US2016895A - Doorlock - Google Patents

Description

Oct. 8,1935. P. 1:. FORD 4 2,016,895

DOORLOCK Filed July so, 1952 Ill. H 3 1 4 I N VEN TOR.

A TTORNE Y.

Patented Oct. 8, 1935 UNITED STATES DOORLOCK Patrick E. Ford,

Application July 30,

3 Claims.

My invention relates to door locks and has particular relationto a door latch or lock particularly suitable for use with motor vehicles and the like.

I have observed that the door locks now commonly used for motor vehicles are a source of danger in the operation of the vehicle. Persons, particularly children, will hang on to the outside handle of the door lock and ride on the runningboard of the car against the owners wishe The handles may accidentally be turned by the person riding on the running-board and the door opened causing the person to be "thrown to the pavement and injured, or a person riding in this .manner may be thrown from the running-board by any sudden movement of the car as in turning a corner or by quick stopping of the car as in a collision or in avoiding a collision. Furthermore, the handles constitute a source of danger as an obstruction or projecting part of the car by which 'a person may be injured. Numerous. accidents have occurred in which a person has fallen against a moving car and been badly injured by striking the protruding handle of a door.

The inner handles of the door lock also are a source of danger because the occupants of the car may, in using the handles as a hand-hold, unintentionally unlatch thedoor and be thrown out of the car when the car turns a corner. Furthermore, the handles on the inside of the door oftentimes injure or tear an occupants clothing by catching the clothing as the occupant moves his arm or gets in or out of the vehicle.

The handles constitute an unsightly projection both inside and outside of the car and destroy the sweeping efifect of the lines of the car. The handles may readily be twisted oil by thieves to gain admission to the vehicle. In addition the door latch structures now commonly used are relatively complicated and expensive.

I have accordingly devised means for overcoming these difliculties and a broad and general object of my invention is to provide a new and improved door latching mechanism'which will avoid the difliculties of the devices of the' prior art.

A more specific object of my invention is to provide door latching or locking means which need not project from the car door sufliciently to afford a hand hold on the outside or the inside I of the car.

Cedar Rapids, Iowa 1932, Serial No. 626,478.

Another object of my invention is to provide a device of the above character which cannot readily be opened by unauthorized individuals when locked.

Another object of my invention is to provide a 5 door latching device, the handles of which will not injure an occupants clothing.

Still another object of my invention is to provide a simple, sturdy and reliable device which afiords quick and easy access to and egress from a motor vehicle or the like.

Other and further features and objects of the invention willbe more apparent to those skilled in the art upon a consideration of the accompanying drawing and following specification, wherein is disclosed several exemplary embodiments of the invention, with the understanding, however, that such changes maybe made therein as fall Within thescope of the appended claims without departing from the spirit of the invention. The device may be used or adapted for use for other purposes, for instance-although the invention is shown and described in connection with the door of a motor vehicle, it is quite apparent that it may be used or modified for use with many other door and drawer constructions, as for instance, the door of a refrigerator or the drawer of a piece of furniture or the like.

Referring now to the drawing in which like numerals refer to like parts throughout the several figures,

Figure 1 is a view in side elevation of a motor vehicle in the door of which a door-latch operating-mechanism constructed according to my invention has been incorporated.

Figure 2 is a schematic representation in perspective of the various parts of a door latch mechanism constructed according to one embodiment of my invention.

Figure 3 is a view in section of a portion of a door showing how a device constructed according ,to one embodiment of my invention is incorporated in the door, and

Figure 4 is a view in perspective of the outside handle portion of. a device constructed according to another embodiment of my invention.

Referring now to the drawing, there is shown at H], generally, a motor vehicle having a door II to permit access to and egress from the interior of the vehicle. The door may be constructed in the usual manner with a hollow outside door panel l2 and a covering inner panel 13, the door being provided with hinges in. the usual manner to permit opening and closing. The door panel I2 is provided with the usual ornamental moldings l4.

