US3228069A - Combination handle and lockactivating assembly - Google Patents

Description

Jan. Il, 1966 J. J. FRUEH 3,228,069

COMBINATION HANDLE AND LOGK-ACTIVATING ASSEMBLY Filed Jan. 14, 1964 3 ShGeS-Sheet 1 1N VENTOR.

J. J. FRUEH Jan. 1l, 1966 COMBINATION HANDLE AND LOCK-ACTIVATING ASSEMBLY 3 Sheets-Sheet 2 Filed Jan. 14, 1964 INVENTOR. :fo/1N J Pkv/5H Jan. 11, 1966 J. J. FRUEH 3,228,069

COMBINATION HANDLE AND LoCK-AGTIVATING ASSEMBLY Filed Jan. 14, 1964 3 Sheets-Sheet 3 INVENTOR.

United States Patent O 3,228,069 COMBINATION HANDLE AND LOCK- ACTIVA'IING ASSEMBLY John I. Frueh, S06 W. 167th St., Gardena, Calif. Filed Ian. 14, 1964, Ser. No. 337,656 11 Claims. (Cl. Ztl-23) This is a continuation-in-part of my application S.N. 239,154, tiled Nov. 21, 1962, now Patent No. 3,157,908, patented November 24, 1964.

This invention relates to dooror lock-activating constructions and particularly to such assemblies which activate an operating spindle (which spans or overlies the height or width of a door), which spindle is rotatable a quarter turn by means of a hand lever (transversely projecting from the spindle intermediate its ends) so as to dispose the opposite ends of the spindle in closed or open positions in relation to the adjacent door frame. The outer ends of the turning spindle may either help to seat and unseat a door, or alternately may lock and unlock a seated door depending upon the type of door which carries the spindle.

Thus, by one construction, rotation of the spindle shifts an aperture-aligned, sliding door into and out of closure position; such operation is etected when the door is edgesuspended along its upper (and lower) margin for horizontal movement into and out of a vertical frame or aperture. Alternately, when the door is hinge-mounted, as along a side edge, the opposite edge may be provided with such a spindle having engaging cams at each end thereot` for securing the closed door to the frame.

The invention also provides means for automatically rotating the spindle a quarter turn when the handle is released. For the sliding type door, this means that the door is thus automatically pushed open or retracted from its seated position in the doorway, to an outer position at which it can roll along the track spacedly overlying the adjacent wall. With rolling or sliding doors which move along an outhanging track, but seat in the doorway flush with the outer face of the adjacent wall, this eliminates the possibility of jamming the door against the adjacent wall by trying to push it shut before it is entirely aligned with its doorway.

The present door and lock construction is particularly adapted for closure of cargo carriers such as railway cars and highway trucks. One class of such heavy-duty doors may be built with considerable thickness containing insulating material and used on cold-storage vaults. One prominent feature of my construction makes it impossible to accidentally conne a person inside such a chamber even when the seated door is locked by an external padlock, such door being openable by a person from inside without disturbing the padlock and then being capable of being manually returned to its locked condition simply by being pushed shut. This provides an escape door for a refrigeration chamber.

Other objects and advantages will become apparent as the description proceeds, having particular reference to the drawings which illustrate presently preferred embodiments of the invention wherein:

FIG. 1 is an elevational view of the operating assembly as seen from the outer face of a door, with the operating lever and retainer bar alternately indicated also in broken lines in their depressed or unlatched position;

FIG. 2 is a vertical sectional view taken at right angles to FIG. l along the line 2-2 with structures seen in end elevation, and particularly showing in position for locking, the slide plate with its padlock eye;

FIG. 3 is an axial section through the latch bolt, taken along the line 3-3 of FIG. 1;

FIG. 4 is a top plan view of the assembly, the spindle appearing in section;

ICC

FIG. 5 is a longitudinal sectional view along the line 5-5 of FIG. 1, the elements within the channel of the operating assembly appearing in top plan, and the position of the operating lever when outswung and dropped parallel to the door and spindle, appearing in broken lines;

FIG. 6 is an external elevational view of a sliding door or closure panel fitted with the foregoing operating assembly and with track and roller means for functionally mounting both adjacent a wall aperture according to the present invention, with portions of the door-facing and the central suspension head broken away;

FIG. 7 is a transverse, vertical sectional view through the mounted door and door frame as viewed along the line 7--7 of FIG. 6 and particularly showing the attachment of the roller tracks, wheel truck and pivotal suspension head;

