US1857684A - Door latch - Google Patents

Description

J. B. FLYNN noon LATCH May '10, 1932.

\ Filed May 5, 1950 2 Sheets-Sheet 2 INVEN OR ATTOR'N EY Patented May 10, 1932 UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE JOHN B. FLYNN, OF DETROIT, MICHIGAN, ASSIGNOR TO TERNSTEDT MANUFACTURING C(IMPANY, OF DETROIT, MICHIGAN, A. CORPORATION OF MICHIGAN DOOR LATCH Application filed May 5,

This invention relates to adoor latch and more particularly to a latch for an automotive vehicle door.

In the present commonly used automotive vehicle door latch the spring projected bolt carries a rollback abutment which abuts against the rollback when the bolt is fully projected to hold the outside door handle in a predetermined position that is usually horizontal. This type of construction has proved defective in that the latch bolt often is' not fully projected owing to irregularities in the vehicle body which may be present initially or result from use. This incomplete projection of the bolt permits the door handle to sag from its predetermined position because in such case the rollback is not held tightly against thelock frame flange by the rollback abutment.

It is the object of this invention to obviate the sagging of the outside door handle and to maintain it in a predetermined position at all times whether or not the bolt is fully projected. r

In the drawings:

Fig. 1 is a front elevation of the latch showing the bolt fully projected.

Fig. 2 is a section along the line 23-2 of Fig. 1.

Fig. 3 is a plan view of the latch shown in Fig. 1.

Figs. 4 and 5 are a front elevation and a plan view respectively of the latch showing the bolt partially projected.

Fig. 6 is a front elevation of the latch showin g the position of the various elements when the outside door handle is actuated to retract the bolt.

Figs. 7 and 8 are details of the latch bolt guide construction.

Figs 9 and 10 show a modification of the latch wherein the spring is mounted on the end of the lever. U

Referring more particularly to the drawings, the latch consists of the latch frame 1 with the selvage plate 2. The latch frame has-the struck out guide lugs 3 and the selvage plate has the opening 4 which cooperates with the guide clip 32 to guide the latch bolt 5. The latch bolt 5 carries the rollback abut- 1930. Serial No. 449,857.

ment 6. The latch frame 1 has rotatably mounted thereupon the rollback 7 which has fixed therein the shank 8. The shank in turn carries the outside door handle 9. The latch bolt 5 has mounted thereon the bolt spring 10 as at 11. The latchframe '1 has pivotally mounted thereupon as at 12 the lever 13. The lever 13 pivots on the latch frame between the frame and the bolt spring and rollback abutment. The lever has the outwardly turned flange 14 which engages the rollback 7. The other end of the lever 13 is outwardly turned as at 15. The outwardly turned portion 15 of the lever 13 serves as a seat for the free end 16 of the bolt spring 10.

The striker plate which is carried by the vehicle body pillar may be referenced 17.

The operation of the latch is as follows:

In Figs. 1, 2, and 3 the latch bolt is fully projected behind the striker 17. Hence, the bolt spring 10 which is mounted on the latch bolt 5 and arranged to reciprocate'therewith, exerts a clockwise torque or the lever 13 at the spring seat 15 which in turn causes the flange 14 of the upper part of the lever 13 to hold the rollback 7 aga nst the selvage plate 2 as at 20. The bolt spring at the same time forces the latch bolt outwardly toward the right and the rollback abutment 6 engages the fiange 14 of the lever as at 21 to alsohold the rollback 7 against the selvage plate 2. In Figs. 4 and 5 the latch bolt 5 is shown only partially projected. In such a position the rollback abutment 6 is spaced from the flange 14 of the pivoted lever 13 and the rollback 7 and hence does not maintain the rollback against the selvage plate 2. Hence, insofar as the rollback abutment 6 is concerned the rollback 7 would be free to rotate between the rollback abutment 6 and the selvage plate 2 and consequently permit the handle 9 to sag from the horizontal. In this position of the latch bolt the sagging of the handle 9 is prevented because the clockwise torque exerted by the spring 10 upon the lever 13 at the seat 15 oausesthe flange 14 of the lever 13 toyieldably engage therollback 7 and hold it against the selvage plate 2 as at 22. At the that there is here produced a latch construction in which the retracting means is at all times held in a predetermined position by a single means which also serves to yieldably project the latch bolt into latching engagement with the striker.

