US2903285A

US2903285A - Deck lid latch mechanism

Info

Publication number: US2903285A
Authority: US
Inventors: John H Roethel
Original assignee: Individual
Current assignee: Individual
Priority date: 1957-03-11
Filing date: 1957-03-11
Publication date: 1959-09-08
Anticipated expiration: 1976-09-08

Description

P 8, 1959 J. H. ROETHEL 2,903,285

DECK LID LATCH MECHANISM Filed March 11, 1957 INVEN TOR. zkrr /7. 5 062716],

BY M 7TT4R X United St 2,903,285 Patented Sept. 8, 1959 DECK LID LATCH MECHANISM John H. Roethel, Coral Gables, Fla.

Application March 1'1, 1957, Serial No. 645,164

1 Claim. (Cl. 292-229) This invention relates to door latch mechanisms but more particularly to such mechanisms for use on vehicle compartment closures, such for example as deck lids of automobile bodies.

In general, the improved deck lid latch mechanism of the present invention comprises an improved pivoted latch device, coacting pawl and ratchet means for holding the latch device in latched position, and means manually operable from the outside of the deck lid for disengaging the pawl from the ratchet means. The mechanism embodying the present invention is provided with a novel spring arrangement wherein a single spring is utilized to urge the pawl into ratchet means engagement and to urge the latch device from lid latched to lid unlatched position upon release of the pawl from the ratchet means.

The improved latch device of the latch mechanism embodying the present invention permits the use of a striker or keeper device which is particularly effective in guiding and retaining the deck lid in latched condition.

The object of the present invention is to provide a simple, compact, efficient and economically produced deck lid latch mechanism which will effectively meet all the requirements of the use for which it is designed.

Other objects, features and advantages of the present invention will be apparent from the following description and appended claims, reference being had to the accompanying drawing forming a part of this specification wherein like reference numerals designate corresponding parts in the several views.

Fig. 1 is an elevation of the latch mechanism and its coacting striker or keeper device as they would appear when viewed looking outwardly from within the vehicle compartment.

Fig. 2 is a view in part similar to Fig. 1 but showing the latch mechanism in unlatched condition and in spaced relation to the striker or keeper.

Fig. 3 is a sectional view taken substantially through line 33 of Fig. 1 looking in the direction of the arrows.

Fig. 4 is a fragmentary view showing a constructional detail.

Fig. 5 is a sectional View taken substantially through line 55 of Fig. 1 showing a further constructional detail.

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 drawing, 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 illustrated embodiment of the invention comprises a latch mechanism particularly adapted to be mounted on a vehicle body rear deck lid. The conventional rear deck lid is suitably hinged at its upper end portion so that the deck lid may be swung upwardly to afiord access to the rear trunk compartment of the vehicle body. As may readily be seen by inspection of any current model vehicle, the lower end of the deck lid abuts a body panel member to complete the closure of the compartment. It is to this panel member 11 or to a suitable bracket member attached thereto that a striker or keeper device 12 is attached.

With reference to Figs. 1 and 2, the striker or keeper 12 is adapted to be mounted facing inwardly toward the vehicle compartment and the latch mechanism 10 is complementarily mounted on the deck lid 13 with the latch bolt 14 thereof below the level of the lower end of the deck lid and facing outwardly. The latch bolt 14 engages the striker or keeper 12 by dropping downwardly thereinto.

As illustrated, the latch mechanism 10 comprises a mounting plate 15 provided with suitable bolt holes 16 for mounting the same to the inner or underside of the deck lid 13 or on a bracket secured thereto. The latch bolt 14 is positioned in spaced parallel relation to the outer face 17 of the mounting plate 15. The latch bolt 14 is pivotally mounted on the plate 15 by a pivot shaft 13 integral therewith or otherwise rigidly secured thereto. The pivot shaft 18 is journalled in a bushing or bearing device 19 rigidly mounted on the plate 15, as will be more fully explained. The inner end of the shaft 18 is provided with a tenon 26 adapted to project through a correspondingly shaped aperture in a ratchet plate 21, the projecting end of the shaft being riveted or staked over to retain the ratchet plate thereon. The latch bolt 14 and the ratchet plate 21 are thus both carried by the common shaft 18 for concerted pivotal movement on the mounting plate 15.

The latch bolt 14 comprises a lever or finger-like ele ment having a modified figure eight contour. The pivot axis of the latch bolt 14- is located substantially at the center of the end portion 22 thereof. When in deck lid latched position, the latch bolt extends in a substantially horizontal direction with the end portion 22 to the right, see Figs. 1 and 3. When in deck lid unlatched position, the latch bolt 14 extends in a downwardly angularly in: clined position, see Fig. 2.

