Note: Descriptions are shown in the official language in which they were submitted.
CA 02419963 2003-02-26
LOCK INSTALLATION KIT
FIELD OF THE INVENTION
The present invention relates generally to tool kits for specific tasks. More
particularly, the present invention relates to a tool kit fox lock
installation, having all
necessary tools for the task in one convenient kit, and especially to a
template assembly
for marking the proper place to drill holes in a door for the lock
installation.
BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION
Lock installation kits are used to mark th.e Locations of the holes to be
drilled on a door that requires cylinder locks, double-cylinder locks,
deadbolts, and latch
bolts. Doors, depending on whether they are interior or exterior doors, have
different
thiclrnesses (typically 1.375" for interior doors, and 1.750" for exterior)
and the height of
the lock, relative to the bottom of the door, is set at a standard distance
(typically 40")
There are various guides and templates currently being used to mark the
locations of these holes, but they differ considerably, depending on the scope
of the job
and the end user's capabilities. In the case of a large construction, where
repetitive
installations are required, a contractor uses a complicated. and expensive
jig. The jig is
located over the position at which the lock has to be installed, clamped in
place, and the
holes drilled, using the jig as a drill guide. Holes for the cylinders are
made using a hole
saw/mandrel combination, and the holes for the latch bolts made by a
spade/wood bit. The
jig is then removed and the lock installed. However, a do-it-yourself person
installs locks
on a very infrequent basis, and would not invest in a rarely used and
expensive jig.
Locks that are sold in the retail business are individually packaged, and
contain a paper/cardboard template showing the location of the holes,
instructions for
placement, and the installation of the locks. Traditionally, the paper piece
is placed at the
location and taped in place. This process requires the assistance of a further
person and
can be very frustrating as the tape has a tendency of lifting, resulting in
the re-placement
of the template, and re-affixing, sometimes inaccurately. In addition, the
paper template
must often be folded along lines to adjust to the different door widths and
lock-set
locations. The holes are then drilled through the paper, then into the door,
making the
template a single-use device.
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Thus, it is desirable to provide a template assembly for lock installation
that
is accurate, simple to use, re-usable, easy to attach to a door, and that
remains in place
once applied.
SUMMARY OF THE INVElVTI01~1
It is an object of the present invention to obviate or mitigate at least one
disadvantage of previous lock installation kits and lock installation
templates.
In a first aspect, there is provided a lock template assembly. The lock
template assembly comprises a generally U-shaped spring clip, preferably
formed of
spring metal. The spring clip forms an end template having a base portion with
a center
hole for aligning with a center line of a door edge when positioned on a door.
Two jaws
depend from the base portion, and are biased towards each other. Side
templates are
connected to the jaws such that they can provide suitable leverage to force
the jaws away
from each other when manipulated. This permits the jaws to engage the door
edge; and t~
hold the side templates substantially flush to respective door surfaces. Guide
holes are
disposed in the side templates to provide cylinder hole locating marks when
the side
templates are substantially flush to the respective door surfaces, and to
provide a striker
plate locating mark when swung adjacent to a door jamb.
In presently preferred emhodiments, the side templates are connected to the
jaws by way of support clips hawing ends for a pivoting connection. The
support clips are
received within complementary grooves in the side templates. Alternatively,
the side
templates and the spring clip can be integrally formed. Optional protective
caps can be
provided to shroud sharp edges of the spring clip.
In a further aspect, there is provided a lock installation kit. The kit
includes
at least one hole saw, chisel, spade drill bit, standard drill bit, set-depth
drill bit andlor
2~ pencil, in combination with the above-described lock template assembly. The
tools) and
the template assembly are arranged in a tool box.
Other aspects and features of the present invention will become
appa~°ent to
those ordinarily skilled in the art upon review of the following description
of specific
embodiments of the invention in conjunction with the accompanying figures.
