The Lever Door Lock is now the standard lockset for commercial applications. Knob locks were replaced with levers, hence the name, Lever locks. They came about due to ADA regulations and laws. And now the only door locks used in commercial applications and are finding their way into residential applications.
This lock is activated by pushing or pulling down on the handle, this will release the latch and open the door. They will accept many different types of lock cylinders such as; high security and SFIC cylinders. The Lever lock has been upgraded many times over the years. They are available in electronic, push button and biometric packages providing unlimited access control.
The handle itself created many challenges for manufacturers such as the outside handle breaking due to excessive force. When the door is locked the outside handle will not move, people were pushing down on the locked lever causing the lever or inside mechanism to break. This problem was solved by redesigning the mechanism so that when locked, the outside handle will move down freely; however, the latch will not activate to open. Most commercial lever locks are designed to ANSI Grade 1 standards, which is the highest.
Features of the Lever Lock:
- Standard door lock for commercial applications
- Available in mechanical, electronic, push button and biometric versions
- Available in many different types of finishes
- Meet ANSI Grade 1 and 2 specifications
- Protection of the handle with OverDrive™ technology
- ADA compliant
Lever Lock Functions Available:
- Entry Function
- Privacy Function
- Passage Function
- Storeroom Function
- Classroom and Intruder Classroom Function
In residential applications, these locks are mostly used for interior doors such as bedrooms, bathrooms and closets. Unlike commercial lever locks, the locks used in residential applications are designed with an eye toward design. They are also available in more finishes than with commercial applications.
The next big thing for lever locks and locks in general could be RFID (radio-frequency identification) and Bluetooth technology. These would operate very similar to the same technologies available in vehicles. The key fob would be on your person, when you approached the door it would either unlock directly or it would wait would a secondary code to get inputted on a keypad on the lock or near it. This is known as two step verification which is being used today for passwords on some financial web sites.