US3309127A - Automobile door lock - Google Patents

Description

March 14, 1967 J. PICKLES AUTOMOBILE DOOR LOCK 4 Sheets-Sheet 1 Original Filed Aug. l9, 1965 INVENTOR JOSgPA/ P/CK March 14, 1967 J. PICKLES AUTOMOBILE DOOR LOCK 4 Sheets-Sheet 2 Original Filed Aug. 19, 19 63 2 L M w @i w 9 m ,r W//j v 2 w 9 INVENTOR.

M, 1967 J. PICKLES AUTOMOBILE DOOR LOCK Original Filed Aug 19, 1963 4 Sheets-Sheet 5 3,3t ,127 AUTOlt/EOBHLE D0011 LOCK .ioseph Pickles, Dear-born, Mich assignor to Ferro Manufacturing Corporation, Detroit, Mich, a corporation of Michigan Continuation of application Ser. No. 302fi10, Aug. 19, 1963. This appiication .Fan. 28, 1966, Ser. No. 530,762 17 Ciaims. (U. 292-216) This application is a continuation of my copenthng application, Ser. No. 302,910, filed Aug. 19, 196-3, and entitled, Automobile Door Lock, now abandoned.

The present invention relates to improvements in an automobile door lock, shown as being of a generally known spring-urged, forked latch type, although it will be understood by those skilled in the art that the im provements are also well adapted to incorporation in an equally well known type of rotary, toothed bolt type of lock.

It is a general object of the invention to provide an automobile door lock, the locking and unlocking of which (as distinguished from the latching and unlatching of its door-mounted bolt or latch member) is under the so-called free-wheeling or overrunning principle of action. More specifically, the arrangement is such that in the unlatching operation, whether from the outside or the inside of the door, a bolt or latch holding detent arm is removed from latching engagement with a detent plate on the bolt or latch member through the agency of a contactor. "in the unlocked condition of the lock, this contactor or contactor link is so disposed that a nose formation thereon is interposed between the detent arm and an outside operator; and the contactor link has provisions operatively connecting the same for actuation by a conventional type of inside remote control linkage.

Thus, in the unlocked condition the detent arm can either be shifted out of normal, latching relation to the bolt or latch detent from the outside, through the agency of the outside operator, the contactor and a part of the detent arm, or from the inside through the agency of the remote control linkage and the contactor.

However, the locking mechanism includes provisions whereby in locking the lock, the contactor in question is shifted out of interposition between the outside operator and the detent arm extension, so that movement of the operator is ineffective to move the detent arm, and the outside operator simply free wheels or overruns. This is the general nature of the locking and unlocking structure of the improved lock.

Another object of the invention is to provide a lock having locking and unlocking provisions of the above sort, in which the so-called free-wheeling structure mounts on a flange of a 90 mounting plate or bracket, rather than upon the mounting plate part which is disposed at the edge of the door. Thus, ample space is provided in the zone within the door which parallels its inner and outer sides for the reception of the free-wheeling locking instriunentalities, rather than the need to crowd them in a small space at the door edge already occupied by detent arm and plate parts; and the locking assembly may therefore be very sturdily constructed.

A further object is to provide a locking and unlocking assembly of the free-wheeling type, mounted as described, having improved provision for kicking the contactor back into its normal operative position in the event that the door is slammed when in a locked condition, i.e., with the contactor link incapable of transmitting thrust between the outside operator and detent arm.

Generally, it is an object of the invention to provide a door latching and locking lock assembly which is composed of a minimum of parts, hence correspondingly inexpensive of fabrication and assembly; and in which the parts are amply strongly constructed and interrelated to withstand the most severe sort of operational stresses.

In general, with regard to the locking and unlocking structure, which is depicted in FIGS. 1, 2, 4, 5 and 6 of the drawings, the improvement of the invention provides a door lock having a latch, a detent member, an outsideoperated actuator and an inside-operated member movably mounted on a support applicable to the edge of an automobile door, in combination with a locking contactor fulcrumed on one of said members, which contactor is movable with said one member to shift the detent member out of its latch-holding position, the contactor acting between the outside-operated actuator and the detent as a thrust transmitting element, or being moved by the inside-operated member to similarly disengage the detent member by direct action, plus inside-operated means for shifting the contactor into and out of its thrust transmitting position. The arrangements are simple in the extreme, and afford a lock of very compact construction.

