Note: Descriptions are shown in the official language in which they were submitted.
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FIELD OF THE INVENTION
The present invention relates to a device for
illuminating the key hole on the exterior of a door
surface.
BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION
As most people have probably experienced, it can
often be difficult to fit a key in a door key hole at
night, even though the door area itself may be well lit.
Typically, the lighting around the door is not properly
directed to the key hole area so that the key hole itself
is not properly visible.
The inability to quickly and easily find the key
hole at night cannot only be frustrating but also
dangerous when rapid entry is required.
There have been attempts in the past to provide
devices for illuminating the door key hole. One such
device is described in United States Patent 4,293,894,
issued October 6, 1981 to Blank. This device is in the
form of a single piece battery operated member secured to
the outside of the door and focusing down on the key
hole. Although the device is relatively simple to install
and operate, it suffers from the drawback that all of the
electrical elements in the device are located to the
outside of the door and therefore exposed to the exterior
elements particularly rain which would have an obvious
adverse effect on the device. Furthermore, the entirety
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of the device is exposed to vandalism and theft.
United States Patent 2,136,677 issued November
15, 1938 describes a door lock safety device in the form
of a lever which blocks the key hole and which must be
raised to gain access to the key hole. The lever includes
a light. However, this light is used to illuminate the
name plate on the door beneath the key hole. The light is
not used to illuminate the key hole which, as noted above,
is denied access by the lever.
SUMMARY OF THE PRESENT INVENTION
The present invention provides a simple, yet
efficient key hole illuminating device which can be
quickly and easily installed without requiring the
services of a locksmith or the like. The key hole
illuminating device of the present invention, unlike the
prior art, is relatively hidden to both damage and
vandalism.
More particularly, the key hole illuminating
device of the present invention comprises light directing
means, means for operating the light directiny means and
connecting means between the light directing and the
operating means. Only the light directing means is
mounted to the outside of the door while the operating
means is provided to the inside of the door with the
connecting means providing a connection between the two
directly through the door. Basically, the only job
required to install the device is the drllling or boring
of a hole through the door for fitting of the connecting
means.
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BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS
The above as well as other advantages and
~eatures of the present invention will be described in
greater detail according to the preferred embodiments of
th present invention in which;
Figure 1 is a plan view from the outside of a
door provided with a key hole illuminating device
according to a preferrred embodiment of the present
invention.
Figure la is a plan view from the inside of a
door fitted with a key hole illuminating device according
to a preferred embodiment of the present invention.
Figure lb is a plan view of the inside of a door
fitted with a key hole illuminating device according to a
further preferred embodiment of the present invention.
Figure 2 is a sectional view through the door of
Figure la.
Figure 3 is a sectional view through the door of
Figure lb.
DETAILED DESCRIPTION ACCORDING TO THE PREFERRED
EMBODIMENTS OF THE PRESENT INVENTION:
Figures 1, la and lb all show a relatively
standard door design as indicated at 1. This door design
includes the standard door knob 5 and as seen in Figure 1
a key hole 3 located above the door knob. Figure 1 also
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shows in accordance with the present invention a light
directing member forming part of a key hole illuminating
device according to different embodiments of the present
invention. One of those embodiments is shown in Figure 2
of the drawings and comrpises an illuminating device
generally indicated at 9. This illuminating device
comprises a casing 11 mounted to the outside of the door
and casing 33 mounted to the inside of the door. Casing
11 forms the light directing member to the outside of the
door and includes an interior light bulb 17 having a
lense-like lower end 19 which shines outwardly through a
window 21 specifically positioned to direct a path of
light down over key hole 3. Here it should be noted that
there is no need to have the casing 11 at a particularly
close positioning to the key hole which means that the
illuminating device of the present invention is completely
compatible with all types of different door designs and
set ups including those with escutcheon plates covering
the door immediately around the keyhole and otherwise
interfering with the installation of the light directing
member.
The mounting arrangement for casing 11 is simple
yet effective. In particular, this mounting arrangement
includes a base plate 15 which is screwed directly into
the door as shown. This base plate includes forwardly
directed flanges which interlock with the flanges as shown
on casing 11. ~he flange to flange contact is designed
with a water tight seal which, in combination with the use
of the window beneath the light bulb provides a completely
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enclosed area for the casing to prevent the entry of
outside weather elements.
