess of a sliding cavity door in use, the trim assembly comprising a mounting plate configured to be seated substantially within the recess of the door and mountable to the locking mechanism by a fastening arrangement, the mounting plate having an opening for receiving an actuator that is accommodated within

and rotatably movable relative to the mounting plate and adapted for operating the locking mechanism; and a cover adapted to be coupled to an external-facing surface of the mounting plate within the recess by way of a magnetic coupling arrangement such that the locking mechanism and the fastening arrangement are substantially concealed from view.

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Preferably, the cover is of metallic material and the magnetic coupling arrangement comprises at least one magnetic element operatively coupled to the mounting plate for holding the cover in place. Preferably, the magnetic element is embedded within a cavity of the mounting plate.

Preferably, the assembly as described further comprises a handle mountable to the actuator for rotatable operation of the locking mechanism in use.

According to another aspect of the present invention, there is provided a lock assembly for use with a sliding door, comprising a locking mechanism adapted to be housed within a recess of a door and a trim assembly as previously described.

According to a further aspect of the present invention, there is provided a method of installing a trim assembly for concealing a locking mechanism housed within a recess of a sliding cavity door, the method comprising the steps of seating a mounting plate substantially over the recess of the door; operatively coupling an actuator to the locking mechanism by threading the actuator through an opening of the mounting plate such that the actuator is accommodated within and rotatably movable relative to the mounting plate; securing the mounting plate to the locking mechanism by a fastening arrangement; and coupling a cover to an external-facing surface of the mounting plate within the recess by way of a magnetic coupling arrangement such that the locking mechanism and the fastening arrangement are substantially concealed from view.

Further aspects of the present invention and further embodiments of the aspects described in the preceding paragraphs will become apparent from the following description, given by way of example and with reference to the accompanying drawings.

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Brief description of the drawings The invention will now be described, by way of example only, with reference to the accompanying drawings, in which: Figure 1 is a perspective exploded view showing a trim assembly in accordance with a preferred embodiment of the present invention; Figure 2 is a perspective view showing separately the trim assembly of Figure 1 installed to a door and its corresponding cover; Figure 3 is a perspective view showing the trim assembly of Figure 1 installed to a door with a snib for operating the lock; and Figures 4 to 7 are perspective views showing installed trim assemblies with cover plates in accordance with alternative embodiments of the present invention.

Detailed description Figures 1 to 3 show a preferred embodiment of a trim assembly 10 for concealing a locking mechanism 20 housed within a recess 2 of a door 1 in use. More specifically, with reference to Figure 1, the trim assembly 10 has a mounting plate 12 which is configured to be seated over the recess 2 of a door. The mounting plate 12 has a base 14 shaped to fit within the recess and a collar 16 projecting from the top edge of the base 14 such that the collar 16 is in contact with an external surface of the door in use. In one configuration, the base 14 of the mounting plate 12 fits within the recess 2 by way of a complementary shaped arrangement. In some configurations, the base 14 is dimensioned to be smaller than the recess 2 while the collar 16 of the mounting plate 12 is large enough to be placed substantially over the recess 2. While the shape of the mounting plate as seen in Figure 1 is circular, it is to be appreciated that the mounting plate 12 may be of any other suitable shape and the shape of he mounting plate 12 does not necessarily need to correspond to that of the recess 2. In an alternative configuration, the mounting plate 12 is simply placed or seated substantially over the recess 2 without having a base or any complementary engagement arrangements. In yet a further embodiment, a locking mechanism is not housed within a recess of a door and could for example be mounted on a surface of the door with the trim assembly of the present invention concealing a side portion of the exposed locking mechanism.

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The mounting plate 12 has an opening 18 for receiving an actuator 19 for operating the locking mechanism 20. In one embodiment, the actuator 19 is in the form of a cylinder having complementary formations to engage a spindle 24 of the locking mechanism 20 for turning a latch 22 between extended and retracted positions. In this configuration, the actuator 19 is rotatably movable relative to the mounting plate 12. In another configuration, the actuator 19 is operatively coupled to, and forms part of, the mounting plate 12. It is to be appreciated that depending on the type of locking mechanism, other rotary or non-rotary lock actuating mechanisms may also be used, with non-limiting examples include deadbolt locking mechanisms, push-pull mechanical locking and releasing mechanisms or electrical actuating mechanisms.

The mounting plate 12 is further secured to the locking mechanism 20 by way of a fastening arrangement. In one embodiment, the mounting plate 12 has one or more apertures 32 for receiving one or more fasteners in the form of screws 34 which can be threaded and fastened to a threaded cylinder 26 of the locking mechanism 20. In an alternative embodiment, the mounting plate 12 is fastened to an external surface of the door 1 rather than the locking mechanism 20. It is to be appreciated that when screws are used to fasten the mounting plate 12 to the locking mechanism 20 or the door 1 from the outside, the heads of the screws will be left exposed in an unsightly manner. In yet another embodiment, the mounting plate 12 is mounted to an opposing plate on the other side of the door. In a further embodiment, the mounting plate 12 is not directly mounted or secured to the locking mechanism 20 but rather only secured by way of mounting or securing to an opposing plate or structure (not shown) to accommodate doors with different thicknesses.

