GB2405441A

GB2405441A - Striking box with adjustable strike plate

Info

Publication number: GB2405441A
Application number: GB0320288A
Authority: GB
Inventors: Zeist Albertus Van
Original assignee: Nemef BV
Current assignee: Nemef BV
Priority date: 2003-08-29
Filing date: 2003-08-29
Publication date: 2005-03-02
Also published as: GB0320288D0; NL1025201C1

Abstract

A striking box 102 for a lock has a body 104 mounted to a wooden door frame or window frame by means of bolts (not shown) passing through respective holes 106, 107, 108, the body 104 defining an aperture for receiving a spring loaded locking bolt of the lock. An adjustable plate 114 is mounted to a rear surface of recess 110 in the body 104 by means of a pair of screws 122. In order to adjust the position of plate 114 relative to the body 104, the screws 122 are loosened by means of a screwdriver passing through the aperture defined by recess 110, the plate 114 moved in the direction of arrow B to a desired position at which there will not be movement between the spring loaded bolt and the plate 114 when the lock is in a locked condition, and the screws 122 then tightened to fix the plate 114 in position relative to the body 104. Ribs 130 on the recess interengage with ribs on the base of the plate 114. The recess 110 is open on both sides and the plate 114 can be reversed to change the hand of the lock.

Description

c: : C C C. C 1 240544 1 STRIKING BOX FOR LOCK, AND LOCK ASSEMBLY

INCORPORATING SUCH

STRIKING BOX

The present invention relates to striking boxes for locks, and to lock assemblies including such striking boxes.

Lock assemblies for doors or windows generally have a lock having a spring loaded locking bolt and mounted to the door or window leaf, and a striking box having an aperture for receiving the bolt to lock the door or window in a closed condition and mounted to the door or window frame. The spring loaded locking bolt has an inclined face on one side and a flat face on the other, such that as the door or window is pushed to its closed position, the inclined face engages a strike plate mounted on the striking box to cause the locking bolt to be urged inwardly of the lock against the force of a spring. When the door or window reaches its closed position, the locking bolt can then project outwardly of the lock to be received in the aperture in the striking box such that opening of the door or window is prevented by abutment of the flat face of the bolt with the striking box, until the bolt is retracted into the lock to release it from the striking box.

Because of tolerances in the dimensions of the various components of the lock assembly and in the components making up the door or window on which the lock is installed, such known assemblies suffers from the drawback that limited movement of the door or window leaf relative to the frame can occur, as a result of which annoying rattling of the door or window often occurs.

An attempt to overcome this problem is disclosed in EP 0663496, in which a strike plate having an aperture for receiving the bolt of the lock is mounted to a door frame, and an adjustable stop plate for abutting the spring bolt is moveable relative to the strike plate. Movement of the locking bolt relative to the strike plate while the door is in a closed condition is prevented by suitable adjustment of the position of the adjustable stop plate. In order to adjust the position of the stop plate, a pair of screws is loosened, and a further screw, generally at right angles to the first screws, is rotated.

However, this arrangement suffers from the drawback that it is very complicated in construction, which significantly adds to the cost of manufacture of a lock incorporating this device.

A. .: . . a: . . . . . . . . . . . . A further attempt to solve the problem of unwanted movement of the door or window leaf relative to the frame is disclosed in EP 1024237, in which the position of a bolt stop plate for abuffing a spring loaded bolt of the lock is adjustable relative to a closing bowl mounted to a door frame. In order to adjust the position of the stop plate, either a cover plate mounted to the door or window frame must be removed, or screws passing through adjustment cams into the wood of the frame must be loosened to allow movement of the stop plate. In either case, this arrangement suffers from the drawback that screws attached to the wood of the frame must be loosened and the re-tightened each time the position of the stop plate is adjusted, which results in a risk of damage to the wood of the door frame.

