MULTI-POINT LOCKING DEVICE FOR MAILBOXES

Abstract

This multipoint locking device for mailbox doors equipped with an external rotating cylinder lock 1 of the type having an eccentric cam 4 mounted on the rotating cylinder 1 and cooperating with a cam track 11 formed in a bolt 3 guided in translation includes a bolt 3 having two lateral walls 15a and 15b parallel to the direction of guidance which cooperate with guide tracks 16a, 16b made from a profile 17 fixed on the internal face of the door 2. One of the guide tracks 16a surrounds one of the edges of the bolt.

Description

Multi-point locking device for letterboxes The present invention relates to a locking device for a letterbox door equipped with an external rotating barrel lock and of the type comprising an eccentric cam mounted on the rotating barrel, cooperating with a cam track formed in a bolt guide in translation. It is an addition to the French patent application n02 614 644. This French patent application describes a closing device for a letterbox door in which the bolt has a substantially oval cam track formed by the edge of an opening, and is held on the door by means of two washers wider than the opening, wedged on the barrel and arranged on either side of the bolt. The cam consists of an eccentric interposed between the washers and the translational guidance of the bolt is ensured by the cooperation of two parallel slots with pins. The object of the present invention is, firstly, to improve the bolt guidance system and, secondly, to reinforce the bolt and the means for holding the bolt on the door in a sensitive manner, so that the device is even better able to resist acts of door tearing vandalism. According to the invention, the bolt is formed in a plate and has two edges parallel to the direction of guidance from each of which a side wall extends perpendicularly towards the internal face of the door, and the translation guidance of the bolt is ensured by the cooperation of said side walls with integral guide paths of the door. Mirroring this structure of the bolt, the latter is, on the one hand, guided over a great length, in comparison with the prior art, and is, on the other hand, made more rigid, which improves its qualities in the face of acts of vandalism. Advantageously, at least one of said guide paths is made using a profile fixed to the internal face of the door and having a core arranged in the vicinity of the corresponding side wall of the bolt and outside of that. -Ci, and extended by a rim covering the portions of the bolt adjacent to said side wall. This rim thus acts as a jaw integral with the door which retains the bolt at a maximum distance from the door in the event of an attempt to tear off the door and considerably improves the safety of closing the door because it reinforces the means of maintenance the bolt on the door. In addition, the profile attached to the door increases its rigidity. Preferably, the other of said guide paths is produced using blades arranged on either side of the corresponding side wall and extending perpendicularly from the internal face of the door. Advantageously, the section has a wall for fixing to the door extending between the side walls of the bolt and provided with an opening for the passage of the lock and a succession of blades perpendicular to said fixing wall and extending alternately from either side of the other side wall to form the second guide path. Advantageously, the bolt has a single tooth having a width close to the distance separating the side walls of the bolt. Other characteristics and advantages of the invention will become apparent from the following description, made with reference to the appended drawing in which FIG. 1 represents a side view of the device of the invention; FIG. 2 represents a transverse section along the line II-II of figure 1 and, Figure 3 is a longitudinal section along the line III-III of Figure 1, and Figure 4 is a longitudinal section of a variant of the device of the invention. A traditional lock with rotating cylinder 1 is mounted on a door 2 of the mailbox. A sliding bolt 3, mO by an eccentric 4 forming a cam, comprises an elongated body S, one side edge of which constitutes a single tooth 6 intended to cooperate with a keeper or a projection formed on the frame of the letterbox and making it possible to engage the tooth 6 so as to prevent the opening of the door 2. When the bolt is in its retracted position, the single tooth 6 does not protrude from the door 2. The body 5 comprises an oval opening 10 oriented transversely, the edge of which forms a cam track for the eccentric 4. A washer 13 wider than the opening 10 is wedged on the barrel 1 under the bolt 3, and another identical washer 13a is wedged on the barrel 1 above the bolt 3. The eccentric 4 is interposed and wedged between the washers 13 and 13a, and it has a square orifice adapted to the section of barrel 1. The eccentric 4 and the washers 13 and 13a are blocked on the barrel 1 by a nut 12 so as to prevent the bolt 3 from escaping. According to the invention the bolt 3 consists of a rigid metal plate shaped so that the body 5 has two edges 14a, 14b parallel to the direction of guidance from each of which a side wall 15a or 15b extends perpendicularly towards the internal face of the door 2. The dimensions of the side walls 15a and 15b are such that when the bolt 3 is in the locked position, their neighboring edges of the single tooth 6 are close to the edge of the door 2 so as to allow movement free from the bolt 3 when turning the rotary cylinder lock 1. The bolt 3 is guided in translation thanks to the side walls 15e and 15b which slide respectively in guide paths 16a and 16b integral with the door 2. For this purpose, a profile 17 comprising a fixing wall 18 to the door 2 provided with an opening for the passage of the lock 1 is fixed by welding on the internal face of the door 2. The fixing wall 18 extends under the bolt. 3, between the two side walls 15a and 15b of the bolt 3. In the vicinity of the side wall 15a, the profile 17 has a web 19 disposed outside the bolt 3 and extended by a rim 20 which covers the portions 21 of the body 5 adjacent to the side wall 15a. The flange 20 and the core 19 thus form the guide path 16a of the side wall 15a. The profile 17 has in the vicinity of the other side wall 15b, a guide path 16b, having the shape of a groove formed by blades 22 and 23 arranged alternately vis-à-vis one or the other face of the side wall 15b. Blades 22 and 23 s1 extend perpendicularly from attachment wall 18. The profile 17 and the bolt 3 are made by cutting and bending from a rigid metal plate, for example 2mm thick. Thanks to this structure, the mounting of the device is easy. After having welded the section 17 on the internal face of the door 2 and fixed the rotating barrel lock 1, the washer 13 and the eccentric 4 are wedged on the barrel, the bolt 3 is obliquely presented in such a way that its side wall 15a is positioned in its guide path 16a, then after tilting the bolt 3 so as to position the eccentric 4 in the oval opening 10, and the side wall 15b between the blades 22 and 23, the washer 13a is wedged, and nut 12 is locked on barrel 1. Figure 4 shows a variant embodiment of the invention. In this variant, the guide path 16b is similar to the guide path 16. The profile 17 has, in the vicinity of the side wall 15b of the bolt 3, a core 19a disposed outside the bolt 3 and extended by a rim 20a which covers the adjacent portions of the body 5. The washers 13 and 13a can be removed and so that the eccentric 4 remains in contact with the edge 11 of the oval opening 10 despite the play of the bolt 3 in the guide paths 16a and 16b, its thickness is increased. The rein 3 may have on its edge remote from the single tooth 6 a wall extending towards the internal face of the door 2. This arrangement makes it possible to eliminate the friction of the washers 13 and 13a on the body during the pivoting of the lock 1, and increases the resistance of door 2 to acts of vandalism.

