US 8,910,981 B2 · Door latch

Abstract

A door latch mechanism (10) comprises a pin (11) having an elongate axis, and releasable jaw means (12) comprising a pair of jaw elements (18) which engage the pin therebetween to latch a door (16) in a closed position to a door frame (14). The pin is mounted on the door or the door frame with biasing means, such as a pair of springs, so as to allow the pin to move substantially linearly in a direction perpendicular to the elongate axis of the pin and substantially parallel to the plane of the door when in the closed position. The movement of the pin (11) allowed by the biasing means caters for any vertical displacement of the door caused by worn hinges for example without any forced distortion of the door. The invention is of particular benefit to doors having no frame and which are susceptible to flexing and come with the associated risk of structural failure.

Claims10

Dependent claims

A door latch mechanism comprising a pin having an elongate axis, and a releasable jaw mechanism comprising a pair of jaw elements which engage the pin therebetween to latch a door in a closed position to a door frame, wherein the jaw mechanism is mounted on the door or door frame and the pin is mounted on the other of the door or door frame with biasing means, the biasing means comprising a pair of springs, with a first spring of said pair of springs biasing the pin in a first direction and a second spring of said pair of springs biasing the pin in a second direction, with the second direction opposing the first direction, so as to allow the pin to move substantially linearly against the bias of either the first or the second spring in a direction which is both perpendicular to the elongate axis of the pin and substantially parallel to the plane of the door when in the closed position.

Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.

Door latch

Life of this patent

Door latch

Life of this patent

Abstract

Claims10