Note: Descriptions are shown in the official language in which they were submitted.
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~IELD OF THE INVENTION
The present invention relates to autobody too]s and
in particular to a door 1atch alignment tool.
BAC~GRO~ND OF THE INVENTION
Door latch misalignment occurs usually in older or
damaged vehicles, and less often in new vehicles where the
door simply has not been assembled in proper alignment with
the autobody.
The problem can also arise in the course of
correcting misalignment of the so-called "character lines"
(surface contours or other body panel shapes, or other
exterior details such as paint work, decals or other
decorative or functional trim). The first step in realigning
the character lines is to loosen the striker from the door
post and reposition it either up or down by an amount equal to
the amount of misalignment that is observed between
corresponding features on the door and the balance of the
body. The striker is then secured in its new position, and if
the repositioning is in any way substantial then the latch and
striker plate will be vertically misaligned as a consequence
of adjusting the striker.
In either case the problem manifests as difficulty
in operating the door. For the purposes of this patent
specification, misalignment shall refer to vertical
misallgnment between the latch and striker of the automobile
~ door assembly.
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In prior attempts at correcting the door latch
misalignment problems, recourse was typically taken to the use
of a lever, such as a length of the so called "2x4~' wall
studding. With the door of the car at least partially opened,
one end of this lever was then placed on the sill of the door
opening, with an intermediate portion of the stud being
positioned beneath the open door in contacting relation
therewith, and the other, free end extending beyond the
exterior of the door. The free end was then lifted to force
the door back into the desired alignment. A number of
difficulties are associated with this practice.
When the lever is lifted against the bottom of the
door, the tendency is for the door to move along the stud,
with the result that the force applied to the door tends to
curl the bottom of the door panel rather than lifting the door ?
upwardly against its hinges. In addition, the lifting force
is applied to the lower surfaces of the door, and the load
bearing capacity of this portion of the door may not be
sufficient to allow the door latch to be realigned without
crushing the bottom of the door. This problem is exacerbated
in older cars where rust has further weakened the bottom of
the door.
Also, the height of the free end of the stud in such
an application is only slightly above floor level unless the
car is first placed up on jacks. In addition to being
inconvenient and time consuming, the use of jacks can be
dangerous~ since considerable leverage force is sometimes
required to correct the misalignment. Without the jacks on
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-the other hand, there is the very real risk of back injury to
an operator who must bend down to exert leverage from a point
so close to floor level.
Accordingly there exists a need for a tool more
suitable for correcting common misalignment problems in door
latches.
SUM~ARY OF THE INVENTION
In accordance with the present inventlon there
is provided an autobody door latch alignment tool including:
strike pin engaging means adapted to engage, and be
rotatable about a strike pin mounted on a first door
post of an autobody opposite a second door post
arranged apart from and generally parallel to the
first door post;
door latch engaging means adapted to engage a door
latch on a misaligned door that is hung by hinges
from the second door post of the autobody, with the
door latch engaging means being arranged in mutually
spaced apart relation from the strike pin engaging
means each at respective points defining a chord
along an arc subtended by an angle of the doors
rotation about the hinges; and,
: lever arm means;
said door latch engaging means and strike pin engaging means
being interconnected through means extending transversely to
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said chord, and being adapted to be secured in fixed relation
:: with said lever arm means, in which arrangement the strike pin
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engaging ~eans is operable to act as a fulcrum when securely
engaged in rotatable relation with the strike pin, in response
to an application of leverage through the lever arm ~eans fro~
a point remote from both the strike pin engaging means and the
door latch engaging means, and the door latch engaging means
is operable in conjunction therewith and when engaged with the
door latch, to exert a corrective bending moment through the
door to the hinges thereof.
Preferably a first portion of the means
interconnecting the door latch engaging means and the stri~e
pin engaging means e~tends in a first direction from the
strike pin engaging means alony the side of the chord opposite
the arc, to a second portion extending in a second direction
transversely of the chord to a third portion extending in a
third direction, on the side of the chord adjacent the arc, to
the door latch engaging means.
In one embodiment the tool of the present invention
includes a strike pin engaging means which comprises an
elongated rectangular bar having an open ended slot arranged
in one end thereof. The slot is adapted to receive and engage
a portion of the strike pin, which is typically an elongated
cylinder, in interfitting relation therewith.
Various slot shapes can be used. For example the
slot may be defined between a pair of mutually opposed,
parallel sides, or may instead comprise a plurality of nested
slQts arranged with the widest slot nearest the slotted end of
; the bar, with successively narrower nested slots arranged in
order of decreasing slot width. In accordance with another
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embodiment of the invention the slot has a generally
triangular shape with its base opening GUt from the end of the
bar, and having sides converging inwardly towards an apex at a
point on the bar, spaced apart from opening in the end
thereof.
In some applications, the strike pin comprises an
elongated cylindrical portion having a first diameter adjacent
where it is fixed at one end to an autobody, and a larger
diameter portion arranged at the opposite end thereo~. The
larger diameter portion may, for example, comprise a disk
shaped stop arranged in coaxial relation with the elongated
cylindrical portion at the end thereof opposite the end that
is fixed to the autobody. In such an arrangement the tool
according to one embodiment of the present invention is
preferably adapted to engage the elongated cylindrical portion
of the strike pin between the two portions of the bar that
define the mutually opposed sides of the slot, where the
distance between the two portions of the bar is larger than
the diameter of the strike pin, but smaller than the diameter
of the disc shaped stop.