The foregoing as well as other objects will become more apparent as this description proceeds, especially when considered in connection with the accompanying drawings illustrating the invention, wherein:

'FIG. 1 is an end elevational view of the lock of the invention, being sectioned along a line corresponding to broken line 11 of FIG. 2, or from the inside of the door locking outwardly to its free upright edge, the detent controlling parts being shown in solid line in a fully latched condition of the lock, certain par-ts thereof, as Well as the forked latch or bolt, being alternatively depicted in dot-dash line in unlatched condition;

FIG. 2 is a view looking from the left of FIG. 1 and showing the free-wheeling lock unit, the lock proper being depicted in a latched and unlocked condition;

FIG. 3 is an outer end view of the latch and latch housing unit of the look, as viewed from the outer edge of the door, the fully latched, safety and unlatched positions of the forked latch being respectively shown in solid, dot-dash and dotted lines;

FIG. 4 is a view similar to FIG. 2, showing the lock in unlocked condition and as unlatched by the outside operator;

FIG. 5 is also a view similar to FIG. 2, showing the lock in unlocked condition, but as unlatched by the inside remote control linkage;

FIG. 6 is a further view similar to FIG. 2, showing the lock in the free-wheeling locked condition in which it is placed by manipulation of either an outside key or the inside remote control linkage, the lock being latched;

FIG. 7 is a view similar to FIG. 3, illustrating in solid line the latch and latch housing unit of the lock in a fully unlatched condition, ready to receive the striker or keeper pin, the parts being shown in dotted line in a fully latched condition, in which the dual safety interlock provisions are effective;

FIG. 8 is an end elevational view of the striker or keeper contemplated for use with the latch structure of FIG. 7;

FIG. 9 is a view in vertical section along broken line 9-9 of FIG. 8;

FIG. 10 is an end elevational view showing an alternative modified embodiment of latch and striker assembly, also having the improved dual safety interlock feature;

FIG. 11 is an end elevational view showing coacting striker and latch units of still a further alternative form, featuring a latch bolt of a multilated gear type and a rack tooth type of keeper, with bolt and keeper equipped with overlapping safety interlock flange and wall portions; and

FIG. 12 is a View in vertical section through the keeper and latch parts of FIG. 11, as operatively engaged in the latched condition of the lock.

The improved lock of the invention, generally designated 10, has its latch, latch detent, outside operated parts, its locking parts and a portion of its inside remote control structure mounted on a 90 angle plate or bracket 11, which includes a main mounting plate portion 12 adapted to be bolted at openings 13 to the free edge of an automobile door (not shown), and an upright flange 14, which, as thus mounted, will extend within and parallel the upright plane of the door.

Referring first to FIG. 3, a fork type of latch or bolt member 16 is shown, this part being mounted within an extension housing 17 projecting from the outer surface of the mounting plate, in the usual fashion. Latch 16 in eludes spaced leading and trailing fork arms 18, 19, in the sense or direction in which the door swings to closed position; and in the fully latched condition of the lock latch 16 shown in solid lines in FIG. 3 (also indicated in dot-dash line in FIG. 1) the arms 18, 19 straddle the cylindrical body of a keeper or striker pin 20 carried by the frame post (not shown). This pin has an enlarged circular head 21 for a safety function referred to above, and to be further described. The arms 18, 1? of latch fork 16 are shown in dotted line in FIG. 3 in a fully unlatched condition of the lock, and in dot-dash line in a partially or safety latched condition; and in the usual fashion, as the door is swung closed (to the left of FIG. 3) the arm 19 will first engage keeper pin 20, causing latch v16 to swing counterclockwise to its fully latched position (solid line).

The reference numeral 23 designates a toothed detent plate of the latch assembly. This is disposed upon a side of the mounting plate portion 12 opposite the latch 16, and detent plate 23 is rigidly connected to latch 16 for rotation of the two as a unit, as by a square shaft 24. Suitable provision is made for the journaling of this pivoted unit within an offset tubular formation 25 of plate portion 12. A torsion spring 2'? (FIG. 1) is connected to shaft 24, or a part rigidly connected to the latter, surrounding the same and having a tail 28 anchored to the mounting plate 11, as at an opening 29 in the flange 14 of the latter. As viewed in FIG. 1, this spring 2'7 biases latch 16 to its unlatched position shown in dotted line in FIG. 3, i.e., counterclockwise of the shaft 24.

