US2260154A - Refrigerator latch - Google Patents

Description

Oct. 21, 1941.

E. w. NORTH ET AL 2,260,154

REFRIGERATVOR LATCH Filed May 5, 1939 @4 XMK/M.

Patented Oct. 21, 1941 REFRIGERATOR. LATCH Edwin W. North and William O. Burke, Rockford, Ill., assignors to NationalLock C'o., Rockford, Ill., acorporation of Delaware Application May'5, 1939, Serial.No..2,71,852

3 Claims.

nection between a handle and a bolt so that'thev handle will not move when the bolt is snapped home responsive to the slamming of the door.

Other objects, advantages and economies peculiar to the invention relate to details of construction as well as the mode of operation of the illustrative embodiment particularly described hereinafter in view of the annexeddrawing, in which:

Fig. 1 is a fragmentary horizontal section through the juncture of a door and jamb;

Fig. 2 is a fragmentary vertical section through the door showing the latch and handle,as seen in the direction of line 2-2 of. Fig. 1;-

Fig. 3 is a transverse Vertical section through thev latch bolt structure looking in the direction of line 3--3 of Fig. 1;

Fig. 4 is a longitudinal vertical section along line 4-4 of Fig. 1; and

Fig. 5 is a perspective view of the latch including the operating plunger with the top of the mounting bracket removed.

As Viewed in Figs. 2 and 4, the preferred form of the latch includes a stirrup o-r U-shaped mounting bracket I0 formed by bending a metal plate back upon itself to provide an intermediate wall portion or bight II flanked by adjoining opposite Wall portions I2. These walls I2 are f of the peculiar shape seen in plan in Fig. 1, and at one side of the bracket free edge portions are struck up to provide mounting ears I3 (Figs. 3, 4 and 5), whilesmaller attaching flanges I4 are struck up from another' edge portion of the bracket disposed nearly at right angles to the edge portion along which the mounting ears I3 are formed (Figs. 4 and 5).

The latch structure includes a reciprocable bolt I5 secured between a pair of elongated metal straps I6 by rivets I"I (Figs. 3, 4, and 5). At their ends opposite from the bolt, the straps are provided with aligned elongated slots I8 through which projects a rigid pin I9 anchored at its opposite ends in the opposite side plates I2 of the bracket.

One vertical face of the bolt bears against the bight portion II of the bracket, and an opposite face of the bolt rides against a roller 20 (Figs. 1, 3 and 5) so that the bolt is firmly guided in its recprocable movement. An edge portion of the bight or intermediate Wall section II of the bracket. is turned in to provide a spring mounting lug 2| (Figs. 1 and 4) against which one end of acoil spring 22 bears while its opposite end engages a seating boss 23 on the bolt. Thus, the bolt is normally urged outwardly of the bracket.

The latch is mounted on a plate 24 (Figs. 1 and' 2)v by means such as the rivets 25 passed through the mounting flanges I4. The plate 24 is secured to the door-2B with the latch structure disposedin a suitable recess therein so that the latch bolt I-5 moves in a direction which is nearly parallel to the outer surface of the door for engagement with aV suitable latch keeper 2l on the jamb 28.

Means for actuating the bolt includes a reciprocable member or'plunger 30 which works ina sleeve 3I mounted on the plate 24 and extending through the inner mounting plate 32 of a handle structure 33, there being a collar 34 threaded onto the sleeve to secure the plates 24 and 32 in assembled relation. A handle member 35 rocks on a pintle 36 andvis provided with a bearing surface 31 which bears against the outer end of the plunger 30 when the handle is moved outwardly of the door against the tension of its normal spring 38. A suitable face plate or escutcheon plate 39 shields the handle mechanism from view.

The' inner end 4l)` of the plunger 30 is headed for bearing engagement with an intermediate operating lever or element 42. 'Ihe arrangement and construction of this intermediate lever is of importance, and it is preferably made by bending a piece of metal 'back upon itself to provide a .bight or intermediate wall portion 43 (Fig. 5

particularly) flanked by opposite adjoining wall sections 44 of approximately triangular shape. Near one corner or apex portion of the opposite triangular walls 44 "are aligned openings 45 (Fig. 5) through which a pivot pin 46 is extended (Figs. 1 and 2) and anchored in the opposite wall portions of the bracket.

