US839744A - Latch. - Google Patents

Description

No. 889,744. PATENTED DEC. 25, 1906. B. .L. FIELD.

LATCH.

APPLICATION FILED MAR.81,1906.

W1 :11 use:

UNITED STATES ATENT QFFICE.

LATCH.

Specification of Letters Patent.

Patented Dec. 25, 1906.

Application filed March 31, 1906. Serial No. 309,186.

To ctZZ whom, it may concern:

Be it known that I, BERTRAND L. FIELD, a citizen of the United States, residing at h Iinneapolis, in the county of Hennepin and State of Minnesota, have invented new and useful Improvements in Latches, of which the following is a specification.

This invention relates to latches especially designed for use in connection with stormdoors, screen-doors, gates, and the like, the object of the invention being to provide a simple, cheap, and effective latch which is perfectly automatic in action and which will securely hold to the door and permit the same to be opened by exerting the necessary force against the door, the latch having employed in connection therewith a lock or movable stop which cooperates with the latch element in such manner as to permit the door to be closed and latched, but which will prevent the door from being opened by a person outside thereof after the door has been closed.

In the accompanying drawings, Figure 1 is a view in elevation of the latch, showing the same applied to the inner face of the door and connected with the door j amb or frame. Fig. 2 is a view in elevation of the latch element and the parts associated therewith detached. Fig. 3 is a detail perspective view of the hook member.

The latch contemplated in this invention comprises, essentially, a bracket 1, consisting of a plate bent or ofiset intermediate its ends to form an attaching-base 2, provided with holes 3 to receive screws or other fasteners 4, whereby it is secured to the door jamb or frame in the manner illustrated in Fi 1. wa rdly-extending portion or bracket-arm 5, which stands at a suitable distance from the adjacent face of the door-frame, as shown in Fig. 1, to enable the latch element to be interposed between said arm and the doorframe.

The latch element 6 is of oblong form, and in the preferred embodiment of the invention consists of a metal stripprovided with a longitudinal slot 7 and secured to the bracketarm 5 by means of a pin or rivet 8, which passes through the slot 7 whereby the latch element is adapted to move lengthwise on the pin 8 and also to swing from one side to the other.

The latch element is provided at its upper end with a catch-lip 9, extending substantially at a right angle therefrom toward the door- The bracket also comprises the up-- frame, which is indicated by the numeral 10, the door being shown at 11.

At its opposite end the latch element 6 is provided with a lateral projection or lug 12, to which is connected one end of a spiral spring 13, the opposite end of which is connected at 14 to the bracket 1, the tension of said spring being exerted to hold the latch element 6 in the position shown in Fig. 2- that is, with the pin or rivet 8 lying in the upper end of the slot 7, the catch-lip 9 being depressed to its lowermost position.

15 designates a hook provided with a beveled nose 16 and having an attaching base or shank 17, provided with holes 18 to receive screws or other fasteners 19, whereby the hook is secured to the door 11. The hook is secured 'to the door at such an elevation that the point of the hook extends slightly above the catch-lip 9 of the latch element, so that -when the beveled nose 16 of the hook strikes against the catch-lip 9 it will first tilt the latch element to one side upon the pin or rivet 8 as the fulcrum and then pass under and lift the catch-lip 9, forcing the same upward against the tension of the spring 13 until the hook has passed entirely under and across the lip 9, whereupon the spring 13 will draw the latch element downward behind the shoulder of the hook, thereby holding the door closed. To open the door, sufIicient force is exerted against the same in an outward direction to cause the shoulder of the hook to swing the latch element to one side by engaging the lip 9 thereof. This causes the lip 9 to fulcrum on the flat upper edge of the body or shank of the hook and causes the lip 9 to tilt upward until the point of the hook moves into engagement with the under side of the lip 9, whereupon the hook raises the lip and moves the latch element upward against the tension of the spring 13 until it passes out of engagement therewith, whereupon the latch element is again moved downward by the spring 13 and restored to its normal position.

In order to hold the latch element from swinging in one direction, I employ a lock 20 in the form of a movable stop or small lever which is fulcrumed intermediate its ends at 21 on the upwardly-extending arm 5 of the bracket 1, and in connection with said movable stop I employ a stop-pin 22, which is inserted through the arm 5 of the bracket and, if desired, may be sufficiently long to be driven into the door-frame, as shown in Fig.

1. This stop-pin arrests the downward movement of the inner arm of the lever or movable stop, so as to hold the same substantially perpendicular to the latch element 6, as shown in dotted lines in Fig. 2. When the movable stop or look is in said position, it prevents the latch element from swinging in such a way as to permit the hook to pass out of engagement with the latch element, and in this way the door is held securely locked. At the same time the lock or movable stop will not prevent the latch element from swinging in the other direction, and thus the door may be closed and latched but prevented from again being opened until the lock or movable stop is swung to the position indicated in full lines in Fig. 2.

In order to adapt the latch to both right and left hand doors, an additional hole 23 for pin 22 is provided in the bracket, so as to arrest the movement of the inner arm of the movable stop and prevent the same from dropping downward too far when the bracket 1 is reversed or turned upside down. Thus the only change necessary to adapt the latch to right and left hand doors is to reverse the position of the bracket 1, turning the same end for end upside down and inserting the stop-pin 22 in the proper hole in the bracket to sustain the lock or movable stop in a substantially horizontal position, as indicated in dotted lines in Fig. 2.

I claim- 1. A latch comprising a swinging and sliding latch element, a hook cooperating therewith, means for resisting the movement of the latch element, and a movable stop for arresting the swinging movement of the latch in one direction.

2. Alatch comprising a supporting-bracket, a latch element mounted thereon and having a pin-and-slot connection therewith whereby it is adapted to slide and swing on the supportingbracket, a spring for resisting the movement of the latch element, a hook cooperating with the latch element, and a look ing device in the form of a movable stop mounted on the supporting-bracket and adapted to prevent the latch element from swinging in a direction which will release the hook.

In testimony whereof I affiX my signature in presence of two witnesses.

BERTRAND L. FIELD.

Witnesses:

M. J. BYRNE, WM. 0. SALMON.

Images