A LOCK MECHANISM FOR CABINET DOORS

Abstract

 The present invention relates to a lock mechanism (100) for cabinet doors, comprising a connection plate (1) configured to be attached on one side of a cabinet door (D) by means of a mounting member (2) positioned on the other side of the cabinet door (D). The cabinet door (D) has a mounting opening (3) for enabling the connection plate (1) to integrate with the mounting member (2), and also has a lock opening (4) for the engagement of a lock housing (5). The lock mechanism (100) further comprises a lock body (6) configured to be slidably mounted on the connection plate (1). Said connection plate (1) comprises at least four guide lugs (11), and said lock body (6) has at least four guiding slots (61) correspondingly positioned on a connection surface (62) of the lock body (6) such that the guide lugs (11) are slidably attached into the guiding slots (61) by moving the lock body (6) from a first position to a second position along a sliding distance (X), subsequent to the insertion of the guide lugs (11) into the guiding slots (61) such that the connection surface (62) is coplanar with the connection plate (1). The guiding slots (61) are configured to allow one-way sliding of the guide lugs (11). The connection plate (1) also comprises a clamping member (12) configured to be fitted into a fixing gab (63) provided on the connection surface (62) for ensuring that the lock body (6) remains securely attached to the cabinet door (D) unless the mounting member (2) is disengaged from the cabinet door (D).

Description

Technical Field of the Invention

[0001] The present invention relates to a lock mechanism for use in cabinet doors, providing ease of transportation and reducing door scratches.

Background of the Invention

[0002] Cabinet locks are used for metal cabinet doors such as power distribution cabinets, filing cabinets, and lockers. Electronic cabinet locks are a general term for said cabinet locks. and electricity is required to provide locking and unlocking power.

[0003] Some cabinet locks in the art are equipped with handles. The fixing method of the handles generally adopts the conventional structural design, that is, one end of the handle is locked on the base by a lock tongue, and the other end of the handle is rotationally matched with the shaft on the lock body. In the locked state, the handle is buckled and locked in the handle groove on the lock body. Lock mechanisms in the art are mostly configured to be delivered as being mounted on the cabinet door. This is because assembly is often a complex process that is difficult to handle by the user. Consequently, as the lock bodies already mounted form large bulges on cabinet doors, they cause difficulties during the transportation of more than one cabinet doors stacked on top of each other. Moreover, the frictions between the lock bodies and the doors due to the vibrations during transportation damage the doors both aesthetically and functionally.

[0004] A prior art publication in the technical field of the present invention, referred as CN213898525 (U), seeks solution for the technical problems regarding the complexity of assemble and disassemble. The utility model relates to a cabinet door lock rapid installation mechanism which is designed for solving the technical problems that like installation gaps and loosening abnormal sounds, due to the inconvenience assembly, which are prone to being generated in the using process. A steel bolt of the quick mounting mechanism is buckled with a base and is clamped and fixed in a mounting hole of a cabinet door; the main points are that the body comprises a buckle, the special-shaped hole of the first cabinet door and the mounting hole of the second cabinet door have the same shape, the diameter of the middle round hole of the first cabinet door and the mounting hole of the second cabinet door is larger than the width of the kidney-shaped holes in the two sides, and the shaft part of the steel bolt is inserted into the middle round hole of the second cabinet door and is inserted into a through hole of the body through convex blocks symmetrically arranged on the outer diameter of the shaft part. The arc-shaped surface of the top in the arc-shaped groove is an inclined groove arc surface, an inner hexagonal hole is formed in the center of the shaft portion of the steel bolt, the shaft portion of the steel bolt is inserted into the machine base center hole of the machine base, the inner hexagonal hole of the steel bolt corresponds to the buckle center hole of the buckle, and the bolt portion of the steel bolt rotates by 90 degrees from the position aligned with the kidney-shaped opening hole to lock the first cabinet door.

Objects of the Invention

[0005] The main object of the present invention is to provide a lock mechanism that facilitates the transportation of cabinet doors and that reduces damages caused by pre-transport assembly of the lock mechanism.

[0006] Another object of the present invention is to provide a lock mechanism that provides an easy and on-site assembly.

[0007] Another object of the present invention is to provide a lock mechanism that can be assembled without using any tool and without the need of a technician.

