Powered rim lock assembly

Abstract

A rim lock assembly for a door including a first housing attached to an inner face of the door, a latchbolt movable between an extended latching position and a retracted release position, a first actuator mechanism including a knob operable from an inner side of the door to cause movement of the latchbolt. An electrical lock means having a second housing is attached to the outer face of the door, with an elongate portion of second housing extends through a hole in the door towards the first housing. The electrical lock means having a second actuator mechanism connected to said latchbolt, and operable from the outer side of the door for retraction of the latchbolt. A battery for powering said electrical lock means is disposed within or on said elongate portion of the second housing. Both the geared motor and the electrical power supply within the elongate portion of the second housing are fully disposed within said door.

Description

[0001] POWERED RIM LOCK ASSEMBLY

[0002] TECHNICAL FIELD

[0003] This invention relates to a rim lock assembly for use on a door. In particular, the present invention is described with reference to an electrical lock means that can replace or be retrofitted to a common door lock arrangement without further modification to that door.

[0004] BACKGROUND

[0005] A rim lock is a locking device that attaches to the surface of a door. Many rim locks used today on exterior doors are referred to as “night latches”. Such a night latch is a lock that is fitted on the surface of a door, and it is operated from the exterior side of the door by a key and from the interior (i.e. "secure") side of the door by a knob.

[0006] In Australia, one of the most common mechanical locks used on entry (40mm thick) doors in older homes is the “60mm backset rim lock”, also known as a dead latch or night latch. One such well known mechanical lock assembly available in Australia is that marketed as the LOCKWOOD™ 001. This lock, like some other similar types has its cylinder passing through the hole from the external side of the door, with its connecting bar engaging the mounting plate assembly mounted on the internal side of door. Figs 1 to 4 depicts a door 1, having such a lock assembly 2, comprising an interior body (case) 3 fitted to its internal side la. A knob 4 is operably mounted to body 3, so that actuation by a user (not shown) retracts latchbolt 5.

[0007] Lock assembly 2 also has a key actuated exterior cylinder 6 mounted to the external side lb of door 1. Latchbolt 5 operably engages with a strike (not shown) fitted to the frame (not shown) of door 1. Key actuated exterior cylinder 6 extends into door 1 through a 32mm hole, and a connecting bar (not shown) interconnects cylinder 6 with latch 5. Cylinder 6 and the cylinder ring that surrounds it protrude about five to six millimetres from the external surface of door 1.

[0008] AU2011224106 A (AS SA ABLOY Australia Pty Ltd) describes a lock assembly with an electrically controlled actuator assembly. This prior art electrically controlled lock is marketed in Australia under the LOCKWOOD brand as 001 TOUCH™. This lock uses mechanically hand-operated knob (actuators) on both sides of the door to open and close. The electrical lock means includes a digital keypad and an RFID card reader. For the hand-operated knob on the front of door to be allowed to turn, the lock is electrically actuated either by inputting an access code into the digital keypad or by means of an associated RFID card being brought close to the lock. When the correct access code or RFID card is used, the electrical lock means adopts an inactive condition, which results in energisation of a motor within a clutch. When the clutch is in an engaged condition, rotation of the hand-operated knob on the front of door results in rotation of the connector bar, causing retraction of the latchbolt. The portion of the lock mounted to the rear of the lock includes a housing for carrying four AA alkaline batteries to power the electrical lock means, and a cover. At the bottom of the front side of the lock, there are 9V battery connections. If the 4 AA alkaline batteries are discharged, a 9V battery can be used to supply power to the lock.

