US1886418A - Doorlatch - Google Patents

Description

Nov. 8, 1932. H. E. MUCHNEC DOORLATCH 2 Sheets-Sheet .1

Filed June 20, 1951 NOV. 8, 1932, uc c; 1,886,418

D OORLATGH Filed June 20. 1931 2 Sheets-Sheet 2 Patented Nov. 8, 1932 P A T ENT FF'I CE HENRY E. MUCHNIC, OFATCHISON, KANSAS, ASSIGNOR- TO THE LOCOMOTIVE FINISHED MATERIAL COMPANY, OF ATCHISON, KANSAS, .A CORPORATION OF KANSAS DOORLATCH Application filed June 20,

ing. the doors being held in full closed position, while at the same time being of such construction that .full and quick release of the doors may be obtained during movement of the latch mechanism toward unlatching position.

My inventionhas for its object the provision of door latching mechanism, which is particularly. adapted for latching the drop bottom doors, whereby great power or leverage is obtained in the closing operation which enables the closing operationto be performed by a single operator without the need of employing other devices for accomplishing the latching operation, as, however, is the case with door latching or fastening means at present in use on doors of the type mentioned; my improved latch being so formed that'the pulling strains or load on the doors will be exerted to one side of the pivotal point of the lever and thus constantly maintain the latch ing position of the mechanism.

The objects and advantages of my invention will be readily comprehended from the following detailed description of the accompanying drawings, wherein:

Figure lis a plan view of a portion of a gondola car. illustrating an arrangement of the drop bottom doors and a portion of the latch mechanism secured at the free end of the door. 1

Figure 2 is a longitudinal sectional view of the portion of car shown in Figure 1, illustrating the door in closed position with my improved latch in side elevation; an unlatching position being indicated in dotted lines.

Figure 3 is a side elevation of the latch'in latching position.

Figure 4 isa frontelevation thereof with portions broken away and shownin section.

Figure 5 is a side elevation of a modified form of my improved latch in latching position, with a portion of the latching lever broken away and portions of the side wall and one end of a bottom door shown in section.

Figure 6 is a front elevation of the modified 1931. Serial No. 545,715.

form, with portions broken away and shown in=section. Y

My invention relates to latchesmore especially intended for independently securing the various drop bottom doors of a gondola car in place. That is to say, my invention relates to latch mechanism for firmly securing the outer or free ends of the drop doors of a side dumping type of car in closed position and therefore in Figures 1 and 21 show portions of the bottom of a car with the door sec tions 10 hingedly secured in any well known manner atthe ends disposed adjacent to the longitudinal or car center sill indicatedat 11.

These doors, which may be of any desired construction, are shown composed of reenforced-metal and each door substantially at its longitudinal center line is provided with a pairof laterally disposed extensions or lugs 12,12 which may be integral with or suitably secured to the free ends of the doors.

These lugs are arranged in parallel spaced relationand each formed to provide a socket fol-the reception of the oppositely disposed cnd'portions or trunnions 13, 13, of 'an'I-shape member or link 14, more clearly shown in Figure 4. The lugs 12, 12 are preferably of malleable metal so as to permit the free ends of the lugs to be bent back around the trunnion portions 13 of the I-link 14. As shown in the drawings, the ends of the lugs 12, 12 are intended to be disposed beyondthe vertical plane of thecar side wall, a. portion whereof is shown at 15.

The side wall 15 of the car, adjacent to the lower end thereof andlin vertical alignment with the link ll'ofeach door section, is provided with a bracket 16 secured to the side wall. This bracket is provided with a pair of laterally spaced socket providing portions 17. 17, which initially may be formed as shown in dotted lines in Figure 3. These portions 17, 17 are intended to provide suitable sockets for pivotally securing a lever 18 in place.

The lever 18 has its lower end bifurcated to provide the spaced apart legs 19, 19;'and each leg 19 adjacent to its lower end andon its outer face is provided with a'laterally disposed trunnion 20, about which the outer free ends of the socket forminggportions 17 are standing lip portion at 22 (see Figure 3) and" the sockets 21 are preferably of depth so as to extend slightly rearward of the vertical plane of the pivotal point of the lever when the latter is in latching position.

The sockets 21 are intended to receive the upper or free and laterally disposed portions 23, 23 of the I-link 1 The length of the link and the relation between the pivot points or trunnions 20, 20, the sockets 21 and the lower end 13 of the link 14 are such that the doors will be in full closed position when the laterally disposed portions 23, 23 of the link are seated in the lower ends of the sockets 21. As a result, the upper ends of the link cannot shift or move upwardly in the sockets and hence unlatching or releasing of the doors is impossible as long as the levers 18 remain in upright position shown in Figure 3.

In order to permit the upper end of the lever to be more easily grasped, the rear side of the lever is preferably slightly curved, as shown, thus causing the upper end to be held slightly away from the car side as shown.

It is apparent that when the lever is in proper position, the downward pull of the link 14 on the lever 18 will be slightly rearward of the vertical plane of the pivotal point of the lever and therefore the weight of the door and its superposed load tends to hold the lever in latching position.

In order to prevent accidental movement of the lever, I show the car side 15 provided with a link or ring 24, suitably secured to the car side so as to permit the link 24 to be slipped over the top of the lever, as shown; the upper end of the lever 18 being preferably curved slightly outward to maintain the link v- 2& in place against accidental shifting.

Releasing of the doors is quickly accomplished by swinging the upper end of the lever 18 away from the car side thereby permitting the upper end of the link 14 to slide out of socket 21, which allows the free ends of the doors to drop to full open position.

With the lower end of the lever 18 bifurcat'ed as shown, the body of the link 14 will. be disposed between the bifurcations when in latching position, as shown in Figure 4. This construction permits the use of a straight link to be used.

