US1201848A - Car-door fastener. - Google Patents

Description

G. E. MERRITT.

CAR DOOR FASTEN'ER,

APPLICATION FILED APR. 28, I915.

Patented Oct. 17, 1916.

2 SHEETS-SHEET 1.

came/Mow eozsa ('3. 916mm Mom wa s G. E. MERRITT.

CAR DOOR FASTENER.

APPLICATION FILED APR. 28, m5.

Patented Oct. 17, 1916.

2 SHEETS-SHEET 2- 'z flange 3., mack/0m TINT ED STATES PATENT QFFICE.

GEORGE E. MERRITT, E BALTIMORE, MARYLAND, ASSIGNOR, 0F ONE-FOURTH TO WILLIAM N. CRISP, ONE-FOURTH T0 GEORGE C. SCHIMPF, AND ONE-FOURTH TO GEORGE E. WIESECKEL, ALL OF BALTIMORE, MARYLAND.

GAR-DOOR FASTENER.

menses.

Specification of Letters Patent;

Patented Oct. 1'7, 1916.

Application filed April 28, 1915. Serial No. 24,486.

To all whom it may concern:

Be it known that I, GEORGE E. MERRITT, a citizen of the United States, residing at Baltimore, State of Maryland, have invented certain new and useful Improvements in Car-Door Fasteners; and I do declare the following to be a full, clear, and exact description of the invention, such as will enable others skilled in the art to which it appertains to make and use the same.

This invention relates to improvements in door fasteners and more particularly to fasteners for freight car doors.

The object of the invention is to provide a simply constructed and eflicient door fastener of this character so formed as to firmly close and reliably look the door to which it is applied in closed position.

With these and other objects in view, the invention consists of certain novel features of construction, and the combination and arrangement of parts as will be more fully described and claimed.

In the accompanying drawings: Figure 1 represents a side elevation of a portion of a freight car equipped with this invention; Fig. 2 is a horizontal section taken on the line 2 2 of F ig. 1; Fig. 3' is an enlarged detail side elevation partly in section of a freight car door and its cooperating frame showing this improved fastener mounted thereon with the fastener in open position; Fig. 4' is a similar view showing the fastener in partially closed position; Fig. 5 is a similar view showing the fastener in nearly closed position; Fig. 6 is' a similar view showing the fastener in closed and locked position, whereby the door is securely retained against the accidental opening; Fig. 7 is a horizontal section taken on the line -77 of Fig. 3', showing the door opposite the opening ready to be closed by the lever controlled cam actuating member; Fig. 8 is a similar view showing the door in the act of being closed by the cam; Fig. 9 is a similar view taken on the line 99' of Fig. eshowing the door in closed position ready to be firmly seated and locked by the lever; Fig. 10 is a similar view showing the door in closed locked position; Fig. 11 is a vertical section taken on the line 11-11 of Fig.4; Fig. 12 is an edge view of the cam locking member; Fig. 13 is a vertical section taken on the linel3l l .f Fig. 9; Fig.-14isa-de tail view of the inner sectional sleeve fastenl'ng plate.

In the embodiment illustrated a portion ing its sliding movement.

The door D is provided around the edges thereof on its opposite faces with reinforcmg or wearing plates 18 which may be of any suitable or desired width and secured thereto by any suitable means.

The fastener contemplated by this invention is shown mounted on one edge of the door D and is in the form of a substantially segmental cam 20 having a shank 21 extending laterally from the smaller end thereof, said shank being angular in cross section and adapted to be inserted in a correspondingly shaped sleeve which will soon be described. The free end of the shank 21 is provided with a reduced longitudinal T- shaped extension 22, the head 23 of which is designed for connecting the shank to an actuating lever 24: hereinafter to be described.

The sleeve 25 which forms a bearing for the cam fastening element is here shown provided at its" opposite ends with annular flanges 26 and 27 and which is housed in a recess 29 formed adjacent the edge of the door D, said sleeve being held in operative position; in said recess by means of an outer plate 29 and an inner plate 30, said outer plate 29 having a semi-circular recess in its outer edge for extending partly around the sleeve 25 and which registers with a similar recess 18 formed in the outer strip 18 on the edge of the door, the recess 18 encircling the other half of the sleeve as shown clearly in Fig. 9. The inner plate 30 is constructed in two sections which are designed to extend to the edge of the door and are provided in their meeting edges with registering semicircular recesses 31 adapted to engage opposite sides of the sleeve 25 and which serve to reinforce the plate 29, the thickness of the two, plates 29 and 30 corresponding to the distance between the flanges 26 and 27 of said sleeve 25, as is shown clearly iii-Figs. 9 and 10. It is of course understood that these plates are bolted to the door, the bolts having their heads disposed outwardly and the nuts on the inner face of the door to prevent all possibility of this plate being removed to afford access to the locking catch or latch carried thereby and thus prevent surreptitious opening of the door.

