US1581693A - Door latch - Google Patents

Description

April 20 1926. 1,581,693 4 J. A. SEEHOLZER DOOR LATCH Filed Nov. 1923 Patented Apr. 20, 1926.

UNITED 5 STATES noon LATCH,

A n atimi m-ea November s, 1923. sm i'ivo. erases.

To all whomit may concern:

Be it known that 1, Joint A. Sn11:[-Io1.znR, a citizen of the United States, residing at Detroit, in the county of WVayne and State of Michigan, have invented certainnew and useful Improvements in Door Latches, o'f which the vfollowing is a specification.

This invention relates to door latches, and has as one of its objects to -provide a latch which will be practically concealed when the door is-closed and whichwillsecurely hold thedoor in closed position and yet permit of it being ;1eadily;opened and again closed. Another object of the invention is to provide adoor latch so, constructed thatit will beunnecessary to :turn'any knob, handle, or other operating devices or otherwise actuate thesame, for the purpose of releasing the latch, it being only necessary to push or pull uponthe door to open the sa 1ne,and the latch being automatic in its action to latch the door upon reolosing thereof.

Another object of the invention is to pro- .Vldfi a-door latch which may be manufac tured ata veryloW-cost, and which will'be ,sim-ple' and durable in construction and not liable to any disarrangement or improper functioning of its parts.

- Another object of' he invention is .toso.

.lclonstruct the latch that if. desired it may constitute'means for vlin itinggthe movement {of .thedoor to closed position sothatitrwill be. unnecessaryrto employ thewusual stop bead upon the :door. frame or any other means foryarresting the movement of the "door-toward closed position, at the time; such position is reached. p In the accompanying drawings; .Figure 1 is-aperspectiveview of one form of the latch embodying the invention mounted upon a door anddoorframe; I

Figure 2 is a detail plan view of the latch, the door and frame being shown in :section; Figure 3 is a view similar to Figure 2 illustrating a slight modification of the invention; 7

Figure 4 is-fa ,view similar --to Figure 2 illustrating afurther modification ofrthe in-t vention; V i i Figure 5 is :aview [similar tofFigure 2 illustrating a further modification of the invention; I t

Figure 6 is a similar view illustrating a still further modification. H v

The latch embodying the invention comprises a latch member which is indicated in general by the numeral 1, and a keeper,

member indicated in general by the numeral 2. on red "to the free edge of the door a'nd coinprises a plate one end of which constitutes an. attaching portion indicated bythetnumeral '3, this portion ,being provided ,With

openings -.to receive securing sc'rewsfl which $5 I arethreaded into the said treejedgeof the door, the edge .of the door beingpreferably recessedso asto receive the attaching portion with its outwardly presented side flush The latch member is adapted to be se- 1 Withthe edge face of the door as clearly v illustrated in Figure 2 ofthe drawings. Preferably :the attaching portion 3 is'.of

such length that it will terminate short ,of

theouter face of flih door and for this reason the latch will vbe invisible from without.

The plate comprising the latch membenl has a portion '5 which extends beyond the attaching portion 3 .andlwhich has its free end turned back upon itself as at 6v so as to ,providea latch head 7 the .freeiedge ofthis portion preferably. contacting the face of, the portion15 of theflat'ch member, Thehead'7 of the'latch is therefore of a [more or less closed elliptical form and exteriorly it, is, ,of course,' rounded in a transversedirection. V *Thegkeeper member Qlikewise comprises a plate, one end portion of Whiclrconstitutes an attaching portion indicated'by the numeral 8 and which portion ,is' provided with openings r01- the passage of screws 9 whereby it is secured to the side otthe door :frame, the doorframebeingpreferably recessed to receive the attaching portion of the keeper member with its'outwardly ,pre-

