US2135905A

US2135905A - Lock

Info

Publication number: US2135905A
Authority: US
Inventors: Grady A Loftin; Laurence K Loftin
Original assignee: Lane Co Inc
Current assignee: Lane Co Inc
Priority date: 1935-07-26
Filing date: 1935-07-26
Publication date: 1938-11-08
Anticipated expiration: 1955-11-08

Description

Nov. 8, 1938. a. A. LOFTIN ET AL- LOCK Filed July 26, 1955 mlfi LM/f "A, g. a k WW1. n

Patented Nov. 8, 1938 UNITED STATES PATENT OFFECE LOCK Application July 26,

9 Claims.

This invention relates to a novel latch and lock mechanism particularly adapted for use on chests and similar articles.

A principal purpose of the invention is to provide a simple and dependable combination sprin latch and lock.

Another purpose of the invention is the provision of a lock mechanism which will be worked effectively and smoothly in spite of a substantial shifting of the parts to be locked.

A further object of the invention is the provision of a spring latch and lock having a minimum of moving parts.

A further object of the invention is the provision of a spring latch and lock which can readily be unlatched and which indicates quickly and definitely whether the mechanism is locked.

These and other objects and advantages of the invention will be apparent from the following description of an illustrative embodiment of the invention in conjunction with the accompanying drawing.

In the drawing,

Figure 1 is a perspective view of the look as seen from the front.

Figure 2 is a perspective of the keeper seen from its under side.

Figure 3 is a back View of the lock.

Figure 4 is a View similar to Figure 3, but with the back plate removed to disclose the lock mechanism, the back plate being indicated in dotted lines.

Figure 5 is a sectional elevation of the lock and keeper mounted upon the front and lid, respectively, of a chest or other receptacle.

Figure 6 is a bottom view of the keeper.

Figure '7 is a section taken on the line !i of Figure 6.

Figure 8 is a section taken on the line 8- 40 of Figure 6.

Figure 9 is an elevation of the key.

Figure 10 is an enlarged schematic view of the key-operated parts -of the lock, shown in unlocked position, but with the key in position to start the locking operation.

Figure 11 is a view similar to Figure 10, but showing the parts in locked position; and

Figure 12 is an enlarged view of the spring latch mechanism, the key operated locking parts therefor being omitted.

The lock comprises a casing embodying the conventional housing I and back plate 2, which latter is formed with an offset face plate 3 apertured at 4- to receive the latch-engaging portion of the keeper.

1935, Serial No. 33,365

Mounted within and upon the housing I are the operative parts of the lock, including a sleeve 5 within which is slidably and rotatably mounted a cylinder 6 having an integral push button 1 extending outwardly and adapted to be exposed upon the front a (Figure 5) of the chest or the like to which the lock is applied. At its opposite end the cylinder 6 is integrally provided with a cylindrical

extension having portions

8 and 9, the former of which is of greater diameter than the latter. The portion 9 of the cylindrical extension passes through and is guided in an aperture ill in the back plate 2, and the shoulder ll formed by the difference in diameter of the

parts

8 and 9 provides a stop for engagement with the inner face of the back plate to limit inward movement of the cylinder 6 under the influence of pressure applied to the push button I. Outwardmovement of the cylinder is limited by the inturned flange l2 of the sleeve 5.

The cylinder 6, including its push button I and cylindrical extension 89, is slotted as indicated at l3 to receive the key M, and is freely rotatable in the sleeve 5 under the influence of the key.

Within the housing I and suitably located adjacent to the cylindrical extension 89 of the cylinder 6 is a trip member l5 pivoted upon a stud l6 secured to the back plate and the housing I and supported in proper rotating alignment by a bearing stud 15 carried by the housing l. The trip member I5 is normally forced toward the cylindrical extension 9 by means of a spring I! which bears against the side wall of the housing I In sliding contact with the trip member 15 is a locking plate [8 mounted for Vertical sliding movement upon the pin I5 and upon a short stud l9 carried by the back plate, the locking plate l8 being slotted as indicated at 20 and 2| to provide guide faces for engagement with the studs I6 and I9.

The locking plate I8 is provided with a notch 22 by means of which vertical sliding movement may be imparted to it by the key M, and it has an offstanding locking lug 23 of such length as to bear against the inner surface of the housing I. It is also provided with an offstanding and rearwardly projecting finger 24 adapted to be engaged by a detent 25 of the trip member I5, whereby the locking plate I 8 may be held in either unlocked or locked position. Moreover, the finger 24 provides a stop for limiting movement of the trip member under the influence of spring I1.

