Combination controlled fluid pressure actuated door lock

• US 4,353,230 A
• Filed: 07/23/1979
• Issued: 10/12/1982
• Est. Priority Date: 09/15/1978
• Status: Expired due to Term

• Current Assignee: Renato Cacioni
• Original Assignee: Renato Cacioni
• Inventors: Cacioni, Renato
• Primary Examiner(s): Frazier, Roy D.
• Assistant Examiner(s): Pietruszka, Carl F.
• Application Number:
  US06/059,662
• Time in Patent Office: 1,177 Days
• Field of Search: 70/DIG. 48, 70/312, 70/275, 70/263, 70/266, 70/286, 70/287, 70/318, 70/317, 70/175, 70/278, 137/552.5, 137/613
• US Class Current: 70/275
• CPC Class Codes: E05B 51/02 by pneumatic or hydraulic means E05B17/0029 takes precedence
• CPC Class Codes: Y10S 70/48 Fluid pressure lock
• CPC Class Codes: Y10T 137/8192 Unobvious - "combination lock" type
• CPC Class Codes: Y10T 70/625 Operation and control
• CPC Class Codes: Y10T 70/7051 Using a powered device [e.g., motor]
• CPC Class Codes: Y10T 70/7158 Individual blocking elements
• CPC Class Codes: Y10T 70/7333 With fastener or holder
• CPC Class Codes: Y10T 70/7339 Pin and socket

Abstract

A fluid-actuated locking device for the doors of dwellings or offices or for armored doors having a plurality of tubes for the flow of a fluid supplied from a reservoir, which fluid may either be pressurized to operate a lock or may flow back through the tubes after the release of the pressure so as to allow the locking of the door; a presettable combination is provided to predetermine whether fluid will flow through the tubes thus allowing operation of the lock to unlock the door, numbers or letters being provided and usable in the presettable combination; the fluid is subjected to pressure by a pump to effect withdrawal of pistons from the locking once the preset combination has been set to the preselected combination; the fluid is fed to the lock by a valved manifold which also controls the back flow of the fluid from the lock to the reservoir and works in association with the presettable combination to unlock or lock the door; and locking of the door is accomplished by the action of springs in the lock and unlocking the door is accomplished by the action of the pressure generated by the pumping in the appropriate tubes.

Claims

1. A fluid-actuated lock for locking and unlocking a door, comprising:

a source of fluid;

changeable combination means permitting the selection of a unique predetermined setting for controlling and allowing the passage of fluid from said source of fluid upon the positioning of said combination means to said predetermined setting, and preventing the passage of said fluid when said positioning does not correspond to said predetermined setting;

at least one locking device which keeps the door normally locked, unlocks the door upon application of fluid under pressure, and automatically locks the door upon release of pressure from said fluid;

tube means connecting said source of fluid with said combination means and said combination means to said locking device;

pumping means interposed between said source of fluid and said tube means for pumping fluid under pressure through said tube means to said combination means and from said combination means to said locking device to unlock the door; and

a valved manifold means, connected between said source of fluid, said locking device and said combination means, for transferring fluid from said combination means to said locking device, said manifold means including valve means for controlling, including allowing and preventing, return of said fluid to said source of fluid;

said valved manifold means in conjunction with said combination means permitting the flow of said fluid to said locking device when the positioning of said combination means corresponds to said unique predetermined setting so as to actuate said locking device;

whereby when said valve means is in a closed position and said fluid is pressurized by said pumping means and the setting of said combination means allows passage of the pressurized fluid to said locking device, said locking device unlocks the door, and when said valve means is moved to an open position, the fluid in said locking device is depressurized and said locking device automatically locks the door;

wherein said pumping means comprises;

a fluid pump having a piston movable between a suction stroke and a compression stroke,

a lever arm having a first end and a second end, said first end being connected to said piston,

fixed means connected to said lever arm and about which said lever arm rotates,

cam means connected to said second end of said lever arm, said cam means serving to rotate said lever about said fixed means and simultaneously to move said piston with said first end between said suction and compression strokes, said cam means being manually operated, and

spring means connected to said lever arm between said cam means and said fixed means for compressing a spring during said suction stroke and releasing said spring during, and thereby reinforcing, said compression stroke.

2. A lock as claimed in claim 1, further including fluid reservoir means for said source of fluid, in fluid connection with said fluid pump, wherein a pressure relief valve is installed downstream of said pumping means and upstream of said combination means, said pressure relief valve being connected to said fluid reservoir means.

3. A lock as claimed in claim 2, further including backflow means for connecting said combination means to said reservoir means.

