Patent GB-837232-A (GB)
Title: Improvements relating to door locks
Inventor: COOKE ANTHONY ESKRIGG
IPC: E05B65/32
Filed: 1957-06-20
Abstract: 837,232. Latches. VAUXHALL MOTORS Ltd. June 5, 1958 [June 20, 1957], No. 19520/57. Class 44 In a door latch mechanism for a vehicle having a rotatable latch 7 with teeth for engaging a striker (not shown) and a pawl 11 engageable with said teeth to prevent the latch from rotating in the un-latching direction, a spring 33 applies rotary movement to the latch so that it is positioned to accept the pawl. The mechanism consists of a back-plate 1, 2 with a parallel plate 3 mounted thereon by pins 4, 5, 6; the latch 7 mounted on an extension of the pin 4; a casing 8 partly covering the latch and having a spring- urged wedge 9 mounted thereon; a block 10 held by the back-plate; the striker, having a toothed portion engageable with the latch and a block for wedging engagement between the block 10 and wedge 9 when the door is closed; a pawl 11, pivoted on the pin 6 and having a portion 12 projecting into the casing 8 through an opening 13 in the back-plate 'so as to engage the latch and prevent rotation thereof in the unlatching direction; and a tension spring 14 attached to a fixed peg 16 and to a peg 15 on the pawl to draw said pawl into engagement with the latch. In use the pawl 11 may be disengaged from the catch from inside the vehicle by a bell-crank 24 mounted on the back-plate and having an arm 25 engaging an end 11A of the pawl 11; and from outside the vehicle by pressing a button 17 in a housing 18 mounted on the backplate. The button 17, urged outwardly by a spring and having a reduced portion 19 carrying a pin 26, is connected to the pawl 11 by a contactor 20 slotted at 21 so as to be slidable and pivotable on the pin 6 passing therethrough. On pressing the button 17, the pin 26 moves the contactor 20 about the pin 6 and an extension 22A of a peg 22 fixed to the contactor engages the pawl 11 at 23 which is also moved pivotably about pin 6. The latch is locked by a key being turned in a hole provided in the button 17 so as to rotate.the portion 19 and cause the pin 26 to engage a slot 27 of the contactor which, being raised, disengages the peg 2 from the pawl 11. In this position, pressing the button fails to disengage the pawl from the latch. The latch may be locked from inside the vehicle by a bell-crank 28 pivoted at 28A on the back-plate and having a recess 29 engaged by a pin 30 attached to the contactor 20. The contactor is supported during sliding by the ends of the pin 30 and of the peg 22, both of which engage the back-plate, and is slightly restricted in movement by a 'spring 20C wound round the peg 22. A lever 31, which operates on locking the latch from inside the vehicle, is connected by a link 32 to the peg 15 so that movement of the pawl pivots the lever 31 which end 31A presses the end 22A of the peg 22 to force the contactor downwards and unlock the latch. The pawl is prevented from engaging the top of a tooth of the latch by the blade spring 33, held by a screw 34 to the casing 8 and having a curved end 35 engageable between the teeth of the latch 7 so as to impart a slight rotary movement thereto to position it relatively to the pawl.