Locking mechanism for cabinets

Application filed November

This-invention relates’-to cabinet construction, and pertain'siniorepartiteuH’rlytoinechanisni ion locking · the· ’ doors or· casements of show-easesormuseum cabinets* of tlio type· dis·. closed in my copending application; Serial No. 397p2b, filed-October^: 5pl929. ·

Inmysaid appli<tetiOnpT have'described-a cabinet' comprising vertical panels·* each hawing relatively narrow-inetsl frame composed i i* of’horizontal and vertical -margin pieces;; the vertical·;, frame · margins- interfitting at The corners¹ of⁵ the·- cabinet; and: being.;; provided with du st' and vermin-proof paclnng, and one of. the ipaaels*: being; suitably Tinged; to ;fur; nish; a swinging-' casement ;or door closing against one⁵-of said vertical pieces.·. .· .. The panel frames receive the.marginsiofglass panesior other* transparent-p.anel'im'aterial,:which; affords; a- clear: view: of objects: exhibited’·with:.-· in the cabinet^and.the: erectedeabinetis:particularly ' attractive in. appearance,. as; well as dust-proofianddurableinuse;:·

The-principal-purpose; of > the*'present^invention is: to. provide; improved-means-for 25 lockingdhe hinged door; of The-cabinet-with? out necessitating ;eKtensive^q alteration-of the frame members;: and without impairing; the dust-proof 'features- or,-attractive rappearanee of-.the· cabinet. - Although thesubject matter .3-1 of the invention, .is ·· peculiarly adapted to th'e cabinet construction shown i in-myr prior, application, it -will be -.apparent, that the; improved ¹ locking .mechanism, may Te advantageously· employed‘in other types of cabinets ; iand .that the structural. > details; herein . shown and described are intended to illustrate the general, features *of my- invention,-as-defiiied in the appendedi claimSi

The locking mechanismessentially-, com·; o prises -a locking .member' slidable - longitudinally, of-one .of-the vertical· frame ..margins which._: for·; the < present ·: purpose,! constitutes the· door jamb of,-the-.-cabinet; said member preferably!'· having ·.· longitudinally-... spaced, • ¹ ·' outwardly'· projecting-tongues · engageable.in complement®.! slots .-'orsrecessesrin'th® faee-.-of the-'upright •deorr'frame- when Themember -is operated ^:by aroonvenientyleverqandAnaux? iliary locking··element-:carried-.·by· a horizon? S- talj margin frame-of-the door· and movable

4,1930.’ : Serial Νό. 493,251. .

longitudinally; preferably'Ty·' a'suitable key⁵, to-.engage; the vertically·’movable;' locking member'an'd seeii-rS’it in locking'position*.' :

Eehoinmemled-'emTodin'lents'of-The-'inveh? tion·';are f-illiistiiat&i -in: th:®¹ aecompanying 55 drawings⁵,; -in 'which:

Fignl uemnelevation >of a iinuserimcabinet provided* with- a Tinged; door- and* equipped . with-'the: improved·locking apparatus;;-:

Fig 2⁵ is an: enlarged^section!on line-2-r-2 'co ofibig. 1;

, Figi,. 3'is'- aufragmentary rear view*· :of the doOr^,:fiai®e-.and’.iambⁱ,the-.'glass panes being omitted⁵and · portionsro'l· the· elements -being bioken away to show the locking mechanism ; cs

Fig. .4 >is a* side -view of the· lower portion Oift-the 'doorjamb;··,. :Fig'.,i5:is:a’Correspondingiview!of..The-end . face of the door : _ .

