US1858608A

US1858608A - Door latch

Info

Publication number: US1858608A
Application number: US453603A
Authority: US
Inventors: Ellis L Wilson
Original assignee: Individual
Current assignee: Individual
Priority date: 1930-05-19
Filing date: 1930-05-19
Publication date: 1932-05-17
Anticipated expiration: 1949-05-17

Description

y \1932- E. 1.. WILSON v 1,858,608

DOOR LATCH Filed May 19, 1930 3 Sheets-Sheet l INVENTOR.

d' d-m PM A TTORNEYS.

y 1932- E. L. WILSON 1,858,608

DOOR LATCH Filed May 19, 1930 3 Sheets-Sheet 2 INVE4NTOR. W

A TTORNEYS.

y 932. E. L WILSON I 1,858,608

- DooR LATCH Filed May 19,1950 5 Sheets-Sheet 3 4o INVE N TOR.

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Patented May 17, 1932 i UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE ELLIS L. WILSON, OF SAN ANSELMO, CALIFORNIA DOOR LATCH Application filed May 19, 1930. Serial No. 453,603.

This invention relates to door looks or 10, showing the latch mechanism installed latches and especially to that type known as in a door,

door locks. Fig. 10 is a horizontal section taken on The object of .the present invention is to l1ne XX of Fig, 9, g generally improve and simplify the construc- Fig. 11 1s a detailed section showing an ex- 55 tion and operation of door latches; to protension bearing for one of the auxiliary end vide a housing for the reception ofa retrac- P ates,

tor, a, roll-back, and a, spindle, said housing Flg. 12 is a vertical longitudinal section Of having a rib fonned in one end and a. removthe latch IIlCl12tI11S1'I1 SllOWlI1g it installed in able plate in the opposite end, said remov a d00r,sa1 d section being taken on line XII- 60 able plate and rib forming a three-point XII of Fig. 9, track or guideway for the retractor; to prog. 1S a Similar section showing the id l t ll dj tabl n ti b application of a standard form of escutcheon tween the latch and the retractor to take pl te.

care of doors of varying thickness; to provide e lng to the drawings in detail and 65 a housing having an angular perforated particularly F igs. l to 7 inclusive, A indiflange t one d f th reception f d cates a cylindrical shaped housing which screws whereby the housing may be secured may b fq med from sheet metal by stampi a d 1- j d d tl f th egcutcheon 111g, pressing, or otherwise. The housing is plates; andfurther, to provide an auxiliary provided with ,an integral bottom section 2, 70

end plate whereby escutcheon plates may be having a bearing extension 3 through which secured t th inner d Outer f f the the splndle is inserted as will hereinafter be door by means of wood screws and in such a described. The bottom section is also promahner th t th w d screws will b nvided with an inwardly pressed rib 4 which l d. forms one member of a guide track whereby 75 Th d l t h i Shown b way f illugthe retractor is guided as will later be detration in the accompanying drawings, in s llbed- One side of the housing is out hi h away as indicated at 5 for the reception of Fig. 1 is a perspective view of the housing, a track plate and it is further cut away as Fig. 2 is a perspective view of the retraclndicated at 6 to permit a retractor rod to 8 tor, pass through the housing to form a connec- Fig. 3 is a perspective view of the rolltion with the retractor. The end of the back, housing is provided with an annular angu- Fig. 4 is a perspective View of the lat h larly disposed flange 7. TlllS is perforated it as shown at 8 and is provided with an elon- Fig. 5 is a perspective view of the track gated Slot the Perforatlon 8 311161 e ot 9 plate, being provided for the receptlon of wood l v i Fig. 6 1s a perspective vlew of the housing scre hereby t hfmsmg is .Secured a Cover plate door. i he housing 1s otherwlse provided J1 with two lot 11 h 1 h i 2 7 1S a perspectlve Vlew Oi an auxlllary the slot ll re csiv in oiie le litl f thi iabli end Plate whereby l escutcheon Plate 18 plate while the slot? receives the other end. cured to either the inner or outer face of a Slot 12 receives the lug of a Cover plate as door or to both, b

will hereinafter be described. 45 8 15 an end Vlew of the houslng The retractor is substantially U-shaped in gether ht Q Plate use/$1 111 0011111110" cross section as shown in Fig. 2. It consists n n therew th, said View showlng the of an end section 13 in one face of which is ner of securing the housing in the door, formed a groove 1a which is engaged by the Fig. 9 is a central vertical longitudinal guide ribor track member 4. It is provided 50 cross section taken on line IX-IX of Fig. with two drilled holes such as shown at 15 and a, these holes being tapped or threaded for the reception of the inner end of the retractor rod 15?), see Fig. 4. The retractor is otherwise provided with two rearwardly extending legs 16 and these are in turn provided with right angular outwardly turned lugs 17 which are adapted to be engaged by the roll-back member.

