US1537703A - Keeper for refrigerator locks - Google Patents

Description

' May 12, 1925. 1,537,703 r A. RUBIN KEEPER FOR REFRIGERATOR LOCKS Filed July 11, 1923 IN 145N702 l 'a tented May 12, 1925.

rsngua unit so STATES; PATENT orator...

anorrrr RUBIN, or sr. LOUIS, rssonar,

A s sNOa o SIEBER mo s M nt as.

TUBING COMPANY, or s'r. LoUI-s, Mrssonnr, a oonronarxon or ivrissoonr."

nnrna F03 nnrarennarron rooKsL Application filed July 11, 1923; Serial No. 650,837.

To all whom it may concern.

Be it known that I, Anonrrr RUBIN," a citizen of the United States, residing at St. Louis, Missouri, have invented a certain new and useful Improvement in Keepers for Be frigerator Locks, 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 looks of the kind that are used on ice boxes andrefrigerators.

Locks of the kind referred to comprise a movable latch, usually mounted on the door of the refrigerator, and a stationary keeper mounted on the front side ofthe refrigeratorin such a manner that it will cooperate with the latch to retain the door in' its closed position. lock the part of the keeper that co-operates with the latch is integrally connected to aplate which is secured by screws or other suitable fastening devicesto the front of-the refrigerator. Consequently, when the latch or the part of the keeper with which it cooperates becomes worn, or when the gasket at the edge of the dooropening becomes worn, the door of the refrigerator will not fit perfectly tight when it is in its closed position, because the pressure of the latchon the keeper is depended upon to hold the doorpressed tightly against the gasket. Moreover, as the latch is mounted on. the front side of the door, it is necessary to use a keeper provided with a long shank when the door is of considerable thickness, and a keeper provided with a short shank when the door of the refrigerator is con'iparatively thin.

One object of my invention is to provide a novel keeper for refrigerator looks that can be adjusted to compensate for wear on the latch of the look or on theportion of the keeper with which the latch co-operates, or to compensate for wear on the door gasket.

Another object is to provide a novel keeper for refrigerator looks that can be adjusted easily to adapt it to refrigerator doors of different thicknesses.

Figure 1 of the drawings is a front elevational view of a refrigerator lock keeper constructed in accordance with my invention.

Figure 2 is a side elevational view of said keeper and Figure 3 is a side elevational View, show In the conventional refrigerator ing saith keeper mounted inoperative position on a refrigerator equipped with a look provided with a latch that does not strike against the keeper during the operation of closing the doorof the refrigerator.

Referring to the drawings, A designates a plate that is adapted to bev secured to the. front of refrigerator by screws or other suitable fastening devices that pass through holes 1 in. said plate. B designates a horizontally-disposed shank that projects for.- wardly from. the plate A and C designates a. latchrengaging' member adj ustably mounted,

on said shank B. The particular design of" the member C is immaterial, andfany suitable means can be used for retaining said member in adjusted position on theqshank B. In. the form of my invention herein il lustrated the latch engaging, member (1 has a notch or recess 2 that receives the latch of the. look when the refrigerator door is in its closed position, and said member. is provided with a depending portion. 3. that pro jects downwardly along one side, of; the shank B, and, also. a horizontally-disposed portion L that projects; laterally under the bottom edge of said shank, said parts 3 and 4 coroperating, with the. portion of the member C that bears upon the top. edge, of the shank B to. form a yoke that embraces three. sides of said, shank. A clamping screw D that extends through a hole in the depending portion 3 of the member G and an elongated slot 5 in the shank B is threaded into a clamping plate E arranged on the other side of the shank B in parallel relation to the portion 3, said screw being adapted to be tightened so as to draw the clamping plate E and the portion 3 tightly against the shank B.

If the latch or the portion of the keeper with which it co-operates becomes worn, or if the door gasket becomes worn, the clamping screw D can be released so as to permit the member C to be adjusted longitudinally of the shank B ina direction to compensate for wear, thus insuring the latch of the lock bearing against the keeper in such a way as to hold the door pressed tightly against the gasket on the front of the refrigerator when the door is in its closed position, it being of course understood that the clamping screw D is tightened after the member C has been adjusted in proper position on the shank. If the keeper is to be used on a refrigerator provided with a comparatively thick door, the member C can be adjusted outwardly or towards the front end of the shank l3, and if the keeper is to be used on a comparatively thin door, said member C can be adjusted inwardly or towards the plate A. It will thus be seen that a refrigerator lock keeper of the construction above deduring the operation of closing the door of the refrigerator. In Figure 3 of the drawings I have illustrated such a lock, the reference character F designating the latch of the lock which is retained in an elevated position by a spring-actuated trigger while the refrigerator door is'moving into its closed position, and the reference character G designating a tripping device that strikes against an abutment, and thus causes the latch to be released at about the time the door reaches its fully closed position. The abutment with -which the tripping device G co-operates is preferably formed by a part H that projects laterallyfrom the member C of the keeper, as shown in Figure 1, said abutment H being integrally connected to the member C so that the position of same will be changed when the latch-engaging member is adjusted longitudinally of the shank B. If desired, the plate A which carries the shank B may be provided at one edge with a notch or cut out portion 6, so as to receive the part of the' abutment H adjacent the member C, When said member is adjusted in its extreme inner position.

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

1 A keeper for refrigerator locks, coinprising a part adapted to be connected to the refrigeratorand provided with a forwardly-pro ecting shank, and a latch-engaging member ad ustably mounted on said shank and provided with a laterally-proectmg abutment that is adapted to be enportion and shank and tapped into said clamping plate.

3. A keeper for refrigerator locks provided with a latch-engaging member that can be adjusted towards and away from the front of the refrigerator, and a laterally projecting abutment for a tripping device carried by said member, and adjustable with same. 1

4. A keeper for refrigerator locks, comprising a plate provided with a forwardlyprojecting shank, an adjustable latch-engaging member mounted on said shank, a laterally-projecting abutment sition. I

ADOLPH RUBIN.

integrally i connected to said 1nember,'and a notch or

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