US2050155A - Lock - Google Patents

Description

Aug) 4, 1936. R. R. BIRCHFIELD I 2,050,155

' LOCK Filed Nov. 18, 1935 2 Sheets-Sheet 1 Patented Aug. 4, 1936 UNITED STATES PATENT OFE'IE LOCK Roy R. Birchfield, Shreveport, La.

Application November 18, 1935, Serial No. 50,428

4 Claims.

The device forming the subject matter of this application is a locking mechanism, and the invention aims to provide a novel means, including a locking member, for controlling the movement of a latching element. A further object of the invention is to supply, in combination with the structure above alluded to, a novel permutation mechanism which will make the unlocking of the device more difiicult.

It is within the'province of the disclosure to improve generally and to enhance the utility of devices of that type to which the invention appertains.

With the above and other objects in view, which will appear as the description proceeds, the invention resides in the combination and arrangement of parts and in the details of construction hereinafter described and claimed, it being understood that changes in the precise embodiment of the invention herein disclosed, may be made Within the scope of what is claimed, without departing from the spirit of the invention.

In the accompanying drawings:

Fig. 1 shows, in vertical longitudinal section, a device constructed in accordance with the invention;

Fig. 2 is a horizontal longitudinal section;

Fig. 3 is a vertical transverse section;

Fig. 4 is a front elevation, the lid being removed, and parts being shown in section;

Fig. 5 is a section on the line 5--5 of Fig. 4;

Fig. 6 is an elevation showing a modification, parts being broken away;

Fig. 7 is a section on the line 'l--1 of Fig. 6.

The numeral l marks a hollow keeper, adapted to be secured to the side wall of a freight car (not shown) or to any other similar structure. The keeper I has an opening 2. The part of the keeper I that is above the opening 2 forms a shoulder 3.

The numeral 4 marks a support, such as a boxlike casing, which may be secured to a freight car door (not shown), mounted to slide in a vertical plane, toward and away from the keeper l. The casing 4 comprises a body 5, and a lid 6 held on the body by securing elements 1. The lid 6 and the keeper 1 have cooperating perforated ears 8, by which the door that carries the casing 4 can be sealed shut, in the usual way.

The back of the body 5 of the casing 4 has a boss 9, carrying a pivot element ID. A latch bar or bolt H is mounted at one end to swing vertically on the pivot element It. The latch bar ll extends outwardly through a hole 12 in the body 5 of the casing 4 and is adapted to pass through the opening 2 of the keeper l. The

latch bar H has a beveled shouldered head M. A compression spring 15, interposed between the casing body 5 and the latch bar H, raises the latch bar to. a position in which the head 54 of the latch bar will engage automatically with the shoulder 3 of the keeper 6 when the door that carries the casing 4 is slid to a closed position. Intermediate its ends, the latch bar H is provided with a depending arm l6. Intermediate its ends, the latch bar I l is supplied with a depending stud II. The stud I1 is located between the arm I6 and the spring l5. An eight-sided foot I8 is mounted fixedly on the stud ll. A plunger I9 is mounted to rotate and to slide endwise in the bottom part of the body 5 of the casing 4. Intermediate its ends, the plunger l9 has a shoulder 20. A button 2! is secured to the lower end of the plunger ill. The button 28 has difierent characters 22 on its sides. The plunger 19 has a yoke 23 at its upper end. In the lower side of the top 20 of the yoke 23 there is a seat 24. The seat 24 is shaped so as to receive closely the foot I8 on the stud ll of the latch bar H.

A trough-shaped member 25 is secured to the rear wall of the body 5 of the casing 4. The outer wall 26 of the trough-shaped member 25 forms a partition within the body 5 of the casing 4. The wall 26 of the trough-shaped member 25 is pro- Vided with a keyhole slot 21. The wall 26 of the trough-shaped member 25 has an elongated slot 28.

A detent 29, in the form of a slide, is mounted to reciprocate within the trough-shaped member 25, in contact with the inner surface of the wall 26 thereof. The numeral 35 marks a stem, having a fork 3| passing through the slot 28 of the Wall 26 of the trough-shaped member 25 and secured to the detent or slide 29. The stem 30 can slide in a slot 32 in the lid 6 of the casing 4. The stem 30 has a knob 33 at its outer end.

An operating member 34 is mounted in the lid. 6 of the casing 4, to rotate and to move endwise. The operating member 34 includes a stem 35. The stem 35 carries, at its outer end, a turning device, such as a hand wheel 36. A disk 31 is secured to the stem 35 of the operating member 34, within the casing 4. The stem 35 of the operating member 34 carries a laterally projecting bit 38.

When the casing 4 is locked to the keeper I, the head M of the latch bar or bolt l l is engaged with the shoulder 3 of the keeper l, as in Fig. 1. The operating member 34 is pushed inwardly until the bit 33 of the operating member is behind the wall 26 of the trough-shaped member 25, the bit of the operating member passing inwardly through the keyhole slot 21 in the wall 26. This operation disposes the disk 31 of the operating member 34 underneath the arm IS on the latch bar II, and the latch bar cannot be pulled down, by means of the plunger I9, thereby to disengage the head I4 of the latch bar from the shoulder 3 of the keeper I. The operating member 34 is rotated from the position of Fig. 2, say through an arc of 180 degrees more or less. By means of the knob 33 and the stem 30, the detent 29 is moved to the left in Fig. 2, to cover the laterally projecting portion of the keyhole slot 21 in the wall 26 of the trough-shaped member 25. If an attempt is made to rotate the operating member 34, the bit 38 of the operating member strikes the detent 29, and the bit 38 cannot be lined up with the keyhole slot 21 in the wall 26 of the troughshaped member 25. It is therefore impossible to move the operating member 34 outwardly, lengthwise, and to withdraw the disk 3'! from underneath the arm I6 of the latch bar II, and the latch bar II cannot be swung downwardly as a consequence. The operator shoves up on the plunger I9, until the seat 24 in the yoke 23 of the plunger I9 is disengaged from the foot l8 on the stud I! of the latch bar I I. The operator then rotates the plunger I9 and permits it to move downwardly, until the seat 24 in the yoke 23 of the plunger I9 is engaged again with the foot I8 of the stud IT on the latch bar II. By this operation, to wit, the rotation of the plunger I9, the shoulder 20 on the plunger I9 is shifted circumferentially from the position of Fig. 1 and is out of the path of the bit 38 of the operating member 34, even though the operator may have pulled the operating member outwardly from the position of Fig. 2, as hereinafter described.

