Patent GB-915222-A (GB)
IPC: E05B85/24
Abstract: 915,222. Latches. ROETHEL, J. H. Dec. 21, 1959 [Dec. 29, 1958; May 29, 1959], No. 43285/59. Class 44. A latch mechanism for a swinging door of a vehicle, has a support comprising a plate 11 Figs. 1 and 2, for disposition at the free edge wall of the door and a flange 13 integral with the plate and extending along the inner panel of the door, a latch device 14 pivotally mounted on the plate in juxtaposition to one side thereof, a first lever 18 pivotally mounted on the plate on the other side thereof, the latch device and first lever being coupled to each other for movement in unison, a second lever 19 pivotally mounted on the plate for pivotally actuating the first lever and thereby the latch device to move the latter from door latched to door unlatched position, locking means in the form of a bell-crank lever 36 pivotally mounted on the support, operable means operable manually from inside the vehicle and effective to swing the lever 36 in one direction into a position, shown in dot-and-dash outline, in which a portion at the end of an arm 38 thereof will prevent pivotal movement of the second lever 19 and render the latter inoperative to actuate the first lever and latch device. The latch device 14 and the first lever 18 are keyed to a pivot shaft 15 which projects through a bearing 17, Fig. 3, formed on the plate 11, and the latch device 14 is provided with a hook portion 16 for engaging a keeper 43 and is urged to its engaging position by a spring 27. The second lever 19 is pivotally mounted on the shaft 15 and has an arm 20 for engagement by a plunger 22 operated from outside the door by means such as a push-button, an arm 23 for engaging the first lever 18 and for engagement by the arm 38 of the bell-crank lever 36 when the latter is operated to move the latch device 14 to unlatched position and an arm 24 for blocking engagement by the arm 38 of the bellcrank lever 36 the latter being operated by a link 39 connected to a handle on the inside of the door. The keeper 43 which is attached to the door frame comprises a member 44 having two integral projections 46, 47 for respective safety-latched or full-latched engagement by the hook portion 16 on the latch device 14. The upper surface 45 of the member 44 is inclined to form a ramp which is engageable by a spring-loaded wedge 53 disposed within a housing 52 attached to the plate 11; coacting with the wedge 53 in engaging the member 44 is a roller 56 which is rotatably mounted on the bearing 17 and has a diameter greater than the pivoted end of the latch device 14. The roller 56 may be replaced by a metal member non- rotatably secured to the plate 11 or formed on the latter. The plunger 22 may be rendered inoperable by outside key-operated means (not shown). In a second embodiment, Fig. 5, a bell-crank lever 85, similar to the bell-crank lever 36, is pivotally mounted on the support and has an arm 88 for engagement with a lever 69 similar to the second lever 19, for moving the latch device to its unlatched position. A blocking lever 89 is pivotally mounted at 91 on the support and has an arm 92 to which is connected a link 94 operable manually by a button (not shown). When the lever 89 is in its blocking position shown in full-lines in Fig. 5, a projection 97 thereon underlies the lever 69 and so prevents movement of the latch device to its unlatched position, thus rendering both the inside and outside operating means inoperative. An over-centre spring 96 is provided to bias the lever 89 to either its blocking position or its non-blocking position the latter being shown in dot-and-dash outline. The lever 89 has a bifurcated end portion 98, one leg 99 of which has an angularly inclined edge 100 which in the blocking position of the lever 89 underlies a lever 68 similar to the first lever 18, so that if the door is moved from an open to a closed position with the lever 89 in its blocking position the consequential downward movement of the lever 68 will move the lever 89 to its non-blocking position. The bifurcated end portion 98 of the lever 89 receives a pin 101 carried on a lever 102 which is pivotally mounted on the support by means of a tubular rivet 103 which is provided with a rectangular opening 104 for receiving the stem of an outside key-operated device (not shown). In a third embodiment, Fig. 7 (not shown), similar to the embodiment described with reference to Fig. 5, a bell-crank lever, similar to the lever 85, is adapted to engage directly a lever which is similar to the lever 68 so that with the blocking lever 89 in its blocking position the door can be unlatched by means of the inside operating means.