Locking mechanism for swing doors

Abstract

To provide a locking mechanism for a swing door, capable of smoothly and automatically completing locking in accordance with the closing operation of the swing door without causing a key tongue and an engaged member to interfere with each other when the swing door is closed. [Solution] A locking mechanism 1 for a hinged door is provided on a storage main body so that it can be opened and closed. The locking mechanism includes a key tongue 2 having a base end 21, a tip end 22, and an engagement recess 23, a cylinder 3 provided on the hinged door and connected to the base end 21 of the key tongue to rotate the key tongue 2, and an engaged member (hook 4) provided on the storage main body and lockable when the engagement recess 23 of the key tongue engages. The tip end 22 of the key tongue 2 is formed with an inclined guide portion 24 that changes the inclination of the key tongue 2 when it comes into sliding contact with the engaged member (hook 4).

Description

[Technical Field]

[0001] This invention relates to a locking mechanism for a hinged door that can be opened and closed relative to a storage body, and in particular to an improvement in the key flap (locking member) that constitutes the locking mechanism. [Background technology]

[0002] Self-checkout counters with safe-like functions for managing and storing sales proceeds and change are installed in stores such as supermarkets and convenience stores. Self-checkout counters generally include a storage unit that stores the equipment and a hinged door with a locking mechanism. The hinged door is unlocked and opened during equipment maintenance, and is then closed and locked after the maintenance is complete. Such locking mechanisms generally consist of a cylinder into which a key can be inserted or removed, a rotatable key tongue connected to the cylinder, and an engaged member (e.g., a hook) with which the key tongue engages when the counter is locked. The key tongue changes position or posture between a locked position (e.g., a horizontal position) and an unlocked position (e.g., a vertical position) in response to the movement of the cylinder in response to key operation.

[0003] In the above-mentioned locking mechanism, unlocking is achieved by switching the key flap from the locked position to the unlocked position using a key. However, when the swing door is opened after unlocking, the vibration and recoil can cause the key flap to unintentionally return from the unlocked position to the locked position. In the locked position, the key flap's tip faces the engaged member, and is positioned so that the tip of the key flap faces the engaged member (e.g., horizontal). Therefore, if an attempt is made to close the swing door again with the key flap still in the locked position, the tip of the key flap will collide with and interfere with the engaged member (the hook), preventing the swing door from closing. In such cases, it was necessary to operate the key again and correct the position of the key flap to the unlocked position (e.g., vertical). Summary of the Invention [Problem to be solved by the invention]

[0004] The purpose of this invention is to provide a locking mechanism for swing doors that can smoothly and automatically complete locking as the swing door is closed, even when the key flap is in the locked position after unlocking, without the key flap and the engaged member interfering with each other when closing the swing door. [Means for solving the problem]

[0005] The present invention is a locking mechanism for a hinged door that can be opened and closed relative to a storage body. a key tongue having a base end, a tip end, and an engagement recess located between the base end and the tip end; a cylinder provided on the side of the hinged door and connected to a base end of the key tongue to rotate the key tongue; an engaged member that is provided on the side of the storage body and that can be locked by engaging with the engaging recess of the key tongue; This is a locking mechanism for swing doors, characterized in that the tip of the key tongue has an inclined guide portion formed to change the inclined posture of the key tongue when it comes into contact and slides with the engaged member.

[0006] (action) The key tongue may assume a position where its tip is directed toward the engaged member, facing the engaged member. According to this device, even if the hinged door is brought close to the storage body while the key tongue maintains this facing position, the key tongue's inclined position autonomously changes based on the interaction caused by the contact and sliding between the inclined guide portion of the key tongue tip and the engaged member. As a result, the key tongue's tip smoothly overcomes the engaged member, and finally the engagement recess of the key tongue engages with the engaged member, completing the lock (locking the hinged door). [Effects of the Invention]

[0007] With the locking mechanism for swing doors of this invention, even if the tip of the key tongue is facing the engaged member after unlocking, the key tongue and the engaged member do not interfere with each other when closing the swing door, and the locking can be completed smoothly and automatically as the swing door is closed. [Brief explanation of the drawings]

[0008] [Figure 1] FIG. 1 is a perspective view showing an example of a self-checkout counter. [Figure 2] 2 is a perspective view of a locking mechanism provided in the area surrounded by the imaginary circle A in FIG. 1. [Figure 3] An overview of the locking mechanism is shown, with (A) being a front view, (B) being a (left) side view, and (C) being a plan view. [Figure 4] The figure shows a key flap, which is one component of the locking mechanism, with (A) being a front view and (B) being a side view. [Explanation of symbols]

[0009] 1 Locking mechanism 2 Key tongue 21 Proximal end 22 Tip 23 Engagement recess 24 Inclined guide section 3 cylinders 4 Hook (engaged part) 11 Storage body 12 Swing door DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION

[0010] Hereinafter, an embodiment in which the present invention is applied to a locking mechanism for a self-checkout counter will be described with reference to the drawings.

