Controllable Door Lock

Abstract

A storage compartment lock for a storage compartment door, the lock comprising: a lock housing for attachment to the storage compartment door or a storage compartment frame supporting the door; and a lock mechanism disposed within the lock housing, the lock mechanism comprising: a latch selectively operable between a locked position in which the latch is extended to engage the other of the storage compartment door and the storage compartment frame to prevent opening of the storage compartment door, and an unlocked position in which the latch is pulled back to disengage from the other of the storage compartment door and the storage compartment frame to allow the storage compartment door to be opened for access to the storage compartment; and a latch control system selectively operable between a restrictive position to prevent movement of the latch away from the locked position and a non-restrictive position to allow movement of the latch away from the locked position to the unlocked position.

Description

[Technical field]

[0001] This application claims priority to U.S. Provisional Application No. 62 / 890,448, filed August 22, 2019, the disclosure of which is expressly incorporated by reference in its entirety.

[0002] The present disclosure relates generally to devices, systems and methods for locking, and more particularly to devices, systems and methods for locking doors. [Background technology]

[0003] For example, physical security for a storage facility can present interesting challenges with respect to proper access to the storage room. With storage room security doors that may require access by various parties, maintaining authorization to access a guarded storage room can be cumbersome. For example, in an owner-tenant relationship, access and / or the infrastructure to support access can be complex. Summary of the Invention

[0004] According to one aspect of the disclosure, the vault lock, which is a vault lock for a vault door, may include a lock housing for mounting to one of the vault door or the vault frame supporting the vault door, and a lock mechanism disposed within the lock housing. The lock mechanism may include a latch selectively operable between a locked position in which the latch is extended to engage the other of the vault door and the vault frame to prevent opening of the vault door and an unlocked position in which the latch is pulled back to disengage from the other of the vault door and the vault frame to allow the vault door to be opened for access to the vault, and a latch control system selectively operable between a restrictive position to prevent movement of the latch out of the locked position and a non-restrictive position to allow movement of the latch out of the locked position to the unlocked position.

[0005] In an exemplary embodiment, the latch control system may include a controller and a latch operator. The controller may be configured to issue instructions to the latch operator to selectively position the key between a restrictive position to prevent movement of the latch away from the locked position and a non-restrictive position to allow movement of the latch away from the locked position to the unlocked position. In an exemplary embodiment, the controller may include a processor that executes instructions stored in a memory to issue commands to the latch operator to perform selective operations based on user input.

[0006] In an exemplary embodiment, the latch control system may include a key selectively operable between a blocking position and a non-blocking position corresponding to restrictive and non-restrictive positions of the latch control system. In the blocking position, the key may be disposed to engage the latch to prevent movement of the latch from the locked position to the unlocked position, and in the non-blocking position, the key may be disposed disengaged from the latch to permit movement of the latch out of the locked position to the unlocked position. In the blocking position, the key may be disposed within an opening in the latch to prevent movement of the latch out of the locked position. In an exemplary embodiment, the key may be disposed as a pivotable member operable to pivot one end into engagement with the latch in the blocking position.

[0007] In an exemplary embodiment, the latch control system may include a restrictor selectively operable between a restricting position and an unrestricting position. In the restricting position, the restrictor may be arranged to engage the key to prevent movement of the key out of the blocking position. The restrictor may be formed as a slider for linear movement between the restricting position and the unrestricting position. In an exemplary embodiment, the key may be pivotable between the blocking position and the unblocking position, and the restrictor may be arranged in the restricting position to prevent the key from pivoting out of the blocking position.

[0008] In an exemplary embodiment, in the unrestricted position, the restrictor may be disposed disengaged from the key to permit movement of the key from the blocked position to the unblocked position. The latch control system may include a latch operator for driving movement of the restrictor between the restricted and unrestricted positions. The latch operator may include an actuator and a resilient connector engaged between the actuator and the restrictor for transmitting an actuation force from the actuator to the restrictor.

[0009] The resilient connector may be selectively operable between a contracted position and an extended position. The actuator may be selectively operable to apply a restricting force to the resilient connector to bias the restrictor toward the restricting position. In an exemplary embodiment, the resilient connector may be formed as a linear spring.

[0010] In an exemplary embodiment, under a restricting force with the key in a blocking position, the resilient connector may be actuated to bias the restrictor towards the restricting position while the restrictor remains in a non-restricting position. Under a restricting force with the key in a non-blocking position, the resilient connector may be actuated to bias the restrictor towards the restricting position to move the restrictor towards the restricting position.

