A push button actuator unit has a housing which defines a through passage that extends along an axis of the housing, and a slot that extends in a plane which transversely intersects the axis and communicates with the passage for supporting in the housing-defined slot a disc-shaped member having a ce
A push button actuator unit has a housing which defines a through passage that extends along an axis of the housing, and a slot that extends in a plane which transversely intersects the axis and communicates with the passage for supporting in the housing-defined slot a disc-shaped member having a central opening that aligns with the passage. Movable in the aligned passage and opening is a push button sub-assembly of the unit which includes a front element that, when depressed rearwardly, may cause a rear element of the push button sub-assembly to extend rearwardly from the housing to release a latch or to operate a switch or the like. If the unit is to be lockable, an optional locking mechanism is added to the elements of the push button sub-assembly to selectively drivingly connect the front and rear elements so that depression of the front element will cause rearward extension of the rear element only when the unit is unlocked. The disc-shaped member interacts with other components of the unit to regulate the movement of selected elements of the push button sub-assembly relative to the housing, for example by limiting element translation along the axis and/or by inhibiting the turning of selected elements of the push button sub-assembly about the axis.
대표청구항▼
What is claimed is: 1. A lockable push button actuator, comprising a housing that defines a through passage extending along a central axis of the housing, and a slot extending in a plane that transversely intersects the central axis and communicates with the passage; a disc-shaped member carried in
What is claimed is: 1. A lockable push button actuator, comprising a housing that defines a through passage extending along a central axis of the housing, and a slot extending in a plane that transversely intersects the central axis and communicates with the passage; a disc-shaped member carried in the slot and having a central opening along the central axis in communication with the passage; and a push button sub-assembly having elements that are movable in communicating portions of the passage and central opening, including a) a rearwardly depressable front element, b) a rearwardly extensible rear element, and c) a locking mechanism capable of drivingly connecting the front and rear elements so that rearward depression of the front element will cause rearward extension of the rear element to an operated position when the push button sub-assembly is unlocked but not when the push button sub-assembly is locked; and, wherein the disc-shaped member engages the housing and at least a selected one of the push button sub-assembly elements to regulate movement of the selected one of the elements relative to the housing. 2. The lockable push button actuator of claim 1 wherein the engagement of the disc-shaped member with the housing and with the selected one of the elements regulates turning about the central axis of the selected one of the elements relative to the housing. 3. The lockable push button actuator of claim 1 wherein a detent is interposed between the housing and the disc-shaped member to inhibit turning of the disc-shaped member about the central axis, and a spline-type connection is provided between the disc-shaped member and the selected one of the elements to permit translation of the selected one of the elements along the central axis while inhibiting turning of the selected one of the elements about the central axis. 4. The lockable push button actuator of claim 3 wherein the spline-type connection is defined at least in part by surface portions of the disc-shaped member that define the central opening, and by a formation of the selected one of the elements configured to slidingly engage the surface portions. 5. The lockable push button actuator of claim 3 wherein the detent includes a detent member carried in a channel defined by the housing that communicates with the slot, and wherein a biasing device is provided in the channel to bias the detent member toward engagement with the disc-shaped member. 6. The lockable push button actuator of claim 5 wherein the disc-shaped member defines a recess configured to receive a rounded portion of the detent member within a portion of the recess when the recess is aligned with the channel, and wherein the biasing device is configured to bias the rounded portion of the detent member toward the recess when the disc-shaped member is turned about the central axis to align the recess with the channel. 7. The lockable push button actuator of claim 6 wherein the channel extends transversely with respect to the central axis. 8. The lockable push button actuator of claim 7 wherein the channel extends in substantially the same plane as the slot. 9. The lockable push button actuator of claim 6 wherein the channel substantially parallels the central axis of the housing at a location spaced from the central axis. 10. The lockable push button actuator of claim 1 wherein the engagement of the disc-shaped member with the housing and the selected one of the elements regulates translation along the central axis of the selected one of the elements relative to the housing. 11. The lockable push button actuator of claim 10 wherein the disc-shaped member defines a stop surface that is engaged by the selected one of the elements when the selected one of the elements is at one of two opposite ends of a permitted range of translation along the central axis. 12. The lockable push button actuator of claim 11 wherein the selected one of the elements is the front element, and the stop surface is engaged by the front element when the front element is at a rearward end of the permitted range of translation. 13. The lockable push button actuator of claim 11 wherein the selected one of the elements is the rear element, and the stop surface is engaged by the rear element when the rear element is at a forward end of the permitted range of translation. 14. The lockable push button actuator of claim 1 wherein the disc-shaped member interacts with the selected one of the elements to limit turning movement of the selected one of the elements about the central axis relative to the disc-shaped member while permitting the selected one of the elements to translate along the central axis relative to the disc-shaped member. 