US3637246A

US3637246A - Latching mechanism

Info

Publication number: US3637246A
Application number: US26699A
Authority: US
Inventors: Earl P Leiter
Original assignee: Republic Steel Corp
Current assignee: Republic Storage Systems Co Inc
Priority date: 1970-04-08
Filing date: 1970-04-08
Publication date: 1972-01-25
Anticipated expiration: 1989-01-25

Abstract

A locker latching assembly includes a rigid frame hook having a catch member mounted upon one component of an enclosure and cooperating with a latch element having a resilient finger mounted upon another component of the enclosure. Integral means are provided on the latch element to permit ready attachment thereof to a lock bar without the use of separate fastening elements.

Description

United States Patent Leiter 1 Jan. 25, 1972 [54] LATCHING MECHANISM 2,144,136 1/1939 Albach ..292/48 2,194,801 3/1940 Lindstrom ..292/83 Inventor! Earl Len", Youngstown Ohm 2,230,599 2/1941 O'Connor ..292/ 19 73 A 2 R St I C C] I d 2,242,958 5/1941 O'Connor..... 1 Sslgnee c R eve 2,835,523 5/1958 Chervenka ..292 80 Filed; P 1970 Primary Examiner-Robert L. Wolfe [21] APPL No 26 699 Attorney-Robert P. Wright and Joseph W. Malleck [57] ABSTRACT 9 fi g Y 2 2,87 292/303 i: A locker latching assembly includes a rigid frame hook having [58] Fieid 74 76 80 a catch member mounted upon one component of an enclofi- 76/73 79 ure and coo erating with a latch element having a resilient finger mounted upon another component of the enclosure. in-

tegral means are provided on the latch element to permit [56] References Cited ready attachment thereof to a lock bar without the use of UNITED STATES PATENTS separate fastening elements. 386,691 7/1888 Conklin 292/19 12 Claims, 11 Drawing Figures PATENTED JANZSISYZ I 3,637,246

SHEET 19F 2 Fl G. l.

Fl (5. 2. 5 7 B g A A \H :2 l5 i 28 F/ EARL P LEITER ATTORNEYS LATCIIING MECHANISM This invention relates generally to a latching assembly and more particularly to latching mechanisms especially adapted for use with cabinet or locker closures such as metal wall lockers.

Latching mechanisms are well known for use in connection with the doors of enclosures wherein the frame or casing of the enclosure and a portion of the enclosure door are provided with one or more latches and keepers which automatically cooperate upon the closing of the door to retain the door in a securely closed condition. Various alternatives are available wherein the latch element is either carried by the movable door or otherwise attached to the stationary enclosure frame with the keeper member being carried by the other of the two components. Likewise, as is well known to those skilled in this art, a conventional manner of disengaging a latch element from its respective keeper member is to provide a lifting bar which is usually slidably mounted within the confines of the movable door such that vertical actuation of this lifting bar provides a mechanical movement designed to disengage or release the locking relationship existing between the latch element and keeper device so that the door may thereafter be opened.

The majority of the prior known latching mechanisms in this area involve the fabrication of a plurality of sometimes intricate components, many of which require extensive labor to produce and to subsequently assemble. Additionally, forcible entry is quite often readily attained with certain of the known devices, while others provide, during the normal use thereof, unsightly and dangerous protruding components when the door is opened, upon which the user may snag his clothing or injure his body.

Accordingly, one of the primary objects of the present invention is to provide a latching mechanism of improved construction including cooperating stamped sheet metal frame hooks and spring latches.

Another object of the present invention is to provide a latching mechanism including a stationary frame hook having a catch member and a movable spring latch having a resilient finger element.

Still another object of the present invention is to provide a latching mechanism having both a frame hook and spring latch formed of minimum gauge sheet metal yet constructed" to provide maximum resistance against forcible entry.

Another object of the invention is to provide an improved latching mechanism including a spring latch member having integral means permitting the attachment of the latch member to a movable lock bar without the use of additional fastening means.

Still further object of the present invention will more readily appear as the nature of the invention is better understood. The invention consists in the novel construction, combination and arrangement of parts hereinafter more fully described, illustrated and claimed.