The detent plate 23, fixed to the square shaft 24 on the opposite side of mounting plate portion 12, as illustrated in FIG. 2, is provided with two circumferentially successive latching teeth. The first of these is a radially projecting, full latch tooth 31 and, immediately clockwise thereof (FIG. 1) an intermediate or safety latching tooth 32. Detent plate 23 is shown in solid line in FIG. 1 in its fully latched condition, and in dot-dash line in its fully unlatched condition, and plate 23 is provided with a flat stop edge surface 33 adapted, in the unlatched condition, to abut a stop formation 34 on mounting plate flange 14.

The reference numeral 36 generally designates a threearmed operator having an upwardly extending arm 37 freely pivoted by a pin 38 to the mounting plate portion 12 in an upper zone of the latter; and the operator 36 carries a detent actuator arm 39 extending at 90 inwardly thereof, and an operating arm 40 equipped with an integral offset ear 41. This car is adapted to be engaged, in a known manner, by a part of an outside operator handle, push button or the like. Operator 36 constitutes one component of an outside operated linkage which, coacting with a contactor link (to be described) when the lock is in the latched condition of FIGS. 1, 2 and 6, effects the unlatching of the swingable detent plate 23.

A second component of the latching structure, actuated by operator 36 through the agency of the contactor referred to, is a detent arm 42 which, like the operator 36, is freely pivoted on the pin 38.. Detent arm 42 carries a latching lug or tooth 43 engageable with the detent plate 3. tooth 31 to hold detent plate 23 in the latched condition, or with the secondary, intermediate or safety latching tooth 32 to hold the lock in the safety position of its latch fork 16 which is indicated in dot-dash line in FIG. 3. The fully released position of the latch is shown in dotted line in FIG. 3.

Detent arm 42 is provided with an integral offset extension 44 which itself has an actuating lug or extension finger 45 bent inwardly at 90 thereto; and this extension finger 45 parallels the actuating arm 39 of outside operator 36, as appears in FIG. 2, being positioned somewhat inwardly of the latter from the plane of mounting plate portion 12.

A torsion spring 47 (FIG. 1) is fixedly secured at 48 to the pivot pin 38 for outside operator 36 and the detent arm 42, coiling about the pin and engaging the extension 4 of arm 42 from above. Thus, the latter is normally urged by spring 47 clockwise about its pivot at pin 38, and in a direction to engage detent arm toot-h 63 with one or the other of the detent plate teeth 31, 32 and, when the lock is unlatched, to engage the rounded surface of detent plate 23 in a zone clockwise of tooth 32.

Now referring to FIG. 2 of the drawings, the lost motion lock structure of the lock 11) is generally designated by the reference numeral 50. It comprises an elongated, vertically acting contactor link 51 which is at its top provided with an outwardly projecting nose 52; and the nose 52 is, in the unlocked condition of the lock shown in FIGS. 2, 4 and 5 (these figures also respectively depicting the lock in latched, outside unlatched and inside remote control unlatched condition), disposed to intervene between the operating arm 39 of outside operator 36 and the extension finger 45 thereabove of the tooth-carrying detent arm 42. Thus, upon actuation of outside operator 3%, its operating arm 35 swings upwardly, engaging contactor nose S2, and in turn causing the latter to lift the detent arm 42 counterclockwise about its pin 38, against the resistance of torsion spring 47, thereby to raise its holding tooth 42 out of latching engagement wit-h detent plate 23 at tooth 31 of the latter. The main spring 27 then snaps detent plate 23 and latch fork 16 to the fully unlatched condition of the latter. The operating arm 39 and detent extension finger 45 are respectively received in and guided by vertically elongated slots 53 and 54 of the mounting plate flange 14-.

The upright contactor link 51, as shown in FIG. 2, extends downwardly inwardly of and parallel to the operator 36, and is provided at its lower end with a vertically elongated slot 56. This slot receives an operating pin 57 on one arm 58 of a bell crank 59, which is medially pivoted by a pin 60 to an integral bracket extension 61 of the flange 14 of mounting plate 11. In the operation of placing link 51 in and out of locking position, it swings loosely about pin 57 as a fulcrum. The second arm 62 of hell crank 59 is adapted to be pivotally connected at 63 to the end of an inside remote control operating linkage (not shown) in the usual fashion. Intermediate its arms 53 and 62, the bell crank carries an integral, outwardly projecting actuator lug 64 for a purpose to be described.

