US3171677A

US3171677A - Closure latch

Info

Publication number: US3171677A
Application number: US273418A
Authority: US
Inventors: Jr Edwin H Klove; Rehkugler Gerhard
Original assignee: Motors Liquidation Co
Current assignee: Motors Liquidation Co
Priority date: 1963-04-16
Filing date: 1963-04-16
Publication date: 1965-03-02
Anticipated expiration: 1982-03-02

Description

Mam}! 1965 E. H. KLOVE, JR., ETAL 3,171,677

CLOSURE LATCH Filed April 16, 1963 2 Sheets-Sheet 1 /6Z' INVENTORS ATTORNEY March 2, 1965 Filed April 16, 1963 E. H. KLQVE, JR. ET AL CLOSURE LATCH 2 Sheets-Sheet 2 7 INVENTORS azaz'zz 5114 0/ 2:

ATTORNEY United States Patent 3,171,677 (ILQSURE LATCH Edwin H. Klove, In, Warren, Mich, and Gerhard Rehkugler, Monte Serene, Calif., assignors to General Motors Qorporation, Detroit, Mich, a corporation of Delaware Filed Apr. 16, 1863, Ser. No. 273,418 12 Claims. (Cl. 292-216) This invention relates to closure latches and more particularly to vehicle body door locks.

One feature of this invention is that it provides an improved vehicle body door lock. Another fetaure of this invention is that it provides an improved vehicle body door lock having a bolt, release means for holding the bolt in latched position, and operating means for the release means including a member coupling the operating means and the release means and being shiftable with respect to both in a single plane in directions normal to each other to selectively couple and uncouple the operating means and the release means. A further feature of this invention is that it provides an improved vehicle body door lock having a bolt, detent means releasably holding the bolt in latched position, and operating means for the detent means including an intermittent member carried by an operating lever and being shiftable in a single plane with respect thereto in directions normal to each other between either of two positions wherein the intermittent member selectively and alternately couples and uncouples the operating lever and the detent means.

These and other features of the door lock of this invention will be readily apparent from the following specification and drawings wherein:

FIGURE 1 is a partial side elevational view of a vehicle body embodying a door lock according to this invention;

FIGURE 2 is a partially broken away perspective view of the lock;

FIGURE 3 is a partially broken away view of the lock in unlocked condition;

FIGURE 4 is a view similar to FIGURE 3 showing the lock in locked condition;

FIGURE 5 is a sectional View taken generally along the plane indicated by line 55 of FIGURE 3; and

FIGURE 6 is a sectional view taken generally along the plane indicated by line 66 of FIGURE 3.

Referring now particularly to FIGURE 1 of the drawings, a vehicle body 18 includes a front door 12 and a rear door 14, each of which is swingably mounted in a suitable manner adjacent its forward edge portion on the body 1% for movement between a closed position, as shown, and an open position, not shown. Door 12 is held in its closed position by a door lock, such as that shown and described in the copending application of Robert M. Fox and Edwin H. Klove, Jr. (A-ZSOO), Serial No. 273,523, filed April 16, 1963, and assigned to the assignee of this invention. Door 14 is held in closed position by a door lock 16 according to this invention.

As shown in FIGURES 2 through 6 of the drawings, the lock 16 includes a main frame or plate 18 which is adapted to abut the rear or jamb wall 20 of door 14 and to be secured thereto by a number of bolts 22 extending into tapped openings provided in the plate 18. A fork type bolt 24 is rotatably mounted on a shouldered stub shaft 26 which extends between the plate 18 and an auxiliary plate 28 which is located in inwardly spaced relationship to the plate 18. Plate 28 includes a lower laterally extending wall 30, FIGURE 6, staked at 32 to the plate 18, a pair of laterally extending side walls 34 and 36 which extend partially toward the plate 18 and are'located to each side of the wall 38, and another laterally extending wall 38 which extends to plate 18 'ice and is staked thereto. A pin 40 extend between the walls 34 and 36 and slidably mounts a generally wedge-shaped nylon guide shoe 42 which is normally spring biased outwardly of the body or to the right, as viewed in FIGURES 2, 3 and 4, by a coil compression spring 44 which seats against the wedge and wall 34, as shown in FIGURE 4.

