US2751244A - Door latch operating mechanism - Google Patents

Description

June 19, 1956 J, MOCONNELL DOOR LATCH OPERATING MECHANISM 2 Sheets-Sheet 1 Filed March 8, 1952 INVENTOR. FkwN/r 7.770 (EA/M524 4%%q HT'TOPNZK June 19, 1956 Filed March 8, 1952 F. J. M CONNELL DOOR LATCH OPERATING MECHANISM 2 Sheets$heet 2 INVENTOR. FK HA/lr Z/YC'CO/V/Vll United States Patent DOOR LATCH OPERATING MECHANISM Frank J. McConnell, New Britain, Conn., assignor to The American Hardware Corporation, New Britain, Conn., a corporation of Connecticut Application March 8, 1952, Serial No. 275,618 Claims. (Cl. 292-358) This invention relates to a door latch operating mechanism and more particularly to the provision, in such a mechanism, of a novel thrust washer for retaining the rotatable actuating members, or knob spindles, within said mechanism and against axial movement with respect thereto.

The invention disclosed herein is embodied in a door latch operating mechanism of the cylindrical type, such as shown and described in the co-pending application of Leland H. Fisler et al., Serial No. 269,168, filed January 31, 1952, which is insertable into a hole extending through the face of a door and cooperates with a latch unit that extends into said hole from the edge of the door and contains a latch bolt which is connected to and operated by the retractor, forming a part of the said mechanism, in a conventional manner well known to those skilled in the art.

In many of the cylindrical door latch operating mechanisms heretofore produced, the rotatable knob spindles are secured against removal from the mechanism either by stamping from each of said spindles a small radially projecting lug, which engages a wear plate through which the spindle extends, or by providing the spindle with a circumferential slot which receives a finger projecting from a stationary portion of the mechanism. In mechanisms utilizing the first mentioned construction, the outward pull, or thrust, exerted on the spindle is resisted by engagement of the lug with the wear plate, but the inward thrust was resisted by the engagement of the end of the spindle with a movable element of the mechanism, such as the retractor or the opposite spindle, thereby resulting in a binding action when an inward force is exerted on the spindle as it is being rotated.

In either of the above mentioned constructions, the relatively thin material forming the spindle provides the thrust bearing surface and, as a result, the said surface is subjected to excessive wear and thereby shortening the useful life of the mechanism.

An object of this invention is to provide a thrust hearing, for the rotatable knob spindle of a door latch operating mechanism, through which the axial thrust exerted on the spindle in either direction is resisted and which assures easy operation of the mechanism and a strong and durable spindle retainer.

A further object of this invention is the provision of a door latch operating mechanism wherein the rotatable knob spindles are journaled in bushing members of a suitable bearing material and, in addition, are provided with thrust bearing members which engage stationary portions of the mechanism to retain the spindles therein and resist the axial thrust applied thereto.

A still further object of this invention is the provision of a door latch operating mechanism in which the rotatable knob spindles are provided with thrust bearing members which prevent axial movement of the spindles and engagement thereof with the movable elements of the mechanism.

Another object of the invention is the provision of a Patented June 19, 1956 thrust bearing member and retainer, for a rotatable knob spindle, which permits angular movement of the spindle relatively thereto to prevent binding or seizing of the bearing member if said spindle should be out of alignment therewith.

Further objects and advantages of this invention will be more clearly understood from the following description and the accompanying drawings in which:

Fig. 1 is a plan view, partly in central horizontal section illustrating the construction of the door latch operating mechanism and the thrust washer contained therein.

Fig. 2 is a side view, partly in central vertical section, further illustrating the thrust washer and its association with the door latch operating mechanism.

Fig. 3 is a sectional end view of said mechanism, on line 33 of Fig. 2, further illustrating the thrust washer.

Fig. 4 is a plan view of a portion of the mechanism, partly in section, illustrating the manner in which the thrust washer is secured to the rotatable knob spindle.

Fig. 5 is a sectional view of the knob spindle and thrust washer, illustrating, in an exaggerated manner, the relative positions of the parts when the knob spindle is misaligned.

Fig. 6 is an exploded perspective view of a portion of the door latch operating mechanism, illustrating some of the parts and the relative positions which they occupy in the said mechanism.

Fig. 7 is an end view of the thrust washer and knob spindle illustrating the manner in which they are assembled.