The roll-back member is shown in Fig. 3. It consists of a hub member 18 having two bearing extensions 19 and 20. A square opening is formed in the hub member 18 and the bearing extensions 19 and 20, this opening being formed for the reception of an actuating spindle hereinafter to be described. The roll-back is otherwise provided with a cam shaped lug 21 which is adapted to engage the lugs 17 of the retractor.

The latch unit employed is shown in Figs. l, 9, and 10. It consists of an elongated cylindrical shaped housing B which is secured to a face plate 22 of the usual construction, this plate being provided with screw openings 23 through which screws may be inserted to secure the face plate to the edge of a door as shown in Fig. 9. The housing B forms a guide and support for a latch or bolt 24. This latch is provided with a retractor rod 15?) which is connected with a retractor through a threaded connection such as shown. The latch unit is otherwise provided with a helical compression spring 25 and this functions in the usual manner to project the latch.

Fig. 5 shows a track plate. It consists of a flat plate such as shown at 26. It has two functions, first that of forming a track or guide way for one side of the retractor; and secondly, that of forming a bearing for the roll-back member, a bearing being formed by forming a central opening in the plate as indicated at 19a to receive the bearing 19 of the roll-back. One end of the plate is provided with a lug which is turned at right angles and then parallel to the plate as shown in Figs. 5 and 10. This lug is shown at 27 and it is drilled and tapped as shown at 28 for the reception of a screw 29.

Fig. 6 shows a cover plate which is nothing more or less than flat round disc as shown. It is provided with a central opening 20a which functions as a bearing for the end 20 of the roll-back member. It is also provided with a perforation or hole 30 for the reception of a screw 29 and it is further provided with a lug 31 which is adapted. to enter the slot 12 of the main housing.

In actual operation it will be understood that the latch mechanism illustrated and described is designed with two objects in view; first, simplicity and cheapness of manufacture; and secondly, to provide a latch mechanism which can be readily and quickly installed in a door. Installation is accomplished by drilling two holes in the door,

one hole transversely at C and one hole through the edge of the door is indicated at D. When these holes are drilled the door is ready for the reception of the latch mechanism, the spindle, the escutcheon plates, knobs and the latch or bolt unit. Before these parts of the mechanism are inserted it is of course essential that certain parts be assembled. The mechanism contained in the main housing A is usually assembled in a factory and so is the mechanism contained in the latch unit indicated at B, thus merely requiring insertion of the housing A and the unit B and the insertion of spindle, escutcheon plates, and knobs. In the factory, assembling of the mechanism contained in the main housing A, is accomplished as follows: The retractor shown in Flg. 2 is first placed in the housing A where groove 14 registers with the guide or track rib 4. The track plate, shown in Fig. 5, is then inserted through the opening 5 and when completely inserted lug 27 will rest in the opening 5 While the opposite end of the track plate will be supported by the slot 11. The roll-back member is then inserted in the opening 19a of the track plate and the cover plate shown in Fig. 6 is then applied completing the assembly of this unit, which may be termed the latch actuatin unit. The cover plate is placed in position y inserting lug 31 into slot 12, then by pressin the cover plate inwardly it engages lug 27 and as

openings

28 and 30 register screw 29 may be inserted and screwed into place thus retaining all the parts inserted in the pro er position but leaving the roll-back mem er free to oscillate and the retractor free to reciprocate.