[0008] Another object of the present invention is to provide a lock mechanism that can only be disassembled using a tool, thus enhancing security.

Summary of the Invention

[0009] The present invention proposes a lock mechanism for cabinet doors, comprising a connection plate configured to be attached on one side of a cabinet door by means of a mounting member positioned on the other side of the cabinet door. Said cabinet door has a mounting opening for enabling the connection plate to integrate with the mounting member, and also has a lock opening for the engagement of a lock housing. According to the invention, the lock mechanism further comprises a lock body which is configured to be slidably mounted on the connection plate. The connection plate comprises at least four guide lugs, and the lock body has at least four guiding slots correspondingly positioned on a connection surface of the lock body. According to this configuration, the guide lugs are slidably attached into the guiding slots by moving the lock body from a first position to a second position along a sliding distance, subsequent to the insertion of the guide lugs into the guiding slots such that the connection surface is coplanar with the connection plate. The guiding slots are configured to allow one-way sliding of the guide lugs. The connection plate also comprises a clamping member configured to be fitted into a fixing gab provided on the connection surface for ensuring that the lock body remains securely attached to the cabinet door unless the mounting member is disengaged from the cabinet door.

[0010] In a possible embodiment, the connection plate further comprises a lock shaft configured to be coupled with a shaft bearing correspondingly provided on the connection surface such that the shaft bearing supports rotational movement of the lock shaft for enabling the cabinet door to be locked and unlocked when the lock mechanism is in use.

[0011] In a possible embodiment, the lock shaft has a shaft protrusion provided on a rotating disk and configured to be inserted into the shaft bearing when the lock body is in the first position.

[0012] In a possible embodiment, the rotating disk comprises a concave arc detail that is, when the lock body is in the first position, arranged to be lodged in a restraining tab provided circumferentially around the rotating disk for preventing rotational movement of the lock shaft. This arrangement enables the insertion of the shaft protrusion into the shaft bearing.

[0013] In a possible embodiment, the restraining tab is provided with a flex hole that enables rotational movement of the shaft protrusion when the lock body is in the second position. Thus, the shaft protrusion is being able to press onto the restraining tab that gains elasticity thanks to the flex hole and to rotate in order to lock or unlock the cabinet door.

[0014] In a possible embodiment, the clamping member incorporates a snap-fit lug configured to be non-detachably engaged into the fixing gab. By this arrangement, the fixation of the lock body on the cabinet door and thus the security is enhanced.

[0015] In a possible embodiment, the connection plate comprises six guide lugs evenly distributed on two opposite sides of the connection plate and six guiding slots, corresponding to said guide lugs, are provided on the connection surface. Herein, "evenly" refers that three guide lugs are provided on one side of the connection plate and three remaining guide lugs on the other side, such that each of the three is aligned with one of the other three. In a preferred embodiment, the term "two opposite sides" refers to two opposite long sides of the connection plate having a rectangular shape.

[0016] In a possible embodiment, the guiding slot comprises a first portion which is arranged to receive the guide lug when the lock body is in the first position, and a second portion which is arranged to fix the guide lug on the connection surface when the lock body is in the second position. According to this arrangement, the first portion has a width larger than the second portion. The term "width" refers to a length of the guiding slot on an axis in which the guide lug is not supposed to slidably move.

[0017] In a possible embodiment, the mounting member is fixedly attached to the cabinet door by means of at least one fixing bolt.

[0018] In a possible embodiment, the mounting member is further provided with a top flange arranged to be attached on the mounting member by means of at least one fastening bolt for ensuring the fixation of the mounting member on the cabinet door.

Brief Description of the Drawings

[0019] The figures whose brief explanations are herewith provided are solely intended for providing a better understanding of the present invention and are as such not intended to define the scope of protection or the context in which said scope is interpreted in the absence of the description.

Fig. 1 shows an exploded perspective view of the lock mechanism according to the present invention.

Fig. 2 shows a rear perspective view of the lock body according to the present invention.

Fig. 3 shows a front perspective view of the connection plate mounted on the cabinet door in detail and the lock body in its free position, according to the present invention.

Fig. 4 shows a rear perspective view of the connection plate mounted on the cabinet door and the lock body in its free position in detail, according to the present invention.