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r
BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF 'THE DRAWINGS
Embodiments of the present invention will now be described, by way of
example only, with reference to the attached Figures, wherein:
Fig. 1 is a top plan view of a lock installation kit according to the
invention,
showing the tools in place in a tool ease;
Fig. 2 is an elevational side view of a template assembly according to a first
embodiment of the invention, showing the support clips and side templates
folded to the operating/storage position;
Fig. 3 is a top plan view of the template assembly of Fig. 3;
Fig. 4 is a plan side view of the template assembly of Fig. 3;
Fig. 5 is an elevated side view of the side template according to the first
embodiment of the invention, seen from the outside of the template;
Fig. 6 is a plan side view of a support clip according to the first
embodiment of the invention;
Fig. 7 is a top plan view of the template assembly according to the first
embodiment of the invention, showing the flexible opening of the end
template using tJ~e side templates/support clips when attaching the template
assembly to a door edge;
Fig. 8 is an elevational side view of the template assembly according to the
second embodiment of the invention, showing the side templates removed
from the support clips and some support clips removed from the end
template;
Fig. 9 is a plan side view of a third embodiment of the template assembly
of the invention;
Fig. 10 is a plan side view of a side template according to the fourth
embodiment of the invention; and
Fig. 11 is a perspective view of a further embodiment of a template
assembly according to the invention.
DETAILED DESCRIPTION
Generally, the present invention provides a method and system for marking
locations on a door where holes have to be drilled for installing a lock on
the door.
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Fig. 1 shows one embodiment of an installation kit 1 according to the
invention. A plurality of tools are contained in a tool box 2, advantageously
having a
hanging tab 3, or other display means. A template assembly 4 according to the
invention is
one of the preferred tools, examples of other tools are hole saw 5, chisel 6,
spade drill
bit 7, ordinary drill bit 8, set-depth drill bit 9 and pencil I0. Any other
tool, which would
be necessary for a particular hole-making project, can be included in the tool
kit. All the
components necessary for lock installations can thus be stored in one
convenient carrying
case.
A first embodiment of a template assembly 4 according to the invention is
shown in Figs. 2 to 6. The assembly has an end template 11, which is a
generally U-
shaped spring clip with a base portion 12 and two j aws 13. Holders 14 are
provided at free
ends of the jaws 13 to hold ends I6 of support clips 15, by the ends being
slid or snapped
into the holder. The support clips 15 are shaped to correspond to grooves 17
of side
templates 18, so that the support clips securely hold the side templates when
snapped into
the grooves 17. The side templates 18 have guide holes 19, which are used by
an operator
as a jig to mark desired drill hole locations, or to act as a drill guide. For
example, a slot is
advantageously used to mark the location of the striker plate on the door jamb
and a
plurality of holes are used to locate the hole for the lock cylinder depending
upon what
type of lock is desired to be installed. Tabs 20 on the holders 14 bias the
support clips to
either an operating position, in which the template assembly is used on the
door for
marking the hole (or stored in the tool case), ar a door attaching position,
in which the
jaws 13 can be biased away from each other, using the support clips 15 as
levers and the
junction between base 12 and jaws I3 as the fulcrum, to secure the template
assembiy on a
door edge. The base portion 12 preferably has a center hole or other marker,
which can be
aligned with the center line of the door edge when the template assembly is
attached to a
door edge. The center hole 21 can also be used to mark the location of the
latch bolt hole.
The support clips 15 are advantageously foa-rned from rigid but bendable
wire, and conform to a predetermined shape. The end template II is preferably
made of
spring steel, ar other material having the desirable properties (strong and
not brittle). The
location hole 21 is centrally punched into the back surface of the end
template and the
edges are rolled to accept bent portions of the support clips 15. The rolled
sections
advantageously have a raised ridge on the edges closest the center line. This
acts as a cam
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CA 02419963 2003-02-26
detent that prevents the support clip 15 from remaining in a "neutral"
position, but urges it
to a full-closed, or a fully-open position.
The side templates 18 can be made out of sheet metal, molded plastic, or a
flat plastic sheet. They either have a recess to accept the support clips 15,
clips into which
the support clips 15 snap, or have the support clips insert-molded into the
side templates.
