US 12,305,424 B2
Electronic lock
David Gray Judah, Philadelphia, PA (US); and Christopher Todd Gahring, Wynnewood, PA (US)
Assigned to Southco, Inc., Concordville, PA (US)
Appl. No. 17/429,195
Filed by SOUTHCO, INC., Concordville, PA (US)
PCT Filed Jan. 8, 2020, PCT No. PCT/US2020/012699
§ 371(c)(1), (2) Date Aug. 6, 2021,
PCT Pub. No. WO2020/163034, PCT Pub. Date Aug. 13, 2020.
Claims priority of provisional application 62/803,016, filed on Feb. 8, 2019.
Prior Publication US 2022/0136285 A1, May 5, 2022
Int. Cl. E05B 47/00 (2006.01); E05B 1/00 (2006.01); E05B 15/04 (2006.01); E05B 83/28 (2014.01)
CPC E05B 47/0012 (2013.01) [E05B 1/0038 (2013.01); E05B 83/28 (2013.01); E05B 2015/041 (2013.01); E05B 2047/002 (2013.01); E05B 2047/0037 (2013.01); E05B 2047/0052 (2013.01)] 15 Claims
OG exemplary drawing
 
1. An electronic lock for securing a door or access panel, the electronic lock comprising:
a housing;
a plunger that is mounted for movement relative to the housing, wherein the plunger is movable between a first position corresponding to a latched state of the electronic lock and a second position corresponding to an unlatched state of the electronic lock;
a rotator that is coupled to the plunger and mounted for rotation relative to the housing between a first rotational position and a second rotational position, wherein in the first rotational position of the rotator corresponding to a locked state of the electronic lock, the plunger is prevented from moving from the first position to the second position, and, in the second rotational position of the rotator corresponding to an unlocked state of the electronic lock, the plunger is permitted to move from the first position to the second position for unlatching the door or access panel;
a motor having an output shaft that is mounted in the housing and configured to rotate the rotator between the first rotational position and the second rotational position;
a spring that is directly or indirectly coupled to the shaft of the motor and configured to resist the movement of the output shaft and the rotator between the first rotational position and the second rotational position;
wherein the spring is positioned to bear on the rotator and the housing to resist the rotation of the output shaft as the output shaft moves the rotator (i) from the first rotational position of the rotator corresponding to the locked state of the electronic lock toward the second rotational position of the rotator corresponding to the unlocked state of the electronic lock, and (ii) from the second rotational position of the rotator corresponding to the unlocked state of the electronic lock toward the first rotational position of the rotator corresponding to the locked state of the electronic lock; and
wherein the rotator includes a rotation stop that is configured to rotate between two stop surfaces disposed on the housing, wherein one of the two stop surfaces corresponds to the locked state and the other of the two stop surfaces corresponds to the unlocked state of the electronic lock.