US2068680A - Portable door latch - Google Patents

Description

Jan. 26, 1937.

J. HOLLAND PORTABLE DOOR LATCH Filed Dec. 26, 1934 4 2 Sheets-Sheet l I INVENTOR JZ/Vffi /7'0LLA/VD law ATTORNEY J. HOLLAND PORTABLE DOOR LATCH Jan. 26, 1937.

Filed Deg. 26, 1934 2 Sheets-Sheet 2 INVENTOR fiML-S #01 LAND $4M 7%. M I A T T ORNE Y Patented Jan. 26, 1937 UNETED STATES ATENT OFFICE 1 Claim.

This invention relates to a door lock and particularly pertains to a portable latch therefor.

It is desirable when traveling and otherwise to provide simple and effective means which may be applied to a door and which will lock the door independently of any key operated locking means with which the door is equipped. This prevents the door from being opened from the outside and insure security and privacy for the occupant of a room. It is the object of the present invention to provide a simple and inexpensive latch structure which is of small compass, may be easily carried in the pocket or purse, and instantly applied to a door in an operative position without the use of tools, and will when the door is locked hold the door in its locked positon until released from the inside of the door, and without the possibility of being moved or operated from the outside of the door.

The invention contemplates the provision of a wedge member and a keeper, the wedge being capable of being disposed in a position between the vertical edge of a door jamb and the vertical face of a door post, and to be forced into a position with relation to the post as the door is closed, the keeper being mounted upon the portion of the wedge member projecting into the room to be locked, and being capable of manipulation to move the keeper from an unlocked to a locked position with relation to the door, irrespective of whether or not the face of the door is flush or inset with relation to the door frame.

The invention is illustrated by way of example in the accompanying drawings in which:

Figure l is a fragmentary view in perspective showing the application of one form of the present invention to a door of the inset type and in an unlatched position.

Fig. 2 is a view in front elevation showing a fragmentary portion of a door and a door post showing one form of the latch structure in its locking position.

Fig. 3 is a view in plan showing the latch structure with the keeper indicated by solid lines in its locked position and by dotted lines in its unlocked position.

Fig. 4 is a view in perspective showing another form of the invention indicating the locked posi tion of the keeper in dotted lines and the unlocked position in solid lines.

Fig. 5 is a view in perspective showing the invention with a different form of keeper and indicating the device with the keeper out of its locked position.

Fig. 6 is a view in vertical section showing the keeper in its locked position.

Fig. 7 is a View in perspective showing the wedge member and the keeper assembled in an inoperative position, such as would be the case when the entire latch device is to be carried in a pocket or purse.

