US2677566A

US2677566A - Latch assembly

Info

Publication number: US2677566A
Authority: US
Inventors: William O Burke
Original assignee: National Lock Co
Current assignee: National Lock Co
Priority date: 1950-09-23
Filing date: 1950-09-23
Publication date: 1954-05-04
Anticipated expiration: 1971-05-04

Description

May 4, 1954 W. o. BURKE 2,677,566

LATCH ASSEMBLY Filed Sept. 25, 1950 2 Sheets-Sheet l May 4, 1954 w. o. BURKE 2,677,566

LATCH ASSEMBLY Filed Sept. 25, 1950 2 Sheets-Sheet 2 l A I I Mll/17?, 5w/271:0

2O 27 n y Patented May 4, 1954 UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE LATCH ASSEMBLY ration of Delaware Application September 23, 1950, Serial No. 186,451

r claims. l

rihe present invention relates to a lock or latch mechanism and especially to a novel latch assembly ior the door of a refrige'ratfn1 or other cabinet requiring a latching device that is sturdy in construction and positive in operation.

Among the principal objects or the present invention is the provision of a novel trip type of latch construction adapted to be mounted Within the door or closure of a refrigerator or oiher Cabinet and to receive therein and engage with a strike hook or keeper mounted upon and projecting from the' cabinet.-

A further object of the present invention is 'the provision in a latch assembly for the door or closure of a cabinet of a novel tripping mechanism therefor so constructed and arranged that upon release of the latch member and opening of the door or closure, such latch mem-ber is automatically moved into cocked position ready to be again tripped upon closing of the door.

The present invention further coinpiehends the provision in a latch mechanism and assembly for a cabinet of a novel latch means including a latch member normally moved to cocked position when the door or closure is opened and ready to be tripped upon closing of the door or closure, said means being so constructed and arranged that if for any reason the latch member is uncooked or released from its cocked or tripping position, latching of the door or closure in its closed position will be positively effected upon movement of the door or closure to closed position.

Another important object and feature of the present invention is the provision of a novel construction and combination of latch assembly in a trip type ci latch for effectively latching and quickly releasing the door o'r closure of a refrigerator or other cabinet, the latch assembly including a spring-loaded latch mem-ber mounted for pivotal and longitudinal movement in the latch housing, a spring-loaded link er ar'm also mounted for pivotal and longitudinal movement in the housing, and a beller-ank lever pivotally mounted in the housing interme'die'it'e4` its ends and having one end pivotally connected to the link or arm and the other end adapted to be engaged by a handle-actuated plunger on the door or closure, interlocking means' on the arm or link and latch member Vfor latching the latch member in cocked position when the door or closure is opened, and ali-projection on the latch member for tripping this meinberwhen the door or closure is moved toward closed pesition.

The invention further resides in thev construction, combination and arrangement of parts illustrated in the accompanying drawings, and while there is shown therein a preferred embodiment, it is to be understood that the same is susceptible of modincation and change, and comprehends other details, arrangements of parts, features and constructions Without departing from the spirit of the invention.

In the drawings:

Figure 1 is a View in perspective of a refrigerator to which the novel latch construction and assembly has been applied.

Fig. 2 is a fragmentary enlarged view in front elevation of the portion of the door or closure housing the latch assembly, the door or closure being broken away to show the manner of mounting and positioning of the latch assembly there- 1n.

Fig. 3 is a fragmentary enlarged View in horizontal cross section through the door or closure and showing in plan the frame or housing for the latch assembly when the door or closure is in closed and latched position.

Fig. 4 is a fragmentary enlarged View in horizontal cross section through the latch assembly, the upper portion of the frame or housing being broken away to show in plan the details of the latch assembly therein and in the position the parts assume when the open door is being moved to closed position with the latch member uncooked and Without using the tripping mechanism in closing.

Fig. 5 is a view similar to Fig. 4 but with parts broken away and showing the position of the latch assembly in its normal or regular cocked position in which it is placed when the door is opened and in which position it is ready to be tripped as the door is moved toward closed and latching position.

Fig. 6 is a View in rear elevation of the latch mechanism of Fig. 5, the View being taken on the line E t of Fig. 4 and viewed in the direction of the arrows.

Fig. 7 is a View in verticalvcross section taken on the irregular line "l-T of Fig. 4 and viewed in the direction of the arrows.