[0009] This prior art lock has several disadvantages. Firstly, whilst this lock may be retrofitted to an existing door already having a 60mm backset hole, it needs a further smaller hole drilled through the door to pass the wire loom from the “external” lock portion to the “internal” lock portion carrying the battery pack. It also requires additional screws to mount the battery housing to the door. When being retrofitted, this lock requires tools for drilling the small hole, and it may not be possible for a tenant (renter) to retrofit this lock in DIY fashion or by locksmith, without permission from the landlord or strata management, as modification (a further hole) is required to the door. Secondly this lock is quite large and bulky on both sides of the door, because it carries the user interface (keypad) and front-knob on the external side of the door, and on the internal side of the door it carries both a body with a rear turn knob and the battery housing. For example, the components on the front door, namely a hand-operated knob extending from the front housing including the keypad and RFID card reader extend some forty-five millimetres from the external surface of door. This bulkiness makes this prior art lock quite expensive to manufacture. Thirdly, the rear portion of the lock, has a cover that is easily removed to gain access to the batteries. This is undesirable as children, flatmates in a share situation, or visitors in a short-stay dwelling, may easily remove the batteries for their own use.

[0010] There is also a US Patent No. 10,683,677 (Funamura et al.) directed to a so-called intelligent door lock system for use with a door assembly. Firstly, it is not a common lock arrangement, but instead a very expensive design, with a motor and gear assembly that are housed within the door, and one of its embodiments utilises operation by smartphone via an internet cloud-based service. It does not have a body mounted by fasteners to the interior door, and for this reason, it is not a rim lock assembly, nor can it be retrofitted to a rim lock assembly. The motor and gear assembly that occupies the internal space of the door is quite complex, and it has a battery puck (holder) that projects from the internal side of the door. As such the batteries in this door lock, like that of the earlier mentioned lock of AU2011224106A, are easy to gain access to, because the battery puck which extends from the internal side of the door can readily be removed by clockwise turning of the puck. Furthermore, the intended product by Otto LLC, namely the commercial cloud-based service embodiment of this prior art was launched and immediately suspended in 2018. This was partly due to cost to implement the cloud-based service and in part the proposed retail price of around US seven hundred dollars. This door lock system is not suitable for the common everyday inexpensive door entry applications that are provided by rim lock assemblies.

[0011] The present invention provides a rim lock assembly that overcomes at least one of the problems associated with the prior art.

[0012] SUMMARY OF INVENTION

[0013] In a first aspect the present invention consists of a rim lock assembly for use on a door, the rim lock assembly including a first housing for attachment to an inner face of the door, a latchbolt movable relative to a side of said first housing between an extended latching position and a retracted release position, a first actuator mechanism including a first hand-engagable member operable from an inner side of the door to cause movement of said latchbolt from the extended position, and an electrical lock means including a second housing for attachment to the outer face of the door, at least an elongate portion of said second housing extends through a hole in said door towards said first housing, said electrical lock means having a second actuator mechanism operably connected to said latchbolt, and said electrical lock means operable from the outer side of the door such that when it is activated said second actuator mechanism retracts said latchbolt so that said door can be opened, and an electrical power supply means including at least one battery for powering said electrical lock means along with said second actuator mechanism are disposed within or on said elongate portion of said second housing, wherein said second actuator mechanism comprises a geared motor operably connected to said latchbolt via a connector bar, and wherein both said geared motor and said at least one battery within said elongate portion of said second housing are fully disposed within said door.

[0014] Preferably said at least one battery of said electrical power supply means having an associated battery holder, and both said battery and its associated battery holder are fully disposed in the door. Preferably said at least one battery and said geared motor are disposed one above the other.

[0015] Preferably said electrical lock means comprises an NFC reader having a sensor surface disposed adjacent the outer surface of said door and said NFC reader is operably connected via at least one control PCB to said geared motor.

[0016] Preferably said second housing of said electrical lock means comprises a collared portion disposed at one end of said elongate portion, and when said electrical lock means is fitted to said door, said collared portion abuts said outer face of said door, said collared portion surrounding said sensor surface of said NFC reader.

[0017] Preferably said second actuator mechanism of said electrical lock means can be actuated to retract said latchbolt, by an RFID swipe card operably interacting therewith via said sensor surface of said NFC reader or by smartphone paired wirelessly with said electrical lock means.

