Locks – Special application – For control and machine elements
Reexamination Certificate
1999-03-03
2001-07-24
Gall, Lloyd A. (Department: 3627)
Locks
Special application
For control and machine elements
C070S212000, C292S148000, C292S205000, C292S281000, C292SDIG003
Reexamination Certificate
active
06263712
ABSTRACT:
This application is a 371 application of PCT/EP98/02709.
BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION
a) Technical Field
The invention is directed to a swivel lever actuator which can be secured by a padlock for the closure of switch cabinet doors or the like, with a trough or dish which is arranged on the outer surface of the door or the like and in which is arranged the driving device for the closure, such as a toothed-wheel drive, lever drive or lock shaft, wherein an actuating lever is articulated at the driving devices so as to be swivelable out of the dish about an axis extending parallel to the outer surface of the door or the like, and with a projection mounted on the dish, wherein an eyelet is arranged at the free end of the projection in such a way that when the actuating lever is swiveled into the dish the projection extends through an opening in the actuating lever and a padlock inserted through the eyelet prevents the actuating lever from swiveling out.
b) Description of the Related Art
A swivel lever actuator of the type mentioned above which can be secured by a padlock is already known from page 2-105 of a catalog from DIRAK GmbH & Co. KG, Kaiserstr. 55-59, 58332 Schwelm. A disadvantage in this known arrangement is that the projection projects far over the surface of the swiveled in swivel lever and accordingly presents an obstacle to persons passing by. Due to the fact that the projection in the center of the dish projects out very far, it also impedes the user's hand when the lever is swiveled out.
A closure for sheet-metal cabinet doors having a retractable or lowerable handle is known from DE 42 10 588 C2. This patent centers around the set of problems associated with the displaceable cover cap for a keyhole. Also described, however, is the possibility of fixing the swivel lever in the swiveled in state by means of a hook which can be swiveled out of its fixing position by the locking plate of a cylinder lock, whereupon the swivel lever is released.
A swivel lever closure which can be fixed in a swiveled in position by means of a cylinder lock and the locking plate thereof is known from EP 02 61 267. A hook device which hooks in automatically when the swivel lever closure is swung in is not provided. Also absent from this reference is an arrangement in which the swivel lever can be secured by means of a padlock.
It is known from WO 91 17 334 A1, see FIGS. 4 to 6 and claim 15, that a locking strip has a cam surface which is engaged by an edge formed by the base plate or by the opening in the door leaf when the swivel lever is swiveled into a lowered or recessed position and is accordingly pressed into the unlocked position against the spring force of a spring and that the cam surface is released again when the swiveled in position is achieved. Accordingly, locking can easily be carried out in this case by swiveling in the swivel lever. A key is not required for locking. However, it is not possible to lock the swivel lever by means of a padlock.
FR 25 84 093 A1 shows, in FIGS. 1 and 2, an actuating lever which can be fixed in a determined position by a padlock.
U.S. Pat. No. 4,134,281 describes a folding lever, that is, not a swivel lever. In the folded in state, the folding lever can be held by a locking lever 64 mounted in the dish as well as by a cylinder lock 66 which is accommodated in the folding lever. The folding lever can be accommodated in a housing
70
in a recessed manner. The cylinder lock 66, with its locking plate
130
, represents a first locking member. In normal use, this locking member holds the handle 16 in its swiveled in position. The folding lever is unlocked by pressing on a surface 96 of the structural component part 64. This is shown in FIGS. 6 and 4. The lever 64 has an opening 150 which, however, is not disclosed more fully in the description. Presumably, a shackle of a padlock can be placed through this opening in order to secure the lever against unauthorized opening. The folding lever 60 is provided with a bent back portion which can be seen in FIG. 4, but which is not discussed more fully in the text. As is stated in the abstract, this is a door closure for truck doors.
U.S. Pat. No. 5,467,623 relates to a swivel lever actuator which is locked in the swiveled in state by a locking lever 27 which is accommodated in the swivel lever. The locking member 33 of a cylinder lock 20 engages in the movement path of this locking lever, preventing its actuation, and therefore prevents the release of a hook device which engages behind a back-engagement 35 in the swiveled in state of the actuating lever and is held by the back-engagement 35. When the locking member is turned away, the lever 27 can be swiveled by thumb pressure out of its position in which it is held by the spring 35 against the force of a helical spring 26, whereupon the swivel lever is then swiveled out by means of an additional pressure spring 18 which is arranged in the area of its swiveling axis. A device enabling additional locking by means of a padlock is not described.
U.S. Pat. No 5,440,905 describes a swivel lever with a locking mechanism 11 which releases the swivel lever from its locked position by means of pressing a button on the swivel lever. A cylinder lock displaces a bar 20 behind which the projecting part of the push button engages. By means of a cylinder key, this slide can be displaced in such a way that it is no longer possible to unlock by means of the push button. This reference also does not offer the possibility of additionally securing the swivel lever by means of a padlock.
OBJECT AND SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION
An essential object of the invention is to further develop an arrangement of the type mentioned above in such a way that the projection with the eyelet through which the padlock can be inserted is less obtrusive.
This object is met in that the actuating lever forms an offset surface in the area of the opening, wherein the shackle of the padlock which is inserted through the eyelet is received by the offset surface in a well fitting manner.
According to a further development, the dish can also have, in the area of the shackle, a countersink or recess which receives the shackle in a well fitting manner.
A further disadvantage in the known arrangement consists in that security against swiveling out is only present when a padlock is actually inserted.
There are also cases where a padlock of this kind is not to be provided, at least occasionally; in such cases, the known arrangement is not protected against an unwanted swiveling out of the swivel lever. A swiveling out of this kind can occur when the swivel lever exits the dish due to a shaking movement such as can occur during an earthquake or also during operation on vibrating machinery, resulting in the risk that the swivel lever will rotate to the extent that the closure device opens and the door leaf or switch cabinet device secured by the closure remains open. Switch cabinets located, for example, on crane installations where there are often a plurality of, e.g., as many as
30
, switching installations which are enclosed by a switch cabinet are exposed to particularly violent shaking movements. Unwanted opening of such switch cabinet doors due to shaking cannot be tolerated. In the known arrangement, it is possible to provide a profile cylinder which can likewise secure the actuating lever independent from the padlock. However, the combination of a swivel lever closure with a padlock as well as a profile cylinder makes the arrangement complicated because two keys are then necessary: a first key for the padlock and a second key for the profile cylinder. The known arrangement also does not allow the actuating lever to be simply pressed in and locked. If a key-operated arrangement is provided, it must first be closed by means of keys or a padlock must be attached in order to achieve locking.
Therefore, another object of the invention is to further develop the known arrangement in such a way that the actuating lever can be pressed into its closing position and held therein so as to be secured also without
Gall Lloyd A.
Reed Smith LLP
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