US3225363A

US3225363A - Foot-actuated latch

Info

Publication number: US3225363A
Application number: US356177A
Authority: US
Inventors: Kirsch Benjamin
Original assignee: Individual
Current assignee: Individual
Priority date: 1964-03-31
Filing date: 1964-03-31
Publication date: 1965-12-28
Anticipated expiration: 1982-12-28

Description

Dec. 28, 1965 B. KIRSCH 3,225,363

FOOT-ACTUATED LATCH Original Filed Sept. 1, 1959 IN V EN TOR.

3,225,363 FOGT-ACTUATED LATCH Benjamin Kirsch, 418 3rd St., Elmont, N.Y. Continuation of application Ser. No. 837,518, Sept. 1, 1959. This application Mar. 31, 1964, Ser. No. 356,177 Claims. (Cl. 5-55) This application is a continuation of my copending application Serial No. 837,518 filed Sept. 1, 1959, and now abandoned.

The present invention relates to foot-actuated latches and more particularly to a readily releasable latch unit of this type which is adapted for attachment to beds, couches, sectional furniture or the like for the purpose of holding a plurality of units in assembled relationship and quickly releasing the furniture units for relative movement whenever desired.

The latch unit of the present invention may be conveniently attached to the usual angle members of the furniture frame which are of L-shaped cross-section.

Briefly, the latch unit comprises a latch-carrying plate member and an apertured strike plate member adapted to receive the latch member. The two plate members are removably attached to adjacent longitudinal portions of the angle members of two pieces of furniture which are to be held together releasably in side-by-side relationship. The pivotally mounted latch member of the latch unit has a sloping surface and is spring-pressed so that it will be guided into and yieldingly engage against one side of the aperture in the strike plate member. Additionally, the latch member is notched for locking engagement with an edge portion of strike plate'member adjacent to the aperture. The latch member is provided with a downwardly extending extension which terminates just above the floor. A person desiring to release the latch may do so, while remaining standing, by a simple lateral movement of his foot, whereby the foot presses against the lower end of the extension.

Various objects, features and advantages of the invention will become apparent upon reading the following specification together with the accompanying drawing forming a part hereof.

Referring to the drawing:

FIGURE 1 is a perspective view, partly broken away, showing twin beds pivoted to a common headboard, the beds being illustrated in side-by-side relationship and with a latch in accordance with the invention in locked position, the two plate members of the latch being mounted on the adjacent angle members of the two bed frames near the foot portions of the two beds.

FIGURE 2 is a view similar to FIG. 1 showing the two beds swung apart, as for cleaning the floor or making the beds, the latch being open.

FIGURE 3 is an enlarged end elevational view showing the latch in its locked condition, the angle members of the bed frames being shown in transverse section.

FIGURE 4 is a side elevational view of the latch shown in FIG. 3; and

FIGURE 5 is a plan view of the latch shown in FIGS. 3 and 4.

Referring to FIG. 1, a pair of twin beds each individually designated generally as and 11, respectively, is symmetrically pivoted as at 13 to a common headboard 14. The beds 10 and 11 are provided with casters which permit the beds to be swung apart on their separate pivots 13 from the side-by-side position shown in FIG. 1 to the separated position shown in FIG. 2. When in the separated position of FIG. 2, it is relatively convenient and easy to sweep the floor beneath the beds and to make the beds.

The bed 10 is provided with a box spring 17 and the other bed 11 is similarly provided with a box spring 18.

nited States Patent 0 3,225,363 Patented Dec. 28, 1965 The box spring 17 is of rectangular configuration in plan view and its lower portion is supported by a horizontally extending quadrangular framework of angle members comprising longitudinal angle members 20 and transverse angle members 21, all of L-shaped cross-section. The other box spring 18 is similarly supported on a quadrangular framework of angle members comprising longitudinal angle members 23 and transverse angle members 24. When the two beds are in side-by-side relationship as shown in FIG. 1, one of the longitudinal angle members 20 of one bed 10 extends parallel and in proximity to one of the longitudinal angle members 23 of the other bed 11.

Referring to FIGS. 3, 4 and 5, the latch comprises a latch-carrying plate member designated generally as 26 and a cooperating strike plate member designated generally as 27. The upper end portion of the latch-carrying plate member 26 is hooked as indicated at 29 and embraces the upper edge of the upright portion 30 of the longitudinal angle member 23 of bed 11. An L-shaped bracket 31 is provided with a hook-shaped terminal portion 33 which embraces the inner edge of the horizontally extending portion 34 of longitudinal member 23. The L-shaped bracket 31 is removably attached to the latchcarrying plate member 26 by threaded fastening means illustratively shown as a screw or bolt and nut unit 36.

