US2989332A - Door latch and lock mechanism - Google Patents

Description

June 20, 1961 s. GILBERT DOOR LATCH AND LOCK MECHANISM 5 Sheets-Sheet 1 Filed Nov. 19, 1958 IN VEN TOR.

SAMUEL GILBERT THOMAS CASTBERG June 20, 1961 S. GILBERT DOOR LATCH AND LOCK MECHANISM Filed Nov. 19, 1958 3 Sheets-Sheet 2 INVENTOR.

SAMUEL GILBERT THOMAS CASTBERG June 20, 1961 s. GILBERT DOOR LATCH AND LOCK MECHANISM 3 Sheets-Sheet 3 Filed NOV. 19, 1958 INVENTOR. SAMUEL GILBERT THOMAS CASTBERG United States Patent O 2,989,332 DOOR LATCH AND LOCK MECHANISM Samuel Gilbert, Los Angeles, Calif., assignor to Schlage Lock Company, a corporation Filed Nov. 19, 1958, Ser. No. 774,918 '1 Claim. (Cl. 292- 169) This invention relates to improvements in latch sets and lock sets for use on doors and similar closures.

The object of the present invention is generally to improve and simplify the construction and operation of door locks and latches; to provide a door latch o-r lock which is simple and inexpensive in construction, which may be quickly and readily installed, and which insures ruggedness and reliability of operation; to provide a door latch or lock Which consists of a pair of factory-assembled spindle and knob supporting housings, one foreach side of a door and a factory-assembled latch bolt unit, which may be quickly and readily combined and assembled in a door; to provide an improved form of bedroom or bath room privacy lock; to provide a latch or lock having a novel form of dogging mechanism whereby the outer knob may be dogged or locked by the turning of a button carried by the inner knob; to provide means whereby the outer knob may be released during an emergency; to provide key-actuated means in the outer knob for releasing both knobs; and further to provide a door latch which may be materially simplified for use on a closet door.

The invention is shown by way of illustration in the accompanying drawings in which:

FIG. 1 is a plan view of the latch set mounted in a door.

FIG. 2 the horizontal section of the latch set.

FIG. 3 is a section taken on line 3-3 FIG. 4.

FIG. 4 is 'a horizontal section showing the lock set equipped with mechanism for dogging or locking both knobs.

FIG. 5 is a view similar to FIG. 3.

FIG. 6 is a perspective view of the outer spindle housing and knob showing the cup-shaped housing and other parts removed.

FIG. 7 is a perspective view of the cam plate and its actuating spring. I

FIG. 8 is a perspective view of the turn button bar.

FIG. 9 is a perspective view of the torque or drive plate which closes the inner end of the outer spindle.

FIG. 10 is a perspective view of the cup-shaped spindle housing which has been removed from the outer spindle housing assembly shown in FIG. 6.

FIG. 11 is a plan view of the latch bolt with a retractor plate attached thereto and the spring whereby the latch bolt is normally held in projected position.

FIG. 12 is a perspective view of the latch bolt unit.

FIG. 13 is a perspective view of the spindle housing which is applied to the inner knob assembly shown in FIG. 16.

FIG. 14 is a perspective view of the torque or drive plate which closes the inner end of the spindle 11.

FIG. 15 is a perspective view of the channel-shaped bar which carries the turn button.

FIG. 16 is a perspective view of the inner knob and spindle housing, but showing the cup-shaped member of FIG. 13 removed.

FIG. 17 is an end view of the inner spindle housing assembly.

FIG. 18 is an end View of a turn piece used on a closet door lock.

FIG. l9 isa section taken on line 19-19 FIG. 18.

FIG. 20 is an end view of FIG. 19 looking in the direction of the arrows.

FIG. 21 is a section of an outer knob showing means for releasing both knobs in an emergency.

FIG. 22 is an end view of the knob shown in FIG. 21.

Patented June 20, 1961 FIG. 23 is a longitudinal section of the outer knob and l spindle showing it equipped with a key-actuated mechanism for rotating the bar 36.

FIG. 24 is a perspective view of the outer end of spindle 9 shown in FIG. 23.

FIG. 25 is a perspective view of the housing which supports the key-actuated mechanism, and

FIG. 26 is a perspective view of the cylinder body and cylinder plug inserted therein.

The latch set briefly described consists of two spindle and knob supporting housings indicated at A and B and in addition thereto there is a latch bolt unit indicated at C. These units are preassembled and are separable, but are quickly and readily combined when installed in a door.