FIG. 8 is a horizontal section taken along the line 8 8 of FIGURE 7, particularly showing in top plan the upper horizontal roller, and with the suspension head and door in outswung position relative to the wheel truck, with a portion of the latter sectioned at a lower level to show its vertical roller;

FIG. 9 is a similar view to the preceding, partly in top plan and partly in horizontal section, with the suspension head inswung so as to locate the sliding door in closed position;

FIGURES 10, 11, 12 are views similar to the respective three preceding views but showing a modification wherein the roller track is inset along the top of the doorfrarne and thus disposed flush with the outer wall, and the r0- tary suspension head is accordingly attached to the door at a different location than the prior form, whereby the closed door is again disposed flush with the adjacent wall;

FIGURES 13 through 17 are corresponding views to FIGURES 1 through 5, showing the form of operating assembly used with a hinged door;

FIG. 18 is an external elevational view of an apertured wall with a laterally hinged door mounted in the opening thereof by use of the present operating assembly in association with terminal cam-locks carried by the spindle, the lower left corner of the door-facing being broken away;

FIG. 19 is a fragmental sectional view of the upper left lcorner of the mounted door of FIG. 18 with the doorfacing partly broken away, and particularly showing the location of a spindle-carried cam in locking position;

FIG. 20 is a fragmental section at right angles to the preceding view as seen along the line 20-20 of FIG- URE 19 and showing in elevation the upper cam end of the operating spindle; and

FIG. 21 is a top plan View along the line 21-21 of FIGURE 19 of the locking cam and engaging plate (partly broken away) of the door lintel, with the adjacent door post in horizontal section.

When the present construction is used with sliding doors such as are employed on cargo carriers, the sliding door mechanism shown in my U.S. Patent 2,532,491 is well suited. When incorporated with that particular track and roller suspension, the present operating assembly is added to the control stern 4 along the outer face of the door so as to make possible the manual, lever rotation of the central, upright stem or operating spindle between alternate positions a quarter turn apart, thus providing both an operating lever-handle and external locking means. With such assembly, a person accidentally locked inside by an external padlock, can readily open the door from within. This is in marked contrast to some escape doors which require the trapped occupant to detach the lock-mounting bolts from inside so that the external lock drops oft the door before it can be opened. By my construction (detailed below) the locking means are at no time rendered inoperative, but as soon as the occupant walks out, the

3 door can be immediately returned to its locked position with the padlock still undisturbed.

Still another form of track and roller suspension for such sliding doors is here detailed in association with my lock activating assembly. The door C is connected along its upper margin to (at least two) rotatable stems 2 inserted vertically into the body of the door from its upper, horizontal edge 25, with their upper ends fixed to respective U-shaped heads 8. The U-heads have their parallel arms 8a, 8c directed `generally horizontally, with the vertical connection 8b disposed outward from the door opening B or its surrounding frame A. The lower arms 8a of the U-heads are fixed to the stems 2, and the upper arm 8c carries a lateral extension 8d which is rotatable about a terminally journalled, upright pin 11, which forms part of the roller means and is spaced vertically above and laterally olset from the stem 2. As explained hereafter, the stem 2 by such mounting is disposed to move in a 90 (horizontal) arc about the pin.

A tubular structure 1, the hollow interior of which forms a (generally straight) track, is mounted (as by fastening elements 5) along the outer face of a wall W immediately above a doorway B, and longitudinally extending therefrom a minimum distance approximating the width of the doorway. The tube structure 1 is approximately rectangular in section, with the outer, vertical surface formed by upper 6 and lower 7 face flanges, spaced vertically apart (and transversely staggered) to dene a longitudinal slot 18 along the length of the tube and through which opening the extension arms 8d are inserted. The upper flange may be out-turned to form a projecting guard lip 3. Within the tube 1, the transverse span or space across the upper portion (that is, adjacent the upper ange 6) is greater than the parallel distance across the floor 21 of the track (FIGS. '7 and l0). Accordingly there are formed two tracks, upper T1 and lower T2, .of different widths, each of which receives a roller of a wheel truck 10 (the axes of the two connected rollers being respectively vertical in T1 and horizontal in T2).