The outer flange 27 of the sleeve is provided with a lateral extension 32 which is grooved longitudinally to form a seat 33 for the reception of the cam actuating lever Qtas is shown clearly in Figs. 3 to 6. This lever 24 is provided at its inner end with a longitudinally extending slot 2 f which is designed to fit over the head 23 of the T- shaped extension of the cam shank 21 and to be turned in a plane at right angles thereto as shown clearly in Fig. 6 for the purpose of locking said lever to said cam. This lever 24 is fulcrumed to the extension 32 intermediately of the length of said extension as shown at 34 and the outer-end of said lever is deflected from its fulcrumed point outwardly to adapt it to have a tilting movement on its fulcrum for a purpose to be delocked open position.

similarly constructed but open in opposite scribed.

Keepers 35 and 36 are secured on the door D at suitable positions to receive the free end of the lever 2% when the cam latch is in its projected or retracted positions, the keeper 35 serving to hold the lever and the cam connected therewith in locked closed position and the keeper 36 serving to hold it in These keepers are directions being here shown substantially Z- shaped in form with one end or arm secured to the door and the free arm thereof spaced laterally from the door and opening toward the edge thereof on which the catch is mounted so that when the lever is swung into its extreme lowered position, in which position the cam is in its locking engagement with the keeper of the door frame to be described, said lever end issprung over the free arm of the keeper 35 and passed under said arm and thereby securely held against accidental movement, it being necessary in order to actuate the lever to first swing it Secured to the facing or frame F of thedoor opening is a keeper 37 having a recess 38to receive the cam shaped locking element 20 when the door is in closed position, the entrance to said socket or recess 38 being shown beveled as at 39 with which the beveled end 20 of the cam 20 is designed to cooperate when the latch or cam is being swung into locked position, thereby exerting a pulling action for forcing the door inwardly into close engagement with its seat. After the beveled end 20 of said cam enters this entrance of the socket 38, it is moved upwardly therein into the position shown in Figs. 6 and 10 in which positions the door will be firmly seated and may be locked in this position by passing the free end of the lever 2% under the free arm of the keeper 35 where it. is secured by a sealing wire 40 which is designed to indicate whether or not the latch has been tampered with, said wire being passed through an aperture 35 formed in the upstanding portion of the keeper 35 and through an aperture 2 f formed in the end of the lever 24 and after being so passed the ends thereof are brought together and sealed in the usual manner.

In the operation of this improved fastener, the door having been slid forwardly into position'opposite the opening 0 in the side of the car, the lever 9A which has been disengaged from the keeper 36 is swung outwardly and then downwardly and when it reaches the point shown in Fig. 4, the beveledend 20 of the cam is at the entrance of the keeper socket 38 and the continued downward movement of said lever causes said beveled end to engage the beveled edge 39 of the keeper opening and thereby forces the cam inwardlyinto said keeper socket or recess 38 carrying the door D with it and causing it to properly seat on the door frame. The lever is then swung downwardly to its extreme limit into the position shown in Fig. 9 in which position it will be observed that the cam while at the extreme inward limit of its locking movement is yet spaced slightly from the wall of the socket 38 and the door is not tightly seated. (See Fig. 9.) The free end of the lever 24 is then swung forwardly and downwardly under the free arm of the keeper 35, thus tilting the front end of the lever connected with the T-shaped extension of the shank 21 of the locking cam, thereby forcing said cam outwardly and the door inwardly into tightly closed position, and by passing the end of the lever under the free arm of the keeper 35, as shown in Fig. 10, the door will be securely locked in this position.

To open the door the operation above described is reversed, the lever being swung forwardly and outwardly to disengage it from the free arm of the keeper 35 and then swung upwardly into the position shown in Fig. 3, in which position the cam 20 will be of the keeper 36 which will securely hold it in open position until it is again desired to close the door. The door may be then swung laterally outward on its tracks 1 and 5 to cause it to clear the frame F and after being so swung, it is moved longitudinally rearward on said tracks to uncover the door opening and permit access to the body of the car.

\Vhile this improved fastener is shown and described as applied to a freight car door, it is obvious that it may be applied equally well to any sliding door of this character such as are used on barns, refrigerators, and the like.

I claim as my invention:

1. The combination with a door frame having a door seat and a keeper, of a door having a latch for locking engagement with said keeper and mounted for rotary movement on an axis at right angles to the plane of the door and also slidable lengthwise on said axis, and means for moving said latch outwardly against its keeper for forcing said door inwardly to reliably seat it.

2. The combination with a door frame having a door seat and a keeper, of a laterally movable door having a latch for locking engagement with said keeper mounted for lateral and rotary movement, of a lever connected with said latch and fulcrumed to tilt laterally to operate said latch outwardly against its keeper for forcing said door inwardly to reliably seat it, and means for locking said lever in tilted position.

