US2914353A

US2914353A - Door lock mechanism

Info

Publication number: US2914353A
Application number: US685736A
Authority: US
Inventors: John H Roethel
Original assignee: Individual
Current assignee: Individual
Priority date: 1957-09-23
Filing date: 1957-09-23
Publication date: 1959-11-24
Anticipated expiration: 1976-11-24

Description

United States Patent() DOR LOCK MECHANISM John H. Roethel, Coral Gables, Fla.

Application September 23, 1957, Serial No. 685,736

Claims. (Cl. 292-280) This invention relates to a latch device and keeper or striker device interlock construction and arrangement particularly adapted for use on vehicle bodies.

More particularly the present invention is concerned with the provision of an improved construction and arrangement of a cooperative latch device and keeper or striker device adapted to eiectively maintain a vehicle door in latched condition relative to a vehicle body frame or pillar member. The structure embodying the present invention comprises a latch device pivotally mounted adjacent the outer face of a latch mechanism plate. The latch device shaft is journalled in suitable lixed bearing or bushing means rigidly secured to the plate. The latch device performs the usual function of maintaining the door in latch condition, that is, against swinging movement from a closed to an open position until the latch mechanism is released.

The embodiment of the invention herein illustrated provides against lateral disengagement of the latch device from the keeper or striker device. The conventional latch device coacting with a striker or keeper device is intended only to hold a vehicle door in closed or latched condition against swinging movement about the door hinges. However, such devices frequently fail to keep the vehicle door securely latched under abnormal conditions, such as when the vehicle is involved in a collision or is upset. The modern `vehicle body is only a relatively rigid structure. `Collision or upset impacts often cause body deformation and relative movement between the vehicle body components and more particularly between the doors and door framing members. Such body deformation and resultant relative movement of the vehicle door and framing member or body pillar may cause the latch device to be pulled away from the striker or keeper device in a direction longitudinally of the vehicle body permitting the vehicle door to fly open and the vehicle occupants to be thrown from the vehicle even though the latch mechanism itself remains in latched condition.

it is an object of the present invention to provide a simple and inexpensive improvement in a cooperating latch device and striker or keeper device which will effectively inhibit lateral movement, that is, movement in a direction longitudinally of a vehicle body, to a degree sufiicient to prevent the latch device and keeper or striker device from becoming laterally disengaged. It will be understood that some degree of lateral movement must be permitted to occur since certain tolerances and clearances must be allowed in the litting together of the vehicle body components to compensate for manufacturing inaccuracies. The present invention permits normal manufacturing tolerances and clearances to be maintained while at the same time making provision for limiting the permissible lateral movement of the latch device and keeper or striker device relative to one another so that the two cannot become abnormally disengaged.

j Briefly, the object of the presentV invention is achieved by placing a vertically extending strap member on the front face of the latch mechanism plate, The strap member is' open at the sides thereof. The striker or keeper device is in the form of a hook-like member, the latter being secured to a mounting plate at therrear edge thereof and projecting outwardly in such a manner as to be adapted to enter between the strap member and the latch plate from the leading side of the strap member as the door swings from an open to a closed position. The lower edge of the hook-like member is provided with tooth-like projections adapted to engage the latch device to retain the door in door latched condition. The'upper edge of the striker or keeper hook-like member is inclined from front to rear, the angle of inclination being relatively small. The inclined upper surface of the hooklike member is adapted to cooperate with a wedge member slidably mounted within the strap member at the upper end thereof.

VWith the latch device in engagement' with the toothlike projections on the underside of the hook-like member Vandthe wedge member in engagement with the inclined upper `surface of the hook-like member, the free edge wall of the swinging door is held against vibratory movement in a vertical direction. At the same time, the hooklike member, having been interposed between the strap and the latch plate, is elective to prevent such relative movement of the latch device and keeper or striker device as could cause the two to become abnormally disengaged.

Further objects, advantages and features of the present inventionk Will be apparent from the following description taken in conjunction with the accompanying drawing, wherein:

Fig. 1 is a view in part sectional taken substantially through line 1-1 of Fig. 2 looking in the direction of the arrows and illustrating the cooperative relationship between the latch device and striker or keeper device, as exemplified by the illustrated embodiment of the present invention, when the latch device is in door latched position;

Fig. 2 is a sectional View taken substantially through line 2 2 of Fig. 1 looking in the direction of the arrows;

Fig. 3 is a sectional View taken substantially through line 3-3 of Fig. 1 looking in the direction of the arrows; and

Fig. 4 is a :sectional view taken substantiallyv through line 4-4 of Fig. 1 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 drawing, since the invention is capable of other embodiments and of being practiced and 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.