Referring more particularly to the disclosure in the drawings and to the novel embodiment therein selected to illustrate the present invention, the present illustrative embodiment of the latch construction is shown as mounted in the door or closure iii for a refrigerator or other cabinet ll. This door or closure is pivoted or hinged along its opposite vertical edge i2 and provided with a gasket or sealing strip i3 (Figs. 3, e and 5*) 3 adapted to engage and seal against the face i4 of the door jamb I5 defining the usual refrigerating compartment in the cabinet ii.

Secured to the side or door j amb i5 is a mounting or support I for a strike hook or keeper i? projecting outwardly and forwardly therefrom and provided with a latch engaging face i3. This door or closure l is generally of metal and provided with spaced inner and outer walls l@ and 20, and a face plate 2| having an opening 22 into which the hook or keeper l? and its mounting or support I3 project when the door is in closed position.

The novel latch mechanism is disposed within the hollow of the door and comprises a substantially U-shaped housing or frame 23 having oppositely disposed ears or projections 'f2-5, 2li on the ends of the opposite sides 25 of the housing or frame 23 and with these ears or projectionsI anchored or rigidly secured to an inturned flange 26 on the inner wall of the door or closure by bolts or other securing means, and an offset base 2l secured to or anchored upon the interior of the front or outer wal1 23 by any suitable securing means. The latch engaging face l of the strike hook or keeper il is adapted to be engaged by a roller 28 carried by and journalled in upstanding projections 29 on the laterally spaced arms 3l of a latch member 32. These laterally spaced arms or side members 3| are each provided with an elongated and longitudinally extending slot 33 in the inner or rear end 34 thereof adapted to loosely receive a cross pin or rivet 35 having its ends disposed or secured in the spaced walls or sides 25 of the U-shaped housing or frame 23, whereby this latch member is longitudinally as well as pivotally or rotatably movable about the cross pin or rivet 35.

Mounted adjacent the latch member 32 and disposed intermediate its spaced arms 3E is a li -k 36 having its inner or rear end 3'. provided with a longitudinal elongated slot 33 for loosely receive ing a cross pin or rivet 39 having its opposite ends disposed and secured in the opposite sides or walls 25 of the housing or frame 23. The outer, enlarged end 43 of this link 35 is recessed or concaved at 4| and also therebeneath at fil, and rearwardly of the recess or .concavity 4,! and above the recess or concavity die the link. is connected by a cross pin 42 to an end 43 of the spaced arms 44 of a bifurcated bellcrank lever pivotally mounted upon a cross -pin or rivet secured in the opposite side walls 25 of the housing or frame 23. The other end of the bellcrank lever 45 is of substantially U-shape with the base 41 thereof disposed adjacent to and in a position where it may be engaged by the inner end of a plunger i3 (see Fig. 3) the outer end of which is actuated or depressed by an inward pressure applied by a handle A.

The latch member 32 is spring-loaded and biased toward its forward position in which the cross pin or rivet 35 is disposed to the rear of the slot 33 (see Figs. 3 and 5) by a coil spring 43 hav ing one of its ends engaging the rear of the pin 39 and the other end engaging the rear edge of a cross piece on the base of the latch member 32. The link 35 is also spring-loaded and biased or urged toward its forward position by a relatively heavy coil spring 5| bearing at one end against the front of the cross pin or rivet 3B and at its forward end against a shoulder or offset 52 whereby when the latch member 32 is released from latching position (Fig. 3) upon the operator exerting an inward pressure upon the exposed or outer end of the plunger 48 slidably mounted in a housing 53 upon which the handle A is pivotally mounted (Figs. 1 and 3), the latching roller 28 is retracted and released from the hook strike or keeper |1 and the recessed end 4| of the link 36 thereupon engages a roller 54 carried upon a cross pin or rivet 55 bridging the spaced arms 3| of the lock or latch member 32.

In this position (i. e. the roller 54 seating in the recess 4| in the link 35) the latch is in its cocked position as shown in Fig. 5, whereupon moving the door or closure |B toward closed position causes the forwardly and downwardly bent lip or tongue 56 on the forward end of the latch member 32 to engage or contact the rounded outer end 51 of the strike hook or keeper and when this lip or tongue is depressed by such engagement and continued inward pressure exerte against the door, the roller 54 is forced out of and disengaged from the recess 4| of the link 35 and the roller 28 in the spring-loaded or spring-biased latch member 32 is moved forwardly and into engagement with the face |8 of the strike hook or keeper H, whereby the door is maintained closed and latched until again manually reopened. In the closed and latched position, the roller 54 is disposed in the lower recess or concavity lia of the forward end of the link or arm 3E.