The latch unit is also assembled in the factory by first inserting the spring 25 and then rod 15?) which carries the latch indicated at 24, the parts bein secured against separation by insertion of a retaining pin or the like indicated at 24a. When finally assembling in the door, housing A is first inserted in the opening C and when so inserted the annular angular flange 7 will engage the inner surface of the door and as it is coneshaped it will center the housing with relation to the opening C. The housing is here secured by first passing a wood screw through the elongated slot 9 then rotatin the housing until the retractor lines up with the hole D. The second wood screw is then inserted in the perforation or hole 8 and bot-h screws are screwed into place as shown in Figs. 12 and 13. It will here be noted that the screws pass into the door on an angle thus rigidly securing the housing Without in any way weakening or splitting the surroundin woodwork. After the housing A is inserte and secured, housing B of the latch unit is inserted endwise in the hole D and latch 24 is rotated to form a threaded connection between the inner end of the retractor rod 15b and one or another of the drilled holes and 15a of the retractor. Doors of different thickness are encountered when installing door latches of this character, hence by providing two laterally spaced threaded holes such as shown at 15 and 15a it is possible to ta re care of doors of different thickness. When the housing B has been inserted and a connection made between the latch and the retractor it is only necessary to insert wood screws through the screw openings 23 and thus permanently secure the latch unit against removal. The next operation is that of inserting the spindle indicated at F, after which the

escutcheon plates

36 and 37 together with knobs 38 and 89 may be applied thereby completing the installation.

If ordinary escutcheon plates such as shown in Fig. 13 are to be employed, spindle F is inserted, escutcheon plates 36a and 3764 are next applied and then the knobs, the knobs being applied so as to center and position the plates 36a and 37a. These plates when centered are then secured by wood screws 40 in the usual manner while the knobs may be secured by set screws such as shown at 41. This completes an installation where ordinary escutcheon plates are employed. In the present instance I have disclosed escutcheon plates which may be applied in such a manner as to conceal the wood screws whereby they are secured. This is accomplished by employing an auxiliary end plate such as shown in Figs. 7 and 12. The auxiliary end plate is nothing I more or less than a fiat circular plate such as indicated at 45. This plate is provided with a central hub member 46 to receive and guide the spindle and it is provided with inwardly and outwardly angularly bent perforated lugs such as shown at 47 and 48 respectively. An eseutcheon plate such as shown at 50 is secured to the auxiliary plate by spinning the outer edge of the escutcheon plate over and around the outer edge of the auxiliary plate as shown at 51. The plates supporting the escutcheon plates are applied to the outer face of the door as shown in Fig. 12. Wood screws such as shown in Fig. 2 are then in serted through the

lugs

47 and 48 through the central opening of the escutcheon plate and as the lugs are disposed on the angle shown a screw criver may be inserted through the central opening to turn and drive the screws into place. After the screws have been driven into place the spindle and knobs may be applied and secured in the usual manner by the set screws 41. This completes the installation where escutcheon plates such as shown at are employed.

It should be noted that both the housing A and the auxiliary escutcheon supporting plates 45 are secured by angularly disposed screws. Such angular disposition of the screws is exceedingly important as they enter the wood on an angle which reduces any tendency to splitting the wood to a minimum. Furthermore when a pull is exerted on the knobs or the mechanism as a whole is subjected to shock and strain as by slamming the door, etc., the stress exerted will be at right angles to the screws. This is also important as stresses thus applied do not tend to loosen or free the screws as is usually the case. It should otherwise be noted that the latch actuating mechanism is exceedingly simple and cheap to manufacture as the housing indicated at A may be stamped, pressed, or otherwise, formed and so may the retractor, the track plate, and the roll-back. The cover plate shown in Fig. 6 may also be stamped and may the escutcheon plates and the auxiliary plates supporting the same. The mechanism employed is exceedingly simple as far as the problem of assembly in the factory is concerned and the same may be said of the as sembly by mechanics when the mechanism is to be applied to doors.

It has been previously stated that the latch structure is adapted to be inserted in doors of varying thickness. It does happen at times that exceptionally thick doors are encounter-ed and as it is necessary to center the spindle and knobs with relation to the housin and also the escutcheon plates an extension bushing may be employed as shown at in Fig. 11. This forms a centering member between the inner end of the housing and the adjacent escutcheon plate and it also forms a guide for the spindle.

lVhil-e certain features of the present invention are more or less specifically described, I wish it understood that various changes may be resorted to within the scope of the appended claims. Similarly, that the materials and finishes of the several parts emploved may be such as the manufacturer may decide, or varying conditions or uses may demand.

By referring to Figs. 6 and 10, it will be noted that the cover plate is provided with an inwardly turned lug 31a. This lug engages one of the lugs 17 on the retractor and limits its movement away from the latch housing B.

