US2565711A

US2565711A - Push-button actuated door latch

Info

Publication number: US2565711A
Authority: US
Inventors: Albert G Whalley
Original assignee: CLIFTON WILLIAM HOCKING
Current assignee: CLIFTON WILLIAM HOCKING
Priority date: 1948-09-30
Filing date: 1948-09-30
Publication date: 1951-08-28
Anticipated expiration: 1968-08-28

Description

29 zo l l 29 f j 53% f gw@ .-'F E E.

Aug. 28, 1951 AQG. WHALLEY 2,565,711

PUSH-BUTTON CTUATED DOOR LATCH i Filed sept. 3o, 1948 2 sheets-sheet 1 1217101271- 11 15 zo 19 'ff 22g j] M53@ 21 zz D 7155 .16 al- Z9 All@ 28,v 1951 A. G. WHALLEY PUSH-BUTTON ACTUATED DOOR LATCH 2 Sheets-Sheet 2 www A/l UTI 0237107 nfl Ml, 4.

Filed Sept. 50, 1948 .being s Patented Aug. 28, 1951 UNITED STATES PATENT oFFl CE 2,565,711 PUSH-BUTTON ACTUATED DOORLATCH Albert lwhalley, Teramo; Canada,1 assigner of 'one-half to Cliftonwilliarn tilecking,

roronto, Ontario; Canada" Applicationseptember so, 194s, serial No. 51,940

This invention relates to door latches, and more particularly to push-button actuated door latches. l

An object of this invention isto provide a door latch which in ay be released by suitable'pushbuttons Vlocated directly opposite each ether on each side of the door. Y v

Another object of this inventionis to provide a door latch having @dilemmi-fand lathlng bolts which are reliable in operation "and whicl'i'are easily manufactured.

A further object of this invention is to provide an autcihatic door latch, in which the bolts are so constructed that they maybe reversed there'- by enabling the latch'to be installed in either right hand or left hand doors.

All i' the foregoing andstill further objects and advantages of theinvention willbeeonie apparent f rom a s tudyofthe following specification, taken in conjunction withU the accompanying drawings, wherein like characters of reference indicate cqrrespondingparts thronghout the several views and wherein: l

Fig. l is a side elevation of a door latch constructedaccording to this invention, the parts l own in the positions which they will nor- .efallr assume, Wheniheg'or is Open:

Fig. 2 is a side elevation of the door latch Showigg the parts ,as they .would appear .when the door is almost closed but before Athe latching bolt has slipped intoits retaining slot in the Vdoor .iamb K '4 y A Fig.. 3 isa side elevation of the door latch show- 4ing 'the parts as they wouldfappearwhen the .door .is .Closed and latched;

Eig. 1 is a side elevation of thedoor latch showing 'the ,Darts @ailier .Wld normally .appear after the actuating leverhas V been'releasedby rneansof pressure appliedtoone of the push- 1Abjdttons, which allqws the;latch ing bolt to retract `and 'permits the C1091" i0 @P9111 Pif-f.4 5. is. eretitel. Sectional .View Deken im. the

lineE- of F i g. 1;

Fig. 6 is a verticalsectional view talien en l the "be released vvhenpre'ssure is appliedto the auxiliary'push-butto'nj' Fig. 8 isa vertical sectional view taken on the "Fig". 9 'is a vertical sectional view taken on the k" Fig. l0 Ais aperspective v iew ofthe actuating bolt;

Fig. 11 is an end View of the actuating bolt;

Fig. 12 is a perspective view of the latching bolt; and

Fig. 13 is an end view of the latching bolt.

The inventiondisclosed and claimed 'herein is believed to be a considerable advance over prior art push-button'actuated doorv latches, and reference is made' particularly to Harold Keats Patent No. 2,1 8'8',642,"dated January 30, 194'0 which discloses a' representative prior art construction. In the Keats" device, the actuating level` whereby the latching bolt 'and the actuating bolt are operatively'connected reeks on one fulcrum only, and in order to provide a'rnechanism'whereby the door maybe opened froml either side by pressing a push-button, it is imperative that one push-button befbel'o'w the fulcrum and that the other push-buttbn'be above 'the fulcrum;' thus the push-buttons cannot be opposite one another. lThis increases Amanufacturing costs, since identical escutcheon plates cannot be provided for' both sides of the door and it is necessary instead to provide twddiferent escutcheon plates having pushlbutto'nsl'ocated in different positions.