[0018] Preferably said geared motor is an N20 micro geared motor.

[0019] Preferably said battery is a CR2 battery.

[0020] Preferably an external power supply can be connected to said electrical lock means by a port disposed at or near said collared portion of said second housing.

[0021] In a first aspect the present invention consists of an electrical lock means for retrofitting to a 60mm backset rim lock assembly on a door, said door having a hole through which said rim lock assembly is mounted on both sides of said door, said rim lock assembly comprising a first housing for attachment to an inner face of said door, a latchbolt movable relative to a side of said first housing between an extended latching position and a retracted release position, a first actuator mechanism including a first hand-engagable member operable from an inner side of the door to cause movement of said latchbolt from the extended position, and a keyed cylinder and cylinder ring, said key cylinder extending into said hole from an outer face of said door and connected to said first actuator mechanism via a first connector bar so that actuation of said keyed cylinder by a key causes said first connector bar to turn and actuate said first actuator mechanism to retract said latchbolt, the said retrofitting comprises replacing said key cylinder and associated cylinder ring and first connector bar with said electrical lock means and a second connector bar, said electrical lock means comprises a second housing for attachment to the outer face of the door wherein at least an elongate portion of said second housing extends through said hole in said door towards said first housing, said electrical lock means having an electrically operated second actuator mechanism operably connected to said latchbolt via said associated second connector bar, and said electrical lock means operable from the outer side of said door such that when it is activated said second actuator mechanism retracts said latchbolt so that said door can be opened, and an electrical power supply means including at least one internal battery for powering said electrical lock means along with said second actuator mechanism are disposed within or on said elongate portion of said second housing, wherein said second actuator mechanism comprises a geared motor operably connected to said latchbolt via a connector bar, and wherein both said geared motor and said electrical power supply within said elongate portion of said second housing are fully disposed within said door.

[0022] Preferably said at least one battery of said electrical power supply means having an associated battery holder, and both said at least one battery and its associated battery holder are fully disposed within said door.

[0023] Preferably said at least one battery and said geared motor are disposed one above the other.

[0024] Preferably esaid electrical lock means comprises an NFC reader having a sensor surface disposed adjacent the outer surface of said door and said NFC reader is operably connected via at least one control PCB to said geared motor.

[0025] Preferably said second housing comprises a collared portion disposed at one end of said elongate portion, and when said electrical lock means is fitted to said door, said collared portion abuts said outer face of said door, said collared portion surrounding said sensor surface of said NFC reader.

[0026] Preferably when said NFC reader and collared portion is retrofitted to said door, said NFC reader and collared portion, project the same or only slightly more than the keyed cylinder and cylinder ring that it replaced.

[0027] Preferably said second actuator mechanism of said electrical lock means can be actuated to retract said latchbolt, by an RFID swipe card operably interacting therewith via said sensor surface of said NFC reader or by smartphone paired wirelessly with said electrical lock means.

[0028] Preferably said geared motor is an N20 micro geared motor. Preferably said battery is a CR2 battery.

[0029] Preferably an external power supply can be connected to said electrical lock means by a port disposed at or near said collared portion of said second housing.

[0030] BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF DRAWINGS

[0031] Fig. l is a front perspective view of a door fitted with a prior art backset rim lock.

[0032] Fig. 2 is a rear perspective view of the door and prior art backset rim lock of Fig 1.

[0033] Fig. 3 is an enlarged front perspective detail view of the prior art backset rim lock and door of Fig. 1.

[0034] Fig. 4 is an enlarged rear perspective detail view of the prior art backset rim lock and door of Fig. 1.

[0035] Fig. 5 is a perspective view of the electrical lock means with connector bar of the rim lock assembly of the present invention for use on a door.

[0036] Fig 6. is a plan view of the electrical lock means and connector bar shown in Fig. 5.