Referring particularly to Figures 9, l0 and 11,

it will be seen that the operative end of the key i4 is provided with two wards 26 and 21, respectively, the ward 26 operating upon a greater radius than the ward 21. The ward 26 engages in the notch 22 to move the locking plate [8 either up or down, and the ward 21 engages the arcuate face28 and edge 28 of the tongue l5 of the trip member to oscillate the same upon its. pivot 16 against the influence of spring IT. to thereby release the detent from engagement with the finger 24, substantially as illustrated in Figure 10, so that the finger 24 may slide past the detent 25 either upwardly or downwardly from unlocked. to locked position or vice versa.

As illustrated in Figure 11, wherein the parts are shown in locked position, it will be seenithat the locking lug 23 has been moved to such a position that it overlies the circumferential; edge of.

the end of the cylinder 6, and hence prevents the cylinder 6 from being pushed inwardly under the influence of the push button I. When the parts are in the position illustrated in Figure 10, in which the locking lug. 23: is out of alignment with the end. of the cylinder 6, the cylinder maybe pushed inwardly under the influence of the push button 1.

The latch member of the lock comprises an arm 29 pivotedsubstantially midway of its length upon a pin 3G'supported in brackets 31 riveted or otherwise suitably secured to the housing I and back plate 2, one end of the arm 29 constituting a lever 32 which lies adjacent to the cylindrical extension 8-!) of the cylinder 6 and overlies the inner exposed face or end of the cylinder 6. The other end of the arm 29 is provided with a hook 33 arranged to underlie the aperture 4 in the face plate 3, and normally held in such position, and with its lever end 32 in engagement with the end of cylinder 6, by a spring 34, one end 35 of which bears against the lever 32 and the other end 36 of which bears against the back plate 2. The upper face of the hook 33 is so shaped as to impart camming action to the latch member upon its pivot when the latch-engaging member or portion of the keeper is inserted through the aperture 4, thus permitting the latch-engaging member to pass the hook 33 and enter the lock to such an extent that it may be engaged by the hook.

In order to provide for smooth and positive operation of the lock, the keeper comprises a yoke 3'! floatingly or shiftably mounted between a recessed plate 38 and a cap plate 39 which provide a means for ready attachment of the keeper to. the lid b (Figure 5) or other appropriate part of a chest or the like, the plate 38 being provided with an aperture 40 of greater dimensions than those of the yoke 31 to accommodate the yoke in its shifting movement, and the yoke having a base 4| arranged between the plates 38- and 39 and of such dimensions as to prevent its escape through the aperture 40, while at the same time permitting it to float or shift laterally to a limited extent between the plates. The floating mounting of the yoke provides for direct and straight engagement of the keeper and the latch, withcut any strain or binding, even when the parts of the chest or the like have become displaced. Yoke 31 is also advantageously provided at its engaging end with a taper on all sides, as shown, so that it will readily find the aperture in the keeper plat-e 3 even though the door or lid of th a chest or the like has become displaced from its original position with respect to the rest if the chest. When the lock is engaged, howe er, the untapered portion of the yoke completely fills the aperture 4 thus preventing access of metal-corroding vapors, such as cedar oil vapors, into the interior of the lock.

The yoke 31 is provided with a roller 42 freely rotatable upon a pin 43, and this roller forms the latch-engaging member of the keeper and functions. to effect its smooth and easy engagement and disengagement from the latch member of the lock. Also, due to its capability for rotation, it tends to greatly reduce the wear of the parts.

As an easy means for securing the plates 38 V and 39 together, with the base 4| of the yoke between them,

parts

44 and 45 thereof, respectively, are formed to provide suitable screw holes 46, and these parts may be so interengaged, as illustrated in Figure 8', as to form an inseparable connection, the parts 44 of the plate 38 being expanded within the complemental parts 45 of the plate 39.

It will. be noted, particularly by reference to Figures 2, 5 and 8, that the opening 41 of the yoke in which the roller 42 is mounted is of greater, depth at one side than at the other. This determines the proper position of the keeper with respect to the lock, it being obvious from an inspection of Figure 5 that if the keeper is not so arranged with respect to the lock that that side of the opening 41 of greatest depth is toward the front of the lock, the hook 33 of the latch member will not enter the keeper to properly engage the roller 42.