The preferred and practical embodiment of the invention is shown in the accompanying drawings, in which:

FIG. 1 is a partial perspective view and illustrates a metal wall locker as an example of the environment with which the present invention may be practiced.

FIG. 2 is a partial horizontal sectional view taken along the lines 2-2 of FIG. 1.

FIG. 3 is an exploded view of the two principal components as illustrated in FIG. 2.

FIG. 4 is a perspective view of the frame hook of the present invention.

FIG. 5 is a partial vertical sectional view taken along the line 5-5 of FIG. 2 with the components in the closed and latched position.

FIG. 6 illustrates the structure of FIG. 5 in the closed yet unlatched position as the components would appear immediately prior to the opening of the closure door.

FIG. 7 is a partial perspective view of the provisions for the reception of the spring latch element.

FIG. 8 is a partial vertical sectional view taken along the line 8-8 of FIG. 2 with the components in the closed and latched position.

FIG. 9 is a perspective view of the rear of the spring latch element.

FIG. 10 is a perspective view of the front of the spring latch of FIG. 9.

FIG. 11 is a horizontal sectional view taken along the line 11-11 ofFIG. 9.

Similar reference characters designate corresponding parts throughout the several figures of the drawings.

Referring now to the drawings, it will be understood that although the present invention is illustrated as associated with the construction of a metal wall locker, the unique structure proposed herein may be practiced with any type of arrangement including a closure panel and its related frame or casing.

The wall locker, generally designated W, in FIG. 1, included an enclosure comprising a casing or frame F and a movable door or panel D. As is conventional, the frame F is constructed to provide a hinge side jab 1 for supporting a plurality of hinges H connected to one side edge of the door D while the latch side 2 of the jamb is oppositely disposed and cooperates with the opposite vertical edge of the door or panel D. Any suitable means such as the handle 3 may be provided on the exterior of the door D adjacent the latch side 2 of the casing jamb for the purpose of actuating the latch mechanism of the present invention. Preferably, the handle 3 is of the type well known in the art to which this invention pertains, wherein vertical displacement of the handle by the user produces an unlatching of the interior lock mechanism within the confines of the assembly as will be described hereinafter. The general arrangement of the exterior handle on a locker assembly which is manually lifted to actuate an interior lock is shown in US. Pat. No. 2,033,806 and 2,195,223, issued Mar. 10, 1936 and Mar. 26, 1940, respectively.

The cross-sectional view of FIG. 3 most clearly illustrates the components of the present invention and their cooperating relationship, wherein it will be seen that the latch side 2 of the jamb is provided with one or more frame hooks 4 which cooperate with a corresponding number of spring latches 5 mounted within the door D. Any number of paired frame hooks and spring latches may be utilized in any one wall locker W even though FIG. I of the drawings indicates, by way of the sectional lines 2-2, three sets of these components. Each frame hook 4 includes a planar mounting or baseplate 6 from which extends a rear cross arm 7 having a hook arm 8 projecting forwardly therefrom at its distal end, such that a generally U-shaped element is provided having a latch passageway 9 formed between the spaced apart baseplate 6 and hook arm 8.

The entire frame book 4 is preferably constructed from a single piece of sheet metal which may be readily precut and bent to the illustrated configuration. In order to permit the use of a minimum gauge stock and thus reduce the weight and cost of the component, a reinforcing rib 10, shown most clearly in FIGS. 3 and 4, is stamped into the medial portion of the frame hook 4 and projects outwardly from the baseplate 6, rear cross arm 7, and hook arm 8. Notwithstanding the depression formed by the inclusion of the rib 10, a smooth planar surface is provided on the inner face 1 1 of the hook arm 8 with the ex ception of a catch member 12 which is lanced inwardly into the area of the latch passageway 9 and provides a vertical shoulder 13 extending normal to the surface of the inner face 11 and facing the rear cross arm 7. A ramp 14 connects the outermost edge of the vertical shoulder 13 with the inner face 11 of the hook arm 8 and extends from the vertical shoulder towards the forward edge 15 of the hook arm 8. To insure a soft or quiet operation of the door as it is closed, a bumper B comprising a resilient pad is attached to the inner surface of the rear crossarm 7 by any suitable means such as the rivet B.

