Note: Descriptions are shown in the official language in which they were submitted.
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LATCH AND LOCK ASS~MRT.T~.~ WIT~ SPRING-BIASED PIVOT BOLTS
The present application relates to subject matter that
is the work product of a continuing program of development that
also produced the subject matter of prior Canadian application
Serial No. 566,314 filed May 9, 1988 entitled LATCH AND LOCK AS-
SEMBLIES ~ITH SPRING-BIASED PIVOT BOLTS, referred to hereinafter
as the "Predecessor Case."
The present invention relates generally to flush mount-
ed latches and locks of the type used with closures for industri-
al cabinets, tool carts, electrical equipment enclosures and the
like. More particularly, the present invention relates to novel
and improved latches and locks that utilize a highly versatile
housing together with other interactive components of novel form
to provide desired types of latching and locking actions.
Flush mounted latches and locks including à body, a
latch bolt movably carried on the body, and an operating handle
that is nested by the body are well known. Normally the handle
is in a flush or nested position when the bolt is in a latched
position; and unlatching movement of the bolt is effected by mov-
ing the handle to an operating position. Latches and locks of
this type are well suited for use on industrial cabinets, tool
carts, electrical equipment enclosures and the like.
Flush-mounted latches and locks having pan-shaped hous-
ings that nest paddle-shaped operating handles, and that have
spring-projected slide bolts are disclosed in such United States
patents as 4,335,595, 4,321,812, 4,320,642, 4,312,205, 4,312,204,
4,312,203, 4,312,202, 4,309,884, 4,231,597, 4,138,869, 3,707,862,
3,668,907, 3,449,005, 3,389,932, 3,357,734, 3,209,564, 3,209,563,
3,055,204, 2,987,908, 2,900,204 and 2,642,300, all of which are
assigned to the Eastern Company, a corporation of Connecticut.
Flush mounted latches and locks having latch bolts of
other than the spring-projected, slide-mounted type are disclosed
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in such United States patents as 4,413,849, 4,320,642, 4,312,203,
4,134,281, 3,857,594, 3,338,610, 3,044,814, 3,044,287 and
2,735,706, all of which are assigned to the Eastern Company.
A cabinet latch having a housing that is usable with a
variety of pivotally mounted latch bolts, and with a variety of
latching mechanisms is disclosed in United States patent
4,177,656, also assigned to the Eastern Company.
Because the best mode known to the inventors for carry-
ing out the practice of the present invention is in conjunction
with the basic type of latch and lock units that are disclosed in
the referenced Predecessor Case, the text of the present case
tracks quite closely the text of the Predecessor Case, and the
drawings that are included herewith follow in the basic format
and arrangement of the drawings of the Predecessor Case.
The present invention provides novel and improved flush
mountable latches and locks for industrial cabinets, tool carts,
electrical equipment enclosures and the like, with the latches
and locks utilizing a highly versatile housing together with
other interactive components of novel form to provide desired
types of latching and locking actions.
While the inventive features that form the subject
matter of the present case are primarily intended for use as
"improvements" in conjunction with the invention that forms the
subject matter of the referenced Predecessor Case, it will be
understood by those skilled in the art that a number of the
improvement features that are described herein can be utilized
with other forms of latch and lock structures.
The inventive features that form the subject matter of
the present application include improvements that enhance the
ease with which latch and lock units of the basic type that are
described in the referenced Predecessor Case can be fabricated
and assembled, facilitate the optional addition to such latch and
lock units of weatherproofing boot-type seals that may be
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interFJsed between housing and operating handle components, and
enhance the ease with which such latch and lock units can be
mounted on structures of a variety of thicknesses. Also,
improvements are disclosed that enable components of such
lock-type units to be assembled with greater ease, utilizing a
smaller number of locking components that cooperate in
advantageous ways to yield improvements in performance.
These and other features, and a fuller understanding of
the invention may be had by referring to the description and
claims that follow, taken in conjunction with the accompanying
drawings, wherein:
FIGURE 1 is an exploded perspective view of one form of
lock assembly that embodies features of the preferred practice of
the present invention, illustrating how the lock assembly is
mounted on a closure, and showing two types of strikers that may
be used with the lock assembly, with front surface portions of
the strikers being broken away;
FIGURE 2 is an exploded perspective view of components
of the lock assembly of FIGURE l;
FIGURE 3 is a schematic top plan view, on a reduced
scale, showing the lock assembly of FIGURE 1 installed on a pivo-
tal closure, with a striker shown in cross section and mounted on
a cabinet wall, and with the closure in an open position;
FIGURE 4 is a schematic top plan view similar to FIGURE
3 but with the closure moved toward its closed position to bring
a rearwardly projecting latch bolt of the lock assembly into en-
gagement with the striker;
FIGURE 5 is a schematic top plan view similar to FIG-
URES 3 and 4, but with the closure closed, and with the latch
bolt in latched engagement with the striker;
FIGURE 6 is a right side elevational view showing the
lock of FIGURE 1, with the handle assembly in its normally nested
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position, with the latch bolt pivoted to its latched position,
and with locking components locked;
FIGURE 7 is a rear elevational view thereof;
FIGURE 8 is a bottom plan view thereof;
FIGURE 9 is a rear elevational view similar to FIGURE 7
but with the locking components unlocked;
FIGURE 10 is a rear elevational view similar to FIGURE
9 but with the latch bolt pivoted to its unlatched position, and
with the handle assembly being held out of its nested position by
the latch bolt;
FIGURE 11 is a schematic view, partially in cross sec-