My novel thrust bearing is incorporated in a door latch operating mechanism of the cylindrical type, such as shown and described in the above mentioned co-pending application and which includes a casing, generally indicated at 5, that carries and supports the latch operating mechanism. The end walls of the casing are provided by an inner end plate 6 and an outer end plate 7 having integral tubular sleeves 8 and 9 extending respectively therefrom; the end portions 8-a and 9-a, respectively, of each of said sleeves being of a reduced diameter.

Each of the end plates 6 and 7 is provided with oppositely disposed pairs of horizontal slots 10 for the reception of similarly positioned cars 11 which project from the inner and outer sides, respectively, of the legs of a retractor guide 12 in the form of a U-shaped member that is positioned between the plates 6 and 7. Each of the cars 11 is provided with a notch 13, which receives the forward edge 10-a of its respective slot 10 to thereby secure the end plates and retractor guide in proper position and prevent axial movement of said plates relatively to the guide.

The retractor guide is further provided with lugs 14 and 15 which project laterally from the inner and outer sides of the guide and engage the end plates to space said plates from the sides of the retractor guide as clearly illustrated in Fig. l.

A suitable retractor 16 is slidably mounted in the retractor guide and is biased outwardly with respect thereto by spring means, not shown, in a manner well-known to those skilled in the art.

A bushing 17 of a suitable material, such as bronze or the like, is positioned within the inner end of each of the sleeves 8 and 9 and is non-rotatably secured therein by means of a tab 18 which projects inwardly from each of said sleeves into a slot 19 extending longitudinally through each of said bushings. Movement of the bushings axially of its respective sleeve is prevented by means of a finger 20 which is bent inwardly from the sleeve into a notch 17-a in the end of said bushing.

The bushing 17 in the inner sleeve 8 and in the outer sleeve 9 rotatably supports the inner end of a tubular knob spindle 21. Each of said spindles carries a knob 22 having a tubular shank 23 thereon which extends over the spindle and into the reduced end portion of the sleeve to thereby provide a bearing for the outer end of the knob spindle. The knobs 22-22 are retained on their respective spindles 21 by a suitable spring-pressed knob retainer 24 that is carried by the spindle and extends radially therefrom into a notch in the knob shank as clearly shown and described in the above mentioned co-pending application.

Each of the spindles 21 has a segmental portion 25 projecting from its inner end into the casing S, and the opposite edges of said segmental portion are bent generally radially outwardly beyond the periphery of the spindle to provide rollback portions 26-26 which engage rollback platforms 16a-16a on the retractor 16 to both limit the outward movement of the retractor and cause retraction thereof when the spindle is rotated.

The inner end of each spindle is provided with notches 27-27 adjacent the rollback portions 26-26 and said notches extend behind the rollback portions as clearly shown in Figs. 3 and 4.

The inner end of each of the spindles 21 carries an annular thrust washer 28 having an opening 28a therethrough which receives the inner end of the spindle. Each of the washers 28 has a pair of oppositely disposed radially projecting lugs 29-29 thereon which extend from the edge of the opening 28-(1 into the notches 27-27 in the end of the spindle to prevent movement of said spindle, relatively to the washer, in an inward direction. Movement of said spindle relatively to the washer in an outward direction is prevented by the rollback portions 26-26 which extend beyond the edge of the opening 28a and over the surface of the washer. Said lugs are shorter than the notches 27-27 to permit assembly of the washers to the spindle as will be hereinafter more fully described. It will be noted from Figs. 1, 2 and 3 that the upper and lower portions of the washers 28-28 extend into the spaces between the end plates 6 and 7 and the adjacent sides of the upper and lower legs on the retractor guide 16 whereby axial movement of said washers relatively to the casing is prevented. Said washers are, however, free to rotate in said spaces to permit rotation of the spindles 21-21 and operation of the retractor 16.

g It will thus be understood that the spindles 21-21 are retained against inward and outward axial movement by the lugs 29-29 and the rollback portions 26-26, respectively, since the thrust washers 28-28 are confined against axial movement in the spaces between the sides of the retractor guide 12 and the inner surfaces of the end plates 6 and 7.

