The present invention relates to a locking assembly for latches, in particular adapted to the locking of the latches that can be actuated by an emergency opening device and the like, such as for example those with two door leaves.

In emergency doors of this type, both of the door leaves open toward a predefined and conventional direction (generally outward in order to allow an exodus in the event of necessity). A main door leaf is usually used for entering and exiting and is provided with an emergency opening lock that is designed so that the latch and the sliding bolt can be moved simultaneously when the handle is actuated. The secondary door leaf acts as an abutment for the main door leaf and is provided with an upper latch and a lower latch which can slide vertically and are connected, by way of rods, to what is known as an emergency opening block, which can be actuated by way of a special handle. The peculiarity of emergency doors of the type described above is that the spring latch and the sliding bolt of the lock which are installed on the main door leaf engage in corresponding seats in the abutting lock which are present in the secondary door leaf: the mechanism is designed so that if only the lock of the main door leaf is actuated, retracting the spring latch and the sliding bolt, it will be possible to open only the main door leaf, because the mechanical end stop keeps its latches in the locked position. However, in the abutting lock of the secondary door leaf, there is an element which is expelled by the abutting lock and which acts inside the mechanism of the lock of the main door leaf, actuating the retraction of the latch and of the bolt.

Therefore, activating that lock alone does not open only the secondary door leaf, but also the main door leaf. In conventional emergency doors, the latches of the secondary door leaf, by way of a key- or lever-operated mechanism, can be actuated from the closed position to the open position, in contrast with respective return springs. When the door leaf is open, if the thrust from the mechanism ceases, the springs will push the latches outward again. In particular, the lower latch can descend and come into contact with the floor. In order to prevent this, the use is known, for some specific types of door leaves, of special devices designed to retain the rods associated with the latches. These devices are installed at the exit point of the upper latch, and are activated by the end of a mechanical sensor which is elastically kept in a configuration of protrusion above the door leaf.

The encumbrances of conventional devices result in it being possible to install them only in door leaves that have internal cavities inside which the rods associated with the latches normally slide. In these cases it is possible to provide also these additional devices for locking the latches, in that the overall dimensions of the latch and of the device will in any case be consistent with the structure of the door leaf and of the internal cavities that accommodate the latch (and the associated actuation rods).

For door leaves that have no internal cavities, i.e. in which the rods and the latches slide along the outer edges, in accordance with specifically defined size standards for protrusions with respect to the overall outline of encumbrance of the door leaf, it is not possible to insert conventional locking devices.

The principal aim of the present invention is to solve the above mentioned drawbacks, by providing a locking assembly for latches of the type suitable to be installed in any type of door leaf.

Within this aim, an object of the invention is to provide a locking assembly for latches that is particularly efficient and secure.

Another object of the invention is to provide a locking assembly for latches that has a simple structure, and is completely mechanical for automatically managing the rearming of the latches.

Another object of the present invention is to provide a locking assembly for latches which is of low cost, easily and practically implemented, and safe in use. This aim and these and other objects which will become better apparent hereinafter are achieved by a locking assembly for latches of the type comprising at least one main casing which defines seats for the slideable accommodation of at least one said latch which is coupled to a respective actuation rod which is integral with a lock, characterized in that it comprises:

- a mechanical sensor which is slideably accommodated on a concave portion of said main casing and movable between a configuration of protrusion of a terminal end thereof, by elastic forcing, with respect to the outline of a door leaf in which the assembly is installed and a configuration of retraction of said terminal end with respect to the outline of said door leaf of installation, said sensor comprising a lane for the slideable accommodation of said latch;

- a contoured recess along a side wall of said concave portion of said casing;

- a through notch along one of the side ledges that delimit said lane of said sensor;

- a slider arranged in said notch and protruding with respect to the thickness of the side ledge on which the notch is defined, for abutment on the side wall of said concave portion, between a first arrangement of at least partial accommodation in said contoured recess and non-interference with said latch and a configuration of protrusion into said lane and interference with said latch and abutment on a zone outside said recess.

Further characteristics and advantages of the invention will become better apparent from the detailed description that follows of a preferred, but not exclusive, embodiment of the locking assembly for latches according to the invention, which is illustrated by way of non-limiting example in the accompanying drawings, wherein:

Figure 1 is a schematic perspective view of a portion of a door leaf fitted with the locking assembly for latches according to the invention; Figure 2 is a schematic front elevation view of the portion of the door leaf in Figure 1 and the respective jamb;

Figure 3 is a cross-sectional view taken along a front plane of the portion and the jamb shown in Figure 2;

Figure 4 is a partially exploded schematic perspective view of the locking assembly for latches according to the invention;

Figure 5 is an exploded schematic perspective view of the locking assembly for latches according to the invention;

Figure 6 is a schematic perspective view of the locking assembly for latches according to the invention with the latch extracted and the sensor retracted;

Figure 7 is a cross-sectional view taken along a front plane of the locking assembly for latches according to the invention with the latch extracted and the sensor retracted;

Figure 8 is a schematic perspective view of the locking assembly for latches according to the invention with the latch retracted and the sensor extracted;

Figure 9 is a cross-sectional view taken along a front plane of the locking assembly for latches according to the invention with the latch retracted and the sensor extracted;

Figure 10 is a schematic perspective view of the locking assembly for latches according to the invention with the latch extracted and the sensor extracted;

Figure 11 is a cross-sectional view taken along a front plane of the locking assembly for latches according to the invention with the latch extracted and the sensor extracted.