[0011] According to another aspect of the disclosure, a vault security door system may include a vault security door including a door and a frame, and a lock secured to one of the door and the frame. The lock may include a latch selectively operable between a locked position in which the latch is engaged with the other of the door and the frame to prevent opening of the door and an unlocked position in which the latch is disengaged from the other of the door and the frame to allow the vault security door to be opened for access to the vault, and a latch control system selectively operable between a restrictive position to prevent movement of the latch out of the locked position and a non-restrictive position to allow movement of the latch out of the locked position to the unlocked position.

[0012] In an exemplary embodiment, the latch control system may include a controller configured to issue instructions to a latch operator to selectively position the key between a restrictive position to prevent movement of the latch away from the locked position and an unrestricted position to allow movement of the latch away from the locked position to the unlocked position. The controller may include a processor that executes instructions stored in a memory to issue commands to the latch operator to effect the selective operation based on user input. The controller may be operable to communicate with a network to allow remote communication for managing operation of the latch control system between the restrictive and unrestricted positions.

[0013] In an exemplary embodiment, the latch control system may include a key operable between a blocking position and a non-blocking position. In the blocking position, the key may be disposed to engage the latch to prevent movement of the latch from the locked position to the unlocked position, and in the non-blocking position, the key may be disposed disengaged from the latch to permit movement of the latch out of the locked position to the unlocked position. In an exemplary embodiment, the latch control system may include a restrictor selectively operable between a restricting position and a non-restricting position. In the restricting position, a slider may be disposed to engage the key to prevent movement of the key out of the blocking position. [Brief description of the drawings]

[0014] The drawings disclose exemplary embodiments, and like reference characters indicate the same or similar parts throughout the drawings.

[0015] [Figure 1] 1 is a diagram illustrating a security door system according to certain aspects of the present disclosure.

[0016] [Diagram 2] FIG. 2 is a perspective view showing the locking mechanism of the security door system of FIG. 1 disposed in a locked position.

[0017] [Diagram 3] FIG. 3 is a perspective view showing the locking mechanism of the security door system of FIG. 2 disposed in an unlocked position.

[0018] [Figure 4] FIG. 4 is an exploded perspective view showing the lock mechanism of the security door system of FIGS. 1 to 3.

[0019] [Diagram 5] FIG. 5 is a side view showing an inner portion of the locking mechanism of FIGS. 2 to 4, disposed in a locked position.

[0020] [Figure 6] FIG. 6 is a side view showing the inner portion of the locking mechanism of FIG. 5, disposed in an unlocked position.

[0021] [Figure 7] FIG. 7 is a perspective view showing portions of the locking mechanism of FIGS. 5 and 6.

[0022] [Figure 8] FIG. 1 is a diagram showing a controller for managing the operation of the locking mechanism. DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS

[0023] While the concepts of the present disclosure are susceptible to various modifications and alternative forms, specific embodiments thereof have been shown by way of example in the drawings and are therefore described in detail herein by way of example only, however, it should be understood that there is no intention to limit the concepts of the present disclosure to the particular forms disclosed, but on the contrary, the intention is to cover all modifications, equivalents and alternatives consistent with the scope of the present disclosure and the appended claims.

[0024] For example, physical security for a storage facility can present interesting challenges with respect to proper access to the storage rooms. One example can include a rental storage facility where storage units may be rented or leased to users (tenants / lessees), where the units are individual storage rooms that can be secured for each individual tenant. Challenges can arise in providing selective access to the storage units.

[0025] In a conventional rental storage facility, users (renters) of the storage units can generally request access to the storage rooms at will, but the owner (renter) of the storage facility may need to maintain overriding or global control of access to each storage unit. For example, the owner may need overriding control to lock out non-paying users from accessing the storage units, per contractual agreements. Furthermore, manually providing overriding control over access to the storage units may be cumbersome and / or may require individual administrative control for each storage unit. A storage facility may have dozens, hundreds, or thousands of individualized storage units, each of which may face such security challenges.

[0026] 1, a security door system 12 is shown embodied as an access door to an enclosed space for controlling access to a storage room within the space. The security door system 12 illustratively includes a security door 14 and a locking mechanism 16 for selective operation to prevent opening of the security door 14. The security door 14 is illustratively embodied as including a corrugated roll-up door 18 having the locking mechanism 16 attached thereto, although in some embodiments the security door may include any suitable type of security door. The security door 14 includes a frame 20 configured to be articulated with the construction of the storage unit to remain stationary relative to the door 18 itself, and with which the locking mechanism 16 may be selectively engaged to prevent opening of the door 18. In an exemplary embodiment, the locking mechanism may be mounted with the frame 20 and selectively engageable with the door 18.

