US2533377A

US2533377A - Door latch

Info

Publication number: US2533377A
Authority: US
Inventors: Dennis W Keef
Original assignee: PHILLIPS TUTCH LATCH Co
Current assignee: PHILLIPS TUTCH LATCH Co; PHILLIPS TUTCH-LATCH Co
Priority date: 1947-10-10
Filing date: 1947-10-10
Publication date: 1950-12-12
Anticipated expiration: 1967-12-12

Description

De@u E2, 1950 D. W. KEEF DooR LATCH Filed oct. 1o, 1947 5 Sheets-Sheet 1 INVENTOR. 6 Dennis M Keef fi?.

BY www Dec. 12, i950 D, W KEEF 2,533,377

2/ z/ 2/ z/ 65 @f6 gw @a fvg. 9 n july. f5 fly 7J INVENTOR. D enrzis W. Kee f Meme@ Dec. 12, 950 D. w. KEEF 2,533,377

DOOR LATCH Filed Oct. l0, 1947 3 Sheets-Sheet 5 fvg. 2a fzy. 25

75/723- 5/ f 55 JNVENToR. I Dennis W. Kee?C Y B {4f/@Mm Aitor/neg Fig. 10 is a View similar to Fig. '7 at a later stage in closing movement;

Fig. 11 is a View similar to Fig. 9 taken along line II--II of Fig. 10;

Fig. 12 is a view similar to Fig. 7 showing the parts in latching position;

Fig. 13 is a vertical section taken along line I3-I3 of Fig. 12;

Fig. 14 is a view similar to Fig. '7 showing the rst stage in releasing movement;

Fig. 15 is a vertical section taken along line I5-I5 of Fig. 14;

Fig. 16 is a view similar to Fig. 7 showing a succeeding stage in the releasing movement;

Fig. 17 is a view similar to Fig. '7 showing the final stage of the releasing movement;

Fig. 18 is a partial horizontal section on an enlarged scale taken substantially along line I8-I8 ofFig.1;

Fig. 19 is a view in front elevation of a modied cabinet showing a form of plunger actuating member;

Fig. 20 is a horizontal section on an enlarged scale taken substantially along line 2l-2U of Fig. 19;

Fig. 21 is a vertical section similar to Fig. 2 showing a modified form of the invention;

Fig. 22 is a detailed view in elevation of the latching dog of Fig. 21;

Fig. 23 is an end elevation taken substantially from line 23-23 of Fig. 22;

Fig. 24 is a side elevation of the modified plunger of Fig. 21;

Fig. 25 is an end elevation taken from line 25--25 of Fig. 24;

Fig. 26 is a plan view taken from line 26-25 f Fig. 24;

Fig. 27 is a vertical section taken substantially along line 21-21 of Fig, 21 showing the dog and latching spring at the beginning of a latching movement;

Fig. 28 shows a succeeding stage in the latching movement;

Fig. 29 showsa succeeding stage in the latching movement;

Fig. 30 is a similar view showing the parts in latched position;

Fig. 31 is a plan View taken substantially from line 3I-3I of Fig. 30;

Fig. 32 is a vertical section taken substantially along line 32-32 of Fig. 33; and

Fig. 33 is a plan view taken from the plane of line 33-33 of Fig. 32.

Referring to the construction set forth in Figs. 1 to 18 inclusive, two separable members, such as a cabinet ID and a door II hinged thereto by hinges I2, may be provided with a touch-latch including a support I3 and a plunger I4. The support preferably comprises a substantially cylindrical member having an outer ange adapted to engage the outer surface of the door II when the support is inserted through a hole drilled through the door. The inner intermediate portion of the support I3 is preferably provided with screw threads I adapted to engage a nut I S which may be drawn tightly against the inner surface of the door II, The inner extremity of the support I3 is provided with a large cavity I I opening toward one side, to provide room for reception of a dog I8 pivotally mounted upon a pin I9 at the overhanging end of the support and located toward the lower edge thereof. The support is slotted outwardly from the pivot I9 so that the dog may project forwardly in line with the plunger or may extend laterally, or may swing inwardly at least partially into the cavity II as seen in full outline in Fig. 2. The plunger I4 comprises an outwardly protruding head adapted to be slidably guided in a cylindrical bore in the outer end of the support and which provides a shoulder between which and the enlarged head may be compressed a spring 2E] coiled about the plunger and which normally maintains the plunger projecting slightly beyond the support so that the plunger may be manually engaged. The inner end of the plunger is provided with a groove in which a spring clip device 2|, substantially encircling the plunger, may be positioned between the surface of the plunger and the inner surface of the bore through the support.

