AU2005200164A1 - Sliding Panel Latch Mechanism - Google Patents

Description

P001 Section 29 Regulation 3.2(2)

AUSTRALIA

Patents Act 1990 COMPLETE SPECIFICATION STANDARD PATENT Application Number: Lodged: Invention Title: Sliding Panel Latch Mechanism The following statement is a full description of this invention, including the best method of performing it known to us: SLIDING PANEL LATCH MECHANISM The present invention relates to improvements in sliding panel latch mechanisms of the type adapted to latch, and if desired, lock a sliding door, sliding window panel or the like.

Mechanisms of this general type are well known, however, such mechanisms have a number of desirable performance characteristics. For example, it is desirable to enable the latch mechanism to automatically latch when the sliding panel is closed but in an unlocked condition. It is further desirable for the latch mechanism to be easily opened from the latched condition to allow the sliding panel to be opened. It is also desirable for the latch mechanism to be capable of being locked, when desired in a closed and latched condition of the sliding panel. A still further desirable attribute is to provide at least one remote latching position to provide greater security when the sliding panel is closed and in a latched condition. Finally, it is desirable to provide a latching mechanism of the aforementioned kind that is simple and effective in operation, and inexpensive to produce.

Accordingly, it is an objective of the present invention to provide a simple, effective and inexpensive latch mechanism for a sliding door panel that in one preferred embodiment may also be capable of being locked.

In accordance with the present invention, there is provided a latch mechanism for a sliding door panel, the latch mechanism including at least one pivoted latch arm having a free latch end engageable in a latched position with a stationary abutment means whereby, in use, the sliding door panel is prevented from moving towards an open condition, the or each said pivoted latch arm being urged towards the latch position by spring means, and a rotatable cam member engageable with the or each said latch arm upon rotation of said cam member to move the or each said latch arm against said spring means to delatch the latch end from said abutment means to allow the sliding door to be opened.

Preferred features of the present invention may be as defined in claims 2 to 15 annexed hereto, the subject matter of these claims forming part of the disclosure of this specification by this reference thereto.

A preferred embodiment of the present invention will hereinafter be described with reference to the accompanying drawings, in which: Fig la illustrates schematically a latch mechanism in a potential first position of use where the latch is unlocked but latched; Fig lb is a cross-sectional view of the latch mechanism shown in Fig la illustrating the mechanism in greater detail; Fig 2a illustrates schematically, the latch mechanism of Figs l1a, lb on a second potential position of use where the latch is delatched both centrally and remotely.

Fig 2b is a cross-sectional view of the latch mechanism shown in Fig 2a illustrating in greater detail the mechanism in the second position illustrated in Fig 2a; Fig 3a illustrates schematically, the latch mechanism of Figs l a, lb in a third potential position of use where the latch is latched both centrally and remotely; Fig 3b is a cross-sectional view of the latch mechanism shown in Fig 3a illustrating in greater detail the mechanism in the third position illustrated in Fig 3a; and Fig 4 illustrates in perspective view, the cam member and the first rotatable member of the remote locking arrangement with many parts omitted for the sake of clarity.

Referring to the annexed drawings, a preferred embodiment of a latching mechanism 10 for a sliding panel (door, window or the like) is illustrated in Figs la to 3b in three different potential modes of operation. The latching mechanism conveniently includes a strike member 11 having a housing 16 defining a recess 12 in which a pair of spaced striker pins 13 and 14 are positioned. The strike member 11 will normally be mounted on or in a stationary surround support structure of the sliding panel. The latching mechanism 10 further includes a latch device 15 that will normally be mounted on or in the sliding panel with the latch device 15 being cooperable with the strike member 11 as described hereinafter.

The latch device 15 conveniently includes a support housing 17 having a forward face 18 directed, in use, towards the recess 12 of the strike member 17.

