Note: Descriptions are shown in the official language in which they were submitted.
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Title: MOTORIZED LOCK METHOD AND ASSEMBLY
Technical Field
[0001] This disclosure relates to locks, and more particularly, to
electronic
motorized locks installed in doors.
Background
[0002] In recent times there has been an interest in developing
electronic door
locks. Electronic locks may be more convenient for users, such as if a user is
able to enter
a passcode or scan a card rather than insert a key.
[0003] Various electronic door locks have been developed. Many of these
electronic door locks include a touchpad or sensor and a solenoid. The
solenoid is
activated or deactivated when a correct entry code is entered at the touchpad
or an
access card is sensed by the sensor. Activation or deactivation may disengage
a lock
governed by the solenoid to allow a door to be opened by a user.
[0004] However, many electronic locks require specialized installation
expertise or
conditions. In many cases, doors must be customized to fit the electronic door
lock, such
as by enlarging standard sized openings. Some electronic locks may have
security flaws,
such as locks which are deactivated by power failure or which fail to
incorporate a
deadbolt. Some locks may have safety flaws, such as having no manual override
option
to allow emergency operation during power failure events.
[0005] Further, many electronic locks are expensive to install,
particularly when
installed as a replacement for an existing manual lock. New hardware may be
expensive.
Replacement may also involve considerable labor expense. Labor expense may be
a
concern particularly for certain locks, such as mortise locks, which may be
more difficult
to install than others and correspondingly more expensive to switch out.
Expense may be
a particular concern for large projects such as replacing all of the unit
front door locks in
a condo complex.
[0006] There is accordingly a need for an improved electronic door lock,
which
does not suffer from at least some of the limitations or disadvantages of
known electronic
door locks.
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Summary
[0007] In a first aspect, some embodiments of the invention provide a
method of
retrofitting a lock installed in a door, comprising removing a thumb turn of
the lock from
an interior side of the door to expose a bolt assembly of the lock within the
door; attaching
a drive shaft of a motorized drive assembly to the bolt assembly in driving
engagement
with the bolt assembly to extend and retract a deadbolt of the bolt assembly,
the motorized
drive assembly including a motor coupled to the drive shave to move the drive
shaft and
a communications system communicatively coupled to the motor to receive an
instruction
from a user and to direct an operation of the motor in response to the
instruction from the
user; and attaching the motorized drive assembly to the interior side of the
door.
[0008] In some embodiments, the communications system includes an input
device at which the user may enter the instruction.
[0009] The communications system may include a communications cable and
the
input device may be a touchscreen control panel to receive the instruction
from the user,
and the method may further comprise attaching the touchscreen control panel to
an
exterior side of the door; coupling an exterior end of the communications
cable to the
touchscreen control panel on the exterior side of the door; extending the
communications
cable through the door from the exterior side to an interior side; and
coupling an interior
end of the communications cable to the motorized drive assembly on the
interior side of
the door to communicatively couple the touchscreen control panel to the
motorized drive
assembly.
[0010] The method may further comprise entering an entry code at the
touchscreen
control panel to direct the motor to move the drive shaft and retract or
extend the deadbolt.
[0011] The communications system may include a sensor to receive the
instruction
from the user by sensing an authorized user device or authorized key card in
proximity to
the sensor.
[0012] The motorized drive assembly may further comprise a drive assembly
manual thumb turn for manual operation of the drive shaft of the drive
assembly.
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[0013] The motorized drive assembly may further comprise a door position
indicator movable between a locked position and an unlocked position to
provide a visual
indication of a door lock status, the door position indicator being separate
from the drive
assembly manual thumb turn.
[0014] The unlocked position of the door position indicator may be a
retracted
position in which a proximate portion of the door position indicator is
retracted within a
housing of the drive assembly and the locked position may be an extended
position in
which the proximate portion projects from the housing.
[0015] The motorized drive assembly may further comprise an auto lock
button.
[0016] The drive shaft may include a tailpiece to drivingly engage a bolt
assembly
of the lock by extending into a turn slot in the bolt assembly.
