US1221508A - Elevator-shaft-door latch. - Google Patents

Description

E. B. CHAPIN..

ELEvAToR SHAFT DOOR LATCH.

APPLICATION F'lLED IMLG, |916.

1,22 Lw, Patented Apr. 3,1917;

nummnunlumupqumnunnnnuuu 11"1"aliiiiiiiiIlHIh-JllIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIII IIIIFIIIIIIIII l O x EARL B. CHAPIN, F ST. LOUIS, MISSOURI, ASSIGNOR 0F ONE-THIRD TO EDWIN STARK,

OF EAST ST. LOUIS, ILLINOIS, AND ONE-THIRD T0 FENTON G. CHAPIN, OF ST. LOUIS,

MISSOURI.

ELEVATOR-SHAFT-DOOR LATCH.

Application led January 6, 1916.

To all whom t may concern:

Be it known that I, EARL B. CHAPIN, a citizen of the United States, residing at St. Louis, Missouri, have invented a certain new and useful Improvement in Elevator-Shaft- Door Latches, of which the following is a full, clear, and exact description, such as will enable others skilled in the art to which it appertains to make and use the same.

This invention relates to elevator shaft doors and the like and more particularly to the means employed for locking the door in its closed position.

One object of my rinvention is to provide a latch for sliding doors that is only operable from one side of the door, thus rendering the invention peculiarly adapted for use on sliding elevator shaft doors, where it is desired to have the door locked in its closed position in such a manner that it cannot be unlocked from outside of the shaft.

Another object is to provide a latch for sliding` doors that is positive in action and which cannot be rendered inoperative by jarring or rattling the door.

Another object is to provide a latch that comprises a few simple parts which are not liable to get out of order.

A still further object isto provide a latch of the character referred to that can be easily applied to any type of sliding` door now in use.

Other objects and desirable features of my invention will be hereinafter pointed out.

Figure 1 of the drawings is an elevational view of a portion of an elevator shaft and door provided with a latch constructed in accordance with my invention; and

Figs. 2 and 3 are detail sectional views taken on the lines 2 2 and 3-3, respectively, of Fig. 1.

Referring to the drawings, which illustrate the preferred form of my invention,A designates an elevator shaft provided with a door openingvl that is controlled by a sliding door B, said door being suspended from a track 2 by means of suitable rolling hangers 3 of well known construction. v

A vertically-disposed rod or shaft 4 is journaled in brackets 5. and 5a on the inner face of the door B adjacent the front edge thereof, said rod being provided at its upper end with a laterally-disposed extension or crank arm 6 that coperates with a lat- 55 erally-projecting portion 7L on a bracket 7 Specification of Letters Patent.

Patented Apr. 3, 1917.

Serial No. 70,671.

that is secured to the inner wall of the elevator shaft A, said laterally-projecting portion 7a, having its front edge 7b arranged at a right angle to said wall and having its rear edge 7o curved or inclined, for purposes hereinafter appearing.

A coiled expansion spring 8 surrounds the shaft 4 adjacent the upper end thereof, one end of said spring being anchored to the bracket 5 in any suitable manner and the opposite end being connected to a pin 9 arranged on a collar 10 that is rigidly connected to the shaft 4, the tendency ofsaid spring being to turn the shaft 4 to theV left lor in the direction indicated by the arrow a in Fig. 2. Means is provided for limiting the rotary movement of the shaft 4 in both directions, the means herein shown consisting of a member 11 secured to said shaft, and provided with oppositely-inclined faces 11a and 11b that coperate with the inner face of the door B, as shown clearly in Fig. 8.

A handle 12 of any suitable design is provided for manually turning the shaft 4 against the tension of the spring 8, said handle being arranged adjacent the lower end of said shaft so as to be within convenient reach of the operator.

When the latch is in the position shown in Fig. 1 and in full lines in Fig. 2 the door B is securely locked against sliding movement in a direction to uncover the opening 1, owing to the fact that the crank arm 6 of the shaft 4 lies in front of the straight edge 7" of the bracket 7. l/Vhen it is desired to unlock the door, the operator grasps the handle 12 and turns the shaft 4, against the tension of the spring 8, to the right, or to the dotted line position shown in Fig. 3. This movement causes the crank arm 6 to move to the dotted line position shown in Fig. .2, where it is out` of contact with the bracket 7. The face 11b on the member 11 engages the inner face of the door B and limits further turning of the shaft 4, and consequently, a continued pull by the operator'on the handle 12 will move the door bodily in the direction of the arrow b in Fig. 2, so as to uncover the opening 1 in the shaft A.

