Abstract: A doorknob has a neck in rotational bearing engagement on a knob sleeve and has a pair of inner recesses which open inward to engage a driver lug and open axially to be engageable with the lug by axial knob movement. The sleeve has a cross slot adapted to contain a torque-releasable driver, biased outward to engage its lug in a recess, but with the lug so shaped that it will be cammed out of the recess under excess torque on the knob and hence release the knob and prevent transmission of the excess torque to the knob sleeve. Alternatively, the sleeve cross slot may contain a positive driver such as one having end lugs engaged in both recesses, or may contain no driver so that the knob is freely rotatable on the sleeve. The knob has a large end bore closed by a face closure member retained in place by a buried snap ring.

Abstract: A hotel-function mortise lock with improved deadlocking and deadlocking release cam mechanism, comprising a release cam block slidably mounted on the latch bolt tailpiece against the rear tailplate by which it is retracted. A latch deadlocking lever pivotally mounted in the lock case has a forward blocker arm movable into deadlocking position behind the latch and has a rearward release arm which carries a cam nose in the path of initial movement of a cam finger on the slidable cam block, so that latch-retracting movement of the cam block initially moves the deadlocking lever to non-blocking position. The lock includes both a key cylinder-actuated lever and a knob hub-actuated lever, both of which are engaged with the cam block so as to act therethrough in retracting the latch and thereby cause the same single cam finger to release the deadlocking lever to permit full retraction of the latch by either of such latch-retracting levers.

Abstract: A key-changeable lock core of FIG. 8 cross section has a core body with key plug and pin tumbler housings, and a key plug supported for rotation in the key plug housing. A control element, desirably a sleeve about the key plug having a thick top segment carrying a core-retaining lug, is mounted in a core-body recess for rotation between a core-locking position and a lug-retracted position. Its inner face defines an operating shear line at the surface of the key plug, and its outer face defines a control shear line at the top face of the recess, which is preferably a flat planar face. The outer face of the control element has an arcuate portion in the vicinity of the pin tumbler barrels on a radius of curvature about the axis of the control element, and has a planar face portion extending toward the retaining lug in diverging relation with such curvature, preferably tangentially therefrom.

Abstract: A biasing spring especially for a doorknob keeper or other knob to knob-sleeve connector and the combination thereof with a knob connector of any of various types, but in particular a plate mounted for radial movement in a plane normal to the axis of a knob sleeve and having a lug projecting radially into engagement with a surrounding knob portion. The spring has a central angular bight embracing a central tongue on the retainer plate at one side of the sleeve, and side legs straddling a central clearance space in the knob sleeve and extending into stressed camming engagement with converging inside faces of the opposite half of the sleeve. The spring legs may have end portions interlocked with the plate to secure the spring in place, or may be otherwise retained.

Abstract: A deadlocking latch bolt in a tubular housing is connected to a tailpiece front cross head having a retainer arm in a radial window in the bolt and a blocker arm abutting the opposite housing side to maintain the connection. A deadlocking tumbler is biased to bolt deadlocking position. An auxiliary bolt, when projected, holds the tumbler in release position, and when retracted relative to the bolt, allows the tumbler to take deadlocking position. A channel-shaped tailpiece cam member engaged for linear movement with the cross head has a cam face presented to move the tumbler to release position when the deadlocked bolt is drawn rearward by the tailpiece. The bolt is movable relative to the tailpiece when thrust rearward so as to be deadlocked against the tumbler before actuating the tailpiece and its cam member, but has no lost motion when pulled rearward by the tailpiece.

Abstract: An improved and simplified dead bolt rim lock, which provides "classroom function". A dead bolt is fixed on a draw plate slidable in a rim lock case and having a cross slot which extends one way from center and is engaged by a crank pin movable in an 180.degree. arc between front and rear centered positions. The crank pin is on a crank arm carried by a turnknob rotatable in the rim lock case, and its projecting end lies in the path of a cam mounted for rotation in the back plate of the case and connected for operation from a key-actuated cylinder mounted in the outside face of the door. For classroom function, the turnknob has a limited throw and has lost motion relative to the crank arm so as to allow retraction of the bolt by the turnknob but prevent its advancement thereby to locked position.

Abstract: A cylindrical lock structure having a key-removable core in its outer knob, modified to provide a function as for hotel room use in which it is operable from the outside by key operation only and the outside knob sleeve or spindle is locked against bolt-retracting rotation relative to the chassis hub, is rendered immune to forcing from the application of excess torque to the outer knob, by mounting the knob neck rotatably on the knob sleeve and hub structure and by providing a rotative slip fit at the periphery of the face plate which closes the core-passing opening at the outer end ot the knob handle and supports such end from the knob sleeve, so as to allow the knob to rotate freely on the non-rotative knob sleeve and hub, and thereby prevent the application of excess torque to the locked knob sleeve.

Abstract: Retracting mechanism for a deadlocking latch bolt comprises a U-shaped frame extension for the latch bolt tube, having parallel side walls joined at the rear by an integral rear wall and held spaced at the front by out-turned tabs engaged in the tube and riveted to its end wall by spring guide pins. A two-piece rotatable retractor is trapped between the side walls with its hub ends rotatable in bushings in such walls, and has a pair of arms axially separated by a central cylindrical section. The latch bolt tailpiece has a wide rear yoke portion formed by spaced parallel side legs which straddle and are guided by such central cylindrical section. One such leg carries a cross pin drivingly engaged in the slots of the retractor arms which swing 80.degree. to retract the tailpiece through a long stroke. The rear yoke has forward stop shoulders which engage a stop face on the latch bolt tube to position the tailpiece for a full retraction stroke.