[0037] Fig. 7 is a front elevation view of the electrical lock means shown in Fig. 5.

[0038] Fig. 8 is an exploded view of the electrical lock means and connector bar shown in Fig. 5.

[0039] Fig. 9 is a partial front perspective view of door fitted with the lock body to the internal face of the door, and the electrical lock means of Fig. 5 removed therefrom, without the connector bar.

[0040] Fig. 10 is a partial front perspective view of door fitted with the rim lock assembly of the present invention.

[0041] Fig. 11 is a partial rear perspective view of door fitted with the rim lock assembly of the present invention.

[0042] BEST MODE OF CARRYING OUT THE INVENTION

[0043] In the present specification, the term “rim lock” means a lock that is fitted to a door and comprises a body (housing) mounted by fasteners to the interior door. As such, the term “rim lock assembly” is an assembly for such a rim lock. Figs 5 to 11 depict a rim lock assembly 20 for use on a door 10 of 40mm thickness having an internal (inner) face 10a and an external (outer) face 10b. A hole 7 of about 32mm is disposed in door 10, which is backset 60mm from its edge.

[0044] Rim lock assembly 20 has a body (first housing) 22, fitted to the inner face 10a of door 10, adjacent to hole 7. Body 22 like the “conventional lock body” shown in Fig. 4 has a knob 24 operably mounted thereto. Knob 24 forms part of a first actuator mechanism operably connected to latchbolt 25.

[0045] Latchbolt 25 is movable relative to a side of body 22 between an extended latching position and a retracted release position. The first actuator mechanism (including knob 24) causes movement of latchbolt 25 from the extended latching position to the retracted release position.

[0046] An “electrical lock means” 50 comprises an electronic lock housing (second housing) 26 which houses electronic componentry and a second actuator mechanism, namely a battery powered motor 30, for actuating a connector bar 40 that is operably connected to the first actuator mechanism in body 22.

[0047] Electronic lock housing 26 has an elongate portion 26a and an annular-like collar portion 26b disposed at one end of elongate portion 26a.

[0048] Elongate portion 26a, acts as a “cradle” that carries motor 30 and printed circuit boards (PCBs) 3 la, 3 lb. Battery holder 32 that carries battery 33, is fastened to elongate portion 26a from above via screws 37, and thereby covers the internal components housed within elongate portion 26a. In effect battery 33 (in battery holder 32) and motor 30 are disposed one above the other.

[0049] A near field communication (NFC) reader 34 is mounted to collar portion 26b of electronic lock housing 26, such that it has an outwardly facing sensor surface 35 adjacent to external Face 10b of door 10. NFC reader 34 is connected to PCBs 3 la, 3 lb, which in turn are connected to motor 30. A replaceable battery 33, which sits in battery holder 32 provides the necessary power to PCBs 3 la, 3 lb and motor 30.

[0050] When electronic lock housing 26 of electrical lock means 50 is fitted to door 1, elongate portion 26a, namely the “cradle” portion, with battery holder 32 and battery 33 fitted thereto, is inserted into hole 7 from the outer (external) face 10b of door 10, so that elongate portion 26a in which motor 30 is housed, along with battery holder 32 and battery 33 are all inside door 10, effectively using the available space within hole 7. When fitted, annular-like collar portion 26b is abutted against outer face 10b of door 10. As a result of this, motor 30, PCBs 3 la, 3 lb and battery 33 are all disposed within door 10. Connector bar 40 links motor 30 via a rectangular slot in turn-member 29 of the “first actuator mechanism” operably connected to latchbolt 25 and housed in body 22.

[0051] A USB-C cable port 36 for external power supply is disposed at the lower portion of collar portion 26b and is accessible from external of door 10. This allows for an external power supply to be provided to the components of electrical lock means 50.

