US2314609A - Latch retracting mechanism - Google Patents

Description

March 23, 1943. x G. E. cum-lan 2,314,609

LATCH RETRACTIG MECHANISM original Filed may s. 1940 Patented Mar. 23, 1943 Laren nn'raac'rINo MECHANISM George E. Curtiss, Jr., Abington, Pa., assigner to The Stanley Works, New Britain, Conn., a oorporation of Connecticut @riginal application May 28, 1940, Serial No'.

337,639. Divided and this application JanuaryY 27, 1941, Serial No. 376,076

2 Claims.' (Cl. 2%2--16-7) The present invention relates to latches of the type used on refrigerator doors, though not limited thereto, and is concerned with a novel retracting mechanism for withdrawing the latch bolt. i A

This application is a divisional of application Serial No. 337,639, filed Mayl 28, 1940.

An object of the present invention is to provide an improved latching mechanism of simple, compact and inexpensive construction having a bolt normally eiectively held in latching position by .a heavy spring and a novel retracting mech.- anism including a manually operable handle lccated remotely from the latching mechanism and cooperably connected thereto for retracting the l bolt.

A further object of the present invention is to provide a latching mechanism of this type having the further advantage of requiring the application of but slight effort to the manually operable handle for retracting the latch bolt to unlatched position.

A still further object of the invention is to provide a retracting mechanism having a handle so constructed and so journalled that it can be moved in a variety of directions to accomplish the desired retraction of the latch bolt.

Cther objects will be in part obvious and in part pointed out more in detail hereinafter.

The invention accordingly consists in the features of construction, combination of elements and arrangement of parts which will be exempliiied in the construction hereafter set forth and the scope `of the application of which will be indicated in the appended claims.

In the accompanying drawing:

Figure 1 shows a front elevation of a portion of a door having mounted thereon latching and operating mechanism made in accordance with the present invention;

Fig. 2 shows the operating mechanism of Fig. 1 before mounting on the door with the handle and escutcheon removed therefrom;

Fig. 3 is a cross-sectional view of the operating mechanism taken through lines 3-3 of Fig. 1; and

Fig. 4 is a cross-sectional view taken along line 4 4 of Fig. 3 showing an end elevation of the latch operating mechanism.

In order to illustrate one application of the present invention there is shown generally a refrigerator door D to which there is secured a frame F for supporting a latching mechanism L including a latch bolt B', and a manually operable retracting mechanism B including a handle H. As indicated in Figs. 1 and 2 the frame Fl includes a channel shaped section I0 having Welded to its upper end a retracting mechanism support i2 and having similarly welded to its lower end a U shaped mounting Hi for the latch mechanism. In the present instance the support I2 is Provided with a vertical bearing plate It having a vertical end wall IS and upper and lower horizonta1 side walls 26 at right angles thereto and to the bearing platel I5. In order to properly secure the frame F to the door D the outer ends of the walls I3 and 2o are respectively provided with ears 22 and 24 securable to a mounting plate 26 on the refrigerator door D by means of suitablev screws 28 and 30. The lower end of the frame, comprising the U-shaped mounting ii `is similarly provided with flanges 32 securable to another mounting plate on the door by means of screws 36 as illustrated in Fig. l'.

Referring more specifically to the retracting mechanism B i1; includesA a crossheadv C slidably mounted on the support I2. To accomplish this, the crossheadl comprises *a rear stem portion 33 siidably secured in' a slot 45 in the end wall I3; and a flat bearing surface i2, forwardly thereof, slidably secured tothe bearing plate I6 by a headed stud lili, xed to the pla-te I6, and extending through an elongated slot 48 in the crosshead. A spring 58 surrounds the stem 38- andl isv compressed between the end Wall` i3- and a pair of shoulders 52 on the stein whereby the crosshead C is normally urged to the left as indicatedY in Figs.; 2 and '3.3 According to the invention, the crosshead--C must be moved rearwardly against the action -of the spring 5S to retract the latch bolt B. In order to so move the crosshead, it is provided with a crossarm 5d having shoulders 5t and 5l operatively engaged by a yoke 5B secured to the handle H.

