US2311685A - Door latch - Google Patents

Description

C. QLSON DOOR LATCH Feb. 239 1943.

2 Sheets-Sheet Filed Feb. l2, 1940 .anni

C. QLSQN DOOR LATCH Feb. 23, 1943.

2 Sheets-Sheet 2 Filed Feb. l2, 1940 Patented heb. 23, 1943 DOOR LATCH Carl Olson,

Minneapolis, Minn.,

assignor to Wright Products, Inc., Minneapolis, Minn., a. corporation of Minnesota Application February 12, 1940, Serial No. 318,545

11 Claims. (Cl. 292-126) My invention relates generally to improvements in door latches particularly suitable for use upon screen and storm doors, but useful as well on other forms of closures.

The invention has particular reference to door latches of that type in which a curved handle is pivoted to the door with portions extended both inwardly and outwardly of the door. The latching mechanism is such that a push on the handle from the inside of the door will unlatch and swing the door outwardly, while a pull on the handle from the outside will both unlatch and open the door. The single action of either pushing or pulling upon the handle to move the door in normal manner will thus serve also to unlatch the door without other manipulation of the handle.

All door latches of this kind with which I am familiar have employed a hook or dog upon the inner handle portion to engage a keeper in the door frame, and as a result the handle has been required to oscillate when closing the door to enable the parts to lock. FurthermoreA such an arrangement requires that the inner handle portion curve near the door frame, resulting in an undesirable handle form. My invention has, therefore, as its primary object the provision of a door latch in which the handle carries a movable latch member, spring mounted by the same spring that returns the handle to normal position after each operation, and which member may move independently of the handle as it meets and engages the keeper as the door is closed. In opening the door, however, this latch member moves with the handle to clear the keeper. This construction obviates the necessity of the handle swinging when closing the door and allows the handle to stand further away from the door frame in position for more convenient manipulation.

Another object is to provide a door latch in which the latching member, by virtue of the pivot position of the handle, stands at an angle which will prevent it working out of the keeper when a push or pull is exerted on the door itself.

A further object is to provide a door latch of this kind in which the handle, instead of being cast in one piece as is customary, is made in two adjustably connected sections, each of which is formed up from sheet material, thus considerably reducing the cost of manufacturing the handle.

Another and important object of my invention is to provide a door latch including as its main supporting and mounting element a bracket member which may be conveniently fastened to the door and which is adjustable to iit doors of conventional thicknesses.

A further object is to provide a door latch 0i' this kind carrying at its inner side a safety lock member which is mounted in an extremely effective manner and which may be swung into position to engage both the handle and the latch member to prevent either or both from being manipulated from outside the door to clear the keeper.

These and other more detailed and specic objects will be disclosed in the course of the following specification, reference being had to the accompanying drawings, in Which- Fig. 1 is a cross section through a door and fragments of the adjacent door frame, showing my improved latch in place and indicating, in dotted lines, the handle movement to unlatch the door.

Fig. 2 is a similar view, with handle parts in section, showing the door in act of closing and indicating the independent action of the latch member, this view also showing a modified arrangement of the latch spring.

Fig. 3 is a cross section through the handle, along the line 3-3 in Fig. 1.

Fig. 4 is a cross section through meeting ends of the handle sections, showing also a cross section through the latch member and a portion of the spring associated therewith. v

Fig. 5 is a perspective View of the latch removed from the door.

Fig. 6 is a composite perspective view of the various main parts of the latch in separated form.

Referring more particularly and by reference characters to the drawings, A represents generally my improved latch mounted upon a door B hinged at C to one side D of the door frame to swing toward and away from the opposite side E of the frame. This door may of course be of any well known type or kind. A keeper F is mounted and recessed in the frame E to be engaged by the latch for holdinhg the door closed.

The latch itself comprises a mounting member, bracket, or channel l0 of substantially U-shaped form having spaced sides il and I2 to iit over inner and outer faces oi the door B adjacent its free edge, and a bight I3 to span said free edge, the sides having openings Il to pass screws l5 for mounting the latch on the door. .The door edge is cut out as indicatedat I6, to afford working space within member l0 and the sides l I-l2 are of course of such size as to wholly conceal this opening.

The sides of the member I0 have openings F so that a continuation of either the pushing or pulling force may open the door. The spring 35 or 35a of course returns the handle to normal position when released, said return movement being limited by engagement of the handle with the margin of opening I 1. As the door closes the nose apertured to receive a pivot pin or screw 23 which extends plvotally through the handle to'mount the same for oscillating movement with respect to the door and frame.