tion, on an enlarged scale, showing the handle assembly in its
normal nested position in relation to the housing, and showing
the latch bolt latched, with the latch bolt being held in its
latched position by its engagement with a rearwardly projecting
portion of the handle assembly;
FIGURE 12 is a schematic view similar to FIGURE 11, but
showing the handle assembly fully pivoted out of its nested posi-
tion, and with the latch bolt unlatched;
FIGURE 13 is a perspective view of portions of the han-
dle assembly and the housing, with housing portions broken away,
with the handle assembly in its normal nested position with re-
spect to the housing, and with the view showing principally rear
features thereof;
FIGURE 14 is a sectional view, on an enlarged scale, as
seen from a plane indicated by a line 14-14 in FIGURE 2;
FIGURE 15 is an exploded perspective view showing se-
lected portions of the lock assembly, with alternate forms of a
rotary plug that is insertable into the housing being shown;
FIGURE 16 is an exploded perspective view showing a
mounting plate and a shim member that is insertable into a recess
that is defined by the mounting plate, it being understood that
the shim member is installed in the recess only in the event that
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no resilient boot (of the type that is shown in FIGURES 2, 11 and
12) is installed in the mounting plate recess;
FIGURE 17 is an exploded perspective view showing latch
and lock assembly mounting components (including spacers of a
variety of thicknesses that can be selected for use with the
other depicted components) that cooperate to enable latch and
lock assemblies to be installed on structures of a variety of
thicknesses;
FIGURE 18 is a sectional view, on an enlarged scale,
showing a spring-biased retaining clip that is carried in a
groove that is provided in rotary plugs of the type that are
depicted in FIGURE 15, with the clip shown fully radially inser-
ted in opposition to the action of an associated leaf spring that
also is carried in the groove;
FIGURE 19 is a sectional view showing the components of
FIGURE 18 and including sleeve portions of a lock housing, as
seen from A plane indicated generally by a line 19-19 in FIGURE
8, and with the clip projecting from the groove of the rotary
plug in which the clip is carried so as to cooperate with an end
wall portion of the sleeve to retain the rotary plug within the
sleeve; and,
FIGURE 20 is a perspective view of a locking member
that is employed in the lock assembly of FIGURE 1.
Referring to FIGURE 1, one form of a snap-acting lock
assembly that embodies features of the preferred practice of the
present invention is indicated generally by the numeral 100. The
lock assembly 100 has a housing 200 that mounts a plurality of
interactive components that provide latching and locking func-
tions.
In overview, and as will be explained in greater de-
tail, the interactive components that are carried on the housing
200 principally include a handle assembly 300 that is mounted on
the housing 200 for movement between normal and operating
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positions; a spring-pivoted latch bolt 400 that is mounted on the
housing 200 for movement between latched and unlatched positions;
a bracket and spring assembly 500 that mounts the latch bolt 400
on the housing 200 for movement between latched and unlatched
positions, with movements of the latch bolt 400 to its unlatched
position taking place in response to movement of the handle as-
sembly 300 to its operating position; and, a locking mechanism
600 for selectively permitting and preventing unlatching movement
of the latch bolt 400 by the handle assembly 300. If the locking
mechanism 600 is omitted, the lock assembly 100 is thereby trans-
formed into a latch assembly, i.e., a unit which has a handle as-
sembly 300 that always can be operated to retract the latch bolt
400.
Referring to FIGURE 1, it will be seen that the latch
bolt 400 projects relatively sidewardly with respect to the hous-
ing 200 for engaging a suitably configured striker such as the
strikers 180, 190 that are depicted in FIGURE l; however, those
skilled in the art will understand that other types of strikers,
as well as keeper formations of conventional, commercially avail-
able configurations, also may be used to engage and releasably
retain the latch bolt 400.
The strikers 180, 190 have body structures 182, 192
that surround and define bolt-receiving chambers 184, 194, re-
spectively. Openings 186, 196 are formed in the body structures
182, 192 and communicate with the chambers 184, 194, respective-
ly. The openings 186, 196 are of adequate size to receive and
releasably retain a tip portion of the latch bolt 400. Latch
bolt engagement surfaces 188, 198 extend along one side of their
associated openings 186, 196.
The manner in which the latch bolt 400 of the lock
assembly 100 cooperates with the striker 180 as the closure 110
is pushed to its closed position is depicted in the schematic top
views of FIGURES 3-5. Referring to FIGURE 3, when the closure
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110 is open with respect to a cabinet structure 111 on which the
closure 110 is pivotally mounted, the latch bolt 400 of the lock
assembly 100 is pivoted (under the action of a torsion coil
spring 510 that is shown in FIGURE 2) to an unlatched position,
i.e., to a position wherein the latch bolt 400 projects rear-
wardly and rightwardly as viewed in FIGURE 3.
As the closure 110 is pivoted progressively toward its
closed position, the latch bolt 400 is brought into engagement
with the striker engaging surface 188 of the striker 180, as is
shown in FIGURE 4. Completion of the pivotal movement of the
closure 110 to its closed position causes the engagement of the
latch bolt 400 with the striker surface 188 to pivot the latch
bolt 400 (in opposition to the action of the torsion spring 510)
to the latched position of the latch bolt 400, as is shown in
FIGURE 5. As the latch bolt reaches its latched position, the
handle assembly 300 pivots to its normally nested position (under
the influence of a compression coil spring 360 that is shown in
FIGURE 2). When the handle assembly 300 pivots to its normally
nested position, a rearwardly extending projection 320 of the
handle assembly 300 moves into a position of retaining engagement
with an end region 402 of the latch bolt 400 to hold the latch
bolt 400 in its latched position (as is depicted schematically in
FIGURE 11).