It is a further object of this invention to provide a single clip which serves three purposes, namely, to guide the latch bolt, to serve as a stop which limits the retraction of the latch bolt, and. to serve as a guide for the rollback dog. This construction is nicely illustrated in Fig. 6 and does away with the need for the usual punched-in bolt stop and the commonly used spring clip guide for the bolt. As shown in Figs. 7 and 8 the latch frame 1 is provided with openings 31. The openings 31 are arranged to receive the substantially U-shaped clip 32 which is passed over the latch bolt 5 and then through the openings 31 where the ends 33 are bent over as shown. The latch bolt 5 is provided with the recesses 34 having the shoulders 35. Hence, when the latch is retracted as by the ordinary remote control or by the outside door handle the shoulder 35 abuts against the clip 32 to limit the retraction of the bolt.

The clip 32 is provided with the upstanding lugs or wings 36 which serve as guides for the dog 37. The dog 37 is arranged to be slid downwardly to abut the rear of the lever 13 as at 38 to positively dog the rollback 7.

It is customary in look construction to have one of the ends of the bolt spring stationary. Hence, to take a specific example, when the bolt is projected the spring is exerting approximately 28 lbs. pressure upon the bolt, whereas when the bolt is retracted the spring is exerting in the neighborhood of 32 lbs. pressure, hence making a difference of 4 lbs. pressure between the retracted position and the projected position of the bolt. It is a further object of this invention to substantially decrease this difference and this has been achieved by mounting the bolt spring upon the bolt and providing an inclined seat 15 along which the end of the spring 16 can slide after the latch bolt is retracted. Hence, as the latch bolts is retracted the upper portion of 'the spring moves with the bolt and at the same time the spring end 16 moves downwardly and to the left thereby preventing to a certain extent any increased tension on the spring. It is found that by so mounting the latch bolt spring that the diflerence in pressure exerted by the spring when the bolt is projected and when it is retracted is reduced to substantially one pound.

In the modified form of the latch the latch frame 40 has slidably mountedthereupon the bolt 41. The bolt 41 is guided by means of an opening 42 in the latch frame flange 43 and by means of the headed stud 44 which projects through an opening 45 in the bolt 41 and is riveted to the latch frame 40 as at 46. The bolt is arranged to be retracted by the rollback 47. The latch frame 40 has pivotally mounted thereon as at 48 the lever 49 one end of which carriesthe bolt spring 50 and the other end of which is arranged to abut the rollback as at 51. In this case the free end 52 of the spring 50 abuts the bolt as at 53. The torque exerted by the bolt spring 50 not only projects the bolt 41 but also exerts a clockwise torque upon the lever 49 which engages the rollback at 51 to hold it against the flange 43 and consequently maintains the out side door handle in the proper horizontalposition even though the bolt 41 may not be fully projected.

What I claim is:

1. Latch construction for an automotive vehicle comprising in combination a latch frame, a bolt movably mounted thereupon, retracting means for the said bolt, and a single means supported solely by the said bolt for maintaining the retracting means in a predetermined position independently of the extent of the projection of the saidbolt and for projecting the said bolt.

2. Latch construction for an automotive vehicle comprising in combination a latch frame, a bolt movably mounted thereupon, retracting means for the said bolt, and means for maintaining the retracting means in a predetermined position independently of the extent of the projection of the said bolt and for projecting said bolt said means including a spring mounted on and adapted to reciprocate with the said bolt.