It is also characteristic f prior art devices that the bolts are"spring loaded by means of l tension springs connected to pins on'the bolt and on vthe supporting structure. 'Y In `accordance with this invention the 'spring loading rof the bolts is provided by compression' springs inserted 'in elongated apertures inthel bolts, one end of a spring engaging'a'n end of the aperture and the other end engaging a pillar extending fror'nthe supporting structure land passing through the saidapertur'e.'v

' According to this invention an actuating bolt i0 is slidablyinounted on flanged frame' Hand is adapted to jslidelongitudinallytherein between the guide pillar'si Zwhich extend from theframe.

'A' latch'in'g boltv [3"is'also rrio'unted on trarne 9,

and itislikewiseadapted to" slidelongitudinally therein betweenr` another' pair of "guide pillars I4.

Bolts'l and 1'3 respectively have 'slots I'and i6 cut therein and within these slots extend 'columns I1 and' lfwhich arefixed to the'frame Aactnatingfbolt `IU` Yis urged outwardly byinea'ns ci compression springlQ whichis-mounted in slot'l and' e'xtendsbetween the leading end of the said slot and'on'e'side of column' il. Similarly'latching b'ltl'B isurged'inw'ardly by means of conlpressionspring 23 which is mounted in Slet Hi and XtedS between the trailinglend AOf the said latching bolt and oneside of column i8.

' A 'ridge 2| is provided on' theframe approximately'inidwaybetween bolts Iii and ltand'parallel V tl'ieifeto near thetrailing ends of the bolts.

3 Ridge 2i provides a fulcrum at one side of actuating lever 22 which extends between the two bolts, the particular construction of the said actuating lever being subsequently described in detail.

Journal pin 23 extends from ridge 2i transversely thereto and passes through a slot 24 provided in actuating lever 22. A disc-like projection 25 o-n one end of lever 22 extends within a recess 26 provided in the lower edge and back face of the actuating bolt IB. Projection 25 is disc-shaped so that it may both slide and rotate within recess 26 when actuating bolt I0 is forced inwardly against the force of helical spring I9, this inward movement of actuating bolt IE) causing rotation of actuating lever 22 about journal pin 23. A projection 21 on the lower enti of lever 22 is adapted to engage the front edge 28 of a recess 23 provided in latching bolt i3 in its front face at its upper rearward end. A helical spring 3i) is connected at one end to a pin 3i extending from the frame, and its other end is connected to actuating lever 22 thus urging the pro jection 21 of the actuating lever against the edge 28 of recess 29 provided in latching bolt I3.

A face plate 32 is secured to frame Il by a screw 33 which is threaded into a column 34 extending from the frame; there is thus provided a closed chamber within which is enclosed the aforedescribed mechanism.

Openings

35 and 36 are provided in frame II and face plate 32 respectively at points therein opposite the actuating lever 22; it should be noted that these openings are also opposite each other.

Through these openings extend

push rods

31 and 38 respectively which are adapted to register with and be actuated by suitable push-buttons (not shown) provided in escutcheon plates mounted on either side of the door. A satisfactory type of escutcheon plate -with push-button which may be used with this invention is disclosed in Patent No. 2,314,646 to Harold Beatson Keats, issued March 23, 1943.

The various stages of operation of the door latch will now be described in detail. For the satisfactory operation of this latch it is necessary that the door jamb be provided with a bearing plate 40 which includes a plane surface with which may engage the actuating bolt I0, and a recess 4I into which the latching bolt I3 may enter.

When the door is gradually moved from an open to a closed position, the actuating bolt i0 engaging with the plane surface of the bearing plate on the door jamb will be gradually pushed inwardly, thereby causing actuating lever 22 to pivot at its projection 21 against the edge 23 of recess 2S provided in latching bolt I3, as shown in Fig. 2; the movement of actuating lever 22 during this operation is guided by journal pin 23 extending through elongated slot 2li provided in the actuating lever.

As soon as the door is completely closed, the front end of the latching bolt will register with the recess 4I provided in the bearing plate 43 secured to the door jamb, and the latching bolt will suddenly be urged forwardly by the combined negative action of compression spring 20 and positive action of tension spring 39 which is urging the latching lever 22 forwardly so as to in turn urge the latching bolt forwardly. Thus the door will be securely latched by the engagement of latching bolt I3 in the recess provided in the bearing plate of the door jamb. Although helical spring 20 has a negative action in that it urges the latching bolt rearwardly, tension spring 30 more than overcomes the force of the said compression spring 2B since tension spring 3i) is selected to have a spring constant greater than Y the spring constant of spring 20.

