US1647422A - Hood catch - Google Patents

Description

Nov. 1, 1927. 1,647,422

w. R. WILEY HOOD CATCH Filed April 5, 1926 2 Sheets-Sheet l INVENTOR. MM a.

A TTORNE Y. Y

Nov. 1, 1927. 1,47,422

W. R. WILEY I HOOD CATCH Filed April 5, 1926. 2 Sheets-Sheet 2 v INII'ENTOR. M 6! 39.1.

A TTORNEY.

Patented Nov. 1, 1927.

UNITED A STATES 'WILIJIAFE It. WILEY, OF MOUNT CLEMENS, MICHIGAN.

HOOD CATCH.

Application filed April 5, 1926. Serial No. 99,690.

This invention relates to a hood catch for motor vehicles, and has for its object an improved organization of parts by the use of which the entire side of a radiator hood may be locked in position, and unlocked, by a single lever action, instead of reliance being placed upon at least two spring catches for each side, one at the forward end of the hood panel and the other near the rear edge. Not

only are these latter objectionable because each must be actuated separately, but in ad- .dition most of them involve in one form or another the use of an helical or compression spring, which easily gets out of order, and results in a rattling of the metal parts, even when supposedly each latch is fully in place.

In the drawings:

Figure 1 is a perspective of a motor vehicle hood with one of its panels equipped with one of my devices, those portions of the mechanism located interiorly of the hood being shown in dotted lines.

Figure 2 is a plan view of my improved device taken from above, the hood wall being shown in section.

Figure 3 is a perspective of the actuating lever in practically full size.

' Figure 4 is a vertical elevational view taken lengthwise of the vehicle and of the plane of the hood wall, which is shown in section; this view is taken along the line 4-4 of Figure 6 and looking in the direction of the arrows there shown.

Figure 5 is a similar view showing the engagement of the bent-over end of the locking shaft with the anchorage bracket.

Figure 6 is a practically full sized elevational view taken from a point interiorly of the hood, so as to bring out the positioning and function of the parts shown in dotted lines in Figure 1, as located on the inner face of the hood wall.

12 indicates a vehicle hood, with its wings or panels hinged as usual along the line 13 at the central portion of the top, over the engine portion. Each panel or wing carries near its lower edge, and about midway between its front and rear edges, a bracket 14,

through whose perforated ears 15 a pintle 16 may extend for the pivotal supporting of the central portion of the lever. 17, which extends through anaperture 18 in the hood wall, and'is capable of a vertical swing of approximately 90. The inner end of the lever 17 is bifurcated, as at 19, for slidable siliency,

only take place been brought to engagement about the center portion of the U-shaped bend 21 in the bar or shaft 20, which is of a relatively high degree of reand which is rotatably supported close to the inner face of the hood wall 12 by journaling brackets 22, in a position perpendicular to the vertical plane through which the lever 17 may swing. The axis of rotatability of the end portions of the shaft is thus fixed by the brackets 22, and the U-shaped central portion swings through an arc of which the axis of the shaft 20 is the center. This is brought out graphically in Figure 4, wherein the dotted-in are 6 represents the path of swing of the U-sha ed part 21 relatively to the axis of the shaft 20, of which it is the integrally central part. The path of swing of the inner socket 26 on the lever 17, about the pintle 16 as a center, is shown by the dotted-in are a, whose middle portion is very obviously closer to the axis of the shaft 20 than either extreme is. The swing of the U-shaped part 21, as actuated by the movement of the lever 17 can thus because of its slidability within the bifurcated end 19 of the lever 17. When an intermediate or the extreme lower or unlocked position shown in dotted lines in Figure 4 has been attained, the U-shaped portion 21 lies quite appreciably away from the inner socket 26, on the principle'of the well-known Geneva escapement in a watch mechanism, whereas when the lever 17 has the full locking position shown in full lines in Figure 4, the U-shaped portion has not only settled fully within the inner socket 26, but to attain this position v has had to be resiliently snapped over the edge of the lip 23, past which it cannot ride until the lever 17 is again moved well toward its unlocking position. Except for the restraint of the overengaging sharp lip 23, there would be a very decided tendency of these parts to turn, but the U-shaped part 21 being sprung thereover, silieny of the shaft 20, this cannot take place except when the lever 17 is positively and intentionally actuated.