The strike plate member 27 is hooked at its upper end as indicated at 37 and embraces the upper edge of the upright portion 38 of the longitudinal angle member 20 of the bed 10. A further L-shaped bracket 39 is provided with a hook-shaped terminal portion 40 which embraces the horizontally extending portion 41 of the longitudinal member 20 of bed 10. The L-shaped bracket 39 is removably attached to the strike plate member 27 by threaded fastening means illustratively shown as a screw or bolt and nut unit 43.

An L-shaped supporting bracket 44 is riveted as at 45 to the latch-carrying plate member 26. A pivot member, illustratviely shown as a rivet 47 fixed to the supporting bracket 44, carries a latch member designated generally. as 48. The latch member 48 is yieldingly urged in a counterclockwise direction as viewed in FIG. 3 by a helical tension spring 49. One end of the spring 49 is secured to the latch-carrying plate member 26 and the other end is secured to the latch member 48. v

The latch member 48 comprises a generally vertically extending depending portion 51 which is provided at its lower end with a sleeve 52 formed of resilient material such as rubber for engagement with the toe of a shoe (not shown) of a person actuating the latch member 48. The sleeve 52 is located in proximity to the floor where it may be conveniently engaged by the toe portion of the shoe of the person while actuating the latch. Because the sleeve 52 is formed of suitable resilient material, the shoe will not be scuffed.

The depending portion 51 of latch member 48 is connected by a horizontally extending leg portion 53 to a latch-lever portion 55 of the latch member 48. The latchlever portion 55 is pivoted intermediate its ends to the pivot 47 and extends freely through a rectangular aperture 56 formed in the latch-carrying plate member 26. The strike plate member 27 has a rectangular aperture 57 formed therein to receive the free end portion of the latchlever portion 55 of the latch member 48. The free end of the latch-lever portion 55 is rounded to form a nose portion 59 that will ride up over the lower edge of the aperture 57 in strike plate member 27 as the beds 10 and 11 are brought together. The lower edge of the latchlever portion 55 has

rectangular notches

60 and 61 formed therein adjacent to the nose portion 59 for locking en gagement with the lower edge of the aperture 57 in the latch plate member 27.

In operation, the beds and 11, when in the position shown in FIG. 1, may be unlocked from each other by simply pressing leftwardly on the sleeve 52. The beds 10 and 11 may then be swung apart into the position shown in FIG. 2 for making the beds or sweeping the fioor beneath the beds. They may be re-locked together by bringing them back into the position shown in FIG. 1 whereupon the spring-pressed latch-lever portion 55 will reengage the strike plate member 27 with notch 60. If a closer spacing betwen the beds 10 and 11 is desired, the latch-lever 55 may be actuated so that the notch 61 is engaged with the strike plate 27 instead of the notch 60, r

as shown in FIG. 3. The two portions of the latch are so dimensioned that they will fit in the availale space between the longitudinal angle members and 23 of the beds 10 and 11, respectively. The two parts of the latch may be attached or removed at will by use of the threaded fastening means 36 and 43.

While I have shown and described what I believe to be the best embodiment of my invention, it will be apparent to those skilled in the art that various modifications may be made therein without departing from the spirit and scope of the invention as defined in the appended claims.

What is claimed is:

1. A latch for use with a pair of beds pivoted for relative movement about a vertical axis, said beds having a normally closed position wherein a horizontally elongated straight structural member of each bed extends paraller to and in spaced relationship with respect to a corresponding structural member of the other bed, said structural members being positioned at a predetermined fixed height above a floor, each of said structural members comprising an upwardly extending portion which terminates in a free edge, said beds being pi-votable about said axis to an open position wherein said structural members diverge outwardly away from said axis, said latch comprising: a first plate member; first detachable fastening means for securing said first plate member to said structural member of one of said beds at a location spaced from said axis; a second plate member; second detachable fastening means for securing said second plate member to said structural member of the other bed, said plate members confronting each other within the space between said structural members with said beds in said closed position when said latch is operatively positioned on said beds, each of said plate members being shaped to form a hook at its upper end portion, said hook being engageable with said free edge of the structural member to which it is fastened to hold said plate member simultaneously against downward displacement nad against lateral displacement of said upper end portion with respect to its associated structural member when said latch is operatively positioned on said beds; a spring pressed latch member carried by said first plate member, said second plate member having an aperture formed therein for receiving said latch member to lock said plate members together with said beds in said closed position; and an actuator extending downwardly to provide a free end portion at a location spaced above the floor by a distance which is sufiiciently small when said latch is operatively positioned on said beds to permit engagement of said free end portion by the foot of an operator by lateral displacement of the foot while the foot remains elfectively in engagement with the floor, said actuator being carried by said first plate member and connected to release said latch member in response to said engagement with said foot for moving said beds to said open. position.

