Lock Striker with Tool-Actuated Retaining Elements
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Solution Overview
Problem
Existing door and window lock strikers are difficult to rapidly and safely extract from cavities, requiring removal of the striking plate and often resulting in damage to the striker, and must be installed with a striking plate for extraction, making replacement or adjustment laborious and impractical without suitable tools.
Innovation Solution
A striker design with an abutting means on the receiving body that allows for angular shift of retaining elements using a recess and tool interaction, enabling rapid extraction and adjustment without a striking plate, and allowing 180° rotation for alignment compensation.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Reliability
If the striker is installed with a striking plate using conventional retaining elements, then the striker is securely held in the cavity, but the extraction process becomes laborious and requires removal of the striking plate
Solution Approach 1:
The retaining element is divided into functionally distinct segments: an inclined lead-in portion for insertion, a tooth portion for locking, and a heel portion with recess for tool engagement. This segmentation allows each part to perform its specific function optimally while enabling independent manipulation of the retention and release mechanisms.
Solution Approach 2:
A tool (such as a screwdriver) is introduced as an intermediary to interact with the recess in the heel portion of the retaining element. This intermediary tool provides mechanical leverage to rotate the retaining element and switch between locked and unlocked states, eliminating the need to remove the striking plate for extraction.
2Ease of operation
If pointed tools are used to extract the striker without removing the striking plate, then extraction without plate removal is achieved, but the striker or retaining elements are deteriorated or broken
Solution Approach 1:
A properly designed tool with a tip matching the recess geometry serves as an intermediary that distributes force evenly across the heel portion of the retaining element. This prevents stress concentration and potential breakage that would occur with improvised pointed tools, while still enabling extraction without removing the striking plate.
Solution Approach 2:
The recess is pre-formed in the heel portion of the retaining element during manufacturing, preparing the structure in advance for tool engagement. This preliminary preparation ensures that when extraction is needed, the tool can be properly inserted and applied force without risking damage to the striker or retaining elements.
3Reliability
If the striker must be installed with a striking plate for extraction, then secure retention is achieved, but replacement or adjustment becomes laborious and time-consuming
Solution Approach 1:
The tool acting as an intermediary on the heel portion recess enables rapid switching of the retaining element between locked and unlocked states. This mechanism allows the striker to be extracted and replaced in a matter of seconds without the time-consuming process of removing and reinstalling the striking plate, significantly reducing maintenance and adjustment time.
Solution Approach 2:
The retaining element is designed as a dynamic component that can be easily switched between two states (locked and unlocked) through rotational movement actuated by the tool. This dynamic design allows for rapid replacement and adjustment operations, transforming a static, permanent-looking installation into a readily reversible system.
4Adaptability or versatility
If conventional retaining elements are used without a striking plate, then the striker would need to be wedged inside the cavity, but extraction becomes impossible
Solution Approach 1:
The tool serving as an intermediary provides the necessary mechanical advantage to rotate the retaining element and release the lock, enabling extraction even when the striking plate is absent. This intermediary tool bridges the gap between the need for secure retention and the need for easy extraction in striking plate-less installations.
Solution Approach 2:
The retaining element's segmented design with distinct insertion, locking, and tool-engagement portions allows it to perform multiple functions independently. The heel portion with recess is specifically designed for tool interaction, enabling extraction functionality to be separated from the striking plate, allowing the striker to be both securely retained and easily extracted without requiring the striking plate.
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
Enables rapid, safe extraction and installation of the striker without a striking plate, simplifying the process and preventing damage, while allowing for easy adjustment and alignment with the cavity.
Implementation Method 1
a pair of retaining elements made of elastically flexible material, typically plastic; the function of the retaining elements is to enable the insertion of the receiving body inside the cavity and, once said body has been inserted, to prevent the extraction thereof
Data Source
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AI summary
A striker (1) for a lock, comprising a receiving body (2) having a housing (2a) suitable for receiving a locking member of a lock, said receiving body (2) being insertable into a cavity (101, 201) fashioned on a supporting frame (100, 200) of a door or window. The striker (1) further comprises at least one retaining element (3) associated with the receiving body (2) and switchable from a release condition, in which the receiving body (2) is insertable in said cavity (101, 201), and a locking condition, in which said retaining element (3), after the insertion of the receiving body (2) into the cavity (101, 201), acts on a engagement portion (5) associated with the supporting frame (100, 200) in such a way as to maintain the receiving body (2) inserted in said cavity (101, 201). Furthermore, the striker (1) comprises an abutting means (6) for applying and transferring a force on the retaining element (3) to make it switch from the locking condition to the release condition, so as to enable the receiving body (2) to be detached from said cavity (101, 201). A method for installing a striker for a lock.