More specically the yoke 53 includes a pair of spaced camming oiTsets or flanges '69 and 6I disposed forwardly of the crossarm shoulders 56 and iii and in engagement therewith, for camming the shoulders rearwardly against the action of the spring 59. The yoke further includes an arcuated journalling flange 62 engaging the periphery of the bearing plate stud 4d for fulcruming the yoke thereon. The yoke 58 is secured on one end of a stud 6, the other end of which is secured by a screw 65 in a cored recess 68 in the journalled end of the handle I-I. The handle further comprises the usual lever arm 10 having a grip member 12 on the outer end thereof.

According to the present invention the handle' I-I is movable in a variety of directions to actuate the crosshead C to retract the latch bolt B. For this reason the journalled end of the handle H comprises a half-round or hemispherical bearing end 'I4 movably secured in a mating socket 16 provided in a mounting fixture or escutcheon 'I8 having a slot 80 therein throu-gh which the stud 44 extends. The escutcheon is secured to the surface of the door wall 26 by the screws 28 and 30 which also mount the support I2 thereon, as heretofore indicated.

The retracting mechanism thus far described operates in the following manner: Referring to Fig. 1, when the handle I-I is rotated in either a clockwise or a counterclockwise direction, the stud 64 rotates therewith and one or the other of the yoke flanges 60 or 6| cams the cooperating shoulder of the crossarm 54 rearwardly against the action of the spring 50. It will be noted that the arcuated journalling flange 62 fulcrums the yoke on the bearing plate stud 44 so that the yoke stud 64 does not frictionally bind in the escutcheon slot 8D. The movement of the crosshead, thus effected, is sufcient to retract the latch to unlatching position, as will be hereinafter described. The same movement of the crosshead is obtained by drawing the handle H away from the door in a plane vertical thereto instead of moving it in a plane parallel with the door. When the handle is drawn away from the door, the yoke stud 64 is moved transversely in the escutcheon slot 80 and both of the flanges 60 and 6| engage the cooperating shoulders 56 and 51 to cam the crosshead rearwardly.

In order to transfer the movement of the crosshead to the latching mechanism L to retract the latch bolt, there is provided a transfer linkage comprising a pair of connected bell cranks 82 and 84 respectively, pivotally mounted at the upper and lower ends of the channel seetion l0. As shown in Fig. l, one arm 8'6 ofthe upper bell crank lever 82 is provided with a flange 81 operatively engaging the free end of the crosshead stem 38.- The other lever arm 88 is provided with an eyelet in which one end of a rod 89 is secured, and the corresponding arm 90 of the lower bell crank 84 is provided with a similar eyelet in which the lower end of the rod 89 is secured. The remaining arm -92 of the crank 84 is provided with a flange 93, similar to flange- 81, for operatively enga-ging the latch mechanism L.

As many changes could be madein the above construction and many apparently widely different embodiments of this invention could be made without departing from the scope thereof, it is intended that all matter contained in the above description or shown in the accompanying drawing shall be interpreted as illustrative and not in a limiting sense.

It is also to be understood that the language used in the following claims is intended to cover all of the generic and specific features of the invention herein described and al1 statements of the scope of the invention which, as a matter of language, might be said to fall therebetween.

I claim as my invention:

1. A latch operating means comprising a supporting structure, a crosshead supported for rectilinear sliding movement on said structure and having a pair of shoulders, a spring associated with said crosshead for normally urging the same to one position, saidsupporting structure having a parti-spherical socket and a slot at the bottom of the socket extending generally in the direction of the line of movement of said crosshead, a handle having a parti-spherical end fitting in said socket and a stud projecting from said end of said handle and through said slot to permit of pivotal and rotational movements of said handle in planes at right angles to each other, and a yoke secured to the inner end of said stud and having flanges respectively engaging behind said shoulders whereby said crosshead is operated on either a rotary `or pivotal movement of said handle.

2. A latch operating means comprising a supporting structure, a crosshead mounted thereon for rectilinear sliding movement and having a pair of shoulders and an elongated slot, a stud secured to said structure projecting through said slot and having a cylindrical head on its forward end, a spring normally urging said crosshead to one position, said supporting structure having a parti-spherical socket forwardly of said stud and an elongated slot in the bottom of said socket, a handle having a parti-spherical end .lournaled in said socket for pivotal and rotatable movements in planes at right angles to one another, a stud secured to said end of said handle and extending through the slot in the bottom of said socket, and a yoke secured to the inner end of said last mentioned stud and having a pair of flanges respectively engaging said shoulders of said crosshead, said yoke also having a flange engaging the periphery of said cylindrical head for fulcruming the yoke thereon.

GEORGE E. CURTISS, JR.

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