Fig. 6 is a fragmentary sideuview· of the ;q doOr·-jamb, partly insection,·taken oil the opposite side· ofiFig. 4mnd-to larger,, seale⁵ illustrating..:the- slid.a.ble locking member, and its* operating-lever.; /

Fig. 7 is a face view of an optional form of --, locking plate attached to-the outer surfaces of the-jamb and doorframe.; ; -

Fig-,8'is-a view, similar to Fig., 1; showing a pair of-’doors-secured ;by a-modified .f o-rrn of the-.improvedlocking.mechanism; . , _s0

Fig. 9^; isc-amenlarged-sectipn on. line .9—-9 ofiFigT, showing a door- hinge, which.is also suitable, for the door-qtFig,1.

Figs. 10, 11 and.da.ar&’delail-ivie^.ofclfe modified 'structure ’and - correspond- to the showing^O.f-:Figs;-.3,.4.:and. 5;. and,

Fig.A3 is-a-section online-18+-13 of Fig.

10· - . . .: '. In-.the particular-embodiment chosen for the purpose-of illustration in-Figs.. 1. to 6, and co as ’morei fully- described* in my-said copending application,! the- museum cabinet preferably comprises. · side, panels, having r glass .· panes mounted in?rectahgular.metal-frames includingryertical 'and horizontal margin pieces; the <)5 vertical or upright:- frame- margins -having complemental .-portions •which interfit'.at Two cotnersuof the- cabinet , to- provide * a tight comer.-joint .which preferably- contains: resil- . ient'paeking material to prevent: the entrance 100

1,843,784 of dust, vermin or moisture through the joint. As shown in Fig. 1, the panel on one side of the cabinet is hinged at 21 to one corner to form a swinging door 22 closing against the ⁵ opposite corner upright; a panel or cover 23 encloses the top of the cabinet, and the bottom of the cabinet panels may be supported upon a suitable base 24.

Each corner joint preferably comprises ¹⁰ a vertical margin piece 25 (Fig. 2) having a longitudinal channel 26 receiving the margin of the glass pane 27, a second channel 28 disposed parallel and opening at right angles to channel 26, and a flange 29 extending in¹⁵ wardly from the margin piece and providing a vertical abutment for a complemental margin piece or frame element. At the two permanent corner joints of the cabinet (not herein specifically illustrated, but shown in the ²⁰ drawings of said application), a complemental margin piece, generally similar to the door frame indicated at 30, has a tenon fitting in the channel 28 and a side abutting the flange 29. This tenon is omitted from the ²⁵ vertical margin pieces 30 and 30' of the hinged door; and in the prior construction the channel 28 of the door jamb was filled with packing material. As hereinafter explained, the channel 28 of the present em³⁰ bodiment is occupied by an element of the locking mechanism; and it will also be observed that the vertical margin pieces of the previous cabinet may easily be modified to permit the installation of the improved lock³⁵ ing apparatus.

The horizontal margin pieces at the top and bottom of the fixed panels are secured between the interconnected vertical pieces, and may be of the type generally indicated at ⁴⁰ 31 of Fig. 2, each having a channel 32 for the glass pane and an inwardly directed bottom flange 33 which is attached to the base 24 (or the cover 23 as the case may be) by screws or other fastenings. The corresponding mar⁴⁵ gin pieces of the door frame may be similarly constructed, as shown at 34 of Fig. 2, except that the flange 33 may be omitted. Packing material 35 may be inserted in the channels 32 at one side of the pane, and a corrugated ⁵⁹ spring 36 on the opposite side of the pane holds the glass tightly against the packing.

In accordance with the present invention, the channel 28 of the door jamb 25 receives an elongate locking member or bar 37 which ⁵⁵ is slidable longitudinally of the jamb and which may be retained in the channel by guide pins 38 extending transversely through slots or recesses 39 in the bar (Figs. 3 and 4). The bar 37 may extend approximately from top ⁹⁹ to bottom of the jamb 25, and preferably has a plurality of locking tongues 40 projecting from its outer face and adapted to engage the door frame at spaced vertical intervals, and hence secure the closed door tight⁶⁵ ly against the jamb. The bottom end of the locking member 37 is provided with a transverse lug 41 which extends through an aperture 42 in flange 29 and has an outwardly bent end 43 engageable by an auxiliary locking plate carried by the door for releasably ⁷θ securing the bar 37 in locking position.

