Door Lock System With Floor Bolt Connecting Rod
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Solution Overview
Problem
Existing door lock systems for swinging and movable wall panels require users to bend or squat to operate, increase the effective thickness of the door panel, and can impair the transparent surface area, while also being expensive to manufacture and inconvenient to use, especially when multiple doors are involved.
Innovation Solution
A door lock system with a floor bolt integrated into a cutout in the wall panel, concealed from view, using a connecting member and cover to allow vertical translation of the bolt without increasing the panel's thickness, and allowing operation without bending, with a locking mechanism accessible at a convenient height.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Reliability
If floor bolts are actuated at the bottom of the door with a pedal or lock cylinder mounted on the door adjacent the floor, then the door can be locked to the floor, but the user is required to bend or squat down to adjust or release the bolt, which is inconvenient and uncomfortable
Solution Approach 1:
The patent relocates the lock cylinder from the horizontal plane at floor level to the vertical plane at a convenient height on the door panel. The connecting rod transmits motion vertically from the elevated cylinder down to the floor bolt, changing the operational dimension from horizontal bending to vertical standing operation.
Solution Approach 2:
The patent introduces a connecting rod as an intermediary mechanism between the lock cylinder and the floor bolt. This rod transmits the locking and unlocking motion from the elevated cylinder position down to the floor-level bolt, enabling remote actuation without direct user contact with the floor-mounted components.
2Ease of operation
If housings are mounted to opposite surfaces of the door panel and bolted together to contain the lock mechanism, then the lock can be activated at a convenient height, but the effective thickness of the panel is substantially increased and the housings are more susceptible to damage
Solution Approach 1:
The patent extracts the lock cylinder and connecting rod mechanism from the interior of thick housings and relocates them to the surface of the door panel. The cylinder is mounted on the interior surface with the rod extending outward, eliminating the need for bulky housing structures while maintaining convenient activation height.
Solution Approach 2:
The patent repositions the lock mechanism from a three-dimensional housing volume to a two-dimensional surface mounting arrangement. The cylinder and rod operate in the plane of the door panel rather than requiring depth within thick housings, thereby maintaining panel thickness while achieving ergonomic activation height.
3Ease of operation
If a vertical bolt is integrated into an elongate handle that extends from lock height to the floor, then the bolt can be operated at standard lock height, but the effective thickness of the door is increased due to the spacing of the handle away from the door panel
Solution Approach 1:
The patent separates the lock cylinder function from the handle function. The cylinder is mounted independently on the door panel interior surface, while the handle remains a separate component on the exterior surface. This segmentation allows the cylinder to be positioned at the optimal thickness location without requiring the handle to extend through the entire door thickness.
Solution Approach 2:
The patent extracts the vertical bolt mechanism from the handle structure and creates an independent floor bolt assembly. The connecting rod transmits motion from the separately mounted cylinder to the standalone bolt, eliminating the need for a thick handle that spans the entire door thickness.
4Ease of operation
If tension members such as cables or rods are spaced from the engagement edge of the door to activate vertical bolts, then the bolts can be operated from a distance, but the door panel must be hollow or bores must be created through a solid core door, reducing transparent surface area
Solution Approach 1:
The patent merges the activation mechanism with the door panel surface itself. The lock cylinder is mounted directly on the interior surface of the panel, and the connecting rod operates within the panel thickness, eliminating the need for separate tension members that would require hollow construction or bores through transparent sections.
Data Source
AI summary
A door panel lock system for a door panel assembly. The door panel lock system is incorporated into a cutout in a door panel of the door panel assembly. The lock system includes a lock mechanism that is coupled to a floor bolt assembly by a connecting member, and a cover that is coupled to the door panel and covers a portion of the cutout and the connecting member.