[0027] The locking mechanism 16 is illustratively placed in communication with other locking mechanisms 16 that may be arranged to operate with other security doors 14, for example, with other security doors 14 for different storage units in the same storage facility. These locking mechanisms 16 are illustratively placed in communication with one another by forming a mesh network 22. The mesh network 22 is illustratively embodied as being comprised of a partially connected mesh topology illustrating that some locking mechanisms may be physically out of direct communication with other locking mechanisms, but may adaptively form a fully connected mesh net according to a particular arrangement, although in some embodiments the mesh network 22 may have any suitable topology including, but not limited to, ring, star, tree, line, and / or combinations thereof. The locking mechanism 16 is illustratively placed in communication with a remote network 24 that may be embodied as the Internet. Communication between the locking mechanism 16 and the remote network 24 is illustratively embodied as being provided via the mesh network 22, although in some embodiments it may be provided directly from the individual locking mechanisms 16. The locking mechanism 16 is placed in communication with a personal mobile device 26 embodied as a smartphone. Communications with the mesh network 22 and between the locking mechanism 16 and the personal mobile device 26 are illustratively provided via low power Bluetooth, but in some embodiments may include any suitable type of wireless communication, including but not limited to infrared, radio frequency, Wi-Fi, Zigbee, 3G / 4G / 5G, and the like.

[0028] Communication between the locking mechanism 16 and the personal mobile device 26 may permit activation of the locking mechanism 16 by a user, for example, to selectively lock and unlock the security door 14. A user in proximity to the security door 14 may access a menu based on pre-authentication and may select an activation button 28 to operate the locking mechanism between an unrestricted state that unlatches for selective operation to unlock the door and a restricted state that maintains the latch in a locked position, as discussed in more detail herein. The user may enter and / or confirm identification information, such as a unit number, user identification information, etc., to ensure authorization to operate the particular security door 14. An owner of the security door 14 may remotely access the locking mechanism 16 via a remote network, as discussed in more detail herein.

[0029] 2, in one exemplary embodiment, the locking mechanism 16 includes a latch 30 that extends a first length from a housing 40 to engage the frame 20 of the security door 14 by penetration into an opening 32 in the frame 20 when disposed in a locked position. As discussed in more detail herein, the locking mechanism 16 is secured to the door 18 such that alignment of the latch 30 in the opening 32 prevents opening of the door 18 by preventing vertical movement of the door 18 relative to the frame 20 for opening.

[0030] In an exemplary embodiment, the latch 30 includes a latch body 34 and an arm 36 extending outwardly from the latch body 34 for engagement with a user's hand. The arm 36 provides a physical handle for engagement with a user's hand or finger to slide the latch 30 between the locked and unlocked positions. The locking mechanism 16 illustratively includes a user interface 38 for initiating communication with the locking mechanism 16. The user interface 38 is illustratively embodied as a touch-sensitive pad for receiving contact by a user's finger for inputting commands, for example, by a predetermined series of long presses and / or short presses. The user interface 38 may include selective illumination as a feedback response, for example, as feedback to the user's touch to communicate the received touch input back to the user, and / or as feedback indicating success and / or failure of changing between the restricted and unrestricted states, for example, by a series of colored or non-colored (such as, but not limited to, green for success and red for failure) confirmatory flashes.

[0031] 3, the latch 30 is disposed in an unlocked position, extending from the housing 40 a second length less than the first length, and disengaged from the frame opening 32. The locking mechanism 16 illustratively includes a housing 40 secured to the door 18 by a bolt 42 extending through the door 18 and secured to the inside (fixed) side of the door by a fastening nut. The housing 40 illustratively is embodied with a contoured shape having a bolt flange for matingly engaging with the corrugated shape of the door 18, although in some embodiments the housing 40 may take any suitable shape for securing the locking mechanism to the door 18. The housing 40 defines an interior space for locating the components of the locking mechanism 16. The housing 40 includes an opening 44 on a front side for receiving a user's hand-engaging arm 36 for movement to actuate the latch body 34 between the locked and unlocked positions.

[0032] 4, the housing 40 may include an interface opening 46 for receiving the user interface 38 for user access, and a number of fastener openings 48 disposed on bolt flanges 50 for securing the housing 40 with the door 18. The housing 40 includes latch supports 52 extending from a side end and receiving the slidably extending latches 30 for selective engagement with the frame 20. The housing 40 includes an outer body 49 having a U-shaped cross-section that articulates with each flange 50 at either end.