Having thus described my invention, what I claim and desire to secure by Letters Patent is 1. In a latch structure of the character described, a housing, a rib in one end of the housing, a narrow plate extending crosswise of the housing, a retractor reciprocally mounted between said plate and the end of the housing, and means on the retractor engaging the opposite edges of the plate and the rib, said rib and plate forming a three-point track upon which the retractor is reciprocally mounted.

2. In a latch structure of the character described, 21 housing, a rib in one end of the housing forming a single trackway, a narrow plate extending crosswise of the housing and ion his

presenting parallel edges forming a pair of trackways, a rectractor disposed between the end of the housing and said track plate, means on one side of the retractor engaging a single trackway, and means on the opposite side of the retractor engaging the track plate, said first and last named means supporting the retractor with relation to the several trackways and permitting reciprocal movement of the retractor.

3. In a latch structure of the character described, a housing, a rib in one end of the housing forming a single trackway, a narrow plate extending crosswise of the housing and presenting parallel edges forming a pair of trackways, a retractor disposed between the end of the housing and said track plate, said retractor having a recess formed in one side to receive the rib, a pair of lugs formed on the opposite side of the retractor and engaging the parallel edges of the track plate, and a roll-back member engaging said lugs and adapted to transmit reciprocal movement to the retractor.

4. In a latch structure of the character described, a housing, a rib in one end of the housing forming a single trackway, a narrow plate extending crosswise of the housing and presenting parallel edges forming a pair of trackways, a retractor disposed between the end of the housing and said track plate, said retractor having a recess formed in one side to receive the rib, a pair of lugs: formed on the opposite side of the retractor and engaging the parallel edges of the track plate, a cover plate on the housing, a spindle extending through said cover plate and the end of the housing, and a roll-back member mounted on the spindle between the cover plate and the track plate and adapted during rotation of the spindle to engage the lugs on the retractor and to impart a reciprocal movement thereto.

5. In a latch structure of the character described, a housing, a rib in one end of the housing forming a single trackway, a narrow plate extending crosswise of the housing and presenting parallel edges forming a pair of trackways, a retractor disposed between the end of the housing and said track plate, said retractor having a recess formed in one side to receive the rib, a pair of lugs formed on the opposite side of the retractor and engaging the parallel edges of the track plate, a cover plate on the housing, a roll-back member disposed between said cover plate and the track plate, and journal members on the roll-back member extending into the track plate and the cover plate and supporting the roll-back memher.

6. In a latch structure of the character described, a cylindrical shaped elongated housing open at one end and closed by an end member disposed at the opposite end, said housing having slots formed in opposite sides, a track plate extending crosswise of the housing and insertable through said slots, said housing having a second slot formed therein adjacent the open end of the housing, a threaded lug on the track plate, a cover plate insertable in the open end of the housing supported at one point by a lug which extends into the third slot, and supported at a point opposite said slot by the threaded lug on the track plate, and a screw extending through the cover plate and adapted to be secured by the threaded lug on the track plate, said screw securing the cover plate and track plate against removal.

7. In a latch structure of the character de scribed, a cylindrical shaped housing adapted to be inserted in a door having a circular opening bored thansversely therethrough, said opening being larger in diameter than the exterior diameter of the housing, a cone shaped flange on one end of the housing engageable with the inner face of said opening to center the housing with relation to the opening when inserted therein, said coneshaped flange having openings formed therein for the reception of wood screws to secure the housing in the transverse opening, Said screws when inserted entering the wood of the door on an angle which is substantially right angular to the face of the cone-shaped flange.

8. In a latch structure of the character described, an escutcheon plate, an escutcheon plate secured thereto,said escutcheon plate having a central opening formed therein, and a plurality of angularly disposed perforated lugs formed on the end plate for the reception of securing screws which are insertable through the central opening in the escutcheon plate.

9. In a latch structure of the character described, a cylindrical shaped housing adapted to be inserted in a door having a circular opening bored transversely therethrough, escutcheon plates applicable to the opposite faces of the door to conceal said housing, each plate comprising an inner plate and an outer plate, d outer plate having a central opening formed therein, and a plurality of angularly disposed perforated lugs formed on the inner plate, said lugs adapted to center the escutcheon plates with relation to the housing and the opening in which it is inserted and said lugs adapted to receive wood screws insertable through the central opening in the outer plate, said screws entering the wood in the door on an angle with relation to the longitudinal axis of the housing and said screws being concealed by the outer plate when inserted.

ELLIS L. WILSON.