Patent Application
20060009317
Not applicable.
Not applicable.
The present invention relates generally to door catches, and more particularly to a non rattling door catch.
Door catches are well known. They are used to help keep a door or the like in the open or closed position. The most common form of door catch includes a first eye hook that radially retains a J-shaped hook which can be screwed into a wall as well as a second eye hook that screws into a door or the like and can receive the end of the J-shaped hook. These parts are typically made of formed rod like steel.
Although the standard J hook catch is effective in most cases, when used in a moving vehicle or vessel such as a recreational vehicle or a boat, the loose fit of the mating J-hook and eye screw cause an annoying rattling sound.
The present invention is a door catch that does not rattle when in use on a moving vehicle or vessel such as a boat or recreational vehicle or aircraft or the like.
It is therefore an object of the present invention to provide an improved door catch having a substantially spherical male element and cup shaped female element.
It is a further object of the present invention to provide a door catch that can retain a door in the open or closed position at a variety of parallel and non-parallel angles between a door and a wall or door frame.
Other objects and advantages of the present invention will become apparent from the following descriptions, taken in connection with the accompanying drawings, wherein, by way of illustration and example, an embodiment of the present invention is disclosed.
In accordance with a preferred embodiment of the invention, there is disclosed a door catch comprising: a catch retainer assembly and a catch. The catch retainer assembly includes a rigid first ball-retaining mounting plate, a first ball, a rigid J-shaped rod and a second ball-retaining cup shape. The catch includes a door mounting plate and an L-shaped rod terminating at one end in the door mounting plate and at the opposite end in a second ball. The catch retainer assembly mounting plate and catch mounting plate each include a plurality of screw receiving apertures. The J-shaped rod terminates at its top portion in the second ball retaining cup and at the lower portion in the first ball. The first ball retaining plate includes a centrally disposed concave ball retaining portion which includes a vertically disposed slot capable of receiving the J-shaped rod, and the ball retaining cup is capable of fitting snugly over the second ball shape so that no rattling can occur between the retaining cup and the second ball.
In an alternative preferred embodiment, the door catch of the present invention includes a concave-ball retaining portion with a fixed pin in its base. The first ball is a swivel ball having a groove aligned with the J-shaped rod itself, and into which the fixed pin is inserted so as to stabilize the J-shaped rod and limit the possible axes of movement. The concave ball-retaining member is also provided with a keyhole-shaped slot having a vertical portion and an open upper portion, the former permitting the J-shaped rod to hang vertically when not in use, and the latter permitting the J-shaped rod to move horizontally in a 180 degree arc while also moving vertically approximately 30 degrees above and below the horizontal. This facilitates capture of a catch portion from a variety of angles.
Other novel features which are characteristic of the invention, as to organization and method of operation, together with further objects and advantages thereof will be better understood from the following description considered in connection with the accompanying drawings, in which preferred embodiments of the invention are illustrated by way of example. It is to be expressly understood, however, that the drawings are for illustration and description only and are not intended as a definition of the limits of the invention. The various features of novelty that characterize the invention are pointed out with particularity in the claims annexed to and forming part of this disclosure. The invention does not reside in any one of these features taken alone, but rather in the particular combination of all of its structures for the functions specified.
There has thus been broadly outlined the more important features of the invention in order that the detailed description thereof that follows may be better understood, and in order that the present contribution to the art may be better appreciated. There are, of course, additional features of the invention that will be described hereinafter and which will form additional subject matter of the claims appended hereto. Those skilled in the art will appreciate that the conception upon which this disclosure is based readily may be utilized as a basis for the designing of other structures, methods and systems for carrying out the several purposes of the present invention. It is important, therefore, that the claims be regarded as including such equivalent constructions insofar as they do not depart from the spirit and scope of the present invention.
The invention will be better understood and objects other than those set forth above will become apparent when consideration is given to the following detailed description thereof. Such description makes reference to the annexed drawings wherein:
Referring now to
The catch 200 includes a catch ball mounting plate 28 and an L-shaped rod 26. The L-shaped rod is attached to the catch ball mounting plate 28 at one end and terminates in a catch ball 22 at its opposite end. Both the wall mounting plate 14 and the catch ball mounting plate 28 include apertures 31, 33, 3, 5 that allow screws 30, 32, 2, 4 to be inserted therethrough and thus used to attach the catch to a door and or wall or the like. Of course other retaining means may be used such as double sided adhesive tape. An O ring 24 is located around the catch ball 22. This allows for a snug fit between the interior of ball cup 25 and exterior of O ring 24. This snug fit means that there is no chance of rattling between the catch 200 and the catch retainer 300.
The catch retainer arm 10 includes a press fit portion 13 at one end that interfaces with an aperture 15 inside a swivel ball 12. Alternately, a male and female threaded fit can be used in place of a press fit at portion 13 and 15. In yet another alternative, the press fit portion may comprise a cuboid end that is inserted into a matching hole in the swivel ball. It can be affixed in any of a number of well known means, and thereby resists reorientation of the ball relative to the catch retainer arm relative to the swivel ball.
Swivel ball 12 fits snugly into concave portion 18 on one side and concave disk 35 on the opposite side which in turn is pressed against wall 20 as shown in
The assembly elements are generally identical to the first preferred embodiment, shown in
The vertical portion of the keyhole-shaped slot in the concave ball-retaining member preferably tapers down such that at its lowest portion is has a width substantially equal to the diameter of the catch retainer arm 510. This forces the catch retainer arm to center and fix itself when in the down position at the lowest point 519a in its range of motion when moved in the vertical slot. Accordingly, when in the down position 519a, the catch retainer arm does not swing from side to side and is thereby positioned and stable in a substantially locked position.
