US 4,838,054 AGranted

Latch and lock assemblies with lift and turn handles

AssigneeThe Eastern Company

InventorsLee S. Weinerman, Frank R. Albris, Thomas V. McClinden, Timothy H. Wentzell

Life of this patent

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Abstract

Flush mountable latches and locks for industrial cabinets, tool carts, electrical equipment enclosures and the like utilize versatile housings of novel configuration together with pivotally nestable and extensible handles that are movable relative to the housing to effect latching and unlatching movements of a resilient foot that is movable by the handle between clamped and released engagement with a keeper, and that is movable with a latch arm between latched and unlatched positions. The lock-type embodiment has a locking mechanism that is mounted on the housing to selectively permit and prevent unlatching movements of the resilient latch member. The resulting arrangement provides sturdy latch and lock assemblies that employ a small number of relatively movable parts that can be assembled and serviced with ease.

Claims34

Dependent claims

A flush-mountable latch, comprising:

(a) housing means including a pan-shaped housing having a front wall, and having recess-defining wall formations that define a forwardly facing recess, with portions of the front wall forming a mounting flange that surrounds the recess;
(b) the housing being formed as a rigid, one-piece molded structure with the recess-defining wall formations including a back wall at the rear of the recess, with the back wall defining a rearwardly facing mounting surface;
(c) threaded fastener means rigidly connected to the back wall at spaced locations;
(d) handle means including a handle connected to the housing and being pivotally movable relative to the housing between a non-operated position and an operated position, and being rotatable relative to the housing while in its operated position;
(e) opening means formed through the recess-defining wall formations of the housing to establish a path of communication between the forwardly facing recess and a region that is located behind the back wall, including an opening formed through the back wall;
(f) handle-connected means extending through the opening means for connection to the handle and having a portion that extends into said region located behind the back wall for being moved within said region in response to movement of the handle between its non-operated and operated positions, including an elongate shaft-like shank that extends through the opening formed through the back wall and that is connected to the housing for axial movement along the axis of the shank and for rotary movement about the shank axis in response to pivotal and rotary movements of the handle, respectively;
(g) latch bolt means connected to the housing for movement relative to the housing between latched and unlatched positions, including a latch arm connected to the shank for rotation and translation therewith;
(h) a foot formation means carried on the latch arm for movement therewith to engage and disengage a surface on another structure;
(i) locking means for selectively engaging the shank of the handle-connected means to selectively lock the shank against movement relative to the housing, as by being configured to inhibit neither axial nor rotary movement of the shank when the locking means is in an unlocked position, and by being configured to engage and to cooperate with the shank so as to prevent both axial and rotary movement of the shank relative to the housing when the locking means is in a locked position;
and,
(j) means for mounting the locking means on the housing for movement relative thereto between said locked and unlocked positions.

8 more elements

A flush-mountable latch, comprising:

(a) housing means including a pan-shaped housing having a front wall, and having recess-defining wall portions that define a forwardly-facing, rearwardly-extending recess that opens through the front wall, with portions of the front wall extending about the recess to define a mounting flange that perimetrically borders the recess, and with the mounting flange having rearwardly facing mounting flange surface portions that extend in a common plane for overlying forwardly facing surface portions of a closure or the like on which the housing is to be mounted;
(b) the housing being formed as a rigid, one-piece molded structure, with the recess-defining wall portions including a back wall that is located behind the front wall and that defines a flat, rearwardly facing back wall mounting surface that parallels said common plane;
(c) threaded fastener means rigidly connected to the back wall at locations spaced across the back wall;
(d) opening means formed through the recess-defining portions, with the opening means including an opening formed through the back wall;
(e) handle assembly means including a handle, a shaft-like member that extends through the back wall opening and has forward and rearward end regions that are interconnected by a central region, a pivot pin that extends through aligned holes that are formed in the handle and in the forward end region of the shaft-like member for pivotally connecting the handle to the shaft-like member for relative movement while the handle is in its non-operated position between nested and extended attitudes relative to the forwardly facing recess of the housing, a generally cylindrical barrel member that extends througgh the back wall opening and has a through-passage that journals the central region of the shaft-like member, interengageable formation means provided on the handle and on the barrel member for extending in juxtaposed relationship when the handle is in each of its nested and extended attitudes, biasing means interposed between the shaft-like member and the barrel member for biasing the interengageable formation means into engaging juxtaposition when the handle is in and moving between its nested and extended attitudes, and for cooperating with the interengageable formation means for detenting the handle toward maintaining its orientation in one or the other of its nested and extended attitudes, formation means for holding together as an assembly the handle, the pivot pin, the shaft-like member, the barrel member and the biasing means, and fastening means for mounting the barrel member within the back wall opening;
(f) the barrel member having front and rear surfaces at opposed ends thereof, and having an enlarged head at the front end for defining the front surface, having a threaded barrel shaped portion for extending through the back wall opening, with said through passage extending along an axis that is perpendicular to the plane of the back wall;
(g) the central region of the shaft-like member being of enlarged diameter with respect to the forward and rearward end regions and having the enlarged diameter central portion of the shank extending into the large diameter rearwardly opening end of the through passage;
(h) latch bolt means for connection to the rearwardly extending portion of the shank for rotation therewith, and having a mounting formation at a location spaced radially along the arm relative to the axis of the shank member;
and,
(i) foot means carried on the latch arm mounting formation for engaging a keeper surface to hold closed with respect to the keeper a closure on which the latch housing is mounted
(j) locking means for selectively engaging the shank of the handle-connected means to selectively lock the shank against movement relative to the housing, as by being configured to inhibit neither axial nor rotary movement of the shank when the locking means is in an unlocked position, and by being configured to engage and to cooperate with the shank so as to prevent both axial and rotary movement of the shank relative to the housing when the locking means is in a locked position.