[0052] To fit the elongate portion 26a and battery holder 32 / battery 33, within the 40mm thickness of door 10, the length of elongate portion 26a must be less than 40mm, and the single battery 33 and motor 30 compact enough to fit within that space.

[0053] With the cover of body 22 removed, fasteners (not shown) from the internal side of door 10 are used to fasten electrical lock means 50 to door 10. These fasteners have been omitted from Fig. 9 for clarity purposes.

[0054] Electrical lock means 50 is preferably actuated by either NFC functionality or Bluetooth wireless connectivity. Preferably this is achieved by an RFID swipe card (not shown) and / or smartphone (not shown) that have been paired to and for use with electrical lock means 50. In the case of RFID swipe card, it is brought near sensor surface 35 of NFC reader 34 to actuate electrical lock means 50. In the case of the smartphone when paired with electrical lock means 50, the Bluetooth wireless connectivity allows the user of the smartphone to actuate electrical lock means 50.

[0055] Whilst the rim lock assembly 20 enables entry via an RFID swipe card and / or a smartphone using Bluetooth connectivity in its simplest form, the rim lock assembly 20 could optionally be connected to a home / local IT network using “Thread and Matter” smart home standards. Because rim lock assembly 20 has Bluetooth connectivity, other accessory connections can also be possible such as wireless keypads for access codes.

[0056] In this embodiment, a preferred motor 30 capable of actuating latchbolt 25 is an N20 micro geared motor (6V 1000: 1 gear ratio), and a preferred battery 33 is a 3 V CR2 lithium battery having a height of 27mm and diameter 15.6mm, typically used in camera applications. Both these preferred embodiments of battery 33 and motor 30 can meet the dimensional requirements for housing within the thickness of door 10 and are readily available from various suppliers as off-the-shelf components. In trials using such a lithium CR2 battery as the power supply, a prototype rim lock assembly 20 had its latchbolt 25 electrically retracted three-thousand six hundred and fifty (3650) times, representing rim lock assembly 20 being unlocked ten times every day for a year without fully discharging that lithium CR2 battery. This indicates that a lithium CR2 battery can last at least 12 months of normal use in such application. As such, in use within a rim lock assembly 20, a lithium CR2 battery would typically only need to be replaced once a year.

[0057] If battery 33 fails, rim lock assembly lock 20 and thus door 10 can always be opened from the inside. If a user is on the outside of door 10, emergency power can be supplied via USB-C cable port 36 from a power bank, laptop or from a smartphone.

[0058] Rim lock assembly 20 has several advantages over the prior art lock assembly with the electrically controlled actuator assembly disclosed in the earlier mentioned AU2011224106A. Firstly, rim lock assembly 20 unlike this prior art, does not require a separate small hole for a wire loom to pass from the outer (external) side of the door to the inner (internal) side of the door, thus eliminating the need, and therefore the tooling, to make that additional small hole. Furthermore, it does not require additional screws to be screwed into the door to mount the prior art battery housing. As such, rim lock assembly 20 can readily be retrofitted to a door already having a backset 60mm hole, without further modification to the door. This makes it ideal for the DIY and renter / tenant market, and less labour intensive for a professional locksmith. Secondly, because of the compactness of electrical lock means 50 to fit motor 30 and battery 33 within the thickness of door 10, the materials necessary to make the electrical lock means 50 are significantly less than that required by the earlier mentioned prior art and more cost effective to manufacture, thus also making it more attractive and accessible to the DIY market. Thirdly, because battery 33 is housed within door 10, it is not easy for third parties to remove the battery. Also, when compared to the lock of earlier mentioned AU2011224106A , the abovementioned embodiment more readily fits in with the existing decor, because from external of door 10, you simply have exchanged a circular exterior cylinder of a conventional “001 lock”, with the collar portion 26b and circular face 35 of NFC reader 34, as shown in Fig. 10. Importantly, in a prototype of this present embodiment the collar portion 26b and circular face 35 of NFC reader 34 only extends about eight millimetres from the external face 10b of door 10, which is only a few millimetres more than cylinder 6 and the cylinder ring that surrounds it, of the prior art mechanical lock shown in Fig. 3. It is envisaged that when the present invention is commercialised collar portion 26b and circular face 35 of NFC reader 34 would extend about six millimetres from the external face 10b of door 10. What this means is that when collared portion 26b is retrofitted to door 10, circular face 35 of NFC reader 34 and collared portion 26b, project the same or only slightly more than the keyed cylinder and cylinder ring that it replaced.