As shown in the upper portion of FIG. 3, the baseplate 6 of the frame hook provides a ready means for attaching thehook element in a stationary manner adjacent the latch side 2 of the jamb. The casing or frame F will be seen to include a sidewall 16 from which extends a front wall 17 which in turn includes a jamb flange 18 projecting rearwardly into the enclosure. A short stop flange 19 projects in a normal direction from the rear edge of the jamb flange l8 and in efi'ect would normally provide a stop for the juxtaposed surface of the door D when in the closed position of FIG. 1. A notch 20 is formed in this stop flange 19 having a vertical extent sufficient to accept the height of the frame hook crossarm 7 as shown most clearly in FIGS. and 6 of the drawings. With a frame hook thus positioned, it will be seen that the baseplate 6 thereof will overlie a portion of the inner face of the jamb flange 18 whereby any suitable permanent fastening means may be employed to secure the frame hook 4 in this position, such as by welding or by means of an adhesive such as an epoxy resin.

Continued reference to FIG. 3 of the drawings may be made in connection with an understanding of the construction of the closure panel D and its associated spring latch 5. The panel 1) will be seen to extend laterally to a point just short of the latch side jamb flange l8 and includes a door panel side edge 21 projecting rearwardly from the door panel and includes an inner flange 22 disposed substantially parallel to the door front panel D. The rectangular passageway 23 formed by the door panel, its side edge 21 and the inner flange 22, provides a housing for a vertically disposed channel-shaped lock bar generally designated 24. This U-shaped lock bar 24 will be seen to include an inside wall 25 and an outside wall 26 disposed in a spaced-apart parallel manner and connected by a web 27. Sufficient clearance is provided between the components of the lock bar 24 and the surrounding elements of the door D to permit a free vertical displacement of the lock bar and suitable means (not shown), as is well known in the art, are provided to interconnect the liftable handle assembly 3 with this lock bar such that vertical displacement of the handle imparts a corresponding vertical displacement of the lock bar 24, it being understood that the interconnected lock bar and handle are inherently affected by the force of gravity to cause a normal placement of these two components in a bottom or lowermost position whereupon subsequent operation by a user entails lifting of the handle 3 and a corresponding lifting of the lock bar 24.

By reason of the channel-shaped construction of the lock bar 24, a frame hook pocket 28 is provided within the confines of the components of the lock bar and to provide access to and exit from this pocket 28 by the horizontally disposed frame hook arm 8 a pair of juxtaposed

openings

29 and 30 are formed in the inner flange 22 and web 27, respectively.

The disposition of the movable lock bar 24 with respect to the stationary frame hook 4 will be most clearly understood from a review of FIGS. 2 and 3, illustrating the alternative positions assumed by the movable door panel D and fixed wall locker casing or frame F. The side edge 21 and inner flange 22 of the door panel will be seen to be disposed such that when the door panel is closed, the hook arm 8 with its outwardly projecting rib passes through the

openings

29 and 30 leading to the frame hook pocket 28 within the lock bar 24. As illustrated in a somewhat exaggerated manner in FIG. 2, the side edge 21 of the door panel is included inwardly in an amount sufficient to preclude striking of its innermost edge upon the jamb flange 18 of the stationary frame F during opening and closing of the door panel D.

The latching mechanism of the present invention may be considered to comprise two principal components, namely,

the aforedescribed frame hook 4 and the spring latch 5, the latter of which is shown in detail in FIGS. 9-11 of the drawings. The latch S is preferably constructed from a single piece of sheet metal and includes a baseplate 3 l of planar configuration having three integral elements overlying the face 32 thereof. A pair of retaining arms 33-33, bent around from the rear edge 34 of the latch, each terminates in a pressure tip 35 tightly engaging the face 32 on the baseplate at a point adjacent the edge of the plate opposite that of the rear edge 34 thereof. As will be seen most clearly in FIG. 9 of the drawings,

a pair of attaching tabs 36-36 are struck inwardly through the baseplate 31 and project through the face 32 thereof to provide exposed attaching surfaces facing the rear edge 34 of the spring latch immediately beneath each of the pressure tips 35 of the resilient retaining arms 33. The arms 33 each notched away as at 33a to provide clearance for tabs 36. Disposed intermediate the two clamping or retaining arms 33 is a single resilient finger 37 likewise integral with the baseplate 31 and curving forwardly from the rear edge 34 thereof. Unlike the two retaining

arms

33, 33, the finger 37 is inclined away from the face 32 of the baseplate and includes a blunt nose 38 at the distal portion thereof well spaced from the juxtaposed surface of the face 32.