8 more elements

A flush-mountable latch, comprising:

(a) housing means including a pan-shaped housing having a front wall, and having recess-defining wall portions that define a forwardly-facing, rearwardly-extending recess that opens through the front wall, with portions of the front wall extending about the recess to define a mounting flange that perimetrically borders the recess, and with the mounting flange having rearwardly facing mounting flange surface portions that extend in a common plane for overlying forwardly facing surface portions of a closure or the like on which the housing is to be mounted;
(b) the housing being formed as a rigid, one-piece molded structure, with the recess-defining wall portions including a back wall that is located behind the front wall and that defines a flat, rearwardly facing back wall mounting surface that parallels said common plane;
(c) threaded fastener means rigidly connected to the back wall at locations spaced across the back wall;
(d) handle means including a handle formed as a rigid, one piece molded structure, with the handle being positioned in the recess and being connected to the housing means for movement relative thereto between non-operated and operated positions, with the handle having front surface portions that extend substantially contiguously with the front face of the front wall when the handle is in its non-operated position;
(e) opening means formed through the recess-defining portions, with the opening means including an opening formed through the back wall;
(f) barrel means having front and rear surfaces at opposed ends thereof, having an enlarged head at the front end for defining the front surface, having a threaded barrel shaped portion for extending through the back wall opening, and a having a through passage formed therethrough that extends along an axis that is perpendicular to the plane of the back wall;
(g) an elongate, shaft-like shank member extending through the barrel means and having front and rear end regions connected by an enlarged diameter central region with front and rear regions projecting forwardly from the front end of the barrel means and rearwardly from the rear end of the barrel means, respectively, with the enlarged diameter central portion of the shank being of relatively large diameter and extending into the large diameter rearwardly opening end of the through passage;
(h) latch bolt means for connection to the rearwardly extending portion of the shank for rotation therewith, and having a mounting formation at a location spaced radially along the arm relative to the axis of the shank member;
(i) foot means carried on the latch arm mounting formation for engaging a keper surface to hold closed with respect to the keeper a closure on which the latch housing is mounted;
(j) the barrel means having a front surface, a back surface, an enlarged head portion defining the front surface, an elongate barrel-shaped portion that extends from the head to the back surface, a relatively small diameter hole opening through the front surface, a relatively large diameter hole opening through the back surface and extending through the barrel portion along said common axis and having a radially extending end wall that is located near the head portion and provides a transition between the relatively small diameter hole and the relatively large diameter hole that opens through the front and rear surfaces, respectively;
(k) the shank means having a relatively large diameter central portion thereon that has an outer diameter which slip-fits within the relatively large diameter hole and which is positioned to extend into the relatively large diameter hole, with the front end region of the shank extending through the remainder of the barrel and through the relatively small diameter opening for pivotal connection to the handle means;
(l) biasing means is housed within the barrel and is interposed between the end wall and the relatively large diameter portion of the shank means for biasing the shank means rearwardly along the axis;
and,
(m) the biasing means including a compression coil spring that extends about the front end region of the shank, with the spring having a front end region that engages the end wall, and having a rear end region that engages the enlarged diameter portion of the shank.