With particular reference to the figures, the reference numeral 1 generally designates a locking assembly for latches 2.

The locking assembly 1 comprises at least one main casing 3 which defines seats for the slideable accommodation of the at least one latch 2 which is coupled to a respective actuation rod 4 which is integral with a lock (not shown in the accompanying figures).

The assembly 1 according to the invention comprises a mechanical sensor 5, which is slideably accommodated on a concave portion 6 of the main casing 3.

The mechanical sensor 5 is movable between a configuration of protrusion of a terminal end thereof 7, by elastic forcing, with respect to the outline of a door leaf A in which the assembly 1 is installed and a configuration of retraction of the terminal end 7 with respect to the aforementioned outline of the door leaf A. The sensor 5 comprises a lane 8 for the slideable accommodation of the latch 2.

The concave portion 6 of the casing 3 further comprises a contoured recess 9 along a side wall 10.

A through notch 12 is provided at one of the ledges 11 that delimit the lane 8 (in particular the ledge 11 facing and proximate to the contoured recess 9 of the side wall 10 of the concave portion 6) within which the latch 2 can slide.

In addition, a slider 13 is accommodated inside the notch 12: such slider 13 will be accommodated only partially in the notch 12 and will therefore be protruding with respect to the thickness of the side ledge 11 on which such notch 12 is defined, for abutment on the side wall 10 of the concave portion 6.

In particular such abutment of the slider 13 (during use of the assembly 1) on the wall 10 occurs (as a function of the position assumed by the mechanical sensor 5) between a first arrangement of at least partial accommodation in the contoured recess 9 and non-interference with the latch 2 and an arrangement of protrusion of the slider 13 into the lane 8 and consequent interference thereof with the latch 2, following the abutment of its surface opposite from the surface that faces the latch 2 on the side wall 10 of the portion 6 arranged externally to the recess 9 (above or below it). Before the slider 13 reaches such arrangement of protrusion, it will move along the contoured recess 9 which, comprising specific surfaces that connect with the inner surface of the wall 10, results in a progressive increase of its protrusion into the lane 8 and a consequent progressive forcing thereof onto the lateral edge of the latch 2 (thus braking it or blocking it).

The assembly according to the invention therefore permits the exit of the latch 2 from the top of the door leaf A of installation only when the mechanical sensor 5 is arranged in the retracted configuration, i.e. ensuring that the notch 12 is aligned with the recess 9, so that the slider 13 does not interfere with the latch 2, which can translate freely along the lane 8.

The retracted configuration of the mechanical sensor 5 occurs when it abuts on a part of the jamb B that faces the edge of the door leaf A of installation.

But when the door leaf A is open, a part of the sensor 5 will protrude from the door leaf A and therefore the notch 12 will not be aligned with the recess 9 (or aligned with regions connecting it to the inner surface of the wall 10) with consequent interference of the slider 13 with the latch 2, which will therefore be immobilized inside the door leaf A, with no possibility of sliding along the lane 8 (to make its end protrude from the door leaf A).

With reference to an embodiment of undoubted practical and applicative interest, it should be noted that the mechanical sensor 5 can advantageously comprise a terminal end 7 that is tapered and wedge-shaped.

At least one inclined face of such end 7 will be adapted to abut on an edge of a jamb B facing the door leaf of installation A when it is at least proximate to the closed arrangement.

The edge of the jamb B, by abutting on the at least one inclined face of the end 7 during the closing of the door leaf of installation A, will determine the retraction of the sensor 5, corresponding to the (elastically forced) transition from the configuration of protrusion of such terminal end 7 to the configuration of retraction of the terminal end 7 with respect to the outline of the door leaf of installation A.

In particular, the end 7 will comprise two mutually opposite faces, both inclined (optionally also arranged symmetrically with respect to a plane central to the end 7) so that a first face defines an inclined plane adapted to abut on an edge of the jamb B when the door leaf A is being closed, and a second face defines an additional inclined plane adapted to abut on an additional edge of the jamb B when the door leaf A is being opened: both faces, therefore, by abutting on the corresponding edge of the jamb B, will determine the retraction of the sensor 5 into the outline of the door leaf A of installation.