In keeping with the concept of utilizing the thinnest gauge metal possible consistent with adequate strength requirements, the finger 37 preferably includes a side flange 39 extending around its periphery and projecting from the exposed inclined surface of the finger in a direction towards the face 32 of the baseplate. With this arrangement, it will be seen that added strength is imparted to the resilient finger 37, thus providing significant strength to this element which is intended to be subjected to a limited lateral deflection to and from the opposed face 32 of the baseplate 31.

A noteworthy feature of the present latching mechanism comprises the ease with which the unique spring latch 5 may be readily attached to the lock bar 24 without the necessity of using any tools or separate fastening components. In the area of the opening 29 formed in the inner flange 22 of the door panel, the latch bar is constructed as shown in FIG. 7 of the drawings. A latch provision notch 40 is provided in the inside wall 25 of the lock bar and will be seen to communicate with the upper portion of the frame hook opening 30. The vertical height of this notch 40 will be understood to be no less than the vertical height of the spring latch 5, while the depth of this notch is substantially equal to the thickness of the metal stock comprising spring latch 5. Laterally disposed with respect to the notch 40 and adjacent the upper and lower limits thereof are a pair of

latch securing holes

41, 41 provided through the inside wall 25 of the lock bar 24. The opening 41 will be understood to be substantially equal to the vertical dimension of the attaching tabs 36 on the spring latch 5 for reasons which will become apparent immediately hereinafter.

Before lock bar 24 is positioned within door panel D and retained therein by any suitable means (not shown), it will be seen that the spring latches 5 may be readily attached to the inside wall 25 of the lock bar by manually inserting the latch through the frame hook opening 30, with the baseplate 32 being inserted against wall 25 of the lock bar. In view of the upwardly curved pressure tips 35 of the retaining arms 33, it will follow that as the latch is urged inwardly towards the frame hook pocket 28, the thickness of the inside wall 25 will urge the pressure tips away from the face 32 of the spring latch baseplate 31 and, although creating a pressure grip action upon the inside wall 25, continued pressure upon the rear edge 34 of the spring latch permits the latch to be pushed all the way to the position shown in FIGS. 2 and 3 whereupon it will be seated within the latch provision notch 40. At the point when the inner surface of the rear edge 34 of the spring latch 35 becomes seated within the latch provision notch 40 of the lock bar, the two attaching tabs 36 projecting inwardly from the face 32 of the spring latch will be snap-fitted within the two latch securing holes 41 provided in the inside wall 25 of the lock bar. Thus, the spring latch is firmly anchored to the lock bar with the baseplate 31 thereof being precluded from either vertical or lateral displacement due to the notch 40 and holes 41, together with the'constant clamping action urging the pressure tips 35 of the retaining arms 33 tightly against the inside wall 25 at points overlying the attaching tabs 36. After the latches 5 are mounted on lock bar 24, the assembled lock bar is suitably mounted within the door panel D and held in place with door handle 3, and other suitable means (not shown). The thus installed lock bar 24 with assembled spring iatches 5 will appear as in FIGSIZ, 3, 5, 6, and 8 wherein it will be apparent that subsequent vertical displacement of the lock bar 24 such as by lifting of the door panel handle 3 will cause a corresponding vertical displacement of the entire spring latch 5, and, most particularly, its outwardly projecting resilient finger 37.