The framework of the car includes vertical standards |6 for supporting the roof of the car and the vertical standards have a stepped keeper l1 fastened to the side thereof in order that a cooperating bolt |8 on the door may engage the keeper when the door is closed to hold it in the closed position.

The bolt "3 is somewhat L-shaped in section with the long arm IQ of the bolt projecting into the'door in a direction parallel to the panel B. The bolt passes through a suitable rectangular opening 2| in the door lock plate 22 and the plate is secured by any suitable means such as bolts which pass through the openings 23 to and in the end portion of the panel l2. The shorter arm 24 of the bolt 8 projects through the opening 2| and is bent back again so that the extreme end thereof projects back through the opening. The bolt is pivotally attached to the plate 22 as by means of the pivot lugs 26 and is held normally with the arm 24 projecting outwardly to engage the keeper H, by any suitable spring means such as the leaf spring 21 which engages the outer end of the arm IQ of the bolt and inner wall of the panel l3 to bias the arm I!) outwardly.

It may readily be understood then that the bolt 24 normally engages the keeper I! when the door is closed and that when the door is closed the bolt l8 will slide inwardly over the teeth of the keeper l1, the spring 21 being thus depressed, and will engage the innermost tooth of the keeper to hold the door in the closed position.

I avoid the difiiculties of the devices of the prior art by providing a button or other device which is preferably set with its outer end flush with the surface of the door for withdrawing the bolt |8 from the keeper I! to permit opening of the door. A similar button or like device may be set flush with the inner panel l3 for accomplish ing the same purpose. I provide suitable mechanisms actuated by these buttons for withdrawing the bolt. The button or other device may be flush with the surface of the door panels or may project therefrom to a sufficient distance to permit them to be depressed when desired to open the door, but they do not afford a hand hold either inside or outside the door nor can the buttons be accidentally depressed to unexpectedly open the door.

The buttons or other devices are of such construction and are so located that a thief cannot gain access to the car by wrenching them off. The buttons or other devices may be covered with paint of the same color as the paint or other covering of the door panels and may thereby be rendered very inconspicuous, or they may be painted or plated to furnish a contrasting spot of bright color. Buttons may be employed as shown in Figures 1 to 3 inclusive or a handle may be employed which may be made to sink into a suitable groove or slot in the door as shown in Figure 4.

The button 4| for actuating the bolt I8 is preferably located in the panel |2 at a point adjacent the door lock mechanism and a sleeve or grommet 42 is fastened to the panel |2 around the button 4| to serve as a guide for the button and to act as a means by which a tumbler lock 43, hereinafter more particularly described, may be used for locking the button 4| with reference to the sleeve 42.

Any suitable means may be employed for conveying movement of the button 4| to the bolt l8 and one structure is illustrated in Figures 2 and 3. The structure illustrated comprises a push rod 46 which extends inwardly from the button and is then bent to the left and then parallel with the plate 22, as at 41, and outwardly again as at 48 so as to avoid the glass 49. The push rod is then bent upwardly as at 5| and the upper end of the rod bears againstthe outer face of the arm H! of the bolt. The portion 41 of the push rod is slidingly engaged in a suitable bracket 52 which is secured to the plate 22 ,below the opening 2|. It may readily be understood that when the 10 button 4| is pushed inwardly this motion is conveyed by means of the push rod 46 to the arm Hi to draw the bolt I8 inwardly against the biasing action of the spring 21 to release the bolt from the keeper. 15

