WO2012106764A1

WO2012106764A1 - Latch for gates and doors

Info

Publication number: WO2012106764A1
Application number: PCT/AU2012/000120
Authority: WO
Inventors: Audrius Macernis
Original assignee: Audrius Macernis
Priority date: 2011-02-09
Filing date: 2012-02-09
Publication date: 2012-08-16
Also published as: AU2012214107A1; AU2012214107B2

Abstract

A latch for a gate or door having a striker pin mounted thereto, including: a) a housing; b) at least one latching element mounted within the housing and adapted to engage with the striker pin, the latching element being displaceable between a closed position in which the striker pin is retained by the latching element to prevent opening of the gate or door, and an open position in which the striker pin is released; and c) a pull knob operable under a pulling force to displace the latching element from its closed position towards its open position.

Description

LATCH FOR GATES AND DOORS

Field of the Invention

This invention relates to latches for gates or doors, which can be used to secure a door or gate in a closed position. Background to the Invention

Various types of latching devices have been proposed or used for retaining gates or doors in a closed position. Such latches may be of the type where a latching element is urged to a closed position where it retains a striker pin attached to a door or gate to prevent opening of the door or gate. Latches of this type may be encased in a housing in order to protect the latch mechanism from exposure to the elements, and may include means for locking the latching element in a closed position.

Such latches often have attached to the latching element a tab, which may be lifted by an operator's finger to move the latching element to an open position. Such arrangements may be seen in, for example, Australian Patent No. 775134, and WO 2007/087677. While this is a simple and effective method of opening the latch, it does present problems. In particular, an arrangement of this sort requires an open slot in the top of the housing to allow for movement of the tab. This upwardly facing slot may allow the entry of water or debris into the latch arrangement, causing rusting or other damage or deterioration to the latch mechanism.

Accordingly, it is desirable to provide a latch including a bousing which has an alternative opening arrangement which does not require an upwardly facing slot. Such a latch would be less susceptible to damage from environmental hazards entering the bousing and interfering with the operation of the latch. Summary of the Invention

According to one aspect of the invention, mere is provided a latch for a gate or door having a striker pin mounted thereto, including:

a) a housing;

b) at least one latching element mounted within the housing and adapted to engage with the striker pin, the latching element being displaceable between a closed position in which the striker pin is retained by the latching element to prevent opening of the gate or door, and an open position in which the striker pin is released and

c) a pull knob operable under a pulling force to displace the latching element from its closed position towards its open position.

Preferably, the latching element is urged towards it closed position, and the operation of the pull knob displaces the latching element against said urging. Conveniently, the latch is urged towards it closed position under the force of gravity, as mis provides a simple and reliable arrangement However the latch may be urged towards its closed position by a biasing means. The latching element may be pivotally mounted within the housing, and may have a leading surface which is shaped to deflect the latching element towards its open position when impacted by a striker pin. Such an arrangement means that the latch is able to receive the striker pin as the gate or door closes without requiring an operator to open the latch.

Preferably, there are two latching elements, and each latching element is displaceable independently of the other latching element This provides increased security and reliability, and may also enhance the visual appeal of the latch. Fur additional security, the latch may include a locking element, the locking element being displaceable between a locked position in which it retains the latching element in its closed position, and an unlocked position in which the latching element is permitted to move between the open and closed positions.

Preferably, the latch also includes a key operated element for displacing the locking element between its locked an unlocked positions.

The locking element may include a rotatable cam having a flat surface on a first side, and a raised shoulder on a second side, and the flat surface and the raised shoulder may be approximately 90 degrees apart. This provides a relatively simple and effective means of engaging and releasing the latch element.

The key operated element may take the form of a cylinder lock, and may be mounted within the pull knob. Preferably, the latch includes an activator, wherein the activator is connected to the pull knob such that when the pull knob is pulled, the activator is displaced in the same direction as the pull knob, and a surface of the activator engages with a surface of the latching element to displace the latching element towards its open position. For convenient operation, the pull knob may be sized to be easily gripped by a human hand, and may further be provided with shoulders to enhance gripability.

The latch may further include a mounting bracket for mounting the latch on an assembly associated with a gate or door. Preferably the mounting bracket is slidably connected to the housing, which allows for the mounting bracket to be attached for left or right handed mounting.

