US3501188A - Door retaining unit - Google Patents

Description

March 17, 1970 G. A. KoRKos DOQR RETAINING UNIT Filed Feb. 2e, 196s JN VEA/roe GEoeGEH.Koz/os @w #wf l roe/Veys.

United States Patent O- 3,501,188 DOOR RETAINING UNIT George A. Korkos, 1912 Moray Ave., San Pedro, Calif. 90732 Filed Feb. 26, 1968, Ser. No. 708,366 Int. Cl. Eb 15/02; E05c 1/04 U.S. Cl. 292-175 4 Claims ABSTRACT OF THE DISCLOSURE BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION This invention relates generally to door closure retention and release, and more specifically concerns a particular retainer unit constructed to solve problems encountered in providing for latching of portable cooler doors hinged at right and left side locations.

Requirements imposed on compact portable coolers or refrigerators include the use of light weight, inexpensive construction, the provision of a door that may be hinged at either left or right side locations in order to accommodate cooler usage in campers or trailers, and the provision of an inexpensive compact door retainer unit that does not project outwardly from the door while being mountable and operable at either right or left side locations, and which will accommodate ready opening and closing of the door as well as fool-proof latching. It develops that the provision of an entirely satisfactory door retainer unit poses the more difficult problem with respect to cooler construction. While many efforts have been made in the past toward a solution to this problem, none of these of which I am aware has resulted in a fully satisfactory unit embodying the features of the present invention.

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION It is a major object of the invention to provide a solution to the problems outlined above, as well as additional problems, through the provision of door retainer unit as will be described. Basically, the unit comprises an `elongated tubular housing adapted to be mounted sidewardly against a support and to be manually grasped; a plunger extending lengthwise through the housing and including a keeper engaging latch projecting at one end of the housing and a lug projection at the opposite end of the housing, the lug having a laterally projecting shoulder located to be manually pushed to displace the plunger in one lengthwise direction in the housing for retracting the latch toward that one end of the housing for releasing the keeper; and a spring in the housing releasably urging the plunger in the opposite direction in the housing. As will be seen, the housing and plunger may advantageously have polygonal cross sections, the housing then having opposite sides with registered openings for receiving a fastener or fasteners projecting laterally through the housing and attaching it sidewardly against the support such as a door left or right vertical side. In this regard, and to facilitate the fastener locations as described, the plunger typically has a cut-out extending longitudinally in the housing to pass the fastener in all plunger positions. As a result, the retainer is kept compact in relation to the cooler and may be mounted to either side of the door for right or left hand usage; and while it does not project frontwardly from the door, it

3,501,188 Patented Mar. 17, 1970 ice may easily be operated to unlatch from a cooler box mounted keeper.

Additional objects and advantages of the invention include the provision of a bracket element attached to the housing and extending therein out of registration with the fastener openings to cooperate with the spring for limiting plunger lengthwise movement in the housing; the provision of a plunger lengthwise cut-out to pass the fastener in all positions of the plunger, the bracket having longitudinally spaced flanges in the cut-out and between Which the fasteners project, to gain the compactness and capacity for left and right side universality of mounting, as will be seen.

These and other objects and advantages of the invention, as well as the details of an illustrative embodiment will be more fully understood from the following detailed description of the drawings,`in which:

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS FIG. l is a perspective illustration showing the door retainer unit as mounted to a door, and holding the door closed;

FIG. 2 is an enlarged horizontal section showing the top plan of the unit of FIG. l;

`FIG. 3 is a side elevational showing of the FIG. 1 unit;

FIG. 4 is a vertical section taken on line 4 4 of FIG.

FIG. 5 is a horizontal section taken on line 5-5 of FIG. 4;

FIG. 6 is a view like FIG. 2, but showing application of the same unit to the opposite or left vertical side of the door; and

FIG. 7 illustrates a modified strike.

DESCRIPTION OF PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS and away from the opening at the front of the box, and

a heat insulative flexible rubber gasket seal or strip 16 is mounted to the door (or to the box) to seal the gap 17 between the door and box and also to resiliently space the door and box from each other while the door remains closed.

The door retaining unit comprises an elongated tubular housing, as for example is seen at 19, and which is adapted to be mounted against a support such as door side 11, so as to be manually grasped as indicated by the broken line hand 20 of the user. In this regard, the housing is polygonal, as for example square, in cross section so that it may have opposite sides 19a and 19b positioned to locate one or more pairs of registered openings 21 and 22 for receiving a fastener or fasteners 23 projecting laterally through the housing and attaching it sidewardly against the door right side 11. As is clear from FIG. 6, the fasteners may also be reversed for mounting side 19b of the housing against the door left side 11, in case the door is hinge mounted at its right side, the fasteners having mini-mum exposure.

