Best Lock Corporation

R Gene McCullum

Walter E Best

A door knob on a knob sleeve or spindle which is adapted to be blocked from rotation is connected to such spindle by a break-away ring and is otherwise rotatable on the spindle. The break-away ring is mounted about the spindle between the end of the fixed hub of the lock chassis and an internal flange on the knob, and has a pair of radial lugs extending inward to key it to the spindle and a pair of axial lugs extending into the knob flange to key it to the knob. One pair, preferably the axial pair of lugs, is adapted to break away under excessive knob turning force to disconnect the rotative connection of the knob to the spindle.

Break-away door knob

A door knob is machined from solid stock to provide a tubular neck, an intermediate portion which is internally recessed to reduce its wall thickness, and a solid-section end portion having a large axial end opening which provides tool access for recessing the mid-portion and clears the pin tumbler lobe of a key-removable core mounted in the knob sleeve with its key plug concentric with the knob. The end opening has an axially-outward facing shoulder and an adjacent radially-inward opening groove. A knob locating, bevelled-edge ring lies against the shoulder with its edge partially closing the mouth of the groove. An end face member having a peripheral bevelled skirt is pressed into the end opening and against the edge of the ring so as to deform the skirt outward into the groove and thereby secure both the end face member and the ring in the knob. The end face member may have an opening for a core mounted in the knob sleeve, or for other usual knob accessories, or may completely close the end of the knob.

Door knob construction

A heavy duty cylindrical lock set adaptable for various 'functions' and having improved features, especially to permit a key-removable lock core to be reversible in its knob mounting to suit right- and left-hand doors. A knob sleeve of large diameter is slotted and shaped at its knob receiving end to form two diametrically-opposed channel sections of high strength and rigidity. The inward edges of the four channel side legs form a mounting seat to receive the key-plug-containing body of the core on the axis of the knob, while the two spaces between the channel sections permit the pin-tumbler lobe or section of the core to extend radially in either of two orientations about the axis of the knob. Two of the channel side edges are notched to engage a key-controlled retaining lug of the core. The knob has a large bore in its outer end and is supported from the knob sleeve by a drive ring which accomodates the core in both orientations. A face plate is held in the knob bore by the core and closes the knob bore. The same knob may be used on the inside of the door, with a similar lock core and face plate or with a different face plate, differently retained, according to the 'function' for which the lock set is adapted. The locked knob is retained on the sleeve by a keeper engaged behind a heavy internal rib and blocked from retraction by the cylindrical shank of a throw member held in place by the key-removable core. The inner end of the core-containing knob sleeve has a roll-back cam operable in one direction and contains a key release cam assembly having a roll-back cam operable in the other direction either by a key-actuated throw member or by the knob sleeve. The knob sleeve is of heavy section and is held against forceful withdrawal from the frame assembly both by the roll-back cam and by a spaced out-turned lug which rides in a groove in the hub below the level of the key-release roll-back cam. The knob has an integral tubular neck which rotatably fits over the mounting hub of the chassis and which is neatly surrounded over a variable length by a collar on an axially adjustable escutcheon. The escutcheon is threaded on the hub and is locked in adjusted position by a plunger pin which latches in retracted position during escutcheon adjustment.

Growing community of inventors

Indianapolis, IN, United States of America

R Gene McCullum