When the door is in its open position, the operator releases the handle 12, and the spring 8 causes the shaft 4 to turn auto-4 matically to the position shown in full lines v rection.

Vhen it is desired to close the door the operator moves the same toward the left, and as said doornears its closed position, the crank arm 6 will engage the curved edge 7b of the 'bracket 7, and, riding past the same, will drop yin frontof the straight edge 7 t, thus locking the door and preventing the same from being opened except by turning the shaft 4L to such a position that the crank arm 6 clears the bracket 8.

yFrom the foregoing description it is obvious that when the door is in its closed position it is impossible to open the same from outside of the shaft, owing to the fact that all of the parts constituting the latch are arranged on the inside of the elevator shaft. This is a very desirable feature of my invention, as it absolutely precludes the danger of persons outside Yof the elevator shaft opening the door and falling down the elevator shaft or being injured by a passing elevator. My improved latch comprises a few simple parts that can be produced at a low cost of' manufacture, and said device can be easily applied to any type of sliding door, it being only necessary to attach the brackets 5 and 5a to the door and the bracketl 7 to the door frame.

While I have herein shown and described my invention as being applied to a horizontally movable elevator shaft door, I wish it to be understood that I do not limit myself to this particular use, as the invention is applicable to vertically movable doors Yor may be put to various other lobvious'uses, and while I have shown the door as being equipped with only one locking device arranged at one end of the operating shaft, it is obvious that thisv arrangement could be duplicated by simply extending said shaft and applying a similar locking device at the.

opposite end thereof.

I am aware that many minor changes may be made in the construction and arrangement of parts herein shown and described without departing from the spirit of my invention.

Having thus described my invention, what I claim and desire to secure by Letters Patent, is:

l. A latch for sliding doors, comprising a vertically-disposed shaft rotatably mounted in brackets on the door and having an operating handle adjacent the lower end thereof and an offset portion at its upper end, said offset portion having a vertical eXten- Copies of this patent may 'be obtained for sion at the outer end thereof that extends upwardly above the top of the door, and a bracket rigidly secured to the door frame and having an integral lateral extension that lies above the door and in the same horizontal plane as said vertical extension, said lateral extension having one of its side edges straight and its opposite edge curved for the purpose described.

2. A latch for horizontally sliding elevator shaft doors, comprising a vertically-disposed rock shaft mounted on the door and extending from a point adjacent the upper edge of the door to a point within convenient reach of the operator of the elevator, Said shaft having an integral offset at its upper end provided with a vertical extension, an abutment on said shaft adjacent the lower end thereof that coperates with the inner face of the door to limit the movement of said shaft in either direction, a bracket on the door frame that coperates with said extension to hold the door locked in its closed position, and a handle on said shaft for rocking the same so as to move said extension away from said `bracket so as to unlock the door.

3. A latch for horizontally sliding doors, comprising a bracket secured to the door frame above the door and having a horizontal portion that lies across the top of the door, said horizontal portion having one of its side edges straight and its opposite side edge curved, a vertically-disposed rock shaft journaled in brackets on the inner side of the door and having a horizontal portion at the upper end thereof that lies under said bracket when the door is closed, said horizontal portion having an upright extension that cooperates with the side edges of said bracket, means on said shaft that coperates with the inner face of the door for limiting the rotary movement of said shaft, a handle on said rock shaft for moving the same in one direction to such a position that the vertical extension on the horizontal portion thereof is out of engagement with said bracket, said handle being also utilized for moving the' door bodily to its open position, anda spring for moving said rock shaft in the opposite direction.

In testimony whereof I hereunto afliX my signature in the presence of two witnesses, this thirty first day of December' 1915.

EARL B. CHAPIN.

lVitnesses WELLS L. CHURCH, GEORGE BAKEWELL.

ve cents each, by addressing the Commissioner of Patents. Washington, ID. G.

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