US1141080A - Gate-latch. - Google Patents

Description

L. SWANK.

GATE LATCH.-

APPLICATION FILED FEB. 15. 1915.

Patented May 25, 1915.

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LAFE SWANK, OF ANDERSON, INDIANA, ASSIGNOR TO DWIGGINS WIRE FENCE COMPANY, OF ANDERSON, INDIANA, A CORPORATION OF INDIANA.

GATE-LATCH.

ianoso.

Specification of Letters Patent.

Patented May 25, 1915.

To all whom it may concern:

Be it known that I, LAFE SWANK, a citizen of the United States, residing at Anderson, in the county of Madison and State of Indiana, have invented a new and useful Gate-Latch, of which the following is a specification. I

The object of my invention is to provide a gate latch which is efficient in operation and simple and inexpensive in construction, and which may be released to permit the gate to open in either direction but automatically latches the gate as the gate comes to closed position from either direction.

The accompanying drawing illustrates my invention.

Figure 1 is a perspective view of a gate latch embodying my invention, showing a fragment of a gate post on which this gate latch is mounted; Fig. 2 is a plan view of this gate latch, with the gate post and the base of the gate latch in section; Fig. 3 is a front elevation of the base of the gate latch; Fig. 4 is a front elevation of the gate latch, with the gate-engaging member in section to show the cooperation of the parts; and Fig. 5 is an elevation of a gate and gate posts, provided with two of my gate latches.

The gate latch comprises a base 10 which is provided with screw holes 11 whereby it may be attached to a fence post 12, which is one of the two fence posts between which the gate 13 is hung, the gate being hinged to the other gate post 14. This base has a rearwardly projecting peripheral flange 15, for bearing against the fence post and providing a recess behind the body of the base. From the front face of the base 10 two horizontal flanges 16 and 17 project forward, the flange 16 being spaced from and above and being of less width than the flange 17. The flanges 16 and 17 are provided with alined vertical holes for receiving a vertical pin 18, which furnishes a pivotal support for the gate-engaging yoke 19, which has two arms which when in gate-latching position (shown in full lines in Fig. 2) project on opposite sides of the gate edge. The yoke 19 may be swung about the pivot pin 18 in either direction, to the positions shown in dotted lines and chain lines respectively in Fig. 2, for permitting the gate to be opened in either direction. However, this swinging is normally prevented by two stop latches 20, which normally engage the shoulders 21 on the yoke 19 when such yoke is in the position shown in full lines in Fig. 2. The stop latches 20 are pivotally supported on the base 10, so as to swing about horizontal axes at right angles to such base. Each of these stop latches is conveniently formed in a single piece, which has a shank 22 for projecting through a hole 23 in the base 10 at the side of the flange 16, this shank 22 at its rear end being provided with a lateral finger 23 for projecting behind the body of the base 10 in the recess formed by the flange 15, and at its forward end being provided with a downwardly projecting finger 24 for engaging the shoulder 21 and with a lateral operating arm 25, which at its outer end may be provided with a hole 26 for the attachment of a chain 27, whereby the corresponding arms 25 of two or more gate latches may be interconnected for simultaneous operation, as indicated in Fig. 5, two latches serving more efliciently to hold the gate closed than one.

In operation, the yoke 19 when in full line position shown in Fig. 2 serves to hold the gate against being opened in either direction, for the fingers 24 of the stop latches 2O engage both shoulders 21 of the yoke and prevent its moving in either direction. By lifting the arms 25 of the stop latches at one side of the various gate latches with which the gate may be provided, the fingers 24 of such stop latches are disconnected from the corresponding shoulders 21, and the gate 13 may be pushed open, swinging the yoke 19 to the position shown in either dotted lines or chain lines in Fig. 2, as the case may be. The fingers 24 of the stop latches on the other side remain in stopping position. When the gate 13 is again swung to closed position, its outer vertical edge member 13 swings into the pocket formed between the two arms of each yoke 19 and carries the yoke back to the full line position shown in Fig. 2, in which position the yoke 19 is stopped, to stop'the gate also, by the engagement of the shoulder 21 with the finger 24 which has remained down. As soon as the yoke 19 reaches this position, the other stop latch 20 drops so as to bring its finger 24 also behind the cooperating shoulder 21 of the yoke, and thereby prevent the gate from being opened again in the same direction as before until the proper stop latch is again lifted.

, arms for projecting on opposite sides of the edge of a gate and also having two stop shoulders, and tWo stop latches each of Which has a shank the base and is provided With a flange at its Withdrawal of the stop latch and has a, finger at its front end for cooperating With one of said shoulders, said stop latches being rotata-ble about such shanks to disengage their fingers from said shoulders. I

'2.- A gate latch, comprising a recessed base having a pair of projecting horizontal flanges, a yoke pivoted on a vertical axis between said flanges,v said-yoke having an arm gate latch, comprising a recessed, base having a stop latch Which has a shank which 7 preventing Withdrawal of Which projects through rearend in such recess. for preventing the for projecting on one side of the edge of a gate and also having a stop shoulder for normally preventing said yoke from swinging out of the Way of said gate edge, and a projects through the base and is provided with a flange at'its rear end in such recess for the stop latch and has afinger at itsfront end for cooperating With said shoulder, said stop latch being r0- tatable on such shank to disengage said finger from said shoulder.

In Witness whereof, I have hereunto set my hand at Anderson, Indiana, this 12th day of February, A. D. one thousand nine hundred and fifteen.

LAFE SWANK. Witnesses:

M. W. MORRISON, J. E. DAvIs.

Gopieaof this patent may boobtained for five cents each, by addressing the Commissioner of Patents,

v Washington, D. 0.

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