US2538913A

US2538913A - Door lock

Info

Publication number: US2538913A
Application number: US80279A
Authority: US
Inventors: John H Roethel
Original assignee: ROETHEL ENGINEERING CORP
Current assignee: ROETHEL ENGINEERING Corp
Priority date: 1949-03-03
Filing date: 1949-03-03
Publication date: 1951-01-23
Anticipated expiration: 1968-01-23

Description

J. H. ROETHEL noon LOCK Jam. 3, 1951 Filed March 8, 1949 3 Sheets-Sheet 1 INVENTOR.

sew gu g Jam :4: 1951 J. H. ROETHEL. 2,538,913

" DOOR LOCK 5119a max-ch a, 1949 s Sheets-Sheet 2 IN VEN TOR. $$fi f7! Fae- Zed J. H. hoETHEL.

DOOR LOCK Filed March 8. 1949 3 Sheets-Sheet 3 IN V EN TOR. J5) Kati/fez Patented Jan. 23, 1951 DOOR LOCK John H. Roethel, Detroit, Mich., assignor to Roethel Engineering Corporation,

Detroit,

Mich., a corporation of Michigan Application March 8, 1949, Serial No. 80,279

3 Claims. (Cl. 292-280) Thi invention relates to latch mechanism for swinging doors, particularly the doors of automobile or other vehicle bodies, an object of the invention being to provide an improved door latch mechanism which is not only relatively small in size, simple, compact and economical to manufacture, but also durable and efiicient as well as comparatively quiet in operation.

Another object of the invention i to provide an improved door latch mechanism embodying a full rotatable latch device together with a fully rotatable detent engaging member by which the latch devic is positively held through the medium of a detent or the like in any position to which it may be rotated. More specifically an object is to form the latch device as a toothed member which, when the detent is disengaged, is unrestrained against rotation in any direction, yet which will rotate into locking relation to its striker regardless of the position to which the latch device is turned.

A further object of the invention is to provide an improved door lock especially adaptable for use on the doors of automobile bodies, the lock being provided with detent means for holding a rotatable bolt in door locking position and also being provided with improved means under the control of outside and inside manually controlled operators for releasing or disengaging the detent means, and in addition having improved means for rendering the outside operator ineffective to release or disengage the detent means.

Other objects of this invention will appear in the following description and appended claims, reference being had to the accompanying drawings forming a part of this specification wherein like reference characters designate corresponding parts in the several views.

Fig. 1. is a fragmentary sectional elevation taken substantially through lines ll of Fig. 3

and showing in particular the mechanism of the door lock mounted adjacent the inner door panel.

Fig. 2 is a section taken substantially through lines 22 of Fig. 1 looking in the direction of the arrows.

Fig. 3 is a section taken substantially through lines 33 of Fig. 1 looking in the direction of the arrows.

Fig. 4 is a plan view of the latch device illustrating the parts thereof carried by the case plate.

Fig. 5 is a fragmentary side elevation taken from the right in Fig. 3 in the direction of the arrow numbered 5.

Fig. 6 is a section taken substantially through lines 6--B of Fig. 3 looking in the direction of the arrows.

Fig. 6A is a view generally similar to Fig. 6 but illustrating a modification.

Fig. 7 is a section taken substantially through lines 1-! of Fig. 1 looking in the direction of the arrows.

Fig. 8 is a section taken substantially through lines 8-8 of Fig. 5 looking in the direction of the arrows.

Fig. 9 is a section taken substantially through lines 9-9 of Fig. 2 looking in the direction of the arrows. I

Fig. 10 is a fragmentary view, in part similar to Fig. 1, illustrating an operated position of the remote control mechanism.

Fig. 11 is a fragmentary side elevation illustrating a modification of the remote control mechanism.

Fig. 12 is a section taken substantially through lines l2l2 of Fig. 11 looking in the direction of the arrows.

Fig. 13 is a section taken substantially through lines 13-43 of Fig. 12 looking in the direction of the arrows.

Before explaining in detail the present invention it is to be understood that the invention is not limited in its application to the details of construction and arrangement of parts illustrated in the accompanying drawings, since the invention is capable of other embodiments and of being practiced or carried out in various ways. Also it is to be understood that the phraseology or terminology employed herein is for the purpose of description and not of limitation.

