US1324953A

US1324953A - Latch

Info

Publication number: US1324953A
Authority: US
Publication date: 1919-12-16
Anticipated expiration: 1936-12-16

Description

E. 0. BULMAN L'ATCH.

APPLICATION HLED MAR. 25. 1919.

1 324,95 3. Patented Dec; 16, 1919.

1& 0 Bu/ man UNITED ELVAH 0. BULIVIAN, OF GRAND RAPIDS, MICHIGAN.

LATCH.

Specification of Letters Patent.

Patented Dec. 16, 1919.

Application filed March 25, 1919. Serial No. 285,074.

To all whom it may concern:

Be it known that I, ELVAH O. BULMAN, a citizen of the United States of America, residing at Grand Rapids, in the county of Kent and State of Michigan, have invented certain new and useful Improvements in Latches; and I do hereby declare 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 and is particularly concerned with the production of latches for doors of simple construction and easy action, made entirely from sheet metal and with an operating handle pivotally mounted so as to fulcrum on the case through which it passes, whereby a particularly efiicient and easy acting latch is produced. The invention includes various novel combinations and arrangements of parts and elements for producing these results as well as many other, as will hereinafter more fully appear, reference being had to the ac companying drawing in which various forms of'the invention are shown, and in which,

Figure 1 is a front elevation of a latch and coacting strike therefor, the same being mounted on a door and door jamb, respectively, which are shown fragmentarily.

Fig. 2 is a vertical section through the door and latch.

Fig. 3 is a. horizontal section taken through the latch above the handle and looking down on the same.

Fig. 9. is a front elevation of the strike.

Fig. 5 is a side view thereof.

Fig. 6 is a partial vertical section and side view of a modified form of the latch, the case or housing being in section.

Fig. 7 is a view similar to Fig. 3 of this modification.

Fig. 8 is a side elevation with a part of the case broken away and in section, showing a still further modification.

Fig. 9 is a view similar to Figs. 3 and 7 of this last modification, and

Fig. 10 is an enlarged fragmentary section through the parts of the latch mechanism of the last modification illustrating the method of operation thereof.

Like reference characters refer to like parts in the different views of the drawing.

The latch is adapted to be attached at the free vertical edge of a door 1, and comprises a sheet metal case or housing 2 with upper and lower ears 3 through which screws 4 may pass into the door for attachment. A handle, also of sheet metal, indicated at 5, passes through a front opening 6 in the. iousing. inside of the housing the handle is formed with downwardly extending sides 7 in which slots 8 are cut, the same extendmg downwardly and forwardly toward the door at an angie to the vertical as shown in Fig. 2. These slots are located a short distance in front of the crown of the housing and a pin 9 disposed between and supported by the sides of the housing passes through the slots. In the form shown in Figs. 1 to 3 inclusive, the handle is extended in front of the pin for a distance and at its inner end has a strike engaging arm 10 formed which passes laterally through an opening 11 at the inner edge of one side of the housing, so as to pass across the meeting edges of the door and the door jamb. A; spring 12 serves to elevate the inner end of the handle.

The strike 13 is attached to the door jamb 1% by screws or the like and is formed from a single piece of sheet metal with a fiat top and inwardly extending sides and ends. A; part of the metal of the top is struck outwardly and upwardly at an angle making a cam-like projection 15 above an opening 16 in the top of the strike so that the end of the arm 10, when brought against it in closing the door is forced downward against spring 12 until it passes into and through the opening 16 and behind a shoulder 17 made on one of the sides of the strike by cutting away the metal, as shown in Fig. 5. The handie tulcrums on the upper edge of the opening 6 in the housing through which it passes. it is evident that if the outer depending end of the handle is grasped and an outward pull made thereon, the spring 12 may be compressed and the arm 10 lowered suiicient to disassociate with the shoulder 17 whereupon the door may be opened. It will be noted that with the pivotal movement of the handle, there is also a movement inward into the case caused by the engagement of pin 9 with the inclined sides of the slots 8, and as the handle returns to normal posi tion there is a corresponding outward movement of the handle as a whole, this causing the arm 10 to have a tendency to move out ward. When it engages behind the shoulder 17, accordingly, there is a drawing efl'ect produced whereby the door drawn tightlv shut by spring pressure without the necessity of inclining the shoulder 17 to the verti cal; and on operation of the handle to re lease the latch, the inward movement of the arm immediately frees the strike from bear ing engagement with the arm 10, there being little or no wear of the engaging parts, and furthermore, the pivotal movement of the handl about the upper edge of the opening 6 in the housing gives a particularly easy action.

The handle may be extended through the door and provided with a thumb piece 18 at its end associated with which a handle 19 may be fixed to the opposite side of" the door for operation of the latch from either side, in those doors, such as screen doors or the like which need to have their latches operable from both sides.

In Figs. 6 and '7 a modification in construction is Sl10\ *n. The handle 5 terminates with its slotted sides or cars '7, passing through the opening 6 in the crown of the housing, however, and having the pin 9 passing through. the slots in said cars. A member 20 of sheet metal with depending sides 21 is pivotally mounted on the pin 9 and extends inward and is formed with alateral arm l0 similar to the arm 10 first described. A lip 2-2 with its free end turned down to bear against the upper side of member 20 extends from the inner end of the handle so that on operation of the handle about its fulcrum on the housing the arm 10" may be disengaged from the strike which is the same in construction as that described with refer ence to the first form of latch. The member 20 is normally elevated by the spring 12. With this construction a latching and unlatching of the door is accon'iplished practically the same as before except that on pushing the door shut only the member 20 has to move and one grasping the handle 5 as the door is closed does not feel any movement of the handle which is independent of the latching member 20 and does not have to move therewith. It is also obvious that with this construction the extension terminating in a thumb piece 18 may be used if desired.