The spring clip device 2l comprises a band spring substantially encircling the plunger, and has free ends 22 extending into the lower part of the cavity I'I. The upper forward edge of the spring 2| may be provided with inwardly bent prongs 23 serving to prevent circumferential movement of the spring 2I by engaging the sides of the slot in the plunger I4. Between the prongs 23 there may be provided a tab 24 adapted to be bent upwardly to engage the inner end of an opening 28 in the wall of the support through which the tab 24 may be manipulated in order to cause it to stand up and engage the support I 3 to limit outward movement of the plunger due to the spring 20, and also to prevent it from rotating.

The dog I 8 comprises spaced ears encircling the pin I9 and embracing a spring 25 coiled about the pin I9 and having one end projecting into a hole drilled in the dog I 8 and its opposite end projecting into a hole drilled through the end of the plunger I4 whereby the spring 25 may be maintained at zero compression when the dog is projecting laterally outward, placed under compression when the dog swings rearwardly, and placed under tension when the dog swings forwardly. The spring 25 thus tends normally to maintain the dog in laterally projecting position. The outer end of the dog is provided with an arcuate face 26, the center of curvature of which may be located at the axis of pin I9. The dog tapers inwardly to a narrow inner edge, and at the junction of the inner edge and the arcuate face 26 is provided with a double wedge enlargement 21.

While the face 26 may lie along a true arc, it is preferred to have it assume a slightly spiral contour with the shortest radius at the edge carrying the wedge enlargement. Therefore the point of engagement of the face 26 with a roller abutment will be below (or Outside of) a line -through the axis of pin I9 and the axis of the roller as will appear later.

An abutment for engagement with the dog I8 is provided by fastening an abutment of any suitable type mounted ona support 30 to a fixed portion of the other separable member such as a shelf 3| in the cabinet I0. The support 30 may comprise a plate having upwardly extending ears 32 journalling a pivot 33 for a roller 34 whose axis extends normally to the axis of plunger I4 or parallel to the pin I9. The periphery of the roller 34 is so positioned as to cause swinging movement of the dog I8 when either edge thereof is engaged by the roller, and when the dog is positioned in latching position, as seen in Fig. 2, it is at such a distance from the axis of pin I9 that no more than a fractional inch of displacement may be permitted. However. if the dog I8 assegna? istv not' maintained; in latchingf positionbyy the SDI'I1g12I, asf will be explained.r later.. the arcuate face 2.6. permits thev dog to move to` its: laterally projecting position. If the cabinet ccnstruction is' rigid the: parts may be so adjusted that when the door III is firmly against the shelf St the dog I 8 willi have but ar few thousandths of an inch play between itr and the roller 34,.. However, in order to permit ot some inaccuracyr or subsequent warping ofv one part with respect to the other, and in order to assure iirml Contact against rattling, theV outer edge of the shelf 35i is preferably' provided with a rubber bumper button 351 which may be compressed sli'ghtly'by pressure against the plunger I4 and thel portion of the supporti3` surrounding the plunger to assure freedom of swinging movement of the dog i8 when necessary.v

It the: face 262 is formed as a spiral there willi be aslight componentof force always tending to force the dog outwardly so4 that when the spring ZI is removed from the wedge enlargement the d'og will be forced to swingr outwardly while the roller 34e turns.

In order tohave the door swing open auto matically when the dog l-S is. released from latching position. it is preferable to provide a spring opening device such as the plunger 36, mounted in a thimble 3iadapted to be forced into a bore 36 in the edge of the cabinet it?, and normally forced outward by a spring 39, the plunger CAE bearing against a portion of the door lI in such fashion as` to swing the door outwardly when the latch is released.

Operation of first modification As seen in Figs. 2 to 5 inclusive the dog is mounted in latehing position by the ends 22 of the band spring, which has been wedged apart by the wedge enlargement 2I and subsequently has snapped behind the lower surfaces of the wedge enlargement positively to hold the dog in the position illustrated with its arcuate face again-st the roller 34. Figs. 7 to 13 inclusive illustrate the movement oi the dog to its latched position. As the door isv swung shut the leading edge of the laterally projecting dog I8 engages theA roller 34, causing the dog to swing inwardly. In subsequent stages the wedge enlargement is shown spreading the ends of the spring latch and passing beyond toan extent necessary to permit the dog to drop behind the roller 34 until. further movement thereof is prevented by the spring clip engaging the lower surfaces of the wedge enlargement. The door is thus maintained in latched position until the plunger I4 is moved longitudinal-ly by manual engagement. As seen in Figs. 14 and l5 the manual engagement of the plunger moves the ends 22 of the spring clip from beneath the wedge enlargement of the dog, thus permitting the force of gravity or the compression of spring 25, aided by the component of force due to the spiral face, tomove the dog to its normal, laterally projecting position as seen in Fig. 16. Whenthe hand is removed from the plunger i4 the spring opening device causes the door to swing open. The leading edge of the dog will engage the roller 3ft and the dog will be swung inwardly beyond the end of support as seen in Fig. 17. As soon as the dog has cleared the roller S4 the tens-ion of spring 25 or the force of gravity will return the dog to its normal, laterally projecting position in readiness for the next closing movement.