The latch device constructed in accordance with the particular embodiment of the invention herein illustrated, by way of example, is shown mounted on an automobile door having the usual inner door panel 2| terminating in a transverse jamb edge 22 facing the fixed jamb face or edge 23 (Fig. 5) of the door frame post or body pillar.

The present latch device comprises a case plate 24 provided with screw bosses 2411 by means of which the case plate is secured to the inner side of the jamb portion 22 of the door. The case plate terminates at its inner edge in a flange 25 facing the inner door panel 2|. The latch device is preferably provided with arotatable toothed latch or bolt 26 positioned at the outer face of the case plate 24, this latch or bolt having an integral projecting shaft or shank 21 extending through an aperture in the case plate and having a bearing in the annular flanged edge 28 of this aperture. The inner end of the shank 21 of the bolt is flattened and extended through a correspondingly shaped aperture in a rotatable toothed detent engaging member or ratchet member 29. The ratchet member 29 in the present instance is molded from nylon plastic material and is formed, as shown in Fig. 6, with an integral bushing portion 29a interposed between the shank 21 of the bolt and the flanged edge 28 of the aperture in the case plate 24, thus providing a bearing for the ratchet member 29 and bolt 26. The reduced end of the bolt shank 21 is riveted over a washer 30 against the inner face of the ratchet member 29. As a result of this construction the bolt 26 and ratchet member are rigidly attached together so as to turn in unison. By virtue of the bushing 29a formed from nylon plastic as an integral part of the ratchet member 29, a highly wear resistant bearing for the bolt is provided in the case plate 24 which requires no lubrication.

The rotatable latch 26, as shown in Fig. 8, is formed with a number of radially projecting tooth-like projections 26a, such as six, which are spaced equally around the periphery of the latch so as to provide in effect a gear type latch. The ratchet member 29 is also formed around its periphery with a number of tooth-like abutments or projections 29b which correspond in number to the tooth-like projections 25a of the bolt.

Pivotally mounted on a shoulder rivet 32 secured to the case plate 24 is a swinging detent, pawl or dog which has a downwardly extending detent arm 33 cooperable with the teeth or projections 29b of the ratchet member 29. The detent arm is engageable with any one of the teeth 29b in the manner shown in Fig. 3 to hold the ratchet member and, hence, the bolt 26 in locking position against rotation in a counterclockwise direction as viewed in Fig. 3. The detent, in the embodiment of Fig. 3, is also formed with an inwardly extending arm 34 adapted to engage a rubber bumper 34a so as to silence impact of the detent arm 33 against the sides of the teeth 2% when the ratchet member 29 is rotated in a clockwise direction, as viewed in Fig. 3, during closing of the door. The bumper 34a is arranged so as to be engaged by the detent arm 34 slightly before the detent arm 33 goes fully home and to yield suificiently to permit full engagement of the detent arm 33 with a tooth of the ratchet member 29, as shown in Fig. 3.

The detent is also provided with an upwardly projecting arm or extension 35 and also an inwardly extending armor extension 36. Thus, the detent in the embodiment shown in Fig. 3 is provided with four

arms

33,34, 35 and 36 and is preferably formed from a single piece of flat metal stock.

Associated with the detent is a detent actuating or release lever 37 which is pivoted at its lower end upon a shoulder rivet 38 secured to the case plate. Pivoted at 39 to the side of the lever 31 near the upper end thereof is a detent operating link 40, this link in the present instance extending inwardly from the lever 31 and having an extension 40a overlying and normally slidingly engageable with the upper end of the detent arm 35, the link 40 thus being mounted so as to swing vertically toward and from the detent arm 35. The link 40 is formed at its lower edge with an abutment or shoulder 40b adapted to engage the upper end of the detent arm 35 when the link 40 is shifted inwardly by swinging the lever 31 inwardly.