The intermediate operating lever is thus mounted for movement about an axis which is at right angles or normal to the plane of movement of the bolt I5, and which is parallel with the guiding pin I9 for the bolt. The intermediate wall portion 43 of the lever element is curved inwardly (Figs. 2 and 5) to provide a curved gliding surface which is cooperable with the headed end 40 of the plunger 30. The remaining corner or apex portions of the opposite triangular wall portions 44 are curved slightly as at 4l for bearing engagement with a bearing pin 48 rigidly or curved extremities 41 will bear against the pin 48 and withdraw the bolt against the tension `of 2. Impositive actuating means for use with latches of the type including a housing, a reciprocable bolt arranged for sliding movement in the housing', and a plunger which reciprocates at an angle to the movement of the bolt, said actuating means including a member bent back upon itself and formed to provide opposite plates of approximately triangular shape and connected by an intermediate wall portion which extends from the region of one apex portion of .the plates in a direction toward another apex "portion and which is curved inwardly of said its spring 22. When the handle is released," this latter spring will restore thev bolt vto latchedV position. v 1,

Frequently, the handle 35 isr'elea'sed when the door is in open position and thereafterthe y door may be slammed shut; in such alcase, the r cammed portions of the bolt I5 will engagecorrespondingly cammed portions of the keeper 21,"

and the bolt will be moved inwardly against the tension of its .spring independently of the remaining operating mechanism, thatv is `toisay, the intermediate lever 42 and the rest of the handle structure. dependent operation is recognized in the art, the

principal feature of the invention being the construction of, the mechanism by which such' operation is accomplished, particularly with respect to the intermediate'means 42-43-,41.

may be realized in other forms .-of construction, and the specific detailsrecited herein are not to be considered as limitations except as mayzbe provided in rthe appended claims. z

Having thus described our invention, what wer claim as new andl desirepto protect by Letters Patentisz i' 'Y m 1. In a latch of the `type havinga U-shaped body structure and a reciprocablebolt arranged in said body structure for rectilinear movement, said reciprocable bolt provided with bearing means for engagement by an intermediate operating means and a transversely moving operating plunger, intermediate operating means in the formof a member bent back upon itself to provide. a bight portion with opposite adjoining wall portions of approximately triangular shape, said bight portion being curved-in a direction inwardly along a line extending between the opposite wall portions for gliding'engagement with an end of said plunger, said member being mounted for pivotal movementabout pin means extended through said opposite lwall portions near an apex extremity thereof, said opposite wall yportions having apex extremities remote from said pin means and said bight portion which are curved for bearing engagement with said bearing means on the bolt.

The importance of such inplates to provide a gliding surface extending to- .ward said plates .and adapted for bearing engagement with .an end of said plunger, said l actuating member being adapted to be mounted for pivotalvvmovement about a pintle extending through said plates in the region near another Y apex portion thereof, corresponding edge porv The objects and advantages of the inventiontions of said plates near the remaining apex portion thereof being curved lforrbearing engagement with bearing .means on said bolt.

3. In a latchl including a body, a reciprocable bolt structure arranged in the body for *resti-M linear. movement vand an operating plunger `adapted to move inv a direction transversely'of the bolt structure to effect movement of the latter through the agency of an impositive coninectingl means, the combinationwith 'said bolt structure and plunger of impositive lever means in the form of a member having opposite faces of approximately triangular shape, said faces being joined by an integral web portion, a bearing pin fixed to said bolt structure, a pivot pinex-f `tending through both faces of said levermember near one corner region thereofsaid pin extending in approximate parallelism with said bearing pin on the bolt structure and providing a portion remote from said pivot pin and said web and projecting to bear in camming engagement with said bearing pin on the bolt structure .when

.the impositive lever means is pivoted in a certain direction, said impositive lever'means being mounted with said web portion disposed approximately opposite the end of said plunger .and

normally in a plane which is not normal to the by spring means, and means for moving said plunger for the purpose aforesaid.

EDWIN W. NORTH. WILLIAM BURKE.

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