The reference numeral 6? (FIGS. 2, 4, 5 and 6) generally designates a three-armed locking plate, which is pivotally mounted by a pin or stem 63 on the mounting plate flange 14. In this connection, it is to be noted that the contactor link 51 and the locking plate 68 both move in planes paralleling this flange, and the inner and outer surface of the door (not shown) between which flange 14 extends. The same is true of the inside remote controlled bell crank 59, although this is typical of known remote controlled levers for a similar purpose. However, the mounting of the other locking parts, as described, makes available a relatively large space for their reception, rather than crowding them into a relatively restricted space parallelling the edge of the door.

The locking plate 63 is provided with three arms, each projecting in a generally radial sense from the 'axis of its pivot at 69. One of these is an upright shipper arm 70 on one side of contactor link 51, being provided with rounded shipper lugs 71, 72 projecting on opposite sides of this link adjacent the top thereof and adapted, upon pivotal actuation of plate 68, to shift link 51 to the right and left, into and out of the operative unlocked position appearing in FIGS. 2, 4 and and the inoperative, locking position shown in FIG. 6.

A second arm 73 of locking plate 68 projects in a generally downward direction, and to the right as shown in FIGS. 2, 4, 5 -and 6. It is forked in character, including an arm portion 74- provided with a pair of offset lugs 75, 76 which straddle the lug 6dof hell crank 59, and further provided with an arcuate cam extension 78. This extension is provided with a rounded cam surface 79 adapted to he engaged by a key-operated lock arm 80 journaled at 81 on the mounting plate flange 14. The operation of arm 80, under actuation by a key from the outside, is to engage cam surface 79 and swing locking plate 68 to its operative, unlocked condition of FIG. 2, in a well known fashion.

The third arm 83 of locking plate 63 is a restoring arm. It is provided with a lower projection 84 adapted to be engaged by key-operated arm 80 upon counterclockwise motion of the latter, thus to swing locking palte 68 clockwise about its pivot at 69, thereby restoring contactor link 51 to the inoperative, free-wheeling, locked position of FIG. 6 of the drawings. The third, restoring arm 83 is also provided with an upwardly projecting nose 85, which is, as shown in FIG. 1, offset somewhat from the vertical.

Upon swinging of the locknig plate clockwise (FIG. 2) to the locking position, the offset nose 05 comes into position just beneath the right-hand side (FIG. 1) of the detent plate 23, in the unlatched, dot-dash line position of the latter. Thus, if the door is slammed shut with the lock in the locked condition, the arm 19 of the unlatched latch fork 16 will strike keeper pin 20, thus swinging detent plate 23 clockwise, 'as viewed in FIG. 1. In so swinging, plate 23 will drive nose 85 of locking plate arm 83 downwardly, thereby swinging the lock plate 68 counterclockwise about its pivot 69, which automatically restores the contactor link 51 counterclockwise about pin 57 to its operative, unlocked position, in being swung to the left (FIG. 2) by the shipper lug 72 on arm 70. By this means it is made impossible to swing the door shut, latched and locked from the outside, with the owners key possibly in the ignition switch.

It is evident that a reverse movement of contactor link 51 is occasioned by its engagement by the other shipper lug 71 upon clockwise rotation of locking plate 68. Lock plate 68 is actuated to the locked condition of FIG. 6 by counterclockwise engagement of the bell crank lug 64 with the lug 75 of plate arm 74, and is restored to the operative, unlocked condition upon clockwise engagement of lug 64 with its lug 76, both of these operations being through the agency of the inside remote control linkage (not shown). Key-controlled locking and unlocking is through the agency of the lock arm 80, as described above.

Upon actuation in any of the ways described, the locking plate 68 is shifted with a snap-over center action, by means of a conventional over-center spring 87 (FIG. 2) having one end anchored in a hole 88 in mounting plate flange 14 and the other end extending through a hole 89 in the arm extension 78 of the plate.

