US1493573A - Latch - Google Patents

Description

Wlay 13., 1924. 1,493,573

N. A. STEFFEN y LATCH Fil'ed Feb. 24 1922 Afm/Loza@ A. @xy/fem.

Patented i3, i924-,

igdddi LATCH.

Application filed February 2c, 1922.

To all whom t may concern Be it known that I, NICHOLAS A. SrnrrnN, a citizen of the United States, residing at New Vienna., in the county of Dubuque and State of Iowa7 have invented certain new and useful Improvements in hatches, of which the following is a. specification.

rI`his invention relates to latches and has for its object the provision of a cheap, simple and efficient device which may be easily applied to the doors of barns, animal pens, or similar structures, and which will effectually hold the door in closed position but permit its ready opening from the outside whereby access may be had to animals confined in a pen, for instance, but escape of the animals from the pen will be prevented. The invention is illustra-ted in the accompanying drawings and will be hereinafter fully set forth.

In the drawings- Figure l is an elevation of my improved latch showing the same in applied position;

Fig. 2 is an end elevation of the same.

In the drawings, the reference numeral l indicates a door and 2 indicates a. portion of a door frame. in carrying out the invention, l secure to the outer side of the door a latch pin consisting of a fiat base plate 8 provided with spaced vertical slots 4i, through which screws or similar fastening decives 5 are inserted into the door, and a cylindrical terminal pin or locking arm 6 which is adapted to ride into engagement with a keeper provided upon the door frame. rlfhe keeper consists of a bracket presenting a shelf 7 and a bracing portion 8 extending downwardly and inwardly from the outer end of the shelf and terminating in a flat perforated lip 9 through which a fastening screw l() may be inserted into the door frame. Rising from the inner end of the shelf 7 is a back plate il which is preferably integral with the shelf and is perforated to permit the insertion of a securing screw l2 into the door frame whereby the bracket will be firmly secured in place. At the upper end of the base plate is provided a forwardly projecting` arm 13 which is tapered and doubled upon itself as it leaves the back plate so as to provide the inverted lul-shaped terminal 14 within which the dog or keeper pin 15 is pivoted. This dog 15 is longer than the distance between its pivot 16 and the shelf 7 so that normally the dog will assume a rearwardly or in- Serial No. 538,862.

wardly inclined position, as shown clearly in Fig. 2, with its lower end resting upon the shelf but spaced forwardly from the back plate 1l. The free end of the dog is also expanded laterally, as shown at 17, whereby in its operative position it will have an extended engagement with the latch pin 6.

lft is thought the operation of the device will be readily understood from the foregoing description, taken in connection with the accompanying drawings. The bracket is secured to the door frame adjacent the edge thereof, as described and shown, and the latch is secured to the door and adjusted vertically so that, when the door is closed, the latch pin 6 will project over the shelf 7 close to the same but without bearing thereon, the vertical slots lpermitting the latch to be adjusted so that it will readily clear the shelf in the closing movement of the door and may also be set so as to coinpensate for sagging of the door. As indicated by the dotted lines in Fig. 2, as the door is closed the pin 6 will ride against and under the dog which will be thereby swung upwardly so as to clear the pin and as soon as the pin has reached a position back of the free end of the dog, which will occur when the door is fully closed, the dog will7 through its own weight, return to its position and will be disposed in front of the pin so that the door will be effectually held in the closed position. (Obviously, any outward movement of the door under pressure from the inside will be arrested by the engagement of the'dog with the pin, but if it be desired to open the door from the outside, a slight pressure upon the under or forward side of the dog will swing it upwardly so that the pin will be cleared and the door may then be opened.

My device is obviously simple and inexpensive and may be readily applied in operative position by an unskilled person.

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

A door fastener comprising a latch consisting of a base plate adapted to be secured against the outer side of a door, and a rigid cylindrical pin projecting from the end of said base plate beyond the edge of the door. a bracket to be secured to a door frame and including a fiat approximately horizontal shelf, a brace extending downwardly and inwardly from the outer end of the shelf,

a Het back plate rising from the rear edge of the shelll und an overhanging arm projecting` forwardly from the upper end of said back plate, Said arm being folded longitudinally whereby to present an inverted U-shaped terminal at its front end, and a dog pivotally hung at its upper end Within said U-shaped terminal and held against lateral movement thereby and extending downwardly and rearwardly from the pivot, its free end being square and normally resting upon the shelll and spaced from the back plate whereby the Cylindrical pin may ride upon the shelf and be' firmly retained between the square end of the dog and the 15 back plate.

In testimony whereof I aflix my signature. NCHOLAS A. STEFFEN. [n e]

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