Claims
- 1. Combined fastening and aligning means for a closure which is hinged to a frame, comprising a cam portion and a keeper abutment portion, one of said portions being on the closure and the other portion on the frame, the cam portion being in the general shape of a hooked finger, said cam portion having a free end swingable to and from overengaged holding relation to the keeper abutment portion about an axis parallel to the keeper abutment portion and spaced from such free end, and having surfaces transverse to the pivot axis which converge toward said free end so that said cam portion tapers to reduced thickness toward such free end, a keeper pocket-defining portion having a pair of spaced walls defining reaction portions fixedly appurtenant to the keeper abutment portion and spaced from each other a distance which is not materially greater than the maximum thickness of the cam portion in a direction longitudinally of said axis, said reaction portions being located on one side of said keeper abutment portion and defining an entrance area therebetween, the free end of the cam portion being movable into and out of the entrance area between said walls, whereby one or the other of said surfaces of the cam portion is engageable with one of said reaction portions during the initial part of its inward movement in event of misalignment between the closure and frame, to cam the closure toward realignment with the frame, characterized in that the parts of said surfaces of the cam portion and of said reaction portions which initially engage each other, as the cam portion moves into interposed relation between said reaction portions, extend away from the positions of initial engagement in different non-parallel planes, whereby such initial engagement therebetween is substantially limited to point contact, said walls having continuation portions formed as extensions of said reaction portions and located on the opposite side of said keeper abutment portion from said entrance area, the continuation portions also being spaced apart a distance which is not materially greater than the maximum thickness of the cam portion and lying substantially parallel to the closest surfaces of the cam portion when the cam portion is fully overengaged with the keeper abutment portion.
- 2. Means as defined in claim 1 including a keeper housing incorporating said spaced walls, said spaced walls extending parallel to each other in a direction perpendicular to a plane containing the axis of the keeper abutment portion and the axis of swinging movement of the cam portion, and converging in a direction parallel to such plane.
- 3. Means as defined in claim 1 wherein said cam portion is of trapezoidal cross section with its inclined sides lying on said surfaces.
- 4. Means as defined in claim 3 wherein the longer parallel side of the trapezoid is on the side of the cam portion which is closest to said axis, including a pair of wall portions defining said reaction portions extending parallel to each other in a direction perpendicular to a plane containing the axis of the keeper abutment portion and the axis of swinging movement of the cam portion but converging in a direction parallel to such plane at an angle corresponding substantially to the angle between inclined sides of the cam portion, and between which wall portions the cam portion is swingable, the keeper abutment portion being fixed to and bridging said wall portions.
- 5. Means as defined in claim 4 wherein lines on the surfaces of the cam portion which face toward said wall portions and which are radial to its axis of swinging movement are non-perpendicular to and converge in a direction away from such axis.
- 6. Means as defined in claim 3 wherein the longer parallel side of the trapezoid is on the side of the cam portion which is closest to said axis.
- 7. Means as defined in claim 1, wherein the walls defining said reaction portions in the entrance area include stepped wall areas spaced farther apart toward an open front into and out of which the cam portion is movable, and including shoulder portions joining said stepped wall areas engageable by the cam portion and extending transversely of the path of movement of the cam portion to limit the extent of possible engagement between the cam portion and wall portions and to provide increased space between the walls at the open front of the entrance area.
REFERENCE TO PRIOR RELATED APPLICATION
This application is a continuation of U.S. application Ser. No. 566,244, filed Apr. 9, 1975, now abandoned.
US Referenced Citations (11)
Continuations (1)
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Number |
Date |
Country |
Parent |
566244 |
Apr 1975 |
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