In Figures 5 and 6, I show a modified form of latch. This construction involves an attaching plate 25 adapted to be secured to the car side adjacent to the bottom as shown in Figure 5; the plate being provided with a pair of apertured lugs 26, 26, properly spaced apart laterally as shown in Figure 6.

The latching lever 27 is also bifurcated at its lower end to provide the spaced apart legs 28, 28, which, on their inner opposing sides and at a distance beneath the connecting web portion 29, are each provided with a somewhat arcuate lug 30. The lugs 30, 30 extend to ward each other but terminate on opposite sides of the vertical median line of the device so as to provide a suflicient space therebetween for reception of the body portion of the link member 31.

The upper surfaces of the lugs 30, 30 are preferably slightly dished, as shown in Figure 5, to provide seating pockets or sockets for the laterally disposed upper end portions or head 32 of the link 31; this head portion, like the head portions 23 of the link 14- in the previously described construction, being preferably rounded so as to more readily slide into and out of their pockets or sockets in the levers.

The lower ends of the bifurcations or legs 28, 28 of the lever27 are intended to straddle or be disposed to the outer sides of the lugs 26, 26 of the attaching plate; and these ends of the legs 28, 28 are apertured to receive the hinge-pin 33, which extends through the legs 28 and the lugs 26, see Figure 6, whereby the lever 27 is pivotally secured to the attaching plate 25; the pin 33 being shown provided with a head at one end while the other end may be provided with a suitable cotter-pin, as at 34.

The link 31 is pivotally secured at 35' to suitable spaced lugs like that shown at 12 in Figure 1 extending beyond the free end of the drop bottom door 10. The link 31 in this construction is shown curved, as more clearly shown in Figure 5, so as to extend about or clear the hinge-pin 33 and permit the head of the link to be disposed above the hinge-pin and properly seat in the sockets of the lugs 30, 30, when the lever 27 is in upright latching position. 7

The lever 27 is also shown with a slight outward curve at its upper free end to receive and retain the link 24:, secured to the car side 15, so as to prevent accidental movement of the lever.

Like in the previously described construction, the head portion 32 of the link 31 will be disposed slightly inward of the vertical axis of the hinge-pin 33, with the result that the weight or downward pull of the door tends to maintain the lever in the latching position shown in Figure 5. r

I have illustrated my improved door latch as especially adapted to drop bottom doors with the link member secured to the movable element or door while the lever is secured to the non-moving element or wall, but it is apparent that the latch is equally as well adapted to different types of doors and that the relation of the members of the latch relative to the moving and non-moving elements may be altered; the invention, for purposes of exemplification, having been described in terms employed merely for the purpose of description, as modifications are possible and may be made without, however, departing from the spirit of my invention.

What I claim is:

1. A door latch of the character described comprising a link adapted to be pivotally secured in place, and a pivotally mounted lever provided with a socketed portion removed from the pivot point and open at the outer side of the lever and adapted to receive the free end of said link, the relation between the fulcrum point of the lever and the ends of the link being such that the pivoted and socketseated ends of the link will be disposed in a plane on the same side of the fulcrum point of the lever and disposed between said fulcrum point of the lever and the car sidewall.

2. A drop bottom car door latch comprising a link pivotally secured at its lower end to the free end of the door, and a lever pivoted at its lower end to the car side wall, said lever intermediate of its ends having a socket open on the outer side of the lever and adapted to receive the free end of said link with the link receiving socket and the pivoted end of the link so related to the pivotal point of the lever that the pull of the link will be rearward of the pivotal point of the lever when the lever is in latching position.

3. A door latch of the character described comprising, in combination with a clownwardly swinging door, a link pivotally secured to the door so as to swing vertically and provided at its free end with laterally disposed portions, and a lever bifurcated at its lower end to receive the upper end of the link therebetween, the lower ends of the bifurcations being pivotally mounted to permit the lever to swing vertically, the bifurcations intermediate of their ends having sockets open toward one side of the lever and extending rearward of the vertical plane of the pivotal point of the lever when the latter is in latching position, said sockets being adapted to receive the laterally disposed portions of the link, the relation between the fulcrum point of the lever and the ends of the link being such that the pivoted and socket-seated ends of the link will be disposed in a plane on the same side of the fulcrum point of the lever and disposed between said fulcrum point of the lever and the car side wall.

4. A door latch comprising, in combination with a downwardly swinging door and a car side-wall, an I-shape link pivotally secured at one end to the downwardly swingface with spaced apart socket-forming pori tions adapted to receive said trunnions and permit the lever to swing vertically, the relation between the fulcrum point of the lever and the ends of the link being such that the pivoted and socket-seated ends of the link will be disposed in a plane on the same side of the fulcrum point of the lever and disposed between said fulcrum point of the lever and the car side wall.

5. A door latch comprising, in combination with a car side wall and downwardly swinging doors, the free ends of the doors having lugs extending beyond the free ends of the doors, links pivotally secured at one of the ends to said door lugs so as to swing vertically beyond the side wall of the car, a bifurcated lever for each door, the lower ends of the bifurcations each having a trunnion on the outer side thereof and each bifurcation above the trunnion having a socket transversely of the bifurcation and open at one side of the lever adapted to receive the upper end of a link, a plate adapted to be secured to the car side wall and provided on its outer face with spaced apart bendable socket forming portions adapted to receive the trunnions of a lever, and thereby hold the fulcrumed end of the lever away from the car side wall, the relation between the fulcrum point of the lever and the ends of the link being such that the pivoted and socket-seated ends of the link will be disposed in a plane on the same side of the fulcrum point of the lever and disposed between said fulcrum point of the lever and the car side wall.

HENRY E. MUOHNIC.

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