US3511549A - Cabinet locking mechanism - Google Patents

Description

May 12, 1970 J. J. MACALUSO CABINET LOCKING MECHANISM Q 3 Sheets-Sheet 1 Filed March 13, 1968 I N VEN TOR M0561?! M4014 use May 12, 1970 J. J. MA cALuso CABINET LOCKING MECHANISM 3 Sheets-Sheet 2 Filed March 13. 1968 INVENTOR. disc/w /"79440So May 12, 1970 J. J. MAcALuso CABINET LOCKING MECHANISM 3 Sheets-Sheet 5 Filed March 13, 1968 /ZOC United States Patent O 3,511,549 CABINET LOCKING MECHANISM Joseph J. Macaluso, Clark, N.J., assign-or to InterRoyal Corporation, a corporation of Delaware Filed Mar. 13, 1968, Ser. No. 712,776 Int. Cl. Fb 65/46 U.S. Cl. 312219 2 Claims ABSTRACT OF THE DISCLOSURE A gang lock for cabinets comprises a throw bolt activating a cam engaging a lock bar. The lock bar is provided with a plurality of locking hooks each of which is adapted to fit into a recess in the door. In open position the hooks allow the doors to enter freely into and out of the recess, while in locked position the hooks engage a portion of the door.

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION Various means have been proposed in the past to lock cabinets and more specifically, for locking a series of drawers in an office type filing cabinet. These prior art mechanisms have frequently been exceedingly complex, expensive and difiicult to manufacture. Because of their complexity such devices easily get out of adjustment and require frequent repair. Such devices, moreover, have frequently limited the cabinets to a particular type of construction, and the security they provided has sometimes been less than that desired.

OBJECTS OF THE INVENTION It is, accordingly, an object of the present invention to provide an improved cabinet locking mechanism. Another object is to provide a locking mechanism adapted both for cabinets having pull-out drawers and pivot-mounted doors. Still another object is to provide a locking mechanism which is capable of locking all or only some of the doors in a cabinet. A further object of the locking mechanism is to provide increased security. These and other objects of the present invention will be apparent from the following description.

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION The cabinet locking mechanism of the present invention comprises a cabinet having "a plurality of doors and a locking means, at least one lock bar extending vertically in the cabinet housing. The lock bar is provided with a plurality of locking hooks which extend into the door in a direction in which the door is opened and closed and which fit into a recess in the door. Means are provided for shifting the locking bar, the hooks being so shaped as to engage a part of the door when the locking bar is in one extreme position and to disengage said part when the bar is at the other extreme position.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS FIG. 1 is a perspective view of a cabinet according to the present invention;

FIG. 2 is a front sectional view taken along the line 22 of FIG. 1;

(FIG. 3 is a side sectional view taken along the line 3-3 of FIG. 2;

FIG. 4 is a perspective view partially exploded, showing the gang lock assembly of the present invention;

FIG. 5 is an exploded perspective view of the inside of a door showing the manner in which the hook fits into the recess in the door;

FIG. 6 is a detailed front sectional view showing the hook in unlocked position;

3,511,549 Patented May 12, 1970 ICC FIG. 7 is a detailed front sectional view showing the DETAILED DESCRIPTION The present invention comprises a cabinet having at least one lock bar passing vertically along a side of the cabinet, the lock bar having at least one locking member adapted to engage the door in a direction substantially parallel to the direction in which the door opens and means for vertically adjusting the lock bar to cause the locking member to engage and disengage the door. It comprises such a cabinet wherein the means for vertically adjusting the lock bar comprises a cam projecting into a slot in the lock bar. It comprises such a cabinet wherein the cam is controlled by a throw bar. It comprises such a cabinet wherein the throw bar is attached to a swivel bar. It comprises such a cabinet wherein the swivel bar is mounted on a rotatable lock. It comprises such a cabinet wherein the locking member fits into an opening in the rear of the door. It comprises such a cabinet wherein the locking member comprises a hook. It comprises such a cabinet wherein the book has a connecting side substantially perpendicular to the direction in which the door opens and a substantially wing shaped member joined to the connecting side and substantially perpendicular thereto. It comprises such a cabinet wherein the wing shaped member engages a flange on the door when the cabinet is locked.

FIG. 1 illustrates a file cabinet provided with a gang lock according to the present invention. The cabinet has a housing 10 and is provided with a plurality of doors 11 having handles 12. The gang lock is operated by a lock 13 having a swivel bar 14 permanently attached thereto and at least one throw bolt 15 attached to the swivel bar. Two throw bolts may be attached to the swivel bar, and each throw bolt may be attached to a lock bar. In order to more easily describe the gang lock of the present invention, however, only one half of the locking mechanism will now be discussed, with the understanding that the other half operates in the same manner.

As shown in FIG. 2, throw bolt 15 is attached by pivot 16 to cam 17 which is mounted on fixed pivot 18. One end of cam 17 projects through a slot in lock bar 19 mounted in a recess formed by angle member 28 in the sidewall of the cabinet (shown in FIG. 8). Lock bar 19 is maintained in the recess by means not shown, for example, by passing through slotted members attached to angle member 28. Lock bar 19 contains a plurality of hooks 20.