[0033] The housing 40 includes a sleeve 54 having a sleeve body 56 and a bolt flange 55 having a fastener opening 57 for receiving the bolt 42. The sleeve body 56 includes a front side that is complementarily formed with the outer body 49 and a rear side that is complementarily formed with a groove to complementarily mate with a groove in the corrugated door. The sleeve body 56 includes the user interface 38 and defines an opening 59 for the arm 36 of the latch 30. The sleeve 54 defines an inner opening 58 for receiving an end stop 69 that encloses the inner opening 58.

[0034] The sleeve 54 includes a casing 60 that houses a latch control system 62. The casing 60 includes a casing body 64 for securing together with an open back surface (shown by dashed line 61 in FIG. 4 ) of the sleeve 54 to define an extension of the sleeve body 56. The casing 60 includes an internal cavity 66 having an open face for engaging with the back surface of the sleeve 54 to enclose a portion of the latch control system 62. The latch control system 62 includes a controller 68 and a latch operator 70 for selectively limiting movement of the latch 30 pursuant to commands of the controller 68. The driver 72 and / or the controller 68 illustratively receive power from an on-board battery, but in some embodiments may be hardwired powered from a storage facility.

[0035] 5, the latch operator 70 is shown in closer view for ease of explanation. The latch operator 70 includes a driver 72, illustratively embodied as an electrically powered rotary actuator, but may be any suitable type of actuator, such as a linear actuator, depending on the embodiment. The driver 72 includes an actuator arm 74 formed as a coil and having a spring 77 extending therefrom for resiliently transmitting a rotary actuation force from the actuator arm 74 to drive linear movement of a slider 78. The spring 77 is engaged with a slider 78 that is disposed for sliding movement relative to the casing body 64 to selectively limit movement of the latch 30 out of the locked position. The rotary movement of the spring 77 drives the slider 78 into a linear movement.

[0036] Slider 78 includes a body 80 having an upper surface 82. Slider 78 includes an arm 84 extending upwardly from surface 82 for engaging spring 77 to receive a rotational drive motion from spring 77 that drives translational movement of slider 78. In Figure 5, slider 78 is shown in a limiting position (to the right) in which upper surface 82 blocks movement of locking key 86 out of engagement with latch 30 to limit movement of latch 30 out of the locked position.

[0037] The lock key 86 is illustratively fixed with the casing 60 via a strut 88 to remain stationary with respect to movement of the latch 30 between the locked and unlocked positions. The lock key 86 is pivotable about a pin axis 15 of the strut 88 and is spring biased to an upwardly inclined position, referred to as a blocking position, as shown in FIG. 5. With the slider 78 in the limiting position (to the right), the surface 82 prevents counterclockwise rotation of the lock key 86 out of the blocking position. In the blocking position of the lock key 86, the lock key 86 extends into an opening 89 in an arm 90 of the latch 30 to limit movement of the latch 30 out of the locked position (to the left).

[0038] 6, the slider 78 is driven leftward by the driver 72 to the unrestricted position to move the lock key 86 to the unblocked position where it is released and disengaged from the latch 30. In the unblocked position, the lock key 86 (shown in dashed lines) is rotated counterclockwise by the latch 30 under a user force to move the latch 30 to the unlocked position (leftward). In the unblocked position of the lock key 86, the aperture 89 is disassociated with the lock key 86, thereby disengaging the lock key 86 from the latch 30 to allow the latch 30 to be moved leftward out of the locked position to the unlocked position of FIG. 6. The user may slide the latch 30 to the right to the locked position, which similarly places the aperture 89 in association with the lock key 86, allowing the lock key 86 to be biased to rotate to a blocking position within the aperture 89 to restrict the leftward movement of the latch 30. When the locking key 86 is rotated to the blocking position (as shown in FIG. 5), the slider 78 can be shifted rightward to the limiting position, preventing the locking key 86 from rotating counterclockwise out of the blocking position, thus limiting movement of the latch 30 out of the locked position.

[0039] The resilience of the spring 77 can allow the driver 72 to move the arm 74 to apply a driving force (rightward) to the slider 78 to urge the slider 78 to the limiting position, even when the lock key 86 is disengaged from the latch 30 in the non-blocking position as in Fig. 6. Thus, when the lock key 86 is in the non-blocking position and the latch 30 is previously in the unlocked position, the driver 72 can pull back the arm 74 to generate a rightward urging force on the slider 78, and then, when the user moves the latch 30 to the locked position, the resilience of the spring 77 moves the slider 78 to the locked position to prevent the lock key 86 from rotating.

[0040] 7, a perspective view of a portion of latch operator 70 shows slider 78 in an unrestricted position to release rotation of lock key 86 out of the blocking position. In the blocking position, however, lock key 86 is aligned at an upward angle to extend into opening 89 to block movement (leftward) of latch 30 out of the locked position.

