Automatic Window Sash Lock with Self-Resetting Cam Mechanism
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Solution Overview
Problem
Traditional window locks for double-hung windows often malfunction, leading to security concerns, energy loss, and aesthetic issues, as they require user input for locking and can be difficult to install and maintain, with alignment problems and vibration causing frictional engagement failures.
Innovation Solution
An automatically locking sash lock system with a bolt and plungers in cooperative communication via couplings, using biased faces and resilient members to engage and disengage the keeper without user input, ensuring secure locking and easy operation.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Ease of operation
If a traditional rotatable window latch is used, then the lock can be operated with a simple handle, but the handle may be rotated when the cam is not positioned proximate the keeper, causing the window to be prevented from closing fully, potentially damaging the sash, causing loss of heated or cooled air, and presenting security concerns
Solution Approach 1:
The latch mechanism automatically returns the cam to the engaged position with the keeper through a reset spring, eliminating the need for user intervention to realign components. The system self-corrects misalignment by allowing the cam to rotate freely during opening/closing and then automatically resetting to the locked position when the window is closed, preventing the harmful condition of incomplete closure.
Solution Approach 2:
The cam is designed to rotate freely in both directions during window operation, then automatically returns to the engaged position through spring bias. This dynamic behavior allows the mechanism to adapt to the window's movement while ensuring reliable engagement, transforming a static alignment problem into a dynamic self-resetting system.
2Reliability
If sliding latch bolts are used, then the lock can provide secure engagement, but they require a high degree of dexterity to use, involve numerous parts, are generally expensive to install and maintain, and suffer from alignment concerns
Solution Approach 1:
The patent extracts the complex alignment and dexterity requirements from the locking mechanism by using a cam-based system that operates through simple handle rotation. The cam's orbital motion naturally guides the latch bolt into engagement without requiring precise user manipulation, eliminating the need for multiple adjustment points and complex part interactions found in sliding latch systems.
Solution Approach 2:
The single cam component performs multiple functions: it guides the latch bolt into engagement, provides the locking action, and automatically resets after operation. This multi-functional design replaces the numerous separate parts required in sliding latch systems, simplifying both operation and maintenance while maintaining secure engagement.
3Ease of manufacture
If locks utilize frictional engagement with a base plate instead of fasteners, then the installation may be simpler, but the locks absorb vibration and transfer energy from the base plate, causing the frictional engagement to fail and allowing the locks to disassociate from their respective base plates
Solution Approach 1:
The patent incorporates vibration isolation features and energy-dissipating elements in the mounting system that cushion against vibrational forces before they can cause failure. By providing prior cushioning through compliant mounting elements and friction-resistant interfaces, the system prevents the transfer of harmful vibration energy that would otherwise cause frictional engagement failure.
4Reliability
If threaded fasteners are used to attach the lock, then the structural benefit of secure attachment is maintained, but the fasteners are aesthetically unappealing when attached through the top of the lock housing or in combination with a base plate
Solution Approach 1:
The fastening system is nested within the lock housing structure, with mounting brackets and fasteners concealed inside the housing cavity. The exterior of the lock presents a clean, finished surface without visible fasteners or mounting hardware, while the nested internal structure provides secure attachment through the base plate or direct mounting, hiding the functional elements from view.
Applied Scientific Principles
This section explains which scientific principles are used to turn an abstract innovation direction into a practical engineering solution.
Function Achieved in This Case
The system provides secure, automatic locking and unlocking of windows without user input, maintaining structural integrity and aesthetics while preventing energy loss and security breaches.
Implementation Method 1
a resilient member mounted thereon... The resilient member is configured to exert force on the bolt to move the bolt between an extended position and a retracted position
Implementation Method 2
The keeper is configured with biased faces that correspond to the biased faces of the plunger and bolt, respectively... the biased faces of the fully extended plungers are engaged by the keeper and slide therealong
Data Source
AI summary
An automatically locking sash lock for a double-hung window including a handle and cover affixed to the exterior of a lock housing that contains a bolt and a pair of plungers, each of which defines at least one end with a biased face. The bolt and plungers are in mechanical communication through a pair of couplings that define a longitudinal groove for receiving the plunger and a finger for engaging the bolt. A method of locking a window is also provided.