[0017] In a second aspect, some embodiments of the invention provide a
lock
retrofit assembly for retrofitting a lock installed in a door, the lock
retrofit assembly
comprising a drive assembly to be mounted to an interior side of the door in
place of a
thumb turn of the lock to extend and retract a deadbolt of the lock, the drive
assembly
having: a drive assembly housing having a front face and a rear face, a drive
shaft
extending from the rear face of the drive assembly housing to drivingly engage
a bolt
assembly of the lock installed in the door by passing through a thumb turn
opening in the
interior side of the door, a power source secured to the drive assembly
housing, and a
motor coupled to the power source and to the drive shaft to move the drive
shaft to retract
or extend a bolt of the bolt assembly of the lock when the turn shaft is
drivingly engaged
with the bolt assembly; and a communications assembly communicatively coupled
to the
motor of the drive assembly to receive an instruction from a user and to
direct an operation
of the motor in response to the instruction from the user.
[0018] In some embodiments, the communications assembly comprises an
exterior control panel to be mounted to an exterior side of the door, the
exterior control
panel having a touchpad to receive the instruction from the user; and a
communications
cable to join the exterior control panel and the motor of the interior drive
assembly through
the door.
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[0019] The touchpad may display at least nine alphanumeric symbols when
activated, and the touchpad may display a predetermined pattern of the at
least nine
symbols in response to receiving the instruction to show that the instruction
is a correct
code.
[0020] The communications assembly may comprise a proximity sensor to
receive
the instruction from the user by sensing a user device in proximity to the
proximity sensor.
[0021] The drive assembly may further comprise a manual thumb turn for
manual
operation of the drive shaft of the drive assembly.
[0022] The drive assembly may further comprise a lock position indicator
secured
to the drive assembly housing and movable between a locked position and an
unlocked
position to provide a visual indication of a door lock status, the lock
position indicator
being separate from the thumb turn.
[0023] The unlocked position of the lock position indicator may be a
retracted
position in which a proximate portion of the lock position indicator is
retracted within the
drive assembly housing and the locked position may be an extended position in
which the
proximate portion projects from the drive assembly housing.
[0024] The drive assembly may further comprise an auto lock button.
[0025] The drive shaft may include a tailpiece to drivingly engage a bolt
assembly
of the lock by extending into a turn slot in the bolt assembly.
[0026] The power source may be at least one battery.
[0027] In a third aspect, some embodiments of the invention provide a
motorized
lock assembly for installation in a door, comprising a lock to be installed in
the door to
hold the door in position relative to a frame, the lock including a bolt
assembly having a
deadbolt and a bolt driver, the bolt driver operable to move the deadbolt
between an
extended locked position and a retracted unlocked position; a drive assembly
to be
mounted to an interior side of the door over a thumb turn opening in the door,
the drive
assembly having a drive assembly housing having a front face and a rear face,
a drive
shaft extending from the rear face of the drive assembly housing to extend
through the
thumb turn opening and operatively engage the bolt driver of the bolt assembly
installed
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in the door, a power source secured to the drive assembly housing, and a motor
coupled
to the power source and to the drive shaft to move the drive shaft to operate
the bolt driver
when the drive shaft is operatively engaged with the bolt driver installed in
the door; and
a communications assembly communicatively coupled to the motor of the drive
assembly
to receive an instruction from a user and to direct an operation of the motor
in response
to the instruction from the user.
[0028] In some embodiments, the communications assembly comprises an
exterior control panel to be mounted to an exterior side of the door, the
exterior control
panel having a touchpad to receive the instruction from the user; and a
communications
cable to join the exterior control panel and the motor of the interior drive
assembly through
the door.
[0029] In some embodiments, the communications assembly comprises a
proximity sensor to receive the instruction from the user by sensing a user
device in
proximity to the proximity sensor.