Referring now to Fig. 5, a compression spring 42 which is coiled around a pin 43 extending from the face plate 32 has one end bearing against the said face plate and the opposite end bearing against actuating lever 22. Thus the said compression spring tends to fulcrum the actuating lever about ridge 2l, thus causing projection 21 to press downwardly at all times upon the surface of latching bolt I3 at recess 29.

The latch may be released when it is desired to open the door by pressing the push-button which engages

push rod

31 or 38, depending of course on the side from which the door is being opened. The action of the latch when push rod 31 is pressed will rst be described. Depression of the push rod 31 causes actuating lever 22 to fulcrum about ridge 2| as shown in Fig. 6; sp-ring i2 is thereby compressed and projection 21 will rise out of recess 29 in latching bolt I3 and will clear the leading edge 23 of the said recess, and compression spring 20 will immediately thereafter cause the latching bolt to be withdrawn to the position shown in Fig. 4. A sha1x low recess 29a which is a continuation of recess 29 provides clearance for the projection 21 when the latching bolt is in this withdrawn position. When the latching bolt is withdrawn, it no longer engages with the recess provided in the bearing plate of the door jamb and the door may then be opened.

As soon .as the door is opened, spring I9 will urge the actuating bolt forwardly into the position shown in Fig. 1, and this in turn causes actuating lever 22 to pivot about journal pin 23 therefby causing the extension 21 of the actuating lever to fall into the recess 29 of the actuating bolt I3, thereby cooking the latch for subsequent use.

If it be assumed that the dimensions of the parts of the mechanism are such that the moment arm of projection 25 about journal pin 23 is equal to the moment arm of the axis of tension of helical spring 30 about journal pin 23, then compression spring I9 need only have a spring constant slightly greater than that of tension spring 3B in order to effect the aforementioned cocking action. Of course, in practice, the co-efiicient of friction of the sliding parts is not to be ignored, and hence in the preferred construction spring I9 has a spring constant approximately one-third greater than that of tension spring I3.

The operation of the latch when it is released from the other side, i. e. by pressing the push button which presses against push rod 33 will now be described. In this operation, actuating lever 22 is not fulcrummed about ridge 2I but its projection 25 actually fulcrums on the surface of recess 26 in actuating bolt I3 as shown in Fig. 7. The fulcrum in this case is thus bearing on one side of actuating lever 22 whereas the ridge 2I in the other case was providing a fulcrum on the opposite side of the actuating lever. Spring 42 is thus compressed and projection 21 will rise out of recess 29 in latching bolt I3 and will clear the leading edge 28 of the said recess. The compression spring 20 will immediately thereafter cause the latching bolt to be withdrawn to the position shown in Fig. 4, allowing the door to be opened.

, j5. A latch of the class described comprising a support, an actuating bolt and a latching bolt projectable from the same edge of and mounted on said support, a spring continuously tending to project said actuating bolt through said edge, a spring continuously tending to retract said latching bolt from said edge, a step in the side of the actuating bolt adjacent one face of the support, a step in the side of the latching bolt adjacent the other face of the support, an actuating lever pivoted in said support and engaging at opposite ends the step in each of bolts, the said actuating lever thus providing an operative connection between said bolts whereby as the said actuating bolt is pushed back said latching bolt will be projected, a spring engaging the actuating lever and tending to turn it about its pivot to urge forwardly the end of the actuating lever which engages the latching bolt, the said actuating lever spring being unable to overcome the tendency of the actuating bolt spring to project the actuating bolt through the aforesaid edge of the support, a fulcrum at one side of the actuating lever on which the lever may be rocked, a fulcrum spaced from the rlrst mentioned fulcrum and at the other side of the actuating lever on which the lever may also be rocked, push means extending through the support opposite one side of the lever and adapted when pressed to engage the lever between the two fulcrums and rock it on one of the fulcrums to cause an end of the lever to be disengaged from the step in a bolt.

push means extending through the support opposite the other side of the lever and adapted when pressed to engage the lever between the two fulcrums and rock it on the other of the fulcrums to cause an end of the lever to be disengaged from the step in a bolt, the disengagement of the actuating lever from the step in a bolt caused by pressure on either push means bearing on the lever breaking the operative connection between the two bolts and allowing the projected latching bolt to retract.