When the lock bar is in its downward at-rest position, the resilient finger 37 of the spring latch will be disposed in the same horizontal plane as the catch member 12 of the frame hook 4, whereupon when the door is closed from the position as shown in FIG. 3 by removing the panel D towards the frame F, the forward edge of the frame hook arm 8 will initially enter through the

openings

29 and 30 and subsequently into the frame hook pocket 28. Immediately after the catch member 12 is positioned within the frame hook pocket 28, the ramp 14 thereof will engage the rearmost portion of the inclined resilient finger 37 of the spring latch 5 secured to the lock bar. Continued movement of the door panel D towards its fully closed position results in a gradual deflection of finger 37 as the two inclined surfaces of the cooperating elements in effect move in opposite directions. In view of a gradually increased inclinations of the two components, it will be apparent that as the door approaches its fully closed position, the energy stored within the gradually deflected finger 37 is constantly increased so that when the door is in its fully closed position as shown in FIG. 2, the vertical shoulder 13 of the catch member 12 will clear the blunt nose 38 of the resilient finger 37 on the spring latch 5 and a positive latching is achieved as the heretofore deflected finger 37 is permitted to return with a snap action to its normal outwardly inclined position, whereby the shoulder 13 will abut, in a juxtaposed manner, the opposed surface of the finger nose 38.

The above face-to-face relationship points to a feature of the present latching mechanism which will be most clearly apparent from a review of FIG. 2. With the door panel closed and latched as shown therein, it will be noted that any unauthorized force applied in an effort to circumvent the latch mechanism by urging the door panel outwardly, without lifting of the lock bar 24, will be met with a significant resistance created by the substantially straight line arrangement between the catch member 12 of the frame hook and the finger 37 of the spring latch. At this point, the aforedescribed side flange 39 on the periphery of the finger 37 will be appreciated for its added reinforcement to the finger while the inherent selflocking feature attributed to the rearwardly facing attaching tabs 36 on the spring latch will be clearly acknowledged when considering the difficulty one would have in gaining forcible entry.

In addition, it will be seen that the position the latch assumes with respect to the inside corner of the door panel formed by

surfaces

21 and 22 provides a bearing surface for rear edge 36 of latch 5 to rest against as the door is being pulled on when forcible entry is attempted. It is the combination of the rear edge 34 bearing against inside comer of door and the attaching tabs 36 hearing against retaining holes 41 while nose 38 off finger 37 bears against lance or catch member 12 of frame hook 4 that ultimately gives this latching system its resistance against forcible entry.

It is also pointed out that the size of the opening 29 in door flange 22 is kept to a minimum in order to protect the latch 5 from any tampering a student may wish to inflict upon said latch when the door is in the open position.

Having explained the aspects of the invention during the closing and latching of the mechanism, an explanation will now be given regarding the sequence of operation occurring during the unlatching and opening of the door panel. With the movable door panel D in the closed and latched condition, the components will appear as in FIG. 5 of the drawings. Before the door panel may be swung open, it it necessary to vertically displace the finger 37 on the spring latch with respect to the catch member l2 of the frame hook. In view of the rigid attachment of the spring hook to the lock bar 24, it will follow that vertical displacement of this lock bar as in the direction indicated by the arrow A in FIG. 6, will produce a corresponding vertical displacement of the spring latch and its finger 37. As previously mentioned, this vertical displacement may be accomplished by means of a lifting force being applied to the handle 3 and in order to minimize the vertical height of the frame hook opening 30 in the lock bar, it will be apparent that it is only necessary to elevate this lock bar a distance sufficient to clear the entire vertical dimension of the finger 37 from the horizontal plane of the catch member 12. With the components positioned as shown in FIG. 6, wherein the nose 38 of the finger is displaced above the vertical shoulder 13 of the catch member, it will be understood that the the door panel D may then be swung open in an uninhibited manner.

It will be appreciated that the concept of this present invention may be practiced by a reverse of the location of the frame hook and spring latch. This arrangement would involve positioning the latch 5 upon the stationary frame while the frame hook 4 would be carried by the lock bar located in the door panel.

Iclaim:

1. A latch mechanism for retaining a movable component in a closed position with respect to a stationary component, including, hook means attached to one of said components and provided with a catch member, latch means mounted upon the other of said components, and including a baseplate having a rearwardly directed edge, a laterally displaceable finger extending forwardly from said rear edge and overlying said plate, said hook and latch means disposed in a common horizontal plane whereby upon closure of said movable component, said latch member engages and inwardly deflects said finger while said finger passes said member after which said finger returns to its outward position behind said member, vertically disposed means carried by said movable component operable to vertically displace said finger from behind said member to permit separation of said components, clamping means integral with said latch means, said clamping means including a resilient retaining arm extending forwardly from said baseplate rear edge and cooperating with said baseplate to clampingly affix said latch means to said other one of said components.

