US3019043A - Sliding door lock - Google Patents

Description

Jan. 30, 1962 J. A. WOCDWORTH ETAL SLIDING DOOR LOCK Filed Jan. 6. 1960 INV ENTOR5 6 JOHN A. W00@ Woef/f R/CHARQ J. PEEVE afanes NOAH @ya 9 maze-M,

A WUR/VE Y par 3,619,643 SLEDING D001?. LOCK .lohn A. Woodworth, Los Angeles, Richard .1. l'eeve,

Sylmar, and George ll. Noah, Baldwin Park, Calif., assignors, by mesne assignments, to Adams Rite Mannfacturing Company, Glendale, Calif., a corporation of California Filed lan. 6, 1960, Ser. No. 904 6 Claims. (Cl. 292-113) This invention relates to a lock for sliding door or similar sliding panels, Windows, etc.

The present invention is characterized by both simplicity of manufacture and safety of the mechanism in use, particularly with respect to possible damage when moving the lock to locking position.

Locks, as contemplated herein, are ordinarily carried by a sliding member, such as a door, and are movable bodily with the door toward and away from a jamb. The latter, in the usual way, is provided with a keeper that has a latch-receiving opening. The lock is provided with a latch that is manipulated to enter the keeper slot and have hooking engagement with the keeper to lock the door. Ideally, such manipulation moves the latch from a retracted position to a projected locking position, With the door open and the latch inadvertently projected, the latter will strike the keeper when the door is moved to locking position. The force with which the projected latch strikes the keeper will determine the extent of damage to the keeper and/or latch. Repeated accidental striking of latch against keeper will, in time, damage the lock so the same will not operate eiciently. Frequently, one forceful slamming of the door to locking position will cause the latch to become bent or broken and the lock thereby damaged.

Accordingly, an object of the present invention is to provide a lock for a sliding door that is eicctive to connect with a keeper to lock the door and, if projected when being moved to locking position, collapses or retracts to a safe position obviating damage.

The invention also has for its objects to provide such means that are positive in operation, convenient in use, easily installed in a working position and easily disconnected therefrom, economical of manufacture, relatively simple, and of general superiority and serviceability.

The invention also comprises novel details of construction and novel combinations and arrangements of parts, which will more fully appear in the course of the following description. However, the drawing merely shows and the following description merely describes one embodiment of the present invention, which is given by Way of illustration or example only.

In the drawing, like reference characters designate similar parts in the several views.

FIG. l is a vertical sectional View of a sliding door lock according to the present invention, the lock being shown in the process of being retracted or collapsed while striking a keeper.

FIG. 2 is a similar view showing the lock in collapsed position.

FIG. 3 is an edge elevational view of the lock as seen from the edge from which the latch thereof projects.

The present lock 5 is shown as mounted on the inner side of a door 6 and as associated with a door jamb 7 in which is provided a slot 8 that denes a latch keeper 9.

The lock 5 lthat is illustrated comprises, generally, a two-part housing lll, actuating means 11, controlled from the inner side of the lock, a latch member 12 movable between a projected position adapted to connect with the keeper 9 to lock the door 6 to the jainb '7 and a retracted unlocked position, an operating lever 13 directly connected to the means 11 and operatively connected to parut ficc the latch member 12 to move the latter, upon actuation of the means 11, between locking and unlocked positions, and a spring 14 engaged with the lever 13 to bias the same in a direction to hold the latch member projected.

The housing lo comprises a base part 15 that is adapted to be atlixed to the door 6 by screws or bolts 16. Said part is shown with side grooves or rabbets 17 and with a face 18, between said rabbets, that is provided with relief areas at 19 and 2i). A bearing hole 21 is formed in said part 15. Along the side edge that is placed to be flush with the edge of the door 6, said base part is provided with a projection 22 that extends above the plane of face 18.

The housing 1t) comprises also a housing part 23 that is connected to the base part 15, as by screws or bolts 24. Said part 23 is formed by side wall 25, edge walls 26 and 27, and end walls 28 and 29 to define an interior space 3@ that is closed by the base part 15 when the open side of said part 23 is placed in position with the edges of walls 26 and 27 in the rabbets 17. The side Wall 25 is formed to have a bearing hole 31 lthat is4 aligned with the hole 21 in the base part 15, and the edge Wall 26 is formed to have an opening 32 into which the projection 22 extends to narrow the opening 32 to latch-accommodating size, as can best be seen from FIG. 3. The wall 28 is shown with a seat 33 for accommodating the spring 14.

The actuating means 12 is Shown as two somewhat similar arms 34 and 35 each of which is provided with a hub or boss that has bearing in the respective holes 21 and 31 so as to be rotational on the axis formed by said aligned holes 21 and 31. The boss of arm 35 is provided with a handle 36 by means or" which said latter arm may be turned from the inner side of the door.

The arm 34 may be omitted without affecting the operation of the actuating means from the inside. When used, said arm 34 through its boss may be manipulated, by a tool of key-like form, from the outside. Said actuating arms 34 and 35 are each provided with a hole 37 receptive of the ends of a pin 38. It will be seen that the arms 34 and 35 move together because connected by the pin 38 and that such movement may be normally effected by turning the handle 36 or by a key engaged with the boss of arm 34.

The latch member l2 comprises a preferably at piece formed to have a body part 39 `and a hook part 40. The latter part is adapted .to enter the slot 3 of the jamb 7 and hookingly engage the keeper. The body part 39 is formed to have a slot 41 that preferably extends in a generally transverse direction when the latch member is in locking position. A cross pin 42 extends between the base part 15 and the wall 25 of the housing part 23, the same passing through said slot 41. It will be clear that the latch member is capable of translatory movement on the pin as limited by the length of the slot 41, and rotational or pivotal movement around said pin. The hook part 4t? moves in housing opening 32 between retracted and projected positions. Above and beyond the slot 41, the body part 39 of the latch member is provided with a hole for a connection pin 43.