Obviously, no matter whether the key-operated parts of the lock are in locked or unlocked position, the keeper may be engaged with the lock simply by pushing its latch-engaging roller 42 into the aperture 4 and into engagement with the under surface of the hook 33', for the reason that inasmuch as the hook 33 is held below the aperture 4 merely by the action of its spring 34, it may be cammed out of the way by the entering movement of the roller 42. However, after the hook 33 of the latch member has been engaged with the roller 42 of the keeper, it can be disengaged therefrom only by inward pressure upon the push button 1, whereby the cylinder 6 will operate upon the lever end 32 of the arm 29 to oscillate the latch member upon its pivot 30, as illustrated in Figure 12. Hence, if the key-operated parts are in locked position, as illustrated in Figure 11, when the hook 33 of the latch member is engaged with the latch-engaging roller 42 of the keeper, the push button 1 cannot be pressed inwardly because of the obstruction furnished by the locking lug 23, and therefore the hook 33 cannot be disengaged from the roller 42. With the key-operated parts in unlocked position, as illustrated in Figure 4, however, free operation of the latch member by means of the push button 1 is possible. In the former case the device operates as a lock, whereas in the latter case it operates merely as a spring latch.

We claim:--

a 1. In a lock including a casing having an opening in the wall thereof and a spring operated latch member in said casing, a keeper member adapted to penetrate the opening in said casing for locking engagement with said latch member and being freely movable in every direction in a plane perpendicular to the direction of engagement said keeper member being tapered at its tip so as to freely enter the opening in said casing and being shaped at its base-to substantially fill the opening in the casing whereby the keeper is caused to assume a constant fixed position in said casing relative to said latch.

2. In a lock including a casing having an opening int-he wall thereof and a spring operated latch member in said casing, a keeper member adapted to penetrate the opening in said casing for locking engagement with said latch member, said keeper member being freely movable in a plane perpendicular to the direction of engagement and being shaped at its base tocompletely fill the opening in said casing.

3. In a lock including a casing having an opening in the wall thereof and a spring operated latch member in said casing, a keeper member adapted to penetrate the opening in said casing for locking engagement with said latch member, said keeper member being freely movable in a plane perpendicular to the direction of engagement and being tapered at its tip so as to freely enter the opening in said casing and shaped at its base to completely fill the opening in said casing.

4. In a lock particularly adapted for use on a container embodying cedar oil emanating material, a keeper adapted to penetrate an opening in the casing of said lock for locking engagement with a latch member therein, said keeper being shaped at its base to completely fill the opening in the casing of said lock whereby cedar oil vapor is prevented from entering said lock.

5. In a lock particularly adapted for use on a container embodying cedar oil emanating material, a keeper adapted to penetrate an opening in the casing of said lock for locking engagement with a latch member therein, said keeper being tapered at its tip so as to freely enter the opening in the casing of said lock and shaped at its base to completely fill the opening in the casing of said lock whereby cedar oil vapor is prevented from entering said lock.

6. In a lock particularly adapted for use on a container embodying cedar oil emanating material, a keeper adapted to penetrate an opening in the casing of said lock for locking engagement with a latch member therein, said keeper being freely movable in a plane perpendicular to the direction of engagement, being tapered at its tip so as to freely enter the opening in the casing of said lock and shaped at its base to completely fill the opening in the casing of said lock whereby cedar oil vapor is prevented from entering said lock.

7. In a lock particularly adapted for use on a container embodying cedar oil emanating material, a keeper adapted to penetrate an opening in the casing of said lock for locking engagement with a latch member therein and a roller member rotatably carried by said keeper at its engagement end, said keeper being shaped at its base to completely fill the opening in the casing of said lock whereby cedar oil vapor is prevented from entering said lock.

8. In a lock including a casing having an opening in the wall thereof and a spring-operated latch member in said casing, a keeper member adapted to penetrate the opening in said casing for locking engagement with said latch member, said keeper member comprising a mounting plate and a yoke shiftably carried in said mounting plate and a latch engaging roller rotatably carried by said yoke, said yoke being tapered at the end carrying the roller so as to freely enter the opening in said casing and being shaped at its base to substantially fill the opening in the casing whereby the keeper is caused to assume a constant fixed position in said casing relative to said latch.

9. In a lock for a chest having a body and a lid member hinged to said body, said lock having a casing fixed to said body having an opening in the wall thereof and a pivoted latch member mounted in the casing, the combination of a keeper member carried by the lid of said chest and means mounting said keeper for bodily movement in all directions in a plane perpendicular to the direction of engagement with said latch and being tapered toward the tip end thereof whereby to freely enter said opening in the casing in the closing movement of said lid and by reason of the engagement of the tapered keeper in the opening independently of manual adjustment to assume a fixed and constant position with respect to said latch member.

LAURENCE K. LOFTIN. GRADY A. LOFTIN.