Brief Description of the Drawings
[0030] The drawings included herewith are for illustrating various
examples of
systems, methods, and apparatus of the present specification. In the drawings:
[0031] FIG. 1 is a perspective exploded view of a prior art mortise door
lock;
[0032] FIG. 2 is a perspective exploded view of a lock retrofit assembly
in
accordance with an embodiment;
[0033] FIG. 3 is a perspective view of a portion of an exterior side of a
door with
the lock retrofit assembly of FIG. 2 installed on the door;
[0034] FIG. 4 is a perspective view of a portion of an interior side of
the door with
the lock retrofit assembly of FIG. 2 installed on the door;
[0035] FIG. 5 is a perspective front view of a control panel and
communications
cable of the lock retrofit assembly of FIG. 2;
[0036] FIG. 6 is a perspective rear view of the control panel and
communications
cable of the lock retrofit assembly of FIG. 2;
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[0037] FIG. 7 is a perspective view of a portion of the interior side of
the door with
the control panel of the lock retrofit assembly of FIG. 2 installed on the
exterior side of the
door and the communications cable extended through an aperture in the door;
[0038] FIG. 8 is a rear plan view of a drive assembly of the lock
retrofit assembly
of FIG. 2;
[0039] FIG. 9 is a perspective view of the drive assembly of the lock
retrofit
assembly of FIG. 2 adjacent the portion of the door of FIG. 7;
[0040] FIG. 10 is a perspective view of a drive shaft of the lock
retrofit assembly of
FIG. 2;
[0041] FIG. 11 is a perspective view of a portion of the inner side of
the door with
the drive shaft of FIG. 10 installed in a thumb turn opening of the door;
[0042] FIG. 12 is a perspective view of the portion of the inside of the
door of FIG.
11 with the drive assembly housing adjacent the drive shaft;
[0043] FIG. 13 is a flow chart of a method of retrofitting a lock in
accordance with
a first embodiment;
[0044] FIG. 14 is a flow chart of a method of retrofitting a lock in
accordance with
a second embodiment; and
[0045] FIG. 15 is a schematic diagram of a communications system in
accordance
with an embodiment.
Detailed Description
[0046] Various systems, methods and apparatus will be described below to
provide
an example of each claimed embodiment. No embodiment described below limits
any
claimed embodiment and any claimed embodiment may cover systems, methods
and/or
apparatus that differ from those described below. The claimed embodiments are
not
limited to systems, methods and apparatus having all of the features of any
one system,
method and apparatus described below or to features common to multiple or all.
[0047] Referring to Figure 1, an exemplary prior art mortise lock 10
includes a
casing 14 and a faceplate 16. As with many mortise locks, casing 14 fits
within a mortise
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opening in a door, such as the front door of a house. Mortise lock 10 includes
a lock
cylinder 20 for an outer side of the structure and a thumb turn 22 for an
inner side of the
structure.
[0048] When lock cylinder 20 is received in lock cylinder opening 24 of
mortise lock
10, rotation of a matching key 26 in lock cylinder 20 turns a cylinder plug 28
in the lock
cylinder 20 which operates a tail cam or arm 30 to engage the deadbolt
assembly of the
mortise lock 10. Rotation of the key 26 in one direction causes the deadbolt
34 to be
extended and locks the mortise lock 10 while rotation of the key 26 in the
opposite
direction retracts deadbolt 34 and unlocks the mortise lock 10.
[0049] Similarly, rotation of the throw lever 38 of thumb turn 22 turns a
blade shaft
or tailpiece 40 which extends into a turn slot 42 in the deadbolt assembly of
the mortise
lock 10. When the thumb turn 22 on the inside of the door is turned in one
direction, it
retracts deadbolt 34. When turned in the opposite direction, the thumb turn 22
extends
the deadbolt 34.
[0050] Mortise lock 10 has an outer lever handle 46, and an inner lever
handle 48,
which are connected via spindles 50, 52 to square opening 54 in a latch hub of
the mortise
lock 10. Rotation of spindles 50, 52 causes latch 56 to retract and withdraw
into casing
14. Latch 56 may be biased into an extended position by a spring within casing
14.
[0051] A number of variations of mortise locks are available. For
example, some
mortise locks may otherwise drivingly engage a deadbolt assembly of a mortise
lock, such
as by including a thumb turn having a spindle to engage a square opening of a
bolt
assembly rather than a tailpiece to engage a slot of the bolt assembly. In
some
embodiments, when a bolt is extended one or both of the interior and exterior
handles is
also locked.
[0052] Referring now to Figure 2, an exemplary lock retrofit assembly 60
is shown
with mortise lock 110 in door 166. Mortise lock 110 is similar in many
respects to mortise
lock 10, and like features are identified by like reference characters,
incremented by 100.
Door 166 is similar in many respects to door 66, and like features are
identified by like
reference characters, incremented by 100.
