US2207877A - Door latch - Google Patents

Description

July 16, 1940. w. R. SCHLAGE DOOR LATCH Filed June 18," 1937 2 Sheets-Sheet l 7 1M 'EA' TOR.

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ATTORNEY:

Patented July 16, 1940 UNITED STATES.

noon m'ron Walter R. Schlage, San Francisco, Calif., assignor to Schlage Lock Company, San Francisco, Calif., a corporation of California Application June 18, 1937, Serial No. 145,933

1 Claim. (01. 292-109) This invention relates to door latches, and

especially to improvements in the type of latch disclosed in my Patent No. 2,062,766, entitled "Door lock, issued December 1, 1936. The object of the present invention is generally to improve and simplify the construction and operation of door latches, to provide a latch mechanism, and an improved housing therefor. in which the latch bolt is secured to a retractor plate which is actuated by one or another or both of a pair of telescoping spindles, and in which the retractor plate functions to dog or secure the spindles against endwise removal from the housing; to provide means actuated from the exterior of the door for releasing the spindles with relation to the retractor plate; and, further and more specifically stated, to mount a springactuated pawl on the retractor plate, which engages a stop on the housing so as to limit the movement of the retractor plate. thereby main: taining an interlock between the retractor plate and spindles, said latch being depressible by an implement inserted from the exterior of the door or housing to permit further movement of the retractor plate and thereby release of the interlock formed between the retractor plate and spindles.

The invention is shown by way of illustration in the accompanying drawings in which- Fig, 1 is a horizontal central section taken through the stile of a hollow metal door, said section showing the latch housing, the latch bolt, the retractor plate and the spindles whereby the retractor plate is actuated;

Figs. 2 and 3 are perspective views of the plate, the latch bolt secured thereto, and the depressible latch carried by the retractor plate;

Fig. 'I is a section in side elevation taken on the line VIL-VII of Fig. 1, said section showing the retractor'plate in interlocked position with relation to the spindles;

Fig. 8 is a section similar to Fig. 7, showing the retractor plate moved to a position where the spindles are released; I

Fig. 9 is a perspective view showing the manner in which the latch housing and mechanism is installed in a rim lock; and

Fig. 10 is a sectional view of the spindles showing them interlocked to function as a single spindle.

Referring to the drawings in detail, and particularly to Figs. 1 to 6, inclusive, A and B indi-= cate the opposite faces of the stile of a hollow metal door, and C the front edge thereof. Formed in the faces A and B are openings which are provided for the reception of spindle bearings, as will hereinafter appear, and formed in the iront edge C is an opening through which the lock housing, generally indicated at D in Fig, 5, is adapted to be inserted.

The housing shown in Fig. 5 is rectangular in shape, and consists of top and bottom plates 5 and 6 which are connected by front and rear end-plates 1 and 8. Extending through an opening formed in the front plate I of the housing is a latch bolt 9, and secured to the inner end thereof is a retractor plate generally indicated at E (see Fig. 6). The front end of the retractor plate is supported and guided by the latch bolt 9 which extends through the opening in the front plate 1, while the rear end is supported and guided by a pair of lugs lli-lll extending through slots or guideways ll-ll formed in the top and bottom plates l5 and 6 of the housing. n the rear end of the rectractor plate is a cross-bar l2, and formed in front thereof is an opening I3 which is provided for the reception of the rollback portions 15 and iii of a pair of telescoping spindles. These rollback portions are formed in the spindles by slotting them transversely, and the width of the slots thus formed is such as to permitthe spindles to straddle the cross-bar l2 of the retractorplate. The spindles proper are indicated at IT and I8, and each is provided with-a permanently attached knob, said knobs being shown at Ma and Illa. Secured to opposite sides of the housing D (see Figs. 1 and are plates l9l9, and formed in each plate is a central opening-which is screw-threaded as shown at 20. These threaded openings serve the function of receiving and retaining spindle bearings such as shown at 2| and 22. The inner ends of the spindle bearings are threaded to screw into the openings 20 of the plates l9, and are in this manner secured. .The spindle bearings 2i and 22 are ,of a diameter to receive the larger or exterior spindle l8. This spindle in turn forms a bearing for the spindle H which extends substantialiy through it.

On the forward end of the retractor plate E (see Figs. 6, '7 and 8) is pivotally mounted as at 24 a pawl 25, which is normally held in a raised or projected position by means of a spring 26. This pawl projects into a slot 21 formed in the upper plate 5 of the latch housing, and as such engages the rear end 210. of the slot, when the latch bolt 9 is fully retracted or depressed. This limited movement is the normal movement imparted to the retractor plate by means of the rollback portions l5 and N5 of the respective spindles, said movementbeing suflicient, as already stated, to cause complete retraction of the latch bolt, and thereby allow opening of the door. During normal movement, the crossbar I! of the retractor plate remains in the together with the cross-bar. i2, is moved to the position shown inFig. 8, the bar it will move out oi the transverse slots of the respective spindles, and the spindles may then be freely removed in an endwise direction. This additional movement of the retractor plate and cross-bar is imparted through a pin or rod 3@ inserted through a pinhole opening 3| formed in the front plate l of the housing. When the pin is inserted it engages the inclined upper face of the pawl and depresses the same. A further insertion of the pin or rod causes it to engage a shoulder 32 formed in the retractor plate, and continued insertion forces the retractor plate rearwardly until it finally assumes the position shown in Fig. 8. Both spindles will then be fully released, and each may be removed. To re-insert the spindles the same operation will be necessary, v