The bar is moved longitudinally of channel 28 by means of a handle or lever 44 extending through a slot 45 in the jamb and a cut-away recess 46 in the side of the bar 37, ⁷⁵and pivoted to the jamb at 47 (Fig. 6). The opposite sides of the lever have cam surfaces engaging opposite, bevelled faces 48,49 of the bar 37, so that the bar is smoothly and positively operated to release or lock the door 80 when the lever 44 is lifted or depressed. In Figs. 4 and 6, the movable parts are shown in full lines to indicate locking position, and in broken lines to illustrate released position of the locking mechanism. 85

The end face of the door frame 30 (Fig. 5) has transverse recesses 50 for receiving the locking tongues 40 when the latter are in raised or unlocking position, as the door is closed against the flange 29 of the j amb. Said ⁰⁰end face is also provided with longitudinal slots 51 in which the tongues 40 engage when the locking member 37 is moved downwardly to lock the door, the slots 51 extending downwardly from the recesses 50. The front face ⁹⁵of the flange 29 preferably has a shallow channel containing a strip of packing 52 (Fig. 2) abutting the inner face of the door frame 30, and the door is effectively sealed against this dust-proof packing by reason of ¹⁰⁰the multi-point lock afforded by the interengaged tongues 40 and slots 51.

When thus locked, the bottom lug 41 of bar 37 seats upon the cabinet base 24, and the flanged end 42 of the lug is engaged and ¹⁰⁵secured by the forward flange 53 of a supplemental locking plate or bolt 54 slidably mounted on the bottom frame 34 of the door. The plate 54 may be connected to the inner face of said frame by screws 55 received in -¹⁰slots 56 of the plate; and is preferably operated by an eccentric 57 having a pin 58 engaging· a recess or opening in the plate. The eccentric is attacheci to the rotatable hub 59 of a cylinder lock, which may be operated by ¹¹⁵a removable key 60. A casing 61 may be suitably secured over the slidable bolt 54 ro protect the moving parts and improve the appearance of the door frame.

The tight seal effect by the locking member ¹⁷⁰37 is thus supplemented by the security of the bolt 54, so that the cabinet closure is substantially theft-proof as well as dust and vermin-proof. The operation of the locking mechanism will be apparent from the fore- ⁷²⁵going description, and it will be understood that a convenient handle 62 may be affixed to the door frame for opening and closing the door. The knob 62 may be mounted upon a saddle 63 which embraces the cloor frame ¹³⁰ ijsas-TBi recess ;:83: and i engages: over'the - base- lug; 82 of the locking member 79y(Eig..lQ); thereby securinglsaid member against, accidental irelease. The plate or';.bolfi99'.is:movedd0ngi^ tudinally.by anecentrie.91Operated.by,a key 'io 92. It-will be-observed, that the: locking member'79. secures-both of the. cabinet: doors, andithat a: single auxiliary locking .’bolt' carried by either one of the doors -suffices to- hold said member in locking: -position.

From the - foregoing it will- be·, apparent that- I.- have -devised simple- .and. - easily. operated locking.mechanism which is particular'· ly.-adapted-for the·-type of cabinet-herein :described; yet which may .readily .be installed 80 in cabinets of different! construction to provide a secure· and - efficient lock which.· engages- the. door frame at spaced intervals, thereby, tightly sealing the. door- against the door jamb, and- which-is- preferably asso- 85 ciated with · auxiliary locking means- carried by the door - and. engaging the primary · locking member to prevent its release. The several advantages of the,improved docking arrangement have been pointed out herein -and 90 the- particular features -of· my invention - are defined in the following- .claims,- it being-understood that the structural details above described may be- varied to suit-pai’ticular purposes- without departing from the essence -of 95 this invention.