Tool Operated Flush Slam Latch

This invention relates to door latches and in particular to door latches of the slam type, i.e., to latches which will operate to latch the door by merely slamming the door to the closed position.

The invention also relates to slam latches of the flush-mounted type which are quickly installed, without fastening means and without the use of tools, by merely inserting the latch into a rectangular hole pre-cut in the door, with the outer surface of the latch substantially flush with the outer surface of the door.

Pertinent prior art patents known to applicant are (1) U.S. Pat. No. 3,266,830 issued to Walter T. Appleberry on Aug. 16, 1966 and assigned to Douglas Aircraft Company, Inc., and (2) U.S. Pat. No. 3,841,674 issued to Robert H. Bisbing et al on Oct. 15, 1974 and assigned to Southco, Inc., the assignee of the present application.

A principal object of the present invention is to provide a door latch of the slam type which may be quickly installed in a door or panel without the use of fastening means or tools in a rectangular hole pre-punched in the door with the outer surface of the latch substantially flush with the outer surface of the door.

Another object is to provide a slam latch of the foregoing type which is opened by using a tool inserted into a socket in the latch.

Another object is to provide a slam latch of the foregoing type which is adapted for installation in doors or frames of varying thicknesses.

The foregoing objects are achieved in accordance with the present invention by providing a latch having a slide which, during installation of the latch in a pre-punched rectangular hole in the door, is retracted through a distance which is greater than the distance through which the slide is retracted by the tool when used to open the closed door, thereby preventing the latch from being dislodged from its installed position in the door.

FIG. 1 is a perspective view, partly broken away, showing the tool-operated flush-mounted slam latch of the present invention installed in a door which is shown in closed position in a frame.

FIG. 2 is a view, in section, looking down along the line 2--2 of FIG. 1.

FIG. 3 is a view looking along the line 3--3 of FIG. 2. (In FIG. 3 the door has been omitted).

FIG. 4 is a view generally similar to FIG. 3 but showing the position of the slide in the door-opened position after the tool has been used to rotate the cam to retract the slide.

FIG. 5 is a view, in section, looking along the line 5--5 of FIG. 3.

FIGS. 6A, 6B and 6C in a series of illustrations showing the sequence of steps by which the slam latch is inserted into the rectangular pre-punched hole in the door.

FIG. 7 is a view similar to FIG. 6C but showing the use of a shim when the slam latch is inserted in a door made of thinner material.

In FIG. 1, the tool-operated flush-mounted slam latch is shown installed in a door D which is shown in closed position in a frame F. The latch comprises essentially a slide 10 and a cover 20 the outer surface of which is substantially flush with the outside surface of the door. Slide 10 has a nose portion 11 having a sloping surface 12 which functions to cam the slide 10 rearwardly against the action of a biasing spring 41 during the slamming of the door to closed position. The slide has upper and lower flanges 14,15 which are adapted to slide in upper and lower channels 22,23 of the cover 20.

In FIG. 1, the door D is opened by inserting an Allen wrench in the socket 35 and rotating it through about 45 degrees in either the clockwise or counterclockwise direction. This retracts slide 10 sufficiently to allow the nose 11 to clear the edge 51 of the frame F and allows the door D to open. After opening, the Allen wrench is removed from the socket 35 and the slide 10, which is spring loaded by compression spring 41, as seen in FIGS. 2-4, returns to its forward or latching position.

To close the door, it is merely slammed shut. During closing, the sloping edge 12 of nose 11 of slide 10 comes into engagement with edge 51 of frame F and slide 10 is cammed rearwardly to a retracted position.

As seen best in FIGS. 3-4, mounted on, or integral with, socket 35 is a cam 30 having upper and lower ears 31,32. Between ears 31,32, on the forward side of the cam, is a curved surface 33. On the rearward side, between ears 31,32 cam 30 is wedge-shaped, narrowing to a tip 34, which is preferably a rounded edge of small radius. Positioned against the rear edge of each of the ears 31,32 is a tab 18,19, respectively. These tabs 18,19 are connected to, or integral with, slide 10.

Bearing against the curved central portion of the forward surface 33 of cam 30 is the head of a pin 40 which supports one end of a coil compression spring 41. Compression spring 41 is located in a slot 42 in slide 10. At its forward end, spring 41 presses against a retainer 17 which has a pin portion 48 which projects into a hole in slide 10. Thus, retainer 17 is connected to and is movable with slide 10. The working end of spring 41 is the left end, as viewed in FIGS. 2-4, which bears against retainer 17. The other end of spring 41 is merely retained by surface 33 of cam 30.

FIG. 4 illustrates the condition of the latch after the Allen wrench has been inserted into socket 35 and turned clockwise through about 45 degrees. It will be seen that when this is done, upper ear 31 pushes against tab 18 and moves tab 18 rearwardly, thereby moving slide 10 rearwardly. This rearward movement of slide 10 continues until the rounded tip 34 of cam 30 comes into engagement with the inner surface of the lower tab 19 which has now been moved from the position shown in phantom to the position shown in solid line. This is the rearmost limit position of the slide 10 when operated by the cam. In this position, nose 11 of slide 10 will clear edge 51 of frame F, allowing the door to open. In the condition shown in FIG. 4, which is the limit position of the cam in the door-opening position, compression spring 41 has been compressed. Thus, after the door has been open, when the socket wrench is removed from socket 35, the forward end of the spring 41 forces retainer 17 and slide 10 in the forward direction, thereby pulling tab 18 to the left as viewed in FIGS. 3-4, thereby returning cam 30 to the position shown in FIG. 3.

In this position, nose 11 of slide 10 is in the forward or latching position, and as previously described, when the door is slammed to the closed position, the sloping edge 12 of nose 11 engages the edge 51 of the frame F, thereby camming slide 10 rearwardly. As soon as the nose 11 clears the frame F, the slide 10 is returned to its forward latching position by spring 41.

The manner in which the tool-operated flush-mounted slam latch is installed in the hinged door D is illustrated in FIGS. 6A, 6B and 6C. The door D is provided with a rectangular pre-cut hole 61 having a rearward edge 62 and a forward edge 63. The installer places the notch 25, located at the rearward end of the latch, against the rear edge 62 of door D. The finger of the installer is placed in notch 16 of slide 10. This notch 16 is clearly shown in FIG. 2. Using his finger, the installer pulls slide 10 rearwardly. This allows nose 11 of slide 10 to enter hole 61 and to move upwardly past the forward edge 63 of the hole 61, as shown in FIG. 6B. As a result, the latch snaps into its final installed position, shown in FIG. 6C. Once installed, the latch is not removable by use of the socket wrench since the distance through which slide 10 is moved by means of the cam 30 is less than the distance through which slide 10 is moved by means of the finger notch 16. The length of the pin 40 is made short enough to allow spring 41 to be compressed sufficiently to allow nose 11 of slide 10, when pulled rearwardly by the finger, to clear the forward edge 63 of the hole 61. This compression of spring 41 is greater than that illustrated in FIG. 4 which shows the slide 10 retracted to maximum extent, when retraction is by the cam 30, actuated by the socket wrench.

The tool-operated flush-mounted slam latch of the present invention may be installed in doors of various thicknesses. FIG. 7 illustrated the latch installed in a door D' made of thinner material. A rectangular shim 70 of suitable thickness is positioned about the perimeter of the pre-cut hole in the door, so that when the latch is installed, it is tight and firm and rattle-free.