US3224802A

US3224802A - Door control apparatus

Info

Publication number: US3224802A
Application number: US302983A
Authority: US
Inventors: Albert L Pelcin
Original assignee: Eastern Co
Current assignee: Eastern Co
Priority date: 1963-08-19
Filing date: 1963-08-19
Publication date: 1965-12-21
Anticipated expiration: 1982-12-21

Description

Dec. 21, 1965 A. L. PELCIN 3,224,802

DOOR CONTROL APPARATUS Filed Aug. 19, 1963 2 Sheets-Sheet 1 INVENTOR ALBERT L. PELCIN ATTORNE S Dec. 21, 1965 A. L. PELCl-N 3,224,802

DOOR CONTROL APPARATUS Filed Aug. 19, 1963 2 Sheets-Sheet 2 INVENTOR.

ALBERT L PELCIN ATT RNEYS United States Patent M s,224,sn2 D9015. CGNTRGL APPARATUS Albert EL. Pelcin, @aitwood Village, Redford, @hio, as-

signor to The Eastern Company, Cleveland, @hio, a corporation of Connecticut Filed Aug. 19, 1963, Ser. No. 302,983 12 Claims. (Cl. 292-246) This invention relates to door control apparatus for a swingable door and, more particularly, to control apparatus of the latch and keeper type having an associated holdopen means for holding the door in an open position.

In various vehicles including those of the refrigerator type, the access opening to the cargo chamber usually has a swingable door which may cause damage, or be subject to damage, unless the door is held in a given position when it has been opened. The present invention accordingly provides novel door control means of the latch and keeper type having associated hold-open means for holding the door in a given open position where it will not be likely to cause damage or be subject to damage.

One example of a situation where such a door is likely to cause damage or personal injury is when the vehicle is standing adjacent a traffic lane and the opened door is permitted to extend into such traffic lane. The holdopen means provided by this invention prevents this condition by holding the opened door in a position adjacent a side wall of the vehicle body.

Another example of such a situation is where the door in question is a rear door of the vehicle body and the opened door is permitted to stand in, or is accidentally swingable to, a position in which it could collide with a loading dock when the vehicle is being backed toward the latter. Again, the hold-open means of this invention prevents damage by holding the opened door in a position adjacent the side wall of the vehicle body.

As a further object thereof, this invention provides novel door control means comprising mechanism of the latch and keeper type and having a projecting stem or finger means, and an associated hold-open means comprising bracket means and a door-restraining member movable relative to the bracket means and having an opening for releasably receiving such stem or finger means.

Still another object is to provide novel door control and hold-open means of the character above indicated wherein the latch mechanism includes actuating means of the rotary bar type for the latch member and the projecting stem or finger means extends along the axis of the rotary movement of the bar.

Yet another object is to provide such a novel door control and hold-open means in which the bracket and associated door-restraining member are on a side wall of the vehicle body and are preferably located in a gap or recess of rub-rail means mounted on such side wall.

Additionally, this invention provides novel door control and hold-open means of the character mentioned above and having spring means for urging the door-restraining member in a direction to maintain the projection means or finger engaged in the opening of the doorrestraining member, the spring means being also effective to urge the doorrestraining member to a parked position adjacent the side wall of the vehicle body.

()ther objects, novel characteristics and advantages of this invention will be apparent in the following detailed description and in the accompanying drawings forming a part of this specification and in which,

FIG. 1 is a partial side and rear perspective view of a vehicle body having the novel door control and hold-open means of this invention installed thereon, and showing the door being held in an open position adjacent a side wall of the vehicle body;

3,224,892 Patented Dec. 21, 1965 FIG. 2 is a partial rear elevation of the vehicle body showing door latch mechanism embodying the novel holdopen means but with the door in its closed and latched position;

FIG. 3 is a partial side elevation showing a latch member of the mechanism in detached relation and on a larger scale;

FIG. 4 is a partial side elevation showing a portion of the vehicle body with one component of the hold-open means mounted thereon;

FIG. 5 is a partial horizontal section taken as indicated by section line 5-5 of FIG. 4;

FIG. 6 is a partial vertical section taken as indicated by section line 6-6 of FIG. 4; and

FIG. 7 is a partial vertical section similar to FIG. 6 except showing a modified rub-rail construction.

The hold-open means 10 of this invention is shown applied to a vehicle body 11 for holding a swingable door 12 thereof in a desired open position adjacent a side wall 13 of the vehicle body. The hold-open means 10 is associated with door control mechanism 14 of the latch and keeper type and comprises, in general, a projecting stem or finger means 16 carried by the door 12 and a holding unit 17 mounted on the wall 13 for releasable holding co-operation with such finger means.