Claims

DEMANDS#S 1. Device according to any one of claims 1 to 4 of the main patent, characterized in that the bolt (3) is formed in a plate and has two edges (14a,14b) parallel to the direction of guidance from each of which a side wall (15a,15b) extends perpendicularly towards the inner face of the door (2) and in that the translational guidance of the bolt (3) is ensured by the cooperation of said side walls (15a,15b) with guide paths (16a216b) integral with the door (2).

2. Device according to claim 1, characterized in that at least one (16a) of the guide paths (16a,16b) is made using a profile (17) fixed on the inner face of the door (2) and having a web (19) disposed in the vicinity of the corresponding side wall (15a) of the bolt (3) and outside of it and extended by a rim (20) covering the portions (21) of the bolt (3) adjacent to said side wall (15a).

3. Device according to claim 2, characterized in that the other (16b) of said guide paths (16a,16b) is made using blades (22,23) arranged on either side of the corresponding lateral wall (15b) and extending perpendicularly from dc In inner face dc 1. pnrtc (2).

4. Device according to claim 2, characterized in that said profile (17) has a fixing wall (18) to the door (2) extending between the side walls (15a,15b) of the bolt (3) and provided with an opening for the passage of the lock (1), and a succession of blades (22,23) perpendicular to said fixing wall and extending alternately on either side of the other side wall (15b) to form the second guide path (16b).

5. Device according to any one of claims 1 to 4, characterized in that the bolt (3) has a single tooth (6) having a width close to the distance separating the lateral walls (15a,15b) of the bolt (3).

6. Device according to any one of claims 1 to 5, characterized in that the bolt (3) has on its edge far from the tooth (6) a wall extending towards the inner face of the door (2).