The detent arm 33 is yieldingly urged toward the ratchet plate 23 by means of a coil spring 4| anchored to a stud 4Ia secured to the case plate, this spring having a downwardly projecting arm 4Ib engageable with the edge of the detent arm 33 so as to yieldingly hold the arm in latching engagement with a tooth of the ratchet plate 29. The lever 31 is urged outwardly toward its normal position shown in Fig. 3 by means of a coil spring 42 anchored to the shoulder rivet 38 and having an upward extension 42a engaging behind the flange 31a on the lever 31. This lever is provided with a flange portion 37b which overlaps the spring arm 4| b and prevents it from becoming disengaged from the detent arm 33. The flange portion 31a on this lever is widened for engagement by a plunger 43 which may be shifted inwardly to swing the lever 3! by any suitable manually operable means on the outside of the door such, for example, as a push button or a pull out type handle.

The present latch device is preferably operated from the inside of the door through the medium of a remote control mechanism comprising a longitudinally shiftable draft link 44 which is pivoted at 45 to the lower end of one arm 46a of a bell crank lever 46. This lever is pivoted on the shank of a shoulder rivet 41, Figs. 1 and 7, secured to the case plate flange 25. The lever is provided with a projecting arm 45b overlying at its outer end the detent arm 36.

In accordance with the present embodiments of the invention means is provided for disconnecting the operating link 40 and release lever 31 from the detent arm 35 and also for effecting the operative connection of these parts, this being accomplished through the medium of a manually operable slide which may be shifted either by manually operable means at the inside of the door or by a key operating lock from the outside of the door. This slide, designated at 49, is embossed at its upper end to provide an outwardly extending channel shaped projection 43 notched at 48a to receive the inner end of the extension 40a of the link 40. The lower edge of the channel shaped projection 48 overlies the lever arm 46b and the latter in turn overlies the detent arm 36, see Figs. 1 and 3. Since the extension 40a of the operating link 40 projects within the notch 48a in the vertically shiftable slide 49, an interlocking connection is thus provided between the link extension 4011 and the slide so that upward movement of the slide will raise the link 40 to disengage it from the detent arm 35 and reverse movement of the slide will position the link 40 with its abutment 40b in operative relation to the upper end of the detent arm. The slide 49 is guided on the case plate flange 25 by means of upper and lower headed guide studs 50 and 5| extending through vertical guide slots 52 and 53 in the slide.

The slide 49 may be shifted upwardly to the dotted line position shown in Fig. 1 and downwardly to its full line position by means of a lever 54 pivotally mounted on the shank of the shoulder rivet 41. This lever has a projecting arm 54a terminating in a round end 541; lying within the channel shaped projection 48 on the slide 49. The lever 54 also has a lever arm 54c pivotally connected at 55 to a vertically shiftable rod or plunger 56 which extends upwardly through the garnish molding at the inner side of the glass panel of the door. This rod carries at its upper end a knob 51 which may be grasped at the inside of the door to shift the plunger vertically in either direction.

From the foregoing construction it will be apacademparent that by pressing the knob 5'! downwardly the lever 54 will be rocked, thereby raising the slide 49, and conversely when the rod 56 is pulled upwardly the slide 49 will be shifted downwardly. The slide is yieldingly held and urged toward its upper and lower limits of movement by means of a snap-over spring 58 of suitable strength attached at one end to the slide and at the opposite end to the case plate flange 25. As shown in Fig. 1, the slide 49 is notched or cut away at 59 to provide clearance for the detent arm 36 which in the present embodiment is free to move vertically without engaging the lower edge oi. the notched portion 59 in any position 01' the slide. Projecting outwardly from the side edge of the notch 59 in the slide 49 is a flange or lug 60 which, when the slide is shifted upwardly, is

moved into position to underlie and substantially engage the lever arm 4612, as shown in dotted lines in Fig. 1. Thus, with the slide in its upperan aperture 6! to receive the end of the detent arm 36, and the case plate flange is also provided with an aperture 62 to receive the extension 4011 of the operating link 40 when shifted inwardly.