Referring now to FIGS. 7, 8 and 9, the headed striker pin 20 is fixedly carried on a plate 91 which is bolted to the upright door frame of the automobile in the usual manner, the pin having a reduced stem portion 91 received in a collar 92 mated into plate 91, and being headed over at 93 to complete the assembly. As specially shown in section in FIG. 9, for a silent latching operation a tubular rubber bushing 93 is telescoped on the pin stem 91', this bushing being tightly surrounded by a cylindrically continuous steel wear sleeve 93 between plate 91 and the enlarged circular pin head 21. A conventional type of non-metallic spring-urged wedge block 94 for a take-up purpose is mounted within a casing 95 telescoped over a flange on the upper end of striker plate 91; and this wedge is adapted to engage in the usual fashion, as shown in dot-dash line in FIG. 7, upon an upper inclined surface 95 of the housing 17 within which latch fork 16 operates.

Considering FIG. 7 in conjunction with FIG. 3, the housing 17 provides an integral depending wall 96 paralleling mounting plate portion 12 and spaced outwardly from the latter, and from the free edge E (FIG. 7) of the door to which plate 11 is secured, this wall being recessed at 97 to receiver keeper pin 20 as the door goes to closed position, i.e., to the left as viewed in FIGS. 3 and 7. It is to be noted that, as the latch fork arm 19 engages the keeper pin 20 initially and in finally latched condition (shown in dotted line in FIG. 7) the enlarged head 21 of the keeper pin will lie in the fork of latch 16 between the arms 18, 19 of the latter and the mounting plate portion 12, having a substantial lateral overlap relative to these arms. The latter lie between pin head 21 and the wall 96 of latch housing 17; and they in turn are substantially overhung laterally by the wall 96 in its recessed zone 97, as illustrated in dotted line in FIG. 7, and as also appears in FIG. 2.

Therefore, with the parts in the latched condition, the fork arms 18, 19 are capable of acting on the enlarged head 21 of keeper pin 20 to resist a separation of the door from the keeper in the direction of the upright plane of the door.

An embodiment of latch and keeper assembly 99 is shown in FIG. 10 which differs only slightly from that of FIGS. 3 and 7, so that corresponding reference numerals, primed, are employed to designate corresponding parts, further description being dispensed with.

Here, the keeper pin, specially designated 100, is provided with an enlarged end flange 101 of irregular outline, rather than circular as in the case of the pin flange 21. Flange 101 extends substantially downwardly in overlapped relation to the housing wall 96 at the recess 97' of the latter, yet the flange still well overlaps the wall around the remainder of the recess, as well as overlapping the latch arms 18', 19 at its top. In other respects, the operation of latch and keeper is as in the embodiment of FIGS. 3, 7, 8 and 9, but with a more pronounced overhang of flange enlargement 101 relative to latch housing wall 96.

FIGS. 11 and 12 represent a still further modified embodiment of an arrangement of striker or keeper 103 and latch bolt and housing structure 104. Here, the bolt, designated 105, includes a pair of gear-shaped latching teeth 106, and an enlarged restraining flange 107 integral with and on one axial side of the teeth 106, this flange completing the bolts circumferential outline.

Bolt is mounted to rotate in a housing formation 108 integral with or rigidly affixed to the mounting plate portion 109 of the lock which attaches to the door edge, the housing 108 having a depending wall 110 spaced outwardly of plate 109. The bolt 105 works between wall 110 and plate 109, being journaled by a reduced shaft extension 111 in a portion of the wall; and the bolts restraining flange 10-7 is located on its side adjacent wall 110, as shown in FIG. 12, but spaced somewhat inwardly of the latter. A spring urged wedge block 112 is mounted between wall 110 and plate 109 adjacent the top of bolt housing 108.

The striker or keeper 103 includes a plate portion 114 which bolts to the door frame post, and a side enlargement 115 of the plate which is recessed at 116 to provide an arcuate cavity. A series of keeper rack teeth 117 adjoin the lower extremity of this cavity, and a projecting restraining flange or wall portion 118 of the enlargement laterally overlaps the cavity 116 and the rack teeth 117.

Thus, with the bolt 105 in engagement at its gear teeth 106 with the keeper rack teeth 117, its restraining flange '3 107 will have rolled into position in the keeper cavity 116 behind the keepers restraining wall portion 118; and the Wedge 112 will have engaged the inclined upper surface 119 of keeper housing enlargement 115. With the bolt flange 107 thus overlapped behind keeper wall portion 118, the latch assembly 104 is effectively held against separation in the direction of the plane of the door from the post-mounted keeper 103.