The simplest form of latch set is shown in FIGS. 1 and 2. Each of the spindle and knob supporting housings consists of three parts, first, a cup-shaped member (see FIGS. 10 and 13) which enters and fits a transverse opening formed in a door. The cup-shaped member has an inner bearing plate 2, with a bearing opening 3 formed therein, and it has an outer flange 4. Second, an outer bearing plate 5 of the same diameter as flange 4 is provided with an outwardly extending bearing hub 6, and

third, there is an escutcheon plate 7 having an inturned flange 8 which is spun over the outer edge of plate 5 and flange 4 of the cup-shaped housing thus forming an assembly. Both of the spindle and knob supporting housings are substantially identical with the exception that plate 5 of the outer spindle housing is slightly modified when used in a privacy lock as will hereinafter appear.

The outer spindle housing A supports a spindle 9 and an outer knob 10. The inner spindle housing B sup ports the spindle 11 and a knob 12. The outer spindle 9 has a roll back member 14 formed on its inner end and this extends into and telescopes with relation to the spindle 11. Spindle 11 is closed at its inner end by a torque or drive plate 15, see FIGS. 4 and 14, but the drive plate is provided with an arcuate cut-away portion 16 of the same shape and size as the roll back. The roll back member extends through this opening into spindle 11, thus forming an interlock between the spindles whereby rotation of one spindle will be transmitted to the other. The outer spindle housing also carries a pair of posts 19 which may be riveted to plate 5 or otherwise secured. They are provided with a shoulder 18 which is engaged by the inner bearing plate 2, and are thus further secured by clamping action of this plate. Other.- wise the posts are internally threaded to receive a pair of clamping screws 20, see FIG. 16, as will later be described.

The latch bolt unit C is best shown in FIGS. 1, 11 and 12. It is or" more or less standard construction as it consists of a face plate 21 through which the latch bolt 22 extends. Attached to the rear face of the face plate is a tubular housing 23 and forming an extension thereof is a pair of spaced anchor plates 24 which also serves as a guide for a retractor bar 25, see FIG. 11. This bar is secured to the inner end of the latch bolt and is surrounded by a spring 26 which normally holds the latch bolt and the retractor bar in projected position.

A door intended to receive a latch set of this character must have two holes bored therein, first, a large hole comparatively speaking as indicated at 27, and secondly, a smaller hole 28 which is bored through the edge door. During installation of this unit the roll back I When installing the latch set of the member will pass through an opening 29 formed in the anchor plates and care must be taken to align the posts 19 with a hole 30 and a slot 31 formed in the. anchor plates as the posts must pass there-through to form an interlock therewith. With the two units in place, it will be found that the roll back member 14 projects beyond the inner face of the door. This is desirable because in applying the inner spindle housing B care must be taken that the roll back member enters the arcuate opening 16 formed in the drive plate 15 which is secured in spindle 11, and as the drive plate is secured in the spindle and the arcuate opening is of the same size and shape as the roll back member an interlock will be formed between the two spindles causing them to function as a solid spindle. The interlock permits telescoping of the roll back member with relation to the drive plate and spindle 11 and the same is true of the posts as they telescope freely with relation to the anchor plates. This telescoping action of the roll back member and the posts is important as it permits adjustment of the units A and B with relation to the anchor plates when doors of varying thickness are encountered.

With the roll back member in the arcuate opening in the drive plate 15 and the posts 19 in alignment with the holes 3* formed in the bearing plate of the inner spindle housing it is only necessary to push unit B into contact with the inner face of the door and then to secure it and unit A in place by means of the screws 20. These screws pass through openings 33 formed in the inner escutcheon plate and as these align with the posts which are interiorly threaded, installation of the lock is completed when the screws are tight.

The latch set shown in FIG. 1 is suitable only for interior doors where locking is unnecessary. Its construction is vey simple, but it may be even further simplified when used on closet doors. If reference will be made to FIGS. 18 and 19, it will be noted that a special spindle 1'1 is employed. Its inner end is closed as at 34, but it has an arcuate opening 35 formed therein to receive the roll back member 14. The outer end of the spindle 11 is provided with a turn piece 36 which has two wings formed thereon as at 37. This turn piece is secured in any suitable manner on the outer end of the spindle 11a, and when grasped and turned, it transmits motion to both spindles as they are interlocked by means of the roll back member, in other words, when fitting the latch set to a closet door, the inner spindle housing B together with its knob 12 is removed and replaced by the unit shown in FIGS. 18, 19 and 20. The clamping plate shown at 38 engages the inner face of the door and it is provided with openings 39 to receive the clamping screws 20. No escutcheon is used, no cup-shaped spindle housing such as shown in FIG. and in place of the knob an inexpensive turn piece 36 serves just as well, as it is on the inside of the closet door.