Unlatching of the lock assembly 100 is effected by de-
pressing the handle assembly 300, as is depicted schematically in
FIGURE 12. Pivotal movement of the handle assembly 300 to its
operated position moves the projection 320 out of retaining en-
gagement with the latch bolt end region 402, whereupon the latch
bolt 400 pivots under the action of the torsion coil spring 510
to its unlatched position, as is depicted in FIGURE 12. As the
latch bolt 400 pivots to its unlatched position, the engagement
between the latch bolt 400 and the striker surface 188 causes the
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closure 110 to be "popped open" to the position shown in FIGURE
4.
Before turning to a more detailed description of the
components of the lock assembly 100, the preferred manner in
which .he lock assembly 100 can be mounted on a closure 110 will
be described. The portion of the closure 110 that is shown in
FIGURE 1 is a plate-like structure that has a mounting opening
112 formed therethrough. More extensive portions of the closure
110 are depicted schematically in FIGURES 3-5, as is associated
cabinet structure 111. The closure portion 110 has a front sur-
face 114 and a rear surface 116 that extend about the perimeter
of the opening 112. As is best seen in FIGURE 1, the opening 112
has top and bottom boundaries 122, 124, and left and right side
boundaries 126, 128.
In order to mount the lock assembly 100 on the closure
110, the lock assembly 100 has a pair of mounting posts 700 that
project rearwardly for connection to a mounting bracket 750. The
mounting posts 700 have enlarged hexagonal head formations 701
near their rearward ends to enable the mounting posts 700 to be
engaged by conventional wrenches and the like to facilitate the
installation and tightening into place of the mounting posts 700.
As will be explained, threaded holes 709 are formed through the
mounting posts 700, thereby enabling the forward end regions of
the mounting posts 700 to be threaded onto housing-carried studs
250, and enabling threaded fasteners 702 to be threaded into the
rearward end regions of the mounting posts to connect the moun-
ting bracket 750 to the housing 200.
The mounting bracket 750 is of generally U-shaped con-
figuration, having a back wall 760 that connects at opposite ends
with legs 762, 764. The legs 762, 764 extend forwardly from the
plane of the back wall 760 toward the mounting flange 202, and
cooperate with the housing 200 for clampingly mounting the lock
assembly 100 on the closure 110. A notch 768 is formed in one
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side of the back wall 760 to provide a clear, unobstructed path
of movement for the latch bolt 400.
When the lock assembly 100 is to be installed on the
closure 110, a gasket 270 is positioned to engage the mounting
flange 202, and portions of the lock assembly 100 are installed
through the closure opening 112 to position the gasket 270 adja-
cent the opening 112 in clamped engagement between the rear face
206 of the mounting flange 202 and the front surface 114 of the
closure 110. The mounting bracket 750 is positioned to overlie
the lock assembly 100, with the legs 762, 764 of the mounting
bracket 750 extending into engagement with the rear surface 116
of the closure 110, and with the notch 768 overlying the bolt
400. Threaded fasteners 702 are installed to extend through
holes 752 that are formed through the back wall 760 of the brac-
ket 750. The fasteners 702 are threaded into the holes 709 that
are formed through the mounting posts 700 of the lock assembly
100 to clamp the mounting flange 202 into engagement with the
gasket 720, to clamp the gasket 720 into engagement with the
front surface 114, and to clamp the legs 762, 764 into engagement
with the rear surface 116.
Referring to FIGURES 1 and 2, an improvement feature of
the present invention resides in the provision of optional spa-
cers 703 that can be installed on the rearward end regions of the
mounting posts 700 to increase the effective lengths of the moun-
ting posts 700 as may be needed to accommodate a closure 110 (or
other structure on which a latch or lock unit is being installed)
that is of greater thickness than is accommodated by the lengths
of the mounting posts 700 alone. The spacers 703 have through
holes 705 that receive the threaded fasteners 702, with forward
end regions of the through holes 705 being enlarged to provide
hex-shaped recesses 707 that snugly receive and mate with the hex
heads 701 of the mounting posts 700. By inserting a separate one
of the spacers 703 on the rearward end region of each of the
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mounting posts 700, the effective lengths of the mounting posts
700 are increased such that, when the mounting bracket 750 is in-
stalled in engagement with the spacers 703, the mounting bracket
750 will be mounted slightly more rearwardly with respect to the
mounting flange 202 of the housing 200 so that the legs 762, 764
will be farther spaced from the mounting flange 202 than would be
the case if the spacers 703 were not used to extend the effective
lengths of the mounting posts 700.
Referring to FIGURE 17, spacers 703, 703a, 703b, 703c
of a variety of thicknesses may be selectively used (in identical
pairs) to extend the effective lengths of the mounting posts 700
to any desired extent, whereby the spacers 703, 703a, 703b, 703c
enable the described type of latch and lock assemblies to be
mounted on structures of substantially any given thickness. The
spacers 703a, 703b, 703c differ from the spacers 703 only in
thickness (i.e., in the extent to which they increase the effec-
tive lengths of the mounting posts 700).