When the bolt 24 is in latched position, as shown, the opening 46 of the bolt defined by the legs thereof straddles the shank 48 of a headed striker pin Stl which is mounted in a suitable manner on the body lock pillar 52, as shown in FIGURE 6. The head of the striker pin bears against the guide shoe 42 so that the pin is effectively trapped between the bolt and the guide shoe. The plate 18 is notched at 54 and the wall 28 and inner panel of the door 14 are also notched to permit the striker pin to enter the lock 16. It will also be noted, as shown in FIGURE 2, that the plate 28 includes a laterally extending accurately shaped flange 56 which abuts a flange 58 of plate 18 and provides a guide for the head of the striker pin when the striker pin initially enters the lock 16. A coil tension spring 60 hooked between a shoulder 62 of the bolt 24 and an apertured tab 64 of the frame 18 normally biases the bolt in a counterclockwise direction toward unlatched position. The bolt is located in unlatched position, by engagement of the shoulder 66 of the bolt with a lanced lateral tab 68 of the plate 18. The bolt includes two adjacent shoulders 70 and 72 which are adapted to be alternately engaged by a foot or shoulder 74 of a detent member 76 in order to hold the bolt in latched position, as shown, or safety position. The detent 76 is pivotally secured at 78 to the plate 18 and is normally spring biased clockwise or toward engagement with the bolt 24 by a tension spring 80 hooked between a notched lateral tab 82 of the plate 18 and an apertured lateral flange or leg 84 of the detent.

The outside operating means for moving the detent 76 counterclockwise and out of engagement with the bolt 24 includes an outside operating handle 86 fixedly mounted on the outer panel of door 14 and embodying conventional push button operating means 88 having a push rod 80. The push rod 90 is adapted to abut a vertically elongated operating surface or portion 92 of an outside operating lever 94. Lever 94 includes upper and lower

lateral flanges

96 and 98, respectively, which are pivotally secured at 180 and 102 to upper and lower

lateral flanges

104 and 106, respectively, of the plate 18. A coil torsion spring 188 surrounds the pivot shaft 109 and has one end 11% thereof bearing against the lever 94 and the other end 112 thereof hooked over the flange 104 to normally bias the lever 94 in a clockwise direction, as viewed in FIGURE 2, to its inoperative or nonoperating position, with the lever 94 being located in this position by engagement of a lateral tab 114 thereof with an edge 116 of a notch in flange 186.

The lever 94 fixedly mounts a pair of oppositely extending studs or pivot pins 118 which are pivotally and slidably received in apertured upper and lower lateral flanges or

legs

120 and 122,'respectively, of an intermittent member 124 in order to pivotally and slidably couple the intermittent member to the outside operating member. The intermittent member extends across the bolt 24 and the detent 76 and is movable between an unlocked position, as shown in FIGURE 3, and a locked position, as shown in FIGURE 4. When the intermittent member 124 is in its unlocked position, as shown in FIGURE 3, a lateral tab 126 thereof is located adjacent to and opposite a lateral tab or foot 128 of the detent 7d. When the intermittent member is in this position, and the outside operating lever 94 is rotated in a counterclockwise direction, as viewed in FIGURE 2, the intermittent member 94 is shifted to the left as it rotates about the pins 118 so that the foot 126 of the intermittent member engages the foot 128 of the detent to move the detent counterclockwise about its pivot 78 and move the foot 74 thereof out of engagement with the shoulder '70 of the bolt 24 and permit the spring 60 to move the bolt to unlatched position.

When the intermittent member is in its locked position, as shown in FIGURE 4, it can be seen that movement of the intermittent member to the left upon rotational movement of the outside operating lever 14 will move the foot 126 below and past the foot 128 of the detent without moving the detent out of engagement with the bolt 24. The intermittent member 124 is moved between locked and unlocked positions by a locking lever 138 which is pivoted at 132 on a lateral flange 134 of the plate 18. The locking lever 130 is coupled by a shiftable rod 136 to the garnish button 138, FIGURE 1, which is mounted on the door 14 in a Conventional manner. A lateral flange 144 of the locking lever includes terminal lateral flanges 142 and 144 which straddle a flange 146 of the intermittent member so that upon swinging movement of the locking lever 130 about its pivot 132, the flanges 142 and 144 will shift the intermittent member upwardly or downwardly of the operating lever 94 between locked and unlocked positions. The locking lever 130 is movable between its unlocked position, as shown in FIG- URE 3, and its locked position, as shown in FIGURE 4,

' and is held in either of these positions by an overcenter coil type torsion spring 148 hooked between the locking lever and the flange 134. The locking lever further in cludes an offset foot or tab 150 which extends through an arcuate slot 152 in the flange 134 and is engageable with opposite ends of the slot to locate the locking lever in both its locked and unlocked positions.