Operation In operation, assuming that the lock is in a latched and unlocked condition, as shown in FIG. 2, with the nose 52 of contact link 51 interposed between extension 45 and operating arm 39 of outside operator 36, if it is desired to unlatch the lock from the outside, the operator 36 is actuated to swing the same counterclockwise (FIG. 1) about its pivot at 33. Arm 39 thus engages and lifts the contactor nose 52, which in turn lifts extension finger 45 of detent arm 42 against the force of spring 47. This disengages the detent arm projection or tooth 43 from the tooth 31 of latch plate 23. As biased by the main latch torsion spring 27, the detent plate 23 and latch fork 16 swing clockwise as viewed in FIG. 3 (counterclockwise in FIG, 1), freeing the fork from frame post keeper pin 20, and the door swings open. The outside operated unlatched position of the parts is shown in FIG. 4 of the drawings.

Again assuming that the lock is latched and unlocked, the contact nose 52 being positioned beneath detent arm extension finger 45, when it is desired to unlatch the lock from the inside of the door, the remote control linkage (not shown) is actuated to swing the bell crank 59 clockwise about its pivot at 60. If the crank is in a normal unlocking position at the start of this operation, the pin 57 on its crank arm 58 is at the top of the contactor iink slot 56, so that the clockwise bell crank swing causes it to elevate link 51. In engaging the detent arm extension finger 45, the link nose 52 swings the detent arm 44 counterclockwise about its pivot at pin 38, against the resistance of spring 4-7, to unlatch detent plate 23, the re maining parts of the lock 10 remaining motionless. The inside unlatched condition is shown in FIG. 5.

Assuming, however, that the lock 111 is in the locked position of its parts appearing in FIG. 6, the contactor nose 52. being withdrawn to the right out of the path of movement of the operator arm 39, a manipulation of outside operator 36 results simply in a motion of its actuator arm 39 to the dot-dash line position of FIG. 1. The detent finger extension 45 is not affected and the detent 23 and fork 16 remain latched. If it is desired to unlock the lock from the exterior, a key actuated manipulation of the key rollback lever 80 causes the same to swing clockwise and engage the camming surface 79 of lock plate 68, camming the plate from the position of FIG. 6 to that of FIG. 4. The contactor link 51 swings counterclockwise about remote control crank pin 57, its nose 52 is re-inserted between the operator arm 39 and the detent extension 45, and the lock is unlocked.

When it is desired to lock the lock from the inside of the door, the remote control linkage is actuated to swing remote control bell crank 59 counterclockwise. This lowers the pin 57 the length of link slot 56, representing a free spring-biased return travel of the remote control linkage, as the lug 64- on the bell crank engages the lowermost offset lug 75 on the arm 74 of locking plate 68, swinging the latter clockwise about its pivot at 69. Accordingly, the offset lug 71 of the locking plate shipper arm 70 engages and swings the contactor link 51 to the right to its inoperative or withdrawn locking position, and transmission of force from operator arm 39 to detent extension finger 45 is impossible.

As indicated above, the link 51 is re-inserted to operative, unlocking position from the interior by a clockwise swing of remote control bell crank 59, which causes the lug 64 on the latter to engage upper lug 76 of lock plate 68; and thus the right-hand shipper lug 72 impels contactor link to the left. A still further swing of the bell crank in clockwise direction produces the unl-atching of the lock through the agency of contactor link 51 alone. Needless to say, the inside operated locking and unlocking phases produce corresponding setting and resetting of the key operated extension 7 8 of the locking plate 68, and of the cam actuating key lever or arm 81 The lock plate 68 is snapactuated between its locking and unlocking position by means of the conventional over-center spring 87.

It is seen by reference to FIG. 6 that in the locked or free-wheeling condition of lock 10 the third arm 83 of locking plate 63 has engagement at its formation 84 with the mounting plate portion 12, thus limiting travel of the locking plate 68 in the clockwise locking direction. In this position, the mildly bent nose kick-off portion 85 of the last named arm comes into position directly beneath the edge surface of toothed detent plate 23, as shown in dot-dash line in FIG. 1. The purpose of the arrangement just mentioned is to furnish an automatic kick-off to restore the lock 10 to unlocked condition, should the door be swung closed in the locked, free-wheeling condition depicted in FIG. 6.