The structure shown in FIGS. 1 and 2 lends itself to many uses besides the two already described, for instance, where privacy is required such as in bedrooms and bathrooms etc. the latch set may be readily converted to a lock set in which both knobs are dogged or locked against rotation by manipulation of a turn button on the inner knob. The lock set is best shown in FIGS. 4 to 17. The mechanism required to convert the latch set to a lock set briefly stated, comprises a button 34 carried by the inner knob 12, a channel-shaped member 35, a bar 36, and a cam plate 37 which carries a dog 38 whereby both knobs are dogged or locked against rotation. The channel-shaped member 35 is best shown in FIG. 15. The button 34 is secured to one end thereof while the other end is bent down at right angles as at 39 and has a slot 35 formed therein through which bar 36 extends, see FIG. 4. ,It was previously stated that the inner end of the spindle 11 which carries the inner knob 12-was closed by a drive plate 15 and that the drive plate formed an interlock between the inner and outer spindles when the roll back member passed through the arcuate slot 16 formed therein. This drive plate serves two other functions. First, by referring to FIG. 9 it will be seen that the drive plate has a hole 16- formed in its center through which bar 36 extends, thus the drive plate serves as a support for the bar. Secondly, by referring to FIG. 4 it will be noted that the end 39 of the channel-shaped member 35 abuts the drive plate while a flange on the button 34 engages the inner face of the knob 12, thus its second function is that of retaining the channelshaped member and button from endwise movement within the spindle 11, but permits rotation of the same. The only addition that has been made to the spindle and knob housing assembly B is the channel-shaped member 35 and the turn button 34.

The bar 36, the cam plate 37 and dog 38 are carried by the outer spindle and knob housing assembly A. The cam plate is best shown in FIGS. 3 to 7. It is disposed within the spindle 9 and adjacent the bearing plate 5. A pocket 38 is formed in the plate 5 to receive the dog 38 and a semicircular recess 39 is also formed therein to receive a lug 40 formed on the lower end of the cam plate. The pocket 38 and the semicircular recess 39 is the only modification or change made in the bearing plate when comparison is made with the bearing plate in FIG. 1. A spring 41 normally depresses the cam plate so that lug 40 extends into the semicircular recess 39*, and as the recess has stop shoulders at each end thereof as indicated at 42 and 43 rotation of the spindle, is limited to one-half revolution. The bar 36 passes through an opening 44 formed in the cam plate and normally assumes the horizontal position shown in FIG. 5 when the spindles are free to rotate, but it may be turned to assume a vertical position as shown in FIG. 3 whereby it raises the cam plate causing retraction of lug 40 from the semicircular recess and projection of dog 38 into pocket 38 thereby clogging or looking the spindles and knobs against rotation. The position of bar 36 is controlled by a turn button 34 as turning of the button rotates the channelshaped member 35 and as the bar 36 extends into the channel-shaped member and passes through slot 35 in the end pieoe 39 of the channel-shaped member it will rotate therewith. Rotation of the button, channel-shaped member and bar is limited to one-quarter revolution by cam surfaces formed in opening 44 of the cam plate. For instance, in viewing FIG. 3 it will be seen that bar 36 can only turn in the direction of arrow a, as shoulder 45 prevents rotation in the opposite direction. When turned in the direction of arrow a to assume the horizontal position shown in FIG. 5 it will engage a shoulder 46 and can turn no further as spring 41 has forced the cam plate down during rotation of the bar to a point where dog 38 has been withdrawn from its pocket and lug 40 has been projected into the semicircular recess. Thus rotation of the bar is limited to one-quarter revolution, and on turning this one-quarter revolution the spindles are undogged and are free to rotate. To dog them again against rotation it is only necessary to rotate the bar in the direction of arrow b, see FIG. 5 until it assumes a vertical position of FIG. 3. The bar 36 is widened at the point 47 to form a pair of shoulders 48 and 49, see FIGS. 4 and 8. The shoulder 49 engages washer 50 secured in the spindle 9 while the shoulder 48 engages the cam plate 37, it is thus secured against endwise movement in the spindle 9 and against removal therefrom. A second washer 51 is secured in the outer end of spindle 9. Washers 50 and 51 have a central hole formed therein and thus function accomplished in the same manner as the latch unit shown in FIG. 1.