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[0053] Lock retrofit assembly 60 includes a drive assembly 62 to be
mounted to an
interior side 164 of a door 166. The drive assembly 62 takes the place of a
thumb turn of
the mortise lock 110 and includes a drive shaft 68 to be inserted into thumb
turn opening
167 to drivingly engage a bolt assembly of the mortise lock 110 in the place
of the thumb
turn of the mortise lock. Illustrated mortise lock 110 is an American National
Standards
Institute ('ANSI') 86 prep mortise lock. While lock retrofit assembly 60 is
shown with a
mortise lock, it will be appreciated that in some embodiments a lock retrofit
assembly may
be used with other types of locks having a thumb turn.
[0054] Drive assembly 62 includes a housing 70. Illustrated housing 70
includes
an enclosure enclosing a central space and may be made of, for example, a hard
plastic,
zinc, aluminum, or other metal. Housing 70 has a front face 72 and a rear face
74. The
front face 72 of illustrated housing 70 is a removable cover which may be
removed to
provide access to an interior or part of the interior of housing 70. Drive
shaft 68 extends
from rear face 74 to drivingly engage the bolt assembly of the mortise lock
110.
[0055] Illustrated drive assembly 62 also includes a power source 76. In
this
embodiment power source 76 is a rechargeable battery; however, other power
sources
may also be used, such as a power line to be connected to an environmental
power
supply or at least one non-rechargeable battery. In some embodiments, a
battery is
provided as a backup power source while a main power source is hard wired to
the retrofit
assembly from an environmental power supply. For hardwired power from an
environmental supply, the housing 70 may include a connection port (not shown)
for a
power cable to receive power form the power cable carried from the
environmental
supply. Illustrated power source 76 is accessible when illustrated cover 72 is
removed.
[0056] The illustrated drive assembly 62 also includes an electric motor
as
described further below. The electric motor is coupled to power source 76 to
receive
electric power, and is coupled to drive shaft 68 to move drive shaft 68 to
retract or extend
the bolt of the mortise lock 110.
[0057] Exemplary lock retrofit assembly 60 also includes a communications
assembly 88 communicatively coupled to the motor 78 of the drive assembly to
receive
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an instruction from a user and to direct an operation of the motor 78 in
response to the
instruction from the user.
[0058] Various communications assemblies may be used. For example, a
communications assembly may include a sensor to sense a nearby key card or a
smartphone or other portable device. In another example, a communications
assembly
may include a Bluetooth transceiver to receive an instruction from a Bluetooth
transmitter
such as a smartphone.
[0059] In some embodiments, a lock retrofit assembly may be remotely
accessible,
such as to allow a user to activate a motor of a motorize drive assembly
remotely. For
example, a communications assembly or system may include Z-wave hardware and
software or a Wi-Fi bridge to communicatively couple the lock retrofit
assembly with the
Internet or other network.
[0060] In some embodiments, a user can connect to a lock retrofit
assembly
through a network such as the Internet and control the lock remotely, such as
by using
Google or Alexa voice control using a smart speaker or through a phone
connected to a
vehicle audio system. In some embodiments, a connected lock retrofit assembly
may be
controlled using a Z-wave or ZigBee module.
[0061] In some embodiments, a communications assembly may include one or
more visual or auditory input or output devices such as microphones, lights,
and
speakers. For example, a user may be able to speak into a microphone to
provide an
instruction.
[0062] Visual or auditory input or output devices may also provide
information,
such as indicating that a battery charge is low, announcing whether the bolt
has been
retracted to let a user know when to pull on the handle to open the door,
indicating a
green light for an unlocked door and a red light for a locked door, or
providing other
information. For example, since the user may not know how long it takes for
the bolt to
be retracted once a correct entry code is entered, a speaker may be provided
to announce
'door opened' once the bolt is fully retracted. A speaker may also be used to
provide
guidance to a user regarding how to operate the retrofit assembly.
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[0063] In the illustrated example, the communications assembly 88
includes an
exterior control panel 90 to be mounted to an exterior side 168 of the door
166. The control
panel 90 may be hardwired to the interior drive assembly, such as by a cable
passing
though the door as will be described further below.
[0064] Referring now to Figure 3, the exterior control panel 90 has a
touchpad 94
to receive the instruction from the user. Instruction may be in the form of an
alphanumeric
code input, a fingerprint scan, or similar. Touchpad 94 of the illustrated
example may
display at least nine alphanumeric symbols and may receive an instruction from
a user
when the use enters an entry code by touching the alphanumeric symbols. For
example,
a lock retrofit assembly 60 may include a memory, such as a memory capable of
storing
hundreds of entry codes, and may accept entry codes of predetermined length,
such as
between 4 and 10 characters, for comparison to a set of stored acceptable
entry codes.
