US2917336A

US2917336A - Anti-rattle latchbolt

Info

Publication number: US2917336A
Application number: US651364A
Authority: US
Inventors: Ernest L Schlage
Original assignee: Schlage Lock Co LLC
Current assignee: Schlage Lock Co LLC
Priority date: 1957-04-08
Filing date: 1957-04-08
Publication date: 1959-12-15
Anticipated expiration: 1976-12-15

Description

Dec. 15, 1959 E. L. SCHLAGE 2,917,336

ANTI-RATTLE LATCHBOLT Filed April 8; 1957 INVENTOR. ERNEST L. SCHLAGE I 711% my 7 A r rowers United States PatentO ANTI-BATTLE LATCHBOLT Ernest L. Schlage, Burlingame, Calif., assignor to Schlage Lock Company, a corporation Application April 8, 1957, Serial No. 651,364 1 Claim. (Cl. 292-2) This invention relates to door latches and more particularly to the provision of means for preventing a latch bolt from rattling against its associated'strike. This application is a continuation in part of copending applica-' inner edge of the opening in the strike plate, which the bolt enters, for holding the door closed against its associated stop.

Ideally, the strike plate should be mounted so that when the bolts planar surface is in engagement with the edge of the strike opening the door will fit snugly against its stop and be held relatively immovable between such edge and such stop. Due to the flexibility, fatigue, and shrinkage of the materials of which the door and frame are usually made and to the settling of the structure in which the door may be mounted, the above described Even though the latch ideal condition is rarely met. and strike plate may be carefully and accurately installed, a short interval of use ordinarily destroys such accuracy and renders the closed door loose with respect to the stop. The door may then be oscillated, rattling the latch bolt against strike.

Not only may such rattling be annoying to the building inhabitants and persons using thedoor, but unauthorized entry may be permitted thereby. Where a gap exists between a door and its associated stop, it is often possible for unauthorized persons to slip a thin card or the like into such gap and between the latch bolt and the. strike to cam the bolt rearwardly and open the door.

It is therefore a main object of this invention to provide means for preventing the rattling of a latch bolt against its associated strike.

It is another object of this invention to provide means to assure the tight engagement of a closed door with its associated stop.

Still another object of this invention is the provision of a spring projected wedge to yieldably urge a latch bolt and a door upon which it is mounted toward the door stop.

It is a further object of this invention to provide means obviating the necessity of accurately positioning a latch strike with respect to a door stop, and yet retaining the desirable characteristics of accurate and careful installation of a door latch assembly.

Other objects and advantages of this invention will become apparent from the following description taken in connection with the accompanying drawings in which:

Fig. 1 is a horizontal, sectional view taken through a latch housing and the portion of a door and frame adjacent thereto showing one form of the antirattle member a vertical,- planar surface 21 adapted to engage edge 8 .of strike plate 5 to hold the door in the closed position.

. for s'ecurement to the aforementioned retractor assembly.

2,917,336 .Pat ented Dec. 15, 1959 of this invention in operative relation to the door latch ified form of dead latch member;

In detail, referring to Fig. 1-, the device of this invention is described for use with a conventional vdoor latch which includes a latch housing I mounted in a bore 2 in the free edge of :adoor 3. Door 3 is adapted to swing about its hinges (not shown) in and out of frame 4 upon which is mounted a strike plate 5 having a central opening 6 therein. When door 3 is in the closed position shown it is adapted to abutstop 7 which is mounted on frame 4 opposite the operative edge 8 of opening 6.

The open forward end 9 of housing 1 is flanged so as to be secured between face plate 10 and back plate 11 which are joined together and secured to door 3 by screws 12(Fig. 2). The other or rear end 13 of housing 1 is closed except for a central aperture 14. Face plate 10 is centrally apertured as at 15 to permit reciprocable latch bolt 16 to project therethrough.

Latch bolt 16 is formed, outwardly of face plate 10, to a cross section congruent withopening 15 and said latch bolt is provided with forwardly directed shoulders 17, 18 to actas stops to prevent withdrawal of bolt 16 through face plate 10.

Extending rearwardly from said latch bolt is latch bar 19, the rearwardly directed end of which extends through aperture'14. Latch bar 19 is provided for the purpose.

of connecting bolt 16 to a conventional retractor (not shown) to reciprocate latch bolt 16 longitudinally of housing 1.

The forward end of bolt 16 is provided with strike surface 20 inclined to the longitudinal axis of housing 1v and bolt 16. The front of said bolt is also formed with Extending rearwardly from latch bolt 16, within hous= ing 1, is tubular guide 22 which slides. on spring guide rod 23, extending forwardly from rear end 13 of housing 1. Surrounding tubular guide 22 and rod 23 is a helical coil spring 24 which abuts guide member 27 at the rear face of bolt.'16 and plate 25 adjacent closed end 13 of housing 1. for the purpose of projecting latch bolt 16. Plate 25 is provided with rearwardly extending dogs 26 In operation of the latch described, upon swinging door 3 toward frame 4 strike surface 20 engages strike plate 5 thereby camrning latch bolt 16 inwardly of housing 1. When door 3 engages stop 7 the correct position lof strike plate 5 is such that the outer or forward end of bolt 16 enters opening 6, and planar, strike-edge-engaging surface 21 slides closely adjacent edge 8 of such opening. Bolt 16 thereby prevents opening of door 3 except by retraction of said latch bolt.