Each extension arm 8d is attached to a roller assembly or wheel truck 10 which is movable lengthwise within the tube 1, each suspension head 8 and connected wheel truck 10 together forming a suspension-roller unit. At least two such units dependently carry a door C, being spaced apart (horizontally) along its upper edge l25 and mutually connected by a :generally rectangular, inverted U-shaped, channel member 12 which is slidingly disposed lengthwise in the tube 1. The channel 12 is spaced vertically from both the top and bottom of the track, as well as spaced forward from the rear face 9, and generally has its lower margin disposed in loose, sliding registration with the inner face of the lower vertical ange 7. Each wheel truck 10 includes a vertical roller 19 mounted within the slide channel 12 on a transverse axle 20, the roller extending below the lower edge of the slide channel in rolling registration with the track floor 21. Fixedly mounted Within the channel 12 and projecting upward through an aperture in the crosswall 22 is a cylindrical pin 11 which is pivotally embraced by the inner end of suspension arm 8d (immediately above the crosswall 22) and above which is rotatably disposed a flat-sided, horizontal roller 23 retained in rolling registration with and between the rear wall 9 and the inner face of the upper ange 6.

It will be observed that the vertical midplane bisecting the sliding channel 12, also bisects both rollers 19, 23, the axes of the pair of rollers being perpendicular to each other and both being transverse to the longitudinal axis of the slidable channel 12 and its embracing track 1. Also, the pivotal attachment of the arm 8d to the pin 11 is at one end of the wheel truck 10, while the door stem 2 attachment (when the door is seated) is adjacent the other end, and the operating lever 42 below extends in the same direction, still further away from the pivot pin 4 11; this successive positioning provides eifective leverage in seating and unseating the door by rotating the stems 2 a quarter turn. In other words, for use with a slide track which extends to the left of a door opening (FIG. 6), the pin 11 would be at the left end of each truck 10, the attachment of each stem 2 or operating spindle 4 to the right thereof, and the operating lever 42 projecting farther to the right. Alternately, for use with a slide track extending to the right of a door opening, the foregoing sequence would be reversed.

A housing frame F for the present operating assembly is secured in a generally horizontal position along the outer face of the sliding panel or door C, conveniently being sunk therein so as to be substantially flush with the external surface. Upper and lower, marginal facing strips 28, 29 are disposed to closely overlie the outer skin 30 of the door body, being joined to an upright rear wall 32 of the frame, by generally mutually parallel and horizontally disposed walls 34, 36, vertically separated to form an outwardly open channel 35.

The operating spindle or central control stem 4 medially overlies or may be embedded within the body of the door C, and its intermediate section rotatably traverses the horizontal channel walls 34, 36, adjacent an end of the frame F. The portion lof its length which is within the channel 35 carries a stop lug 38 placed to contact an abutment 39 which projects from the rear wall 32, so as thus to limit rotation of the spindle 4 approximately to (FIG. 5).

Within the upper portion of the open-face channel 35, a short, flat-sided projection 40 fixedly extends radially outward from the spindle 4, generally axially (ie. vertically) aligned therewith and (when within the channel 35) disposable in juxtaposition with the rear wall 32 of the frame F. An elongated, operating lever 42 is formed by a juxtaposed pair of metal straps a and b welded together along an intermediate distance and terminally bent apart to form a bifurcate end 43; the latter loosely embraces the opposing flat sides of the radial projection 40, being connected thereto by a transverse pivot 44. The outer or unattached end of the lever has one strap a outwardly oifset to form a handle 45 which thus overlies the facing skin 30 yof the door C beyond the channel 35. The rear strap b is curved forward to form successive end walls 47, 49 so as (in conjunction with the curvature 46) to form an upward-opening bolt socket 48. A short spacer insert 5t) ensures that the forward wall 49 (when the lever 42 is latched or seated) will be aligned with the facing flanges 28, 29 of the frame F. At the other end of the lever 42, a vertical pair of rivet pins c and d limit the pivotal movement of the lever (when outswung from the channel 35) to approximately 90 by 4their alternate abutment with side and bottom edges of the projection 40.

