Remote Control Latch And Recessed Bail For The Same

Abstract

Recessed pull in which the bail is installed by dropping it into position from above the assembly. The assembly also includes a latching means actuated by pivoting the bail outwardly while in assembled position.

Description

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION

For many years, closure members have been constructed with the handle or bail of the pull being recessed into the closure member. U.S. Pat. No. 856,214 is an example of such a construction. The difficulty with the conventional mounting of such handles or bails has been that the pull is assembled by a tedious attachment of the bail in a pivotable manner to the closure member. For example, in the aforesaid U.S. patent, the bail 3 is pivotally attached by a bolt 12 to ears or lugs 13 mounted within the closure member (i.e., the door). Such bolting procedures delay the assembly and thereby add to the cost of manufacturing.

A further disadvantage arises when such recessed handles are utilized in connection with a remote control latch. That is, the presence of a spring such as the spring 5 in the aforesaid U.S. patent exerts a force either constantly or during actuation of the type which could cause the handle to unseat if it is not securely fastened. It will be readily appreciated that a design which permits easy assembly without the use of bolts, etc., would also tend to permit ready disassembly such as by accident. Accordingly, construction of remote control latching mechanisms heretofore has not featured a handle or bail assembled other than by pivotally holding or otherwise restricting the movement of the handle or pull within the closure member.

Recently, steps have been taken to partially alleviate the assembly problem, at least in the case of a simple recessed bail or handle. Thus, U.S. Pat. No. 3,451,590 illustrates a bail which is snapped into the pivot openings 25 and 26. However, it will be appreciated that even this assembly procedure takes time because of the necessary alignment of the lugs or pintles with the openings. Furthermore, U.S. Pat. No. 3,451,590 does not teach how such an arrangement could be used with a remote control latch.

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION

This disclosure relates to a recessed bail and a remote control latching mechanism utilizing the same for use in a closure member such as a drawer front, a door, a window frame, or the like. Specifically, there is provided an improvement in a closure member having a vertically extending panel with an opening for receiving a recessed pull assembly which includes a pivotally supported bail mounted in a manner to permit grasping the bail from a position in front of the enclosure. The improvement comprises the recessed pull assembly having a slot especially adapted for dropping the bail thereinto from a position generally above the same, means being provided for mounting the assembly in the opening so that the panel blocks the bail from movement out of the slot.

This improved closure member makes possible a novel remote control latching mechanism assembled so that a biasing means exerts a force in a vertically upward direction which would normally tend to force a bail upwardly out of the portion, but which is prevented from doing so because of the assembly thus instead biasing the latch into latch position.

Accordingly, it is an object of the invention to provide a closure member having a recessed handle or bail and a remote control latching mechanism using the same which is characterized by ease and quickness of assembly of the handle within the closure member.

It is a related object of the invention to provide such a recessed pull assembly and a remote control latching mechanism wherein the assembled bail or handle is prevented from disassembly either by the user or by the remote control latching mechanism.

Still another object of the invention is to provide such a recessed bail and operating mechanism for a closure member and remote control latching mechanism which is inexpensive to manufacture and assemble.

Other objects and advantages will become apparent upon reference to the following drawings and detailed discussion.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

FIG. 1 is a fragmentary elevational view of a recessed bail for a closure member constructed in accordance with the invention;

FIG. 2 is a fragmentary sectional view taken along the line II--II of FIG. 1;

FIG. 3 is a fragmentary sectional view similar to FIG. 2 and taken along the lines III--III;

FIG. 4 is a fragmentary plan view of the assembled bail and pull shown in FIGS. 1 through 3;

FIG. 5 is a fragmentary exploded sectional view similar to FIG. 2 except that it illustrates the assembly of the bail and pull;

FIG. 6 is a fragmentary elevational view showing the closure member in phantom, of an alternate embodiment designed as a remote control latching mechanism;

FIG. 7 is a rear elevational view of the remote control latching mechanism shown in FIG. 6;

FIG. 8 is a fragmentary sectional view taken along the line VIII--VIII, the panel of the closure member having been added;

FIG. 9 is a fragmentary sectional view taken along the line IX--IX of FIG. 7;

FIG. 10 is a fragmentary sectional view taken along the line X--X of FIG. 7; and

FIG. 11 is a fragmentary plan view, partly in section, of the remote control latching mechanism shown in FIGS. 6 through 10.

DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS

The disclosure concerns a recessed pull for closure members, which pull can be modified for use in a remote control latching mechanism. By "closure member" as it is used throughout the application, it is meant any member 10 (FIG. 1) which can be used to close an opening, such member including a drawer front, a door, a window frame, and the like. Referring specifically to FIGS. 1 through 3, the closure member 10 includes generally a vertically extending panel 12 having an opening 16 forming a well-shaped recess 14 therein. The recess can have an open top as shown in the drawings, or it can be completely enclosed except for the opening 16. That opening is partly defined by the edge 18 formed by the panel 12. The bottom of the recess is provided with holes 20 to accommodate bolts as hereinafter explained.