In the drawing there is illustrated, by way of example, a particular embodiment of the present invention as applied to the door and door frame structures of an automobile body. The embodiment of the invention as illustrated in Figs. 1 to 4, inclusive,comprises a latch device, generally designated 10, and a striker or keeper device, generally designated 11. The latch device 10 is exemplied as a gear type or rotary bolt 12 having a number of radially projecting tooth-like projections 12a, such as six, which are spaced equally around the periphery of the bolt. The latch bolt 12 is pivotally or rotatably mounted on a latch plate 13 by means of a pivot shaft 14 which is journalled in a suitable fixed bushing or bearing means 15. Preferably, the bushing or bearing means is provided with a flange 16 adapted to act as a spacer between the latch plate 13 and the rotary bolt 12.

It will be understood that the end portion 17 of the pivot shaft 14, which is shown broken off, normally carries a ratchet member (not shown). The ratchet member cooperates with the other elements of the latch Amechanism whereby the latch bolt 12 may be held against rotation in door unlatching direction or may be released so as to be freely rotatable in doorv unlatching direction.' The operative mechanism of the latch mechanism forms no particular part of the present invention and the foregoing brief statement is deemed suicient for an understanding of the present invention.

Referring again to the drawing and more particularly to Fig. 2, it will be noted that the latch plate 13 has attached to its front face 18 a channel shaped member 19 hereinafter more particularly referred to as a strap. The strap 19 is provided with a vertically extending main plate portion 20 and upper and lower horizontally extending

leg portions

21 and 22 respectively. The leg portions space the strap plate portion 20 outwardly of the outer face of the bolt 12. Each leg portion is provided with a tab portion 23 which extends through a complementarily shaped slot in the plate 13. The portion of each tab 23 projecting beyond the inner face 24 of the plate 13 is suitably riveted or staked over thereby securing the strap 19 on the latch plate 13.

The underside of the upper horizontal leg 21 provides in part a slideway for a make-up wedge 25. The wedge 2S may be made of pressed metal containing a suitable lubricant or may be made of a suitable plastic composition material. In preferred practice the plastic is nylon. The wedge 25 is slidably supported beneath the upper horizontal leg portion 21 and between the front face 18 of the latch plate 13 and inner face 26 of the strap plate portion 20 by a guide rod 27 which extends through the wedge 25. The guide rod Z7 has its

ends

28 and 29 anchored in end wall sections 30 which may be formed by turning end extensions of the upper leg portion 21 downwardly at a right angle thereto. To resiliently urge the wedge 25 outwardly, or to the left as viewed in Fig. 1, along its guide rod, a coiled spring 31 is provided. The spring 31 surrounds the inner end of the guide rod 27. One end of the spring 31 abuts the inner face of adjacent end wall 30 and the other end of the spring lies within a recess or counterbore 32 in the wedge 25. The function of the wedge 25 will be hereinafter explained.

The striker or keeper device 11 embodying the present invention comprises a plate member 33 of substantially square shape adapted to be secured to a vehicle body pillar 34' by suitable bolts 35. As best seen in Fig. 3, a sectional view of the striker or keeper device 11 taken substantially through the center thereof shows it to be U-shaped in appearance. This results from the fact that the striker or keeper device is provided with a horizontally extending hook-like or finger-like member 36 which is spaced from the main plate portion by a rib 37, the hook-like member 36 being connected to the plate 33 by the rib 37 at the rear or inner edge 38' thereof.

The hook-like member is somewhat narrower vertically than the plate 33. At its lower edge 39 the hooklike member is provided with a pair of downwardly depending tooth-

like projections

40 and 41. The

toothlike projections

40 and 41 are adapted to coact with the tooth-like projections 12a on the latch bolt 12, as will be more fully explained. The upper surface 42 of the hooklike member is upwardly inclined from its rounded leading edge 43 toward the rear, as best seen in Fig. l. Thus, the upper portion of the hook-like member is in effect a ramp which is adapted to slidably receive the wedge 25 as `,vill be more fully explained.