[0041] Returning to FIG. 2 , a user may manipulate the locking mechanism 16 while the latch 30 is in the locked position securing the door 14. The latch operator 70 is at this point in a default restricted state with the slider 78 in a restricted position that maintains the lock key 86 in a blocking position, thus restricting the latch 30 to the locked position. The user may manipulate the latch operator 70 to achieve an unrestricted state. The user communicates via the user interface 38 to operate the latch operator 70, but as previously mentioned, the user may also wirelessly operate the latch operator 70 via a mobile device. The user touches the user interface 38 with a predetermined sequence of touches (such as, but not limited to, long-short-short), and upon successful completion of this predetermined sequence of touch input, the latch operator 70 is changed to the unrestricted state by operation of the driver 72 which moves the slider 78 to the unrestricted position. The user interface may communicate the success of the predetermined sequence of touch input to the user via a flash (such as, but not limited to, three equally timed short green flashes). A user may then use the handle 36 to move the latch 30 to the unlocked position and actuate the lock key 86 to the unblocked position. The driver 72 may default to biasing the slider 78 toward the limiting position with a timeout of, for example, two seconds after placement of the latch 30 in the unlocked position, which may be detected via a position sensor.

[0042] When operating the latch operator 70 via a mobile device, a user may handle the lock mechanism 16 during sleep mode and may awaken the lock mechanism 16 by touching the user interface 38 to connect with a personal mobile device 26. Once activated and connected to the mobile device 26, the lock application activates the activation button 28 (shown in FIG. 1 ) to move the slider 78 to a non-restrictive position. The user may then move the latch 30 from the locked position to the unlocked position. The driver 72 may default to biasing the slider 78 toward the restrictive position, for example, with a timeout of 2 seconds after placement of the latch 30 in the unlocked position, which may be detected via a position sensor.

[0043] 8, a diagram of the controller 68 is shown. The controller 68 includes a processor 92 for executing instructions stored in a memory 94 to send commands and / or receive inputs via a communication circuit 96. The processor 92 is illustratively embodied as a microprocessor, but may include any suitable computing device in some embodiments. The memory 94 is illustratively embodied as a flash memory, but may include any suitable form of memory in some embodiments. The controller 68 is illustratively placed in wired communication with the user interface 38 for receiving a user's touch input, and with sensors of the locking mechanism, such as position sensors indicating the position of any one or more of the latch 30, the lock key 86, the slider 78, and the driver 72 to the controller 68, although in some embodiments such communication may be wireless and may further include a motion sensor for detecting the approach of a user and / or a temperature sensor for determining and / or communicating the lock temperature. Controller 68 is illustratively arranged to communicate with one or more of personal mobile devices, one or more mesh networks of other locking mechanisms, and one or more remote networks, such as the Internet, via communications circuitry 96. Although represented by a single element in FIG. 8, communications circuitry 96 represents any number of components suitable for wired and / or wireless communication via one or more communications protocols.

[0044] The locking mechanisms 16 can be enabled for overlocking by an owner (renter). The owner may communicate with each individual locking mechanism 16 to activate and / or deactivate user access. The owner may communicate with each individual locking mechanism 16 via a remote network, a mesh network, or direct communication through a control interface platform, such as an application interface of a computing device. By selecting, confirming, and / or entering identification information for a particular locking mechanism 16 on such an application interface, the owner is presented with an activation button and / or a deactivation button to toggle the overlock control between an activated state and a deactivated state as desired. In the activated state, the overlock enables user access as discussed herein. In the deactivated state, the overlock can disable user access by disabling user operation of the latch operator 70 via the personal mobile device 26 and / or the user interface 38.

[0045] The devices, systems and methods within the present disclosure may include an electromechanical locking device (lock) that can be attached to a roll-up door, allowing a tenant to secure their property without the need for a padlock. The lock may be opened via one or more of three methods: a smart device app (such as, but not limited to, via Bluetooth), a wireless fob (such as, but not limited to, radio frequency), and / or a quick-click code (such as, but not limited to, touching the lock's user interface with a predetermined series of long and short presses). In an exemplary embodiment, the lock may be opened via an attached keypad. The lock may also be used by a site operator to overlock tenants, such as tenants who do not pay their rent in a timely manner.

[0046] The lock may be battery powered and may communicate via a direct connection between the lock and the smart device or via a wireless mesh network. In an exemplary embodiment, the lock may be hardwired for power and / or communications.

[0047] Conventional access controls for locks, such as storage unit door locks, are generally hardwired. Installing and / or maintaining such hardwired locking devices can be a time- and / or resource-intensive process that can result in high costs. Other difficulties may arise when implementing a hardwired solution in an existing facility.