In a preferred embodiment of the tool of the present
invention the end of the bar bearing the slot is lateral~y
offset from the door latch engaging means through a compound
angle bend in the bar intermediate between the slot and the
door latch engaging means. Through the improved clearance
from adjacent body parts associated ~ith this arrangement it
is possible to locate the tool in use, such that the door need
be only slightly ajar, and the corrective bending moment can
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be applied primarily upwArdly to the door, and the mechanical
advantage of the avallable leverage can be maximized.
The elongated rectangular bar is preferably also
adapted to receive a threaded portion of the door latch
engaging means in secured threaded relation with a
complimentary tapped bore located in the bar in spaced apart
relation from the slot.
The door latch engaging means is preferably adapted
to extend outwardly from the bar, and have the same,
(typically generally cylindrical), shape as the strike pin.
In this embodiment the door latch engaging means is operable
to engage with the door latch in substantially the same way as
the strike pin. The tool according to one aspect of the
present invention will include a plurality of demountable door
latch engaging pins of various sizes, each adapted be secured,
one at a time, to the bar and to be used in conjunction with
respective ones of a corresponding plurality of variously
sized door latches found on different makes and models of
automobiles.
DETAILED DE~CRIPTION ~F A PREFER~ED EMB~DI~ENT
_ntroduction to the Drawings
In the following detailed description of an
embodiment of the present invention reference will be made to
~` 25 the appended drawings in which:
Figure 1 is an exploded perspective view of a lever
arrangement of the present invention;
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Figure 2 is an elevated side view of a portlon of
one embodiment of the present invention with fastening means
for securing the various parts of the embodiment, shown in
phantom;
Figure 3 of the drawings is an elevated side view of
a portion of the embodiment depicted in Figures 1 and 2,
showing an offset angle arrangement between a portion adapted
to secure the strlke pin and a portion adapted to secure the
door latch;
Figure 4 is a plan view of a portion of one
embodiment of the invention, which portion is adapted to
secure one size of strike pin; while,
Figure 5 is a comparable view of an embodi~ent in
which that same portion is adapted to secure three different
sizes of striker pin;
Figure 6 of the drawings shows an alter-native
embodiment of the slot shapes that can be used in the present
invention;
Figure 7 of the drawings shows an automobile latch
and corresponding striker in situ; and,
Figure 8 illustrates the use of the embodi~ent
described in relation to Figure 1, in use.
Referring now to the drawings in general there i5
~hown an autobody door latch alignment tool comprising a lever
arrangement 1, including strike pin engaging means comprising
an eIongated rectangular barj 2, having an open ended slot, 3,
: at one end thereof adapted to engage a strike pin ~, mounted
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on a door post of an autobody. The bar 2, is rotatable about
the strike pin 4, when so engaged. Lever arrangement 1
further lncludes a door latch engaging pin 5, secured r in
mutually spaced apart relation from the slot 3, adjacent the
opposite end of the rectangular bar 2. The door latch
engaging pin 5 is adapted to engage the door latch 6,
associated with the strike pin ~, of a misaligned door that is
hung from the above mentioned autobody. The lever arrangement
1 also includes a lever arm, 7, which together with ~ar 2 and
door latch engaging pin 5 are adapted to be secured in fixed
relation with one another by fastening means 8 and a threaded
base portion 5a, of door latch pin 5 in cooperation with a
correspondingly threaded portion of bar 2. In this
arrangement the strike pin engaging slo-t 3, is operable to act
as a fulcrum when engaged in rotatable relation about the
strike pin 4, in response to an application of leverage
through the lever arm 7, from a point remote from both the
strike pin engaging slot 3, and the door latch engaging pin 5;
and the door latch engaging pin 5, is operable in conjunction
therewith and when engaged with the door latch 6, to exert a
corrective bending moment on the hinges, (not shown) of a
misaligned door. Note that the door latch engaging pin 5 is
arrange~ in mutually spacsd apart relation from the ~trike pin
engaging slot 3 with each being located at respective points
defining a chord along an arc subtended by an angle of the
doors rotation about its hinges. A first portion 9 of bar 2
interconnecting the door latch engaging pin 5 and the strike
pin engaging slot 3 extends in a first direction from the
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strike pin engaging slot 3 alcng the side of the chord
opposite the arc, to a second portion 10 extending in a second
direction transversely of the chord to a third portion 11
extending in a third direction, on the side of the chord
adjacent the arc, to the door latch engaging pin 5.
In operation the lever arrangement 1, of the
autobody door latch alignment tool is positioned with the
slotted end of rectangular bar 2, between a slightly ajar
automobile door and door post. Slot 3 is engaged with strike
pin 4, and door latch engaging pin 5 is positioned in register
with door latch G. The door is closed until the door latch 6
engages door latch engaging pin 5 in secured relation.
Leverage force is then applied through lever arm 7, in the
direction shown in Figure 8 by the arrow "a'l. The applied
force is communicated, see arrow "b", to where strike pin ~ is
engagad with slot 3, which acts as a fulcrum about which the
lever arrangement 1 is rotatable. Upon rotation of lever
arrangement 1 about the fulcrum in response to further
leverage force applied through lever arm 7, a lifting moment
represented by arrow "c" is transmitted to the automobile door
which in turn becomes a bending moment that is active across
the automobile's door hinges. The door can be selectively
repositioned through this application of force, using the tool
of the present invention.
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