Fig. 7 shows the method of attachment of template assembly 4 to a door
edge. The side templates 18, attached to the support clips 15, are pivoted
towards the door
attachment position, and the ends of th.e support clips are pressed towards
each other to
open up the end template 11, by biasing the jaws 13 apart. 7,he template
assembly 4 is then
slid over the door edge D, by fitting the door edge between the jaws 13. The
side templates
18 are thereafter pivoted to the operating position, i.e. flush with the door
sides, and the
required hole positions can be marked on the door, or the holes can be
directly drilled.
Each side template 18 has holes on the sides that are spaced for different
applications. To use the lock installation kit and its template assembly, the
side templates
18 (with the embedded support clips 15), are bent backwards (to the back of
the end
template 11). The side templates 18 and support clips 15 provide the leverage
required to
open the template assembly to facilitate installation on the edge of the door.
The template
assembly is placed at the required location on the door and the support clips
15 released
such that the spring clip biases inwardly to secure the assembly to the door.
The side templates 18 are then folded out to lay flat on the surface of the
door, and the hole locations marked. The punched hole at the bacl~ of the end
template is
positioned at the center-line of the door to ensure that the assembly is not
askew. The side
templates 18 are then folded out, and the door swung adjacent to the jamb. A
mark can
then be placed thru one of the guide holes 19 for the location of the striker
plate (on the
door jamb). The template can then be removed, and the holes drilled. An
optional plastic
liner can be used between the open ends of the end template and the door.
Fig. 8 shows a second embodiment of a template assembly according to the
invention. The end template 11 is identical to the first embodiment described
above, all
reference numbers are retained. The primary differences are in the
configuration of the
support clips 15' and the side templates 22, 23. A pair of support clips 15'
are used at. each
free end of the jaw 13, to hold a first side template 22, and a second side
template 2f~. The
support clips are securely attached, into grooves 1T of the side templates,
and are also
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attached to the holders 14. Guide holes 19 are provided on the side templates,
and are used
as described above for the first embodiment.
Fig. 9 shows a third embodiment of a template assembly 24 according to
the invention. A one-piece construction is used, having an end template 12',
from which
two jaws 13' emanate and which have side templates 25 extending from each of
the jaws.
The side templates 25 advantageously have flared ends 26, to facilitate the
application of
the template over a door edge (not shown). Guide holes are provided in the
side templates,
as described earlier, and the end template has a center hole, also as
previously described.
The template assembly 24 according to the third embodiment thus does not have
folding
side templates with support clips. Instead, it is one piece spring clip
assembly that is
clamped over the door edge by forcing the template over the door edge (flared
ends first)
to Iever the jaws 13' apart, and retained by spring tension. The gap between
the side
templates 25 is smaller than the thickness of any door for which the template
is intended to
be used.
Fig. 10 shows a fourth embodiment of a side template according to the
invention. The end template is identical to that described in relation to the
first and second
embodiments (sec e.g. reference number 1l, Fig. 2). The side templates 28 are
of a one-
piece construction, having attachment connectors 29 formed at one end. The
connectors
are attachable to the holders 14 of the end template, in the same manner as
the support
clips are attached in the first embodiment. Guide holes 19 are arranged in the
side
templates 28, and used as described above. This embodiment permits simple, one-
piece
construction of the side templates, which can be manufactured of a hard
plastic or metal.
Fig. l l shows a fifth embodiment of a template assembly according to the
present invention. Spring clip 11 is as described above. However, side
templates 30 are
formed of plastic and attached to support clips 15 by engagement with groove
31 formed
in an extruded channel. Preferably, support clip 15 snaps into groove 31 and
is retained
therein. Guide holes 19 are provided in side templates 30 for marking or
drilling, as
described above. To shield a user from the sharp edges of spring clip 11,
which is
preferably formed of metal, protection caps 33 can be secured along the edges
of jaws 13.
This embodiment permits an ergonomic design of the plastic side templates,
while
retaining the strength of the spring clip/support clip combination.
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The above-described embodiments of the present invention are intended to
be examples only. Alterations, modifications and variations may be effected to
the
particular embodiments by those of skill in the art without departing from the
scope of the
invention, which is defined solely by the claims appended hereto.
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