2. A latch according to claim 1, wherein each of said detachable fastening means comprises disengageable means holding a portion of each plate member located below said hook simultaneously against lateral and upward displacement with respect to its associated structural member.

3. A latch according to claim 1, wherein said plate members are of the same dimensions, the edges of said plate members being in horizontal alignment with said beds in said closed position.

4. A latch for use with two elongated pieces of furniture which are movable relatively to each other over a floor, said pieces being normally closely spaced together in side-by-side relationship, each of said pieces comprising a longitudinally extending horizontal L-shaped angle member, said angle members being normally disposed in closely spaced parallel relationship at the same height above the floor, said angle members having confronting upwardly extending vertical portions and horizontally inwardly extending portions, said latch comprising: a latch-carrying plate member, a strike plate member normally directly confronting said latch-carrying plate member, each of said plate members comprising a hooked upper end portion embracing the free upper edge of one of said vertical portions when said latch is operatively positioned on said pieces of furniture, two bracket members each secured to one of said plate members, each of said bracket members comprising a hooked end portion which embraces a free inner edge of one of said horizontally extending portions when said latch is operatively positioned on said pieces of furniture, the upper portions of said plate members When said latch is operatively positioned on said pieces of furniture, being disposed in the space between said vertical portions of said angle members, said strike plate member having an aperture formed therein, and a latch member pivoted to said latch-carrying plate member, said latch member including a notched portion extending through said aperture, spring means yieldingly holding said notched portion in locking engagement with an edge of said aperture, said latch member further comprising a depending portion extending downwardly, when said latch is operatively positioned on said pieces of furniture, into proximity to said floor, lateral displacement of said depending portion unlocking said notched portion, whereby said pieces may be unlocked to permit relative movement by lateral engagement of the lower end of said depending portion by the toe of the foot of a person actuating said latch.

5. A latch according to claim 4, wherein said bracket members are secured to said plate members by removable fastening means.

References Cited by the Examiner UNITED STATES PATENTS 571,000 11/1896 Jackson 512 X 1,117,877 11/ 1914 McAllister 292-255 1,329,395 2/ 1920 Gamlin 108-5 1,718,923 6/1929 Hananer 555 2,118,050 5/1938 Martin 555 2,144,651 1/ 1939 Feldman 292-128 2,272,825 2/ 1942 Anderson 292-428 2,523,987 9/ 1950 Fox 58 2,703,265 '3/1955" Wolfe Q48228 3,008,176 11/1961 Paine, et al. 5--8 FOREIGN PATENTS 900,870 1/ 1954 Germany.

FRANK B. SHERRY, Primary Examiner.

Claims

1. A LATCH FOR USE WITH A PAIR OF BEDS PIVOTED FOR RELATIVE MOVEMENT ABOUT A VERTICAL AXIS, SAID BEDS HAVING A NORMALLY CLOSED POSITION WHEREIN A HORIZONTALLY ELONGATED STRAIGHT STRUCTURAL MEMBER OF EACH BED EXTENDS PARALLER TO AND IN SPACED RELATIONSHIP WITH RESPECT TO A CORRESPONDING STRUCTURAL MEMBER OF THE OTHE BED, SAID STRUCTURAL MEMBERS BEING POSITIONED AT A PREDETERMINED FIXED HEIGHT ABOVE A FLOOR, EACH OF SAID STRUCTURAL MEMBERS COMPRISING AN UPWARDLY EXTENDING PORTION WHICH TERMINATES IN A FREE EDGE, SAID BEDS BEING PIVOTABLE ABOUT SAID AXIS TO AN OPEN POSITION WHEREIN SAID STRUCTURAL MEMBERS DIVERGE OUTWARDLY AWAY FROM SAID AXIS, SAID LATCH COMPRISING: A FIRST PLATE MEMBER; FIRST DETACHABLE FASTENING MEANS FOR SECURING SAID FIRST PLATE MEMBER TO SAID STRUCTURAL MEMBER OF ONE OF SAID BEDS AT A LOCATION SPACED FROM SAID AXIS; A SECOND PLATE MEMBER; SECOND DETACHABLE FACTENING MEANS FOR SECURING SAID SECOND PLATE MEMBER TO SAID STRUCTURAL MEMBER OF THE OTHER BED, SAID PLATE MEMBERS CONFRONTING EACH OTHER WITHIN THE SPACE BETWEEN SAID STRUCTURAL MEMBERS WITH SAID BEDS IN SAID CLOSED POSITION WHEN SAID LATCH IS OPERATIVELY POSITIONED ON SAID BEDS, EACH OF SAID PLATE MEMBERS BEING