[0048] The devices, systems and methods within the present disclosure may alleviate challenges in traditional locking systems. For example, padlocks can be cumbersome when users forget and / or lose their keys. Padlocks can be broken by cutting with a bolt cutter. Furthermore, traditional padlocks do not typically communicate their status remotely, for example, to a site operator. Traditional padlocked overlocks may require separate and / or additional locks. Traditional locks that are installed in buildings like a normal access control system may be difficult and / or expensive to install, and / or may generally require opening each door on-site, and / or may require installers to come to the site one by one to wait for the unit to be emptied, making installation costs prohibitive. Furthermore, existing electronic overlock devices on doors may lack networking (such as, but not limited to, mesh-enabled), and thus these devices may not be able to easily report status to a site operator, and / or may not be designed for simple overlocks and not simple locks.

[0049] The devices, systems and methods within the present disclosure can be easily installed by removing the (four) bolts on the existing fasteners and replacing the fasteners with this device using exactly these same bolts and bolt pattern. Such an arrangement can provide for easy installation that anyone can perform and / or allow for rotation of additions to the system as tenants move out. Such an arrangement can provide for both simple locking and / or overlocking operation with a single unit. Such an arrangement can provide for constant communication of its status, for example via a two-way mesh network. Such communication can provide for remote locking, remote unlocking, remote and / or automated overlocking, remote removal of overlocks without any on-site personnel involvement, reporting of unit temperature, motion detection in / out of the unit using two discrete infrared sensors.

[0050] The following numbered clauses include contemplated and non-limiting embodiments.

[0051] Clause 1. A storage compartment lock for a storage compartment door, the storage compartment lock comprising: (a) a lock housing for attachment to the storage compartment door or to a storage compartment frame supporting the storage compartment door; and (b) a lock mechanism disposed within the lock housing, the lock mechanism comprising: (i) a latch selectively operable between a locked position in which a latch is extended to engage the other of the storage compartment door and the storage compartment frame to prevent opening of the storage compartment door and an unlocked position in which the latch is pulled back to disengage from the other of the storage compartment door and the storage compartment frame to allow the storage compartment door to be opened for access to a storage compartment; and (ii) a latch control system selectively operable between a restrictive position to prevent movement of the latch out of the locked position and a non-restrictive position to allow movement of the latch out of the locked position to the unlocked position.

[0052] Clause 2. The storage chamber lock of clause 1, wherein the latch control system includes a controller and a latch operator, the controller configured to issue commands to the latch operator to selectively position a key between the restrictive position for preventing movement of the latch away from the locked position and a non-restrictive position for allowing movement of the latch away from the locked position to the unlocked position.

[0053] Clause 3. The cellar lock of clause 2, wherein the controller includes a processor that executes instructions stored in a memory to issue commands to the latch operator to perform selective actions based on user input.

[0054] Clause 4. A storage chamber lock as described in Clause 1, wherein the latch control system includes a key selectively operable between a blocking position and a non-blocking position corresponding to restricting and non-restricting positions of the latch control system, and in the blocking position, the key is arranged to engage the latch to prevent movement of the latch away from the locked position to the unlocked position, and in the non-blocking position, the key is arranged disengaged from the latch to allow movement of the latch away from the locked position to the unlocked position.

[0055] Clause 5. The cellar lock of clause 4, wherein in the blocking position, the key is disposed within an opening in the latch to prevent movement of the latch out of the locked position.

[0056] Clause 6. The storage chamber lock of clause 4, wherein the latch control system includes a restrictor selectively operable between a restricting position and a non-restricting position, and in the restricting position, the restrictor is positioned to engage the key to prevent movement of the key out of the blocking position.

[0057] Clause 7. The cellar lock of clause 6, wherein the restrictor is formed as a slider for linear movement between the restricting and non-restricting positions.

[0058] Clause 8. The cellar lock of clause 6, wherein in the non-restricting position, the restrictor is disposed disengaged from the key to permit movement of the key out of the blocking position to the non-blocking position.

[0059] Clause 9. The cellar lock of clause 4, wherein the latch control system includes a latch operator for actuating movement of the restrictor between the restricting and non-restricting positions.

[0060] Clause 10. The vault lock of clause 9, wherein the latch operator includes an actuator and a resilient connector engaged between the actuator and the restrictor for transmitting an actuation force from the actuator to the restrictor.

[0061] Clause 11. The storage chamber lock of clause 9, wherein the elastic connector is selectively operable between a contracted position and an extended position, and the actuator is selectively operable to apply a restricting force to the elastic connector to urge the restrictor toward the restricting position.