sented .face flush withthe faceof the'said side of'the-doorframe. Theportion of the plate beyond the attachingportion Sis defleet-ed outwardly, .as indicatedby the numeral. 10 .so as to provide arounded shoulder 11, and beyond this shoulderthe plate is bentupon itself to provide-a vsubstantially snugly receivethehead 7 ot" the latch memher 1, the 'free end of the platebeing deflected laterally outwardly "with respect to .bpen-socket ".12 ,interiorlyof a contour to .litselfposs'esses a degree or resiliency and is and at a point substantially opposite the shoulder 11, on a curved line as indicated by the numeral 13 so as to provide a locking shoulderbehind which the locking head 7 may engage when the door is closed and the latch parts 1 and 2 are brought into coacting relation. I 1 By reference to the drawings and from the foregoing description it will now be understood that when the door is swung to closed position, the head 7 of ofthe latch member 1 will ride against the shoulder 11 of the keeper member 2'and be directed into the socket 12 of.the said kecper member untilthe head 7 j'seats behind the shoulder 13 whereupon the parts will be interlocked asfshownin Figure 2. Thepart's 1 and 2 are, of course, of resilientmetal and it will be evident that they will be securelyheld interlocked until pressure is exerted or a pull exertedupon the door sufficient to effect their mutual disengagement whereupon the door may be swung to openposition. It will likewise "be understood that the throat of the socket 12 as definedby'the spacebetween the' shoulder 10 and the shoulder '13 is, in the separated. relationship oft-he parts,

[of a width less than "the "transverse dimension ofthe head 7 'of'the latch member 1 so that the said head 7 will be firmly gripped bythe walls of thesocket 12 when the parts are interlocked. It will also be observed that inasmuch as the latch head 7 first rides over 'the'rounded shoulder '11 before enterdesired.

In the form of the invention shownin Figure 3 of the drawings, the latch head which, in this form, is indicated by the numeral 14, is not entirely closed but is, on

the other'hanchleft slightly open as indicatedlby the numeral 15 sotha-t the head in more or less compressible. Likewise in this form of the invention the bend corresponding to the bend 13 in the keeper member 2 andindicated'by the numeral 16, is more .ae ute. In this construction the head of the latch member willbe heldmore'securely althoughno difiiculty will be experiencedin closing or 'openingthe door due to the fact 'fthat the saidhead, being open, is more or less compressible.

The form of the invention shown in Fige 4: of the, drawings is identical with the form shown in Figure 3 except that the bend corresponding to the bend 16 in the said I form shown in Figure 3 and which bend in Figure ,4 is indicated by the numeral 17, is more or less rounded so as toprovide a rounded shoulder substantially like the v shoulder shown in Figure 2 and indicated by the numeral 13. In this form of the invention the head of the latch member, indicated by the numeral 18, is open and of substantially the same rounded contour as the head 14 of the latch member shown in Fig. 3. It will be evidentat this pointthat the latch and keeper members shown in 'Figs. 2, 3 and '41- may be interchanged -and employed in connection with each other'or some one of the three forms may be adapted to the exclu'sion of the other two; The principal of the invention remaining the same however inall, three embodiments. I

In that form of theinvention shown in Figure 5 of the drawing, the latch member 7 is indicated by the numeral 19, and the keeper number by thenumeral 20. The coacting parts of these members are substantiallyidentical' with the coacting parts of the corresponding members in'the previously described forms of the invention but in this instance each member 19' and 20 is provided at the inner end of its shank portion with a right angularly turned attaching base indicated 'by' the numeral 21, the members "being designed to be secured'to the'door and itsframe .in the manner-clearly illustrated in the said figure.

In the form of the invention-shown in Figure'G of the drawings the latch' "and keeper members are indicated respectively by the numerals 22 and 23,-; andtheir coacting portions are, as-inthe previouslydescribed form of l the invention, of substantially thesame corresponding construction. 7

Thisyform is, however, designed' prim'arily for use upon doorsand door frames where the frame ispro'vided withda stop piece or strip for the door, indicated by the numeral 24. Inthis embodiment-theshank portion of each of the members is'form'ed with-a right angularly turned bend 25 vand with an attaching portion 26 located at 1 right angles to the bend- 25, the outer end of the laterally with respect to the attaching portion so as to adapt the members to accommodate the piece 24:, as clearly shown-in the said figure. 7

shank portion of each member being offset" Having thus described the invention, what is claimed as new is: v

A closure fastenercomprlsmg-a latchmem- 'ber and. a keepermember, said latch member being adapted to be secured to a closure and extend-from the inner face thereofand havfling its" free end provided with a head rounded longitudinally of the latch, and said keeper: being formed. from a strip of resilient material bent intermediate its portions serving to guide the head of said length to provide an attaching portion and latch member into said socket when the an offset portion, said offset portion being closure'is shut and said arms being adapted bent back upon itself intermediate its length to frictionally grip the head and yieldably 5 to provide a U.-shaped socket having convergretain the head in the socket. v

ing inner and outer gripping arms terminat- In testimony whereof I affiX my signature. ing in flaring end portions, said flaring end JOHN A. SEEHOLZER. [L -1

Images