To facilitate an understanding of the various relative
positions of the principal relatively movable components of the
lock assembly 100, reference is made to FIGURES 1 and 6-8 wherein
the components of the lock assembly 100 are arranged such that:
the handle assembly 300 is in its "normal" or "nested" position;
the latch bolt 400 is in its "latched" or "projected" position;
and the lock mechanism 600 is "locked" so as to prevent unlatch-
ing movement of the latch bolt 400 in response to attempted oper-
;.
ation of the handle assembly 300. In FIGURE 9, the mechanism of
the lock 600 is shown "unlocked" so as to permit unlatching move-
ment of the latch bolt 400 by operation of the handle assembly
300. In FIGURES 10 and 12, the handle assembly 300 is shown in
its "operating" position wherein the handle assembly 300 func-
tions to permit the latch bolt 400 to pivot to its "unlatched"
position.
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Turning now to a more detailed description of features
of the components of the lock assembly 100, the housing 200 is
preferably formed as a molded, one piece structure; thus it will
be understood that the mounting flange 202 together with the
walls that form an essentially pan-shaped housing portion 220
(i.e., the walls that define the width, length and depth of the
recess 210) are integrally-formed parts of the same one-piece
structure. The fabrication of the housing 200 as a one-piece
member molded from thermoplastic, material such as a glass rein-
forced polycarbonate based polymer blend helps to provide a
strong, rigid, impact resistant structure, whereby the housing
200 is capable of providing a versatile mounting platform for
supporting the various relatively movable components of the lock
assembly 100.
A preferred material from which the housing 200 is
formed is a thermoplastic that is a glass reinforced polycarbon-
ate based polymer blend, typically of the type sold by General
Electric Company, Pittsfield, MA 01201 under the registered
trademark XENOY. The most preferred resin blend is about 10
percent glass reinforced, and is selected from the "6000 Series"
of the XENOY products sold by General Electric, with XENOY 6240
being preferred. While many other commercially available mold-
able plastics materials can be used to form the housing 200, as
will be apparent to those skilled in the art, the preferred ma-
terial helps to provide a high strength housing that is light in
weight, resists crazing and hardening, is heat and chemical re-
sistant, is resistant to impact, and can be machined as needed to
provide suitable mounting holes and the like for movably mounting
a wide variety of handles within the confines of the recess 210,
as will be explained.
The mounting flange 202 has a front face 204 that de-
fines the front of the housing 200. The mounting flange 202 has
a rear face 206 that is substantially flat, i.e., all portions of
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the rear face 206 extend substantially in a single plane. The
mounting flange 202 is bordered by a perimetrically extending
edge surface 208 that joins the front and rear surfaces 204, 206
at their peripheries. While all portions of the mounting flange
202 are formed integrally and therefore serve to define elements
of a one-piece structure, for purposes of reférence, the mounting
flange 202 can be thought of as having a top portion 212 that
extends across the top of the recess 210, a bottom portion 214
that extends across the bottom of the recess 210, and opposed
side portions 216, 218 that extend along left and right sides of
the recess Z10. Likewise, the edge surface 208 can be thought of
as having a top portion 222, a bottom portion 224, and opposed
side portions 226, 228. The flange portions 212, 214, 216, 218
and their associated edge portions 222, 224, 226, 228 cooperate
to define a mounting flange 202 that has a generally rectangular
configuration, with corner regions where adjacent ones of the
edge portions 222, 224, 226, 228 join preferably being gently
rounded to give an enhanced appearance.
The pan-shaped portion 220 of the housing 200 (i.e.,
the portion of the housing 200 that defines the forwardly facing
recess 210) includes a top wall 232, a bottom wall 234, a pair of
opposed side walls 236, 238, and a back wall 242. The back wall
242 is arranged so that it extends substantially parallel to the
rear face 206 of the mounting flange 202. Stated in another way,
the back wall 242 has a front face 244 and a rear face 246 that
extend in planes that substantially parallel the plane of the
rear face 206. Particular attention is paid to the molding of
the rear face 246 of the back wall 242 so that the rear face 246
provides a smooth, planar back wall surface that can be utili~ed
for the important function of mounting other components of the
lock assembly 100, as will be explained.
For the purpose of providing an enhanced appearance, it
is preferred that front face 204 of the housing 200 be of curved,
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slightly convex configuration. Stated in another way, the front
face 204 is convexly curved such that the thicknesses of the
mounting flange portions 212, 214, 216, 218 increase progressive-
ly the closer these formations extend toward an imaginary center
point of the front face 204. Likewise, the thicknesses of the
mounting flange portions 212, 214, 216, 218 decrease progressive-
ly as these formations extend toward the edge surface portions
222, 224, 226, 228. Preferably, the thicknesses of the mounting
flange portions 212, 214, 216, 218 as measured at locations that
are adjacent to the edge portions 222, 224, 226, 228, are sub-
stantially uniform all along the edge surface 208 -- which is to
say that the edge surface 208 has a width that is substantially
constant as the edge surface 208 extends about the housing 200.
For the purpose of providing an enhanced appearance,
the positioning of the top and bottom walls 232, 234 of the pan-
shaped housing portion 220 that defines the recess 210 preferably
is asymmetrical relative to top and bottom edges 222, 224 of the
mounting flange 202. Likewise, for purposes of enhanced appear-
ance, the positioning of the left and right side walls 236, 238
of the pan-shaped housing portion 220 preferably is asymmetrical
relative to the left and right opposed side edges 226, 228 of the
mounting flange 202. This absence of symmetry in locating the
recess 210 relative to opposed top and side edge portions 222,
224 and 226, 228 of the mounting flange 202 results in the top
wall portion 212 being relatively short in height in comparison
with the relatively tall height of the bottom wall portion 214
that depends beneath the recess 210, and results in the left
sidewall portion 216 being relatively wide, while the right side
wall portion 218 is relatively narrow.