What I claim as my invention is:

1. A door lock comprising a support having a plate portion adapted to be disposed at an edge face of a door and a flange portion extending at an angle to said plate portion, a latch member pivotally mounted on said plate portion, detent means mounted on said plate portion and releasably engageable with said latch member to hold the latter in a door-latching position, an outside-operated release actuator mounted for movement on said plate portion, a locking contactor member mounted on said flange portion of the support for movement in forcetransmitting engagement between said actuator and said detent means to shift and release the latter out of doorlatching engagement with said latch member upon operation of said actuator, a movable operator on which said contactor member has a fulcrum for swinging movement and means for moving said contactor member about said fulcrum into and out of position for said force-transmitting engagement between the actuator and detent means, thus to prevent release of the latter with said contactor member out of said last named position, said actuator and contactor member having portions formed and arranged relative to one another so that said contactor member is not engaged by said actuator upon movement of the latter when the contactor member is out of position for said force-transmitting engagement between the actuator and said detent means.

2. The door lock of claim 1, in which said means for moving said contactor member comprises a control member movably mounted on said flange portion of the support and having means guiding said contactor member for said movements in said force-transmitting engagement and into and out of position for the latter.

3. The door lock of claim 2, in Which one of said control and contactor members has a portion engageable by said latch member upon pivoting of the latter when said contactor member is out of force-transmitting position to restore the contactor member to the last named position.

4. The door lock of claim 3, in which said portion engageable by the latch member is on said control membet.

5. The door lock of claim 2, in which said control member is pivotally mounted on said support flange portion, said contactor member being guided by said means of said control member for bodily shifting movement relative to the latter to release said latch member and for swinging movement into and out of position for said force-transmitting engagement on an axis other than the pivotal axis of said control member.

6. The door lock of claim 3, in which said control member is pivotally mounted on said support flange portion, said contactor member being guided by said means of said control member for bodily shifting movement relative to the latter to release said latch member and for swinging movement into and out of position for sail force-transmitting engagement on an axis other than the pivotal axis of said control member.

7. The door lock of claim 4-, in which said control member is pivotally mounted on said support flange portion, said contactor member being guided by said mear or. said control member for bodily movement relative to the latter to release said latch member and for swinging movement into and out of position for said force-transmitting engagement on an axis other than the pivotal aotis of said control member.

8. The door lock of claim 4, in which said movable operator is a device operatively connected to said contactor and control members to cause the latter to place said contactor member into and out of force-transmitting position and to actuate the contactor member to release Said detent means.

9. The door lock of claim 3, in which said movable operator is a device adapted for remote control and operatively connected to said contactor and control members to cause the latter to place said contactor member into and out of force-transmitting position and to actuate the contactor member to release said detent means, said remote control device having lost motion couplings with the contactor and control members for the last named functions.

it). The door lock of claim 4, in which said movable operator is a device adapted for remote control and operatively connected to said contactor and control members to cause the latter to place said contactor member into and out of force-transmitting position and to actuate the contactor member to release said detent means, said remote control device having lost motion couplings with the contactor and control members for the last named functions.

11. A door lock comprising a support having a plate portion adapted to be disposed at an edge face of a door and a flange portion extending at an angle to said plate portion, a latch member pivotally mounted on said plate portion, detent means mounted on said plate portion and releasably engageable with said latch member to hold the latter in a door-latching position, an outside-operated release actuator mounted for movement on said plate portion, a vertically elongated locking contactor link mounted on and movable vertically and swingably relative to said flange portion of the support, said link having a transversely extending formation positionable in force transmitting engagement between said actuator and said detent means to lift and release the latter out of doorlatching engagement with said latch member upon operation of said actuator to engage and lift said link, and means operable internally of the door for swinging said contactor link into and out of position for said forcetransmitting engagement between the actuator and detent means, thus to prevent release of the latter with said contactor link out of said last named position, said internally operable means including a control member pivotally mounted on said flange portion of the support, and providing a fulcrum about which said contactor link is mounted to swing, said control member having projections between which said contactor link is guided for said movements of its said formation in said force-transmitting engagement and into and out of position for the latter, said control member having a portion engageable by said latch member upon pivoting of the latter when said contactor link is out of force-transmitting position to restore the contactor link to the last named position.