Fig. 5 shows a side view of the connection plate mounted on the cabinet door and the lock body in its free position, according to the present invention.

Fig. 6 shows a side cross-sectional view of the lock mechanism when the lock body in the first position, according to the present invention.

Fig. 7 shows a side cross-sectional view of the lock mechanism when the lock body in the second position in detail, according to the present invention.

Fig. 8 shows a top perspective and partly cross-sectional view of the lock mechanism when the lock body in the first position, according to the present invention.

Fig. 9 shows a top perspective and partly cross-sectional view of the lock mechanism when the lock body in the second position, according to the present invention.

Fig. 10 shows a detailed cross-sectional perspective view of the lock mechanism when the lock body in the second position, according to the present invention.

Fig. 11 shows a detailed perspective view of the lock shaft provided on the connection plate when the lock shaft is restricted from rotating by the restraining tab, according to the present invention.

Fig. 12 shows a detailed perspective view of the lock shaft provided on the connection plate when the lock shaft is being rotated, according to the present invention.

Reference list:

[0020] 

100.

Lock mechanism

1.

Connection plate
11. Guide lug
12. Clamping member
121. Snap-fit lug

2.

Mounting member

3.

Mounting opening

4.

Lock opening

5.

Lock housing

6.

Lock body
61. Guiding slots
611. First portion
612. Second portion
62. Connection surface
63. Fixing gab

7.

Lock shaft
71. Shaft protrusion
72. Rotating disk
73. Concave arc detail
74. Flex hole
75. Retraining tab

8.

Shaft bearing

9.

Fixing bolt

10.

Top flange

11.

Fastening bolt

D.

Cabinet door

X.

Sliding distance

Detailed Description of the Invention

[0021] The present invention relates to lock mechanisms, more specifically swing handle lock mechanisms, for use in cabinet doors that are subjected to be transported one on the top of the other and that is expected to provide protection against casual intruders.

[0022] Referring now to the drawings whose brief descriptions are given above, the present invention proposes a lock mechanism (100) having a connection plate (1) configured to be attached on one side of a cabinet door (D) by means of a mounting member (2) positioned on the other side of the cabinet door (D). The cabinet door (D) on which the lock mechanism (100) is assembled has a mounting opening (3) for enabling the connection plate (1) to integrate with the mounting member (2), and a lock opening (4) for the engagement of a lock housing (5) referring to Fig. 1.

[0023] The lock mechanism (100) of the invention further comprises a lock body (6) configured to be slidably mounted on the connection plate (1). The connection plate (1) comprises at least four guide lugs (11), and the lock body (6) has at least four guiding slots (61) correspondingly positioned on a connection surface (62) of the lock body (6) for mounting the lock body (6) on the connection plate (1).

[0024] The assembly process of the lock body (6) on the connection plate (1) comprises inserting the guide lugs (11) into the guiding slots (61) and sliding the lock body (6) on the connection plate (1). First, the guide lugs (11) are being inserted into the guiding slots (61) such that the connection surface (62) is coplanar with the connection plate (1). Right after, the guide lugs (11) are slidably attached into the guiding slots (61) by moving the lock body (6) from a first position to a second position along a sliding distance (X). According to this arrangement, the guiding slots (61) are configured to allow one-way sliding of the guide lugs (11). Here, the term "one-way" refers the downwards motion of the lock body (6) referring to Fig. 6 and Fig. 7.

[0025] According to the present invention, the connection plate (1) also comprises a clamping member (12) as depicted in Fig. 3. The clamping member (12) configured to be fitted into a fixing gab (63) provided on the connection surface (62) as depicted in Fig. 4. Accordingly, it is ensured that the lock body (6) remains securely attached to the cabinet door (D) unless the mounting member (2) is disengaged from the cabinet door (D).

[0026] According to the present invention, the lock body (6) can be positioned in three different positions. Referring to Fig. 5, when the connection surface (62) is not in any contact with the connection plate (1), the lock body (6) is in its free position.

[0027] In the first position of the lock body (6), the connection surface (62) is pressed onto the connection plate (1) in such a way that the connection surface (62) and the connection plate (1) meet planarly for placing the guide lugs (11) in the guiding slots (61) referring to Fig. 6. The lock body (6) has to be slid along the sliding distance (X) while still being pressed onto the connection plate (1) to ensure that the lock body (6) comes to the second position, resulting in the guide lugs (11) fixedly attaching to the guiding slots (61) as depicted in Fig. 7.

