US2137271A

US2137271A - Combination dovetail and lock keeper

Info

Publication number: US2137271A
Authority: US
Inventors: William C Devereaux
Original assignee: Individual
Current assignee: Individual
Priority date: 1935-08-30
Filing date: 1935-08-30
Publication date: 1938-11-22
Anticipated expiration: 1955-11-22

Description

Nov. 22, 1938. w. c. DEVEREAUX COMBINATION DOVETAIL AND LOCK KEEPER Filed Aug. 30, 1935 INVENTOR. fi zllz'am C. Jere/e4 0,:

fat 9 ATTORNEYS.

Patented Nev. 22, 1938 a 2,137,271 V COMBINATION ,DOVETAIL ANnLocK EEPER A I r 7 William C. Devcreauzr.'Detr oit y l, it Application hugusttll,1'93'5,Serial No. 38,583 A I, l. Iii-7 ,5.)

-"I'he present invention relates to doordovetails and door lock keepers, and aprincipal object thereof is the combination in a single structure of 'adovetail and lock keeper.- V

5 Further objects of the present invention includethe provision of a combination door dovetailand door lock keeper arranged to positively prevent relative vertical movement between a door and a supporting body; which will guide the door into locking position and securely hold it from rattling when closed in such position; which is constructed entirely of non-perishable parts,

thus insuringa long and efficient life; which is of relatively narrow dimensions thus adapting it for 15. use upon a relatively thin door post; and in which afminimum of resistance is offered by the unit to the. closing and opening movements of the door.

.It is a furtherobject of the pre sent invention 2 0 to provide a combined door dovetail and door lock keeper comprising generally a door lock keeper and a. cooperating dovetail member," and a connection between them, comprising one or more nongresilient but slidablysupported blocks. 4 It ..is a further object ofrthe present invention to provide a structure as last stated in which the door lockkeeper constitutes the wedge member of a dovetail, and one or more non-resilientbut slidably supported blocks are interposed between the keeper and a cooperating female dovetail member.

It is a further object of the present invention to provide a construction as above stated in which the distance traveled by the blocks is less than the distance traveled by the entering lock keeper during a closing movement of the door.

It is further. object of the present invention to provide a, construction as above stated, in which the block engaging walls of the keeper are rearwardly convergent and in which the block orblocks are complementarily formed.

It is a further object of the present invention to provide a construction as above stated, in which the walls of the female dovetail member are rearwardly convergent and in which the blocks are .complementarily formed. 1

It is a furthefobject of the present invention to provide a construction -as' above stated in 50 which the blocks are resiliently and slidably'sup ported upon the keeper. I

It is a furtherobject of the present invention to provide a combined door dovetail anddoor lock keeper which may be economically manufactured and readily assembled. and comprises die cast lock keeper and blocks, and pressed metal I cooperating dovetail parts. w l r Other objects -and:advantages of the present invention appear in'the following description and inithe appended claim.:

In thgaccompanying drawing, which illustrates a preferred embodiment of the present invention and throughout the several views. of which corresponding reference characters designate corresponding partsr 1 Fig. 1 is a diagrammatic view illustrating the application of the present invention to an automobile -door and body;

Fig. 2 is a view in horizontal section taken along the line 2-4 of Fig. l, and illustrating the relation of the parts in the doorclosed position;

Fig. 3 is a view taken along the line 3-3 of i I Fig. 4 isa View in vertical sectiontaken along the line l-4 of Fig. 3;- I 7 Fig.5 is :a view in elevation, taken along the line-5-5,, of 'Fig. 4; and

I Fig. 6 is a fragmentary view in horizontal section taken along theline 6-6 of Fig. 4.