Disposed generally parallel to the seated lever 42 within the channel 35 and immediately bene-ath and in longitudinal abutment with its lower edge, is an elongated retainer bar 52 of inverted trough shape and medially pivoted from beneath, atop a compression spring 55. The latter thus normally urges the bar 52 to hold the upper edge of the lever 42 against the underface of the channel wall 34. The fixed end 55 of the coil 55 is secured to the lower channel wall 36, against which the peripheral, vertical -wall 54 of the bar 52 may be forced by compression of the spring 55 caused by pivotal depression of the lever 42 against the slide face 53. One end of the latter is apertured at 60 -to receive the spindle 4 loosely therethrough, while its rear wall 51 has a slide tongue 57 (FIG. 3) formed by a vertical cut adjacent its opposite end, with the tongue inserted in a laterally op-en slot or slideway 5S formed by a vertical boss pressed forward 59 from the `channel wall. The movable bar 52 is thus restrained against both longitudinal and transverse displacement from the channel 35.

The retainer bar 52 has its upper, slide face 53 cut out or recessed transversely outward from and generally radial to the spindle to form an anchoring groove 62 for the lower edge of the projection 40 when the latter is rotated 90 outward, that is, perpendicularly to the channel 35. The retainer bar 52 can thus act as a lever whose fulcrum is provided by the central spring 55, so that the bar can be pivoted or tilted lengthwise toward either end thereof; in addition, it can be fulcrumed from the spindle end 69 (compressing the spring 55) by depression of the overlying lever 42 within the channel 35 as indicated by broken lines, FIG. 1. In the latter operation, a slide plate 64 dependent from the lower edge of the right end or" the vertical wall 54 is thereby moved lengthwise downward through a corresponding opening of the bottom channel wall 36 (FIGS. 2 3). The slide plate 64 is formed with a padlock eye 66 which is normally disposed above the channel oor 36 (and thus externally accessible) so that by insertion of the shackle of a `padlock 68 or similar keeper through the eye 66, depression of this end of the retainer bar 52 is blocked, and the overlying operating lever 42 is held within the channel (by engagement with the bolt 72) with the upper edge of the lever in longitudinal registration with the underface of the upper channel wall 34. Alternately, when the spindle 4 and lever 42 are rotated a quarter turn, bringing the lever out of the channel 35 and completely oil of the slide face 53 of the retainer bar 52, the latter (by the spring 55) at its spindle end moves up behind the outswung lever 4Z to lodge the lower edge of projection in in the groove 62. Thus, in effect, the operating lever 42 can be selectively locked in two extreme positions 90 apart. Upon raising the downhung lever ft2., its (bifurcate) butt end 41 depresses the slide face S3, freeing the projection 46 and permitting the lever i2 to be swung back into the channel 35.

Upstanding from the top face of the upper channel wall 34 (i.e. within the body 4of the door C) is an open-ended, tubular housing 70, which slidingly retains a lock bolt 72 which may have its lower, engaging end beveled 73 to form a latch. The latch end 73 projects through an aperture 74 in the channel Wall 34 (FIG. 3) in line with the vertical socket 48 formed in the operating lever 42, being urged downward by a tension spring 76 disposed about the bolt stem 71 within the housing 7i?. The stem 71 is diametrically slit downward partway from the top, across which slot 7S is disposed an anchor pin i8 which cornpletely traverses the housing tube 7d and internally' bears against the upper end of the coil spring 76. Accordingly, while the bolt 72 remains in its down-projected or locking position, the lever 42 can be disengaged therefrom (in the absence of the padlock 68), by depression of the lever (pivoted at 44) acting within the channel 35 and against the spring-tensioned retainer bar S2, until the socket 48 is clear of the projected bolt 72. The lever 42 can then be swung out of the channel 35, free ofthe slide tace 53, and dropped to hang parallel alongside the spin- `dle 4 (anchored by the groove 62). This same outward quarter-turn of the spindle 4 likewise rotates each eX- tension arm Sd from its inserted position along the slot 18 of the overhead track, thus unseating the door C from the opening B. With the lever 42 locked (by the groove 62) in its downswung position, the door can then be rolled lengthwise along the track without danger that pressure against the face of the door would start the heads 8 to turn back toward door seated position (which when the door was unaligned with its doorway B, would caus-e it to jam against the wall area below the track). A single head 16 (similar to S) and a lone roller 17 may align the door with a lower track 13.

Laterally displaced from the bolt housing 79 opposite the central control spindle 4, is an upstanding post S with a top, transverse surface S2 ywhich serves as a fulcrum for the end of a release lever 84 (within the body of the door C). The other end 86 of the lever is connected to an ascending, liexible cable S8 which after passing through an eyelet 90 ot a cross brace 92 of the door,

terminally hangs down along the inner face of the door to provide a pullcord 39 by means of which a person may raise the bolt 72 and hence unlatch the door from inside, even while the external padlock 68 remains in place. Hinged connection of the bolt '72 and release lever 84 is by the pivot pin d5. When the Weight of the lever d4 provides enough downthrust, the spring 76 may be omitted.

