US1598143A - Automobile door - Google Patents

Description

J. LEDWINKA AUTOMOBILE DOOR Filed June 8, 1921 v INVENTOR. .706EPH Liam/WM TORNE Y.

Patented Aug. 31, 1926.

UNITED STATES P AT E JOSEPH LEDWINKA, 0F PHILADELPHIA, PENNSYLVANIA, ASSIGNOR TO EDWARD G.

T 0 F FTC E BUIDD MANUFACTURING COMPANY, OF PHILADELPHIA, PENNSYLVANIA, A COR- PORATION OF PENNSYLVANIA.

AUTOMOBILE DOOR.

Application filed June 8, 1921. Serial No. 475,928.

This invention relates to improvements in automobile doors. The invention relates more particularly to improvements in the construction of automobile doors to provide means for supporting and carrying a curtain rod for the storm curtains.

It has become quite common practice for automobile manufacturers to equip their automobiles with storm curtains and, in many cases, these storm curtains are so arranged that the doors can be opened and parts of the storm curtains swung back without removing or unfastening the curtain. This is usually accomplished by providing curtain rods, carried by the doors near their tree edges and extending vertically upward toward the top of the automobile, to which rods parts of the storm curtains are connected. Heretofore, it has been the practice to provide an opening in the top rail of the door and to mount a socket within the door in line with the opening so that the curtain rods could be inserted through the opening and seated in the socket. This practice has proven objectionable because, when the storm curtains are not in use, and, in some cases, even when they are in use, water may penetrate through this opening and socket to the inside of the door Where it would rust the latch mechanism and damage articles carried in the pockets which are usually formed in the doors.

One of the main objects of my invention is to provide an automobile door construction of such a nature that a curtain rod may be carried by the door and inserted through the side thereof while the top rail of the door is free from any opening. Another object of my invention is to provide an automobile door construction in which the socket member for the curtain rod is carried by' the latch mechanism or support so that all ofthese parts can be assembled at a single operation and will always be accurately positioned in the door. Another object of my invention is to provide a door construction for automobiles, provided with means for carrying a curtain rod which are simple and effective in operation and inexpensive to manufacture.

Further objects, and objects relating to economics of material and details of construction, will definitely appear from the detailed description to follow. I may accomplish the objects of my invention, in one instance. by the devices and means described in the following specification. tion is clearly defined and pointed out in the appended claims. A structure, constituting one of the preferred embodiments of my in vention, is illustrated in the accompanying drawing, forming a part of this specification, in which:

Fig. l is a fragmentary view showing in side elevation the upper corner of an automobile door embodying my invention.

Fig. 2 is a vertical, sectional view taken on the line 22 of Fig. 1, showing a curtain rod inserted in the socket.

Fig. 3 is a view of the latch plate in side elevation, showing the latch mechanism and socket member carried thereby, and

Fig. l is a transverse, sectional view through the socket member taken on the line l4: of Figs. 1 and 2.

In the drawings. similar reference numerals refer to similar parts throughout the several views and the sectional views are taken looking in the direction of the arrows at the ends of the sectional lines.

I accomplish the objects of my invention, in general, by providing a socket member which is carried within the door and opens through the side of the door. This socket member may well be inclined to the plane of the door and the lower end of the curtain rod may be bent obliquely to the main portion thereof so as-to be inserted in the inclined socket member through the side of the door. I find it desirable to make the socket member and thelower end ofthe curtain rod of complementary, non-circular, cross-section, so that there will be no twisting of the curtain rod in its socket. I have found it particularly desirable to mount this socket member upon the plate which carries the latch mechanism for the door, in such a manner that, when the latch plate is mounted in position within the door, the socket member is so disposed that its mouth is in line with an opening in the side ofthe door so that the lower end 01"" the curtain rod may be inserted through this opening into the socket member. This makes a very practical and efficient construction inasmuch as the socket member may be made of stampings and assembled on the latch plate and My invenbrought into position by assembling the latch plate in its usual position in the door.

I have illustrated, in the drawings, an allmetal automobile door formed of the two panels, 10 and 11, the central portions of which are spaced apart to form a chamber therebetween, while the edge portions of the panel, 11, are clamped over the edges of the panel, 10, forming the flange, 12, around the bottom and vertical sides of the door. Although I have illustrated my invention in connection with an all-metal door c011- struction, I wish it to be understood that the invention is not limited to use in that connection. In this all-metal door construction, the upper edge of the panel, 11, isoften beaded, as at 14:, and turned over to form the flange, 15, to which the top rail, 16, is fastened by welding or in some other suitable manner. The panel, 10, may also be provided with an inturned flange, 77, fastened to the top rail, 16. These features relate to all-metal door construction and do not have anything to do with my'invention.