The cylindrical latch operating unit above-described is assembled in the following manner: A thrust washer 28 is assembled onto each of the spindles 21 by turning said spindle relatively to the washer to the position illustrated in Fig. 7 and then passing the rollback portions 26-26 thcreon through the opening 28-11 in said washer. The Washer and spindle are then manipulated to position one of the lugs 29 on said washer in its notch 27 in the spindle and said washer is then pivoted about the point of contact of said lug with the bottom of the notch 27 to bring the opposite lug into the opposite notch, as the distance across the bottoms of the notches 27 in the segmental extension 25 is less than the distance between the closest points of the lugs 29-29. The spindle is then compressed slightly and is inserted into the hole in the washer to thereby position said washer on the spindle as illustrated in Fig. 4.

One of the spindles is then inserted through each of the sleeves 8 and 9 on the inner and outer end plates 6 and 7, respectively, until the washer thereon engages the inner surface of said plate. It will be understood that it is necessary to depress the knob retainer 24 with a suitable tool in order to pass it through the bearings 17 in said sleeves.

The retractor guide 12 is then secured to the inner end plate 6 by passing the fingers 11 thereon through the slots 10 in said end plate until the lugs 14 and 15 engage the inner surface of said plate. The guide is then moved forwardly relatively to the end plate to cause entry of the edges 10a of said slots 10 into the notches 13 in the legs 11. The retractor springs and the retractor 16 and its bearings are then inserted into the guide with the rollback platforms 16-a-16a thereon behind the rollback portions 26-26 on the inner knob spindle which will retain said retractor in the guide against the tension of its springs. The outer end plate 7 is then secured to the retractor guide in the same manner as the inner end plate. In assembled position, the washers 28-28 will extend into the spaces between the legs of the retractor guide and the end plates as illustrated in the drawings.

The entire latch operating mechanism above described is maintained in assembled position by means of a cupshaped cover housing 31 which extends over the end plates and is secured thereto by means of tabs 32 which are bent over the outer end plate 7 as clearly shown and described in the above mentioned co-pending application.

It will be understood from Fig. 5, that the connection established by the lugs 29-29 and the notches 27-27 permits angular pivotal movement of the spindle 21 relatively to its respective thrust washer 28 to thereby permit the proper alignment of the parts as they are assembled into the latch operating mechanism. If, due to tolerance limitations encountered during manufacture, a slight misalignment of the bushing 17 and the end portion of the sleeve results, the knob spindle 21 will be tipped slightly towards the position illustrated in Fig. 5 as the knob shank 23 is passed thereover and into the reduced bearing portion of the sleeve as the lock is assembled. This provision prevents binding of the thrust washer 28 with the sides of the retractor guide 12 as it rotates with the spindle, such as would occur if said washer were rigidly secured to the spindle, and thereby assures free operation of the mechanism at all times.

It will thus be seen that the axial thrust exerted on the knob spindles, during manipulation thereof for withdrawing the retractor and opening the door in which the mechanism is carried, is resisted by the engagement of the sides of the washer 28 with stationary portions of the mechanism, thereby assuring free operation of the spindles.

It will be understood that the use of my novel thrust washer is not necessarily limited to cylindrical door latch operating mechanisms, which have been disclosed herein for the purposes of illustration, but that it could be adapted to various types of mechanisms without deviating from the scope of the invention.

I claim:

1. A door latch operating unit including a casing, retractor means in said casing, a spindle rotatably carried by said casing, rollback means operable by said spindle for actuating said retractor means, a thrust washer surrounding said spindle, abutment means in said unit preventing inward and outward movement of the thrust washer relatively thereto, and pivotal connecting means between said washer and said spindle preventing axial separation of the spindle relatively to the washer, whereby said washer may pivot about an axis transversely of the longitudinal axis of said spindle, said connecting means further having stop means preventing rotation of said washer about said spindle.

2. A door latch operating unit including a casing having an end wall, a spindle rotatably carried on said end wall, retractor means, rollback means operable by said spindle for actuating said retractor means, a thrust washer surrounding said spindle and engaging the inner surface of said end wall to prevent outward movement of said washer relatively to said casing, a retractor guide in said casing for guiding said retractor means, means spacing the side portions of said retractor guide from said end wall, said side portions being engageable by the thrust washer to prevent inward movement thereof relatively to the casing, and pivotal connecting means between said washer and said spindle preventing axial separation of the spindle relatively to the washer, whereby said washer may pivot about an axis transversely of the longitudinal axis of said spindle, said connecting means further having stop means preventing rotation of said washer about said spindle.