6. A latch of the class described comprising a support, an actuating bolt and a latching bolt projectable from the same edge of and mounted on said support, means continuously tending to project said actuating bolt through said edge, means continuously tending to retract said latching bolt from said edge, a step at the rear end of one of the bolts, a recess at the rear end of the other bolt, an actuating lever pivoted on said support and engaging at its opposite ends the recess and the step in the bolts, the said actuating lever thus providing an operative connection between said bolts whereby as said actuating bolt is pushed back said latching bolt may be projected, a fulcrum at one side of the actuating lever on which the lever may be rocked, a fulcrum spaced from the rst mentioned fulcrum and at the other side of the actuating lever on which the lever may also be rocked, push means extending through the support opposite one side of the lever and adapted when pressed to engage the lever between the two fulcrums and rock it on one of the fulcrums to cause an end of the lever to be disengaged from the aforesaid step, push means extending through the support opposite the other side or" the lever and adapted when pressed to engage the lever between the two fulcrums and rock it on the other of the fulcrums to cause an end of the lever to be disengaged from the step, the disengagement of the actuating lever from the step caused by pressure'on either push means bearing on the lever breaking the operative connection between the two bolts and allowing the projected latching bolt to retract.

'7. A latch of the class described comprising support, an actuating bolt and a latching bolt projectable from the same edge of and mounted on said support, means continuously tending to project said actuating bolt through said edge, means continuously tending to retract said latching bolt from said edge, a step at the rear end of one of the bolts, a recess at the rear end of the other bolt, an actuating lever pivoted on said support and engaging at its opposite ends the recess and the step in the bolts, the said actuating lever thus providing an operative connection between said bolts whereby as said actuating bolt is pushed back said latching bolt may be projected, a fulcrum on the support on which the side of the actuating lever bears and on which it may be rocked, the recess at the rear end of one of the bolts providing another fulcrum on which the other side of the actuating lever bears and on which it may be rocked, push means extending through the support opposite one side of the lever and adapted when pressed to engage the lever between the two fulcrums and rock it on the fulcrum mounted on the support to cause the end of the lever engaging a step to be disengaged therefrom, push mean extending through the support opposite the other side of the lever and adapted when pressed to engage the lever between the two fulcrums and rock it on the fulcrum provided by the aforesaid recess to cause the end of the lever engaging the step to be disengaged therefrom, the disengagement of the actuating lever from the step caused by pressure on either push means bearing on the lever breaking the operative connection between the two bolts and allowing the projected latching bolt to retract.

8. A latch of the class described comprising a support, two spaced apart pillars extending from said support, an actuating bolt having an elongated aperture and mounted for reciprocating movement on the support, one of the pillars extending through the aperture in the actuating bolt, a latching bolt also having an elongated aperture and mounted for reciprocating movement on the support, the other pillar extending through the aperture in the actuating bolt, guides extending from the support and engaging the bolts to control their movement, a compression spring inserted in the aperture of the actuating bolt and having one end bearing against an end of the aperture and the other end bearing against the pillar therein, the said spring continuously tending to project the actuating bolt through an edge ofthe support, a compression spring inserted in the aperture of the latching bolt and having one end bearing against an end of the said aperture and the other end against the pillar therein, the said spring continuously tending to retract the latching boltv from the aforesaid edge of the support, an actuating lever pivoted on said support for operatively connecting said bolts together whereby as said actuating bolt is pushed back said latching bolt may be projected, push means extending through the support opposite one side of the actuating lever and adapted when pressed to move the actuating lever and break the operative connection between the two bolts and allow the projected latching bolt to retract, push means extending through the support opposite the other side of the actuating lever and adapted when pressed to also move the actuating lever and break the operative connection between the two bolts and allow the latching bolt to retract, the said push means being located substantially opposite each other.

9. A latch of the class described, comprising a support, a spring projected actuating bolt and a spring retracted latching bolt projectable from the same edge of and mounted on said support, an actuating lever pivoted on said support for operatively connecting said bolts together Whereby as said actuating bolt is pushed back said latching bolt may be projected, a fulcrum at one side of the actuating lever and about which the actuating lever may be rocked, push means extending through the support opposite the other side of the actuating lever and adapted when pressed to engage the said other side of the actuating lever to rock it about the said fulcrum to break the operative connection between the two bolts and allow the projected latching bolt to retract, a fulcrum at the said other side of the actuating lever spaced from the aforementioned fulcrum and about which the actuating lever may be rocked, push means extending through the support opposite the first mentioned side of the actuating lever and adapted when pressed to engage the said rst mentioned side of the actuating lever to rock it about the second mentioned fulcrum to break the operative connection between the tWo bolts and allow the projected latching bolt to retract, the provision of two fulcrums as aforesaid enabling the two push means on opposite sides of the actuating lever to be disposed co-aXially.

ALBERT G. WHALLEY.

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

UNITED STATES PATENTS Keats Mar. 23, 1943