Overhead Locking Device with Rotating-Translating Keeper for Glass Doors
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Solution Overview
Problem
Existing electromagnetic door locking devices face challenges when used with glass panel doors, as mounting a strike plate compromises panel integrity and aesthetic, and existing systems are not interchangeable for bi-directional swing, inswing, and sliding doors.
Innovation Solution
An electric locking device with a lock housing and a keeper that rotates and translates between positions, allowing secure locking and unlocking without a strike plate, compatible with glass doors and adaptable for different door types.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Reliability
If a strike plate is mounted onto a glass door using fasteners, then the door can be securely locked, but the panel integrity is compromised and the aesthetic is disrupted
Solution Approach 1:
The invention extracts the strike plate function from the door panel itself and relocates it to the door frame. The keeper is mounted to the door frame rather than the door, eliminating the need for fasteners in the glass panel while maintaining the locking function through the electromagnet-keeper interaction.
Solution Approach 2:
The invention introduces a keeper as an intermediary component that mediates between the electromagnet and the door. The keeper is attached to the door frame and works with the electromagnet to provide locking without requiring direct attachment to the glass panel, thus preserving panel integrity while achieving secure locking.
2Reliability
If a strike plate is mounted onto a glass door, then the door can be securely locked, but the decorative aesthetic is disrupted
Solution Approach 1:
The strike plate is extracted from the visible door surface and relocated to the door frame, where it can be concealed or integrated into the frame structure. This maintains the aesthetic appearance of the glass door while preserving the locking function through the frame-mounted keeper.
Solution Approach 2:
The keeper serves as an intermediary that allows the locking mechanism to operate without visible components on the glass door surface. By mounting the keeper to the frame and having it interact with the electromagnet, the system maintains aesthetic appearance while achieving secure locking.
3Reliability
If an electric locking device is designed for a specific door type, then it provides optimized performance for that door type, but it cannot be interchangeably used with other door types
Solution Approach 1:
The invention designs the locking device with universal applicability across multiple door types (bi-directional swing, inswing, and sliding doors). The keeper and electromagnet configuration can accommodate different door movement patterns while maintaining optimized locking performance, making the device interchangeable for various door applications.
Solution Approach 2:
The locking device incorporates dynamic elements that allow it to adapt to different door types. The keeper can be positioned and configured to work with various door swing patterns and sliding mechanisms, enabling the same basic device to provide optimized performance across multiple door type configurations.
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
Provides secure locking and unlocking for glass doors without compromising integrity or aesthetics, and is interchangeable for various door types.
Implementation Method 1
These locks typically use electromagnets attached to the door frame in conjunction with a ferromagnetic strike plate attached to the door, to hold the door firmly closed. When the electromagnet is energized and is in contact with the strike plate, the strike plate becomes an armature for the electromagnet
Data Source
AI summary
A lock unit of an electric locking device comprises a lock housing, a keeper, an inhibitor and a latch bolt. A second end of the latch bolt is positioned outwardly and cooperates with the inhibitor when in a locked orientation. The keeper includes a keeper shaft having a shaft axis of rotation, wherein said keeper is rotatable about said keeper shaft between first and second rotational positions, wherein the keeper is movable between first and second directional positions relative to the lock housing, wherein the movement between the first and second directional positions is generally linear, wherein when the keeper is held in the first rotational position and the first directional position by the inhibitor, the door is secured to the door frame, and wherein when the keeper is in the second rotational position and the second directional position, the door is allowed to move away from said door frame.