In a further aspect of the invention, there is provided a latch assembly, including a latch as set out above, and a striker pin capable of being mounted on a door or gate. Brief Description of the Drawings

Figure 1 is a front view of a latch according to one embodiment of the invention;

Figure 2 is a side view of the latch of Figure 1;

Figure 2a is a top view of the latch of Figure 1 ;

Figure 3 is a side view of the internal assembly of the latch of Figure 1;

Figure 4 is a rear view of the assembly of Figure 3, with partial cross-section along line A-A;

Figure S shows two views of the latching element from the latch of Figure 1;

Figure 6 shows six views of the locking element from the latch of Figure 1; including a sectional view through line A-A;

Figure 7 shows seven views of the activator element from the latch of Figure 1;

Figures 8a and 8b show perspective views of the pull knob;

Figure 8c is a front view of the pull knob;

Figure 8d is a rear view of the pull knob;

Figure 8e is a cross sectional view through line A-A on Figure 8d;

Figure 8f is a cross sectional view through line B-B on Figure 8d;

Figure 8g is a top view of the pull knob;

Figure 8h is a side view of the pull knob;

Figure 9 shows various views of a mounting bracket for the latch including a sectional taken through line A-A;

Figure 10 shows a view of the latch plus sectional views along line A-A, B-B, andC-C.

Description of Preferred Embodiment

Referring to Figure 1, a preferred embodiment of a latch according to the invention includes a housing 10 attached to a mounting bracket 11. At least one latchin element 12 is displeceably mounted in the housing 10. For increased security and visual appeal, preferably two latching elements are provided, which are each displaoeable independently of one another. Referring to Figure 2, the latching element or elements 12 are positioned across a recess 13. The latching element 12 is shown in a dosed position. When the latchmg dement 13 is displaced upwardly towards an open position, a striker pin attached to a gate or door (not shown) may enter the recess 13. When the latching element 12 returns to its dosed position, the striker pin is retained between the latching element 12 and the recess 13, preventing opening of the gate or door until the latching element 12 is displaced to an open position to release the striker pin. The latch also includes a pull knob 18 and key operated element 20. Preferably, the key operated element is in the form of a cylinder lock. The key operated element may take any suitable position on the housing, however conveniently it may be positioned within the pull knob 20. Referring to Figure 3, the latching element 12 is of a hook shape and is pivotally mounted on a pin 22, allowing the latching element to rotate between an open and closed position. Pull knob 18 is connected to an activator 16, such that when pull knob 18 is pulled in the direction 19, the activator 16 causes die latching element to rotate in the direction 17 towards the open position. Preferably a biasing means in the form of a return spring 28 is provided to bias the pull knob and activator arrangement to the position shown in Figure 2, thereby allowing die latching element to return to its closed position upon release of the pull knob 18.

A locking element 14 is provided, which is connected to the key operated dement 20, such that upon operation of the key operated element 20, the locking element is displaced to a locked position to retain the latching element 12 in its closed position. Preferably, the locking dement is a rotatable cam member, further details of which will be described later in this specification. Figure 4 shows a rear view of the arrangement of Figure 3. The pin 22 is positioned in the housing by a pair of pin locators 26, and the latching elements are spaced apart on the pin by means of a pin spacer 24. Figure 5 shows the latching element 12, which is provided with a pin hole 30 for receiving the pin 22. Preferably the latching element is designed to have a centre of gravity 31 positioned laterally from the pin hole 30, such that the latching element fells to a closed position as shown in Figure 2 under the force of gravity. It will be appreciated that other arrangements achieving this result are also possible, for example, such as by urging the latching element towards a closed position by use of a biasing means, such as a spring, and such arrangements are to be understood as being included in the invention in its broadest form. The latching element has a leading surface 32 which is shaped to deflect the latching element upwardly when impacted by a striker pin, thereby admitting the striker pin into die recess 13. Once the striker pin enters the recess 13, the latching element 12 falls back to its closed position. The striker pin is then retained in the recess 13 by the retaining surface 34. Referring to Figure 6, the rotatable cam 14 which forms the locking element has a flat surface 40 on one side, and a shoulder 42 on a second side approximately 90 degrees from the flat surface. When in the locked position, the shoulder 42 of the cam faces upwards and prevents motion of the edge 36 of the latching element 12 (as seen in Figure 5) past the locking element When the key operated element is operated, the cam 14 is rotated 90 degrees to an unlocked position where the flat surface 40 faces upwards. The edge 36 of the latching element 12 is then freed, allowing the latching element 12 to rotate to its open positioa