[0059] What should be understood, is that these advantages of the abovementioned embodiment over the prior art allows for flexibility in older rental apartments or houses that are presently fitted with mechanical “60mm backset rim locks”, such as the LOCKWOOD™ 001 and other similar locks. This is especially important as the present embodiment can be retrofitted with relative ease, and with minimal change to the aesthetics of the “older style” decor, as the collar-portion 26b of housing 26, is the same or not much larger than the cylinder ring of a conventional 001 lock.

[0060] The abovementioned rim lock assembly 20 can be offered in kit form, where both the internal body (first housing) 22 components and electrical lock means 50 are in the kit. However, it is also possible to only offer the electrical lock means 50, namely that fitted from the front of door 10 together with a connecting bar 40, and have it retrofitted to door 10 having a conventional 60mm backset rim lock assembly 1, using the existing mechanical lock body 2 shown in Fig. 4, with its knob 4 and latch 5 fitted to the internal face of the door 1. In this retrofitting option you would remove the existing key cylinder (and cylinder ring) and its associated connecting bar of the conventional 60mm backset rim lock assembly 1 and replace it with electrical lock means 50 and its associated connecting bar 40 described earlier on. This makes the present embodiment of the present invention an even more cost-effective alternative to that offered by the prior art.

[0061] In another not shown embodiment, USB-C cable port 36 of the abovementioned embodiment disposed at the lower portion of collar portion 26b. However, it a further not shown embodiment USB-C cable port may instead be disposed on a portion of what is shown in the abovementioned embodiment as the sensor surface 35 on reader 34.

[0062] 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.

Claims

CLAIMS1. A rim lock assembly for use on a door, the rim lock assembly including a first housing for attachment to an inner face of the door, a latchbolt movable relative to a side of said first housing between an extended latching position and a retracted release position, a first actuator mechanism including a first hand-engagable member operable from an inner side of the door to cause movement of said latchbolt from the extended position, and an electrical lock means including a second housing for attachment to the outer face of the door, at least an elongate portion of said second housing extends through a hole in said door towards said first housing, said electrical lock means having a second actuator mechanism operably connected to said latchbolt, and said electrical lock means operable from the outer side of the door such that when it is activated said second actuator mechanism retracts said latchbolt so that said door can be opened, and an electrical power supply means including at least one battery for powering said electrical lock means along with said second actuator mechanism are disposed within or on said elongate portion of said second housing, wherein said second actuator mechanism comprises a geared motor operably connected to said latchbolt via a connector bar, and wherein both said geared motor and said at least one battery within said elongate portion of said second housing are fully disposed within said door.

2. A rim lock assembly for use on a door as claimed in claim 1, wherein said at least one battery of said electrical power supply means having an associated battery holder, and both said battery and its associated battery holder are fully disposed in the door.

3. A rim lock assembly for use on a door as claimed in claim 1, wherein said at least one battery and said geared motor are disposed one above the other.

4. A rim lock assembly as claimed in claim 1, wherein said electrical lock means comprises an NFC reader having a sensor surface disposed adjacent the outer surface of said door and said NFC reader is operably connected via at least one control PCB to said geared motor.

5. A rim lock assembly as claimed in claim 4, wherein said second housing of said electrical lock means comprises a collared portion disposed at one end of said elongate portion, and when said electrical lock means is fitted to said door, said collared portionabuts said outer face of said door, said collared portion surrounding said sensor surface of said NFC reader.