It will be noted that the latch plate 13, which may be of any suitable size or shape, is adapted to be secured by suitable bolts 44 to the edge wall 45 of a vehicle door. The edge wall 45 is provided with a suitable aperture 46 through which the strap covered latch bolt 12 is adapted to project, as best seen in Figs. 2 to 4, inelusive.

In operation, when the vehicle door is in an unlatched or open condition, the latch device 10 is in a position in which it is disassociated from the striker or keeper device 11. As the door is swung to a closed position, the rotary bolt 12 irst engages the striker or keeper tooth 40. If, for any reason, the closing movement of the door is interrupted at this point, the door will be held by the tooth 40 against movement in an opening direction until the latching mechanism is released. The tooth 40 is known as the safety latching tooth. When the bolt 1-2 is in engagement with the safety latching tooth 40 the Vehicle door is not held against vibratory movement in an up and down direction.

As the bolt 12 moves past the safety locking tooth 40, the lower surface of the wedge 25 engages the ramp portion or upper surface 42 of the striker or keeper member 36. The initial point of engagement may vary depending on the alignment of the latch device 10 with the keeper or striker 11. As soon as a suitable locking position of the wedge 25 on the ramp surface 42 is reached, the Wedge movement in a closing direction ceases although the vehicle door may continue to move in a closing direction for a slight distance further until the latch bolt 12 is in operative engagement with the striker or keeper tooth 41, this tooth being known as the nal latching tooth. The relative movement between the wedge 25 and the latch plate 13 results in the spring 31 being placed under compresison. The effect of the compressed spring 31 is to continually urge the wedge 25 up the ramp surface 42 thus ensuring that the striker or keeper member 36 is tightly engaged between the wedge 25 and the rotary bolt 12. This tight engagement effectively diminishes any possibility of movement of the door in an up and down direction due to vibrations occurring while the vehicle is in motion.

In nal locking position the hook-like member 36 of the striker or keeper 11 completely projects through the strap 19 from the edge 38 to the opposite edge thereof. Thus, the present invention provides a highly desirable safety interlock between the strap member 19 secured to the latch plate 13 and the striker or keeper device 11. Any force tending to separate the door from the body pillar in a direction parallel to the axis of rotation of the latch bolt 12 will be resisted by the interengagement of the hook-like member 36 with the strap member 19. Except for the limited lateral movement permitted by the lateral clearance between the striker or keeper device member 36 and the strap member 19, the latch bolt 12 cannot move suiciently sideways to permit it to become laterally disengaged from the striker or keeper device 11. The only way the latch bolt 12 may be released from engagement with the striker or keeper device is by normal operation of the latch mechanism to permit free rotation of the bolt 12.

I claim:

l. In combination, a rotatable latch device mounted on the free edge wall of a swinging door, said latch device having tooth-like projections thereon, a keeper device mounted on the jamb face of a door framing member, said keeper device being provided with a mounting plate portion and a spaced portion substantially paralleling said plate portion, said spaced portion being provided with depending tooth-like projections forming tooth spaces to receive said latch device tooth-like projections, a strap means, means mounting said strap means on said free edge wall of the door, said strap means having a plate portion, said strap means plate portion being adapted when said latch device tooth-like projections are received within said tooth spaces to be in interposed position between said keeper device plate portion and its said spaced portion, a wedge means, means slidably mounting said wedge means within said strap means, said wedge means being adapted to engage the upper surface of said spaced portion when the latter is in said interposed position, said spaced portion and strap means plate portion coacting to prevent such lateral displacement of said projections relative to one another as would cause said projections to become disengaged, and said wedge means being effective to prevent up and down vibratory movement of said projections relative to one another.

2. In combination, a rotatable latch device mounted on the free edge wall of a swinging door, said latch device having tooth-like projections thereon, a keeper device mounted on the jamb face of a door framing member, said keeper device being provided with a mounting plate and a generally horizontally extending spaced portion secured to said mounting plate at one side thereof, said portion being provided with depending tooth-like projections forming tooth spaces to receive said latch-device tooth-like projections, a strap member having a vertically extending plate portion and upper and lower angularly related leg portions, means securing said leg portions to the free edge wall of the door, said plate portion being spaced outwardly of said latch device and said upper leg portion being spaced substantially thereabove, said strap member plate portion being adapted when said latch device tooth-like projections are received within said tooth spaces to be in an interposed position between said mounting plate and said spaced portion, a wedge means, means slidably mounting said wedge means within said strap member, said wedge means being adapted to engage the upper surface of said spaced portion when the latter is in said interposed position, said spaced portion and strap member plate portion coacting to prevent such lateral displacement of said projections relative to one another as would cause said projections to become disengaged, and said wedge means being effective to prevent up and down vibratory movement of said projections relative to one another.