In accordance with one aspect of the invention, there is provided a pull assembly 30 which pivotally mounts a bail 50 in a manner hereinafter described, the bail being assembled by dropping it through a slot 38 in the top of the pull assembly. The pull assembly 30 has an outwardly facing decorative edge 32 and a recessed portion 34 designed to be recessed within the panel 12. The recessed portion 34 has a top surface 36 which may be completely open as indicated in FIG. 4, or which may be closed, with the exception of the slot 38 which is especially adapted to permit the bail 50 to be dropped into place within the pull 30 from a position above the recessed portion 34. Shoulders 40 are provided at the edges of the recessed portion 34 of the pull, the shoulders serving to support the bail 50 on its pintles 52. (See FIG. 4.) The back surface 42 of the recessed portion 34 is provided with threaded holes 44 to accommodate bolts 46 by which the pull 30 is mounted within the recess 14.

Turning now to the bail 50, the bail has pintle portions 52 at the sides thereof preferably located near the top, the pintles resting upon the shoulders 40 for permitting the bail to pivot outwardly within the pull. The bottom edge 54 of the bail is the conventional grasping portion by which the bail is pulled outwardly to open or close the closure member.

As shown in FIG. 5, the pull and the bail are assembled in the following fashion: the bail 50 is first dropped into the pull 30 by positioning the bail above the pull. The bail simply drops through the slot 38 so as to rest the pintles 52 upon the shoulders 40. The assembled bail and pull are then slid into the well 14 from a position in front of the panel 12. Bolts 46 hold the bail and pull in this assembly recessed within the closure member 10, the edge 18 of the panel 12 serving to thereafter prevent the bail 50 from being pushed upwardly out of the slot 38 of the pull 30 (FIG. 3).

FIGS. 6 through 11 illustrate an alternate embodiment wherein the recessed pull is modified so as to act as a remote control latching mechanism. Parts similar to those previously described bear the same reference numeral to which the distinguishing suffix "a" has been added. Thus, the same recessed pull 30a is mounted within a closure member 10a (FIG. 6) with a bail 50a dropped into position in the slot 38a in the top of the recessed portion 34a of the pull. (See FIG. 10.) Unlike the previous embodiment, the bail 50a has been modified so that one of the pintles 52a has an ear 60 (FIG. 9) projecting outwardly from the bail as an extension of the pintle, the ear being adapted to abut against a connecting means for operating a latch 90 (FIG. 11). The connecting means comprises a bell crank 62 (FIG. 7) having two arms 64 and 66, the arm 66 having a portion 68 bent out of the plane of the crank 62 so as to contact the ear 60 below the same. The arm 64 is pivotally attached near one end 70 thereof to the latch 90, the attachment being by means such as a bolt. To bias the portion 68 of the arm 66 against the ear 60, a coil spring 72 is included, the spring having a leg 74 hooked over the arm 64 of the bell crank, and a leg 76 abutting against a stop portion 78 on the back surface 42a of the pull 30a (FIGS. 7 and 9). The stop 78 can take any form, the form shown being a stud screwed into the surface 42a. Another form could be a rib extending the full height of the back surface 42a.

Both the spring 72 and the bell crank 62 are mounted upon a stud 80 which is attached to a back plate 82 (FIGS. 7-9). The back plate in turn is mounted on the back 42a of the pull 30a by screws 83. The stud 80 has a shoulder 84 which holds the crank 62 in position, while the spring 72 may be held on the stud 80 prior to assembly by means such as a washer or the like (not shown). In addition to mounting the bell crank 62 and the spring 72 as a unit, the back plate 82 has an additional function. That is, the back plate can take any shape except that it should be L-shaped with a leg 86 extending over the top of the recessed pull 30, thereby providing a blocking surface 88 which prevents the bail 50a from being forced upwardly out of the slot 38a (FIGS. 8-10) by the action of the spring 72 biasing the arm 68 of the crank against the ear 60. This function of the back plate 82 permits the entire recessed pull 30a with the bail and the connecting means assembled therein to be mounted within the closure member as a unit, the latch 90 thereafter being attached to the end 70 of the bell crank such as by bolting as mentioned before. With regard to the latch 90, it should be noted that it can take any shape, preferably having a lip 92 which engages the frame within which the closure member 10a is positioned to latch the same.

The assembly of the remote control latching mechanism shown in FIGS. 6 through 11 is accomplished in a manner similar to that of the previous embodiment. That is, the pull and the bail assembled together along with the contacting means and the back plate 82 are slid into the opening in the closure member 10a from a position in front thereof. The closure member 10a may have a U-shaped strap 100 (FIG. 8) or a well-shaped recess as shown in the previous embodiment. In either case, there is provided an opening for bolting the strap by means of the bolts 46a which bolts thread into the threaded holes 44 of the recessed portion 34a (FIGS. 7 and 10).