11 more elements

A flush-mountable latch, comprising:

(a) housing means including a pan-shaped housing having a front wall, and having recess-defining wall portions that define a forwardly-facing, rearwardly-extending recess that opens through the front wall, with portions of the front wall extending about the recess to define a mounting flange that perimetrically borders the recess, and with the mounting flange having rearwardly facing mounting flange surface portions that extend in a common plane for overlying forwardly facing surface portions of a closure or the like on which the housing is to be mounted;
(b) the housing being formed as a rigid, one-piece molded structure, with the recess-defining wall portions including a back wall that is located behind the front wall and that defines a flat, rearwardly facing back wall mounting surface that parallels said common plane;
(c) threaded fastener means rigidly connected to the back wall at locations spaced across the back wall;
(d) handle means including a handle formed as a rigid, one-piece molded structure, with the handle being positioned in the recess and being connected to the housing means for movement relative thereto between non-operated and operated positions, with the handle having front surface portions that extend substantially contiguously with the front face of the front wall when the handle is in its non-operated position;
(e) opening means formed through the recess-defining portions, with the opening means including an opening formed through the back wall;
(f) barrel means having front and rear surfaces at opposed ends thereof, having an enlarged head at the front end for defining the front surface, having a threaded barrel shaped portion for extending through the back wall opening, and a having a through passage formed therethrough that extends along an axis that is perpendicular to the plane of the back wall;
(g) an elongate, shaft-like shank member extending through the barrel means and having front and rear end regions connected by an enlarged diameter central region with front and rear regions projecting forwardly from the front end of the barrel means and rearwardly from the rear end of the barrel means, respectively, with the enlarged diameter central portion of the shank being of relatively large diameter and extending into the large diameter rearwardly opening end of the through passage;
(h) latch bolt means for connection to the rearwardly extending portion of the shank for rotation therewith, and having a mounting formation at a location spaced radially along the arm relative to the axis of the shank member;
(i) foot means carried on the latch arm mounting formation for engaging a keeper surface to hold closed with respect to the keeper a closure on which the latch housing is mounted;
and,
(j) adjustable mounting means interposed between the latch arm and the foot means for adjustably positioning the foot means in forward and rearward directions with respect to the latch arm.

8 more elements

A flush-mountable lock, comprising:

(a) pan-shaped housing with a forwardly facing recess surrounded by a mounting flange that has a front face and a rear face, with the housing also having a locking plug mounting location defined adjacent of the recess by means of a generally sleeve-like structure which has a through passage that opens through the front face of the mounting flange;
(b) the housing being formed as a one-piece structure from injection molded plastics material and having a back wall at the rear of the forwardly facing recess, with the back wall closing the rear of the recess, and defining a flat mounting surface on the back of the housing, with a pair of threaded mounting studs having portions embedded in the material of the back wall and having threaded stud portions that project rearwardly from the back wall;
(c) an opening formed through the back wall;
(d) handle assembly means including a handle, a shaft-like member that extends through the back wall opening and has forward and rearward end regions that are interconnected by a central region, a pivot pin that extends through aligned holes that are formed in the handle and in the forward end region of the shaft-like member for pivotally connecting the handle to the shaft-like member for relative movement while the handle is in its non-operated position between nested and extended attitudes relative to the forwardly facing recess of the housing, a generally cylindrical barrel member that extends through the back wall opening and has a through-passage that journals the central region of the shaft-like member, interengageable formation means provided on the handle and on the barrel member for extending in juxtaposed relationship when the handle is in each of its nested and extended attitudes, biasing means interposed between the shaft-like member and the barrel member for biasing the interengageable formation means into engaging juxtaposition when the handle is in and moving between its nested and extended attitudes, and for cooperating with the interengageable formation means for detenting the handle toward maintaining its orientation in one or the other of its nested and extended attitudes, formation means for holding together as an assembly the handle, the pivot pin, the shaft-like member, the barrel member and the biasing means, and fastening means for mounting the barrel member within the back wall opening;
(e) latch bolt means connected to the housing for movement relative to the housing between latched and unlatched positions, including a latch arm connected to the shaft-like member for rotation and translation therewith;
and,
(f) a foot formation means carried on the latch arm for movement therewith to engage and disengage a surface on another structure;
(g) locking means for selectively engaging the shaft-like member to selectively lock the shaft-like member against movement relative to the housing, as by being configured to inhibit neither axial nor rotary movement of the shaft-like member when the locking means is in an unlocked position, and by being configured to engage and to cooperate with the shaft-like member so as to prevent both axial and rotary movement of the shaft-like member relative to the housing when the locking means is in a locked position;
and,
(h) means for mounting the locking means on the housing for movement relative thereto between said locked and unlocked positions.

7 more elements

Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.

Facts

Application: 07/072,175Filed 10 Jul 1987 · continuation in part
Priority: 18 Apr 1984
Granted: 13 Jun 1989
Term ends: Not estimatedThe source records don’t support an estimate.

Classification18 codes

E05C 1/145
The handle or member moving essentially towards or away from the plane of the wing or frame: flush
E05B 9/08
Lock casings or latch-mechanism casings ; Fastening locks or fasteners or parts thereof to the wing: fastening locks or fasteners or parts…
E05B 1/0092
Knobs or handles for wings; Knobs, handles, or press buttons for locks or latches on wings: moving otherwise than only rectilinearly or only…
E05B 13/002
Devices preventing the key or the handle or both from being used: locking the handle