Second modification In Figs. 19 and 2u a modified form of cabinet such` as. a. refrigerator 4I! is provided with a hinged door 4I adapted to be opened by a handle lever 42. Av support 43. is adapted to be mounted in the door and is provided with. a plunger 44 and spring 45 normally retaining.v the plunger inL inwardly projecting position. The support carries a dog 46. such as the dog I8 which is adapted` to be retainedV by a spring clipsuch as the clip 2I mounted upon the support. The cabinet is provided with an abutment mounting member 4l carrying a roller such as theroller 34. The support 43 mounts` a pivot pin 48 upon which is pivotally mountedA a laterally projecting plate 49 having an opening through which the end of the plunger 44 projects. The free end of the plate 49 carries a pivot 50 parallel to the pivot 48- and uponwhich the handle 42 is pivotal-1y mounted, the handle having a recess therein for reception of the projecting end of the plunger 44. The' handle is provided with elongated openings 5I through which a pin 52 passes, the pin 52 projecting through the plunger 44. handle 42 is pressed toward the door the plate t9 will be rocked about pivot 48 to pull the plunger 4i! outwardly and cause release of the dog. If the handle 42 is pulled outwardly from the door it will pivot about pivot 50 to pull the plunger 44 outwardly and release the dog. The operation of the dog is exactly as previously described.

The modification herein illustrated is meant to emphasize. the universal adaptability of the tou-endeten to vario-us forms of cabinets 'or the LilieV and to illustrate the fact that the plunger 451i need not be movedl in one direction only, since the rst modication releasing movement is accomplished by pushing the plunger inwardly while in this modication releasing of the dog is accomplished by pulling the plunger outwardly. This modificationalso illustrates the adaptability of the invention to handle or lever operated devices'.

Third modification In the modification illustrated in Figs. 21 to 33 inclusive certain details fof the plunger and dog have been altered. Thisr modification may be more desirable since retention of the dog in latched position is accomplished by a wedging efe'ct rather than by the: tension of the spring clipy device alone.

in this modioation the support et* adapted to be mounted up'on a door or the like is provided with a central bore Si mounting a plunger 62, the plunger being normally retained outwardly by a. coiled spring 63. The inner end -oi the support (it carries a dog it mounted upon a pivot pin @5 and normally retained in laterally projecting position by a. spring lit similar to the spring 25. The plunger 552 is maintained in its normal outward position by a pin t? projecting into a slot S8 in the support Se through which the pin may be inserted after the plunger is in position. The inner end ci the plunger is longitudinally slotted. leaving projecting side members l, the inner surfaces of which converge downwardly and toward the bottom or the slot and inwardly away from the head of the plunger. The converging sides exert a slight wedging etect so that a very slight push on the outer end oi the plunger serves to augment the wedging thrust and unlock. the dog. A Wishbone spring 1I is extended longi If the` tudinally of the plunger 62 on the lower surface of a deep notch cut in the upper half of the plunger, the spring being retained by a screw l2. The projecting ends of the legs of the spring extend through slots 'i3 aligned with the inner surfaces of the portions 'la and the ends are reversely directed to provide a spaced pair of tips 'Hi lying against the sloping walls 'of the members 1B. The dog G4 is provided with a curved latching face 'i5 as in the dog I3. The inner corner of the dog is provided with a double wedge enlargement 'l similar to the enlargement Z'i of dog i8 but having lower sloping faces diverging at substantially the same angle as the angle between the inner surfaces of the portions 10, The wedge enlargement is capable of passing upward through the slot in the plunger as seen in Figs. 27 and 28 but in doing so the wedge enlargement engages the tips l!! and moves the ends of the Wishbone spring upwardly a slight distance until the wedge enlargement passes beyond a point at which the tips 'le may snap back into normal position. When the dog has cleared the abutment (not herein illustrated, but an abutment similar to that illustrated in Fig. 2 may be utilized) the spring 5E swings the dog outwardly until the tips 1d wedgingly engage the lower surfaces of the enlargement 16 to retain the dog in latching position as seen in Figs. 30 and 3l. When the plunger 62 is displaced longitudinally the tips 'lll move beyond the wedge enlargement to permit the spring 65 to swing the dog outwardly. In all other respects this modification operates as previously described.