In Figs. 8, 9 and 10 a still further modification in structure is shown, the handle 5 passing through the opening 6 in the crown of the housing as before and terminating in two sides or ears 7* in which slots 8 are cut, the pin 9 passing therethrough. A latching member having an under side and upturned vertical sides is pivoted at its outer end on the pin 9 and said under side at its outer end is turned upwardly as indicated at 2% coming directly beneath a lip which is an extension of the upper side of the handle at its inner end. Upward operation of the handle turning about the fulcrum provided at the upper edge of the opening 6 depresses lip 25 and causes an elevation of the inner end of the latching member and its lateral arm 10", against the force of the spring 12 which exerts a downward pres; sure on the latching member in this case. The strike must be nodified so that the opening through the face thereof is above the cam 15 and this cam inclines downwardly and outwardly instead of upwardly and outwardly as before. There is a lift of the arnr 10 to disengage from the strike instead of a depression as in the first two modifications.

The simplicity of construction and ease of operation due to the constructions described render this latch one of great merit both from standpoints of utility and manufacturing.

I claim:

1. A latch comprising a housing having an opening through the outer side thereof, a handle passing through said opening, a pin disposed horizontally between the sides of the housing, slots in the handle through which the pin passes whereby the handle fulcrums on the adjacent upper edge of the opening through the housing, and latching means adapted to engage with a strike operated by the handle, substantially as described.

A latch comprisin a support having spaced apart sides and a front portion having an opening therethrough, a handle passing through said opening, means on the support with which the handle has sliding engagement whereby said handle fulorums on the upper edge of the opening in said front portion of the support, and latching means for yieldingly forcing the handle between its ends against the upper edge of said opening, means operated by the handle, said latching means being adapted to engage with a strike and be disengaged from the strike b y operation of the handle.

3. A latch comprising a housing having an opening through the outer side thereof, a handle passed through said opening, a pin located between the sides of the housing in horizontal position, said handle having slot-s therein through which the pin passes where by the handle may be turned upward about the upper edge of the opening in the housing as a fulcrum pivot, and latching means including a laterally extending arm passing through a side of the housing operated by the handle, substantially as described.

4. A latch comprising a support having spaced apart sides and a front portion having an opening therethrough, a. handle passing through said opening, spring means forcing the handle at its upper side against the upper edge of the opening, means carried by the support with which the handle has sliding engagement, said means being located inside of the front portion ofsaid sup port, and a laterally extending latching arm extending through a side of the support and adapted to engage with a strike, said arm being operatively connected with the handle whereby upward pivotal movement of the handle about said upper edge of the opening serves to disconnect said arm from the strike, substantially as described.

5. In adevice of the character described, a strike formed from a single piece of sheet metal having an outer face and inwardly extending sides, with a section of metal from the face struck out and turned at an angle to the vertical, an opening for the passage of a latching arm being provided by striking out said section, and with a shoulder formed in one side of the strike by cutting away the metal from said side back of said outturned section, substantially as described.

6. A. latch comprising a support having spaced apart sides and a front portion between the sides having an opening therethrough, a pin disposed horizontally between the sides of the support, a latching member pivotally mounted adjacent one end on said pin and including a laterally extending arm at its opposite end passing through a side of the support, means for turning said latching member about its pivot, and a handle passing through said opening in the front portion of the support and engaging with the latching member whereby on turning the handle about the upper edge of said opening as a pivot, the armmay be moved in a direction opposite to that imparted by the latch member turning means, substantially as described.

7. A latch comprising a support having spaced apart sides and a front portion between the sides provided with an opening therethrough, a pin disposed horizontally between the sides of the support, a handle passing through said opening and formed with slots at its inner end through which the pin passes, a latching member pivotally mounted at one end on the pin and extending inwardly away from the inner end of the handle, said latching member having a laterally extending arm at its opposite free end, spring means tending to turn the latching member in one direction about its pivot, and interengaging means on. the adjacent ends of the handle and latching member for turning the latching member against the force of the spring on operation of the handle about the upper edge of the opening in the support as a pivot, substantially as described.

8. A latch comprising a housing having an opening in the crown thereof, a pin disposed between the'sides of the housing, a latching member pivotally mounted on the pin at one end and provided with a part at said end extending above the center of the pin and located between the pin and the crown of the housing, an arm extending laterally through a side of the housing at the opposite end of the latching member, a handle passing through the opening in the housing and formed with two spaced apart ears having slots therein through which the pin passes, said handle at its inner end passing over said upwardly extending part of the latch member, and a spring normally tending to turn the latching member in a downward direction about its pivot.

9. A latch comprising a support having spaced apart sides and a front portion between the sides having an opening therethrough, a handle passing through said opening and formed at its inner end with spaced apart ears, each having a substan tially vertical slot therein, a pin carried by and between the sides of the support and passing through the slots, a latching member pivotally mounted at one end on the pin, said latching member having a laterally ex tending arm at its opposite end, spring means tending to force the free end of the latching member in a downward direction, and operative engaging means between the handle and latching member for elevating the free end of the latching member on turn ing the handle about the upper edge of the opening in the front portion of the support, substantially as described.

10. A latch comprising a housing having a front opening therein, a handle passing through said opening, and adapted to turn about the upper edge of the opening as a fulcrum, means connecting the handle to the housing at a point within the housing and permitting the handle within the housing to move up and down a limited distance with respect to the housing, and latching means actuated by the handle as it is turned in an upward direction about the upper edge of the opening in the housing, substantially as described.

In testimony whereof I afiix my signature.

ELVAH O, BULMAN.