Attached to the inside of the panel, 10, is the reinforcing plate, 18, to which the latch plate, 19, is detachably secured. This latch plate, 19, has a laterally extending flange, 20, through which the latch bolt, 22, extends, the latter being slidably mounted in a bolt housing, 21, fastened to the latch plate. The tail, 23, of the latch is engaged by the lever, 24, pivoted on the latch plate and provided with a handle, 25, by which it may be operated. The socket member for the curtain rod is mounted upon this latch plate with its axis inclined at an angle to the plane of the latch plate. I have found that this socket member may be made very inexpensively as shown in the drawing. I provide a channel-shaped member, 26, which is fastened to the latch plate,for instance, by means'of the rivets, 27, and which has the wedge-shaped sides, 36, and the bottom portion, 28, in-

clined at an angle to the plane of the latch plate. The tongue, 29, is struck laterally from the bottom portion, 28, so as to form a bottom for the socket member. I also provide a channel-shaped member, 30, which is slightly larger thanthe member, 26, so that the latter may nest within it, and the member, 30, is riveted to the latch plate by the rivets, 31. The member, 30, has Wedgeshaped sides, corresponding to the sides, 86, of the smaller member, and abottom portion, 32, extending parallel to the bottom portion, 28, of the smaller member, 26. These two members are both stampings -which can be made in large numbers at low cost and, when they are assembled, one within the other, and secured to the latch plate, they form a socket member ofrectangular cross section the sides of which are formed by the bottom portions, 28 and 32, of the members 26 and 30, and the wedge-shaped sides of the member, 30. The axis of this socket is inclined at an acute angle to the plane of the latch plate and the bottom of the socket is formed by the tongue, 29. The mouth of the socket is disposed adjacent an opening formed in the latch plate and the door panel. The curtain rod, 38, has its lower portion, 34, bent at oblique angle to its main portion and squared, as at 35, and when this squared portion is inserted in the socket the curtain rod is carried in a firm and rigid manner by the door, while the main portion of the curtain rod extends vertically with respect to the door.

It will, be observed from the foregoing description of the parts that I have provided a particularly simple and effectiveconstruction for carrying the curtainrods in the doors. The entrance to this curtain rod socket is through the inner side of the door so that water cannot gain access through the opening for the socket and the OlJjQCtlOIlS incident to the form of curtain rod socket heretofore used are avoided. Furthermore, the socket member may be formed of very simple stampings and attached to the latch plate by very simple operations. It will also be noticed that no extra operations are needed for assembling the socket member in the door since it will be inserted in place when the latch plate is assembled in its position in the door.

I am aware that the embodiment of my invention, which I have illustrated in these drawings, may be changed considerably without departing from the spirit of my invention and, therefore, I am not to be restricted to the particular construct-ion illustrated and I claim my invention broadly as indicated by the appended claims.

Having thus described my invention, What I claim as new and desire to secure by Let-' tiers Patent, is

1. In an automobile door, a pair of "door side panels connected together at their edges and having their body portions spaced apart to form a chamber between them, one of said side panels having an opening therethrough, in combination with a latch plate carried by one'of said panels and disposed within said chamber, and a curtain rod socket carried by said plate and disposed in line with the opening in said side panel.

2; In an automobile door, the combination with a pair of door panels, of a latch plate secured to one of said panels, a socket member carried by said latch plate, inclined at an angle to the plane thereof, and disposed between said panels, one of said panels having an opening therethrough in line with the mouth of said socket member, and a curtain rod having its lower end inserted through said opening in the door panel into the socket member.

3. In an automobile door, the combination with a pair of doors, of a latch plate secured to one of said panels, a socket member of non-circular cross section carried by said latch plate, inclined at an angle to the plane thereof, and disposed between said panels, one of said panels having an opening adjacent the mouth of said socket member, and a curtain rod having its lower end of non-circular cross section and inserted through said opening into said socket member.

l. In an automobile door, the combination of a latch plate, carried by said door, and a pair of channel-shaped members nested one within the other to form a socket memher and secured to said latch plate.

5. In an automobile door, the combination of a latch plate carried by said door, a pair oi channel-shaped members having wedgeshaped sides secured together and to the latch plate in nested relation with respect to each other with their bottom portions parallel to but spaced from each other to form a socket adapted to receive the end 01" a curtain rod.

6. In an automobile door,the combination of a latch plate carried by said door, and a pair oi channel-shaped members secured together and to the latch plate in nested relation with respect to each other with their bottom portions parallel to but spaced from each other to form a socket adapted to receive the end of a curtain rod, one of said members having a tongue struck up therefrom to form the bottom of said socket.

7. In an automobile door having a hollow main body and a latch mechanism including a base plate secured flatly against the inner face of said body, together with a curtain rod socket carried by the latch mechanism and opening interiorly of the door through said base plate.

8. In an automobile door,a side panel, a latch plate carried by the panel, and a curtain rod socket carried'by the latch having a mouth opening partly through the lock plate and partly through the panel.

9. In an automobile door, a pair of door side panels connected together at their edges and having their body portions spaced apart to form a chamber between them, a latch plate attached to one of said panels and having inner and outer faces, and a latch mechanism and a curtain rod socket mounted together on the inner face of the plate.

In testimony whereof, I afiix my signature.

JOSEPH LEDVVINKA.

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