Whether a privacy lock or latch unit is installed in a bedroom or bathroom there is a chance that a person in the room may faint or otherwise become incapable of opening the door, hence, emergency means must be provided to permit unlocking of the door from the exterior. This is readily accomplished, for instance, by providing a small hole 53 in the outer knob in alignment with bar 36, it will only be necessary to insert a screw driver, a nail file or the like, this when inserted will engage a notch 54 formed in the end of the bar, thus by turning the screw driver or file, bar 36 will be turned and the door becomes unlocked. Another form of emergency unlocking device is shown in FIG. 21. Here a turn button is interposed between the end of the bar and the knob, the button projects through the knob and has a slot 55 formed therein. By inserting the edge of a coin or knife blade the door may be readily unlocked, or, for that matter, readily locked, since the button is capable of turning the bar in either direction.

The lock set may also be used for outside doors, for instance, by referring to FIG. 23 the outer knob 10' is provided with a key-actuated mechanism whereby the bar 36 may be rotated. In this instance a pin tumbler type of lock is illustrated, in which 58 indicates the cylinder body and 59 the cylinder plug. The inner end of the cylinder plug straddles the outer end of the bar 36, hence when a proper key 60 is inserted the plug and bar may be rotated to either unlock or lock the lock set. FIG. 24 is a perspective view of the outer end of spindle 9. It is closed by a washer-like plate 61 similar to that shown in FIG. 14, and as it has a central hole formed therein it serves as a support for the outer end of bar 3 6, also as a portion of its outer periphery is cut away as at 16, see FIGS. 14 and 24 it serves as a support for a housing 64, which in turn receives and supports the cylinder body 58, Le. the housing 64 has a tongue 65 of a shape similar to the roll back member. Thus when assembling the outer knob assembly shown in FIG. 23, the tongue is first inserted in the opening 16, the cylinder body containing the cylinder plug is then inserted in the housing 64 and the knob 10 is finally applied and secured to the spindle in any suitable manner, for instance, by a spring actuated catch 66.

It was previously mentioned that rotation of the spindles was limited to one-half revolution by lug 40 which extends into the semicircular recess 3%, see FIG. 5. The lug 40 is small and when it engages one or another of the stop shoulders 42 and 43 it might be sheared off or broken it a strong person should apply sufiicient turning force. To prevent this a second pair of stop shoulders 68 and 69 is provided, see FIG. 12. An opening 29 is formed in the anchor plate 34, the roll back member 14 extends through this opening, hence, it is circular in shape at one end to permit rotation of the roll back member, but as the spindles and roll back member require only a quarter revolution in either direction to retract the latch bolt, the stop shoulders 68 and 69 are provided. When the spindles are rotated in a clock-wise direction lug 40 will engage the stop shoulder 42 and the roll back member will at the same time engage the stop shoulder 69 or vice versa, hence, it will take a greater force to turn or twist off the knob as two pair of stop shoulders are provided to limit rotation in either direction.

Having thus described my invention, what I desire to secure by Letters Patent is:

In a latch unit, an inner and an outer housing, a spindle and knob journaled in each housing, a roll back member actuated by either spindle, a spring loaded latch bolt, an anchor plate on the inner end thereof through which the roll back member extends, and whereby the latch bolt is actuated, a bar extending through both spindles, a turn button on the inner knob and connected with the bar for rotating the same, a cam plate in the outer spindle through which the bar extends, a dog on one end of the cam plate and a lug on the opposite end, a pocket formed in the housing adjacent the dog, a semi circular recess formed in the housing adjacent the lug, means for rotating the bar in one direction to project the dog into the pocket to lock the spindles against rotation, other means for rotating the bar in the opposite direction to project the lug into the semicircular recess, said recess having a stop shoulder at each end to limit rotation of the spindles, and a pair of stop shoulders formed on the anchor plate to limit rotation of the spindles.

References Cited in the file of this patent UNITED STATES PATENTS 1,916,848 North July 4, 1933 2,473,052 Cordrey et a1 June 14, 1949 2,741,502 Crandell Apr. 10, 1956 2,764,445 Cerf Sept. 25, 1956 2,803,958 Gilbert Aug. 27, 1957 2,838,926 Schmid June 17, 1958 2,844,953 Hillgren July 29, 1958 2,862,751 Schweitzer Dec. 2, 1958 2,872,236 Check Feb. 3, 1959 2,885,880 Muttart May 12, 1959 2,931,206 Friedman et a1. Apr. 5, 1960

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