The circumferential groove 513 in swivel ball 512 provides a track in which the fixed pin 521 moves. Thus, the swivel ball 512 can only operate in two axes: vertically within both the vertical portion 516a and the upper open portion 516b of keyhole-shaped slot 516; and horizontally within an arc determined by the arc of the upper opening 516b of the keyhole slot 516 and groove 513. The upper ranges of motion, 519b, 519c, are shown in
These elements cooperate to ensure that when the ball cup 525 captures a catch ball 522 disposed upwardly on a catch ball arm 526, the catch retainer arm 510 maintains a vertical orientation regardless of any other movement in the other two axes, thereby acting as a kind of gooseneck or universal joint. The fixed pin in the concave ball-retaining member 518 and the groove 513 in the swivel ball 512 provide a third axis limitation. Preferably the catch retainer arm is securely press fit and otherwise fixed in swivel ball 512, such that catch retainer arm 510 cannot rotate within the swivel ball and thereby maintains proper alignment with the groove 513 in the swivel ball and also keeps ball cup 525 in a vertical orientation at all times.
Furthermore, the elements of the assemblies are sized so as to ensure that once the ball cup 525 engages the catch ball 522, there is no change in clearances between the ball cup and the catch ball as the ball cup is firmly seated. This is made possible by matching the radius of the catch ball with both the dome-shaped upper interior portion 530a of the ball cup and the interior cylindrical portion 530b of ball cup. Accordingly, the catch ball may be engaged by the ball cup from a virtually infinite number of angles, the one limitation being that the ball cup cannot approach and seat on the catch ball in such a fashion that the outer edge 527 of the ball cup is prevented from fully seating on the catch ball by the catch ball arm.
Accordingly, in its most essential aspect, the present invention is a door catch having male and female elements that interact with one another to provide a rattle-free capture of a hinged door from a multiplicity of angles or orientations. The two specially conformed male and female elements include: (1) a rounded female element comprising a ball cup 525 with a domed upper and cylindrical lower interior surface, 530a, 530b, respectively, the ball cup being integrally affixed to the end of an arm 510 which is pivotally and/or swivellingly mounted on a wall or door frame; and (2) a rounded male element comprising a spherical catch ball 522. These elements are sized to engage one another such that the clearance between catch ball and ball cup is maintained as the ball cup swings through the arc of the catch retainer arm and into removable engagement with the catch ball. Because the interior dimensions of the ball cup are sized to match the catch ball, a perfect fit is maintained from the first moment of engagement and thereafter to within an arc of about 30 degrees above or below the horizontal. This creates a rattle-free capture of the male element by the female element. In the preferred embodiments, roughly a 60 degree arc of engagement can be achieved before the outer edge of the ball cup interferes with the catch ball arm.
In another aspect, it will be seen that the essential inventive apparatus is a door catch including: (1) a wall mount; (2) a catch retainer arm swivellingly attached at one end to the wall mount and having, (3) a concave female ball cup disposed at its other end, the ball cup having interior portions including a lower cylindrical portion and an upper dome-shaped portion; (4) a door mount; (5) a catch ball arm extending outwardly from the door mount; (6) a spherical catch ball disposed on one end of the catch ball arm and having a radius matching the radius of the interior of the ball cup.
The foregoing characteristics and features distinguish the present invention over conventional door hooks, as the latter require a large hole on the eye portion to allow the hook to swing into the eye hole. This results in a loose fit between the eye and the hook when the hook arm reaches a horizontal position with the hook portion perpendicular to the hole in eye mount. The result is that movement of the door under the effect of wind, vibration, or environmental movement causes the hook to rattle in the larger eye hole.
The above disclosure is sufficient to enable one of ordinary skill in the art to practice the invention, and provides the best mode of practicing the invention presently contemplated by the inventor. While there is provided herein a full and complete disclosure of the preferred embodiments of this invention, it is not desired to limit the invention to the exact construction, dimensional relationships, and operation shown and described. Various modifications, alternative constructions, changes and equivalents will readily occur to those skilled in the art and may be employed, as suitable, without departing from the true spirit and scope of the invention. Such changes might involve alternative materials, components, structural arrangements, sizes, shapes, forms, functions, operational features or the like.
For instance, it will be appreciated by those with skill in the art that resilient member 524 may comprise any of a number of suitable shapes and forms. For instance, as set out above, resilient member may be an O-ring disposed around the circumference of catch ball 522. However, it is not essential that the resilient member be disposed around the entire circumference of the catch ball to provide the rattle-free fit that dampens and quiets the catch retainer arm as it rests on the catch ball. Indeed, any manner of protuberance could be disposed on the surface of the catch ball to provide the secure fit for the ball cup. Furthermore, the catch ball itself could be fabricated from a slightly resilient material, thereby obviating the need to dispose anything around its surface. For example, the catch ball could be fabricated from neoprene or a material having similar deformation characteristics. This would permit some deformation or displacement of the outer portion of the catch ball to accommodate the ball retaining cup while allowing a firm fit and capture of the swivel ball within the ball cup. Alternatively, the interior of the ball cup could be lined with deformable material, and the catch ball fabricated of generally rigid material. The essential feature is that the materials of the catch ball and the ball cup cooperate to provide a rattle free fit, with or without surface features on the catch ball.
Therefore, the above description and illustrations should not be construed as limiting the scope of the invention, which is defined by the appended claims.
The present application claims the benefit of the filing date of U.S. Utility patent application Ser. No. 10/739,647, filed Dec. 18, 2003 (Dec. 18, 2003).
| Number | Date | Country | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Parent | 10739647 | Dec 2003 | US |
| Child | 11225938 | Sep 2005 | US |