Abstract: A key-removable lock core of the same size as a standard core, to fit standard core receptacles, and having a key plug of improved pull resistance. The core body of figure-8 cross section has a key plug lobe which contains a sleeve having a core retainer lug movable by a control key between a projected core retaining position and a retracted core release position. A key plug having an enlarged rear head is inserted from the rear into the cylindrical bore defined by the sleeve, with the head overlapping the rear of both the sleeve and the key plug lobe of the body. A segment is inserted in a slot traversing the key slot and is trapped therein by the sleeve to form a key stop. The key plug is held in place by a C-shaped retaining ring in a circumferential groove in such plug at the front face of the body, and is trapped in place by a face plate fixed to the body by a blind annular rivet.

Abstract: A latchbolt rim lock of simple sturdy construction with smooth effective operation and long life. A die cast case forms guides for a bolt having a head and draw plate, and has U-shaped ribs on its rear wall to define seats for springs biasing the bolt forward, in which the springs are held by a rear flange on the back plate. A rearward boss on the front wall forms a retraction stop for the bolt and contains a headed holdback plunger which is manually movable into a hole in the bolt where it is latched by its head to hold the bolt retracted. The draw plate contains a cam opening which defines opposite cam faces which are engaged by a crank pin to retract the bolt. The cam opening also has a central pin-passing throat which allows cammed retraction of the latchbolt relative to the crank pin, and defines supplemental cam faces for moving the bolt to release the holdback plunger.

Abstract: Apparatus for providing a "hotel function" in a cylinder lock having a key-removable locking core in its outside knob. Actuation of a push button in the inside knob causes the core to be disabled from retracting the bolt and projects an indicator from the face of the outside knob. The key plug of the core is connected to rotate a throw member which is axially movable between an inward operative position and an outward disabling position. The throw member is connected to the roll-back cam by a flat blade slidable in a cross slot in the roll-back cam sleeve. In the operative position of the throw member, a full width section of the blade lies in the cross slot to clutch the blade to the roll-back cam, while in the disabling position, a narrowed section of the blade lies in the cross slot and is rotatable therein so as to declutch the blade from the roll-back cam.

Abstract: An adaptation for a mortise lock having a double-ended primary lock "cylinder" of "keyhole" cross-section mounted through a conforming opening in the mortise lock case, provides for use of key-removable lock cores and increases security by preventing removal of the lock cylinder except after removal of a core with a special control key. Two key-removable cores are mounted in chambers at opposite ends of a housing which fits through the cylinder-receiving opening of the mortise lock case. A bolt-actuating cam between the chambers lies within the case and is alternatively engaged by shuttle throw plug members respectively moved to engaged position by thrust of a key in one of the cores and is operated by rotation of such key. The cores require a special control key for removal and are shaped or mouned so as to project laterally from the lock cylinder and thereby to block passage of the cylinder out of the conforming opening of the lock case until removed by a control key.

Abstract: A door knob on a knob sleeve or spindle which is adapted to be blocked from rotation is connected to such spindle by a break-away ring and is otherwise rotatable on the spindle. The break-away ring is mounted about the spindle between the end of the fixed hub of the lock chassis and an internal flange on the knob, and has a pair of radial lugs extending inward to key it to the spindle and a pair of axial lugs extending into the knob flange to key it to the knob. One pair, preferably the axial pair of lugs, is adapted to break away under excessive knob turning force to disconnect the rotative connection of the knob to the spindle.

Abstract: A door knob is machined from solid stock to provide a tubular neck, an intermediate portion which is internally recessed to reduce its wall thickness, and a solid-section end portion having a large axial end opening which provides tool access for recessing the mid-portion and clears the pin tumbler lobe of a key-removable core mounted in the knob sleeve with its key plug concentric with the knob. The end opening has an axially-outward facing shoulder and an adjacent radially-inward opening groove. A knob locating, bevelled-edge ring lies against the shoulder with its edge partially closing the mouth of the groove. An end face member having a peripheral bevelled skirt is pressed into the end opening and against the edge of the ring so as to deform the skirt outward into the groove and thereby secure both the end face member and the ring in the knob. The end face member may have an opening for a core mounted in the knob sleeve, or for other usual knob accessories, or may completely close the end of the knob.

Abstract: A heavy duty cylindrical lock set adaptable for various "functions" and having improved features, especially to permit a key-removable lock core to be reversible in its knob mounting to suit right- and left-hand doors. A knob sleeve of large diameter is slotted and shaped at its knob receiving end to form two diametrically-opposed channel sections of high strength and rigidity. The inward edges of the four channel side legs form a mounting seat to receive the key-plug-containing body of the core on the axis of the knob, while the two spaces between the channel sections permit the pin-tumbler lobe or section of the core to extend radially in either of two orientations about the axis of the knob. Two of the channel side edges are notched to engage a key-controlled retaining lug of the core. The knob has a large bore in its outer end and is supported from the knob sleeve by a drive ring which accomodates the core in both orientations. A face plate is held in the knob bore by the core and closes the knob bore.