Figure 7 shows the activator 16. When the pull knob 18 is pulled, the activator 16 is displaced in the same direction as the pull knob, and surface 46 presses against surface 38 of the latching element 12 (as seen in Figure 5). When the cam 14 is in the unlocked position, this causes the latching element 12 to rotate towards an open position. Figures 8a, and 8c show the pull knob 18. Preferably the pull knob is sized to be easily gripped by a human hand, and provided with shoulders 48 to improve gripability. The pull knob 18 may also be formed with a cavity 50 extending through the length of the knob to allow the key operated element 20 to be mounted within the pull knob.

By providing a latch arrangement with a pull knob as described above, the actuator for opening the latch is provided on the front surface of the latch, and there are very few gaps in the housing to allow water, dust or other environmental hazards to enter the housing. This reduces the risk of the damage or deterioration of the latch mechanism due to clogging or rusting. Figure 9 shows a top view of the mounting bracket 11 for mounting the latch on an assembly associated with a gate or door, such as a gate post or door frame. The mounting bracket 11 is provided with a plate 52 with shoulders 54. Referring to Figure 10, the housing 10 has at its rear a recess 56 configured to slidably receive the plate 52. In this manner, the mounting bracket 11 may be attached to the housing 10 by sliding the plate 52 of the bracket 11 into the recess 56 of the housing 10. This allows the same bracket to be conveniently be attached to the bousing in either a left or right handed orientation, and also allows the orientation to be easily switched by sliding the bracket out of the housing, inverting the bracket, and reinserting the bracket into the housing.

In a further embodiment, there may be provided a latch assembly including a latch as described above, and a striker pin that is capable of being mounted on a gate or door.

Claims

Claims:

1. A latch for a gate or door having a striker pin mounted thereto, including: a) a housing;

b) at least one latching element mounted within the housing and adapted to engage with the striker pin, the latching element being displaceable between a closed position in which the striker pin is retained by the latching element to prevent opening of the gate or door, and an open position in which the striker pin is released; and

2. A latch according to claim 1, wherein the latching element is urged towards its closed position, and the operation of the pull knob displaces the latching element against said urging.

3. A latch according to claim 2, wherein the latching element is urged towards its closed position under the force of gravity.

4. A latch according to claim 2, wherein the latching element is urged towards its closed position by a biasing means.

5. A latch according to any preceding claim, wherein the latching element is pivotally mounted within the housing.

6. A latch according to any preceding claim, wherein the latching element has a leading surface which is shaped to deflect the latching element towards its open position when impacted by a striker pin. —

7. Ar latch according to any preceding claim wherein there are two latching elements, and each latching element is displaceable independently of the other latching element.

8. A latch according to any preceding claim, further including a locking element, the locking element being displaceable between a locked position in which it retains the latching element in its dosed position, and an unlocked position in which the latching element is permitted to move between the open and closed positions.

9. A latch according to claim 8, farther including a key operated element for displacing the locking element between its locked an unlocked positions.

10. A latch according to either claim 8 or 9 wherein the locking element includes a rotatable cam having a flat surface on a first side, and a raised shoulder on a second side.

11. A latch according to claim 10 wherein the flat surface and the raised shoulder are approximately 90 degrees apart

12. A latch according to any one of claim 9 to 11 wherein the key operated element is a cylinder lock.

13. A latch according to any one of claims 9 to 12 wherein the key operated element is mounted within the pull knob.

14. A latch according to any preceding claim, further including an activator, wherein the activator is connected to the pull knob such that when the pull knob is pulled, the activator is displaced in the same direction as the pull knob, and a surface of the activator engages with a surface of the latching element to displace the latching element towards it open position.

15. A latch according to any preceding claim wherein the pull knob is sized to be easily gripped by a human hand.

16. A latch according to any preceding claim wherein the pull knob is provided with shoulders.

17. A latch according to any preceding claim, further including a mounting bracket for mounting the latch on an assembly associated with a gate or door.

18. A latch according to claim 17, wherein the mounting bracket is slidably connected to the housing.

19. A latch assembly, including a latch according to any preceding claim, and a striker pin capable of being mounted on a door or gate.