Extending through a hole in the remote end of the draft link 44 is a threaded stud or pin 63, the link being locked in position on the stud by means of a snap-on cotter pin 64 engaging in an annular groove 63a in the stud 63. The inner door panel 2! is formed with an elongate aperture 65 through which the stud 63 extends, and the inner end of this stud is anchored, a shown in Fig. 2, in a hole in the lower end of a hanger link 66. The upper end of this link is pivoted on the shank of a shoulder rivet 61 secured to a mounting plate 68. This plate is adjustably attached to the inner door panel 2| through the shifted to the right within the slot 11 m the escutcheon disk and the slot 66 in the inner door. panel. This will result in shifting the link 44 to the right, thereby rockin the .bell crank lever 46 and swinging the lever arm 46b upwardly and raising the slide 49 to its dotted line position in Fig. 1 by engagement of the lever arm 46b with the bottom of the embossment 48 in the slide. Upon'releasing the slide button 18, after performing the above operation, the spring 72 will return the slide button and lever 46 to their normal positions shown in Fig. l. Conversel'y upon shiitingtheslide button is to the left in Fig. 1 the lever 46 will be rocked in the opposite direction, thereby depresdng the lever arm band-causing it to swing the detent arm -36 downwardly to disengage the detent 33 from 2a the ratchzt member 29, thus freeing the ratchet medium of screws 69 extending through adjusting slots 19 in the mounting plate and to screw bosses 1| on the inner door panel. Since the stud 63 is mounted on the lower end of the swinging link 66 longitudinal movement of the stud will be in an arcuate path having its center at the axis of rivet 67. This longitudinal movement of the stud 63 is yieldingly resisted by means of a wire spring 12 which is bent to provide a pair of depending arms 12a which cross each other and engage at their lower ends opposite sides of the shank of the stud 63. The upper horizontal portion of the spring i2 is anchordbetween a retainer lug I3 lanced out of the metal of the plate 68 and the upper flanged edge 14a. of a retainer piece 14 secured in spaced relation to the mounting plate 68 by means of tongues or tabs |4b' projectng through slits in the mounting plate and clinched over as shown in Fig. 1.

The inner door panel 2| -is covered in accordance with conventional practice by means of a fabric covered trim panel 75. Mounted against the inner face of the trim panel is an escutcheon disk 16 which is attached in position by means of tabs 16a projecting through slots in the inner door panel and clinched over. The escutcheon dis; [6 is formed, as shown in Fig. 9, with an arcuate slot 11 through which the inner threaded end 631) of the stud 63- projects. Threaded onto the inner end of the stud is an annular slide button 18 which is preferably of sufficient size to enable it to be readily grasped by the hand so as to shift the button 18 lore and aft, thereby member and bolt and permitting the door to be c-pen'd. In the event the slide 49 has been set in its upp-r position either by operation 01' the lever 46 or the lever 54, the slide will be returned- 46 will swing the link 40 upwardly byvirtuc oi the connection of the arm 40a of the link within the notch 43a in the channel embossment '48.o'i..

the slide. This operation will disconnect the'iinls' 49 from the detent arm 35 by raising the abut v ment 43b of the link above the upper end of the detent arm. When this occurs it will be apparcut that therelease member 37 may be pushed inwardly freely without disengaging the detent i'rom the ratchet member 29, since by this iiiward motion of the member 31 the link 49 will be free to move inwardly relatively to the detent arm 35 without imparting any disengaging motion thereto. Even though the outside release lever 31 maybe disconnected from the detent arm 35 by shifting the slide 49 upwardly, the.v

slide will be returned downwardly to its normal position to again connect the release lever with the detent by operation of the inside remote control mechanism through the slide button 18 accompanied by actuation of the detent arm 35 to disengage the detent arm 33 from the toothed member 29.