The bearing device 19 journalling the pivot shaft 18 has been described as being rigidly mounted on the mounting plate 15. It will be noted, see Fig. 3, that the bearing device 19 comprises a bushing having a main cylindrical body portion 23 provided with a shoulder 24 of slightly greater diameter than the main body portion and a flange 25 of somewhat larger diameter. The shoulder 24 is undercut to provide a lip portion 26. The bearing device 19 is assembled to the plate 15 by being inserted in a suitable aperture of a diameter complementary to the diameter of the bushing shoulder 24. The lip portion 26 is then staked or riveted over to securely retain the bearing device 19 in place on the mounting plate 15.

The peripheral surface of the bearing device 19 main body portion 23 provides a journal for a roller 27. The roller 27 may be made of a suitable plastic material such as nylon or any suitable metal having good anti-friction qualities. The end face 28 of the roller 24 is undercut so as not to frictionally engage the staked or riveted over lip portion 26 on the shoulder 24. The diameter of the roller 27 is slightly larger than the diameter of the bolt end portion 22 for a reason to become apparent.

It will be understood that in the assembly of the latch mechanism 10, the bearing device 19 is assembled to the mounting plate 15 first, the roller 27 is then positioned on the bearing device, the pivot shaft 18 having the latch bolt 14 attached thereto is then inserted through the bearing device and the ratchet plate 21 is then positioned on the tenon 20 and the projecting end portion of the pivot shaft 18 is then riveted or staked over. The roller 3 27 is thus retained between the latch bolt '14 and the mounting plate 15.

The ratchet plate 21 is formed on its periphery with a toothed portion 28 forming a pawl or detent engaging surface. Cooperable with this toothed portion 28 is a swinging detent or pawl 29 pivotally mounted at one end thereof on the shank of a stud or shoulder rivet 30 secured to the mounting plate 15. The detent or pawl 29 extends in a substantially horizontal direction and is provided with a depending projection or abutment 31. When the projection or abutment engages the tooth 28 on the ratchet plate 21 (see Fig. l), the pivoted latch bolt 14 is retained in latched condition. When the detent or pawl abutment 31 is out of engagement with the tooth 28 (see Fig. 2), the pivoted latch bolt is in unlatched condition.

It will be noted that the shoulder rivet 30 is provided with a headed extension 32 (see Fig. 6) adapted to receive the coils of a spring 33 having two elongated end portions 34 and 35 respectively which cross each other at the same side of the rivet. The one end portion 34 of the spring extends in a substantially downwardly direction where it engages a lug 36 on the periphery of the ratchet plate 21. The other end 35 of the spring extends in a substantially horizontal direction, the free end thereof being hooked over the end 37 of an actuating rod 38, which end passes through an extension 39 of the detent or pawl 29. The spring 33 is coiled so that the coils 40 thereof are under compression when the latch mechanism is in latched condition, as in Fig. 1. Upon disengagement of the pawl 29 from the ratchet plate 21 when the pawl is lifted upwardly, the end 34 of the spring will exert force on the lug 36, the latter being located below and eccentrically of the pivot axis of the ratchet plate. The force exerted will urge the ratchet plate in a counterclockwise direction, as viewed in Fig. l. The latch bolt 14 will be thus correspondingly moved to its unlatched position. counterclockwise movement of the ratchet plate 21 is limited by a stop 41 secured to the plate \15 and lying in the path of the toothed portion 28 on the ratchet plate 21. The other end 35 of the spring 33, while yielding to permit the raising of the pawl or detent 29 out of engagement with the ratchet plate, exerts a downward force on the pawl or detent. The next time the bolt 14 is moved from unlatched to latched position, the curved portion 28a of the ratchet tooth 28 will cam the pawl or detent upwardly until the tooth passes beyond the edge of the pawl projection 31. At this point the pawl will drop into ratchet engaging position and again hold the latch in latched condition.

The actuating rod 38 referred to above comprises a link between the pawl or detent 29 and a bell crank lever 42 swingable by a key operated mechanism 43 located in any convenient position on the deck lid (see Fig. 2). The key operated mechanism is conventional and the shaft thereof (not shown) is adapted to be turned in either direction by a key inserted in the key cylinder of the mechanism. Swinging movement of the bell crank lever 42 in either direction Will cause the actuating rod 38 to be raised. Upon the rod being raised the pawl or detent 29 will be swung upwardly, or in a counterclockwise direction as viewed in Figs. 1 and 2. The end 38 of the actuating rod 39 projects through a slot 44 in the mounting plate 15 and is suitably grooved to receive a hairpin shaped retainer 45 or any siutable spring retainer device.