The operating lever 13 is shown as an elongated member that has an end 44 that is pivotally connected to the latch body part by the pin 43, and an end 45 that is formed with a toe to engage against the: wall 26 and serves as a fulcrum around which said lever is adapted to pivot. Intermediate its ends, the lever 13 is provided with the mentioned cross pin 33 that connects with the arms 34 and 35.

The spring 14 is disposed in the seat 33 and has a rcsilient arm 46 that engages the operating lever 13 so as to bias the same in a direction to retract the latch member 12.

FIG. 2 shows the normal retracted position of the latch member 12, the arm 34 or 35, as the case may be, having been rotated or turned to bodily raise the lever 33, thereby moving the pivot 43 upwardly and causing the latch member 12 to assume a tilted or angled position with the pin 42 engaged with the forward end of slot 41 and with the hook portion 4t# retracted inwardly of opening 32. The spring arm 46 holds this retracted position, since the same urges the upper end of lever 13 against the cross pin 42.

By turning the handle 36 or a key engaged with the boss of arm 34, the arms 3'4 and 35 are moved downwardly causing the lever 13 to be moved bodily downwardly. The lever end 44 causes the latch member 12 to swing from the retracted position of FIG. 2 to the full line position of FIG. l, the movement being around the pin 42 to bring the hook part 4h into locking engagement with the keeper 9. lt will be seen that the movement of member 12 is a compound one-around the pin 42 and forwardly on said pin until the latter engages the rear end of slot 41.

The above movement of the lever 13 brings the toe end 45 of said lever into bearing engagement with wall 26. The fulcrurn provided by such engagement, together with the bias of spring arm 46, maintains the mechanism in locking position (the full line position of FIG. l).

Since the arms 34 and 35 have their ends straight down or nearly so, any force tending to depress the hook portion 40 and to rock the same to released position would be resisted by the inability of the resultant upward force on the lever 13 to turn the arms 34 and 35 and cause release of the mechanism. However, when the hook portion 40 is shifted to the dot-dash line position of FIG'. I, by the jamb 7, the resultant translatory movement of the latch member tilts the lever 13 on its fulcrum toe 45. Thepin 3S on the lever` rocks arms 34 and 3S while the end 44 of the lever is now moved so the pivot 43 is' a greater distance from the pin 42 than before. As a consequence, the force imposed by the jamb on the sloping edge of the hook portion 40 urges the hook member to rock on the pin to assume the retracted position of FIG. 2.

FIG. 1 shows that the pin 42, the axis of the bearings 2li and' 31, and the pin 38 are substantially aligned in the locking position of the mechanism. Only by retracting the latch member 12 to the dot-dash line position or by' turning oneA or the other of arms 34 or 35, can this dead-center position be changed so that the latch member is retracted.

WhileI the foregoing specification illustrates and describes what we now contemplate to be the best mode of carrying out our invention, the construction is, of course, subject to modication without departing from the spirit and scope of our invention. Therefore, we do not desire to restrict the invention to the particular form of construction illustrated and described, but desire to cover all modifications thatmay fall within the scope of the appended claims.

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

1'. A lock of the character described comprising a housing, a cross pin fixed in said housing, a latch member having a slot through which said pin extends and is movable on said pin both rotationally and in a translatory path along the length of the slot, actuating means including an operating arm and carried by said housing on an axis of rotation, a lever connecting the arm of the later means and the latch member, a spring biasing the lever and the latch member to projected latching position with the cross pin engaged with one end of the slot in said member and the axis of the actuatiing means in substantial dead-center arrangement with said pin and with the connection between the lever and the arm of the actuating means, said latch member when shifted on said pin and along the slot therein retracting "rom its projected position, and an end on the lever engaged with the housing to constitute a fulcrum on which the lever tilts to move the arm connected thereto to shift the connection to offset relation to the mentioned axis and thereby releasing the latch member ot tilt to fully retracted position.

2. A lock according to claim 1 in which the latch member is formed to have a hook portion adapted to have locking engagement with a keeper, the hook portion having a sloping edge adapted to be struck by such keeper to first move the latch member in its translatory path and then rotate the latch member around the cross pin to retracted position.

.3. In a lock of the character described, a latch member comprising a hook portion and a body portion, said latter portion havinry a slot therein extending in a direction toward the hook portion, a iixed pivot pin extending through said slot, spring means biasing the latch member to project the hook portion thereof as limited by one end of said slot, manually operable latch actuating means including parts movable into a position to lock the latch member against rotation around said pin when the same is projected, said latch member being movable retractivel; against the bias of said spring means within the limits of said slot to move said parts from said locked position and release the latch member to pivot on said fixed pin to fully retracted position.

4. In a lock according to claim 3, a sloping edge on the hook portion of the latch member that, when struck by a keeper is cammed to the mentioned fully retracted position.

5. In a lock of the character described, a latch member comprising a hook portion and a body portion, said latter portion having a slot therein extending in a di rection toward the hooked portion, a ixed pivot pin extending through said slot, spring means biasing the latch member to project the hook portion thereof as limited by one end of said slot, a pivot end on the latch member on the body portion thereof, latch actuating means including a lever connected to said pivot end, and means to lock said lever to hold the latch member projected, said latch member being movable retractively against the bias of said spring means within the limits of said slot to release the latch member locking means, and means enabling the retracted latch member to pivot on said xed pin to fully retracted position.

6. In a lock according to claim 5, an edge of said lever adjacent its connection with the pivot end of the latch member being engaged with the fixed pin in said fully retracted position.

References Cited in the le of this patent UNITED STATES PATENTS l l l

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