US1215376A

US1215376A - Gate-latch.

Info

Publication number: US1215376A
Authority: US
Inventors: Frank L Howard
Original assignee: Individual
Current assignee: Individual
Priority date: 1915-11-22
Filing date: 1915-11-22
Publication date: 1917-02-13
Anticipated expiration: 1934-02-13

Description

F. L. HOWARD.

GATE LATCH.

APPLICATION FILED NOV. 22. 1915.

1,215,376. Patented Feb. 13, 1917; EB. I 7

Q5 37 3 33 $6 z i 1 v In I Mai Will]... 0 W "NH" 7 EYE-1&1.

2/ i/ if Hg FRANK L. HOWARD, 0F FUQUA, TEXAS.

' GATE-tarpon,

Specificationof Letters Patent.

Application filed November 22, 1915. SeriaINo. 62,883.

To all whom it may concern:

Be it known that I, FRANK L. HOWARD, a citizen of the -United States, residing at Fuqua, in the county of Liberty, State of Texas, have invented certain new and useful Improvements in Gate-Latches; and I do herebyjdeclare the following to be a full, clear, and exact description of the invention, such as will enable others skilled in the art to which it appertains to make and use the same This'invention relates to latches or closures for gates, and more particularly pertains to that 'typewhich automatically releases the latching bolt 7 from the keeper plate or catch, upon the downward pressure of an operating rod. 1 An object of the invention resides in means for tensioning the latch into engage-j ment with the keeper plate or catch upon the releaseof the hand operated rod.

The invention further contemplates the provision of-means, whereby the use of bolts or rivets connecting the operating parts is obviated, and in providing a gate opening mechanism which can be actuated by children, and further the construction of a device, which is easy of operation, economical to manufacture and efiicient in operation.

The invention consists of the novel features, details of construction and combination of parts, which hereinafter will be more particularly set forth, illustrated in the accompanying drawings, and pointed out in the appendedclaims; f j H Referring to the drawing forming a part of the application: Y

Figure 1, is a View in side elevation-of a gate and gate post showing the application of my improvedlatch thereto.

Fig. 2, is a vertical section of a portion of the operating rod and the latch operating mechanism. v j

Fig. 3 is adetail view of the latch member, showing the slots therein;

Fig. 1' is a horizontal section of the telescoping tubular member and the tension rod.

Corresponding and like parts are referred to in the following description, and in all of the views of the drawing by the same reference characters.

The device comprising my invention, is

adapted for attachment to a gate,designated at 5, and is composed of a vertical hand operating rod 6, and a-horizontal latch member 7. A bracket Sis attached'to the; gate 5, by means of screws or other detachable fastenings, which pass through the offset ears 9 of the said bracket,cand the lower end has a portion 10 extending at an angle thereto, and which latter is formed with a flat base portion 11. The said base portion of the bracket is formed with apertured offset ears .12, through which screws or other detach- .able fasteningsare passedjto secure the same .in position at this point upon thegate.

' The latch member 7' is pivotally mounted on the fiat base zportion ll of the bracket upon the bolt or rivet 13,-and the longitudinally extending rod 6, is slidably-mounted in theperforated arms lt at ,theupper and lower ends of the vertical leg 16 of the bracket 8. 1

The lower end of the rod 6 projects beyond the lower arm 11 andis bifurcated at 16, and the furcations formed thereby, provide a slot 17, which isadaptedz lfor the reception of the inner end of the latch member 7, which atthis point is provided witha square recess 18. [The upper end of-the rod 6 is provided with an operating knob 19, by which the rod is vertically actuated in the I bracket arms, to rock the lower member 7 on its pivotal connection.

The operating rod 6 above the lower end thereof, is recessed at opposite sides to form a fiat portion 20, whichis adapted to receive the upper end of the tubular member 21,

- which is diagonally bifurcated at 22, the

furcations 23 of which are'mounted upon the flat surfaces of the portion 20.