[0062] Clause 12. The cellar lock of clause 11, wherein the resilient connector is formed as a linear spring.

[0063] Clause 13. The cellar lock of clause 11, wherein under the restricting force with the key in the blocking position, the resilient connector is actuated to urge the restrictor towards the restricting position while the restrictor remains in the non-restricting position.

[0064] Clause 14. The cellar lock of clause 13, wherein under the restricting force with the key in the unblocking position, the resilient connector is actuated to urge the restrictor towards the restricting position to move the restrictor towards the restricting position.

[0065] Clause 15. A vault security door system comprising: (a) a vault security door including a door and a frame; and (b) a lock secured to one of the door and the frame, the lock comprising: (i) a latch selectively operable between a locked position in which the latch is engaged with the other of the door and the frame to prevent opening of the door and an unlocked position in which the latch is disengaged from the other of the door and the frame to allow the vault security door to be opened for access to a vault; and (ii) a latch control system selectively operable between a restrictive position to prevent movement of the latch out of the locked position and a non-restrictive position to permit movement of the latch out of the locked position to the unlocked position.

[0066] Clause 16. The cellar lock of clause 15, wherein the latch control system includes a controller configured to issue commands to the latch operator to selectively position a key between the restrictive position for preventing movement of the latch away from the locked position and a non-restrictive position for allowing movement of the latch away from the locked position to the unlocked position.

[0067] Clause 17. The cellar lock of clause 16, wherein the controller includes a processor that executes instructions stored in a memory to issue commands to the latch operator for selective operation based on user input.

[0068] Clause 18. The cellar lock of clause 17, wherein the controller is operable to communicate with a network to allow remote communication for managing operation of the latch control system between the restricting and unrestricting positions.

[0069] Clause 19. The cellar lock of clause 15, wherein the latch control system includes a key operable between a blocking position and an unblocking position, wherein in the blocking position the key is disposed to engage the latch to prevent movement of the latch away from the locked position to the unlocked position, and wherein in the unblocking position the key is disposed disengaged from the latch to permit movement of the latch away from the locked position to the unlocked position.

[0070] Clause 20. The cellar lock of clause 19, wherein the latch control system includes a restrictor selectively operable between a restricting position and a non-restricting position, and in the restricting position, the slider is positioned to engage the key to prevent movement of the key out of the blocking position.

[0071] Although certain exemplary embodiments are detailed in the drawings and the preceding specification, such illustrations and descriptions should be considered as illustrative and not restrictive in nature, and it is understood that the illustrated and described embodiments are merely exemplary, and therefore all modifications and changes within the spirit of the disclosure are desired to be protected. There are several advantages in the present disclosure that arise from the various features of the methods, systems and articles described herein. It will be noted that alternative embodiments of the methods, systems and articles of the present disclosure may not include all of the features described, but still benefit from at least some of the advantages of such features. Those of ordinary skill in the art may easily devise their own implementations of these methods, systems and articles that incorporate one or more of the features of the present disclosure.

Claims

1. 1. A cellar lock for a cellar door, said cellar lock comprising: (a) a lock housing for attachment to the cellar door or to a cellar frame supporting the cellar door; (b) a lock mechanism disposed within the lock housing, the lock mechanism comprising: (i) a latch selectively operable between a locked position in which the latch is extended to engage the other of the storage compartment door and the storage compartment frame to prevent opening of the storage compartment door, and an unlocked position in which the latch is pulled back to disengage from the other of the storage compartment door and the storage compartment frame to allow the storage compartment door to be opened for access to the storage compartment; (ii) a latch control system selectively operable between a restrictive position to prevent movement of the latch away from the locked position and a non-restrictive position to allow movement of the latch away from the locked position to the unlocked position; the latch control system includes a key selectively operable between a blocking position and an unblocking position corresponding to restricting and unrestricting positions of the latch control system, in the blocking position the key is disposed to engage the latch to prevent movement of the latch away from the locked position to the unlocked position, and in the unblocking position the key is disposed out of engagement with the latch to permit movement of the latch away from the locked position to the unlocked position; the latch control system includes a restrictor selectively operable between a restricting position and an unrestricting position, in which the restrictor is disposed to engage the key to prevent movement of the key out of the blocking position; and The cellar lock, wherein in the non-restrictive position, the restrictor is disposed disengaged from the key to permit movement of the key out of the blocking position to the non-blocking position.

2. 2. The vault lock of claim 1, wherein the latch control system includes a controller and a latch operator, the controller configured to issue commands to the latch operator to selectively position the key between the restrictive position to prevent movement of the latch away from the locked position and a non-restrictive position to allow movement of the latch away from the locked position to the unlocked position.