The forward face 18 has a pair of openings 19, 20 through which hooked ends 21, 22 of a pair of pivoted latch arms 23, 24 project, to engage with or disengage from the striker pins 13, 14 of the strike member 11. The latch arms 23, 24 are preferably pivoted via hinge pins 25, 26 at their ends opposite to the hooked ends 21, 22 adjacent to a rear wall 27 of the latch device support housing 17. The locked ends 21, 22 of the latch arms 23, 24 have an open recessed zone 28, 29 each, in use, being engageable with one of the striker pins 13 or 14, as shown for example in Figs lb and 3b. The latch arms 23, 24 are urged toward one another by a U-shaped leaf spring 30 which has legs 31, 32 engaged with the latch arms 23, 24 to urge same in opposite directions towards one another. Each free end of the spring legs 31, 32 is formed as a detent 33 engageable with a recessed portion 34 on the respective latch arms 23, 24 so as to retain the spring in a position of use (as illustrated in the drawings) unless the detents 33 are delached from their cooperating recesses 34. It will of course be appreciated that other spring arrangements might also be used to urge the latch arms 23, 24 towards one another. Each latch arm 23, 24 is prevented from over rotation under forces applied by the spring 30 by the arms 23, 24 being engageable with the lower edge zone 35 of the opening 19 and the upper edge zone 36 of the opening 20 in the forward face 18 of the support housing 17. The free end portions 37, 38 of the latch arm hooked ends 21, 22, present an inclined outer surface 39, engageable by a respective striker pin 13 or 14 as the sliding panel moves towards the strike member 11, such that the latch arms 23, 24 will be caused to pivot away from each other against forces applied by the spring 30 to allow the end portions 37, 38 to ride over the pins 13, 14.

The latching mechanism 10 described above is conveniently actuated by a cam device 41 which is selectably rotated as described below by at least one external grippable actuating member. The actuating member 42 is schematically illustrated in the drawings but may be any knob, lever or key operated device which may be located either internally or externally or both. The cam device 41 includes an oval camming surface 43 engageable with the inwardly facing surfaces 44, 45 of the latch arms 23, 24 under forces applied by spring 30. The cam device 41 further includes a drive member 46 that is rotatable with the cam device 41, and adapted to drive, via a lost motion means 47, a remote latching mechanism 48 as described below. Drive member 46 is of a half disc shape having drive surfaces 49, 50 on opposite sides of its axis of rotation 51, the drive member 46, in use being received within a recess 52 formed in a rotatable member 53 that is separately formed relative to the cam device 41 and is also disposed for rotation about the rotation axis 41. The recess 52 generally extends through 2700 to form abutment surfaces 54, 55, each being engageable by a respective one of the drive surfaces 49, 50 formed on the drive member 46. The rotatable member 53, includes pivot attachment means 56, 57 for connecting remote latching bars 58, 59 thereto. The outer ends 60, 61 of the remote latching bars 58, 59 may pass through any suitable guide means 62, 63 to engage with a remote latching point on the sliding panel surround. As is illustrated schematically on Figs la, 2a and 3a, a key operated lock device 64 might be provided to lock the remote latching bars in an extended position (eg Fig 3a) but otherwise, in an unlocked condition, to allow free movement of the remote latching bars 58, 59.

Figs la and lb illustrate a position where the actuating member 42 (vertically disposed in the drawings) presents the oval camming surface 43 such that a minimum distance exists between the latching arms 23, 24. In this position movement of the latching arms 23, 24 is controlled by the spring 30 such that they may be forced apart against the action of the spring 30 but will, without externally applied forces take up a latching position as illustrated in Figs la and lb. In this configuration, rotatable member 53 has been moved by the drive member 46 to a position where the remote latching bar connecting points 56, 57 have effectively moved the remote latching bars 58, 59 to a withdrawn delatched position. Figs 2a, 2b illustrate the latching mechanism where the actuating member 42 has been moved through 900 such that the oval camming surface 43 has moved the latch arms 23, 24 apart to a maximum extent allowing the hooked ends 21, 22 to delatch from the striker pins 13, 14. The lost motion means 52 has effectively resulted in the drive member 46 not moving the rotatable member 53 and the remote latch bars 58, 59 remain in a delatched position. In the condition illustrated in Figs la to 2b, the sliding panel may be temporarily latched and delatched under operation of the actuating member 42.

Figs 3a and 3b illustrate a condition where the actuating member 42 has been rotated through a further 900 to again return the oval camming surface 43 to a position where the latching arms 23, 24 take up a latching position. The further movement of the member 42, however in this case, moves the drive member 46 and the rotatable member 53 to the position illustrated where the remote latching bars 58, 59 are extended to their latching position. In this condition, the mechanism might be securely locked with the remote lock device 64 or with a lock device associated with the actuation member 42.