3. The combination with a door frame having a door seat and a keeper; of a laterally movable door having a cam latch for locking engagement with said keeper, said keeper and latch having cooperating beveled faces for interlocking engagement to force said door into its seat, said latch being mounted for slight lateral movement, and a lever connected with said latch and fulcrumed to tilt laterally to operate said latch for reliably seating said door, and means for locking said lever in tilted position.

4. A door latch comprising a revolubly mounted bearing means for securing said bearing in position, a cam-shaped latch having a shankmounted in said bearing and held against rotation therein, a headed extension on the free end of said shank, a lever having a slot positioned for locking engagement with said extension, said lever being bent intermediately of its ends and fulcrumed at its point of bending, a keeper for cooperation with said latch, and means for locking said lever in adjusted position.

5. The combination with a door andits frame, of a rotatable latch and a keeper mounted respectively thereon, said latch and keeper having cooperating means for moving said door into engagement with said frame when the latch is turned in one direction, said latch being mounted for movement in a direction at right angles to the direction of its rotary movement to bring it into engagement with the keeper and thereby force the door into binding engagement with the frame, and means for locking said latch in operative position.

6. The combination with a door and its frame, said frame having a keeper thereon provided with a latch receiving recess, a latch mounted on said door adjacent the edge thereof and comprising a segmental cam-shaped member having a shank extending laterally therefrom, a bearing sleeve revolubly mounted in said door to receive the shank of said cam, said shank and sleeve being held against rotation relatively to each other, the shank being slidable in said sleeve, said sleeve having annular flanges at its opposite ends, one of said flanges being positioned on the outer face of said door and having aradial longitudinally grooved extension, a T-shaped head on the free end of said shank, a lever fulcrumed in said grooved extension and having a slot at its inner end for detachable engagement with said head, said keeper having a beveled entrance for cooperation with the beveled end of said cam whereby the door is forced inwardly into closed position on the engagement of said cam with said keeper.

7. The combination with a door and its frame, said frame having a keeper thereon provided with a latch receiving recess, a latch mounted on said door adjacent the edge thereof and comprising a segmental cam-shaped member having a shank extending laterally therefrom, a bearing sleeve revolubly mounted in said door to receive the shank of said cam, said shank and sleeve being held against rotation relatively to each other, the shank being slidable in said sleeve, said sleeve having annular flanges at its opposite ends, one of said flanges being positioned on the outer face of said door and having a radial longitudinally grooved extension, a T-shaped head on the free end of said shank, a lever fulcrumed in said grooved extension and having a slot at its inner end detachably engaged with said inner end, said keeperthaving a beveled entrance for cooperation with the beveled end of said cam whereby the door is forced inwardly into closed position on the engagement of said cam with said keeper, said lever being bent intermediately of its ends and fulcrumed at its point of opening, whereby the lever may be moved laterally relatively to said cam, and means for locking said on said door opposite said keeper and comprising a bearing sleeve revolubly mounted in a recess of the door and having annular flanges at its opposite ends,securing plates engaging said sleeve between said flanges,

means for connecting said plates to said door, a cam-shaped lockmg member having a beveled nose and a laterally extending shank, said shank and the opening in said sleeve being angular in cross section and correspondingly shaped, said shank being mounted in said sleeve and held thereby against rotation relatively .thereto, said shank being longer than said bearing to provide for its longitudinal movement therein, securing means arranged between said flanges and connected with said door, a lever fulcrumed on said sleeve and engaging said having a door seat and a keeper, of a laterally movable door having a latch for looking engagement with said keeper, said keeper having a beveled face for engagement by said latch for forcing said door into its seat, said latch being mounted for lateral movement relativelyto the door, and means for moving said latch laterally outward against its keeper for forcing said door inwardly against its seat.

11. The combination with a door and its frame, of a keeper carried by said frame, a bearing revolubly mounted in said door and having a laterally extending seat at its outer end, a latch having a shank mounted in said bearing and held against rotary movement therein but slidable longitudinally, the latch extending in a plane at right angles to said shank, a lever fulcrumed intermediately of its ends in the seat of said bearing and having one end engaged with the shank of said latch, said lever being operable to move said latch outwardly against its keeper for forcing said door inwardly against the frame, and means for securing said lever in adjusted position.

12. A door latch comprising a revolubly mounted bearing, a latch having a shank mounted in said bearing andheld against rotation therein, said shank being longer than the bearing and having one end projecting beyond the outer face thereof, a lever fulcrumed on said bearing and having one end engaged with the projecting end of said shank, and a keeper for cooperation with said latch, said lever being movable relatively to said latch shank, whereby said shank may be moved longitudinally in said bearing for forcing the latch outwardly against the keeper.

In testimony whereof I have hereunto set my hand in presence of two subscribing witnesses;

GEORGE E. MERRITT. Witnesses:

Gno. C. SoHIMrr, E. VVILBUR SToLL.

Sopies of this patent may be obtained for five cents each, by addressing the Commissioner of Patents,

Washington, I). G.

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