Patent GB-1079714-A (GB)
Title: Automotive door latch
IPC: E05B65/32
Filed: 1965-05-04
Abstract: 1,079,714. Latch fastenings. L. W. MENZIMER. May 4, 1965 [Dec. 7, 1964], No. 18626/65. Heading E2A. A latch has in combination a latching element, a first member 18 mounted to turn about a fixed axis selectively to hold and release said latching element, a second member 30 mounted to turn about said axis, said second member being bodily movable transversely with respect to said axis to and from an operative position wherein it is engageable with said first member 18 to co-operate therewith in releasing said latching element, and a locking element 39 movable to and from an unlocking position in which it blocks movement of said second member 30 away from its operative position. In the construction shown the two members 18, 30 have a pin-and-slot connection, the slot being formed eccentrically of the axis so that when the locking element 39 is in the unlocking position, in which it blocks movement of the member 30, the pin cannot move out of the slot and both members turn together to release the latching element; when the locking element is in the locking positon however the member 30 moves bodily to allow the pin to follow the slot so that the member 18 is not moved. The latching element is a rotary bolt formed with gear teeth and keyed to a shaft 11 and includes a ratchet 24 which is fast with the shaft 11, the ratchet being on one side of a leg 15 of a bracket 16 and the rotary bolt on the other side. The shaft is journalled in the leg 15. The first member is a pawl fulcrummed on a stub shaft 19 which also passes through the slot 38 of the second member 30 which is a contactor movable from the outside of a door via push button 28. The pawl 18 and ratchet 24 are biassed into engagement by a spring 25 and the ratchet has two teeth 22, 23 the tooth 22 giving the full latching position and a tooth 23 a safety latching position. The contactor 30 is biassed by a spring 31. The locking element 39 is fulcrummed to a leg 17 of the bracket 16 by a stud 40 and in the position in which it blocks movement of the member 30 its upper arm 41 is disposed adjacent the bracket leg 15 and directly in front of the end of the arm 42 of member 30; the arm 42 therefore engages an arcuate surface 44 of the locking element as the member 30 is turned by the push button 28 and this prevents the member 30 from shifting forward as permitted by the slot 38 and it can only pivot so that the member 18 is pivoted to release the ratchet 24. When the locking element is moved to locking position the surface 44 moves out of the way of the arm 42. The locking element is moved directly, either by an arm 53 connected to a shaft 52 of a key lock, or by a link 55 which is connected to a garnish moulding button. The member 18 can be released from the ratchet 24 by a remote control handle connected by a link 33 to the lower half 56 of a lever 32, an arm 58 of which engages an offset extension 34 of the member 18 to swing the member out of engagement with the ratchet. The arm 58 also engages the locking element if it is in the locking position and swings it to the unlocking position. Turning the remote control handle in the opposite direction causes an abutment 57 of the lever 32 to engage the locking element 39 when the latter is in the unlocking position to move it to locking position.