3. 3. The cellar lock of claim 2, wherein the controller includes a processor that executes instructions stored in a memory to issue commands to the latch operator for selective actions based on user input.

4. 2. The cellar lock of claim 1, wherein in said blocking position, said key is disposed within an opening in said latch to prevent movement of said latch out of said locked position.

5. The cellar lock of claim 1 , wherein the restrictor is formed as a slider for linear movement between the restricting and non-restricting positions.

6. 2. The vault lock of claim 1, wherein the latch control system includes a latch operator for actuating movement of the restrictor between the restricting and non-restricting positions.

7. 1. A cellar lock for a cellar door, said cellar lock comprising: (a) a lock housing for attachment to the cellar door or to a cellar frame supporting the cellar door; (b) a lock mechanism disposed within the lock housing, the lock mechanism comprising: (i) a latch selectively operable between a locked position in which the latch is extended to engage the other of the storage compartment door and the storage compartment frame to prevent opening of the storage compartment door, and an unlocked position in which the latch is pulled back to disengage from the other of the storage compartment door and the storage compartment frame to allow the storage compartment door to be opened for access to the storage compartment; (ii) a latch control system selectively operable between a restrictive position to prevent movement of the latch away from the locked position and a non-restrictive position to allow movement of the latch away from the locked position to the unlocked position; the latch control system includes a key selectively operable between a blocking position and an unblocking position corresponding to restricting and unrestricting positions of the latch control system, in the blocking position the key is disposed to engage the latch to prevent movement of the latch away from the locked position to the unlocked position, and in the unblocking position the key is disposed out of engagement with the latch to permit movement of the latch away from the locked position to the unlocked position; the latch control system includes a restrictor selectively operable between a restricting position and an unrestricting position, in which the restrictor is disposed to engage the key to prevent movement of the key out of the blocking position; the latch control system includes a latch operator for driving movement of the restrictor between the restricting and non-restricting positions; and The vault lock, wherein the latch operator includes an actuator and a resilient connector engaged between the actuator and the restrictor for transmitting an actuation force from the actuator to the restrictor.

8. 8. The storage compartment lock of claim 7, wherein the resilient connector is selectively operable between a contracted position and an extended position, and the actuator is selectively operable to apply a restricting force to the resilient connector to bias the restrictor toward the restricting position.

9. The vault lock of claim 8 , wherein the resilient connector is formed as a linear spring.

10. 9. The cellar lock of claim 8, wherein under the restricting force with the key in the blocking position, the resilient connector is actuated to bias the restrictor towards the restricting position while the restrictor remains in the non-restricting position.

11. 11. The cellar lock of claim 10, wherein under the restricting force with the key in the unblocking position, the resilient connector is actuated to urge the restrictor toward the restricting position to move the restrictor toward the restricting position.

12. 1. A storeroom security door system comprising: (a) a vault security door including a door and a frame; (b) a lock secured to one of the door and the frame, the lock comprising: (i) a latch selectively operable between a locked position in which the latch is engaged with the other of the door and the frame to prevent opening of the door and an unlocked position in which the latch is disengaged from the other of the door and the frame to allow the vault security door to be opened to access the vault; (ii) a latch control system selectively operable between a restrictive position to prevent movement of the latch away from the locked position and a non-restrictive position to allow movement of the latch away from the locked position to the unlocked position; the latch control system includes a key operable between a blocking position and an unblocking position, in which the key is disposed to engage the latch to prevent movement of the latch away from the locked position to the unlocked position, and in which the key is disposed out of engagement with the latch to permit movement of the latch away from the locked position to the unlocked position; the latch control system includes a restrictor selectively operable between a restricting position and an unrestricting position, in which the restrictor is disposed to engage the key to prevent movement of the key out of the blocking position; and A vault security door system, wherein in the non-restrictive position, the restrictor is disposed disengaged from the key to permit movement of the key out of the blocking position to the non-blocking position.

13. 13. The vault security door system of claim 12, wherein the latch control system includes a controller configured to issue commands to a latch operator to selectively position the key between the restrictive position for preventing movement of the latch away from the locked position and a non-restrictive position for allowing movement of the latch away from the locked position to the unlocked position.

14. 14. The vault security door system of claim 13, wherein the controller includes a processor that executes instructions stored in a memory to issue commands to the latch operator for selective operation based on user input.

15. 15. The vault security door system of claim 14, wherein said controller is operable to communicate with a network to allow remote communication for managing operation of said latch control system between said restricting and unrestricting positions.

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