In certain settings, it is often desirable to provide a locking assembly with a lock cylinder on each side, such that an authorized person can lock and unlock the assembly from either side of the door. Such double-cylinder assemblies are often configured as a mortise lock assembly or a cylindrical lock assembly. Locking assemblies of this type may be selectively operable from an outer side of the door, while remaining continuously operable from an inner side of the door. In this manner, the locking assembly can prevent an intruder from entering a room, while allowing for emergency egress from inside the room.
It is also often desirable that the locking assembly provide a visual indication of the status of the assembly, in order to enable a user to quickly determine whether the door is locked or unlocked. While mortise assemblies include various features which facilitate the use of status indicators, the unique construction of cylindrical lock assemblies has presented obstacles to providing a status indicator for such assemblies. For example, mortise assemblies allow for a direct connection between the deadbolt turn piece and the status indicator. In contrast, the mechanisms which provide the locking functionality in a cylindrical lock assembly are often isolated from the visible portions of the assembly by a variety of elements, such as spring cages, mounting plates, and roses. These elements obstruct the path between the location at which the status of the locking assembly can be sensed and the location at which the status indicator would be mounted.
For these reasons among others, while certain conventional mortise assemblies include visual status indicators, current cylindrical lock assemblies do not. Instead, current double-cylinder cylindrical lock assemblies often include an arrow and the word “lock” (e.g. on the inner lock cylinder, inner lock handle, and/or inner lock rose) to indicate which way the key must be rotated to lock the assembly. In order to determine the status of the assembly, the user must approach the door, insert the key, and attempt to rotate the key in the locking direction. This is not only inconvenient, but can also put the user in danger, for example in an emergency situation where an armed intruder may be just outside the door. There is a need for the unique and inventive status indicator apparatuses, systems and methods disclosed herein.
USPTO Backgrounds
USPTO Backgrounds