12. The door lock of claim 11, and including a further inside remote control member having a lost motion connection to said contactor link to lift the latter, said further member having lost motion connections to said first named control member for pivoting the latter to swing said contactor link into and out of position for said forcetransmitting engagement.

13. The door lock of claim 12, in which said first named connection comprises a pin and slot connection of said further control member and contactor link guiding the latter vertically, said contactor link being freely movable vertically and swingable relative to said flange portion of the support as guided solely by said projections of said first named control member and said pin and slot connection to said further member.

l l. A door lock comprising a support, a latch pivotaliy mounted on said support, a detent member mounted on said support for movement into and out of position to hold said latch in a door latching position, an outside operated actuator mounted for movement on said support to move said detent member out of said latch-hold ing position, a further member mounted for movement on said support in a direction to move said detent member out of said latch-holding position, a locking contactor movably mounted by one of said members and movable with the same in force-transmitting engagement with said detent member to shift the latter out of said latch-holding position, said contactor being engageable by said outside-operated actuator to transmit thrust from the latter to said detent member to shift said detent member out of said latch-holding position, and means for shifting said contactor into and out of a position in which it is engaged by said outside actuator to transmit thrust from the latter, whereby said contactor does not transmit thrust from said outside-operated actuator to said detent member when said contactor is out of its said last named position.

15. A door lock comprising a support, a latch pivotally mounted on said support, a detent member mounted on said support for movement into and out of position to hold said latch in a door latching position, an outside-operated actuator mounted for movement on said support to move said detent member out of said latchholding position, an inside-operated member mounted for movement on said support in a direction to move said detent member out of said latch-holding position, a locking contactor having a fulcrum on one of said members and movable with the same in force-transmitting engagement with said detent member to shift the latter out of said latch-holding position, said contactor being engageable by said outside-operated actuator to transmit thrust from the latter to said detent member to shift said detent member out of said latch-holding position, and insideoperated means for shifting said contactor into and out of a position in which it is engaged by said outside actuator to transmit thrust from the latter, whereby said contactor does not transmit thrust from said outside-0perated actuator to said detent member when said contactor is out of its said last named position.

16. The lock of claim 1 in which said locking contactor has its fulcrum on said further member.

17. The lock of claim 15, in which said locking contactor has its fulcrum on said inside-operated member.

References Cited by the Examiner UNITED STATES PATENTS 5/1958 Van Voorhees 29Z216 3/1959 Leslie.

Claims (1)

14. A DOOR LOCK COMPRISING A SUPPORT, A LATCH PIVOTALLY MOUNTED ON SAID SUPPORT, A DETENT MEMBER MOUNTED ON SAID SUPPORT FOR MOVEMENT INTO AND OUT OF POSITION TO HOLD SAID LATCH IN A DOOR LATCHING POSITION, AN OUTSIDEOPERATED ACTUATOR MOUNTED FOR MOVEMENT ON SAID SUPPORT TO MOVE SAID DETENT MEMBER OUT OF SAID LATCH-HOLDING POSITION, A FURTHER MEMBER MOUNTED FOR MOVEMENT ON SAID SUPPORT IN A DIRECTION TO MOVE SAID DETENT MEMBER OUT OF SAID LATCH-HOLDING POSITION, A LOCKING CONTACTOR MOVABLY MOUNTED BY ONE OF SAID MEMBERS AND MOVABLE WITH THE SAME IN FORCE-TRANSMITTING ENGAGEMENT WITH SAID DETENT MEMBER TO SHIFT THE LATTER OUT OF SAID LATCH-HOLDING POSITION, SAID CONTACTOR BEING ENGAGEABLE BY SAID OUTSIDE-OPERATED ACTUATOR TO TRANSMIT THRUST FROM THE LATTER TO SAID DETENT MEMBER TO SHIFT SAID DETENT MEMBER OUT OF SAID LATCH-HOLDING POSITION, AND MEANS FOR SHIFTING SAID CONTACTOR INTO AND OUT OF A POSITION IN WHICH IT IS ENGAGED BY SAID OUTSIDE ACTUATOR TO TRANSMIT THRUST

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