Since all of the longitudinally aligned wheel trucks 10 (ie. above an individual sliding door C) are connected together by the slide channel 12 within the track 1, when a pair of such suspension-roller units (attached to stems 2) have the operating spindle 4 disposed between them (as in FIGURE 6), the top of t-he spindle need not also be attached to a (third) roller assembly, but the end of its suspension arm 8a. which is inserted through the slot 18 may simply be pivoted to the cross wall 22 atop the slide channel 12. Thus the weight of the door C is carried on the pair of suspension-roller units which are attached to the short stems 2, but arcuate movement of the extension arm 8a' of the operating spindle 4'simultaneously arcs the corresponding arms 8d of each such channel- 12-connected roller assembly.

Disposed about the spindle 4, conveniently located just above the frame F of the operating assembly and within the body of the door D (Le. behind the outer skin 30) is a coiled torsion spring 31 (FIGS. 1, 6, 7 and 13) having its opposite ends secured respectively to the door D and to the spindle 4. It is tensioned normally to hold the door open, that is, with the spindle 4 rotated outward a quarter turn to the position indicated in phantom in FIGS. 5 and 17 wherein the projection 4t) extends perpendicularly from the plane of the door and disposes the handle 45 out of the channel 35 (either parallel to the channel or dropped parallel to the spindle as the case may be). With the sliding door construction of FIGS. l-12, such quarter turn o the spindle 4, by the connected suspension heads 8, 16, unseats the door C from its doorway B so that it can be rolled along the adjacent track 1. Tension of the spring 31 thus keeps the suspension arm 8d outward projecting in the position ot FIGS. 8 and 11 so that the door C is hung alongside the face of the wall W ready for juxtaposed movement without rubbing or binding. Since it requiresa positive (torsional) force applied to the leverage of the handle 45 in order to seat the door C in the doorway B, if a transverse force is applied ot the moving door C before it is aligned with its doorway B (as by a person leaning against it) it will not bind it against further rolling movement as might be the case in the absence of the spring 31. The spindle end of the spring may be held by a tensionadjusting collar 33 radially apertured for selective insertion of a diametric anchor pin 37 into the spindle (FIG. 16).

It will be apparent from a comparison of FIGURES 7-8-9 with FIGURES 10-11-12 that the structural difference between the first form (wherein the track 1 is added to the outer face of the wall W), and the second form (wherein the track is set in an edge recess 26) is that in the latter case the lower Uearm 8a is of shorter length (approximately equal to that of the upper arm Sc) so that when the door is closed, the stem 2 is disposed in the same vertical plane as the pivot pin 11. In both cases, the (closed) door C is disposed flush with the wall W; but in the second case the outer face of the track 1 is also flush with both. Thus there is no projecting structure (as in the rst case) which might be sheared off by a foreign object sweeping along the external face of the wall W.

The door panel P of FIGS. 18-21 preferably is attached along one vertical edge by conventional hinges 94, 96 along an upright margin of an adjacent door frame or wall W, so as conveniently to be disposed substantially tlush with the outer surface of the wall when swung snugly into the entranceway or opening E. The door may have its edge wall stepped or inset inwardly 97 at least once along its several rectangular borders so as thereby to engage a similarly configured opening E; in any event, preferably an outer, peripheral, door shoulder 98 seats against a corresponding wall ledge 99 with an inter-posed gasket seal G. Along the inner margin of the upright unhinged door edge 100 which is opposite the hinge edge 95, is mounted the control stem or spindle S, extending substantially the height of the door, and, as before, being rotatable a quarter turn by movement of the operating lever 42 between its outswung position and its housed or latched position along the transverse channel 35 which extends crosswise to the spindle axis along the external face of the door.