The vehicle body 11 is here shown as having a rear opening 19 affording access to a cargo space such as a refrigerated chamber and which opening is adapted to be closed by the door 12. In this instance, the opening 19 is closed partially by the door 12 and partially by a second swingable door 20 to which another hold-open means 10 can be applied. The vehicle body 11 includes a lower doorframe portion 21 beneath the access opening 19 and an upright doorframe portion 22 along one side of the access opening. The door 12 is mounted on the upright doorframe portion 22 by suitable hinges 24.

The latch mechanism 14 controls the door 12 and retains the same in a door-latched condition when the door has been swung to a position closing the access opening 19 as shown in FIG. 2. The latch mechanism 14 comprises a keeper 25 of a conventional form mounted on the lower doorframe portion 21, and a latch member 26 carried by the door 12 and adapted for latching engagement with the keeper. The keeper 25 has an opening 27 for movably receiving the latch member 26.

The latch member 26 is here shown as being of the swingable type and as having a cam-like tapered shape suitable for its intended latching engagement in the keeper opening 27. The latch member 26 is carried and actuated by a vertically disposed rotatable bar 29 mounted on the door 12 as by means of

suitable support brackets

31 and 31. The bar 29 is rotatable on a pivot axis 32, as by means of a suitable handle 33, for causing doorlatching and door-unlatching co-operation of the latch member 26 with the keeper 25. Although the drawings show only one keeper and one latch member, the mechanism 14 usually comprises upper and lower keepers on the vehicle body 11 and upper and lower latch members on the actuating bar 29.

The finger means 16 of the hold-open means 10 comprises a stem projection on the latch member 26 and depending therefrom so as to lie substantially on the pivot axis 32. The finger means 16 is rigid with the latch member 26 and can be formed as an integral portion thereof. The drawings show the finger means 16 as comprising a substantially cylindrical stem 35 having, at the lower end thereof, a retaining shoulder or flange preferably in the form of an annular bead 36 extending therearound and the purpose of which will be explained hereinafter.

The holding unit 17 comprises a mounting bracket 38 (see FIGS. 4, 5 and 6) and a restraining member 39 swingably supported thereby. The bracket 38 includes a base plate 4% adapted to be secured to the wall 13 of the vehicle body 11 as by suitable screws 41. The restraining member 39 comprises a plate portion 42 having a slot-like opening 43, and a pair of lugs 44 disposed adjacent a similar pair of lugs 45 on the bracket 38. The restraining member 39 is swingably connected with the bracket 33 by a hinge pin 46 extending through the pairs of

lugs

44 and 45.

When the hold-open means is not being used, the plate portion 42 of the restraining member 39 occupies a parked position against the side of the vehicle body 11. The restraining member 39 is continuously urged toward this parked position by a spring 47 provided on the bracket 38 and disposed around the hinge pin 46. In the embodiment shown, the plate 42 of the restraining member 39 when in its inoperative position, engages a rub-rail 48 along the side of the body of the vehicle. The upper end of the plate is spaced slightly from the vehicle wall thus allowing it to be readily grasped and swung toward its operating position. When the restraining member 39 is in the parked location, it will be in a retracted position not likely to cause personal injury or be subject to damage.

The slot 43 of the restraining member 39 is of a size and shape to readily receive the finger means 16 of the latch member 26 when the door 12 is swung to its fullopen position adjacent the wall 13. To enable the slot 43 to receive the finger means 16, the restraining member 39 is manually grasped preferably by the portion thereof above the rub-rail 48 and which portion is spaced slightly from the main side wall 13 of the body 11 by the bumper rail, and swung downwardly from its parked position to its phantom-line position 39 shown in FIG. 6, at which time the restraining member projects laterally from the vehicle body. When the door 12 has arrived at its full-open position alongside the wall 13, the finger means 16 will then be above the phantom-line position 39 of the restraining member and, upon release of the restraining member, the spring 47 will swing the same upwardly to cause the finger means to enter the slot 43.

When the finger means 16 has been thus engaged in the slot 43, the restraining member 39 will hold the door 12 in the full-open position shown in FIG. 1 and the door will remain in this position until the operator releases the finger means from the slot. The finger means 16 can be readily released from the slot 43 by manually swinging the restraining member 39 downwardly from the phantom-line position 39 in opposition to the spring 47, whereupon the door 12 can be swung back to its closed position. After the disengagement of the finger means 16 from the slot 43, the restraining member 39 is released by the operator and is thereupon swung upwardly to its full-line parked position against the body of the vehicle by the spring 47.