6. A rim lock assembly as claimed in claim 5, wherein said second actuator mechanism of said electrical lock means can be actuated to retract said latchbolt, by an RFID swipe card operably interacting therewith via said sensor surface of said NFC reader or by smartphone paired wirelessly with said electrical lock means.

7. A rim lock assembly as claimed in claim 2, wherein said geared motor is an N20 micro geared motor.

8. A rim lock assembly as claimed in claim 1, wherein said battery is a CR2 battery.

9. A rim lock assembly as claimed in claim 5, wherein an external power supply can be connected to said electrical lock means by a port disposed at or near said collared portion of said second housing.

10. An electrical lock means for retrofitting to a 60mm backset rim lock assembly on a door, said door having a hole through which said rim lock assembly is mounted on both sides of said door, said rim lock assembly comprising a first housing for attachment to an inner face of said door, a latchbolt movable relative to a side of said first housing between an extended latching position and a retracted release position, a first actuator mechanism including a first hand-engagable member operable from an inner side of the door to cause movement of said latchbolt from the extended position, and a keyed cylinder and cylinder ring, said key cylinder extending into said hole from an outer face of said door and connected to said first actuator mechanism via a first connector bar so that actuation of said keyed cylinder by a key causes said first connector bar to turn and actuate said first actuator mechanism to retract said latchbolt, the said retrofitting comprises replacing said key cylinder and associated cylinder ring and first connector bar with said electrical lock means and a second connector bar, said electrical lock means comprises a second housing for attachment to the outer face of the door wherein at least an elongate portion of said second housing extends through said hole in said door towards said first housing, said electrical lock means having an electrically operated second actuator mechanism operably connected to said latchbolt via said associated second connector bar, and said electrical lock means operable from the outer side of said door such that when it is activated said second actuatormechanism retracts said latchbolt so that said door can be opened, and an electrical power supply means including at least one internal battery for powering said electrical lock means along with said second actuator mechanism are disposed within or on said elongate portion of said second housing, wherein said second actuator mechanism comprises a geared motor operably connected to said latchbolt via a connector bar, and wherein both said geared motor and said electrical power supply within said elongate portion of said second housing are fully disposed within said door.

11. An electrical lock means as claimed in claim 10, wherein said at least one battery of said electrical power supply means having an associated battery holder, and both said at least one battery and its associated battery holder are fully disposed within said door.

12. An electrical lock means as claimed in claim 10, wherein said at least one battery and said geared motor are disposed one above the other.

13. An electrical lock means as claimed in claim 10, wherein said electrical lock means comprises an NFC reader having a sensor surface disposed adjacent the outer surface of said door and said NFC reader is operably connected via at least one control PCB to said geared motor.

14. An electrical lock means as claimed in claim 13, wherein said second housing comprises a collared portion disposed at one end of said elongate portion, and when said electrical lock means is fitted to said door, said collared portion abuts said outer face of said door, said collared portion surrounding said sensor surface of said NFC reader.

15. An electrical lock means as claimed in claim 14, wherein when said NFC reader and collared portion is retrofitted to said door, said NFC reader and collared portion, project the same or only slightly more than the keyed cylinder and cylinder ring that it replaced.

16. An electrical lock means as claimed in claim 14, wherein said second actuator mechanism of said electrical lock means can be actuated to retract said latchbolt, by an RFID swipe card operably interacting therewith via said sensor surface of said NFC reader or by smartphone paired wirelessly with said electrical lock means.

17. An electrical lock means as claimed in claim 10, wherein said geared motor is an N20 micro geared motor.

18. An electrical lock means as claimed in claims 10, wherein said battery is a CR2 battery.

19. An electrical lock means as claimed in claim 14, wherein an external power supply can be connected to said electrical lock means by a port disposed at or near said collared portion of said second housing.

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