Each end of the spindle S carries a transversely projecting, engaging or locking cam 102 intended to secure the door tightly, when the spindle S has been turned 90 after closing the door. In such locked position, the inswung lever 42 is held in engagement with the bolt 73 by longitudinal abutment along its opposite or lower edge by the slide face 53 of the spring-tensioned retainer bar 52. In mounting such a door P in an opening E, locking engagement by such cam action can be readily accommodated simply by installing a pair of flat, right-angle or corner butt plates 104 against the corresponding ends of the sill 106 and lintel 107 respectively, in position that their projection tongues 105 are contacted in lateral registration by each adjacent cam 102. Accordingly, doors equipped With my cam spindle and operating assembly can be easily installed in pre-existing wall frames or doorways by the rapid addition of such butt plates. Alternately, doors already equipped with suc-h spindle-activated locking cams, may have their old operating assembly replaced by the present ones so as to convert them to an internal-release type or escape closure.

With such construction, the door can be closed tightly only when the operating lever 42 is initially in outswung position (the cams 102 thus being rotated a quarter turn from the position shown in FIGS. 19-21). However, after the lever 42 is swung shut, the locked door can still be opened from inside by a person who raises t-he bolt 72 by pulling the cord 88. His weight then pressed outward against the unlatched door, simultaneously causes the lever 42 to swing out and the spindle S and locking cams 102 to turne 90 to release position. The padlock 68 remaining in place through the eyelet of the slide plate 64, the person who has come out through the locked door can then by manual manipulation (i.e. swinging the lever 42 back into the channel 35) restore the closed door to its previous externally-locked condition. This is without pivotal (vertical) movement of the lever 42 to engage the bolt 72 (since the lever is prevented from pivoting within the channel by the locked slide face of the retainer bar 52), but pressure of the inswinging lever against the beveled latch-end 73 (FIG. l5) causes the latter to retract vertically and then drop back into the socket 48. Upon unlatching, resilience of the compressed gasket G encircling the doorway may itself start the door to open, in the absence of the spring 31. However, it is generally preferred to include the torsion spring 31 with such hinged doors also, although its function is less important than with the sliding door C.

An important difference between the same operating assembly when used with the -two different types of doors is that with the sliding door C, lever action by the member 42 is necessary i-n order to locate the door within the opening B; hence the anchor notch 62 is provided to hold the downswung lever 42 lest transverse pressure on the sliding door in the direction of the adjacent wall or frame A will start the heads 8 (and 16) to rotate or are inward when they `are not aligned-or the door C is not aligned-with the opening B. In other words, engagement of the projection 40 with the notch 62 holds the door C open for free sliding movement (in either direction along the track by means of the respective rollers); this hold is then released-by means of the lever end 41 depressing the spindle end of the slide face 53 adjacent the notch 62-with initiation of the movement which iinally compels the transverse shift of the door C into its seating position in the opening B, that is, by the quarter rotation of the spindle 4 by the then horizontally disposed lever 42. With the hinged door P, however, quarter turn of the spindle S by the lever 42 serves only to lock the door in the frame (by action of the cams 102 which are oppositely directed from the horizontal lever 42) after the door has already been closed or seated. But in both cases the padlock 68 prevents external manipulation of the mechanism; and a person trapped inside can easily open the door without disturbing the padlock, and then return it to its closed and locked condition.

It will be obvious to those skilled in the art that various changes of construction and operation may be made within the inventive concept without departing from the spirit land scope thereof, and therefore this disclosure is not to be limited to the precise details shown in the drawings and particularly described by way of example, but the claims should be accorded the full scope of frecogn'ized equivalents in their distinctions from the prior art.

I claim:

1. In combination with a door-operating spindle plus transverse-embracing bearing attachment means adapted to retain the spindle lengthwise on a door for limited rotational movemen-t while thus secured and including generally radially extending, frame-contact means alternately disposable between door-seating and door-release positions by rotation of the spindle: a pair of walls laterally spaced apart jointly to form a longitudinal, open-face channel extending transversely from said spindle; an operating lever of less width than said channel and having one end connected to the spindle for joint rotation therewith between a latched position lying adjacent one of said channel walls and an outswung position transverse to the channel, said end of the lever also being pivotally connected to the spindle for limited movement generally axial to the spindle when in both positions of rotation, and the opposite end of the lever providing a handle for manipulation of the spindle; a llongitudinally tensioned bolt mounted transversely to said one wall in position normally to engage said lever in latched position when the lever is disposed along the channel adjacent said wall, sa-id lever being disengageable therefrom by its pivotal movement transverse to the channel without substantial rotation of the spindle and then being rotatable jointly with the spindle to said outswung position; and means for selectively locking said lever in latched position by blocking its pivotal movement between the channel walls.