An arrangement of this type is shown in Figure 1, which shows a striking box 2 for receiving a spring loaded bolt and a dead bolt of a lock (not shown). The striking box 2 has a body 4 for installation in a wooden door or window frame by means of bolts (not shown) mounted through holes 6, 8. The body 4 defines a first aperture 10 for receiving a spring loaded bolt of the lock, and a second aperture 12 for receiving a dead bolt. The first aperture 10 accommodates an adjustable plate 14 having a surface flush with the front surface of the body 4. The adjustable plate 14 has a pair of elongate apertures 16 and is mounted to the body 4 by means of screws 18 in apertures 16 (only one screw 18 being shown in Figure1), such that the adjustable plate 14 can be moved in the direction of arrow A and the screws 18 then tightened to lock the plate 14 in position such that the heads of the screws 18 are flush with the front surface of body 4.

The striking box 2 is usually covered by a cover plate (not shown) having apertures corresponding to apertures 10, 12 and a striking plate which is engaged by the spring loaded bolt by closing of the door as the bolt approaches the striking box 2 in the direction of arrow A. In order to adjust the position of adjustable plate 14 to prevent raffling of the door, the cover plate, which is mounted directly to the wood of the door frame, must be removed to allow access to screws 18 so that the screws can be loosened.

Preferred embodiments of the present invention seek to overcome the above

disadvantages of the prior art.

According to an aspect of the present invention, there is provided a striking box for installation into a door or window frame, the striking box comprising: a ace ce e ae ea. ca a see e. ' a body defining at least one first aperture in use for receiving a respective spring loaded locking bolt of a lock; at least one adjustable plate for engaging at least one spring loaded locking bolt in a locked condition of the lock; and fixing means for fixing the or each said adjustable plate in position relative to the body, wherein said fixing means is accessible in use via at least one corresponding said first aperture.

By making the fixing means of the striking box accessible in use via at least one said first aperture also serving to accommodate a respective spring loaded locking bolt of the lock, this provides a number of surprising advantages. Firstly, it is not necessary to remove or loosen any cover plate covering the locking box, thus minimising the risk of damage to wood of the door or window frame. Also, the striking box can be constructed with fewer components than prior art arrangements, which means that the striking box can be constructed more simply and cost effectively.

The fixing means may be adapted to fix at least one said adjustable plate to a surface of the body opposite to the corresponding said first aperture.

This provides the advantage of enabling pressure applied by a tool to adjust the fixing means to be applied in a direction generally perpendicular to a rear internal face of the body, thus minimising the risk of slipping of a tool such as a screwdriver.

The fixing means may be adapted to fix at least one said adjustable plate to a surface of a window frame or door frame to which the striking box is mounted.

The striking box may further comprise guide means for causing at least one said adjustable plate to slide in a predetermined direction relative to said body.

This provides the advantage of assisting in maintaining the correct orientation of said adjustable plate relative to the body.

In a preferred embodiment, the fixing means comprises a plurality of screws, and the guide means comprises respective grooves cooperating with said screws.

ee e e e e e e e e e e ce.ce e e e e e e e e e e see ë This provides the advantage of minimising the number of components necessary to construct the striking box, thus minimising the cost of production of the apparatus.

The orientation of at least one said adjustable plate relative to the body may be reversible.

This provides the advantage of enabling the striking box to be used on either side of a door frame or window frame.

The striking box may further comprise a cover plate having a respective third aperture corresponding to the or each said first aperture.

The striking box may define at least one second aperture in use for receiving a dead bolt of the lock.

The cover plate may comprise a respective fourth aperture corresponding to the or each said second aperture.

According to another aspect of the invention, there is provided a lock assembly comprising a lock body, at least one spring loaded locking bolt moveable relative to the lock body in response to actuator means, and a striking box as defined above.

A preferred embodiment of the invention will now be described, by way of example only, and not in any limitative sense, with reference to the accompanying drawings, in which: Figure 1 is a front view of a prior art striking box; Figure 2 is a front view, corresponding to Figure 1, of a striking box embodying the present invention; Figure 3 is a side view of the striking box of Figure 2.

Figures 4A to 4H show design drawings of the body of the striking box of the present invention; Figures 5A and 5B show perspective views of the striking box; and Figures 6A to 6C show design drawings of the adjustable plate of the present invention.