Another button 56 is provided in the inner panel I3 and this button is preferably located centrally of the door at some distancefrom the door look. It also is preferably mounted in the sleeve 51 which projects through and inside of 20 the panel l3. Any suitable means may be employed for transmitting movement of this button to the arm IQ of the bolt I8. A means of accomplishing this result is the lever 6|. This lever is pivotally engaged at an intermediate point to the 25 bracket 62 which may in turn be secured to the inner wall of the panel l3. One end of the lever may be provided with an inwardly projecting part as shown at 63 for engaging the button 56 and the other end of the lever may be provided 30 with an upwardly projecting part 64 for engaging the arm I9 of the bolt l8. It is apparent that if the button 56 is depressed, the portion 63 of the lever arm 6| will be moved outwardly toward the panel I2 to cause the portion 64 to be moved in- 35 wardly toward the panel |3 to depress the arm IQ of bolt l8 to release the bolt from the keeper. It is apparent also that the position of the pivot 62 may be so chosen as to secure any desired mechanical advantage of the lever 6| 40 In opening the door from the outside the thumb is placed againstvthe button 4| and the fingers hooked over a ledge 50 at the upper edge of the lower portion of the door panel. The hand of the operator thus acts as a lever to pry inwardly on 45 the button to release the bolt.

After the bolt has been released the door may then be pulled open by pulling on the ledge 5|! with the fingers. If the button 4| projected sufficientl-y from the surface of the door the heel of the hand might be used to' depress the button and the door opened by means of the ledge 5|! as before.

It is apparent that any suitable mechanism which may be placed flush or substantially flush 55 with the surface of the door when not in use may accomplish the desired results. For instance, I have shown in Figure 4 a modified embodiment of my inventionin which a handle is employed for opening the door which may be pushed into a w suitable recess in the door panel when not being used.

This form of device comprises a handle 8| of substantially the same construction as the handle heretofore employed except that the handle may 65 he slid in and out on the shaft 82. A recess 83 is formed in the panel l2 so that when the handle is depressed its outer face is flush with the surface of the panel l2. In this depressed condition the handle may be locked in place by means of the 7 ing part of the handle 8| may be square in cross section so that the handle may be slid in and out on the shaft, but will rotate the shaft when the handle is rotated. A spring 8| disposed between the cam- 82 and the handle 8| may be employed for normally holding the handle in an extended position.

Any suitable means for moving the bolt |8a may be employed but in the present instance I have used a cam 82 which acts against an extended portion 88 of the bolt for driving it inwardly away from the keeper II. In the present instance the handle 8| is extended unless it is locked in place in the recess 83, but it is apparent that a tension spring may be employed in place of the compression spring 8| so that the handle 8| is normally disposed in the recess 83 when not in use. If this reversed arrangement of the parts is used, the recess in 88 is enlarged as shown at 98 so that the operator may reach in under the handle 8| and pull it outwardly for opening the door.

,Although I have described several specific embodiments of my invention it is apparent that modifications thereof may be made without departing from the spirit and scope of my invention as set forth in the appended claims.

I claim as my invention:

1'. In a door look, a door plate adapted to be fastened to the vertical free edge of the door and the plate having-an opening therethrough, a

lever pivotally mounted on the plate for rotation in a horizontal plane and having one portion thereof projecting through the opening to form a bolt portion and having a rearwardl'y-extending portion, a push rod slidingly engaged on the 5 rear face of the door plate for transverse motion with reference to the door, and having the inner portion projecting to a position where it may engage the rearwardly extending portion of the lever, and a button slidingly engaged in the 0 outer panel of the door and connected with the push rod whereby when the button is pushed in the push rod is actuated and caused to bear against the lever to retract the bolt portion of the lever. 15

2. In a door look, a door plate, a bolt pivotally engaged on the door plate and projecting therethrough, a push rod slidingly engaged on the rear face of the door plate, and a button on one end of the push rod and means for engaging a portion 20 of the bolt on the other end. 4

3. Ina door lock, a door plate, a bolt pivotally engaged on the door plate and projecting therethrough, a push rod slidingly engaged on the rear face of the door plate, a button on one end of the 2:, push rod and means for engaging a portion of the bolt on the other end; a lever pivotally mounted within the door, a push button engaged on one end of the lever, and the other end of the lever having means thereon for also engaging the bolt. 30

PATRICK E. FORD.

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