Conventional deadbolt locks found on doors, particularly exterior doors, are typically of two types: those with deadbolt actuator knobs and those without. A deadbolt actuator knob is a mechanism on the interior side of the lock that can be manually turned to lock and unlock the deadbolt. Commonly, a key opening is found on the exterior side of the lock so as to receive a key that can open and close the lock. For those locks that do not have deadbolt actuator knobs, the interior side of the lock will often include a second key opening for receiving a key. Actuator knobs have been found to be useful. However, they also pose a safety risk as children can easily manipulate them thereby allowing the child to unlock the door and potentially exiting a home, unsupervised.
Other devices have been created heretofore for addressing similar problems. Notably, Japanese Patent No. JP4076176 to Yutaka and entitled “Push-Pull Turning Lock” (hereinafter, “Yutaka”) describes a custom portion to replace the interior of a lock. This device requires a push or pull actuation to lock or unlock the deadbolt. Yutaka is not meant to be attached to a fully-functional, existing deadbolt lock. Further, different deadbolt lock manufacturers have lock shafts in different locations and with different profiles which means Yutaka would not work with most or all existing deadbolts.
Other devices have similar or more noteworthy deficiencies in their function and/or design. There remains a need in the marketplace to provide a user-friendly yet effective safety cover for a deadbolt.
USPTO Backgrounds
USPTO Backgrounds