A cover 40 is provided to conceal the fastening arrangement, and possibly also the locking mechanism 20 if the mounting plate 12 does not already conceal the locking mechanism 20. The cover 40 is adapted to be coupled to an external-facing surface 11 of the mounting plate 12. In one embodiment, the cover 40 is of metallic material and coupled to the surface 11 by way of a magnetic coupling arrangement, in which one or more magnetic elements 30 are embedded within corresponding one or more cavities 32 of the mounting plate 12. It is to be appreciated that other magnetic coupling arrangements may also be possible, for example the magnetic elements 30 may be located on the cover 40 instead for coupling to the kpa(23875042.I).docx

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mounting plate 12. The cover 40 and magnetic coupling arrangement described herein provides an effective way of concealing the fastening screws from view and therefore allows the fastening screws to be secure from the outside rather than from the inside as is done conventionally.

Referring now to Figure 3, a rotatable lock handle or snib 42 can be optionally coupled to the actuator 19 for ease of operating the locking mechanism 20. With reference to Figures 4 to 6, alternative embodiments of the cover are shown, in which the function of the lock handle or snib 42 is combined with the cover 40. In particular, Figure 4 shows a lock snib cover 44 having two lugs for operating the locking mechanism 20, while Figure 5 shows a variation with three lugs and Figure 6 shows a variation with four lugs.

It is to be appreciated that the trim assembly 10 may form a part of an overall lock assembly when taking together with the locking mechanism 20.

In use, the trim assembly 10 can be installed over the locking mechanism 20 housed within the recess 2 of the door 1 by performing the following steps. First, seating or positioning the mounting plate 12 over the recess 2 of the door with the actuator 19 threaded through the opening 18 of the mounting plate 12 such that the actuator is operatively coupled to the locking mechanism 20 for turning the latch 22 between extended and retracted positions. Second, securing the mounting plate 12 to the locking mechanism 20 or an external surface of the door 1 by a threading one or more screws 34 through mounting plate apertures 32 and the threaded cylinder 26 of the locking mechanism 20. Third, coupling the cover 40 or cover snib 44 to the external-facing surface 11 of the mounting plate 12 such that the locking mechanism and the fastening screw head is substantially concealed from view. Optionally, coupling a handle or snib 42 to the actuator 19 of the trim assembly 10 for ease of operating the locking mechanism 20.

It is to be noted that the trim assembly described herein is not only suitable for use with locking mechanisms installed in cavity slider type doors, it is equally suitable for use with locking mechanisms installed in non-sliding doors such as conventional pivot-hinged doors. Further, it is to be appreciated that the trim assembly is equally suitable for use with latches kpa(23875042.I).docx

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and levers that do not involve the use of a locking mechanism, for example the trim assembly is also suitable for privacy handles for sliding cavity doors.

Throughout this specification and the claims which follow, unless the context requires otherwise, the word "comprise", and variations such as "comprises" and "comprising", will be understood to imply the inclusion of a stated integer or step or group of integers or steps but not the exclusion of any other integer or step or group of integers or steps.

The reference in this specification to any prior publication (or information derived from it), or to any matter which is known, is not, and should not be taken as an acknowledgment or admission or any form of suggestion that that prior publication (or information derived from it) or known matter forms part of the common general knowledge in the field of endeavour to which this specification relates.

While various embodiments of the present invention have been described above, it should be understood that they have been presented by way of example only, and not by way of limitation. It will be apparent to a person skilled in the relevant art that various changes in form and detail can be made therein without departing from the spirit and scope of the invention. Thus, the present invention should not be limited by any of the above described exemplary embodiments.

Claims

kpa(23875042.I).docx -7 THE CLAIMS DEFINING THE INVENTION ARE AS FOLLOWS:

1. A trim assembly for concealing a locking mechanism housed within a recess of a sliding cavity door in use, the trim assembly comprising: a mounting plate configured to be seated substantially within the recess of the door and mountable to the locking mechanism by a fastening arrangement, the mounting plate having an opening for receiving an actuator that is accommodated within and rotatably movable relative to the mounting plate and adapted for operating the locking mechanism; and a cover adapted to be coupled to an external-facing surface of the mounting plate within the recess by way of a magnetic coupling arrangement such that the locking mechanism and the fastening arrangement are substantially concealed from view.

2. A trim assembly according to claim 1, wherein the mounting plate includes a base portion that is receivable within the recess of the door and a collar portion that projects outwardly from the base portion and is adapted to extend around a complete periphery of the recess and to abut against an external surface of the door.

3. A trim assembly according to claim 1 or claim 2, wherein the cover is adapted to be nested within the mounting plate, with the external facing surface to which it is magnetically couplable being an external facing surface of the base portion thereof.

4. A trim assembly according to any one of claims 1 to 3, wherein the cover is of metallic material and the magnetic coupling arrangement comprises at least one magnetic element operatively coupled to the mounting plate for holding the cover in place.

5. A trim assembly according to claim 4, wherein the magnetic element is embedded within a cavity of the mounting plate.

6. A trim assembly according to any one of preceding claims, further comprising a handle mountable to the actuator for rotatable operation of the locking mechanism in use.

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7. A lock assembly for use with a sliding door, comprising a locking mechanism adapted to be housed within a recess of a door and a trim assembly according to any one of preceding claims.

8. A method of installing a trim assembly for concealing a locking mechanism housed within a recess of a sliding cavity door, the method comprising the steps of: seating a mounting plate substantially within the recess of the door; operatively coupling an actuator to the locking mechanism by threading the actuator through an opening of the mounting plate such that the actuator is accommodated within and rotatably movable relative to the mounting plate; securing the mounting plate to the locking mechanism by a fastening arrangement; and coupling a cover to an external-facing surface of the mounting plate within the recess by way of a magnetic coupling arrangement such that the locking mechanism and the fastening arrangement are substantially concealed from view.

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