Although the latch is automatically moved to cocked position when the door or closure is opened by means of the plunger 48 engaging and tilting the bellcrank lever 45 and causing the upper end 43 of this lever to retract the link 36 through the connecting pin 42 (see Fig. 5), if for any reason the latch is not cocked or does not remain in cocked position when the door is open so that it is not tripped upon closing the door or closure, the roller 28 on the latch member 32 will nevertheless engage and interlock with the hook strike or keeper when the door is fully closed. This is illustrated in Fig. 4 where the position of the roller 28 is shown in dotted line positions from the time it engages the strike hook or keeper E? until it is forced onto the face I3 thereof by the coil spring 49. Thus rather than the lip 56 engaging the rounded end 5': of the strike hook or keeper to trip the latch to latching position, the roller 28 engages the strike hook or keeper Il and is guided thereover into latching position and held in such position by the coil spring de, which spring-biases the latch member 32 and its roller 28 to latching position. 'it will be noted that in this position the roller 54 is not seated in the recess or concavity 4| but rather in the recess or concavity 4|a disposed beneath and rearwardly of the recess 4|.

From the above description and the disclosure in the drawings, it will be apparent that in the operation of the present novel latching means the door or closure may be readily opened from the latched position shown in Fig. 3 by merely move ing the handle A to exert an inward pressure upon the plunger 48, whereupon the bellcrank lever 45 is tilted about its pivotal mounting on the pin or rivet 46 by said plunger and such tilting causes the upper end 43 of this bellcrank lever to retract the link 36 and compress the coil spring 56. Simultaneously the latch member 32 is tilted or pivoted in a clockwise direction (see Fig. 5) by means of the coil spring 49, the upper end of which has been forced rearwardly by the cross pins 39 and the other end forwardly and by reason of its contact with the cross piece 50 the latch member 32 is caused to rotate or pivot about its pivotal mounting on the cross pin 35. Such pivotal movement of the latch member V32 releases the roller 28 from the strike hook or keeper il and brings the roller 54 into the recess 4I of the link Sii where it is normally held in cocked position so long as the door remains open (see Fig. 5).

When the door is again moved to closed position, the lip or tongue 56 in the cocked position (Fig. 5) will be tripped upon engaging the outer rounded end 5l of the strike hook or keeper Il, removing the roller 54 from the recess 4l whereby to release the link 3B and allow the latch member iig to move its roller 28 to latching engagement. if for any reason the latch member is not in cocked position (Fig. 4), closing of the door will nevertheless cause the roller 28 to ride over the strike hook or zeeper Il and engage and latch against the face I8 thereof.

Thus it will be seen that the present invention comprehends the provision of a novel latch mechanism and assembly that is positive in operation and novel in construction.

Having thus disclosed the invention, I claim:

i. in a latch assembly for the door oi a refrigerator cabinet having a keeper mounted upon and projecting from the cabinet, a latch assembly mounted in the door and adapted to receive the keeper when the door is moved to closed position, said latch assembly including a housing, spaced pivots in said housing, a spring-loaded latch member pivotally and slidably mounted adjacent one end in the housing on one of said pivots and having a roller adjacent the other end for latching engagement with the keeper, a spring-loaded link member also pivotally and slidably mounted adjacent one end on the other pivot of the housing but in spaced relation with the mounting of the latch member, a hand-actuated plunger mounted the door, a bellcrank lever pivotally mounted in the housing and connected to the link and adapted to be actuated by the plunger by inward pressure exerted by the handle, and interengaging surfaces on the link and latch member for engaging and holding the latch in cocked position when the door is opened.

2. In a latch assembly for the door of a cabinet or other enclosure having a keeper mounted upon and projecting from the cabinet, latch mechanism mounted in the door and adapted to engage the keeper and latch the door in closed position, said latch mechanism including a housing, a spring-loaded latch member pivotally and longitudinally movable in the housing and having a latching part adapted to engage the keeper when the door is closed, a spring-loaded member pivotally and longitudinally movable in the housing, a plunger slidably mounted in the door, a handle on the door adapted to engage and apply an inward pressure to the plunger, a bellcrank pivotally mounted in the housing and having one end connected to the spring-loaded member and the other end adapted to be engaged by the inward movement of the plunger whereby said bellcrank is rotated to move said spring-loaded member in a direction to compress its spring and disengage the latching part from the keeper, and a recess on said spring-loaded member and a roller on said latch member adapted to be received in said recess when the bellcrank is moved inwardly to unlock the latch member and holding the latter in cocked position and ready to be tripped upon closing of the door.