3. A door latch operating unit including a casing having an end wall, a U-shaped retractor guide in said casing; said guide including an upper and a lower leg, means spacing the side portions of a leg from said end wall, a retractor movable in said guide, a spindle rotatably carried on said end wall, rollback means operable by said spindle for actuating said retractor, and a thrust washer secured to said spindle against axial movement relatively thereto and extending into the space between the leg of the retractor guide and said end wall to prevent axial movement of said spindle relatively to the casing.

4. A door latch operating unit including a casing having an end wall, a retractor guide in said casing, said guide including an upper and a lower leg, means spacing the side portions of said legs from said end wall, a retractor movable in said guide, a spindle rotatably carried on said end wall, rollback means operable by said spindle for actuating said retractor, a thrust washer surrounding said spindle and having portions extending into the spaces between the leg portions of said retractor guide and said end wall to retain said washer against axial movement relatively to the casing, and pivotal connecting means between said washer and said spindle preventing axial separation of the spindle relatively to the washer, whereby said washer may pivot about an axis transversely of the longitudinal axis of said spindle, said connecting means further having stop means preventing rotation of said washer about said spindle.

5. A door latch operating unit including a casing, retractor means in said casing, a spindle rotatably carried by said casing and having an inwardly directed segmental extension having opposite edges of generally radially projecting portions providing rollback means for actuating said retractor means; a thrust resisting member surrounding said spindle behind said segmental extension and having portions engageable by the ends of said projecting rollback portions whereby outward axial separation of the spindle relatively to said member is prevented, and means preventing inward and outward movement of the said member relatively to the unit.

6, A door latch operating unit including a casing, retractor means in said casing, a spindle rotatably carried by said casing and having a segmental portion extending therefrom, the said portion having opposite edge portions bent outwardly beyond the periphery of the spindle to provide rollback portions for operating said retractor means, a thrust washer surrounding the spindle, means preventing inward and outward movement of said washer relatively to the casing, the said rollback portions engaging the inner surface of the washer to prevent outward axial movement of said spindle relatively thereto, and means preventing inward axial movement of said spindle relatively to the washer.

7. A door latch operating unit including a casing, re-

tractor means in said casing, a spindle rotatably carried by said casing and having a portion thereof cut away to provide a segmental extension whose opposite edges are bent outwardly beyond the periphery of the spindle to provide rollbacks for actuating said retractor means; the end of said spindle adjacent each of said rollbacks being provided with a notch, a thrust washer surrounding said spindle and having radially projecting lugs which extend into said notches and engage the end of said spindle to prevent inward axial movement thereof relatively to the washer; said rollback portions engaging the inner side of said washer to prevent outward axial movement of the spindle relatively thereto, and abutment means on opposite sides of the washer for preventing axial movement of the washer relatively to said casing.

8. A door latch operating unit including a retractor guide, an inner and an outer end plate secured to the opposite sides of said guide and having co-axial tubular sleeves extending outwardly therefrom, means spacing said end plates from the sides of said guide, a retractor slidably mounted in said guide, a spindle rotatably journaled in each of said sleeves, a segmental extension on each of said spindles having its opposite edges bent outwardly beyond the periphery of the spindle to provide rollback portions for actuating said retractor; the ends of said spindles adjacent said rollback portions being provided with a notch, and a thrust washer surrounding each of said spindles and disposed between the sides of said guide and said end plate; said thrust washer having radially projecting lugs which extend into the notches in its respective spindle to prevent inward axial movement of said spindle relatively to the washer and said rollback portions being engageable with said washer to prevent outward axial movement of the spindle relatively thereto.

9. A door latch operating unit as set forth in claim 1, wherein the abutment means preventing inward movement of said thrust washer comprises a retractor guide including upper and lower legs having narrow side edges, the washer being in contact with the side edges of said leg to thereby provide a minimum frictional resistance between said abutment means and said stop washer when said spindle is pushed axially inwardly and turned.

10. A door latch operating unit including a retractor guide having an upper and a lower leg portion, an end plate, means on said guide for securing the end plate thereto in spaced relation to the sides of said leg portions, a retractor movable in said guide, a spindle rotatably carried by said end plate, rollback means operable by said spindle for actuating said retractor, a thrust washer surrounding said spindle and having portions extending between the sides of said leg portions and said end plate whereby axial movement of said washer relatively to said unit is prevented, and connecting means securing said spindle to said washer to prevent axial movement thereof relatively to said end plate, said connecting means providing a swivel connection accommodating misalignment between the spindle and washer.

Schlage Sept. 6, 1932 Arste Feb. 28, 1933

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