The unit 10 also comprises a plunger 25 extending lengthwise through the housing and including a keeper engaging latch 26 projecting downwardly at the lower end of the housing as well as a lug 27 projecting laterally at the upper end of the housing. The latch has a downwardly and laterally tapering cam face 28 adapted to engage the upwardly and laterally tapering cam face 29 of a keeper or strike 30 upon closing of the door 12,

3 whereby the latch and plunger are displaced upwardly in the housing and then drop downwardly when the latch overrides the keeper. At that time, the, the outer face 31 of the latch engages the keeper as seen in FIG. 4, the keeper then holding the latch against outward displacement so that the door is held closed.

The lug 27 has a laterally projecting, downwardly facing shoulder 32 located to be manually pushed upwardly (as by the users thumb 63) to displace the plunger bodily upwardly in the housing for retracting the latch upwardly toward the lower end of the housing and to the position indicated by the broken lines at 26a in FIG. 4. In that position, the plunger including the latch are movable outwardly free of the keeper, for opening the door 11. Note in these regards that the plunger 26 has a polygonal (preferably rectangular or square) cross section so as to loosely interfit the housing 19 for being guided upwardly and downwardly therein without being rotatable in that housing. The latter may typically be metallic, while the plunger is molded of plastic material such as nylon or Tellon.

It will also be noted that the assembly includes a spring in the housing releasably urging the plunger downwardly in the housing. Of particular advantage is the construction of the plunger to accommodate the spring 33 and fasteners 23 as well as stops, for the purposes as will be explained which include extreme compactness facilitating mounting to a door left or right side. In this regard, the plunger has a longitudinally extending cut-out or side recess 37 to pass the fasteners in all positions of the plunger. The cut-out also receives the compression spring 33, as well as a U-shaped bracket element 34 which has a base 35 screw attached to the housing wall 19c at 36.

Bracket 34 includes a pair of longitudinally spaced flanges 38 and 39 projecting toward the interior of the cut-out 37, and respectively above and below the fasteners 23. Spring 33 is confined between fixed ange 39 and lower interior shoulder 40 of the cut-out so as to urge the plunger downwardly. Upper flange 38 acts as a stop to limit downward travel of the plunger in the position seen in FIGS. 3 and 4, by engagement with upper interior shoulder 41. Accordingly all components are compactly located and the housing 19 may be grasped and the plunger thumb-operated, in the right or left door side mounting positions as seen in FIGS. 2 and 6.

Finally, keeper 30 is shown in FIG. 3 as carried on an arm 50 attached to the box 13 at 51.

In FIG. 7 the modified keeper or strike 60 includes an L-shaped base 61 and an L-shaped part 52 mounting a roller 53. An adjustable connection 54 between the part 52 and base facilitates adjustment of the roller toward and away from the door. For example, a lock fastener 55 on part 52 may project through a slot in the base 61, to be tightened after adjustment. Holes 56 and 57 in the base facilitate fastener connection to the box 13. This arrangement allows for compression adjustment of the gasket 16 between the door and box.

I claim:

1. In a door retaining unit, the combination comprising:

an elongated tubular housing adapted to be mounted sidewardly against a support and to be manually grasped,

a plunger extending longitudinally through the housing and including a keeper engaging latch projecting at one end of the housing and a lug projecting at the opposite end of the housing, the lug having a laterally projecting shoulder located to be manually pushed to displace the plunger in one longitudinal direction in the housing for retracting the latch toward said one end of the housing for releasing the keeper,

a spring in the housing releasably urging the plunger in the opposite direction in said housing,

the housing having opposite longitudinally extending sides with longitudinally spaced pairs of laterally registered openings for receiving fasteners projecting laterally through the housing from either side thereof for attaching the housing against said support, the plunger having a longitudinally extending cutout to pass the fasteners in all positions of the plunger,

and a bracket attached to the housing and being received in said plunger cut-out along with said spring, the bracket having spaced anges one of which is located to receive spring loading so that the spring urges the plunger in the opposite longitudinal direction, another flange limiting plunger movement in said opposite direction.

2. The combination of claim 1 wherein said housing and plunger have matching polygonal cross sections.

3. The combination of claim 2 including said support in the form of a door having a generally vertical side against which the housing is fastened to extend generally vertically, a box mounting the door, the keeper on the box and projecting under and in interfering relation to said latch.

4. The combination of claim 3 wherein the keeper includes a roller engagable by the latch, the keeper having an adjustment by which the roller is adjustably movable toward and away from the box, there being a gasket compressible between the door and box to an extent determined by the spacing of the roller from the box.

References Cited UNITED STATES PATENTS 1,397,934 11/1921 Posson 292-175 1,689,101 10/1928 Beck 292-175 2,676,826 4/1954 Smith 292-175 3,223,441 12/ 1965 Odendhal 292-341.18

` FOREIGN PATENTS 1,043,863 11/1958 Germany.

J. KARL BELL, Primary Examiner U.S. Cl. X.R. 292-341.18

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