[0011] As shown in FIG. 1, the self-checkout counter 10 includes a storage main body 11 and a hinged door 12. The storage main body 11 is the main body of the self-checkout counter that houses various devices and a safe for storing cash, and is configured as a sturdy housing. The hinged door 12 is a movable member that is attached to the storage main body 11 so as to be able to open and close. In this embodiment, the hinged door 12 is a sliding door that can move toward and away from the storage main body 11 (i.e., can be opened and closed in a linear manner), but the hinged door 12 may also be a rotatable door supported by a hinge (i.e., can be opened and closed along an arcuate trajectory).

[0012] As shown in FIGS. 2 and 3, the locking mechanism 1 of this embodiment is mainly composed of a key tongue 2, a cylinder 3, and a hook metal fitting 4 as an engaged member.

[0013] The hook fitting 4 is a metal member that is roughly U-shaped in plan view, and is fixed to the inside of the storage body 11. The hook fitting 4 is installed at a height position that faces horizontally the key tongue 2 supported on the hinged door 12 side, and locking is achieved by a part of the key tongue 2 engaging with the hook fitting 4.

[0014] The cylinder 3 is fixed near one side edge of the hinged door 12. The cylinder 3 is provided with a key hole 3a into which a key (not shown) can be inserted and removed, and by inserting a key into the key hole 3a and turning it, the locking mechanism 1 can be switched between a locked state and an unlocked state.

[0015] As shown in Figures 3 and 4, the key tongue 2 is a metal locking member that is roughly crank-shaped in plan view (i.e., bent at two right angles along the way). The key tongue 2 has a base end 21, a tip end 22, and an engagement recess 23 located between these two ends. The base end 21 of the key tongue is the part that connects to the cylinder 3, and serves as the center of rotation when the key tongue 2 changes its position depending on the operation status of the cylinder 3. The engagement recess 23 of the key tongue is formed in a position slightly toward the tip end from the longitudinal center position of the key tongue 2, and is the part that engages with the hook 4, which serves as the engaged member, to achieve locking.

[0016] By inserting a key into the key hole 3a of the cylinder and rotating it, the key tongue 2 can be changed in position or posture between the locked position (i.e., the position where the key tongue 2 is in a nearly horizontal position as shown by the solid line in Figure 3) and the unlocked position (i.e., the position where the key tongue 2 is in a nearly vertical position as shown by the dotted line in Figure 3).

[0017] The tip 22 of the key tongue is formed with an inclined guide portion 24 on its lower side. This inclined guide portion 24 functions as a guide portion for changing the posture of the key tongue 2 (i.e., changing the inclination angle of the key tongue 2) when the tip 22 of the key tongue comes into sliding contact with the upper edge 4a of the hook fitting 4 as the hinged door 12 closes.

[0018] (Actions / effects of this embodiment) According to this embodiment, even if the key tongue 2 is moved from the unlocked position to the locked position for some reason when the hinged door 12 is opened in a closed state, this does not cause any hindrance to the process of closing the hinged door 12 again. That is, when the hinged door 12 in an open state is moved toward the closed position, the inclined guide portion 24 provided on the tip portion 22 of the key tongue comes into contact with the upper edge portion 4a of the hook. As the hinged door 12 continues to close after this contact, the guide portion 24 of the key tongue 2 rides up onto the upper edge portion 4a of the hook and slides over the upper edge portion 4a, gradually changing the inclined posture of the key tongue 2. That is, the key tongue 2 changes its posture by lifting its tip portion 22 and rides over the upper edge portion 4a of the hook. Then, at the same time that the hinged door 12 reaches the intended closed position, the rear end position of the guide portion 24 completes passing the upper edge portion 4a of the hooking fixture, and the contact and sliding between the guide portion 24 and the upper edge portion 4a of the hooking fixture ends, and the key tongue 2, which has lost its support, falls under its own weight and the engagement recess 23 of the key tongue engages with the upper edge portion 4a of the hooking fixture. In this way, the locking by the locking mechanism 1 is completed.

[0019] According to this embodiment, the following effects are achieved. (A) As described above, locking can be completed automatically during the process of closing the swing door 12 without the need to operate the key. This eliminates the need to forget to lock the door, improving crime prevention. (b) Since there is no mechanical collision or interference between the tip of the key tongue 2 and the hook 4, which was common in conventional examples, both the key tongue and the hook are less likely to be damaged, which is advantageous in terms of durability.

[0020] [Example of change] The locking mechanism of the present invention is not only applicable to the self-checkout machine 10 described above, but also to payment machines (such as cash registers) used in other retail stores.

Claims

[Claim 1] A locking mechanism for a hinged door that is provided so as to be able to open and close relative to a storage main body, a key tongue having a base end, a tip end, and an engagement recess located between the base end and the tip end; a cylinder provided on the side of the hinged door and connected to a base end of the key tongue to rotate the key tongue; an engaged member that is provided on the side of the storage body and that can be locked by engaging with the engaging recess of the key tongue; A locking mechanism for swing doors, characterized in that the tip of the key tongue is formed with an inclined guide portion for changing the inclined posture of the key tongue when it comes into contact with and slides against the engaged member.

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