2. A latch mechanism according to claim 1 wherein, said hook means is fixedly attached to said one of said components and includes a hook arm projecting towards said other one of said components, and said catch member is disposed upon said hook arm.

3. A latch mechanism according to claim 1 wherein, said vertically disposed means comprises a lock bar of channel shape.

4. A latch mechanism according to claim 3 wherein, said latch means is mounted upon said lock bar.

5. A latch mechanism for retaining a movable component in a closed position with respect to a stationary component, including, hook means attached to one of said components and provided with a catch member, latch means mounted upon the other of said components and provided with a laterally displaceable finger, said hook and latch means disposed in a common horizontal plane whereby upon closure of said movable component said catch member engages and inwardly deflects said finger while said finger passes said member after which said finger returns to its outward position behind said member, a vertically disposed lock bar of channel shape carried by said movable component operable to vertically displace said finger from behind said member to permit separation of said components, said latch means mounted upon said lock bar and including a baseplate having a rear edge, and clamping means integral with said latch means retaining said latch means in position upon said other one of said components, and said clamping means including a retaining arm extending forwardly from said rear edge to overlie said baseplate.

6. A latch mechanism according to claim 4 wherein, said finger extends forwardly from the intermediate portion of said rear edge and includes a nose at its free end normally laterally spaced from said baseplate a distance substantially greater than the lateral distance of said retaining arm from said baseplate.

7. A latch mechanism according to claim 6, including a pair of said retaining arms.

8. A latch mechanism according to claim wherein, said lock bar is provided with an opening through one wall thereof and said baseplate includes a tab juxtaposed said retaining arm and adapted to engage said lock bar opening.

9. A latch mechanism according to claim 1 wherein, said hook means is mounted on said stationary component and said latch means is carried by said movable component, said hook means including a hook arm having a forward edge facing said movable component, said catch member disposed on said hook arm adjacent said forward edge and including a rearwardly facing shoulder, said latch means attached to said vertically disposed means whereby, upon closure of said movable component said finger'is disposed behind said catch member shoulder, and lift means operable to displace said finger vertically to clear said finger from behind said shoulder to permit opening of said movable closure.

10. A latch mechanism according to claim 9 wherein, said latch means includes a baseplatc having a rear edge and said clamping means comprises a retaining arm extending forwardly from said rear edge to overlie said baseplate.

11. A latch mechanism according to claim 10, wherein, said finger extends forwardly from the intermediate portion of said rear edge and includes a nose at its free end normally laterally spaced from said baseplate a distance substantially greater than the lateral distance of said retaining arm from said baseplate.

12, A latch mechanism according to claim 5 wherein, said movable component includes an outer front panel and an inner flange spaced therefrom, said lock bar disposed between said panel and flange, said flange provided with an opening adapted to accept said hook means, and said latch means baseplate abuts said inner flange adjacent said inner flange opening to resist forcible horizontal displacement of said latch means from said lock bar.

Claims

8. A latch mechanism according to claim 5 wherein, said lock bar is provided with an opening through one wall thereof and said baseplate includes a tab juxtaposed said retaining arm and adapted to engage said lock bar opening.

9. A latch mechanism according to claim 1 wherein, said hook means is mounted on said stationary component and said latch means is carried by said movable component, said hook means including a hook arm having a forward edge facing said movable component, said catch member disposed on said hook arm adjacent said forward edge and including a rearwardly facing shoulder, said latch means attached to said vertically disposed means whereby, upon closure of said movable component said finger is disposed behind said catch member shoulder, and lift means operable to displace said finger vertically to clear said finger from behind said shoulder to permit opening of said movable closure.

10. A latch mechanism according to claim 9 wherein, said latch means includes a baseplate having a rear edge and said clamping means comprises a retaining arm extending forwardly from said rear edge to overlie said baseplate.

12. A latch mechanism according to claim 5 wherein, said movable component includEs an outer front panel and an inner flange spaced therefrom, said lock bar disposed between said panel and flange, said flange provided with an opening adapted to accept said hook means, and said latch means baseplate abuts said inner flange adjacent said inner flange opening to resist forcible horizontal displacement of said latch means from said lock bar.