US604786A - Coffin-fastener - Google Patents

Description

(No Model.)

L. L. FLETCHER. COPPIN FASTBNER.

N0. 604,786. Patented May 31,1898.

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'llirnn @trarne arnnrr @ricerca LEVI L. FLETCHER, OF MALTA, OHIO.

COFFINWIFASTEINEH.

SPECIFICATION forming part of Letters Patent No. 604,786, dated May 31, 1898. Application filed December 5, 1896. Serial No. 614,613. (No model.)

To all whom t may conceive:

Be it known that I, LEVI L. FLETCHER, a citizen of the United States,residin g at Malta, in the county of Morgan and State of Ohio, have invented a new and useful Panel or Face-Plate Catch for Ooilins, of which the fol lowing is a specification.

This invention relates to a panel or faceplate catch for cofns; and it has for its object to provide a catch of this character especially designed for use in connection with that portion of a coffin-lid carrying the faceplate.

The main and primary objects of the in vention are to construct the catch of as few parts as possible, with no pivot-pins orpintles and havin ga minimum number of rivets, whereby the catch may be manufactured by stamping with ease and rapidity, while at the same time providing a durable and positively-operating form of catch. y

lVith these and other objects in view, which will readily appear as the nature of the inventionV isV better understood, the same consists in the novel construction, combination, and arrangement of parts hereinafter more fully described, illustrated, and claimed.

In the drawings, Figure 1 is a sectional view of the contiguous parts of a coffin fitted, respectively, with the improved catch and the escutcheon-plate. Fig. 2 is a perspective view of the complete catch. Fig. 3 is a vertical sectional view thereof. Fig. i is a sectional view on the line a 4 of Fig. 3. Fig. 5 is a detail in perspective of a modified form of the catch. Fig. G is a vertical sectional view of the construction illustrated in Fig. 5.

Referring to the accompanying drawings, the numeral 1 designates the main baseplate of the catch, provided with screw-holes 2, whereby the saine can be readily secured or fastened to that portion of the coffin-lid designed to be secured by the catch, as clearly illustrated in Fig. l of the drawings, and in the present invention the base-plate 1 has formed therein in addition to the screw-holes 2 a latch opening or slot 3 near one edge and a smaller fulcrum-opening 4., disposed in line with and adjacent to the latQh-opening 3. In connection with the latch-opening 3 of the base-plate 1 is employed a U-shaped latchguard 5, disposed at the under side of the plate 1 and formed of a strip of malleable metal folded or bent upon itself into an approximate U shape and provided at its opposite ends with integral terminal securingtongues 6, which extend through the latch opening or slot 3 of the base-plate and are bent down upon the upper side of the baseplate to provide for fastening the guard 5 to the latter without the use of rivets or pins of any character, it being' obvious that by prying up or straightening the terminal tongues 6 the guard 5 may be readily disconnected from the base-plate carrying the salne.

The latch-opening 3 of the base-plate and the latch-guard 5 loosely receive therein the pivotal latch piece or member 7. The latch piece or member 7 of the catch is formed of a single piece of metal and is provided with a pendent catclrarin 8, which is loosely inserted through the opening 3 and works within the pendent guard 5, and said catch-arm por* tion of the latch-piece is formed at its lower end with a beveled catch-hook 9,adapted 'to automatically engage with an escutcheon plate or keeper 10, fitted to the edge of the case or box over which the panel or lid carrying the catch works. At the edge opposite the shoulder of the hook 9 the pendent catch-arm 8 of the latch-piece is formed with a stop-shoulder 11, which engages with the under side of the base-plate at one end of the latch-opening therein to limit the oscillation of the latchpiece in one direction when the hook thereof is being disengaged from the escutcheon. The portion of the latch-piece 7 lying above the plane of the base-plate is formed with a leverarm 12, disposed at approximately right angles to the catch-arm S and formed at its outer end with an eye 13 for the usual pull cord or string 14, and at'its opposite or inner end` the lever-arm 12 is'formed with an integral rounded fulcrum-linob 15, loosely engaging in the fulcrum-opening4 of the base-plate. The upper edge of the latch-piece is formed with an elongated shouldered projection 1G, loosely extending through a longitudinally-disposed slot 17, formed in the free end of a leaf-spring or spring-plate 18, secured fast at one end by means of a single rivet 19 to the upper side of the base-plate.

From the foregoing description it will be observed that the single rivet 19 serves to se- IOO cure the leaf-spring and the latch-piece in their proper relative positions, and the said leaf-spring also serves to hold the latclrpiece to the base-plate, so that such latch-piece may have a free pivotal movement Without the use of pintle-pins or other xed pivots, and when the leaf-sprin g is removed from the base-plate the latch-piece is free to be readily disconnected from the base-plate.

Slight modifications of the catch may be resorted to, as illustrated in Figs. 5 and 6 of the drawings, in which figures of the drawings the base-plate l is illustrated as having bent integrally therefrom at one side of the latch-opening therein a pendent latch-guard 20, at one side of which works the pendent catch-arm 8 of the latch-piece. In the modified construction in place of the fulcrum-opening and fulcrum-knob loosely working therein the latchpiece is provided at its inner edge with a pivot or fulcrum notch 2l, loosely engaging the baseplate at one side of the latch-opening, so as to pivot thereon, and the lever-arm of the latch-piece is extended through the slot 17 of the leafspring, with the extremity of the spring underlying the lever-arm 12 engaging a shoulder 22, formed by cutting a notch at the point of junction of the arms S and l2. This relative disposition of the latch-piece and the slotted spring 18 also provides means whereby such sprin g not only serves for normally holding the latch-piece in engagement with its keeper or escutcheon, but also serves to hold the latch-piece pivotally and removably in engagement with the base-plate supporting the same. The modification just described also includes a headed stud or projection 23, engaging with an opening 24 in the free end of the leaf-spring to provide for securing such spring to the base-plate.

Other changes in the form, proportion, and the minor details of construction may be resorted to without departing from the principle or sacrificing any of the advantages of this invention.

Having thus described the invention, what is claimed, and desired to be secured by Letters Patent, is-

l. A catch comprising a base-plate, a latch piece having a loose fulcrum engagement with an opening in the baseplate, and a spring secured at one end to the base-plate and provided with a slot receiving therein a portion of the latch-piece to pivotally and removably hold the latter in place, substantially as set forth.

2. A catch comprising a base-plate formed with a latch-opening, a latch-piece having a catch arm or hook loosely fitting in the latchopening, a U-shaped latch-guard inclosing between its side arms said catch arm or hook and having its terminals clenched Within the latch-opening, and a leaf-spring secured fast at one end to the base-plate and having its free end engaging with the latch-piece to pivotally and removably hold the latter in place, substantially as set forth.

3. A catch comprising a base-plate formed with a latch-opening and a smaller fulcrumopening disposed in a line with and adjacent to the latch-opening, a latch-piece having a catch arm or hook loosely fitting in the latchopening, and a lever-arm portion lying above the plane of the base-plate and disposed approximately at right angles to the catch arm or hook, said lever-arm portion being provided at its inner end with a round fulcrumknob loosely engaging in the fulcrum-opening, and at its upper edge with an elongated shouldered projection, and a leaf-spring secured fast at one end to the base-plate and having a longitudinally-disposed slot engaging over the shouldered projection of the latch-piece, substantially as set forth.

In testimony that I claim the foregoing as my own I have hereto affixed my signature in the presence of two witnesses.

LEVI L. FLETCHER.

Witnesses:

J. F. Davis, CHAs. H. FoUTs.

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