3. in a latch assembly for the door of a cabinet or other enclosure having a keeper mounted upon and projecting from the cabinet, latch mechanism mounted in the door and adapted to engage the keeper and latch the door in closed position, said latch mechanism including a housing, a spring-loaded latch member pivotally and longitudinally movable in the housing and having a latching part adapted to engage the keeper when the door is closed and a part intermediate its ends for retaining the latch member in cocked position when the door is opened and ready to be tripped when the door is moved to closed position, a spring-loaded link pivotally and longitudinally movable in the housing, a plunger slidably mounted in the door, a handle on the door adapted to engage and apply an inward pressure to the plunger, a bellcrank pivotally mounted in the housing and pivotally connected to the link and adapted to be engaged by the inward movement of the plunger whereby said bellcrank is rotated to move said link in a direction to compress its spring and disengage the latching part from the keeper, and a recess in an end of the link adapted to receive the retaining part of the latch member when the plunger moves the bellcrank tounlock the latch member and retain the latch member in cocked position and ready to 'se tripped upon closing of the door.

4. In a latch construction for retaining a closure member in closed and latched position with a cabinet member and when the closure member is opened the latch is automatically moved to cocked position ready to vbe tripped to engage a keeper on one of said members upon closing ci the closure member, a latch assembly on the other member adapted to interlock with the keeper when said members are in closed position and including a housing, spaced pivots in said housing, a spring-loaded latch member mounted in the housing on one of said pivots for pivotal and longitudinal movement adjacent one end and having a roller at its other end adapted to engage the keeper and maintain the members in closed position, a spring-loaded arm pivotally mounted on the other of said pivots in the housing adjacent one end and longitudinally movable therein, a bellcrank pivotally mounted in the housing and having one end connected to said arms, an actuating plunger mounted in the closure member and adapted to engage and rock the bellcrank to disengage the roller of the latch member from the keeper, cooking means including a recess at the other end of the arm and a projection on the latch member intermediate its ends for positioning and retaining the latch member in cocked position when the closure member is moved to open position, and a tripping projection on the latch member for engaging the keeper and tripping the cooking means when the closure member is moved toward closed position.

5. In latching mechanism of the trip type for eiiectively latching and quickly releasing the door of a refrigerator cabinet from a hook keeper, a frame support, spaced pivots in said support, a spring-loaded latch member mounted for pivotal and longitudinal movement in said support on one of said pivots and having a part for locking engagement with the keeper, a spring-loaded link also mounted adjacent its one end for pivotal and longitudinal movement in said support on the other pivot, a bellcrank lever pivotally mounted in said support intermediate its ends and having one end connected to the link, a handle and a plunger on the door with the plunger adapted to engage the other end of the lever when inward pressure is applied thereto by the handle, interlocking means including a recess in the other end of the link and a part on the latch member adapted to seat in said recess for locking the latch member in cocked position when the door is opened, and a projection on the latch member for tripping said latch member when the door is moved toward closed position.

6. In latching mechanism of the trip type for eiectively latching and quickly releasing the door of a refrigerator cabinet from a hook keeper, a frame support, a latch member mounted adjacent one end for pivotal movement in said support and having a part at its other end for latching engagement With the keeper, a spring-loaded link member mounted for longitudinal movement in said support, a bellcrank pivotally mounted in said support and connected to the other end of the link member, manually-actuated means on the door adapted to engage and rock the bellcrank and move the link member against the action of the spring, and interlocking parts on the link and latch members for latching the latter in cocked position when the door is opened, said interlocking parts including a recess in one of said members at an end thereof and a projection on the other member intermediate its ends adapted to be received in said recess for holding the latch member in cocked position.

7. In latching mechanism of the trip type for electively latching and quickly releasing the door of a refrigerator cabinet from a hook keeper,

a frame support, spaced pivots in said support, a latch member mounted adjacent one end on one of said pivots for pivotal movement in said support and having a part at its other end for latching engagement With the keeper, a springloaded link member mounted for longitudinal movement in said support on said other pivot, a bellcrank pivotally mounted in said support and connected to the other end of the link member, manually-actuated means on the door adapted to engage and rock the bellcrank and move the link member against the action of the spring, and interlocking parts on the link and latch members for latching the latter in cocked position when the door is opened, said interlocking parts including a pair of recesses disposed in ollset relation in one of said members and a projection on the other member adapted to be received in one of said recesses for holding the latch member in cocked position and adapted to be received in the other recess when the latch member is in uncooked position.

References Cited in the file of this patent UNITED STATES PATENTS Number Name Date 2,385,961 Anderson Oct. 2, 1945 2,440,162 Anderson Apr. 20, 1948 2,444,180 Anderson June 29, 1948