As shown in FIG. 3, hooks 20 are attached to locking bar 19 by elongated side 20a and have a wing-like side 20c substantially parallel to 20a with connecting side 20b substantially perpendicular to sides 20a and 200 and connecting sides 20a and 200.

FIG. 4 shows the assembly of the gang lock of the present invention. Lock 13, operated by key 21, is mounted in the front of the cabinet by means of spring clip 22. The swivel bar 14 is provided with a slot .23 shaped to receive the shaft 13a of lock 13. The shaft 13a is fastened to swivel bar 14 by washer 24 and pin 25. Throw bolt 15 is connected by pivot 16 to cam 17. Cam 17 is pivotally attached to the cabinet by a pivot .(not shown) passing through opening 18a and attached to the cabinet wall by clip 18b. A counter balance spring wire 29 is mounted on the pivot. Washer separates wire 29 from pivot 18. The

outermost edge of cam 17 projects into a slot 26 in lock bar 19 to which a plurality of hooks 20 are welded. Lock bar 19 is located in a channel formed by two sides of the angled member 28. 7

FIG. shows in detail the construction of hook 20 and the rear of door 11. A channel is formed along the edge of door 11 by side member 11a and flange 11b. Flange 11b has a cut-out portion forming an opening 27 adapted to receive wing-like side 20a of hook 20. Hook 20 is a three-sided member having an elongated side 20a for attachment to lock bar 19, an upwardly projecting winglike side 20c substantially parallel to side 20a and a connecting side 20b substantially perpendicular to sides 20a and 20c and connecting sides 20a and 20c. Side 200 is attached to one edge of side 2%. The location of wing 200 of hook 20 in opening 27 when the lock is in unlocked position is shown in FIG. 6, and its location when the lock is in locked position is shown in FIG. 7.

The manner in which hook 20 fits into the opening in the flange 11b is also shown in FIG. 8. This drawing also shows the location of lock bar 19 in a recess in member FIG. 9 shows the assembly of the lock [13, swivel bar 14, throw bar 15, cam- 17 and lock bar 19. A counter blaance spring wire 29 is attached to cam 17.

To lock the doors of this cabinet, a key 21 is inserted in lock 13 and the entire lock turned counterclockwise. This turning motion carries with it swivel bar 14 which in turn pulls throw bar 15 inwardly causing cam 17 to swing about pivot 18 whereby the arm of cam 17 projecting through lock bar 19 assumes the upper position shown in FIG. 2. This raises lock bar 19 thereby causing wing 20c of hook 20 to engage flange 1112. To unlock the doors, the operation is reversed by turning the lock clockwise. This turns swivel bar 14 causing throw bar 15 to be extended, pivoting cam 17 about fixed pivot 18 to the lower position shown in FIG. 2 thereby disengaging wing 20c of hook 20 from flange 11b.

It will be obvious to those skilled in the art that, if desired, more than one hook 20 and opening 27 may be provided for each door, and that hooks corresponding to certain doors may be removed if these doors are to remain unlocked.

While it is preferable to have one look bar on each side of the cabinet, it is possible to employ a single lock bar on one side of the cabinet. It is also possible to employ 4 books with downwardly projecting wing-like sides to engage the door.

In this case the recess will be appropriately located so that the flange is provided below the recess to engage side 20c of book 20.

It will be understood that the foregoing description with the details of exemplary structure is not to be construed in any way to limit the invention but that modification may be made without departing from the scope of the invention.

What I claim is:

1. A cabinet locking device including a cabinet having a housing with a plurality of doors, a ganglock for locking and unlocking the doors, said ganglock having a lock bar mounted for vertical movement in a recess formed in the side wall of the cabinet housing, said locking bar being adjustable in a vertical direction to lock and unlock the doors by means of a pivotally mounted cam projecting into a slot in the lock bar, said cam being pivotable by means of a throw member operab'ly connected to a lock shaft operable to be rotated by rotatable lock, said looking bar having a plurality of hooks fixed to the locking bar for locking the doors, each of said hooks having an upwardly projecting wing-like member positioned to be disposed in an opening of a flange of said door, said wing-like member being engageable With said flange of said door where said locking bar is adjusted in a vertical direction by said rotatable lock.

2. The cabinet locking device of claim 1 wherein each of said hooks is a three-sided member having an elongated side fixed to said locking bar, and wherein said upwardly projecting Wing-like member is substantially parallel to said elongated side and connected thereto by a connecting side substantially perpendicular to said elongated side and said wing-like member.

References Cited UNITED STATES PATENTS 3,297,376 1/1967 Barstow 312-219 3,318,646 5/1967 Ibel 3l2218 3,325,234 6/ 1967 Lewin 312-219 CASMIR A. NUMBERG, Primary Examiner U.S. Cl. X.R. 312-222

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