Prior to the mounting of plate 15, the door is
actually drilled or bored to receive a connecting rod 23
which connects casing 11 and particularly mounting plate
15 to a further mounting plate 31 of casing 33.
Connecting rod 23 includes at its outer end a large collar
25 as an integral part of the rod. The rod is threaded at
its inner end 27. With this particular set up, after the
door has been drilled, the connecting rod is fitted
through plate 15 into the door. The inner end of the rod
then extends to the inside of the door while collar 25
rides up against plate 15. Mounting plate 31 of casing 33
is then fitted over the inner end of rod 23 and a nut 29
is threaded to the inner end of the connecting rod. Nut
29 helps to hold plate 31 in position which is further
secured by mounting screws as shown in the drawings.
One of the keys to the arrangement described
above is that the connecting rod, by being secured at its
inner end, is very difficult to remove from the outside
of the door and blocks access through the drilling or bore
provided to receive the rod. One of the purposes of the
rod in addition to connecting the inside and outside
mounting plates is to provide a through passage for wiring
from the electrical portable battery power source 35 in
casing 33 to the lightbulb on the outside of the door.
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One particularly unique way of setting up the
illuminating device of Figure 2 is to provide casing 11
with a touch activated feature. Power supply 35 includes
a touch activator circuit 37 responsive to voltage drop in
the circuit by touching casing area 13 for automatically
turning on light bulb 17. The touch activator circuit in
turn includes a timing circuit which will then turn the
light bulb off after a period of time sufficient to allow
proper access to key hole area 3.
The description above relates to the means for
providing a source of light or operating means as
comprising a circuit with a portable battery for operating
a lightbulb. Figure 3 shows a different arrangement,
which while still providing a source of light to the light
directing member does not include anything in the way of
an electrical circuit.
More particularly, Figure 3 shows a key hole
illuminating device, generally indicated at 41. This
illuminating device comprises a casing 43 located to the
outside of the door, an interior light collecting member,
generally indicated at 61 and a connecting rod 59 between
the interior light collecting member and the exterior
light directing member.
The light directing member itself comprises a
window area 45 in casing 43. Provided above the windowed
opening in the casing is an adjustably positioned mirror
49, the angle of which is controlled by set screw 51. The
purpose of this mirror is to be described later in detail.
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Light collector 61 is in the form of a wide
angled lense. This lense operates by picking up light
from a source interiorly of the house, i.e. an interior
hall light or the like. The light, which is provided by
this independent lighting source is then picked up by
collector 61 and concentrated at the optically enhanced
end region 63 of clear rod 65 mounted within the otherwise
hollow connecting rod 59. From here the concentrated
light travels through lense-like rod 65 which acts as a
fibre optic cable to actually carry the beams from the
collector to the light directing member. The light is
then focused on mirror 49 and reflected downwardly to
window area 45 which is preferably coated with an interior
reflective lining such as a silver coating. This deflects
the light downwardly through the window in casing 4~ to
the key hole area.
In this particular arrangement, there is a unique
method of mounting both the outside casing and the inside
collector after drilling the door. Casing 43 includes its
own threaded stem 57 while collector 61 includes its own
threaded stem 67. Connecting member 59 forms a smaller
diameter continuation of threaded stem 67. Optical rod 65
is seated within the connecting member.
Casing 43 and collector 61 are both secured into
the door drilling. The threads on the respective stems
bite directly into the door material. Connecting member
59 is further threaded at its outer end while stem 57 of
casing 43 further includes an interior thread which
engages with the threaded connecting member. Threading
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action between the connecting member and stem 57 not only
tightens the fit of the entire illuminating device in the
door but also provides a proper optical alignment of the
transparent rod 65 within connecting member 59 with the
mirror in casing 43.
The mounting arrangement as described immediately
above is again effective for blocking access to the inside
of the door in as much as removal of casing 43 from the
outside of the door has no effect whatsoever on the
interior collecting element and the connecting rod, both
of which block access to the interior of the door.
One of the particularly intriguing features of
illuminating device 41 is that it is not subject to
battery failure because it uses an independent light
source to provide the lighting.
Although various preferred embodiments of the
invention have been described in detail, it will be
appreciated that variations may be made without departing
from the spirit of the invention or the scope of the
appended claims.