From the foregoing description, it will be noted that the intermittent member 124 is shifted or moved in a generally vertically disposed plane between locked and unlocked positions when the locking lever is moved between its locked and its unlocked positions. It will also be noted that the locking lever shifts or moves horizontally in this same vertical plane when the member 4 is operated by the push button means 88. It should also be noted that the flange 140 of the locking lever provides a guide or a limit stop for the intermittent member 124 to swingably locate the intermittent member with respect to the operating lever 94 and detent 76.

The subject look also includes the features of automatic .undogging and keyless locking. Should the door be in an open position and the garnish button depressed to shift the intermittent member 124 to its locked position,

as shown in FIGURE 4, and should the door then be closed, the detent 76 will ratchet past the shoulders 72 and 70 of the bolt 24 to intermittently swing counterclockwise of the plate 18. As the detent 76 swings counterclockwise, a lateral tab 154 provided on leg 156 thereof will engage an edge 158 of the intermittent member 124 to shift the intermittent member from its locked position, as shown in FIGURE 4, to its unlocked position, as shown in FIGURE 3, and in turn shift the locking lever 154 from its lockedposition to its unlocked position. The outside operating member 94 remains stationary during this movement since the intermittent member merely slides along the pins 118. v

Keyless locking is accomplished in the same manner as automatic undogging except that the push button means 88 is depressed and held when the door is closed so that the intermittent member 124 is shifted to the left and the upward swinging movement of the foot 156 of the detent member as the detent member ratchets past the bolt 24 will cause this foot to swing past the intermittentmember without any engagement between the two.

The inside operating means includes a conventional remote handle .160, FIGURE 1, which is mounted on the inner panel of the door and actuates a shiftable remote rod 162. Rod 162 is pivoted 'to an inside operating lever 164 which 'is pivoted at 166 to an angularly located 4 flange 168 of plate 18 and includes a foot engageable with the tab 114 of the outside operating lever 94 in order to swing the outside operating lever and in turn operate the lock.

Thus, this invention provides an improved door lock.

What is claimed is:

l. A closure latch comprising, in combination, support means, latch means mounted on said support means for movement between latched and unlatched positions, detent means for holding said latch means in latched position, detent release means, means mounting said detent release means on said support means for bodily shifting movement in a plane in one direction relative thereto between first and second positions and bodily shifting movement in said plane in a direction normal to said one direction relative thereto in either of said positions, and means coupling said release means to said detent means in one of said positions to release said detent means upon movement of said release means in said direction normal to said one direction.

2. A closure latch comprising, in combination, support means, latch means mounted on said support means for movement between latched and unlatched positions, detent means for holding said latch means in latched position, detent release means, means mounting said detent release means on said support means for bodily shifting movement in a plane in one direction relative thereto'between first and second positions and bodily shifting movement in said plane in a direction normal to said one direction relative thereto in either of said positions, means coupling said release means to said detent means in said first position'to release said detent means upon movement of said release means in said direction normal to said one direction, means uncoupling said release means from said detent means in said second position and means for moving said release means between said first and second positions.

3. A closure latch comprising, in combination, support means, latch means mounted on said support means for movement between latched and unlatched positions, detent means for holding said latch means in latched position,

' detent release means, means mounting said detent release means on said support means for bodily shifting movement in a plane in one direction relative thereto between first and second positions and bodily shifting movement in said plane in a direction normal to said one direction relative thereto in either of said positions, means coupling said release means to said detent means in said first position to release said detent means upon movement of said release means in said direction normal to said one direction, means uncoupling said release means from said detent means in said second position, and selectively operable first and second means for moving said release means between said first and second positions.

4. A closure latch comprising, in combination, support means including a main support plate, latch means mounted on said plate for movement between latched and unlatched positions, detent means for holding said latch means in latched position, means on said plate defining a vertically disposed axis extending substantially the full vertical depth of said plate, a detent release member mounted on said axis for sliding movement therealong between first and second positions relative to said plate and movement thereabout in either of said positions, and means on said release member engageable with said detent means in one of said positions to release said detent means upon movement of said release member about said axis.

5. A closure latch as recited in claim 4 including inside release means, and means coupling said inside release means to said detent release member in at least one of said positions thereof.