The retaining shoulder 36 provided on the finger means 35 serves to prevent accidental disengagement of the finger means from the slot 43 of the restraining member 39. If the door 12 has a tendency to swing toward its closed position by gravity, or by the action of the wind against the door, the shoulder 36 will catch against the underside of the restraining member 39 for retaining the finger means engaged in the slot 43.

The longitudinal rub-rail 48 on the side wall 13 may be interrupted by a gap 49, FIG. 7, at the location of the holding unit 17 of the hold-open means 10, and the unit 17 is attached to the side wall 13 so that the member 39 will lie in the gap 49 of the rub-rail. When in this location, the unit 17 will be less exposed to damage or to cause damage, inasmuch as it will be shielded by the rubrail.

From the accompanying drawing and the foregoing detailed description it will now be readily understood that this invention provides novel door control mechanism having associated hold-open means by which a swingable door can be releasably held in a desired open position to which it has been swung. It will now also be recognized that the novel door control mechanism with its associated hold-open means, as provided by this invention, is of a simple and practical construction and can be readily applied to the swingable door of a vehicle body.

Although the door control mechanism of this inven tion has been illustrated and described herein to a somewhat detailed extent, it will be understood, of course, that the invention is not to be regarded as being correspondingly limited in scope but includes all changes and modifications coming within the terms of the claims hereof.

Having described my invention, I claim:

1. In control apparatus for a door swingable to open and closed positions relative to a structure having a doorframe portion and a side wall; a rub-rail mounted on said side wall and having a gap therein; latch means adapted for mounting on the door comprising a latch member movable relative to the door to door-latched and door-unlatched positions, and actuating means efiective to move the latch member from one to the other of said positions; and hold-open means adapted for mounting on said side wall in said gap to be engaged by a portion of said latch means when said doors has been swung to an open position adjacent said wall; said hold-open means comprising mounting means, and a door-restraining member supported by and movable relative to said mounting means and having an opening for releasably receiving the last-mentioned portion.

2. In control apparatus for a door swingable to open and closed positions relative to a structure having a doorframe portion and a wall; latch means adapted for mounting on the door comprising a latch member movable relative to the door to door-latched and door-unlatched positions, and actuating means effective to move the latch member from one to the other of said positions; and holdopen means adapted for mounting on said wall in a location to be engaged by a portion of said latch member when said door has been swung to an open position adjacent said wall; said hold-open means comprising bracket means having a seat portion engageable with said wall, and a door-restraining plate member swingably supported by said bracket means and having an opening for releasably receiving said latch member portion, said doorrestraining plate member being swingable between an unengageable position adjacent said wall and an engageable position projecting laterally from said wall; and means normally urging said door-restraining plate member towards said unengageable position.

3. In control apparatus for a door swingable to open and closed positions relative to a structure having a doorframe portion and a side wall; latch means adapted for mounting on the door comprising a latch member movable relative to the door to door-latched and door-unlatched positions, and actuating means efiective to move the latch member from one to the other of said positions; holdopen means adapted for mounting on said side wall in a location to be engaged by a portion of said latch member when said door has been swung to an open position adjacent said wall; said hold-open means comprising mounting means, and a door-restraining member swingable relative to said mounting means and having an opening for releasably receiving said latch member portion; said restraining member being swingable between a parked position in engagement with said wall and an effective position projecting laterally from said wall; and spring means normally urging said restraining member toward said parked position.

4. Door control apparatus according to claim 3 wherein said structure includes a laterally projecting longitudinally extending rub-rail mounted on said side wall and interrupted by a gap; said hold-open means being mounted on said wall at the location of said gap.

5. In control apparatus for a door swingable to open and closed positions relative to a structure having a doorframe portion and a side wall; a keeper adapted for mounting on said doorframe portion; latch means adapted for mounting on the door comprising a latch member movable relative to the door and to and from a doorlatched position in engagement with said keeper, and actuating means supporting said latch member and efiective to cause the latching and unlatching movement thereof; said latch member projecting in one direction from said latch means; finger means projecting in another direction from said latch means; and hold-open means adapted for mounting on said said wall for holding said door in an open position adjacent the wall; said hold-open means comprising mounting means, and a door-restraining member swingable relative to said mounting means and having an opening for releasably receiving said finger means.

6. In control apparatus for a door swingable to open and closed positions relative to a structure having a doorframe portion and a side wall; a keeper adapted for mounting on said doorframe portion; latch means adapted for mounting on the door comprising actuating means rotatable on an upright pivot axis, and a latch member movable relative to the door and to and from a door-latched position in engagement with said keeper; said latch member being supported by said actuating means and projecting therefrom in a direction transverse to said axis; finger means connected with said latch means and projecting therefrom along said axis; and hold-open means adapted for mounting on said side wall for holding said door in an open position adjacent the wall; said hold-open means comprising mounting means, and a door-restraining member swingable relative to said mounting means and having an opening for releasably receiving said finger means.