2. The combination of the preceding claim 1 wherein said last means for locking the lever comprise a leverretaining element disposed along the channel for reciprocal movement transverse thereto and tensioned opposingly to said bolt in sliding contact with said lever in position normally to yieldingly retain the lever (when in latched position) in engagement with the bolt; and means for holding said retaining element in position to block pivotal movement of the latched lever without blocking its rotational movement to outswung position upon retraction of said bolt.

3. The combination of the preceding claim 1 which additionally includes torsion means carried by said spindle and biased normally to urge said lever to outswung position when disengaged from said bolt.

4. A lock-operating assembly, operable from opposite faces of a closure panel on which it may be mounted, the assembly comprising a pair of walls spaced apart to form an open-face channel disposable along an external face of such panel; a rotatable spindle transversely disposed across said channel with at least one of its ends adapted for operative connection to a panel-retaining element locatabie along a door frame adjacent an edge of such closure panel; an operating lever disposed selectively to seat lengthwise along the channel and having one end connected to said spindle for joint rotation therewith between a latched position lying along the channel adjacent one wall thereof and an outswung position transverse thereto, said end of the lever also being pivotally connected to the spindle for limited movement generally axial to the spindle when in both positions of rotation, and the opposite end of the lever providing a handle for manipulation of the spindle; a spring-urged `bolt mounted transversely to one housing wall and tensioned normally to engage said lever in latched position when the lever is disposed along the channel adjacen-t said Wall, said lever .being disengageable therefrom by its pivotal movement crosswise to the channel without rotation of the spindle and then being rotatable jointly with the spindle to said outswung position; a spring-urged retaining element having a longitudinal slide face disposed along the channel in abutment with the side of the lever which is opposite to said bolt and tensioned to yieldingly retain the lever (when in latched position) in engagement with the holt; means for selectively locking said lever in latched position by holding the slide face of the retaining element in abutment therewith; and release means for withdrawing the bolt from engagement with the lever while the latter is held in latched position, whereby said bolt can be retracted from a face of such closure panel opposite to said open channel and the lever can be outswung from latched position without pivotal movement for disengaging said bolt.

5. The assembly of the preceding claim 4 wherein said retaining element is an elongated member having one end slidingly traversed within said channel by the spindle along which it is thus axially depressible, and its other end is xed to a slide plate formed with a padlock eye, which plate is longitudinally projectable through corresponding slot of the adjacent channel wall upon pivotal movement of said lever (between the channel walls) against the retaining element, the pivotal connection of the lever to the spindle being radially spaced therefrom whereby the operating lever when outswung from the channel by rotation of the spindle is then adapted by pivotal movement to overlie the spindle end of the retaining element and be disposed substantially parallel to said spindle.

6. The assembly of the preceding claim 4 wherein both ends of said spindle, upon rotation of the spindle by movement of the operating lever from outswung to latched position, have means adapted to lockingly en gage an adjacent door frame which functionally embraces a closure panel bearing said lock-operating assembly.

7. The assembly of the preceding claim 4 wherein said -spindle is adapted to extend substantially across the width of a door panel and is provided with a locking cam adjacent each end thereof, which cams are disposable to engage complementary fastening elements along an adjacent door frame upon a quarter turn of said spindle effected by movement of the operating lever between outswung and latched positions.

8. The assembly of the preceding claim 4 which additionally includes torsion means disposable between said spindle and panel, and biased normally to urge said leve-r to outswung position when disengaged from said bolt.

9. In combination with an apertured wall having a closure panel and mutually connecting track and roller means adapted for movement of said panel between a position closing said aperture and an open position which is generally parallel thereto and is laterally spaced from the aperture generally overlying an adjacent surface of said wall whereby successive transverse and parallel movement of the panel shift it between open and closed positions: an operating assembly carried by said panel adjacent an external face thereof and formed with an outwardly open channel; a rotatable spindle transversely journa-lled through said channel with its opposite ends secured to said connecting means in position to allow transverse movement of said panel by rotary action of the spindle; a generally radially directed projection iixedly mounted on said spindle and disposable along said open channel; a lock-operating lever having one end pivotal-ly secured to said projection and receivable along said open channel upon joint rotation with said spindle from an outswung position transverse to the channel to a latched position in juxtaposition with the panel, said lever being formed with a transversely directed bolt socket spaced outward from the pivoted end; a spring-urged latch bolt disposed transverse to said channel and positioned to engage said socket when the lever is received along the channel, said lever being manually disengageable from the bolt by pivotal movement crosswise to the channel; release means adapted to retract said bolt from behind said panel when the latter is in closed position; a springurged retainer bar mounted along the channel generally parallel to said lever and having a longitudinal slide face in abutment therewith and adapted selectively to yieldingly hold said lever in engagement with said bolt and to permit disengagement thereof by pivotal movement of the parallel lever against the bar crosswise to the channel; lock means adapted selectively to block said pivotal movement at the bar and thereby prevent mutual disengagement o the bolt and lever except by said release means; and mutual engaging means between the projection in outswung position and the spindle end of said retainer bar for holding said lever outswung and pivotally disposed substantially parallel to the spindle.