The end portions of the shaft 20 are bent thanks to the re- 1 to the form shown at 24 in Figure 6, and

being positioned adjacent the front and rear edge of the hood panel, are adapted, as the shaft is rocked, to swing over and into engagement with the overengaginglip or edge 25 of the correspondingly positioned fixed bracket, which is suitably supported at the proper height from the vehicle frame. The relative position of each bent terminal projection 24 and of its anchorage bracket 25 is brought out clearly in elevational Figures 4, 5 and 6. The movement of the bent terminal projection along the bracket surface 25 is, however, such a wiping one, due to the relative position of the bracket, that the shafts end is sprung downwardly and inwardly somewhat from the axial line of those portions of it which are journaled in the brackets 22; thus the resiliency of the rod 20 is made use of to insure a firm engagement of the anchorage brackets 25 by its bent-over end portions to a degree suc that, if there are relatively slight variations in the height of the bracket 25 as installed, the firmness of the locking action will not be impaired. The swinging of the single central handle 17 appurtenant to each wall panel thus effects the locking of both ends of the panel at a single operation, and the holding of the U-shaped portion 21 of the shaft by the over-engaging lip 25 both serves to efiectively hold the hood and to prevent the lever 17 from possible rattling as well as unintended movement.

l/Vhat I claim is:

1. In combination with a hood wall provided with journaling brackets, a shaft rotatably carried in said brackets, said shaft being terminally and intermediately bent, a lever pivoted upon and extending through the shell of the hood in position for its bifurcated inner end to operatively engage the intermediately bent portion of said shaft, thereby effecting the rotative movement of the shaft, means carried by the bifurcated end of the lever for lockingly engaging over the adjacent bent portion of the shaft when the lever is in holding position, whereby their disengagement is rendered only under positive manual actuation of the lever, and catch elements fixedly positioned upon the vehicle frame for engagement by the terminally bent portions of said shaft when the latter is rotatively actuated by manually induced swing of'said lever.

2. The combination, with an apertured hood wall, of a pivoted lever having a bi furcated and eccentrically recessedinner end portion extending therethrough, a plurality of journaling brackets spacedly positioned on the inner face of said hood wall, a plurally deformed shaft rotatably supported in said brackets in position for its centrally deformed portion to be operatively engaged by the bifurcated end of said-lever and to be lockingly engaged by the eccentrically recessed portion thereof when the lever has been manually actuated to locking position, and anchorage stops located upon portions of the vehicle frame adjacent the terminally deformed portions of said shaft, with which possible the latter are adapted to be interlocked by actuated, and an actuating lever therefor positioned to swing in a plane transverse to the axis of said shaft, that end of said lever adjacent said shaft being bifurcated and operatively engaging the deformed central portion thereof when its outer end is manually actuated, and having a recessed portion between its bifurcations into which the engaged portion of the shaft is adapted to lockingly settle when the lever has been moved to the limit of its possible swing.

4. In combination with a lever pivoted to swing in a vertical plane, one end of said lever being bifurcated and also provided with .a locking recess flanked by the bifurcated portions, a plurally deformed shaft rotatably supported perpendicularly to the plane of possible swing of said lever, its centrally deformed portion bein adapted to be operatively engaged by the bifurcated portion thereof and to lodge in said locking recess at the end of said levers manually actuated locking movement, and anchorage brackets positioned complementarily to the terminally deformed portions of said shaft, with which the latter are adapted to lockingly engage when the lever-induced rotative movement of said shaft has been completed.

5. A hood catch, having, in combination with an apertured hood wall, a shaft member rotatably journaledon the inner face thereof, said shaft being deformed laterally from its general axis at a plurality of points, anchorage stops positioned on the frame of the vehicle complementarily to the terminally deformed portions of said shaft and adapted to be lockingly engaged thereby when the shaft is rotatively actuated, and a pivoted lever having a bifurcated inner end extending through the aperture in the hood wall and operatively engaging the centrally deformed portion of said shaft, whereby the latter may be rotatively actuated and held in locked position by the attainment by said lever of swing.

6. A hood catch, having in combination with a pair of anchorage stops supported from the vehicle frame, a plurally deformed shaft rotatably journaled on the inner side of the hood wall, its terminally deformed end portions being adapted to lockingly engage said anchorage stops when the shaft is rotatably actuated, and a manually operthe limit of its manually actuated able lever pivotally supported in operative relation to the centrally deformed portion of said shaft, whereby the latter may be rotatably actuated, and whereby it is automatically locked in position upon the attainment by said lever of the limit of its operative swing.

7. A hood catch, having, in combination with axially aligned bearing members supported on the inner face of a hood wall, a plurally deformed shaft member rotatably supported thereby, anchorage stops supported upon portions of the vehicle frame adjacent the terminally deformed portions of said shaft member and adapted to be operatively engaged by them when the shaft is rotatively actuated, and an operating lever pivotall supported by the hood wall ad- ]acent tie central deformed portion of said 20 shaft member, whereby the rotative movement thereof in its bearings may be effected.

8. In combination with a resilient shaft member provided with central and terminal deformations from its general axis, a pivoted lever provided with a terminal bifurcatlon whereby a constant slidable engagement with the central deformation in the shaft is afforded regardless of the operative position of either member, means for rotatably supporting said shaft on a hood wall in opera: tive relation to said 'lever, and anchorage members supported in positions laterally adjacent the terminal deformations in the shaft and adapted to be operatively engaged there by upon the lever-induced rotation of said shaft.

In testimony whereof, I sign this specification.

WILLIAM R. WILEY.

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