7. Door control apparatus according to claim 6 wherein said actuating means comprises a bar having said latch member rigid therewith at one end thereof; said finger means being carried by said latch member and projecting therefrom on the side remote from said bar.

8. Door control apparatus according to claim 6 wherein said keeper has a latch-receiving opening; said latch member comprising a cam member movable into said latch-receiving opening in camming co-operation with said keeper; said actuating means comprising a bar having said latch member rigid therewith at one end thereof; said finger means being carried by said latch member and projecting therefrom on the side remote from said bar.

9. In control apparatus for a door swingable to open and closed positions relative to a structure having a doorframe portion and a side wall; a keeper adapted for mounting on said doorframe portion; latch means adapted for mounting on the door comprising a latch member movable relative to the door and to and from a doorlatched position in engagement with said keeper, and actuating means supporting said latch member and effective to cause the latching and unlatching movement thereof;

said latch member projecting in one direction relative to said actuating means; finger means projecting in another direction relative to said actuating means; hold-open means adapted for mounting on said side wall for holding said door in an open position adjacent the wall; said hold-open means comprising mounting means, and a doorrestraining member swingable relative to said mounting means and having an opening for releasably receiving said finger means; and spring means for urging said restraining member in a direction to maintain said finger means engaged in said opening; said restraining member being manually movable in opposition to said spring means for disengaging the restraining member from said finger means.

It). In control apparatus for a door swingable to open and closed positions relative to a structure having a lower doorframe portion and an upright side wall; a keeper adapted for mounting on said doorframe portion; latch means adapted for mounting on said door comprising an upright actuating bar rotatable on a substantially vertical axis, and a latch member movable by said bar to and from a door-latched position in engagement with said keeper; said latch member being connected with said bar adjacent the lower end thereof so as to project therefrom in a direction transverse to said axis; a stem rigid with and depending from said latch member and located on said axis; hold-open means adapted for mounting on said side wall for holding said door in an open position adjacent the wall comprising a mounting bracket, and a door-restraining member swingable on said bracket and having an opening for releasably receiving said stem; and spring means urging said restraining means in an upward direction for causing engagement of said stem in said opening.

11. Door control apparatus according to claim 10 wherein said stem has shoulder means adjacent. the free end thereof for preventing accidental disengagement of the stem from said opening.

12. Door control apparatus according to claim 10 wherein said structure includes rub-rail means mounted on said side wall and interrupted by a gap; said hold-open means being in said gap and said restraining member being movable by said spring means to a parked position adjacent said side wall.

References Cited by the Examiner UNITED STATES PATENTS 886,143 4/1908 Marten 292218 1,071,730 9/1913 Garland. 1,536,110 5/1925 Lewis M 292-218 1,952,112 3/1934 Bartsch 292241 X 2,635,909 4/1953 Olander 292-246 2,661,973 12/1953 Swcger 292246 ALBERT H. KAMPE, Primary Examiner.

M. HENSON WOOD, In, Examiner.

Claims

1. IN CONTROL APPARATUS FOR A DOOR SWINGABLE TO OPEN AND CLOSED POSITIONS RELATIVE TO A STRUCUTRE HAVING A DOORFRAME PORTION AND A SIDE WALL; A RUB-RAIL MOUNTED ON SAID SIDE WALL AND HAVING A GAP THEREIN; LATCH MEANS ADAPTED FOR MOUNTING ON THE DOOR COMPRISING A LATCH MEMBER MOVABLE RELATIVE TO THE DOOR TO DOOR-LATCHED AND DOOR-UNLATCHED POSITIONS, AND ACTUATING MEANS EFFECTIVE TO MOVE THE LATCH MEMBER FROM ONE TO THE OTHER OF SAID POSITIONS; AND HOLD-OPEN MEANS ADAPTED FOR MOUNTING ON SAID SIDE WALL IN SAID GAP TO BE ENGAGED BY A PORTION OF SAID LATCH MEANS WHEN SAID DOORS HAS BEEN SWUNG TO AN OPEN POSITION ADJACENT SAID WALL; SAID HOLD-OPEN MEANS COMPRISING MOUNTING MEANS, AND A DOOR-RESTRAINING MEMBER SUPPORTED BY AND MOVABLE RELATIVE TO SAID MOUNTING MEANS AND HAVING AN OPENING FOR RELEASABLY RECEIVING THE LAST-MENTIONED PORTION.