In order to prevent the aforementioned rattling of latch bolt 16 in opening 6, where the adjustment of strike plate edge 8 and door stop 7 is such that the distance therebetween is appreciably greater than the distance between planar surface 21 and the inner face of door 3, the latch mechanism described is provided with antirattle element 30. Such element is formed with a wedge surface 31 inclined to the longitudinal axis of housing 1 opposite to the inclination of strike surface 20. Latch bolt 16 is recessed, as at 46, along stiike-edge-engaging surface 21 in order to slidably receive a portion of'antirattle element 30 therein. Inclined surface 31 of said antirattle element intersects surface 21 near the outer end of latch bolt 16 in order that antirattle element 30 will enter opening 6 in strike plate under all conditions of installation. Hence, even when strike plate 5 is originaJly installed accurately with respect to door stop 7 the outer end of antirattle element 30 will project slightly into opening 6. i

Element 30 is reciprocable longitudinally of housing 1 and is provided with a rearwardly extending tubular guide 33 reciprocable on spring guide rod 34. Surrounding tubular guide 33 and rod 34 is a helical coil spring 35 which abuts element 30 on one end and plate 25 on the other. Spring 35 therefore yieldably projects element 30 outwardly of housing 1. Element 30, tubular guide 33, guide rod 34, and spring 35 are. seen to be preferably positioned on the opposite side of latch bar 19 from tubular guide 22, guide rod 23, and spring 24.

Opening 15 in face plate is recessed at one edge, as at 36, to allow passage of element 30. A forwardly directed shoulder 38 may also be provided on element 30 for engaging the rear side of latch bolt 16. In this manner, when element 30 is projected to its foremost position with shoulder 38 in engagement with said rear end of bolt 16, spring 35 also acts to project said bolt. An angle guide 39 having one bifurcated leg 40 positioned between a pair of shoulders 41, 42 on element 30 and the other leg 43 parallel to and slidable along latch bar 19 may be provided to additionally guide element 30 in a parallel path to the longitudinal axis of housing 1.

In operation, the forward end of element 30 is adapted to wedge between planar surface 21 of latch bolt 16 and edge 8 of strike 5 to yieldably urge door 3 against stop 7. Therefore, any difference in adjustment of .strike plate 5, allowing an appreciable space to exist between surface 21 and edge 8 when door 3 is in tight engagement with stop 7, is taken up by antirattle element 30. It is obvious that the greater the space between surface 21 and edge 8 the farther element 30 will be projected by spring 35 in order to take up the slack. Because of the small angle of inclination and the available length .of surface 31 the range of operation of element 30 is quite large.

The fact that antirattle element 30 is recessed into the strike-edge-engaging surface 21 of latch bolt 16 provides for greater strength in the outer end of element 30. Said outer end need not be very thin in section in order to provide a wedging action when the spacing between surface 21 and edge 8 is only very slight. The element 30 is, of course, subject to repeated shocks in opening and closing the door may be formed to a relatively husky section to withstand such shocks and still present a wedging surface to edge 8 under all conditions.

In the modifications of Figs. 3 and 4 the

antirattle elements

50 and 60, respectively, are shown displaced from the central position of Fig. 1. Otherwise the construction and operation of elements 50 and are similar to element 30. The positioning of

elements

50 and 60 provides for the concurrent use of deadlocking plungers 51, 61 (Figs. 3, 4 respectively) with the latch unit.

Plungers

51, 61 operate in accordance with the principles described in Patent No. 2,613,094, issued October 7, 1952, and are for the purpose of preventing retraction of latch bolt 16 by unauthorized means when the spring projected plungers are held in a retracted position by the surface of strike plate 5.

The latches of Figs. 3 and 4 therefore not only provide the antirattle feature but are also deadlatches. In Fig. 3

the plunger 51 rides alongside the flat surface 21 of bolt 16, whereas in Fig. 4 plunger 61' is guided in a recess 62 in bolt 16. In either case,

plungers

51, 61 may be separately spring urged to a projected position in a manner similar to

elements

30, 50 and 60.

Although the above description is in detail it is intended that the scope of the invention be restricted only by the following claim and equivalent structures.

I claim:

In combination with a spring projected latchbolt having a flat face adapted to lie alongside an edge of a strikeplate opening when said bolt is projected into such opening, an elongated antirattle element having a first portion of constant cross section and a second, adjoining portion of the same width as said first portion and progressively decreasing thickness terminating in one end of substantial thickness providing a wedge surface inclined to the longitudinal axis of said element, means providing an elongated recess in said bolt opening outwardly of said face and extending in the direction of projection of said bolt, said recess being of a constant depth greater than the thickness of said one end of said element and less than the thickness of said first portion, said element being slidably mounted in said recess with said wedge surface extending from said one end behind said face outwardly of said face, and means yieldably projecting said element in said direction for engaging the part of said wedge surface that extends outwardly of said recess with such edge for progressively urging said bolt face away from such edge.