4. A fluid-actuated lock for locking and unlocking a door, comprising:

a source of fluid;

changeable combination means permitting the selection of a unique predetermined setting for controlling and allowing the passage of fluid from said source of fluid upon the positioning of said combination means to said predetermined setting, and preventing the passage of said fluid when said positioning does not correspond to said predetermined setting;

at least one locking device which keeps the door normally locked, unlocks the door upon application of fluid under pressure, and automatically locks the door upon release of pressure from said fluid;

tube means connecting said source of fluid with said combination means and said combination means to said locking device;

pumping means interposed between said source of fluid and said tube means for pumping fluid under pressure through said tube means to said combination means and from said combination means to said locking device to unlock the door; and

a valve manifold means, connected between said source of fluid, said locking device and said combination means, for transferring fluid from said combination means to said locking device, said manifold means including valve means for controlling, including allowing and preventing, return of said fluid to said source of fluid;

said valved manifold means in conjunction with said combination means permitting the flow of said fluid to said locking device when the positioning of said combination means corresponds to said unique predetermined setting so as to actuate said locking device,

whereby when said valve means is in a closed position and said fluid is pressurized by said pumping means and the setting of said combination means allows passage of the pressurized fluid to said locking device, said locking device unlocks the door, and when said valve means is moved to an open position, the fluid in said locking device is depressurized and said locking device automatically locks the door;

wherein said combination means comprises;

fixed means mounted in the door for receiving rotatable means and having adjacent fluid inlet and outlet means;

first rotatable means mounted in said fixed means and having opposed inside and outside disklike members bearing a plurality of indicia, said indicia on one member corresponding to said indicia on the other member, said inside member having a plurality of first aligning means corresponding to each of said indicia, said first rotatable means being rotatable between a first position and a plurality of positions corresponding to each of said indicia;

second rotatable means mounted in said fixed means and having groove means for joining said inlet and outlet means into fluid connection, and also having a disk axially mounted between said disklike members and adjacent to said inside disklike member, said disk having a second aligning means achieving alignment with said first aligning means, said second rotatable means being rotatable between said first position, wherein said groove means is in alignment with said inlet and outlet means, thus joining them in fluid connection, and a plurality of positions corresponding to each of said indicia, and

joining means for joining said first and second aligning means and thus joining said first and second rotatable means into a unitary rotatable means,

whereby when said second rotatable means is rotated from said first position to a position corresponding to one of said indicia, said inlet and outlet means go out of fluid connection; and

when said first and second aligning means and said resulting unitary rotatable means is rotated back to said first position, said inlet and outlet means come into fluid connection.

5. A lock as claimed in claim 4 comprising a plurality of said combination means.

6. A fluid-actuated lock for locking and unlocking a door, comprising:

a source of fluid;

changeable combination means permitting the selection of a unique predetermined setting for controlling and allowing the passage of fluid from said source of fluid upon the positioning of said combination means to said predetermined setting, and preventing the passage of said fluid when said positioning does not correspond to said predetermined setting;

at least one locking device which keeps the door normally locked, unlocks the door upon application of fluid under pressure, and automatically locks the door upon release of pressure from said fluid;

tube means connecting said source of fluid with said combination means and said combination means to said locking device;

pumping means interposed between said source of fluid and said tube means for pumping fluid under pressure through said tube means to said combination means and from said combination means to said locking device to unlock the door; and

a valved manifold means, connected between said source of fluid, said locking device and said combination means, for transferring fluid from said combination means to said locking device, said manifold means including valve means for controlling, including allowing and preventing, return of said fluid to said source of fluid;

said valved manifold means in conjunction with said combination means permitting the flow of said fluid to said locking device when the positioning of said combination means corresponds to said unique predetermined setting so as to actuate said locking device,

whereby when said valve means is in a closed position and said fluid is pressurized by said pumping means and the setting of said combination means allows passage of the pressurized fluid to said locking device, said locking device unlocks the door, and when said valve means is moved to an open position, the fluid in said locking device is depressurized and said locking device automatically locks the door;

wherein said locking means includes a plurality of said automatic locking devices, and further including a plurality of tube means connected to said plurality of locking devices and to said manifold means, and wherein said manifold means comprises;

a sleeve fixed in said door, said sleeve having a first hole connected to said source of fluid, a second hole connected to said tube means from said combination means, and a plurality of holes connected to said plurality of tube means to said plurality of locking devices;

a body slidingly mounted in said sleeve and having a groove means, said body having a first position wherein said groove is aligned with said first, second, and plurality of holes allowing free passage of fluid between them, and having a second position wherein said groove means is aligned with said second hole and said plurality of holes allowing free passage of fluid between them and wherein said first hole is blocked and fluid passage to said first hole is prevented,

whereby when said body is in the second position and said fluid is pressurized, the pressurized fluid unlocks the locking means and when said body is moved to the first position and the first hole is unblocked, the locking means are depressurized and the automatic locking device operates to lock said locking means.