A feature of the invention resides in the provision of
compact, simply configured locks and latches having pivotal latch
bolts, with the functional, operating components thereof being
arranged substantially symmetrically about an imaginary,
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vertically extending center plane designated ln FIGURE 7 by the
r.umeral 201. In this regard, it will be understood that several
functional features of the housing 200 are arranged substantially
symmetrically about the center plane 201, including the side
walls 236, 238 of the housing portion 220, and a sleeve-like
housing formation 280, which will be described.
With respect to the side-to-side positioning of the
recess 210 relative to features of the mounting flange 202, how-
ever, it will be understood that this is a feature dictated
solely by appearance considerations, and not by functional con-
. .
siderations. Indeed, functional features of the lock assembly100 would not be affected if the narrow flange portions 212, 218
were enlarged to give the flange portions 212, 218 widths that
are equivalent to the relatively wider flange portions 214, 216,
respectively. Likewise the styling of the front face 204 of the
mounting flange 202 is dictated entirely by appearance considera-
tions.
Threaded studs 250 project rearwardly from the rear
face 246 of the back wall 242 for mounting various latch and lock
components, as will be explained. Referring to FIGURE 14, the
threaded studs 250 have enlarged head portions 252 with radially
outwardly extending projections 254 that have somewhat of a
toothed washer appearance and that are located adjacent the head
portions 252. The head portions 252 and the projections 254 are
embedded within the molded material of the back wall 242 of the
housing 200 to provide structures that are anchored securely to
the plastics material and will not rotate with respect thereto.
The studs 250 have elongate threaded shank portions 256 that pro-
ject rearwardly from the head portions 252. The threaded shank
portions 256 extend along spaced imaginary axes 251 that inter-
sect the plane of the back wall 242 at right angles thereto. The
axes 251 extend coaxially through the holes 752 that are formed
in the back wall 760 of the mounting bracket 750. The axes 251
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of the studs 250 are located equidistantly from the center plane
201, and are positioned on opposite sides of the center plane
201.
In preferred practice, the threaded studs 250 are com-
mercially available fasteners that are sold by Penn Engineering
and Mfg. Corp. of Danboro, PA, under the trademark PEM. The
preferred part is model number CHN-832-4, which is formed from
stainless steel, has a tapered head 252 with a maximum diameter
of about 0.289 inch, has radially extending projecting portions
254 that have a maximum outer diameter of about 0.328 inch, and
has a shank length of about 0.250 inch that is threaded with a
standard thread such as 8-32 NC. While these commercially avail-
able fasteners are intended for use with sheet metal, not plas-
tic, they have been found to be quite suitable for use in the
application described here.
Locator projections 260 are provided at spaced loca-
tions along the side walls 236, 238 at junctures of the side
walls 236, 238 with the rear face 206 of the mounting flange 202.
As will be seen in FIGURE 7, the locator projections 260 are
arranged symmetrically in pairs on opposite sides of the center
plane 201. The locator projections 260 are intended to directly
engage opposite sides 126, 128 of the opening 112 (see FIGURE 1)
to orient the lock assembly 100 properly on the closure 110;
however, if the opening 112 has been formed so as to be slightly
"oversized," the locator projections 260 may be utilized during
installation of the lock assembly 100 on the closure 110 as
"guides" to visually aid in properly positioning the housing 200
with respect to the closure opening 112, preferably with the
locator projections 260 being arranged to be spaced substantially
equidistantly from opposite side portions 126, 128 of the opening
112.
While the gasket 270 is not essential in many applica-
tions where the lock assembly 100 can be used, the gasket 270
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preferably is used in applications that present a possibility
that moisture may penetrate the opening 112 as by passing between
the back face 206 of the mounting flange 202 and the front face
114 of the closure 110. To aid in properly positioning the gas-
ket 270 about the lock assembly 100, the gasket 270 has an asym-
metrical configuration that causes the gasket 270 to extend in an
obviously skew, out-of-alignment relationship with respect to the
edge portions 226, 228 of the mounting flange 202 if the gasket
270 is installed incorrectly, e.g., in an "inside- out" manner.
Specifically, referring to FIGURES 1 and 2, the gasket 270 has a
relatively wide left side portion 276 that underlies the rela-
tively wide left side wall 236; similarly, the gasket 270 has a
relatively narrow right side portion 278 that underlies the rela-
tively narrow right side wall 238. Further, the gasket 270 has a
relatively large corner region 272 that is configured to underlie
a correspondingly large corner portion of the bottom wall 214 of
the mounting flange 202, and a relatively smaller corner region
274 that is configured to underlie a correspondingly smaller
corner portion of the bottom wall 214 of the mounting flange.
The character of the cut-out 275 that is defined by the gasket
270 is configured to permit the gasket 270 to suitably surround
rearwardly projecting portions of the housing 200.
Referring to FIGURES 2 and 15, the sleeve-like forma-
tion 280 of the housing 200 is located below the recess 210 and
extends rearwardly from the rear face 206 of the mounting flange
202 along the bottom wall 234 of the housing portion 220. In
preferred practice, the sleeve formation 280 is provided on the
housing 200 regardless of whether the sleeve formation 280 is to
be utilized to house operating components of a latch or lock.
If the sleeve formation 280 is to be utilized to house
latch or lock components, an opening 282 is formed through the
front wall 204 to communicate with a passage 284 that extends
through the sleeve formation 280. The opening 282 and the
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passage 284 extend coaxially along an imaginary axis 281 that
lies within the imaginary center plane 201 (see FIGURE 7) and
that extends substantially perpendicular to the planes of the
rear face 206 and the back wall 246. If the sleeve formation 280
is not to be utilized to house latch or lock components, either
no opening 282 is formed through the front wall 204, or a
suitably configured plug (not shown) is installed in the opening
282 to close the opening 282.