In the embodiment illustrated in Figs. 11 to 13 inclusive the remote control link 44 carries a transverse pin or stud l9 slidable within a straight slot in an escutcheon disk 8| which is other-- wise similar to the disk." and mounted on the inner door panel in a corresponding manner- The link 44 is anchored in position on the pin 19 by means of a snap-on cotter pin 82 extending through an annular groove in the pin 19. The slide button 18 is threaded onto the inner end of the pin '19 and is shiftable fore and aft on the escutcheon plate 8! so as to shift the remote control link 44 fore and aft to operate the bell crank lever 46 in the manner above described. Extendin through a hole in the end of the link 44 at a point spaced from the coupling pin 19 is a stud as which is riveted to the end of the link as shown in Fig. 12. This stud is slidable within a straight slot 84a in a mounting plate 84 adjustably secured to the inner door panel by screws 85 threaded into screw bosses 86 in the inner door panel 2|. Longitudinal movement of the stud 83 in one direction or the other is resisted by means of a wire spring 81 having depending crossed arms 87a which engage at their lower ends opposite sides of the stud 83. The upper horizontal portion of the spring 81 is anchored in position between a lug 88 lanced out of the metal of the plate 84 and the upper flanged edge of a retainer piece 89 secured to the mounting plate by clinched over tongues 83a. It will be apparent that by shifting the slide button 18 fore and aft upon the escutcheon disk 8| with the coupling pin 19 shiftable within the slot 8.) in the escutcheon disk, the remote control link 44 will be shifted in an endwise direction; and

tnis movement of the link will be resisted by the spring 81 which, upon releasing the slide button l8, will return it as well as the remote control 1111K. to normal position.

In the several embodiments of the invention the rotary toothed latch or bolt 26 is actuatedwhen the door is closed by means of a striker or keeper device 90 which is rigidly mounted on the jamb edge 23 of the body pillar or nxed upright member of the door frame. Where a steel bolt 26 is used, as in the embodiment of Fig. 6, the striker member to is preferably molded from nylon plastic material and is secured to the body pillar b means of screws 9|. The nylon striker member 90 is formed at its lower edge with two integral tooth like projections 92 and 93 with which the teeth 26a. of the latch bolt mesh to hold the door in either a final or safety locking position. When an adjacent pair of teeth 28a embrace and engage the tooth 92 the door is in safety locking position, and when an adjacent pair of teeth 26a engage and embrace the tooth 93 of the striker member the bolt is in final looking position as shown in Fig. 8. The upper surface 90a of the striker member forms an inclined ramp engaged by a dovetail shoe or guide block 94 rigidly secured to the case plate and cooperable with the bolt by engagement with the striker member 90 to hold the door against vertical movement in its fully closed position. Where the striker member 90 is molded from nylon plastic, the guide block or shoe 94 is preferably formed of metal such as steel. I have discovered that by using a steel bolt and a steel wedge block or shoe 94 in conjunction with a nylon plastic striker member 90 considerable reduction in frictional resistance as well as noise is achieved when the door is closed. Furthermore, this construction has the important advantage of eliminating any need for lubrication of the contacting surfaces between the bolt 26, shoe 94 and striker member. An additional advantage derived from this construction resides in the practical elimination of wear at the contacting surfaces of the bolt, shoe and striker member.

In the embodiment of Fig. 6A the bolt 85 having teeth 95a is similar to the bolt 26 but in this instance is molded from nylon plastic. The outer face of the bolt is recessed at 91 to receive the head of a rivet 96 which passes through a hole in the bolt and a steel washer 98 and is riveted over the washer. The bolt 95 has a round reduced shank portion 95b forming a hearing within the flanged aperture 20 in the case plate.

The inner end 95c of the bolt is reduced and flattened to extend through a correspondingly shaped aperture in the ratchet member 29, thus keying the ratchet member to the bolt so as to turn in unison therewith. Where the bolt II is formed of nylon plastic, as in the embodiment of Fig, 6A, the striker member is preferably formed of steel, being otherwise substantially similar to the construction shown in Fig. 8. However. where the striker member 90 is formed of steel, the wedge block or shoe 94, which slides upon the upper inclined surface 90a of the striker member, is preferably molded from plastic material and rigidly secured to the case plate 24. The advantages of this construction are similar to those above set forth in connection with the elimination of noise, frictional resistance, lubrication and wear on the parts. Thus, in the embodiment of Fig. 6A the bolt and wedge member 94 are of nylon plastic material and the striker member 90 is of steel.