[0028] In a preferred embodiment, the connection plate (1) further comprises a lock shaft (7) configured to be coupled with a shaft bearing (8) correspondingly provided on the connection surface (62). The shaft bearing (8) provides housing for the lock shaft (7) while supporting rotational movement of the lock shaft (7) for enabling the cabinet door (D) to be locked and unlocked when the lock mechanism (100) is in use.

[0029] According to an embodiment, the lock shaft (7) has a shaft protrusion (71) provided on a rotating disk (72) and configured to be inserted into the shaft bearing (8) when the lock body (6) is in the first position.

[0030] Accordingly, the rotating disk (72) preferably comprises a concave arc detail (73). The concave arc detail (73) is in the form of a peripheral recess provided on the rotating disk (72) and takes a role in preventing the rotational movement of the shaft protrusion (71) in certain cases. More specifically, the concave arc detail (73) is configured to be lodged in a restraining tab (75) provided circumferentially around the rotating disk (72), when the lock body (6) is in the first position. This arrangement prevents the rotational movement of the lock shaft (7), thus providing immobility for the shaft protrusion (71) that is expected to be inserted into the shaft bearing (8).

[0031] According to a preferred embodiment, the restraining tab (75) is provided with a flex hole (74) that enables rotational movement of the shaft protrusion (71) when the lock body (6) is in the second position, thus enabling the cabinet door (D) to be locked and unlocked. The flex hole (74) allows the restraining tab (75) to flex, thus allowing the rotating disk (72) to rotate as the concave arc detail (73) pressingly beats the restraining tab (75) when a rotational force is applied to the lock shaft (7) as seen in Fig. 11 and Fig. 12.

[0032] In an embodiment of the present invention, the clamping member (12) incorporates a snap-fit lug (121) configured to be non-detachably engaged into the fixing gab (63). According to the invention, when the lock body (6) is in the second position, the snap-fit lug (121) is fixedly attached to the fixing gab (63) referring to Fig. 10.

[0033] In an embodiment, the connection plate (1) comprises six guide lugs (11) which are evenly distributed on two opposite sides of the connection plate (1). Accordingly, six guiding slots (61), corresponding to said guide lugs (11), are provided on the connection surface (62). According to an embodiment, the connection plate (1) has a rectangular shape, and "two opposite sides" refers to two opposite long sides of the connection plate (1). Accordingly, three guide lugs (11) are located on one side of the connection plate (1) and three remaining guide lugs (11) on the other such that each of the three is aligned with one of the other three.

[0034] In a preferred embodiment of the invention, the guiding slot (61) comprises two portions for ensuring the attachment of the guide lugs (11); a first portion (611) is arranged to receive the guide lug (11) when the lock body (6) is in the first position, and a second portion (612) is arranged to fix the guide lug (11) on the connection surface (62) when the lock body (6) is in the second position. The placement of the guide lugs (11) during the first position and the second position of the lock body (6) can be seen in Fig. 8 and Fig. 9 respectively. According to this arrangement, the first portion (611) has a width larger than the second portion (612) as seen in Fig. 4. The term "width" refers to a length of the guiding slot (61) on an axis in which the guide lug (11) is not supposed to slidably move according to the invention.

[0035] In an embodiment, the mounting member (2) is fixedly attached to the cabinet door (D) by means of at least one fixing bolt (9). Accordingly, the mounting member (2) is preferably further provided with a top flange (10) arranged to be attached on the mounting member (2) by means of at least one fastening bolt (11) for ensuring the fixation of the mounting member (2) on the cabinet door (D).

[0036] According to the present invention, the cabinet doors (D) are subjected to transport with the connection plates (1) assembled on, while the connection bodies (6) are transported separately from the cabinet doors (D). Accordingly, the lock bodies (6) according to the invention are configured to be mounted on-site. This arrangement facilitates the transportation of cabinet doors (D) since thus the cabinet doors can be stacked such that they occupy much less space. This also reduces damages caused by pre-assembly of the lock bodies (6) on the cabinet doors (D). Since the lock bodies in the art, are transported as mounted on the cabinet doors, they form protrusions on the cabinet doors, causing the cabinet doors to be scratched and even functionally damaged.