[0065] In some embodiments, touchpad 94 may indicate whether a code is an
acceptable entry code, such as by displaying a predetermined pattern of the
alphanumeric symbols. For example, touchpad 94 may generally display numbers 1
to 9
arranged in a standard numeric keypad grid, and when an acceptable entry code
is
entered the touchpad 94 may display numbers 1 to 4 and 6 to 9 without number 5
to form
an '0' shape. In another example, touchpad 94 may display 1, 3, 5, 7, and 9
when an
unacceptable entry code is entered to form an 'X' shape.
[0066] Illustrated lock retrofit assembly 60 is also configured for use
with an access
card. Illustrated control panel 90 includes an indicator 97 showing where an
access card
should be provided to be detected by a proximity sensor (not shown) as an
alternative
way of providing the instruction from the user to unlock the mortise lock 110.
Communications system 88 also includes a Bluetooth transceiver (not shown) to
allow a
proximate smartphone or other portable device to provide the instruction to
the
communications system 88 to move the drive shaft 68 as an alternative to a
code or card.
[0067] A power failure jump port 98 is also provided for providing power
to lock
retrofit assembly 60 from an outer side of door 166, such as to provide
emergency
recharging for the rechargeable battery power source 76 if necessary. For
example, a
power failure jump port 98 may be a Micro USB port and/or a 9 volt jump port.
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Communications cable 92 may also be or include or run parallel to a power
cable to supply
power from the power source 76 to the control panel 90 and/or to supply power
from the
power failure jump port 98 to the power source 76.
[0068] Referring now to Figure 4, the drive assembly 62 is shown with an
optional
manual thumb turn 82. Manual thumb turn 82 is coupled to the drive shaft 68
and allows
manual movement of the drive shaft as an alternative to the motor 78. Manual
thumb turn
82 may allow a user to control the mortise lock 110 from the inner side of the
door without
activating motor 78.
[0069] An optional position indicator 84 is shown extended out from
housing 70.
Lock position indicator 84 is secured to a side face 85 of drive assembly
housing 70 and
moveable between a locked position and an unlocked position to provide a
visual
indication of a door lock status. The unlocked position of the lock position
indicator is a
retracted position in which a proximate portion 86 of the lock position
indicator 84 is
retracted within the drive assembly housing 70. The locked position is an
extended
position in which the proximate portion 86 projects from the drive assembly
housing 70.
Lock position indicator 84 may be coupled to the drive shaft 68 within housing
70 and
may be extended or retracted as the drive shaft 68 extends or retracts the
bolt in the
deadbolt assembly of mortise lock 110.
[0070] The illustrated example also shows an optional auto lock button 99
provided
on housing 70 adjacent thumb turn 82. Auto lock button 99 may be connected to
communications assembly 88 as an alternative way for a user to provide an
instruction to
lock mortise lock 110. Pressing auto lock button 99 when mortise lock 110 is
unlocked
my activate motor 78 to lock mortise lock 110.
[0071] In some embodiments, a lock retrofit assembly may have a default
lock or
unlock setting. For example, the lock retrofit assembly 60 may keep mortise
lock 110
locked by default. When the motor 78 is activated, the lock retrofit assembly
60 may
retract the bolt 134 and/or unlock the exterior handle. The lock retrofit
assembly 60 may
then extend the bolt 134 automatically after a predetermined length of time,
such as a
time between 1 second and 180 seconds. In some embodiments, the automatic
relock
may be delayed by a time sufficient for a user to open the door and allow the
door to fall
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shut, such as between 15 and 60 seconds. In some embodiments, the automatic
relock
may be triggered by a sensor detecting that the door has been opened and has
returned
to a closed position, such as a proximity sensor placed on the control panel
90, drive
assembly 62, and/or a periphery of the door or frame to detect the position of
the door
relative to the door frame.
