Patent GB-1141368-A (GB)
Title: Improvements in or relating to vehicle door latches
Inventor: JEAVONS PHILIP SWINGEWOOD
IPC: E05B65/32
Filed: 1965-06-08
Abstract: 1,141,368. Latch fastenings. WILMOTBREEDEN Ltd. 7 June, 1966 [8 June, 1965] No. 24110/65. Heading E2A. A vehicle door latch has a pivotally mounted latch member (not shown) and a mounting plate 1 which supports a body 6 of a synthetic plastics material the moulding forming a bearing for a spindle 5 of the latch member and also providing a mounting for a latch release member 26. In the construction shown the release member is in the form of a contactor slide for engagement by an external push button. The slide 26 is also moulded from a synthetic plastic material and the body 6 has slideways 25 which guide its movement. The slide 26 has a leading cam face 27 which engages an upwardly directed external release arm 28 on a cam plate 8 which is rigidly secured to the spindle 5 of the latch member 4. The cam plate 8 engages the end of the bearing boss in the body 6 to provide axial location for the cam 4 which itself engages a smaller bearing boss at the other side of the body 6; the smaller boss enters an aperture in the mounting plate 1 and terminates flush with the outer surface of the latter. The cam plate 8 and the cam 4 are biassed by a torsion spring 10 to the normal resting position determined by the engagement of an inwardly directed internal release arm 12 on the cam plate 8 with a stop face 13 on the moulding. The internal release arm 12 is engaged by an arm 32 of a pivotally mounted remote control lever 30 the lever 30 being mounted on a flange 29 of the mounting plate 1. The lever 30 is connected by means of an arm 33 to conventional remote control linkage operable to release the latch member from the inside of the door. Pivotally supported in the body 6 behind the slideways 25 is a locking member 34 which is bent from thick wire so as to be generally of U shape with side limbs 35 and 36 which project at an angle to the portion of the mounting plate 1 carrying the body 6; the end portions of the limbs 35, 36 are bent to form two connecting stubs 37 and 38 which are generally parallel to the mounting plate portion; the side limb 35 forms a locking limb and projects through a transverse aperture 39 in the body 6 at an intermediate position along the slideways 25, the limb also passing through an L shape slot 40 moulded in the contactor slide so that when it enters a transverse section of the slot 40 it prevents releasing movement of the contactor slide 26 and when it is aligned with the L-shape slot which is aligned with the direction of slide travel it does not impede releasing movement of the slide. The locking limb 35 is connected in use to an external key operated lock. The connecting stub 38 of the limb 36 is coupled in use to an internal locking control member, for example to a sill control member. The body 6 has an upstanding projection adjacent one side wall of the transverse aperture 39 which extends slightly over the aperture and acts to locate the locking limb 35 at one end or other of the aperture; since the body 6 is made of resilient material the locking member 34 can be moved past this projection. The locking member 34 is returned to the unlocking position should the door either be closed or opened from the inside with it in the locking position by means of a bent-out section 43 of the locking member which is engaged by a cam-like inner edge 42 of the cam plate 8 which just clears the section 43 when the latter is in the unlocking position but engages it if in the locking position and rotates the locking member to the unlocking position. In a modification the connecting stub 37 instead of being coupled to a key operated lock engages a slot in the sill control lever pivotally mounted on the flange 29 this lever is formed for connection to a sill control link and has an arcuate lower blocking face which in the locking position is moved above an arcuate edge face of the remote control lever 30 to a position in which it blocks releasing movement of the lever 30; this provides additional child-safety feature for a rear door since the latch member cannot be released accidentally from inside the vehicle when the locking member 34 is operative. The latch member is in the form of a cam which engages a downwardly projecting tooth-like formation of a member of a keeper plate 22. The cam also has a downwardly projecting lobe which engages a lower member 15 of the keeper plate to provide a safety latching position.