The materials used in both of these embodiments can be varied, synthetic plastics and metals being the most common forms. Thus, the pull 30, the bail 50, and the back plate 82 can comprise a plastic material such as ABS (acrylonitrile-butadiene-styrene) plastic.

It will be readily appreciated that both of these embodiments feature ease of assembly due to the slot in the top of the recessed portion 34a which accommodates the bail by simply dropping the latter into the pull. It is this ease of assembly which would also permit easy accidental disassembly, which accidental disassembly is prevented by, in the first embodiment, the edge 18 of the panel 12, and in the second embodiment, also by the top portion 86 of the back plate 82. The second embodiment has the additional advantage of simplification by forming the ear 60 as an extension of one of the pintles 52a. Such simplification in manufacturing reduces the cost of the entire remote control latching mechanism.

Although the invention has been described in connection with several preferred embodiments, it is not intended that it be limited thereto. Rather, it is intended that it cover all embodiments, equivalent arrangements, and alternate forms as may be included within the scope of the following claims.

Claims

The embodiments of the invention in which an exclusive property or privilege is claimed are defined as follows:

1. In a closure member having a panel, a bail, and an open front pull assembly for pivotally supporting said bail in a manner to permit grasping said bail from a position in front of said panel, said pull assembly having a portion recessed within an opening in said panel, the improvement comprising said recessed portion having a slot especially adapted for dropping said bail into said recessed portion from a position generally above the same; and means for mounting said pull assembly within said panel, said panel blocking said bail from movement upward out of said slot.

2. The improved closure member as defined in claim 1, wherein said mounting means is especially adapted to permit the assembly of said pull assembly within said panel by sliding the former into the latter from the front side of said panel.

3. The improved closure member as defined in claim 2, wherein said mounting means includes a well-shaped member spaced from the rear of said closure member a distance which will accommodate said pull within said closure member, said spacing of said well-shaped member being such as to prevent insertion of said pull thereinto except by way of the front of said closure member.

4. The improved closure member as defined in claim 1, wherein said bail includes a pintle portion especially adapted for pivoting said bail within said pull, whereby as said bail is pivoted a portion thereof rotates upwardly and outwardly.

5. The improved closure member as defined in claim 4, and further including an ear extending outwardly from said pintle, a latch mechanism especially adapted to be actuated by said bail, and means operatively connected to said ear for moving said latch mechanism, whereby said closure member operates as a remote control latching mechanism.

6. The improved closure member as defined in claim 5, wherein said moving means includes a bell crank one arm of which contacts said ear, and biasing means for biasing said crank against said ear.

7. The improved closure member as defined in claim 6, wherein said crank arm contacts said ear below the same, and wherein said biasing means contacts said crank so as to rotate said arm upwardly, whereby said biasing means tends to force said ear and said bail upwardly out of said pull.

8. The improved closure member as defined in claim 7, and further including means for preventing said ear and said bail from being forced out of said pull.

9. The improved closure member as defined in claim 8, wherein said biasing means is a coil spring, said spring and said crank being each loosely mounted upon a stud projecting from said preventing means.

10. A remote control latching mechanism for mounting in a vertically extending closure member, said mechanism including a recessed pull, a bail pivotally mounted in said pull by a pintle portion especially adapted for pivoting said bail within said pull, a latch, means for operatively connecting said bail to said latch, an ear on said bail extending into contact with said connecting means, said connecting means including a pivotally mounted bell crank one arm of which contacts said ear, said ear projecting outwardly away from said bail as an extension of said pintle, whereby as said bail is pivoted outwardly within said pull said ear is caused to rotate and to operate said connecting means.

11. The improved mechanism as defined in claim 10, and further including biasing means for biasing said arm against said ear.

12. The improved mechanism as defined in claim 11, and wherein said biasing means contacts said crank so as to rotate said arm upwardly, whereby said biasing means tends to force said ear and said bail upwardly out of said pull.

13. The improved mechanism as defined in claim 12, wherein said pull includes a portion recessed within said member and a slot in said recessed portion, said slot being especially adapted for dropping said bail into said recessed portion of said pull from a position generally above the same, and means attached to said pull after said bail is assembled with said pull and said crank for preventing said bail from being forced out of said recessed portion by said baising means.

14. The improved mechanism as defined in claim 13, wherein said biasing means is a coil spring, said spring and said crank being each loosely mounted upon a stud projecting from said preventing means.

15. The improved mechanism as defined in claim 14, wherein said preventing means is an L-shaped plate, and further including means for attaching said plate to the back of said pull, whereby said spring, crank, and plate can be attached as a unit to said pull.

16. The improved mechanism as defined in claim 10, and further including means for mounting said pull within said member by sliding the former into the latter from the front side of said member.

17. The improved mechanism as defined in claim 16, wherein said mounting means includes a mounting member spaced from the rear of said closure member a distance which will accommodate said pull recessed within said closure member, said spacing of said mounting member being such as to prevent insertion of said pull thereinto except by way of the front of said closure member.