Referring more particularly to the drawings, I0 indicates a jamb of a door II which is adapted to swing into a closed position with relation to a door frame, the post I2 of which is here shown. In some types of doors the face of the post will be flush with the face of the jamb of the door, and in that instance there would be no difficulty in applying a portable latch of the present character. Other doors, however, are made with an offset face I3 which causes the door to set in from the face so that the face I4 of the door jamb II] will be in a different plane from the face I3 of the door post. In such cases the present device is particularly applicable, since its construction is such as to insure that the keeper may easily fit against the face I4 of the door jamb irrespective of the position of the face I3 of the door post. In the preferred form of the invention, as shown in Figs. 1, 2, 3, and 7 of the drawings, a wedge plate I5 is provided to assume an edgewise position between the contiguous faces I6 and I! of the door jamb and post, respectively. llhis plate is relatively thin in width and has its greater sectional dimensions extending vertically. At the end of the plate I5 which occurs between the faces I6 and I! of the door and the door frame a laterally extending blade I8 is provided. This blade is supposed to be forced into the wood of the face I! of the post I2 as the door is closed, since the length of the blade l8 plus the thickness of the plate I5 is greater than the distance which normally occurs between the edge I6 of a door and the face I! of a door post. In some instances it may be desirable to secure the plate I5 in position permanently, and for that reason screw holes I9 are provided to permit the plate to be screwed against the face I! of the door post. The opposite end of the plate I5 from the end carrying the blade I8 projects into the room to be locked and projects beyond the face I4 of the door. Attention is directed to the fact that it is not necessary to satisfactory operation that this member project beyond the face I3 of the door post. This projecting end is hooked-shape as indicated at 20, and comprises a laterally extending portion 2| and an end portion 22 which is bent parallel to the body of the plate I5 and extends toward the blade I8. The terminating edge of the member 22 is substantially in the plane of the face I5 of the door when the door is closed. Mounted upon the hook portion Ell is a keeper 23. In Figs. 1 to 3, inclusive of the drawings, the keeper is shown as having an upper horizontal portion 24 with which legs 25 and 26 are integrally formed. A straight slot 27 occurs between these legs, the slot being of a width substantially equal to the thickness of the plate I5 so that the keeper may be moved upwardly and downwardly on the plate from a locking to a non-locking position and vice versa. The leg 25 is substantially twice the vertical height of the section of the wedge plate I5. The lower end of the leg 25 is fitted with a laterally extending stop 28 which extends toward the leg 25 and stands in a partially obstructing position across the bottom of the slot 21. Thus when the keeper is lifted to the top of its intended movement the stop 28 will engage the under side of the plate I5 and limit further lifting movement of the keeper. The leg 25 of the keeper is of a length greater than the vertical height of the plate I5 but does. not extend to the bottom thereof. This insures that the lower portion of the keeper will not stand in a bridging relation to the crank 29 which occurs between the faces I5 and ll of the door and the door frame, respectively. By this arrangement it is insured that a person on the outside of the door could not insert a thin instrument in the door crack 29 and engage the lower end of the keeper to lift the keeper from its seat and its locking position. The portion of the leg 25 which extends below the plate I5 when the keeper is in its lower position is formed along its inner edge with a curved face 36 which makes it possible for the keeper to be turned, using the lower portion of the leg 25 as an axis when the keeper has been raised to its uppermost position. By this arrangement it will be seen that when the keeper is in its lowermost position and the curved face v30 is below the edge of the wedge plate I5 the keeper cannot be rotated.

In the form of the invention shown in Fig. 4 of the drawings the wedge plate I5 is provided but with it a different form of keeper is used. This comprises a lower portion 3! which extends upwardly between the faces of the plate I5 and the rearwardly turned hooked portion 22, and when in its uppermost position is limited by a T-shaped head 32 carried on its bottom end. When the T-shaped head 32 abuts against the lower face of the plate I5 the keeper member 3| is of a length to extend above the upper face of the plate I5 and to provide a pivot 33 for a lock lug 311 which may be swung laterally to locking and non-locking positions. The lock lug 34. is formed at its free end with a T-shaped head 35 so that when the lug 34 is swung to a vertically aligned position with relation to the keeper portion 3! the entire keeper structure may move downwardly until it hangs on the head 35. At such a time the lock will be inoperative.

In the form of the device shown in Figs. 5 and 6 of the drawings a variation of the structure shown in Fig. 4 is disclosed, although the same wedge plate I5 is provided. The keeper in this instance comprises a lower T head 35 carried at the bottom of a keeper bar 31 which is of a length slightly in excess of twice the vertical height of the wedge plate I5. An overhanging head portion 38 occurs at the upper end of the keeper bar 3! and is formed integral with a downwardly projecting member 39 spaced from the bar 37 to form an intermediate slot 40 of a width slightly in excess of the thickness of the wedge plate I5. The member 39 has an offset extension 4| which may project downwardly between the plate I5 and its hooked portion 22 as clearly shown in Fig. 6 of the drawings. Here it will be seen that the space between the plate I5 and the hooked portion 22 is substantially equal to the combined widths of the bar 3?, the slot 40, and the extension M. A shoulder occurs between the main portion of the member 39 and the extension II as indicated at 42. When the keeper is not in a locked position the keeper rests upon this shoulder as clearly shown in Figs. 5 and 6. When the keeper is to be placed in a locking position the keeper is lifted and moved sideways until the bar 31 and the extension M will straddle the plate I5 after which the keeper may be moved downwardly to the locking position indicated by dotted lines in Fig. 6.