, Consideringthe invention in detail, and referring to the drawing, the. lock keeper if], the outer surface of whichis formed so as to provide the two spaced bolt engaging faces I2 and I4, and the intermediate sloping surfaces l6 and i8, is rigidly secured to the body frame members 22 and 24 which define a door post of the illustrative automobile body 26, by studs 20 which are threaded into bosses 2|. The heads of the studs 20, as best seen in Fig. 4, are countersunk below the surface of thekeeper Ii). As will be understood, keeper i0 cooperates" with a bolt 28, whichmay be associatedwith any. conventional type of door lock, and which bears against face I2 of keeper 10, when the door is in a closed positiornand similarly bears against the keeper face M to provide a conventional safety catch for the doorQ-During a closing movement of the door, as will be understood, bolt.28 is cammed inwardly by the sloping surfaces It! and I6,,and is normally. urged to the position illustrated in Fig. 2 by suitable spring mechanism (not shown).

Aspreviously mentioned, lock keeper It also acts as a male dovetail member and for'this purpose, the lateralfaccs 30 and 32 thereof are each formed substantially perpendicularly to the supporting surface 'for keeper I0, and are convergent in the direction ofthe-closing movement ofv the door.

The female member jofcthe dovetailcomprises N T .0 F FicE 1* f iii the metal stamping 36. Dovetail 36 is formed with a substantially plane mid-section 38 and the two oifset end sections 40. The mid-section 38 is channel shaped in cross section and each of the end sections are generally cup shaped in cross section and have the substantially linear inner faces 42, which are convergent from right to left as viewed in Fig. 3. Dovetail 36 is rigidly supported upon the panel 4 Lwhich forms a part of the door 46 by the studs 48, the heads of which are countersunk in openings 50 struck in the surface of the mid portion 38, and the shanks of which are threadably received in bosses 52 formed in panel 44. It will be evident, accordingly, that dovetail 36 forms a generally U- shaped. housing, the legs of which are represented by surfaces 42, within which the male member or lock keeper Ill and the two cooperating sliding blocks 56 are received.

Each of the blocks 56, which are positioned respectively on opposite sidesof keeper l6, and. form a connection between keeper l and dovetail 86, are generally rectangular in cross section, as seen in Fig. 4. The outer surface 58 of each block 56 is complementaryito and disposed for engagement by the faces 42 of dovetail 36. The inner surfaces 60 of the blocks 56 are generally complementary to the convergent faces 32 of lock keeper I0, but are curved somewhat, to permit proper action of the assembly even though the door and body are slightly out of alignment, as described in more detail hereinafter.

The blocks 56 are each supported upon, but in sliding relation to, lock keeper H) by the pair of stamped

metal elements

62 and 64. Support 62 is of a shape corresponding generally to that of lock keeper l0, and is provided with the oppositely disposed, upwardly struck lugs 66, which cooperate with corresponding recesses 68 in each of the blocks 56, to guide the movements of the latter. It will be noted that a recess 68 is cut in each side of each block 56, so that the blocks are interchangeable.

The supporting stamping 64 is formed to define a linear mid section '12, the legs 14, and the end sections 15. The legs 14 and end sections 15 support two of the faces of each of the blocks 56. The spacing between the legs 14 corresponds to the width of lock keeper [0, and the faces 14 are complementary to the faces 30 32 of keeper l0. Portions 76 of supporting member 64 are also bent around to form an enclosure for one end of each of the blocks 56, as best seen in Fig. 6. Each of the

supports

62 and 64 are rigidly secured to the back of lock keeper ID by the previously mentioned studs 26, and lie behind the shoulder 18 formed at the edge of lock keeper In as best seen in Figs. 2 and 5.

Each of the blocks 56 is provided with a bore 86, which receives and acts as a seat for one end of an associated compression spring 8|, the other end of which is seated upon a tab 84 struck inwardly from the upwardly struck lugs 70 at the rear edge of the support 62. Tabs 16, also pass through corresponding openings in support 64 to retain the two stampings in assembled relation.

As will be understood, the springs 8| bias blocks 56 to the position illustrated in Fig. 6, in which 1 position, each tab 66 engages one end of the guiding recess 68 formed in the corresponding block. The other extreme position of each block 56, as will be understood, is determined by the engagement of tabs 66 with the other end of the corresponding recesses 68.

