Patio door lock

Claim 2

A door lock for a movable door having a pair of vertically aligned movable bolts positioned one at the top and one at the bottom of the door for locking engagement with a pair of keepers mounted at the top and bottom of the door frame, and means for positioning said bolts including a pair of bolt rods in substantial alignment along a vertical axis and connected one to each of the bolts at their outer ends and having their inner ends positioned at a distance from each other, a rotatable operator disposed in the space between said inner ends, a pair of bolt rod actuating links each pivotally fixed relative to the door and extending generally normal to the length of said bolt rods, each of said links being pivotally connected to one of said bolt rods at a connection lying in said vertical axis, and means interconnecting said rotatable operator and said links for movement of said links through a relatively short arc which is generally along said vertical axis to exert force axially of said bolt rods, said interconnecting means including an over-center link structure, spring means effective to urge said link structure over-center, and stop means for limiting movement of said link structure in either direction beyond said over-center position.

Claim 3

A door lock as defined in claim 1 wherein said spring means comprises a spring connected between said bolt rods and extending along said vertical axis.

Claim 4

A door lock as defined in claim 2 wherein the recited structure is located within a frame member extending along a vertical edge of the door.

Claim 5

In a patio door lock mountable inside a door and having reciprocating bolt structure including vertically-aligned bolt rods, an improved linkage comprising: an upper lever arm pivotally fixed at one end relative to said door and pivotally connected at the other end to an upper one of said bolt rods; a lower lever arm pivotally fixed at one end relative to said door and pivotally connected at the other end to a lower one of said bolt rods; a rotatable operator positioned between said lever arms; a first link pivotally connected at one end to an intermediate point on said upper lever arm and pivotally connected at the other end to said rotatable operator; a second link pivotally connected at one end to an intermediate point on said lower lever arm and pivotally connected at the other end to said rotatable operator; said pivotal connections of the links to the rotatable operator being diametrically opposite each other; a pair of stops fixed relative to the door and stop-engaging means on the rotatable operator for limiting rotation of the rotatable operator to movement between positions which cause the bolt structure to be either extended or retracted, and a spring extending in alignment with the bolt structure and operatively connected to adjacent ends of the bolt rods and acting in a direction to retract the bolt structure and to urge said stop-engaging means into engagement with one or the other of said stops.

Claim 6

In a patio door lock mountable inside a door and having reciprocating bolt structure including vertically-aligned bolt rods, an improved linkage comprising: an upper lever arm pivotally fixed at one end relative to said door and pivotally connected at the other end to an upper one of said bolt rods; a lower lever arm pivotally fixed at one end relative to said door and pivotally connected at the other end to a lower one of said bolt rods; a rotatable operator positioned between said lever arms; a first link pivotally connected at one end to an intermediate point on said upper lever arm and pivotally connected at the other end to said rotatable operator; a second link pivotally connected at one end to an intermediate point on said lower lever arm and pivotally connected at the other end to said rotatable operator; said pivotal connections of the links to the rotatable operator being diametrically opposite each other; a pair of stops fixed relative to the door and stop-engaging means on the rotatable operator for limiting rotation of the rotatable operator to movement between positions which cause the bolt structure to be either extended or retracted, and a spring extending in alignment with the bolt structure and operatively connected to adjacent ends of the bolt rods and acting in a direction to retract the bolt structure and to urge said stop-engaging means into engagement with one or the other of said stops.