. . '. e . . C C . e . .. Referring to Figure 2, a striking box 102 embodying the present invention has a body 104 mounted to a wooden door frame or window frame by means of bolts (not shown) passing through respective holes 106, 107, 108. The body 104 has a first recess 110 such that when installed in the window or door frame it defines a first aperture for receiving a spring loaded locking bolt of the lock. Formed in the base of the first recess 110 are a plurality of ribs 130. The body 104 also has a second recess 112 which defines a second aperture for receiving a dead bolt of the same lock. Also accommodated within the first recess 110 is an adjustable plate 114 having a pair of slots 120 through which the plate is mounted to a rear surface of the recess 110 by means of a pair of screws 122. Fommed on the under side of the adjustable plate 114 are a plurality of ribs 132. The ribs 132 on the adjustable plate 114 mesh with the ribs on the base of the recess 110 when the adjustable plate 114 is secured to the body 104. In order to adjust the position of plate 114 relative to the body 104, the screws 122 are loosened by means of a screwdriver passing through the first aperture defined by recess 110, the plate 114 moved in the direction of arrow B to a desired position at which there will not be movement between the spring loaded bolt and the plate 114 when the lock is in a locked condition, and the screws 122 then tightened to fix the plate 114 in position relative to the body 104. When the screws are tightened, the ribs 130, 132 mesh preventing a sideways sliding movement of the adjustable plate 114 within the recess 110.

As a result of the screws 122 being accessible through the aperture defined by the first recess 110, this provides the advantage that any cover plate over the striking box 102 does not need to be removed to adjust the position of the plate 114 relative to the body 104, thus minimising the risk of damage to a wooden door or window frame to which the striking box 102 is mounted, and the box 102 can be constructed in a more simple and cost effective manner than prior art striking boxes.

It will also be appreciated that because the sides of the recess defined by aperture 110 are open, the plate 114 can be located on the opposite side of screws 122 to that shown in Figure 2, as a result of which the striking box and accompanying lock can be used on either side of a door or window frame.

It will be appreciated by persons skilled in the art that the above embodiment has been described by way of example only, and not in any limitative sense, and that * .e * * * * * * * e c cce * * . * * - . . various alterations and modifications are possible without departure from the scope of the invention as defined by the appended claims.

Claims

. . s. . * . . . e C CLAIMS

1. A striking box for installation into a door or window frame, the striking box comprising: a body defining at least one first aperture in use for receiving a respective spring loaded locking bolt of a lock; at least one adjustable plate for engaging at least one spring loaded locking bolt in a locked condition of the lock; and fixing means for fixing the or each said adjustable plate in position relative to the body, wherein said fixing means is accessible in use via at least one corresponding said first aperture.

2. A striking box according to claim 1, wherein the fixing means is adapted to fix at least one said adjustable plate to a surface of the body opposite to the corresponding said first aperture.

3. A striking box according to claim 1, wherein the fixing means is adapted to fix at least one said adjustable plate to a surface of a window frame or door frame to which the striking box is mounted.

4. A striking box according to any one of the preceding claims, further comprising guide means for causing at least one said adjustable plate to slide in a predetemmined direction relative to said body.

5. A striking box according to claim 4, wherein the fixing means comprises a plurality of screws, and the guide means comprises respective grooves cooperating with said screws.

6. A striking box according to any one of the preceding claims, wherein the orientation of at least one said adjustable plate relative to the body is reversible.

7. A striking box according to any one of the preceding claims, further comprising a cover plate having a respective third aperture corresponding to the or each said first aperture.

c c's c e ce c c r c c * c c c a c sac a * a C C C C C C

C C

8. A striking box according to any one of the preceding claims, defining at least one second aperture in use for receiving a dead bolt of the lock.

9. A striking box according to claim 7 or 8, wherein the cover plate comprises a respective fourth aperture corresponding to the or each said second aperture.

10. A striking box for installation into a door or window frame, the striking box substantially as hereinbefore described with reference to the accompanying drawings.

11. A striking box according to any one of the previous claims wherein the aperture forms an entrance to a recess, the recess having a base which comprises a plurality of ribs; the adjustable plate also comprises a plurality of ribs wherein when the fixing means fixes the adjustable plate in position, the two sets of ribs mesh preventing a sliding movement of the adjustable plate relative to the aperture.

12. A lock assembly comprising a lock body, at least one spring loaded locking bolt moveable relative to the lock body in response to actuator means, and a striking box according to any one of the preceding claims.