3. In combination, a rotatable latch device mounted on the free edge wall of a swinging door, said latch device having tooth-like projections thereon, a keeper device mounted on the jamb face of a door framing member, said keeper device being provided with a mounting plate and a generally horizontally extending spaced portion secured to said mounting plate at one side thereof, said portion being provided with depending toothlike projections forming tooth spaces to receive said latch-device tooth-like projections, a strap member having a vertically extending plate portion and upper and lower angularly related leg portions, means securing said leg portions to the free edge wall of the door, said plate portion being spaced outwardly of said latch device and said upper leg portion being spaced substantially thereabove, said strap member plate portion being adapted when said latch device tooth-like projections are received within said tooth spaces to be in an interposed position between said mounting plate and said spaced portion, a wedge means, means slidably mounting said wedge means within said strap member beneath said upper leg portion, said upper surface of said spaced portion being upwardly inclined to provide a ramp engageable by said wedge means as the vehicle door is moved from an open to a closed position, said spaced portion and strap member plate portion coacting in closed position of the door to prevent such lateral displacement of said projections relative to one another as would cause said projections to become disengaged, and said wedge means being effective to prevent up and down vibratory movement of said projections relative to one another.

4. In combination, a rotatable latch device mounted on the free edge wall of a swinging door, said latch device having tooth-like projections thereon, a keeper device mounted on the jamb face of a door framing member, said keeper device being provided with a mounting plate portion and a spaced portion substantially paralleling said mounting plate portion, said spaced portion being provided with depending tooth-like projections forming tooth spaces to receive said latch device tooth-like projections, a wedge means, a wedge means supporting member mounted on said free edge Wall of the door, said wedge means supporting member having a leg portion in vertical spaced relationship to said latch device and having a depending plate portion substantially paralleling said free edge wall of the door and spaced outwardly therefrom, means mounting said wedge means in slidable relation to the latch device side of said leg portion, said wedge means supporting member plate portion being adapted when said latch device tooth-like projections are received within said tooth spaces to be in interposed position between said keeper device plate portion and its said spaced portion, said wedge means being adapted to engage the upper surface of said spaced portion when the latter is in said interposed position, said spaced portion and wedge means supporting member plate portion coacting to prevent such lateral displacement of said projections relative to one another as would cause said projections to become disengaged, and said wedge means being effective to prevent up and down vibratory movement of said projections relative to one another.

5. In combination, a rotatable latch device mounted on the free edge wall of a swinging door, said latch` device having tooth-like projections thereon, a keeper device mounted on the jamb face of a door framing member, said keeper device being provided with a mounting plate portion and a spaced portion substantially paralleling said mounting plate portion, said spaced portion being provided with depending tooth-like projections forming tooth spaces to receive said latch device toothlike projections, said spaced portion being provided with an upwardly inclined surface on the side opposite the depending tooth-like projections, a supporting member mounted on the free edge wall of the door, said supporting member having a leg portion in vertical spaced relationship to said latch device and having a depending plate portion substantially paralleling said free edge wall of the door and spaced outwardly therefrom, an inclined surface engaging member, and means movably mounting said inclined surface engaging member beneath the latch device side of said leg portion, said supporting member plate portion being adapted when said latch device tooth-like projections are received within said tooth spaces to be interposed between said keeper device mounting plate portion and its spaced portion, said inclined surface engaging member being in engagement with the inclined surface of said spaced portion when the latter is in said interposed relationship, the means mounting said inclined surface engaging member including a resilient member effective to urge said inclined surface engaging member into tight engagement with the inclined surface of said spaced portion thereby to resist up and down vibratory movement of said projections relative to one another, said spaced portion and supporting member `plate portion coacting to prevent such lateral movement of said projections relative to one another as would cause said projections to become disengaged.

References Cited in the tile of this patent UNITED STATES PATENTS