1t). The combination of the preceding claim 9 wherein said retainer bar has its slide face transversely apertured adjacent said spindle and the spindle is received loosely through said aperture, and the other end of said bar has a projecting tongue slidingly retained in an internal guideway which is formed transverse to said channel and thus adapted to retain the spring-urged bar within the channel within the approximate limit of travel effected by pressure of the lever against said slide face, said bar being medially supported upon a compression spring, mounted upstand'ing within the channel, whereby the bar may be tilted toward opposite ends thereof by pressure of the leve-r against the slide face (a) when said lever is disposed lengthwise along the channel, and (b) when said lever is outswung therefrom by joint lrotation of the spindle and thus engages only the spindle-end of the retainer bar.

11. In combination with a door-operating spindle having transverse-embracing bearing attachment means for retaining the same lengthwise on a door for at least limited rotational movement while thus rotatably secured and including generally radially extending, framecontact means carried by the spindle alternately moveable between door-seating and door-release positions by rotation of the spindle:

walls forming a channel extending transversely from said spindle; operating lever means connected to the spindle along one face of the door and positioned to move toward and away from said channel and thereby to rotate said spindle to locate the frame-contact means at the alternate door-seating and door-release positions;

lock means adjacent said one face of the door and carried thereby for selectively locking the lever means on the channel at the door-seating position of the frame-contact means by mutual engagement of the lever means and lock means with latch means located adjacent said channel; and

said latch means positioned on said door and moveable into and out of said channel and normally cooperable with said lock means in retaining the lever means in locked door-seating position and selectively operable from an opposite face of the door for releasing said lever means to open the door Without effect-ing the prior locked position of the lock means 3,228,669 11 12 itself, which prior locked position of mutual en- 3,157,908 ll/ 1964 Frueh 16-95 gagement of the lever means, latch means and lock means may be restored by closing the door Without v manipulation of the lock means. HARRISON R. MOSELEX Pllmary Exammer.

5 References Cited by the Examiner CHARLES E O CONNELL Exammer' UNITED STATES PATENTS A. I. BREIER, Assistant Examiner.

2,717,796 9/1955 Cudney 292-229

Claims (1)

11. IN COMBINATION WITH A DOOR-OPERATING SPINDLE HAVING TRANSVERSE-EMBRACING BEARING ATTACHMENT MEANS FOR RETAINING THE SAME LENGTHWISE ON A DOOR FOR AT LEAST LIMITED ROTATIONAL MOVEMENT WHILE THUS ROTATABLY SECURED AND INCLUDING GENERALLY RADIALLY EXTENDING, FRAMECONTACT MEANS CARRIED BY THE SPINDLE ALTERNATELY MOVEABLE BETWEEN DOOR-SEATING AND DOOR-RELEASE POSITIONS BY ROTATION OF THE SPINDLE: WALLS FORMING A CHANNEL EXTENDING TRANSVERSELY FROM SAID SPINDLE; OPERATING LEVER MEANS CONNECTED TO THE SPINDLE ALONG ONE FACE OF THE DOOR AND POSITIONED TO MOVE TOWARD AND AWAY FROM SAID CHANNEL AND THEREBY TO ROTATE SAID SPINDLE TO LOCATE THE FRAME-CONTACT MEANS AT THE ALTERNATE DOOR-SEATING AND DOOR-RELEASE POSITIONS; LOCK MEANS ADJACENT SAID ONE FACE OF THE DOOR AND CARRIED THEREBY FOR SELECTIVELY LOCKING THE LEVER MEANS ON THE CHANNEL AT THE DOOR-SEATING POSITION OF THE FRAME-CONTACT MEANS BY MUTUAL ENGAGEMENT

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