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US 4,588,221 AGranted
Segmented door opener
AssigneeIdeal Security Hardware Corporation
InventorsCardell E. Miller, Gene A. Tracy, George L. Engstrom, John Thorson
Life of this patent
Estimating the term…
Abstract
The subject of this patent application is a door assembly (10) having a knob (38) which, during shipment, is segregated from the rest of the assembly (10) for ease in packaging and storage. The invention includes a unique locking element (62) for securing the knob (38) to the door closure panel (12) when the panel (12) is at a location at which it is to be installed.
Claims7
A door assembly configured for shipping prior to its being installed at an ultimate location, comprising:
- (a) a closure panel having a panel aperture formed in a face thereof;
- (b) a latching apparatus carried by said panel comprising a smooth spindle extending through said panel aperture and disposed for rotation about a spindle axis thereof along which said spindle is aligned in the direction along which it extends through said panel aperture;
- (c) an escutcheon, having an escutcheon aperture formed therein, applied to said face with said escutcheon aperture overlying said panel aperture;
- (d) a locking element having a locking element axis and held to said panel by said escutcheon wherein said locking element is substantially coaxially aligned with said spindle, said locking element including a plurality of resilient prongs extending through said escutcheon aperture and away from said escutcheon, each of said prongs having an end remote from said escutcheon carrying a prong shoulder facing toward said escutcheon;
- and
- (e) a knob, separate from said panel, having a knob shoulder, wherein said resilient prongs of said locking element deflect radially inward to engage said knob shoulder, said knob held in fixedly secured position against said escutcheon thereby holding said knob against displacement in both axial directions relative to said escutcheon;
- wherein said spindle extends through said locking element to prevent further radial deflection of said resilient prongs when said assembly is completely assembled to thereby preclude removal of said knob from said locking element;
- wherein said escutcheon holds said locking element which in turn holds said knob so that said escutcheon bears any axial loads on said knob and so that the spindle need only transmit a torque load from the knob to the remainder of the latching apparatus;
- and wherein said locking element is inaccessible when said door assembly is completely assembled.
6 more elements
A door latch operating mechanism for use with a door, comprising:
- (a) a smooth spindle;
- (b) an escutcheon overlying a portion of the door and having an aperture formed therethrough, through which aperture said spindle passes;
- (c) a locking element held to the door by said escutcheon and extending through said aperture, said element including a plurality of equi-angularly spaced, resilient prongs, each having a barb extending radially outwardly from an end of said each prong remote from said escutcheon to define a shoulder facing said escutcheon;
- (d) a knob having a base, a hole formed in said base, and an annular shoulder facing, when the knob is attached to the door, away from said escutcheon, wherein said shoulders of said prongs can engage said annular shoulder of said knob to irremovably secure said knob to the door;
- and
- (e) means for translating rotation of said knob into rotation of said spindle, wherein said resilient prongs of said locking element deflect radially inward to engage said knob shoulder, said knob held in fixedly secured position against said escutcheon thereby holding said knob against displacement in both axial directions relative to said escutcheon;
- wherein said spindle extends through said locking element to prevent further radial deflection of said resilient prongs when said assembly is completely assembled to thereby preclude removal of said knob from said locking element;
- wherein said escutcheon holds said locking element which in turn holds said knob so that said escutcheon bears any axial loads on said knob and so that the spindle need only transmit a torque load from the knob to the remainder of the latching apparatus;
- and wherein said locking element is inaccessible when said door assembly is completely assembled.
6 more elements
Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.