In this modification it is apparent that the latching action of the dog is not dependent upon the strength of a spring member since the latching action is accomplished by wedging the tips between converging members. Also the construction of the dog is sturdier and the wedge enlargement will not become worn to any extent.

Having illustrated and described several ernbodiments which my invention may assume it should be immediately apparent to those skilled in the art that various modifications in detail and arrangement may be achieved within the teachings of the present disclosure. All su'ch modifications as come within the true spirit and scope of the appended claims are considered to be a part of my invention.

I claim:

1. Means for latching together two separable members such as a cabinet and a door therefor, comprising an elongated, hollow support adapted to be mounted on one of said members, a plunger slidably mounted for longitudinal movement in said support, said plunger having a recess therein, a spring biased between said support and said plunger and normally maintaining said plunger in one position with respect to said support, a dog pivotally mounted on said support and swingable from a laterally projecting position to a partially retracted position in either direction longitudinally of said plunger, said dog and said plunger being so related that a portion of said dog may enter said recess when said dog is retracted in one direction, and a spring catch device mounted upon said plunger in position to engage said portion of said dog when swung into said recess while said plunger is in said normally maintained Dosition, said plunger being movable longitudinally against the force of said Spring to another position at which said spring catch device is removed from engagement with said dog.

2. The construction set forth in claim 1 in which said dog comprises a wedge enlargement and said spring catch device comprises a resilient part projecting into the recess in said plunger in position to snap past said wedge enlargement.

3. The construction set forth in claim l wherein said dog comprises a double wedge enlargement and said spring catch device comprises a spring clip including opposed portions adapted to be spread apart by said enlargement.

4. The construction set forth in claim 1; in combination with a second spring biased between said support and said dog to normally maintain said dog in laterally projecting position.

5. The construction set forth in claim 1 wherein the free end of said dog conforms to an arc centered substantially at the pivotal mounting thereof.

6. The construction set forth in claim 1 wherein the free end of said dog conforms to a spiral.

7. The construction set forth in claim 1 wherein the free end of said dog conforms to a spiral' 0f increasing radius toward its forward edge.

8. Means for latching together two separable members such as a cabinet and a door therefor, comprising a support adapted to be mounted on one of said members, a plunger slidably mounted for longitudinal movement in said support, a rst spring biased between said support and said plunger and normally maintaining said plunger in one position with respect to said support, a dog pivotally mounted on said support and having a wedge enlargement thereon, said dog being swingable from a laterally projecting position to a partially retracted position in either direction longitudinally of said plunger, a spring catch device mounted upon said plunger in position to snap past said wedge enlargement when said dog is swung in one direction while said plunger is in said normally maintained position, said plunger being movable longitudnally against the force of said rst spring to another position at which said spring catch device is removed from engagement with said wedge enlargement, and a second spring biased between said support and said dog to normally maintain said dog in laterally proj ecting position.

9. The construction set forth in claim 8 wherein said dog comprises a double wedge enlargement and said spring catch device comprises a spring clip adapted to be spread apart by said double wedge enlargement.

10. Means for latching together two separable members such as a cabinet and a door therefor, comprising a support adapted to be mounted on one of said members, a plunger slidably mounted for longitudinal movement in said support, a spring biased between said support and said plunger and normally maintaining said plunger in one position with respect to said support, a dog pivotally mounted on said support and swingable from a laterally projecting position to a partially retracted position in either direction longitudinally of said plunger, said plunger being provided with a longitudinal recess adapted to receive a portion of said dog therein, and a spring catch device mounted upon said plunger in position to engage said portion of the dog when said dog is swung in one direction while said plunger is in said normally maintained position, said spring catch device comprising a spring clip having its ends projecting into said plunger from opposite sides of said recess, said plunger being movable longitudinally against the force of said spring to another position at which said spring catch device releases said dog.

DENNIS W. KEEF.

REFERENCES CITED The following references are of record in the 15 le/of this patent:

UNITED STATES PATENTS Number Number Name Date Kaye Sept. 9, 1879 Smiley Aug, 9, 1910 Kuethe Mar. 26, 1940 FOREIGN PATENTS Country Date Sweden Oct. 24, 1939