'I'he handle I3 is made in two sections having the curved portions constituting the aforesaid inner and outer handle levers 23 and 2| and relatively straight meeting end portions or shanks 2 4 and 25. These parts are formed up from sheet material and the portions 2li and 2| are rolled to a hollow shape with the seams 26 turned toward the door, while the shank portions 24 and 25 are channeled or U'shaped in cross section. In assembly the shanks 24 and 25 are telescoplcally related and are retained in relative engagement by openings 21 and 28 in their respective ends which, when brought into registry, receive the pivot pin 23. The shank 24, which is longer, has spaced pairs of the openings 21 so that the effective length of the medial portion of the handle may be 33 of the latch member will cam over the keeper F until the hook 32 springs back to latching position. 'I'his movement of the latch member causes no corresponding swinging movement of the handle since the latch is freely mounted with respect to the handle and as a result there is no need, as when closing the door from the outside, to pull upon the handle while pushing to close the door. Also as will be noted, the inner handle lever 23 may stand further clear of the frame E than is varied by selective registry of these openings with the pin, for a purpose which will hereinafter appear. The outer shank 25 carries lugs 23 which are turned inwardly over the inner shank 24 to prevent the two sections of the handle from jackknifing about the pin 23.

A latch member is mounted within the handle section or lever 20 with one end pivoted, as by either of spaced openings 3i, upon the pin 23. I'he inner, free end of this latch member has a hook 32 adapted to engage the keeper F and has a nose or cam face 33 to slide over the outer 'edge of the keeper as the door closes. In this action the latch member oscillates about its pivot connection to the pin 23. The handle has an elongated slot 34 to clear this hooked end of the latch /member, and the movement of the latch toward the keeper F is limited by engagement .with an outer margin oi.' this slot.

A wire spring 35 is provided and has spaced torsional coils 36 which mayV be tted into the telescoped sl'ianks 24-25 of the handle at opposite sides of the latch member 33. The bight end 31 of 'the spring then straddles the latch member, while the free legs 33 hook into and bear upon suitable apertured ear 33 which is punched inwardly from the bracket side l I as the opening I1 is formed. The spring is thus so mounted that it yieldably resists the movement of the latch member 30 away from the keeper F and also resists swinging movement of the handle such as would move the latch member in this same direction.

In lieu of this torsional spring 35 I may employ an expansion coil spring 35a which, as shown in Fig. 2, is braced between the latch 33 and a small bracket 4l. Both the latch and bracket have small bosses to retain the spring in position to resist unlocking movement of. both the latch and the handle, and the bracket may be retained in place by hooking its end 43 around the pivot pin 23 as shown.

- In operation it will be readily evident that a push on the inner handle lever 20, or a pull on the outer handle lever 2|, will oscillate the handle on the pivot 23 swinging the hook 32 of the the case when the handle itself engages the keeper.

Attention is directed to the fact that the pivot pin 23, about which both the handle I3 and latch member 33 oscillate, is located as far as possible toward the outer or free edge of the door spanned by the portion I3 of the latch. As a result of this condition the latch member stands normally in a cocked-back or oblique angle relative to the arcuate path through which the door moves so that the pull upon the latch, should it be attempted to open the door without unlatching it, will be directed against the locking face of the latch hook 32 in such manner as to cause the hook to work inward on the keeper. It is thus manifestly impossible for the latch to be worked clear of the keeper by a push or pull on the door itself, and the spring tension need not be depended upon to maintain the latching condition, as would be the case were the pivot 23 located further to the right (in Figs. 1 and 2) away from the free edge of the door. This is an important feature of my invention.

Another important feature of my invention is the adjustment of the latch to doors of various thicknesses. To accomplish this I make the mounting member Il in two complementary sections or pieces referred to in Fig. 6 as Ila and Illb, with bight or base portions overlapping to form the bight I3 across the vertical free edge of the door. The outer portion designated at I3a has spaced pairs of slots 43 while the inner portion has a pair of lugs or teeth 4I punched lnward. These lugs may be engaged in either pair of the slots 4I to retain the sides of the mounting member in either of two differently spaced positions. As these adjustments are made the pin 23 is inserted through the proper openings 21 and 3l in the handle and latch member in order to accommodate the bight portion of the handle to the thickness or spacing between the sides of the mounting member and maintain the proper rela.- tive position of the parts. The latch is shown as mounted on a thick door in Fig. 1 and as reduced or adjusted to a thinner door in Fig. 2 to clearly bring out this feature. 'I'he bight portion I3a is inset as shown to bring the lappedv portions into line in their assembled relation.

A safety lock member 42 is pivotally mounted on the inner side Il of the latch and normally A stands clear of the opening I1 to permit free operation of the handle. However, when this member is rotated through one hundred eighty degrees (1809) its longer end will contact the handle and the latch member 33 thus preven g either from swinging to clear the latch from the keeper F as will be understood. The latch member is pivotauy mounted by a houow rivet u through latch member out of engagement with the keeper the bracket side I I and has a boss 44 formed outward on its longer end as an aid in manipulating it to locking and unlocking positions. A spring washer 50 and points or detents 45 punched out from the side Il engage the member to aid in holding it in adjusted positions and prevent it from contacting and scratching the adjacent face of the side l l.

