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(11) | EP 0 751 273 A1 |
| (12) | EUROPEAN PATENT APPLICATION |
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| (54) | Safety lock for dwelling doors and safes |
| (57) A lock is provided with at least one auxiliary locking bolt controlled by a safety
electronic system (14) which is able to detect the presence of an authorised key (6)
due to the provision on the latter of a transponder device (23) having a memory containing
a pre-established code. |
[0002] The object of the present invention is that of providing a lock of the above indicated type which has a safety degree much greater than that of the locks of the prior art.
[0003] In order to achieve this object, the invention provides a safety lock for dwelling doors or safes which can be opened with a safety key, characterised in that it comprises:
electrically controlled locking means able to engage at least one member associated with said lock, to provide an additional locking of the latter in the closed condition,
electronic control means for detecting when said lock is being closed or opened with the key and for causing, as a result of this detection respectively the actuation or deactuation of said locking means,
a transponder device associated with the lock key and including a memory containing a pre-established code which identifies the key authorised to open the lock,
a transponder reader device, associated with the lock and connected to said electronic control means, including a transmitter for sending a signal to the transponder device and a receiver for receiving a signal containing said pre-established code, as a response from the transponder device
said electronic control means enabling the deactuation of said locking means when the lock is opened by said key only in case said receiver has received said pre-established code, thus recognizing the presence of said authorized safety key.
[0004] Said transponder device may be of the so called "passive" type, i.e. it may be able to take the energy requested for transmitting its message from the coming signal. In this manner, it is not necessary to provide a supply battery within the key on which the transponder device is mounted, although of course this possibility is considered within the scope of the present invention.
[0005] Said electrically controlled locking means comprise for example an auxiliary bolt, driven by a solenoid or an electric motor, adapted to engage any one of the movable members of the lock to provide the additional locking of the latter in the closed condition. For example, said auxiliary bolt may be mounted within the frame of the door so as to cooperate with the main bolt of the lock in order to lock it in position once the latter is in the extended condition for engagement within a corresponding aperture formed within the frame of the door.
[0006] The present invention will be now described with reference to the annexed drawings, given purely by way of non limiting example, in which:
figure 1 is a diagrammatic view of a safety system according to the invention,
figure 2 is a block diagram which shows a detail of the system of figure 1, and figure 3 shows a variant of figure 1.
[0007] In the drawings, reference numeral 1 diagrammatically and generally designates the structure of a door of a dwelling provided with a safety lock 2 having multiple bolts 3 which in the locked condition of the lock extend out of the structure of the lock and engage holes 4 formed in a fixed frame 5 anchored to the wall adjacent to the door 1.
[0008] The details of construction of the lock 2 are not shown in the annexed drawings, since the structure of the lock can be made in any known way and since this details do not fall, taken alone, within the scope of the present invention. Furthermore, the elimination of said details from the drawings renders the latter easier to understand. The example shown refers to the case of a safety lock provided with a double-bit safety key 6 which is to be received within a key hole 7 formed within the housing of the lock to drive simultaneously the movement of the multiple bolts 3, and two vertical rods 8 whose free ends are for engaging seats formed respectively in the floor and in a bracket anchored to the wall when the lock is in the closed condition. According to the invention, there are further provided one or more auxiliary bolts, such as the bolt 9 shown in figure 2, or the bolts 10,11 shown in figure 3. In the case of figure 2, the bolt 9 is able to engage a corresponding seat 9a formed in one of the main bolts 3 to lock the latter in position in the closed condition of the lock. In the case of figure 3, which relates to an arrangement substantially similar to that of figure 1, and in which therefore the parts in common with figure 1 have been designated by the same reference numerals, bolt 10 is associated with a lever 12 connected to the inner mechanism of the lock, so as to prevent the lock to be opened when it is in the position shown in figure 3. The bolt 11 is instead able to cooperate with a seat (not shown) formed in the upper rod 8, to lock the latter in position in the closed condition of the lock.
[0009] In both the above described cases, each auxiliary bolt 9,10,11 is driven by an actuating device, respectively designated by 9b, 10a, 11a, which may be comprised for example of a solenoid or an electric motor, for example a linear electric motor. Said actuating devices are electrically connected by lines 13 to an electronic control unit 14 including a circuit board 15 connected by a line 16 to a supply battery 17 of a rechargeable type, which on its turn is connected to a supply socket 18. The circuit board 15 is further connected by a line 19 to an electronic device 20 including a transmitter 21 and a receiver 22 which are for cooperation with a transponder device 23 which is associated with the handgrip portion of the safety lock 6.
[0010] The details of construction of the transmitter 21, the receiver 22 and the transponder device 23 are not shown herein since they may be promptly understood by the skilled men in the art. The transponder device 23 is substantially a device able to receive a signal which is sent by the transmitter 21 as well as to reply with a signal which is received by the receiver 22. The transponder device 23 is provided with a memory containing a pre-established code which renders the key 6 the only one authorised to open the lock. Therefore, when the key 6 is sufficiently closed to the device 20, which acts as a reader device for the transponder device 23, the device 20 recognises the presence of the authorised key 6 and gives a corresponding signal to the electronic control unit 14 which thus enables the deactivation of the auxiliary bolts (9;10,11) when the lock is opened by the key. Conversely, when the lock is closed by the key, the electronic control unit automatically provides for driving the auxiliary bolts in order to obtain the additional locking of the lock. The device 20 can be mounted within the fixed frame of the door (figure 1) or on the housing of the lock 2 (figure 3).
[0011] Due to the above indicated features, the safety lock according to the invention provides a safety degree much greater than that afforded by the locks of the same type which have been made thus far. In particular, the lock cannot be opened by a key which is identical to the authorised key but having no transponder device with the said pre-established code memorised therein.
[0012] As discussed above, the transponder device may be of the passive type, i.e. of the type able to take the energy requested to send the response signal from the received signal, but it can be also of the active type which requires the provision of a supply battery in the key.
[0013] Naturally, while the principle of the invention remains the same, the details of construction and the embodiments may widely vary with respect to what has been described and illustrated purely by way of example, without departing from the scope of the present invention. For example, although the drawings show the application of the invention to a door of a dwelling, it can be similarly applied to a safe.
electrically controlled locking means (9,10,11) able to engage at least one member (3,8) associated with said lock (2) to provide an additional locking of the latter in the closed condition,
electronic control means (14) for detecting when the lock is being locked or opened by said key (6) and for causing as a result of this detection respectively the actuation or the deactuation of said locking means (9,10,11),
a transponder device (23) associated with the lock key (6) and including a memory containing a pre-established code, which identifies the key authorised to open the lock,
a reader device (20) for the transponder device (23), associated with the lock and connected to said electronic control means (14), including a transmitter (21) for sending a signal to the transponder device (23) and a receiver (22) for receiving a reply signal from the transponder device which contains said pre-established code,
said electronic control means (14) enabling the deactuation of said locking means (9;10,11) when the lock is opened by said key (6) only in case said receiver (22) has received said pre-established code, thus recognising the presence of the authorised safety key (6).