and when they are inserted, and the transverse slots are brought into alignment with the bar 02, then the pin to may be removed, and the retractor will immediately be projected to assume the position shown in Fig. 7, due to the tension or the springs 33 interposed between the bar it and the rear plate t of the housing.

To install a lock of this character, the loci: housing is inserted between the opposite faces .A and B of the stile through an opening formed in the edge or face C of the stile. The housing is held in this position until the two spindle bearings 29 and 22 are inserted and screwed into place, and when this is accomplished, the housing is fully secured, as it is supported at the rear end by the spindle bearings 2| and 22 and at the front end by the opening through which it is inserted. Any suitable implement, such as the pin at, is now inserted to depress the pawl 25, and to move the retractor plate to its rearmost position, or that shown in Fig. 8. The spindle i8 is then inserted, and thereafter the smaller or telescoping spindle ii. The spindles are turned by means of their respective knobs until their transverse slots align with the cross-bar i2, and when this is done the pin it is retracted, and an interlock is immediately formed between the spindles and the retractor plate, which will be pushed forwardly by the springs 33. g this forward movement the bar 92 enters the transverse slots of the respective spindles and the bolt 9 will at the same time assume a projected position as shown in Fig. 1. After installation, the latch will operate in the ordinary manner; thus, rotation of either knob will cause rotation of the connected spindle, the rollback portions i5 and it will engage the front face of the bar l2, and as the spindle or spindles are rotated, the bar, the retractor plate and the latch will move rearwardly, said rearward movement being limited by the pawl 25 when it engages the shoulder the, the movement being under all conditions sufdcient to permit complete etraction oi the latch.

While the "tore disclosed is particularly intended for hollow metal door, it may obviously be employed in connection with wooden doors and the like. a wooden door be mortised to receive housing D; also it may einplayed as a rim loch by inserting in a housing such as shown in 9.

anodes? It is well known that door lmobs are usually secured to spindles by screws and like means, and

that they rattle loose and the mobs rail of! from time to time. Such screws may be entirely eliminated in the structure here disclosed, as, due to the fact that the spindles themselves are adapted to be removed from the housing, it permits permanent fastening oi the knobs to the outer ends or the spindles by welding, soldering, pinning, or other suitable. means. By constructing the latch housing as shown in Fig. 5, it becomes possible to install it either in hollow metal doors, in rim looks or in wooden doors, and furthermore it is possible to secure the spindle bear-' ings direct to the housing, due to the Zact that the plates i9 form a part of the housing, and the spindle bearings form a threaded connection therewith. By securing the housing within the door by means of the spindle bearings, all rastoning screws are entirely eliminated, and removal or insertion of the lock is controlled entirely by a manipulation of an implement such as a pin or rod (see Fig. 8).

While this and otherieatures of the inven-" tion have been more or less specifically described.

I wish it understood that changes may be re-v sorted to within the scope of the appended claims, and that the materials and finish of the several parts employed may be such as the judgment or experience of the manufacturer may dictate.

When two telescoping spindles are employed as here illustrated, they may be independently operated or rotated, or the spindles may be interlooked as shown in Fig. 10 so as to rotate in unison as a single spindle, such interlocking-between the spindles being accomplished by merely forming a notch 50 in the inner end of the outer spindle into which extends a lug 5i forming a part of the inner spindle. Thistype of interlock leaves the respective spindles free for endwise removal when the interlock between them and the retractor is released, thus making it possible to employ permanently secured knobs whether the spindles function independently of each other or as asingle rigid spindle.

I claim: 1

In a latch mechanism of the character described a housing comprising an outer end memher and a pair of connected rearwardly extending arms, said end member and arms being constructed of fiat material and forming a U-shaped housing, said arms being slotted adjacent their rear ends, and the outer end member having an opening formed therein, a latch bolt extending through the, opening and guided therein, a retractor plate extending rearwardly between the arms, lugs on said plate extending into the slots formed in the arms, to guide and support the rear end of the retractor plate, said plate being secured at its'forward end to the latch bolt and being supported and guided thereby; a pawl disposed adjacent the front end of the retractor plate, said pawl straddling the, upper edge and extending longitudinally of the retractor plate, a pivotal connection between the forward end of the pawl and the retractor plate, a spring between the opposite end of the pawl and the retractor plate, and a shoulder formed on one of the arms of the housing, with which the pawl normally engages to limit rearward movement of the retractor plate.

WAL'IER. R. SCHLAGE.

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