The lower portion of Fig. 2 illustrates the general appearance of the striker or keeper device 12 and Fig. 3 illustrates the cooperative relationship between the latch bolt 14 and the keeper or striker device inholding the deck lid in latched condition. The striker or keeper device 12 is adapted to be secured to the body panel member 11 or a bracket secured thereto by suitable bolts 46 projecting through conveniently located bolt holes 47 in the striker body. The striker or keeper device 12, as

best seen in Fig. 2, has the general form of the letter C with the opening facing upwardly. It is preferably made of a unitary piece of metal and is provided with a horizontally extending base portion 48 having two upstanding side portions 49 and 50 respectively at each end thereof. The inner edge surface '51 of the side portion 49 is contoured to provide a hook-shaped pocket adapted to complementarily receive the free end 52 of the latch bolt 14. The inner edge or surface 53 of the side portion 50 is flat and extends in a substantially vertical direction. This surface 53 is adapted to be engaged by the roller 27, which, it was stated above, is of slightly greater diameter than the end portion 22 of the latch bolt '14, as will be more fully explained.

The base portion or bottom wall 48 of the striker or keeper has on its upper edge surface 54 a guide projection 55 provided with an angularly inclined face 56 leading into the pocket in the side portion 4?. This angularly inclined face 56 is the portion of the striker or keeper device first engaged by the free end 52 of the latch bolt 14 as the latter is dropped into the striker or keeper device on the deck lid being lowered into closed position. It will be apparent that as the closing movement of the deck lid continues after engagement of the bolt with the striker or keeper surface 56, the bolt will be swung in a clockwise direction toward latched position. As the bolt is so swung the roller 27 engages the guide surface 53 of the side portion 50 thereby correcting any misalignment of the bolt with the striker.

It will be noted that when the bolt 14 is in latched condition, see Fig. 1, there is a clearance space 57 between the edge of the bolt portion 22 and the adjacent surface of the base portion 47 of the striker or keeper. This clearance space permits the bolt to overtravel slightly, as will occur when the rubber seal around the deck lid is compressed by the momentum of the closing movement of the deck lid. As the rubber seal springs back, the latch bolt assumes the latched position shown in Fig. 1. In this position its free end 52 is securely nestled in the pocket in the side portion 49.

From the foregoing, it will be readily apparent that the deck lid can only be opened by release of the pawl or detent from the ratchet plate. The latch bolt cannot be disengaged from the striker or keeper by being moved longitudinally thereof, as may be done with some current deck lid locks. Movement of the bolt 14 longitudinally of the striker or keeper is inhibited by the engagement of the bolt structure with the inner surfaces of both side portions of the striker or keeper. With a striker or keeper of suitable width, it becomes normally impossible to disengage the bolt from the striker by movement in a fore and aft direction. Only by smashing the deck lid panel inwardly could this be done. And with the bolt below the level of the upper edge of the back wall 58 of the striker or keeper, the latch mechanism cannot be jimmied into an unlatched condition from the outside of the vehicle compartment since it is not possible to force a tool beneath the latch bolt.

I claim:

In combination, a latch device mounted on the free edge wall of a swinging deck lid, said latch device comprising a latch bolt having a substantially figure eight contour, pivot means supporting said latch bolt for swinging movement from an angularly depending lid unlatched position to a substantially horizontally extending lid latched position, the pivot axis being substantially at the center of one end portion of said latch bolt, bearing means mounted on said pivot means between said latch bolt and free edge wall, and a keeper device mounted on a vertical face of a body panel to which said free edge wall is latchable, said keeper device comprising a generally C-shaped frame member having the opening facing upwardly, said frame member having a first side portion engageable by said bearing means and a second side portion providing a receiving pocket for the free end portion of said latch bolt, said free end portion entering said receiving pocket as said lid is moved toward latched position thereby to cause said latch bolt to be swung from said angularly depending lid unlatched position to said horizontally extending lid latched position, said bearing means engaging said first side portion to ensure proper alignment of said latch bolt and keeper device, said receiving pocket and said first side portion in latch bolt latched position coacting With said latch bolt and bearing means to maintain the lid against lateral movement as said receiving pocket coacts with said latch bolt to maintain the deck lid in latched condition.

References Cited in the file of this patent UNITED STATES PATENTS 1,593,011 Bourgon July 20, 2,246,786 Dall June 24, 2,603,963 Allen July 22, 2,644,707 Dall .a July 7,

FOREIGN PATENTS 732,190 Great Britain June 22,