Where a key controlled device is incorporated with the door lock as in the embodiment of Fig. l, the slide 49 is provided with a depending extension 49a having spaced lugs 98 and IN pivotally receiving a rounded end I la of a swinging crank arm IOI. This arm is connected to the square portion Hi2 of a key actuated shaft, the shaft in turn being connected to the cylinder mechanism of any conventional lock having the usual key control. By turning the key in the lock on the outside of the door the crank arm IUI may be swung to shift the slide 49 vertically in one direction or the other, thereby to shift the detent operating link 40 into or out of engaged relation to the detent arm 35. The key control means for the slide 49 is usually embodied in the front door locks of an automobile body but is usually omitted from the locks used on the rear doors.

I claim:

1. In a door latch mechanism for a swinging door, a support comprising a plate portion for disposition at the door jamb and having a flange extending from the imier edge thereof, a rotatable latch device mounted on said plate portion, detent means pivotally mounted on said plate portion to swing about a. generally horizontal axis and including a unitary member having a plurality of arms, one arm extending downwardly from said axis and engageable with said latch device for holding the same in door latchin position. a second arm extending upwardl from said axis, and a third arm extending inwardly toward said flange, outer manually operable means for pivotally actuating said detent mean and including a lever pivotally mounted on said plate portion and having a portion movable toward said flange upon swinging said lever, link means pivotally mounted on said lever portion and having a part normally arranged in operative relation to a part of said second arm and being shiftable upon swinging said lever to cause said parts to abut and shift the detent means thereby to disengage the detent means from said latch device, a vertically shiftable slide on said flange connected to said link means, lever means on said flange for shiftin said slide upwardly to cause the same to pivotally move said link mean in a generally vertical direction to position its said part out of operative relation to said part of said second arm and to position said slide in a raised position, a manually operable lever on said flange engageable with a part on said slide whenin said raised position for shifting the slide downwardly and also at the same time ensascable with said third arm for pivotally actuating said detent means to disengage the same from said latch device, and a single pivot for pivotally supporting said lever means and said manually operable lever on said flange.

2. In a door latch mechanism for a swinging door, a support comprising a plate portionior disposition at the door jamb and having a flange extending from the inner edge thereof, a latch bolt mounted on said plate portion to rotate about an axis and having a series of tooth-like projections extending around the periphery thereof, a detent engaging latch device secured to said bolt to rotate therewith about said axis and having a corresponding series of tooth-like abutments, detent means pivotally mounted on said plate portion and engageable with said latch device for holding the same in latching position, outer manually operable means for pivotally actuating said detent means to disengage the same from said latch device and including a lever pivotally mounted on said plate portion and having a portion movable toward said flan e upon swinging said lever, link mean pivotally mounted on said lever portion for operation thereby and havinga part normally arranged in operative relation to a part of said detent means and being shiftable upon swinging said lever to cause said parts to abut and shift the detent means thereby to disengage the detent means from said latch device. a vertically shiftable slide on said flange connected to said link means, an inner manually operable swingable lever for shifting said slide in one direction to swing said link means into a position in which said parts are out of operative relation, a second inner manually operable swingable lever for shifting said slide in the opposite direction, and a common pivot for supporting both of said inner manually operable levers on said flange.

3. In a door latch mechanism for a swinging door, a support comprising a plate portion for disposition at the door jamb and having a flange extending from the inner edge thereof, a latch bolt mounted on said plate portion to rotate about an axis and having a series of tooth-like projections extending around the periphery thereof, a detent engaging latch device secured to said bolt to rotate therewith about said axis and having a corresponding series of tooth-like abutments, detent means pivotally mounted on said plate portion and engageable with said latch device for holding the same in latchin position, outer manually operable means for pivotally actuating said detent means to disengage the same from said latch device and including a lever pivotally mounted on said plate portion and havin a portion movable toward said flange upon swinging said lever, link means pivotally mounted on said lever portion for operation thereby and having a part normally arranged in operative relation to a part of said detent means and being shiftable upon swinging said lever to cause said parts to abut and shift the detent means thereby to disengage the detent means from said latch device, control means engageable with said link means and movably mounted on the support for shifting said link means in one direction to position said parts out of operative relation, said control means including a manually operable swingable lever, a second manually operable swingable lever for moving said control means in the opposite direction, and a common pivot for supporting both of said levers on said flange.

JOHN H. ROETHEL.

REFERENCES CITED The following references are of record in the file of this patent:

UNITED STATES PATENTS