In FIGURES 15 and 19, features of the sleeve formation
280 are shown on an enlarged scale. Referring to FIGURE 15, at a
location near the forward end region of the passage 284, a shoul-
der 286 extends substantially radially with respect to the axis
281 to form a transition between a relatively large diameter
front end region 283 of the passage 284 (which defines the open-
ing 282) and a relatlvely smaller diameter central portion 285 of
the passage 284. Axially extending top and bottom grooves 288
are formed in opposed upper and lower portions of the passage
284. The grooves 288 extend axially rearwardly from the shoulder
286 and have bottom walls 289 that are curved and represent con-
tinuations of a cylindrical surface 290 (see also FIGURE 19) of
enlarged diameter that is formed in the rearward end region of
the sleeve 280.
Referring to FIGURE 19, a radially extending shoulder
292 forms a transition between the reduced diameter of the cen-
tral passage 285 and thè enlarged diameter of the rearward end
region 290. The shoulder 292 provides a circumferentially ex-
tending "end wall" that is located near the rearward end region
of the sleeve formation 280. As will be explained later, the end
wall 292 is engaged by and cooperates with a a retaining clip 680
to secure a rotary plug (such as the key cylinder 650) in the
passage 284. While two opposed portions 296, 298 of the shoulder
292 extend radially outwardly and interrupt opposed side portions
of the sleeve formation 280, these features are not made use of
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in the preferred practice of the present invention (however,
these features are utilized in the preferred practice of the in-
vention that forms the subject matter of the referenced Predeces-
sor Case).
Referring to FIGURES 1, 2, and 3, it will be understood
that, in preferred practice, the housing 200 is formed without
any openings, holes, slots or the like extending through the
walls that define the recess 210, i.e., the top, bottom, and side
walls 232, 234, 236, 238, and the back wall 242 are smooth and
have no openings formed therethrough. Depending on the type of
handle that is to be used with the housing 200, and on the type
of latch or lock operating mechanism that is to be mounted on the
housing ?00, one or more suitable passages (such as a back wall
opening 322 depicted in FIGURES 11-13) through the housing 200
are machined to provide openings, holes, slots and the like, as
may be needed, which formed as by drilling, milling or other
conventional machining techniques.
Referring to FIGURES 2 and 13, the handle assembly 300
includes a forward component 301 and a rearward component 302
that are formed from molded plastics material, preferably of the
same thermoplastics material from which the housing 200 is form-
ed. The forward component 301 defines forwardmost portions of
the handle assembly 300. The rearward component 303 abuttingly
engages the forward component 301 and is rigidly connected to the
forward component 301, as will be explained. sy utilizing the
two separately molded components 301, 303 to form the basic
structure of the handle 300 (which is in contrast to the single
component that is utilized to form a handle of very similar con-
figuration for use with the invention embodiment that is describ-
ed in the referenced Predecessor Case), the relatively complex
shape of the handle 300 is rendered easier to mold.
The forward handle component 301 has a front surface
304 that is of complexly curved, generally convex shape, and is
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configured to extend in a flush, substantially contiguous manner
to smoothly continue the curvature of the complexly curved, con-
vex front surface 204 of the mounting flange 202 when the handle
assembly 300 is in its normal or nested position. The handle
component 301 has a back wall surface 306. As is best seen in
FIGURE 13, four projecting formations 310 extend rearwardly from
the back wall surface 306 at spaced intervals therealong, with a
central pair of the formations 310 defining a space therebetween
that snugly receives the rearward handle component 303. The
rearward handle component 303 has a front surface 305 (see FIGURE
2) that abuttingly engages the back wall surface 306 of the~for-
ward handle component 301.
Aligned holes 312 are formed through the rearwardly
pro~ectir.~ formations 310 of the forward component 301, and
through the forward end region of the rearward component 303 to
receive a mounting pin 350. The mounting pin 350 extends through
the aligned holes 312 in a slip fit that enables the handle com-
ponents 301, 303 to pivot as a unit about the axis of the pin
350. By this arrangement, the pin 350 serves the dual functions
of rigidly interconnecting the handle components 301, 303, and of
mounting the handle components 301, 303 for pivotal movement
relative to the pin 350 about the axis of the pin 350.
Referring to FIGURES 2 and 13, the mounting pin 350
preferably is formed from stainless steel stock, and has opposed
end regions 351, 353 that are received in aligned holes 352 (one
is shown in FIGURE 2) that are formed in the end walls 232, 234
of the housing 200. The end region 351 is provided with a plur-
ality of raised rib-like flutes 355 that are configured to seat
tightly in one of the housing holes 352 so as to retain the
mounting pin 350 in place so that the mounting pin 350 neither
moves axially nor rotates relative to the housing 200. sy this
arrangement, the mounting pin 350 supports the handle components
301, 303 for pivotal movement relative to the housing 200 between
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a normally nested position that is, shown in FIGURES 1, 5-9, 11
and 13 and an operating position that is depicted in FIGURES 10
and 12. As is.depicted in the drawings, the forward component
301 of the handle assembly 300 has a generally rectangular shape
and a size that lets the component 301 nest and move with ease
within the confines of the recess 210.