[0037] Moreover, thanks to the engagement between the guide lugs (11) and the guiding slots (61) and to the attachment between the clamping member (12) and the fixing gab (63), an easy and on-site assembly without using any tool and without the need of a technician is provided. Any one of the above-mentioned embodiments of the present invention also provides security against casual intruders, as it requires the use of tools to disassemble the lock mechanism (100) according to the invention.

Claims

1. A lock mechanism (100) for cabinet doors, comprising a connection plate (1) configured to be attached on one side of a cabinet door (D) by means of a mounting member (2) positioned on the other side of the cabinet door (D), wherein the cabinet door (D) has a mounting opening (3) for enabling the connection plate (1) to integrate with the mounting member (2), and also has a lock opening (4) for the engagement of a lock housing (5), characterized in that the lock mechanism (100) further comprises a lock body (6) configured to be slidably mounted on the connection plate (1),

wherein the connection plate (1) comprises at least four guide lugs (11), and the lock body (6) has at least four guiding slots (61) correspondingly positioned on a connection surface (62) of the lock body (6) such that the guide lugs (11) are slidably attached into the guiding slots (61) by moving the lock body (6) from a first position to a second position along a sliding distance (X), subsequent to the insertion of the guide lugs (11) into the guiding slots (61) such that the connection surface (62) is coplanar with the connection plate (1), wherein the guiding slots (61) are configured to allow one-way sliding of the guide lugs (11), and

wherein the connection plate (1) also comprises a clamping member (12) configured to be fitted into a fixing gab (63) provided on the connection surface (62) for ensuring that the lock body (6) remains securely attached to the cabinet door (D) unless the mounting member (2) is disengaged from the cabinet door (D).

2. The lock mechanism (100) according to Claim 1, wherein the connection plate (1) further comprises a lock shaft (7) configured to be coupled with a shaft bearing (8) correspondingly provided on the connection surface (62) such that the shaft bearing (8) supports rotational movement of the lock shaft (7) for enabling the cabinet door (D) to be locked and unlocked when the lock mechanism (100) is in use.

3. The lock mechanism (100) according to Claim 2, wherein the lock shaft (7) has a shaft protrusion (71) provided on a rotating disk (72) and configured to be inserted into the shaft bearing (8) when the lock body (6) is in the first position.

4. The lock mechanism (100) according to Claim 3, wherein the rotating disk (72) comprises a concave arc detail (73) that is, when the lock body (6) is in the first position, arranged to be lodged in a restraining tab (75) provided circumferentially around the rotating disk (72) for preventing the rotational movement of the lock shaft (71).

5. The lock mechanism (100) according to Claim 4, wherein the restraining tab (75) is provided with a flex hole (74) that enables rotational movement of the shaft protrusion (71) when the lock body (6) is in the second position.

6. The lock mechanism (100) according to any one of the preceding claims, wherein the clamping member (12) incorporates a snap-fit lug (121) configured to be non-detachably engaged into the fixing gab (63).

7. The lock mechanism (100) according to any one of the preceding claims, wherein the connection plate (1) comprises six guide lugs (11) evenly distributed on two opposite sides of the connection plate (1) and six guiding slots (61), corresponding to said guide lugs (11), are provided on the connection surface (62).

8. The lock mechanism (100) according to any one of the preceding claims, wherein the guiding slot (61) comprises a first portion (611) which is arranged to receive the guide lug (11) when the lock body (6) is in the first position, and a second portion (612) which is arranged to fix the guide lug (11) on the connection surface (62) when the lock body (6) is in the second position, wherein the first portion (611) has a width larger than the second portion (612).

9. The lock mechanism (100) according to any one of the preceding claims, wherein the mounting member (2) is fixedly attached to the cabinet door (D) by means of at least one fixing bolt (9).

10. The lock mechanism (100) according to any one of the preceding claims, wherein the mounting member (2) is further provided with a top flange (10) arranged to be attached on the mounting member (2) by means of at least one fastening bolt (11) for ensuring the fixation of the mounting member (2) on the cabinet door (D).

Drawing