In operation of the present invention, and referring particularly to the form of the device shown in Figs. 1 to 3, and 7, inclusive, it will be seen that when the structure is not in use the keeper may be nested within the plate I5 as indicated in Fig. 7, and that afterwards the parts may be separated and assembled as shown in Figs. 1 and 2. When the keeper 23 has been mounted upon the wedge plate I5 it is preferably disposed with its major width lying in a plane parallel to that in which the plate I5 lies with the short leg 26 of the keeper extending outermost. When in this assembled relation, as shown particularly in Fig. 1, the plate I5 may be extended horizontally across the face I I of-the door post until the inner edge of the member 22 of the plate hook 20 abuts against a face I3 of the door post, whether this face is inset-or flush. The door may then be closed. The face I6 of the door jamb will then engage the smooth back face of the plate I5 and will force the blade I8 into the face ll of the door post. This will hold the plate against removal. If, however, it is considered desirable to maintain the plate in its mounted position screws may be passed through the openings I9 and into the door post. After the plate has been positioned in engagement with the door post and the door has been closed the keeper 23 may be moved to a locking position by first lifting the keeper while it is in the aligned position shown in Fig. 1, and as indicated by dotted lines in Fig. 3, and then rotating the keeper until it is in a transverse position, as shown by solid lines in Fig. 3. The keeper may then be moved downwardly again with the legs 25 and 2B straddling the plate I5. The upper bar 24 of the keeper will bridge the crack of the door and will hold the keeper so that the door cannot be opened since the keeper obstructs its movement. When it is desired to unlock the door the keeper is lifted and then rotated, after which the door will swing clear of the plate I5.

In the form of the device shown in Fig. 4 the plate is installed in the same manner as previously described, and normally the keeper is disposed with its two members SI and 34 in vertical alignment and in their lowermost position hanging from the head 35. When it is desired to lock the door the keeper may be drawn upwardly until a pivot 33 clears, after which it may be swung to a lateral position in a manner to stand in an obstructing position and prevent the door from being opened. In the form of the invention shown in Figs. 5 and 6 of the drawings the keeper is originally in the position shown in Fig. 5 so that the door might swing along the flat back face of the plate [5, after which the keeper may be lifted and moved over to straddle the plate l5 and to drop downwardly to a locking position.

It will thus be seen that the lock here disclosed is quite simple in its construction, being made of two parts which may be easily assembled for operation, and readily applied to and removed from looking position with relation to a door.

While I have shown the preferred form of my invention, as now known to me, it will be understood that various changes might be made in the combination, construction, and arrangement of parts, by those skilled in the art, without departing from the spirit of the invention as claimed.

Having thus described my invention what I claim and desire to secure by Letters Patent is:

A portable door latch including a wedge member in the form of a fiat plate having adjacent I to one end a transversely disposed blade and having at its other end an angular portion and a reverting extension on said angular portion terminating in a free edge and spaced from and paralleling the plate to form with the same a squared socket open at one side toward the blade end of the plate, and a keeper plate having a pair of legs and a portion connecting said legs at one end and spacing the same apart, one of said legs being squared and of a size to slidably interfit lengthwise of the squared socket of the wedge plate when the latch is in operative position, the space between said legs adapting the keeper to selectively straddle the upper edge of the wedge plate and the said angular portion thereof in use, and the keeper plate being of a thickness to nest flatwise against the wedge plate with one end thereof extending beneath the said reverting extension and into the socket through the open side of the latter when the latch is removed from operative position.

JAMES HOLLAND.

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