The rearward component 303 has a rearwardly extending
projection 320 that is of substantially elliptical cross section
and that extends through an opening 322 that is formed in the
back wall 242 of the housing 200. When the handle assembly 300
is in its nested position, the projection 320 extends substan-
tially centrally through the opening 322, as is shown in FIGURE
11. When the handle assembly 300 is in its operated position,
the projection 320 resides near to (but is spaced from) one side
of the opening 322, as is shown in FIGURE 12. By this arrange-
ment, central portions 902 of a resilient boot type seal 900 can
extend into the opening 322 and into surrounding relationship
with the projection 320 to form a weather resistant seal between
the housing 200 and the handle assembly 300 and to thereby pre-
vent the passage of unwanted moisture through the opening 322.
For purposes of receiving and matingly engaging central portions
902 of the boot 900, a perimetrically extending groove 321 is
formed about the projection 320. An additional groove 323 of a
V-shaped type extends across one side of the projection 320 at a
location that is rearward with respect to the location of the
groove 321 to provide clearance for proper side to side movement
of the projection 320 as the handle assembly 300 is pivoted be-
tween its nested and operated positions.
Referring to FIGURES 2, 11 and 12, the resilient boot
type seal 900 has a flat, generally rectangular rim portion 904
that surrounds the more bulbous central portion 902. A pair of
holes 906 are formed through opposed corner regions of the rim
portion 904. A generally elliptical opening 908 is formed
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through the central portion 902 to receive and sealingly mate
with the projection 320. As is best seen in FIGURES 11 and 12,
an enlarged rib 310 defines the opening 308 and extends snugly
into the groove 321. The boot seal 900 preferably is formed as a
water impervious membrane of a resilient material such as ethyl-
ene propylene having a thickness of at least about 0.025 inches
and a durometer of about 80. The rim portion 904 of the boot
seal 900 is clamped between the back wall 242 of the housing 200
and overlying portions of a mounting plate 520 to hold the boot
seal 900 in place, as will be explained.
A compression coil spring 360 (see FIGURE 2) is inter-
posed between the back surface 306 and the back wall 242. One
end region of the spring 360 is wrapped tightly about a projec-
tion 362 (see FIGURE 13) that extends rearwardly from the back
surface 306. The spring 360 biases the handle assembly 300
toward its nested position.
As is best seen in FIGURES 11 and 12, the handle pro-
jection 320 has an end portion 370 that is engageable with the
bolt 400 either to retain the bolt 400 latched (as is shown in
FIGURE 11) or to release the bolt 400 for movement to is unlatch-
ed position (shown in FIGURE 12).
The latch bolt 400 is connected to the housing 200 by
means of mounting plate and spring assembly 500 that is mounted
on the back wall 242 of the housing 200 by the mounting posts
700. The latch bolt 400 is movable between a latched position
(shown in FIGURES 1, 5-9 and 11) and an unlatched position (shown
in FIGURES 10 and 12).
Referring to FIGURES 2, 11 and 12, the latch bolt 400
is an elongate member of generally rectangular configuration
having a left end region 402 that is engageable with the handle
projection 320, a right end region 406 that is engageable with
the striker surfaces 188, 198, and a central region 410 that
interconnects and extends between the end regions 402, 406. A
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pair of mounting formations 412 are provided on the central
region 410. The mounting formations 412 border opposite sides of
a slot 414 that is formed through the mounting plate within which
a torsion coil spring 510 is carried.
Referring to FIGURE 2, the torsion coil spring 510 and
the mounting plate 520 are connected to the latch bolt 400 by
means of a pivot pin 530. The pivot pin 530 extends through
aligned holes 418 formed in the mounting formations 412, through
coils of the spring 510, and through aligned holes 542 that are
provided in a pair of upstanding mounts 540 that are formed in-
tegrally with the mounting plate 520.
The mounting plate 520 preferably is formed from the
same thermoplastic material that is used to form the housing 200
and the handle assembly 300. The mounting plate 520 has a rim
521 that is configured to be clamped into engagement with the
back wall 242 of the housing 200. The rim 521 surrounds a for-
wardly facing wall 523 and cooperates with the wall 523 to define
a recess that is configured to receive the rim portion 904 of the
boot seal 900. Holes 522 are formed through the wall 523 to re-
ceive the threaded studs 250. The mounting posts 700 have cylin-
drical portions 703 that extend for a short distance into enlarg-
ed rearward end regions of the holes 522 as the mounting posts
700 are threaded onto the studs 250 to clamp the mounting plate
520 in place on the housing 200 (and to thereby clamp the rim
portion 904 of the boot seal 900 between the wall surfaces 523,
242 to hold the boot seal 900 in place.
Referring to FIGURE 16, if no boot seal 900 is to be
used with the lock assembly 100, a shim member 925 is provided to
effectively fill the recess that is defined by the rim 521 and
the wall 523. The shim member 925 has suitable holes 927 and a
central opening 929 formed therethrough to receive the threaded
studs 250 and the rearwardly extending handle projection 320.
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Referring once again to FIGURE 2, a passage 524 is
formed through the central region of the mounting plate 520 in
alignment with the back wall opening 322 to receive the handle
projection 320. The torsion spring 510 has opposite ends 512,
514 in engagement with the mounting plate 520 and the bolt 400 to
bias the bolt in the direction of the arrow 516 as shown in FIG-
URES 11 and 12. When the latch bolt 400 is in its latched posi-
tion, the end 402 of the latch bolt 400 is engaged by the end 370
of the handle projection 320 and is thereby held securely in its
latched position. When the handle assembly 300 is pivoted (as is
shown in FIGURE 12) to its operated position, the end 370 of the
projection 320 disengages the latch bolt 400, and the latch bolt
400 pivots to its unlatched position under influence of the tor-
sion coil spring 510. As the latch bolt 400 pivots to its latch-
ed position, the engagement between the latch bolt 400 and the
striker surface 188 (see FIGURES 3-5) will cause the closure 110
to be forced open with something of a pop-open type of action.
