Electronic locks particularly for office furniture

摘要

An electronic cam lock accessible either by PIN code or wirelessly transmitted code from a user's credential has a compact electronics housing that fits neatly and unobtrusively in office furniture, including metal or wood file cabinets. The housing has a rear-extending driver, which may be within a cylinder, preferably positioned where the driver of a cam lock of conventional keyed configuration would be located. One form of the lock is front-recess mounted. In another form the housing is inside-mounted, fitted within the usually one-inch top rail or vertical side rail of a file cabinet, with the electronic access terminal and a rotatable knob exposed for the user. The locks can be connected in a wired or wireless network for controlling access by time or by personnel, or for auditing entries.

主权项

1. An electronic cam lock on a door, cabinet, panel or drawer in a metal cabinet or furniture that provides ingress and no egress, without a mechanical key, comprising:
a compact housing containing electronics and having an access terminal enabling entry of a code by a user, such code when properly entered causing the electronics to permit access, the housing being affixed in a generally U-shaped top rail or generally U-shaped vertical side rail of said cabinet or furniture, and the housing having a face at the front of the housing, the housing being inside-mounted, fitted within the top rail or side rail such that a portion of the housing face having the access terminal is exposed through an opening in a front rail piece of the top rail or side rail, and the housing being secured to the inside of the top rail or side rail, a cam lock cylinder unit extending from a back side of the housing, with a lock driver in the cylinder unit engaged with a cam or latch device at the inside of the cabinet or furniture, and including a knob or handle secured to the front of the housing and separate from the terminal, through an opening in the front rail piece, for operating the lock manually without a mechanical key to rotate the lock driver and the cam or latch device when permitted by the electronics, the housing being a self-contained, single housing containing all electronics of the cam lock, and a power source connected to power the electronics.