3. Latch construction for an automotive vehicle comprising in combination a latch frame, a bolt movably mounted thereupon, retracting means for the said bolt, and means including a spring carried by the bolt and a lever for maintaining the retracting means in a predetermined position independently of the extent of projection of the said bolt and for projecting the said bolt.

4. Latch construction for an automotive vehicle comprising in combination a latch frame, a bolt member movably mounted thereupon, retracting means for the said bolt member, a movable member mounted on the said latch frame and resilient means carried by one of said members, the said resilient means arranged to engage both the bolt member to project the same and the movable member mounted on the latch frame to hold the. said retracting means in a predetermined position independently of the extent of projection of the said bolt member.

5. Latch construction for an automotive vehicle comprising in combinationa latch frame, a bolt member movably mounted thereupon, retracting means for the said bolt member and a movable member mounted on the said latch frame, a spring carried by one of said members, the said spring being thereupon, retracting means for the said bolt member, a pivoted lever member carried by the latch frame and a spring carried by one of said members, the said spring being arranged to engage the bolt member to project the same and the pivoted lever to hold the said retracting means in a predetermined position independently of the extent of projection of the said bolt member.

7. Latch construction for an automotive vehicle comprising in combination a support member, a bolt movably mounted thereupon, retracting means including a rollback for the said bolt, resilient means carried by the said bolt, pivot means carried by. the support member, the said resilient means being arranged to engage the pivoted means to project the latch bolt and to maintain the rollback against the support member independently of the extent of projection of the said bolt whereby the retracting means is maintained in a predetermined position.

8. Latch construction for an automotive vehicle comprising in combination a support member having a bolt movably mounted thereupon, retracting means including a rollback for'the said bolt, a spring carried by the said bolt, a pivoted lever carried by the support member, the said spring being arranged to engage the pivotedlever to project the latch bolt and to maintain the rollback against the support member independently of the extent of projection of the said bolt whereby the same and to serve as a stop forlimiting the retraction of the said bolt.

11. Latch construction'for an automotive vehicle comprising in combination a latch frame having an opening therein, a bolt slidably mounted on the frame, retracting means for the said bolt, a dog for the, said retracting means, and a U-shaped clip having upstanding flanges, the said clip arranged to be passed over the said bolt and through the opening in the latch frame with the ends turned voutwardly to secure the said clip to the latch frame and to serve as a guideand a stop for the said bolt, the upstanding flanges arranged to serve as a guide for the said dog.

12. Latch construction for an automotive vehicle comprising in combination a latch frame, a bolt slidably mounted thereupon, and resilient means for projecting the said bolt, the entire resilient means moving with the said bolt whereby the tension of the said bolt is maintained substantially uniform when the bolt is in either projected or retracted position.

13. Latch construction for an automotive vehicle comprising in combination a latch frame, a bolt slidably mounted thereupon, a spring secured to the said bolt and having a projecting end, a seat for the projecting end of the said bolt, the said seat being angularlydisposed whereby the bolt spring and the free end of the spring move generally in the direction of the said bolt as it is re tracted or projected to maintain the tension of the spring substantially uniform.

14. Latch construction adapted for an automotive vehicle comprising in combination a latch frame, 'a bolt movably mounted thereupon, retracting meansfor the said bolt,

a spring for projecting said bolt, and a signature. I JOHN B. FLYNN.

retracting means is maintained in a prede- I termined position.

9. Latch constructlon for an automotive veh1cle comprising 1n comblnation a latch frame, a bolt slidably mounted thereupon, re-

tracting means for the said bolt and a dog for the said retracting-means, anda single means serving as a guide for the said bolt and dog and a stop to limit the retraction of the said bolt.

10. Latch construction for an automotive vehicle comprising in combination a latch frame, a bolt slidably mounted thereupon, retracting means for the said bolt, a dog for dogging the said retracting means and a clip secured to the said latch frame and slidably engaging the said bolt and dog to guide the

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