[0072] Referring now to Figures 5 and 6, control panel 90 is shown with
communications cable 92. An exterior end 83 of the illustrated communications
cable 92
is attached to the exterior touchpad control panel 90. An interior end 87 of
the
communications cable 92 is provided to be attached to the drive assembly 62 to
allow an
instruction received at the exterior touchpad control panel 90 to be
transmitted to the
interior motorized drive assembly 62 through the door via the communications
cable 92.
For example, an acceptable entry code may entered at touchpad 94 and
interpreted as
an instruction to retract the bolt 134 of the mortise lock 110 in the door 166
by moving the
drive shaft 68 of the motorized drive assembly 62.
[0073] Referring now to FIG. 7, the illustrated communications cable 92
is passed
through a communications aperture 196 in door 166 join the exterior control
panel 90 and
the drive assembly 62. Communications system 88 may join the control panel 90
to the
motor 78 of the interior drive assembly 62 through the door 166 via the
communications
cable 92. In some embodiments, a user may need to prepare the communications
aperture 196, such as by drilling or otherwise cutting a hole through the
door. The
communications aperture 196 may be prepared adjacent the thumb turn opening
167 so
that the communications cable 92 may be attached to a rear surface 74 of drive
assembly
62 that is mounted over thumb turn opening 167.
[0074] Referring now to Figure 8, illustrated drive assembly 62 includes
an electric
motor 78 which may be coupled to power source 76 (Figure 2) to receive power
from the
power source. The motor 78 is also communicatively coupled to communications
system
88 (Figure 2) to be directed by the communications system 88. Illustrated
motor 78
includes a drive shaft interface 79 to join the motor 78 to the drive shaft
68. When drive
shaft 68 is received in drive shaft interface 79 the motor 78 may move the
drive shaft 68
as directed by the communications system 88.
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[0075] Referring now to Figure 9, drive assembly 62 may be joined at
communications interface 63 to communications cable 92 at an internal end 87
of
communications cable 92. Drive assembly 62 may be mounted over thumb turn
opening
167 with drive shaft interface 79 aligned with thumb turn opening 167.
Communications
aperture 196 is adjacent thumb turn opening 167, and so drive assembly 62 may
be
mounted over thumb turn opening 167 without communications cable 92 extending
beyond a periphery 65 of drive assembly 62 or otherwise visible from an
interior side of
door.
[0076] Referring now to Figures 10 to 12, illustrated drive shaft 68
includes a
tailpiece 69 to drivingly engage the bolt assembly of mortise lock 110.
Tailpiece 69 may
be inserted through thumb turn opening 167 and into turn slot 142 (Figure 9).
Once
inserted into turn slot 142 of the bolt assembly of mortise lock 110, rotation
of tailpiece 69
causes rotation of the turn slot 142 and retraction or extension of the bolt
134 of mortise
lock 110.
[0077] Drive shaft 68 may be moved by motor 78 of drive assembly 62 when
drive
shaft 68 is secured to drive shaft interface 79 of motor 78. Since illustrated
drive shaft 68,
having a tailpiece 69 for insertion into turn slot 142, motor 78 is coupled to
the drive shaft
68 to rotate the driveshaft 68 around axis 80 of driveshaft 68 to rotate the
turn slot 142.
However, in other embodiments the drive assembly 62 may drivingly engage the
bolt
assembly in other ways.
[0078] Also illustrated in Figure 11 is a square opening 154 of mortise
lock 110.
Square opening 154 is provided to receiving a spindle of an inner lever handle
148 passed
through handle opening 155 in door 166.
[0079] Referring now to Figure 13, a method 200 of retrofitting a lock
such as
mortise lock 110 includes a step 210 of removing a thumb turn of the lock from
an interior
side of a door. Removing the thumb turn at step 210 may expose a bolt assembly
of the
lock within the door so that a motorized drive assembly can be drivingly
engaged with the
bolt assembly.
[0080] Method 200 also includes at step 220 attaching a drive shaft of a
motorized
drive assembly to the bolt assembly in driving engagement with the bolt
assembly. The
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motorized drive assembly including a motor coupled to the drive shave to move
the drive
shaft, and drivingly engaging the drive shaft with the bolt assembly may allow
the
motorized drive assembly to extend and retract a deadbolt of the bolt
assembly. At step
230 the motorized drive assembly is attached to the interior side of the door.
