Patent GB-1132007-A (GB)
Title: Door latches for automotive vehicles
IPC: E05B65/32
Filed: 1965-11-11
Abstract: 1,132,007. Latch fastenings. L. W. MENZIMER. 11 Nov., 1965 [30 Aug., 1965], No. 47861/65. Heading E2A. A latch for a vehicle door comprises a base plate for connection to the door, a latching element 22 movable between latching and unlatching positions, releasable means 39 for holding the latching element in the latching position, a manually controlled operating member 64 movable to and from an unlatching position, a transfer member 67 movable between unlocking and locking positions respectively to interconnect and disconnect the operating member and the releasable means, locking means 72 movable between a locking position and an unlocking position respectively, to move the transfer member between the locking position and the unlocking position, whereby with the locking means in the unlocking position the releasable means is released by the transfer member on movement of the operating member to the unlatching position and with the locking means in the locking position the operating member makes an idle movement when moved to the unlatching position, and cancelling means 95 comprising a disengageable connection between the latching element and the locking means and adapted to move said locking means to the unlocking position when the latching element is moved to the latching position, said connection being disengaged by movement of the operating member to the unlatching position whereby said locking means remains in the locking position as the latching element is moved to the latching position. In the construction shown the base plate is part of a bracket 26 which in use is disposed within the door with the base plate secured against the inside of an end wall of the door. The base plate has flanges 29, 31 extending from its longitudinal edges. Pivotally mounted on the base plate by means of a shaft 34 is the latching element which is forked to provide a recess 25A in which a keeper pin is engageable. Opposite the recess 25A the edge of the latching element forms a ratchet 36 having a pair of teeth 37, 38, which co-operate with the releasable means, which as described is a pawl which is pivotally mounted on the base plate, by means of a pin 40 and which holds the latching element either in the latching position or in a safety position by engagement with the teeth 37, 38, respectively; in the releasing position of the latching element the pawl engages a stop 45 of the latching element. A spring 46 extends between the base plate and the flange 47 of the latching element to urge the element towards the releasing position; the pawl is held in engagement with the ratchet by a coiled torsion spring 55. The latching element is released from outside of the door by a push button, the shaft 62 of which engages a flange 63 of the operating means 64 which is fulcrumed on the pin 40 which mounts the pawl 39 on the base plate. The operating means is biased to its inoperative position by a second torsion spring 65. The transfer member 67 which couples the operating means to the pawl is pivotally mounted on a pin 68 fixed to an arm of the pawl. A flange 70 of the transfer member contacts an abutment 71 of the operating member when in the coupling position so that depression of the push button releases the pawl from the latching element which is then free to swing to its releasing position. The transfer member can be swung to a position in which the flange 70 cannot be contacted by the abutment 71 and in this position depression of the push button moves the operating member idly so that the latching element cannot be released by the push button and hence is in a locked condition. The locking means 72 is a lever which is fulcrumed on a pin 73 fixed on a plate which extends between the flanges 29 and 31, the pin being coaxial with the pin 68 supporting the transfer member. The locking lever includes two spaced flanges 74 centred about the pin 73 and which extend on each side of the flange 70 of the transfer member, thus pivoting the locking lever moves the transfer member between locking and unlocking positions. The locking lever is moved by means of a garnish moulding button (not shown) attached to the lever via a rod 76; in addition to being releasable by the push button, the latching element is also releasable by a remote handle (not shown), positioned on the inside of the door, this is connected by a rod 78 to a lever 79 fulcrumed on the flange 29. Movement of the lever clockwise causes a flange 83 of the lever to engage an arm 42 of the pawl and release the pawl from the latching element. The lever 79 also moves a second lever 84 and if the locking lever is in the locking position the lever 84 moves it to the releasing position. The locking lever is also movable from outside of the door by a cylinder lock which pivots an actuator 92 carried by the flange 31; the actuator has flanges 93 engageable with an end 72b of the locking lever to move it between locking and unlocking positions. The cancelling means 95 is a lever fulcrumed about the pin 73 of the locking lever and it has a flange 96 which engages the locking lever and a flange 97 which is in the path of movement of the flange 47 of the latching element so that rotation of the latching element in the counter-clockwise direction from the releasing to the latching position causes rotation of the cancelling lever in the clockwise direction and hence movement of the locking lever to the unlocking position. If however the locking lever is in the locking position while the door is open and the push button is depressed a flange 64A of the operating member engages a flange 98 of the cancelling lever to turn it counter clockwise against the bias of a spring 99 and this moves a flange 97 out of the path of the flange 47 of the latching element so that the locking lever is not then moved to unlocking position as the door is closed. The cancelling lever prevents movement of the locking lever to the locking position when the latching element is in the safety position since the cancelling lever flange 97 engages the flange 47 of the latching element which prevents pivoting of the locking lever to the locking position. In a modification the lever controlled by the inside door handle instead of engaging the arm 42 of the pawl instead engages an arm of the operating member so that the pawl is released by the operating member; the lever 84 is then omitted so that the latching element if locked must first be unlocked by using the garnish moulding button before it can be moved to unlatching position by the inside handle.