Referring to FIGURES 2 and 7-10, the locking system 600
includes a locking member 640 that is slidably carried by the
mounting plate 520 for movement between a locked position that is
shown in FIGURES 7 and 8, and an unlocked position that is shown
in FIGURES 9 and 10. Referring to FIGURES 2 and 20, the locking
member 640 has a generally U-shaped base portion 641 that is con-
nected by a dog-legged formation 643 to an elongate stem portion
642. ~he stem portion 642 is slidably carried in a slide channel
528 that is defined by an opening 529 that is formed through a
raised portion 531 of the mounting plate 520 (see FIGURE 2).
When the locking system 600 is locked, the stem portion 612 of
the stem portion 642 of the locking member 640 overlies a portion
of the opening 524 (as is shown in FIGURE 7) to prevent the han-
dle projection 320 from moving out of its latched position. When
the locking member 640 is moved to its unlocked position (shown
in FIGURE 9), the stem portion 642 no longer blocks movement of
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the handle projection 320 within the opening 524, and the handle
assembly 300 therefor can be operated to effect unlatching move-
ment of the latch bolt 400.
Referring to FIGURES 2 and 20, the base portion 641 of
the locking member 640 has a central part 645 that overlies the
rear end of the sleeve formation 280 of the housing 200, and a
pair of opposed arms 647 that extend forwardly so as to embrace
opposite sides of the sleeve formation 280 in a slip fit (as is
best seen in FIGURE 8). By this arrangement, the arms 647 co-
operate with the sleeve formation 280 to help guide the movement
of the locking member 640 between its locked and unlocked posi-
tions. Moreover, the embracing engagement that is provided by
the arms 647 with the sleeve formation 280 enhances the secure
locking action of the assembly 100 in that the locking member 640
is prevented from being forced out of position in a manner that
might defeat its locking function.
An elongate slot 644 is formed in the base portion 641
of the locking member 640 to receive an offset projection 675
that is provided on the rearward end region of the key cylinder
650. By this arrangement, a driving connection is established
between the key cylinder 650 and the locking member 640 that
enables key cylinder 650, when rotated 180 degrees within the
passage 284 of the sleeve formation 280 of the housing 200, to
move the locking member 640 between its locked and unlocked
positions. A comparison of the relative component positions
depicted in FIGURES 7 and 9 shows how a 180 degree rotation of
the key cylinder 650 is operative to effect locking and unlocking
movements of the locking member 640.
Referring to FIGURES 2, 15, 18 and 19, the manner in
which the key cylinder assembly 650 is installed in the housing
opening and passage 282, 284 is to first install a washer-like
ring 653 onto the body of the key cylinder assembly at a location
near its enlarged forward end region 651, and thence to insert a
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leaf spring 950 and a retaining clip 952 into a groove 655 that
is provided near the rearward end region of the key cylinder as-
sembly. Referring to FIGURES 18 and 19, the groove 655 is con-
figured to matingly receive the U-shaped retaining clip 952 with
the leaf spring 950 interposed between a central portion 657 of
the key cylinder and the retaining clip 952 to bias the retaining
clip 952 radially outwardly with respect to the groove 655. By
this arrangement, the retaining clip 952 can be depressed into
the groove 655 in opposition to the action of the spring 950 to
enable the key cylinder 650 to be inserted through the opening
282 into the central portion 285 of the passage 284; however,
when the groove 655 passes rearwardly beyond the end wall 292 of
the sleeve formation 280, the action of the spring 950 will force
portions of the retaining clip 952 to move radially outwardly to
the position illustrated in FIGURE 19 so as to overlie portions
of the end wall 292 and to thereby retain the key cylinder 650
within the passage 284. Those skilled in the art are familiar
with this type of key cylinder retention system, for it is not
novel and has been relatively widely utilized in a variety of
commercially available lock embodiments.
Referring to FIGURE 15, in place of the key cylinder
assembly 650, it is possible to employ other forms of rotary
plugs, such as the depicted plug members 800, 810. The plug mem-
bers 800, 810 have substantially the same general shape as the
key cylinder assembly 650 and therefore can be installed in the
opening and passages 282, 284 to function like the key cylinder
assembly 650 except that no key is required to effect their ro-
tation. Instead, a tool receiving formation such as a hex driver
receiving opening 820, or a flat groove 822 for receiving a
screwdriver blade is provided in outer end regions of the plug
members 800, 810 as is depicted in FIGURE 15.
Ball detents 802, 812 can be provided in the plug mem-
bers 800, 810 as by forming radially extending passages 804, 814
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into which are inserted compression coil springs 806, 816 and
balls 808, 818. The balls 808, 818 are operative to engage the
grooves 288 to prevent unwanted rotary movement of the plugs 800,
810.
Although the invention has been described in its pre-
ferred form with a certain degree of particularity, it is under-
stood that the present disclosure of the preferred form has been
made only by way of example, and that numerous changes in details
of construction as well as the combination and arrangement of
parts may be made without departing from the spirit and scope of
the invention as hereinafter claimed. It is intended that the
patent shall cover by suitable expression in the appended claims,
whatever features of patentable novelty exist in the invention
disclosed.