15. The lockable push button actuator of claim 14 additionally including a) a recess defined by the disc-shaped member, b) a detent member movably supported by the housing in a channel that opens into the slot, and, c) a compressed resilient member in the channel biasing a portion of the detent member toward the disc-shaped member to cause a portion of the detent member to be received in the recess when the disc-shaped member is turned about the central axis to an orientation where the channel aligns with the recess. 16. The lockable push button actuator of claim 15 wherein the resilient member has a generally ball-shaped configuration when not compressed. 17. The lockable push button actuator of claim 16 wherein the resilient member is formed from Buna-N nitrile material. 18. The lockable push button actuator of claim 15 wherein the resilient member is a compression coil spring. 19. The lockable push button actuator of claim 15 wherein the detent member is a steel ball. 20. The lockable push button actuator of claim 15 wherein the channel extends in substantially the same plane as the slot. 21. The lockable push button actuator of claim 15 wherein the channel substantially parallels the central axis of the housing at a location spaced from the central axis. 22. The lockable push button actuator of claim 1 wherein the front element, the rear element and the disc-shaped member are configured to ensure substantially concurrent turning of the front element, the rear element and the disc-shaped member about the central axis, and a detent is interposed between the housing and a selected one of the front element, the rear element and the disc-shaped member to inhibit turning of the front element, the rear element and the disc-shaped member about the central axis. 23. The lockable push button actuator of claim 1 wherein the front element of the push button sub-assembly is movable along the central axis between a normal position and a depressed position, and wherein the locking mechanism is capable of retaining the front element in the depressed position when the front element is moved to the depressed position while the push button sub-assembly is locked. 24. The lockable push button actuator of claim 23 wherein the locking mechanism is capable of releasing the front element for movement from the depressed position to the normal position in response to unlocking of the push button sub-assembly. 25. A lockable push button actuator unit, comprising: a) a housing having an outer wall which surrounds a passage of the housing that extends forwardly and rearwardly along an imaginary central axis, and having a slot which extends in a plane that transversely intersects the axis, wherein the slot opens through the outer wall of the housing and communicates with the passage of housing; b) a disc-shaped member carried in the slot and having an opening formed therethrough in alignment with the passage; c) a push button sub-assembly supported in the passage and extending through the opening of the disc-shaped member, including a front element and a rear element that are translatable relative to each other along the central axis, and including a locking mechanism adapted 1) when unlocked, to couple the front element and the rear element so that rearward translation of the front element along the central axis from a normal position to a depressed position will cause rearward translation of the rear element along the central axis from a non-operated position to an operated position, and 2) when locked, to decouple the front element and the rear element so the front element can translate rearwardly along the central axis from the normal position to the depressed position without causing the rear element to translate from the non-operated position to the operated position; and, d) wherein the front element, the rear element and the disc-shaped member are provided with formations that interfit 1) to permit the front element, the rear element and the disc-shaped member to translate relative to each other along the central axis as permitted by the locking mechanism, and 2) to prevent the front element, the rear element and the disc-shaped member from turning relative to each other about the central axis. 26. The actuator unit of claim 25 wherein the disc-shaped member defines a stop surface that is engaged by the front element when in the depressed position. 27. The actuator unit of claim 25 wherein the disc-shaped member defines a stop surface that is engaged by the rear element when in the non-operated position. 28. The actuator unit of claim 25 further comprising a detent element movably supported by the housing and biased into engagement with a receiving formation of the disc-shaped member for inhibiting turning movement of the disc-shaped member about the central axis unless and until sufficient torque is applied to a selected one of the front element, the rear element and the disc-shaped member to cause the detent member to retract from engagement with the receiving formation to thereby permit the disc-shaped member, the front element and the rear element to turn concurrently about the central axis. 29. The actuator unit of claim 25 wherein the formations that interfit establish a spline-type connection that couples the front element, the rear element and the disc-shaped member to enable the front element, the rear element and the disc-shaped member to turn substantially concurrently about the central axis, and to translate relative to each other along the central axis.
연구과제 타임라인
LOADING...
LOADING...
LOADING...
LOADING...
LOADING...
이 특허에 인용된 특허 (63)
Falk Sidney (River Grove IL) Alex James M. (River Grove IL), Axial wafer tumbler lock and key.
Johansson, Torsten; Magnusson, Claes; Anderson, Glenn; Scally, Charles R.; Wittig, J. Michael; Koveal, Stefan Matthew; Vickers, James H.; Rundle, Jr., Alfred George, Latch.
Lee S. Weinerman ; Scott A. Arthurs ; Arthur J. Kuminski ; Leslie A. Farkas CA; Robin T. Green CA, Portions of a clamp bracket assembly for use with push button latch and lock operating assemblies.
Weinerman, Lee S.; Arthurs, Scott A.; Kuminski, Arthur J.; Farkas, Leslie A.; Green, Robin T., Portions of a clamp bracket assembly for use with push button latch and lock operating assemblies.
Weger ; Jr. Kenneth F. (Cary IL) Koenig Richard A. (Crystal Lake IL) Draffkorn ; Jr. Gerald A. (Crystal Lake IL) Rogman Steven J. (Crystal Lake IL) Rodriquez Jose R. (Marengo IL), Push-button lock system.
※ AI-Helper는 부적절한 답변을 할 수 있습니다.