Modifications of the mechanism just described may be apparent to those skilled in the art and are those modifications falling within the scope of the annexed claims are included in this invention.

Claims (14)

1. A latch mechanism for a sliding door panel, the latch mechanism including at least one pivoted latch arm having a free latch end engageable in a latched position with a stationary abutment means whereby, in use, the sliding door panel is prevented from moving towards an open condition, the or each said pivoted latch arm being urged towards the latch position by spring means, and a rotatable cam member engageable with the or each said latch arm upon rotation of said cam member to move the or each said latch arm against said spring means to delatch the latch end from said abutment means to allow the sliding door to be opened.

2. A latch mechanism according to claim 1 wherein two said latch arms are provided with the free latch ends of said latch arms each including a hook formation having a recess region engageable with separate striker pins forming said abutment means.

3. A latch mechanism according to claim 2 wherein the recess regions of the hook formations face one another.

4. A latch mechanism according to claim 1 or claim 2 wherein said spring means urges said latch arms towards one another.

A latch mechanism according to claim 4 wherein the latch arms are urged by said spring means to engage with said cam member.

6. A latch mechanism according to claim 5 wherein said spring means is a U- shaped leaf spring with legs of said U-shaped leaf spring contacting and urging said latch arms towards one another.

7. A latch mechanism according to claim 2 or any one of claims 3 to 6 when appended to claim 2 wherein the cam member includes an oval shaped portion that is engaged by inwardly facing surfaces of the latch arms whereby when said cam member is rotated to a position where the oval portion provides a minimum distance between said latch arms, the latch arms are moved to the latch position by said spring means, and when said cam member is rotated to a position where the oval portion provides a maximum distance between said latch arms, the latch arms are moved thereby to a delatching position.

8. A latch mechanism according to claim 2 or any one of claims 3 to 7 when appended to claim 2 wherein each said latch arm includes an outwardly facing cam surface engageable with a said striker pin when the latch arms are in a latching position as the sliding panel is moved towards a closed position whereby the latch arms will move outwardly against the urging forces of said spring means to ride over the striker pins to eventually engage the striker pins within the recess regions of the hook formations.

9. A latch mechanism according to any one of claims 1 to 8 further including a remote latching means including a first rotatable member and at least one remote latching arm means pivoted at an inner end to said first rotatable member, the or each said remote latching arm means being adapted to extend to a remote latching position or be withdrawn from said remote latching position upon rotation of said first rotatable member in a predetermined manner, said first rotatable member being rotated by interaction with said cam member, and a lost motion configuration being provided between said cam member and said first rotatable member whereby the or each said remote latching arm means are extended to said remote latching position only in a first predefined position of said cam member where said latch arm or arms are also in their latch position, and whereby said latch arm or arms are separately positionable in their latch position with the cam member in a second predefined position and with the remote latching arm means withdrawn from their remote latching position.

A latch mechanism according to claim 9 wherein two said remote latching arm means are provided, each extending in generally opposite directions from said first rotatable member.

11. A latch mechanism according to claim 9 or claim 10 wherein the remote latching arm means or one of the remote latching arm means is selectably retainable in the remote latching position by a key operated lock mechanism.

12. A latch mechanism according to any one of claims 1 to 11 wherein a first grippable actuating member is provided adapted to be positioned internally of the sliding panel in use, the first actuating member being coupled to said cam member to enable selective rotation thereof.

13. A latch mechanism according to any one of claims 1 to 12 wherein a second grippable actuating member is provided adapted to be positioned externally of the sliding panel in use, the second actuating member being coupled to said can member to enable selective rotation thereof.

14. A latch mechanism according to claim 12 or claim 13 wherein the first or the second actuating member is selectably removable from the latch mechanism. A latch mechanism according to any one of claims 1 to 12 wherein an externally accessible key operated lock mechanism is coupled to said cam member to enable said latch mechanism to be locked in a latching position. DATED this 5 th day of January 2005 ANTHONY BEARINGS PTY LTD WATERMARK PATENT TRADE MARK ATTORNEYS 290 BURWOOD ROAD HAWTHORN VICTORIA 3122 AUSTRALIA P23609AU00