Patent GB-774731-A (GB)
Title: Vehicle door fasteners
Inventor: JEAVONS PHILIP SWINGEWOOD
IPC: E05B65/34
Filed: 1955-01-25
Abstract: 774,731. Latch fastenings. WILMOTBREEDEN, Ltd. Dec. 19, 1955 [Jan. 25, 1955], No. 2171/55. Class 44. A vehicle door fastener comprises in combi na tion a body part 10 adapted to be mounted at the free edge of the door, a rotary toothed catch 11 on the body part for engagement with a striker on a relatively fixed part of the vehicle body, a spring-loaded pawl 24 pivoted on the body part for engagement with the catch, a slide 16 having a pin 13 and slot 17 connection with the body part, means for imparting angular movement to the slide from the outside of the door, locking means 23 operable from the inside of the door for imparting sliding movement to the slide between a locked position and an unlocked position, a stud or other projection 18 on the slide for imparting a catch releasing movement to the pawl when angular movement is imparted to the slide in the unlocked position, a detent 28 operable by the pawl to move the slide to the unlocked position when the pawl is actuated in a catch-releasing direction with the slide in the locked position, a lever 12 pivotally mounted on the body part for angular movement with the slide and having an arm 12a extending beside an arm 24a of the pawl and release means 32 operable from the inside of the door which can be pre-set to act upon the arm of the pawl or on the arm of the said lever. The release means 32 is a lever rockable by a handle (not shown) on the inside of the door. On the lever 32 is an adjustable arm 31 and by presetting this so that it can bear on the arm 24a of the pawl the catch 11 can be released from inside the vehicle whether the slide is in the locked or unlocked position since the release lever acts directly on the pawl; the movement of the pawl also rocks the detent 28 by engagement with a pin 27 on the detent so that if the slide is in the locked position the detent engages a shoulder or other abutment 29 on the slide to return it to the unlocked position. If the adjustable arm 31 is pre-set so that it acts on the arm 12a of the lever 12 the catch is only released if the slide is in the unlocked position since the lever 12 is pivotally mounted on the pin 13 which engages the slot 17 in the slide and the lever 12 also has a slot 19 which engages the projection 18 on the slide so that any angular movement imparted to the lever 12 is also imparted to the slide 16; when the slide is in its unlocked position the projection 18 cooperates with a step or other abutment 26 on the pawl and thus when the arm 12a is moved by the lever 32 with the slide in the unlocked position, the projection 18 engages the abutment 26 on the pawl and rocks it to release the catch 11. If however the slide is in its locked position rocking of the lever 12 cannot release the catch since the projection 18 cannot engage the abutment 26. The pre-setting of the arm 31 to engage the arm 12a is used when small children are carried in the vehicle so that they cannot release the door. The means for imparting angular movement to the slide from the outside of the door comprises a link 14 which is actuated by a push button. The link 14 is pivotally connected to the lever 12 and hence the push button can release the catch 11 when the slide 16 is in the unlocked position but is ineffective when the slide is in the locked position. The locking means 23 is a lever which can be rocked by means (not shown) on the inside of the door to move the slide between its locked and unlocked positions. It is connected to the slide by a pin 22 which engages a slot 21 in the end of the slide. The slide is retained in its locked or unlocked positions by a spring 20 which engages the pin 13. If the door is closed with the slide in the locked position the slide is automatically moved to the unlocked position by the detent 28 since the movement of the catch when engaging the striker raises the pawl against the pressure of spring 30 and the pawl in turn rocks the detent 28 which moves the slide to its unlocked position. A flange 25 on the pawl engages the catch 11 by passing through a slot in the body part 10. In a modification the outside push button directly engages an extension of the slide 16 and the link 14 is omitted. In this construction also, the detent is connected to the pawl by a link and it engages a projection corresponding to the projection 18 instead of an abutment on the slide. The operation is however identical with that of the previous construction.