[0081] In some embodiments, the motorized drive assembly of the method
200
also includes a communications system to receive an instruction from a user
and direct
the actuation of the motor of the motorized drive assembly to lock or unlock
the mortise
lock. A communications system may be, for example, a proximity sensor to sense
the
proximity of a key card or a smartphone or other portable device, and identify
the proximity
of the key card or portable device as the instruction to activate the motor. A
communications system may also or alternatively include a touchpad or other
input
device. A communications system may include an input device, such as a keypad,
touchscreen control panel, sensor, or transceiver.
[0082] Referring now to Figure 14, in some embodiments a method 240 of
retrofitting a mortise lock includes an installation of a communications
system in addition
to steps 210, 220 and 230. At step 250 an aperture is prepared through a door,
such as
by drilling or otherwise cutting an opening through a door adjacent a thumb
turn opening
in the door. A communications cable is then extended through the door at step
260 by
passing the cable through the aperture prepared at step 250.
[0083] At step 270 an exterior end of the communications cable may be
attached
to an exterior touchpad control panel. An interior end of the communications
cable is
attached to the motorized drive assembly to communicatively couple the control
panel to
the drive assembly.
[0084] The communications cable allows an instruction received at the
exterior
touchpad control panel to be transmitted to the interior motorized drive
assembly through
the door via the communications cable, such as an instruction to retract a
bolt of the
mortise lock in the door by moving the drive shaft of the motorized drive
assembly. For
example, a user may enter an entry code at a touchscreen control panel to
direct the
motor of a drive assembly to move the drive shaft and retract or extend the
deadbolt of a
= mortise lock.
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[0085] The exterior touchpad control panel is attached to the exterior
side of the
door at step 280. The touchpad control panel may be attached adjacent the lock
cylinder
of the mortise lock in the door, so that a user can easily access either the
touchpad control
panel or the lock cylinder at their option.
[0086] In some embodiments, a lock retrofit assembly may log lock or
unlock
events. For example, a lock retrofit assembly may include a storage device or
may be
communicatively coupled to an external storage device to log when the door is
opened
and by which code or key card or other instruction. A log of lock and unlock
events may
enable a user to keep track of entry and exit events and associate each event
with a
particular individual by way of the code or card used.
[0087] For example, a log may record that a first code was used to open
the door
from an exterior side at a first time, the door was automatically relocked
when it returned
to the frame after being opened, the door was unlocked by way of the manual
thumb turn
on the drive assembly at a second time later than the first time, and then the
door was
automatically relocked when it returned to the frame after being opened. In
another
example, a log may record that during a time frame in which the door was not
set to
automatically relock a first key card was used to open the door from an
exterior side at a
first item, the door was relocked from an interior side by pressing the auto
lock button at
a second time later than the third time, and then the door was unlocked at a
third time
from an interior by use of the manual thumb turn on the drive assembly.
[0088] A user may use the log to, for example, determine whether to
revoke access
to an individual by cancelling an entry code or card permission associated
with the
individual. In some embodiments, a user may cancel a permission, such as an
entry code
permission, remotely. For example, a user may use a mobile application
connected to a
communications system of a lock retrofit assembly to remove the entry code
from a list of
permitted or acceptable entry codes accessible by the communications system.
In some
embodiments, a user may cancel a permission using an input device coupled to
the lock
retrofit assembly, such as the touchpad coupled to the lock retrofit assembly.
[0089] In some embodiments, a lock retrofit assembly is provided along
with a lock
having a bolt assembly, the bolt assembly including a bolt driver and a
deadbolt. A bolt
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driver may be a rotatable core secured to a guide for a deadbolt, the
rotatable core
operatively coupled to a dead bolt received in the guide to move the dead bolt
in and out
of an open end of the guide. A bolt driver may include a turn slot or other
interface to
receive a shaft from a thumb turn so that the thumb turn may drivingly engage
the bolt
assembly via the shaft of the thumb turn, the shaft extending through a thumb
turn hole
in the door from an inner side surface of the door to the bolt assembly
installed in the
door. In some embodiments, a lock retrofit assembly is manufactured separately
from a
lock but is to be installed concurrently. For example, lock retrofit assembly
60 may be
provided along with mortise lock 110 to be installed at the same time.