Slidably mounted or telescoping within the hollow tubular member 21, is a tension rod 24, having its lower end on the upper part thereof recessed at 25, and also provided with a diagonally extending slot 26 on its lower face, forming furcations 27 The latch member 7, adjacent its outer end and on the upper edge thereof, is formed with an angularly disposed groove 28, and in cutting the said latch member to form the said groove, a nose 29, is produced, which slightly overhangs a portion of the said groove;

The said outer latch groove 26 is adapted to Patented Feb. 13, 1917.

rod, to firmly hold the rod upon the latch member 7 By this construction, it is obvious that the tubular member 21,-and the tension rod 24 extend diagonally across the bracket member 8, and connect the latch member 7 and the operating rod 6, and in this connection it may be stated that no screws, bolts, rivets,

'or other connectionmeans are employed for attaching the tension rod to the latch member, and the tubular member 21 to the operating rod 6.

By recessing the operating rod to form the flat web portion 20, and by diagonally cutting the rod at its lower part to form a beveled lower wall to accommodate the diagonally cut furcations of the tubular member, sharp contact edges 80 are thereby formed on the said operating rod. 6 at the said Web portion, and a perfect joint is assured between the operating rod and the tubular member 21. A coil spring 31 is disposed within the tubular member 21, and is adapted for engagement with the inner end ofthe tension rod 24, serving to normally tension'said rod downwardly into engagement with the outer portion of the latch member 7, so that the outer end of the said latch member will betensioned downwardly and the operating rod 6, whichis detachably mounted on the opposite end of the latch member, will be tensioned upwardly.

It is obvious that upon pressure upon the.

operating rod 6, the latch member 7 will be rocked against the tension of the spring 31 Within the said tubular member. A keeper 32 comprising the strap members 38, is provided with the spaced bars 34, and forming an opening therebetween, adapted for the passage of the outer end of the latch'memher 7, and screws are passed through openings inthe strap members for securing the said keeper to the gate. This keeper is ad aptedto limit the movement of the outer end of the latch member 7, and is arranged on the outer vertical rail of the gate adj acent the extreme outer end thereof.

A catch 35 of the ordinary construction is secured to the gate post 36 and has the usual beveled edge portion 87and slot adapted for the reception of the lower edge of the latch member for holding the same against displacement therein. A keeper chain 38 has'its end links disposed in apertures in the tension rod 24 and the tubular memberQI,

and at its central portion is secured to the angular portion of the bracket 10, serving to prevent the displacement of the tenslon rod 'andthe tubular member, or to prevent pull upon the chain, and such downward pull upon the chain will rock the said latch member and elevate the outer end of the latch member from engagement with the catch member 35. It is obvious by this construction that the tension rod 2% and the tubular member 21 can be removed from the bracket and the said latch 7 actuated directly from the operating rod 6, and by this construction I can readily detach the above mentioned parts from the operating rod and latch member by merely pullingthe tension rod anddisengaging the slotted ends from the web portion of the operating rod and the slotted portion of the latch'member.

From the foregoing description, taken in connection with the accompanying drawing, the advantages of the construction and the method of operation will be readily apparent to those skilled in the art to which the invention appertains, and while I have described the principle of operation of the invention, together with the device which I now consider to be the embodiment thereof, I desire to have it understood that the device shown is merely illustrative, and that hereto.

Having thus described the invention, what is claimed as new, is:

1. A gate latch comprising a bracket provided with spaced vertically alined ears, a latch lever pivotally mounted to the lower part of the bracket, the fulcrum of said lever-being located intermediate its ends, a rod slidable through said ears and engaging the rear end of the latch lever, and a spring te'nsioned telescopic member connected at one end to the rod intermediate its end and at the other end to the outer end of said latch lever.

2. A gate latch comprising a bracket having spaced vertically alined ears, a latch lever pivoted intermediate its ends to the lower part of the bracket, the rear end of said latch member lying below and in alinement with the lowermost ear, a rod passing through said ears and having a bifurcated lower end engaging the rear'end of the latch lever, a bifurcated rod engaging the first rod intermediate the ends of the latter, a sleeve mounted on the last-mentioned rod and directed downwardly and outwardly toward the front end of the latch lever, a

spring mounted within said sleeve and bear- In testimony whereof, I aflix my signaing at one end against said bifurcated rod, ture, in the presence of two witnesses.

and a third rod telescopically mounted in FRANK L HOWARD the sleeve and having its inner end bearing 5 against said spring, the outer end of said Witnesses:

third rod being bifurcated and straddling G. H. GARRETT,

the outer end of the latch lever. D. O. PARRISH.

Copies of this patent may be obtained for five cents each, by addressing the Commissioner of Patents,

Washington, D. G.