The present invention relates in general to a door closing mechanism and more particularly to a mechanism for assisting the complete closure and latching of a door.
Pneumatic door closers often may not be adjusted properly to cause a door to close and latch completely. Often the door may close lightly with the latch resting on the jamb or strike plate on the frame of the door.
There are pneumatic door closers that are intended to provide improved door closing. One such pneumatic door closer is disclosed in U.S. Pat. No. 8,051,534 entitled “Pneumatic Door Closer” and issuing to Valentin Luca on Nov. 8, 2011. Therein disclosed is a pneumatic door closer that provides a controlled rate of closing motion that is generally uniform, smooth, and safe in moving from an open to a closed position. While these and other pneumatic door closers have improved the closing of a door, often the door does not completely close and latch. This may be due to inappropriate adjustment of the storm or screen door or too tight seals of the door.
Therefore, there is a need for a mechanism to assure that the door is latched when closed when there is insufficient force to close and latch a door.
The invention provides a closing trigger mechanism, connecting trigger mechanism, and latching or tongue mechanism that work together to close and latch a door. A closing trigger mechanism is set when a door knob is turned. Once set, the closing trigger mechanism is coupled to the latching or tongue mechanism by the connecting trigger mechanism. The connecting trigger mechanism is disabled by a cam when the door knob is turned to open the door retracting the latching or tongue mechanism. When the connecting trigger mechanism is engaged, a slight pressure on the latch causing movement of the latch or tongue inwards results in the connecting trigger mechanism to release the closing trigger forcing the door closed and to latch.
Accordingly it is an object of the present invention to latch a door securely.
It is another object of the present invention to prevent a door from being left partially open.
It is yet another object of the present invention to automatically assist a door to latch closed.
It is an advantage of the present invention that a door can be securely latched with little closing force or movement.
It is a feature of the present invention that a closing trigger is caused to release when a latch is moved inward.
It is another feature of the present invention that a contact is used to move a middle lever out of position disengaging the closing trigger mechanism from the latch so that the door can be opened without releasing or triggering the closing trigger.
These and other objects, advantages, and features will become more readily apparent in view of the following detailed ascription.
The operation of the door closing latch 10 of the present invention can be readily appreciated referring to
When the door is closed, even if the door is gently closed so that there is insufficient initial door force or momentum to cause the latch to pass beyond the jamb or latch rail so as to engage a strike plate, the door closing latch 10 of the present invention assures latching of the door. When even a gentle force is applied to the latch or tongue 18 upon the closing of the door, the slight pressure on the latch or tongue 18 pushes it inward slightly. As best illustrated in
While the present invention has been described with respect to several embodiments, it should readily be appreciated that various modifications may be made without departing from the spirit and scope of this invention.
This application claims the benefit of U.S. Provisional Application No. 61/515,306 filed Aug. 4, 2011.
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Number | Date | Country | |
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61515306 | Aug 2011 | US |