6. A closure latch comprising, in combination, support means including a main support plate, latch means mounted on said plate for movement between latched and unlatched positions, detent means for holding said latch means in latched position and including an operating abutment, shaft means defining a vertically disposed axis extending substantially the full vertical depth of said plate, a detent release member mounted on said shaft means for sliding movement therealong between first and second positions relative to said plate and swinging movement thereabout in either of said positions, said release member including an abutment located in opposition to said detent means abutment in one of said positions and engageaole therewith to release said detent means upon swinging movement of said release member in said one of said positions, and means for shifting said release member from said one of said positions to said other of said positions wherein said release member abutment is located out of opposition to said detent means abutment.

7. A closure latch comprising, in combination, support means including a main support plate, latch means mounted on said plate for movement between latched and unlatched positions, detent means for holding said latch means in latched position and including an operating abutment, shaft means defining a vertically disposed axis extending substantially the full vertical depth of said plate, a detent release member mounted on said shaft means for sliding movement therealong between first and second positions relative to said plate and swinging movement thereabout in either of said positions, said release member including an abutment located in opposition to said detent means abutment in said first position and engageable therewith to release said detent means upon swinging movement of said release member in said one of said positions, inside locking means for shifting said release member from said first position to said second position wherein said release member abutment is located out of opposition to said detent means abutment, and means on said detent means for shifting said release member from said second position to said first position.

8. A closure latch comprising, in combination, support means including a main support plate, latch means mounted on said plate for movement between latched and unlatched positions, detent means for holding said latch means in latched position and including an operating abutment, an outside operating member movably mounted on said plate, shaft means carried by said operating member and defining a vertically disposed axis extending substantially the full vertical depth of said plate, an intermittent member mounted on said shaft means for sliding movement therealong between first and second positions relative to said plate and swinging movement thereabout in either of said positions upon movement of said operating member, said intermittent member including an abutment located in opposition to said detent abutment in said first position and engageable therewith to release said detent means upon movement of said operating member when said intermittent member is in said one of said positions, and means for shifting said intermittent member from said first position to said second position wherein said intermittent member abutment is located out of opposition to said detent means abutment.

9. A closure latch as recited in claim 8 wherein said main support plate includes upper and lower laterally disposed portions, said operating member includes upper and lower laterally disposed portions mounted on said plate portions, said shaft means are carried by said operating member portions, inside release means, and means coupling said inside release means to one of said operating member portions in at least one position of said intermittent member.

10. A closure latch as recited in claim 9 wherein said inside release means is coupled to said operating member in both positions of said intermittent member.

11. A closure latch as recited in claim 8 wherein said operating member includes a vertically disposed flange portion extending substantially the full vertical depth of said plate so as to be engaged at a number of places thereon by outside operating means.

12. A closure latch comprising, in combination, support means including a main support plate portion, latch means mounted on said main support plate portion for movement between latched and unlatched positions, detent means for holding said latch means in latched position, means on said support means defining a vertically disposed axis extending substantially the full depth of said main support plate portion, a detent release member mounted on said axis for vertical sliding movement therealong between first and second positions relative to said support means and swinging movement thereabout in either of said positions, means coupling said release member to said detent means in said first position to release said detent means upon swinging movement of said release member, means for shifting said release member from said first to said second position wherein said release member is uncoupled from said detent means, and operating means coupled to said release member in each of said positions thereof to swing said release member relative to said support means.

References Cited in the file of this patent UNITED STATES PATENTS 2,904,365 Cockburn et al Sept. 15, 1959

Claims

1. A CLOSURE LATCH COMPRISING, IN COMBINATION, SUPPORT MEANS, LATCH MEANS MOUNTED ON SAID SUPPORT MEANS FOR MOVEMENT BETWEEN LATCHED AND UNLATCHED POSITIONS, DETENT MEANS FOR HOLDING SAID LATCH MEANS IN LATCHED POSITION, DETENT RELEASE MEANS, MEANS MOUNTING SAID DETENT RELEASE MEANS ON SAID SUPPORT MEANS FOR BODILY SHIFTING MOVEMENT IN A PLANE IN ONE DIRECTION RELATIVE THERETO BETWEEN FIRST AND SECOND POSITIONS AND BODILY SHIFTING MOVEMENT IN SAID PLANE IN A DIRECTION NORMAL TO SAID ONE DIRECTION RELATIVE THERETO IN EITHER OF SAID POSITIONS, AND MEANS COUPLING SAID RELEASE MEANS TO SAID DETENT MEANS IN ONE OF SAID POSITIONS TO RELEASE SAID DETENT