It is also useful to specify that the ledges 11 that delimit the mechanical sensor 5 are arranged at a segment that is contiguous with the segment that, in the configuration of protrusion, exits with respect to the outline of the door leaf A of installation by elastic forcing.

With reference to an implementation version that is particularly efficient and structurally simple, it should be noted that the latch 2 can conveniently comprise a main lamina 14 the width of which is substantially similar to the width of the mechanical sensor 5 (arranged downstream of the sensor 5, on the side directed toward the rod 4 of the lock being actuated) and an end tab 15 the width of which is smaller than the width of the lane 8, i.e. the width of which is smaller than the distance between the ledges 11 that delimit the mechanical sensor 5.

A connecting portion is interposed between the main lamina 14 and the end tab 5.

The presence of the ledges 11 that delimit the lane 8 prevents the sliding of all of the latch 2 along that lane 8 (given the width of the main lamina 14 which is greater than the width of the lane 8), thus defining a corresponding stroke limiting shoulder.

For the purpose of elaborating on what is briefly described above, it should be noted that the contoured recess 9, present along the side wall 10 of the concave portion 6 of the casing 3, can profitably comprise a central region of constant depth which is blended, by way of an inclined plane, to the inner surface of the respective side wall 10.

The possibility is not ruled out that the central region could be connected upstream and downstream by respective inclined planes, thus defining a path of variable depth for the slider 13 (for translations of the mechanical sensor 5 and therefore of the notch 1 that contains the slider 13).

The slider 13 can advantageously be constituted by a grub screw with a shape chosen from among prisms, solids of rotation and the like.

In the embodiment shown by way of non-limiting example in the accompanying figures, the slider 13 is cylindrical.

The slider 13, when the assembly 1 is fully assembled in a configuration of use, is confined within an area delimited by the through notch 12, by the end tab 15 of the latch 2 and by a segment of the inner surface of the wall 10 that comprises the recess 9.

It should be noted that the latch 2 can usefully comprise a bottom end 16 of the end lamina 14 which is provided with detachable and adjustable means for coupling to the actuation rod 4, which in turn is integral with the lock.

The detachable means for coupling can be constituted by a contoured seat so that a tip element of complementary shape and dimensions can be coupled thereto according to a plurality of different configurations, which correspond to different overall lengths of the set constituted by the rod 4 and by the latch 2.

In order to ensure the elastic forcing of the mechanical sensor 5 toward its extracted (protruding) configuration, an elastic element with an axial action 17 can positively be interposed between the mechanical sensor 5 and the concave portion 6 of the main casing 3: such elastic element 17 will keep the slider 5 in the configuration of protrusion with respect to the door leaf of installation A, except when the inclined face of the respective end 7 abuts on an edge of a jamb B.

In order to aesthetically optimize the assembly 1 and for the purpose of protecting the respective components, it should be noted that there will be respective outer covering bands 18, which can be coupled to the edges of the door leaf of installation A in order to cover the latch 2, the mechanical sensor 5, the slider 13 and the main casing 3.

The bands 18 will comprise at least one respective through opening 19 for the passage of the end 7 of the mechanical sensor 7 and the end tab 15 of the latch 2 (more precisely a part thereof).

Finally it should be noted that the main casing 3 can advantageously comprise at least one projection 20, 21, 22 which is accommodated, during use, inside respective slots 23, 24 and 25 of at least one component selected from the mechanical sensor 5 and the latch 2 (in particular the slot 23 is provided on the mechanical sensor 5, while the slots 24 and 25 are provided on the latch 2).

The maximum stroke of each individual component, selected from the sensor 5 and the latch 2, with respect to the casing, will be determined by the length of the respective slot 23, 24, 25.

Advantageously the present invention solves the above mentioned problems, by providing a locking assembly 1 for latches 2 of the type suitable to be installed in any type of door leaf A.

Conveniently the locking assembly 1 according to the invention is particularly efficient and secure.

Positively the locking assembly 1 according to the invention has a simple structure, and is completely mechanical for automatically managing the rearming of the latches 2.

Positively the locking assembly 1 according to the invention is easily and practically implemented and is of low cost: such characteristics make the assembly 1 according to the invention an innovation that is safe in use. The invention, thus conceived, is susceptible of numerous modifications and variations, all of which are within the scope of the appended claims. Moreover, all the details may be substituted by other, technically equivalent elements. In the embodiments illustrated, individual characteristics shown in relation to specific examples may in reality be interchanged with other, different characteristics, existing in other embodiments.

In practice, the materials employed, as well as the dimensions, may be any according to requirements and to the state of the art. Where the technical features mentioned in any claim are followed by reference numerals and/or signs, those reference numerals and/or signs have been included for the sole purpose of increasing the intelligibility of the claims and accordingly, such reference numerals and/or signs do not have any limiting effect on the interpretation of each element identified by way of example by such reference numerals and/or signs.