It is understood that suitable modications may be made in the structure as disclosed, provided such modiiications come within the spirit and scope of the appended claims. Having now therefore fully illustrated and described my invention, what I claim to be new and desire to protect by Letters Patent is:

l. In a door latch, a latch handle pivotally mounted through the door, the said handle being formed from sheet material in inner and outer sections and curved to provide inner and outer handle levers, shank portions of substantially U- shaped cross section extended from the said handle levers and telescopically` arranged, and lugs turned from one shank over edges of the other to retain the shanks in alignment.

2. A latch for a door swingably mounted in a frame, comprising a handle extending through the door for actuation at either side and pivotally mounted for movement in a horizontal plane at an inner end toward and away from the door frame, and a latch member pivotally connected to the handle for movement therewith away from the frame in unlatching the door and for movement independently of the handle in latching the door, that portion of the handle supporting the latch member being of channel formation with the latch member housed within said channel formation and with the frame-engaging portion of the latch member projecting laterally of the handle.

3. Latch mechanism for a door swingably mounted in a frame, comprising a pivoted latch handle extending through the door for manipulation from either side thereof and for movement at its inner portion toward and away from the frame in a horizontal plane, a latch member pivotally mounted on the handle and having a hook adapted to engage a keeper on the frame, the said latch member being movable with the handle to clear the keeper and being movable independently of the handle to return to latching engagement with the keeper, that portion of the handle supporting the latch member being of channel formation with the'latch member housed within said channel formation and with the frame-engaging portion of the latch member projecting laterally of the handle.

4. Latch mechanism for a door swingably mounted in a frame, comprising a latch handle extending entirely through the door for movement at one end portion about a vertical pivot toward and away from the frame, a latch member pivotally mounted on the handle for independent movement about the pivot axis of said handle, and having a hook adapted to engage a keeper on the frame, the said latch member being movable with the handle to clear the keeper and being movable independently of the handle to return to latching engagement with the keeper, that portion of the handle supporting the latch member being of channel formation with the latch member housed within said channel formation and with the frame-engaging portion of the latch member projecting laterally of the handle.

5. Latch mechanism for a door swingably mounted in a frame, comprising a latch handle extending through the door and pivoted for movement at its inner portion toward and away from the frame about a vertical axis, a latch member pivotally mounted on the handle for movement about the pivot axis of said handle, and having a hook adapted for latching engagement with the frame, the said latch member being movable with the handle to clear the keeper and being movable independently of the handle to return to latching engagement with the keeper, and a spring arranged for yieldably resisting movement of both the handle and latch member, that portion of the handle supporting the latch member being rof channel formation with the latch member housed within said channel formation and with the frame-engaging portion of the latch member projecting laterally of the handle.

6. A latch for a door swingably mounted in a frame, comprising a handle operable from either side of the door and pivotally mounted in the door for horizontal movement at an inner end toward and away from the door frame, and a latch member pivotally connected to the handle for movement therewith away from the frame in unlatching the door and for movement independently of the handle in latching the door, and a safety lock on the inside of the door movable to engage both the handle and latch member to prevent either from moving away from the frame, that portion of the handle supporting the latch member being of channel formation with the latch member housed within said channel formation and with the frame-engaging portion of the latch member projecting laterally of the handle.

7. A latch mechanism for a door swingably mounted in a frame, comprising a generally U- shaped latch handle pivotally supported through the door for movement at one point toward and away from the frame and in a plane perpendicular to the adjacent edge of the door, a latch member pivotally mounted on the handle for movement about the pivot axis of the handle and extending substantially parallel with the base portion of the handle for latching engagement with the frame, that portion of the handle supporting the latch member being of channel formation with the latch member housed within said channel formation and with the frame-engaging portion of the latch member projecting laterally of the handle.

8. A latch mechanism for a door swingably mounted in a frame, comprising a handle pivotally supported through the door and having a recessed inner end portion movable about the pivot toward and away from the frame, and a` latch member pivotally connected to the handle for movement about the pvot axis of the handle, the said latch member being disposed within the recessed portion of the handle and movable toward and away from latching engagement with the frame.

9. A latch mechanism for a door swingably mounted in a frame, comprising a handle extending through the door and pivotally supported in the door and having an inner end portion movable about the pivot toward and away from the frame, the said inner end portion of thehandle having a recess extending lengthwise, thereof and having an opening in the side adjacent the frame, and, a latch member` movably mounted in the recess and having a hook portion extending through the said opening for latching engagement with the frame.

10. A latch mechanism for a door swingably mounted in a frame, comprising a pivoted handle extending throughthe door for manipulation at either side thereof and having an inner end portion movable about the pivot toward and away from the frame, the said inner end portion of the handle having a recess extending lengthwise and having an opening in the side adjacent the frame, a latch member mounted in the said recess and having a hook portion extending through the said opening for latching engagement with the frame, and the said latch member being pivotally supported for independent swinging movement about the pvot axis of the handle.

11. A door fastening means comprising a supporting frame, a handle pivotally supported there- I by, said handle being formed with an opening out- Ulv

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