In order to unlock the device, the operator slides the plunger I9 upwardly, until the seat 24 of the plunger is disengaged from the foot I8 of the stud II on the latch bar II. The operator then rotates and lowers the plunger I9 until the seat 24 of the plunger engages again with the part I8. By this operation, the shoulder 20 on the plunger I9 is restored to the position of Fig. 1, in the path of the bit 38 of the operating member 34, when the operating member 34 is drawn outwardly as hereinafter described. The operator knows which of the characters 22 on the button 2I of the plunger I9 ought to be in a predetermined position, in which the shoulder 28 on the plunger is arranged in such position that the bit 38 of the operating member 34 can engage the shoulder. The lock, therefore, has a permutation feature.

Having restored the plunger I9 to the position of Fig. l, the operator slides the detent 29 to the right, by means of the knob 33 and the stem 38, into the position of Fig. 2. The detent 29 now is out of the path of the bit 33 of the operating member 34. The operating member 34 is pulled forwardly, the forward edge of the bit 38 riding on the rear surface of the wall 26 of the member 25, the operating member being rotated until the bit 38 registers with the key hole slot 21 in the wall 26 and moves outwardly through the said keyhole slot. This outward movement of the operating member 34 is continued until the disk 31 of the operating member is in abutment with the lid 6 of the casing 4, as in Fig. 2. By this operation, two results are accomplished. First, the disk 31 is withdrawn from beneath the arm I6 of the latch bolt I I, and, consequently, the

latch bolt can be swung downwardly. The second result accomplished by sliding the operating member 34 outwardly is that the bit 38 of the operating member is in such a position that it can engage the shoulder 26 of the plunger I9, when the operating member is rotated clockwise. The operating member is rotated clockwise, by means of the hand wheel 36, the bit 38 of the operating member engages the shoulder 28 on the plunger IS, the plunger I9 moves downwardly, the latch bolt I I is swung downwardly on the pivot element ID, the head I4 of the latch bar is disengaged from the shoulder 3 of the keeper I, and the door can be slid to an open position.

Although the device is simple in construction, it requires a great deal of manipulation, and an intimate knowledge of its structure, to bring about the unlocking operation. Moreover, the permutation feature, involved in the rotation of the plunger I9, lends further complexity to the unlocking of the device.

In Figs. 6 and 7, parts hereinbefore described have been designated by numerals previously used, with the suffix a. In Fig. 1, the latch bar II is so constructed that the device is adapted to be used on a sliding door. In Figs. 6 and '7, the device is so constructed that it can be used on a horizontally swinging door. The modification consists in forming the opening 2a in the outer wall of the keeper Ia, and the head I4a of the latch bar can enter through the opening 2a, the shoulder 3a of the keeper Ia being beveled transversely, as at 40, and the upper edge of the head I la of the latch bar IIa being beveled transsersely as at M the construction being such that, obviously, the head of the latch bar will engage behind the part 3a, in connection with a horizontally swinging door.

What is claimed is:

1. In a device of the class described, a casing having a partition provided with a keyhole slot, a latch bolt mounted to swing in the casing, a plunger attached to the latch bolt and having a shoulder, an operating member having a disk and a bit, the operating member being movable endwise and inwardly to pass the bit through the keyhole slot to a position behind the partition, and to dispose the disk in such relation to the latch bolt that the latch bolt cannot be moved to unlocked position, the operating member then being rotatable to a position in which the bit is out of registration with the keyhole slot, the operating member being rotatable to a position in which the bit will register with the keyhole slot, and being movable longitudinally and outwardly to a position in which the bit will be so disposed as to engage the shoulder when the operating member is rotated, and the operated member being rotatable to cause the bit to engage the shoulder and move the latch bolt to unlocked position, through the instrumentality of the plunger.

2. A device of the class described, constructed as set forth in claim 1, in combination with a detent movable on the partition into a position in which the detent will be in the path of the bit and prevent the operating member from being rotated to a position in which the bit will register with the keyhole slot when the bit is behind the partition.

3. A device of the class described, constructed as set forth in claim 1, in combination with means for mounting the plunger rotatably on the latch bolt, whereby the plunger may be rotated to dispose the shoulder of the plunger out of the path of the bit of the operating member when the operating member has been moved longitudinally and outwardly.

4. A device of the class described, constructed as set forth in claim 1, said disk having means to limit the outward longitudinal movement of the operating member, the disk and the bit being so located with respect to each other and with respect to the outer Wall of the casing and to the length of the operating member that the engagement of the disk with the outer wall of the casing, when the operating member is moved longitudinally and outwardly, stops the longitudinal and outward movement of the operating member, with the bit in such position that the bit will engage the shoulder of the plunger, when the operating member is rotated.

ROY R. BIRCHFIELD.

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