[0090] In some embodiments, when the lock retrofit assembly is expected
to take
the place of the thumb turn, a lock may be provided without a thumb turn
and/or installed
without a thumb turn. For example, a method of installing a lock retrofit
assembly may be
similar to method 200 with step 210 replaced by a step of installing a lock
without installing
a thumb turn of the lock. With the lock installed without the thumb turn, a
bolt assembly
of the lock within the door remains exposed so that a motorized drive assembly
of the
lock retrofit assembly can be drivingly engaged with the bolt assembly.
[0091] Referring now to Figure 15, an embodiment of a lock retrofit
communications system 388 is shown. Communications system 388 is similar in
many
respects to communications system 88, and like features are identified by like
reference
characters, incremented by 300.
[0092] Communications system 388 includes a processing unit 311 and a
system
memory 313 which may be interconnected across a system bus or network 315, or
a
distributed network accessing data through interface 317 connecting to one or
more
remote devices 319 such as servers or smartphones. The computer compilation
system
may have access to computer readable media, and the system memory may include
computer readable storage media in the form of volatile and/or nonvolatile
memory such
as read only memory and/or random access memory. In some embodiments, system
memory may include an operating system, application programs, and program
data.
[0093] A user using the communications system 388 may interface through
input
devices 321, such as a touchpad or sensor, to provide information and
instructions. An
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output interface may connect to the drive motor of a lock assembly, such as
drive motor
78, to direct the operations of the drive motor. An output interface 323 may
also or
alternatively provide a user with information; for example, the output
interface 323 may
be a light, a speaker, a screen, or a network interface.
[0094] In some embodiments, remote devices 319 may be used to control
communications system 388. For example, a smartphone remote device 319 may be
used to direct a drive motor 78 to open, such as if the user of the smartphone
remote
device 319 has been informed that someone would like access through the door.
In
another example, a smartphone remote device 319 may be used to change an
operational setting of the communications system 388, such as to direct the
communications system 388 to only accept certain entry codes from a touchpad
input
device 321.
[0095] In some embodiments, a communications system 388 may be networked
and operable as a distributed system, a communications system may also be able
to
access distributed databases for information or processing capability.
[0096] In some embodiments, a communications system may have one or more
operational modes. For example, a communications system 388 may have a Privacy
Mode in which only a master code or master access card and/or an authorized
Bluetooth
mobile application on a smartphone is able to unlock the door from the
outside. A Privacy
Mode may be used, for example, where a user having the Bluetooth mobile
application
on their smartphone wishes to temporarily block all additional access codes or
cards for
some reason.
[0097] Operational modes may also include an Away Mode, in which again
only
the Privacy Mode is activated and the system is also set to generate an alarm
if the lock
is opened or if the lock is opened by any means other than the master code or
master
access card and/or an authorized Bluetooth mobile application on a smartphone.
An
alarm may be an audible alarm sounded from a speaker of a lock retrofit
assembly and/or
an alert sent to a remote device such as a smartphone remote device. For
example, if an
Away Mode is activated on lock retrofit assembly 60 and the lock is then
opened from the
inside by rotation of manual thumb turn 82 a communications system may send a
notice
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to a remote device such as a smartphone on which a Bluetooth mobile
application is
installed. An alarm may let a user know, for example, that someone may have
passed
through a door who should be informed that the Away Mode is active and that
they will
need the master code or card to get back through.
[0098] Operational modes may also include an Auto/Manual Mode in which a
lock
retrofit assembly automatically relocks after a period of time. For example,
the
Auto/Manual Mode may be as discussed above, in which a drive motor such as
drive
motor 78 automatically relocks a door after a predetermined period of time or
after a door
sensor senses that the door has been opened out of a frame and then returned
to a closed
position in the frame.
[0099] In some embodiments, an operational mode, such as a Privacy Mode,
may
be activated by a setting on the Bluetooth mobile application, such as if the
Bluetooth
mobile application is a remote device 319 connected to communications system
388 and
can change the settings of the communication system 388. In some embodiments,
an
operational mode, such as a Privacy Mode, may be activated by physically
manipulating
a lock retrofit assembly, such as by holding down the auto lock button 99 of
the lock retrofit
assembly 60 for a predetermined time such as more than 2 seconds or more than
5
seconds.
[0100] While the above description provides examples of one or more
apparatus,
methods, or systems, it will be appreciated that other apparatus, methods, or
systems
may be within the scope of the claims as interpreted by one of skill in the
art.
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