It will be seen, accordingly, that each of the i the associated springs 8|.

blocks 56 is supported for sliding movement parallel to the rearwardly convergent faces 30 of lock keeper Ill between the above mentioned limits, and is supported in proper position transversely of lock keeper H] by the supporting stamping 62 and the legs 15 of the supporting stamping 64. The compression springs 8|, and the tabs 66 associated with support 62, also serve to support blocks 56 and maintain the curved faces 60 thereof in engagement with the cooperating leg sections 14 of the support 64.

With reference to the operation of the unit as a whole, a closing movement of door 46 causes dovetail 36 to move to the right with respect to lock keeper l6 and blocks 56, as viewed in Fig. 3, in whichthese parts are illustrated in the final or completely closed position. During the course of this movement, as previously mentioned, the lock bolt 28 is cammed inwardly along the lock keeper surfaces l8 and I6 respectively until it finally passes over the bolt engaging face l2 and finally occupies the position shown in Fig. 2. The relation of these parts is such that during the time that bolt 28 is in engagement with the sloping face l8 of lock keeper ID, the faces 42 of the dovetail 36 engage the cooperating outer surfaces 58 of the slidable blocks 56, which at the time are biased to their extreme left hand positions (Fig. 6) by Further closing movement of the door and of dovetail 36 is accompanied by a corresponding inward movement of the blocks 56, caused by the engagement just mentioned. Because of the converging character of faces 36 of lock keeper I6, however, the inward movement of block 56 is less than the movement of dovetail 36. With this arrangement, accordingly, and depending upon the degree of convergency of the faces 30, a relatively large closing movement of dovetail 36 may be accompanied by a relatively small movement of the blocks 56.

The springs 8| oppose the forward motion of the blocks 56 and maintain the faces 58 and 66 thereof continuously in engagement with the cooperating faces 42 and 14. Throughout the closing movement, accordingly, the door 46 is continuously' supported in a predetermined vertical position with respect to the door post 24 by the continuous rigid support afforded by dovetail 36, Jolocks 56 and lock keeper Ill. The dovetail connection automatically accommodates itself to wearing in of the parts, since the only effect of such wear is to modify the point in the closing movement at which the initial engagement of the parts occur. Thereafter, the action is unchanged by such wear. The operation of the unit is also unaifected by changes in the vertical positioning between the door 46 and the post 24. Any such change, it will be noted, for example a raising of door 46 with respect to post 24, simply advances the point in the closing movement at which the lower block 56 is engaged, and postpones the point in the closing movement at which the upper block 56 is engaged. After such engagement, however, the operation is as above described. The curved surfaces 60 of block 56 also accommodate the unit and provide correct operation even though the door becomes twisted with respect to post 24, thus changing the angle between faces 42' of dovetail 36 and the faces 30 of lock keeper l0. Any such twisting results merely in a partial rotation of the blocks 56 on their faces 60 with respect to the supporting surfaces 14.

In the practice of the illustrated embodiment of the present invention, the unit has been found to opening movement. The construction of the blocks 56 and of the supporting faces therefor is such that these parts move freely. with respect to the other. If desired, also, an anti-friction bearing relation between the blocks and the cooperating surfaces of the parts may be provided, as disclosed in the Ball Patent No. 1,842,373, granted January 26, 1932, in which the blocks are provided with rollers, which r011, along the cooperating surfaces.

It will be evident from the foregoing that the combined dovetail and lock keeper of the present invention provides, in a single unit, a device for effecting cooperation with the usual automobile door lock, and a device to positively and reliably prevent rattling of the door and prevent vertical movement thereof with respect to the supporting post. The illustrated unit, being formed entirely of relatively simple die castings, and steel stampings, may be economically manufactured. The

relatively few parts promote'ready assembly of the unit.

It will be evident that various changes may be made'in the form, number and arrangement of parts, and accordingly, the described embodiment, while representing a preferred-form of the invention, is to be regarded in an illustrative and not in a limiting sense.

' What is claimed is:

A dovetail wedge member comprising a combito each block and disposed to enter the slot thereof to retain said blocks within said recesses.

WILLIAM c. DEVEREAUX.