Door structure

Abstract

A door structure having a pair of hinged doors opening from the center, with one of said doors having a post-like member mounted on its center edge containing a latch mechanism. The latch mechanism includes an upper and lower axial movable shafts and an operating mechanism between said shafts for extending the upper and lower ends of the respective shafts into slots of the frame of the door. An operating lever for said mechanism is disposed along the center edge of the door and operates both of said shafts simultaneously to lock and unlock the door. A lock on the other door includes a bolt which extends into the post-like member which includes a plate along the inner side having a channel for receiving a decorative strip and providing a flange against which the other door seats when it is closed.

Description

Double doors are frequently used for the rear opening of campers, pick-up campers, trailers and other vehicles, with each door being hung to swing outwardly and being latched at the center. One of the doors is latched to the frame of the door, either at the bottom or top or both, with chain bolts, which require anyone opening both doors to reach inside of the vehicle compartment, and which occasionally become unlatched, thus permitting both doors to swing open while the vehicle is traveling, even though both doors were initially locked. Further, these prior doors sometimes became loose and permitted dust and dirt to sift into the compartment either while the vehicle is parked or traveling. It is therefore one of the principal objects of the present invention to provide a double door structure which includes a center member or box between the doors, but secured to one of them and containing and enclosing the latching mechanism, and in which the operating handle for the latch mechanism is located between the doors so that the latch mechanism for one of the doors cannot be operated until the other door has been opened, thus eliminating unintentional unlocking of both doors simultaneously.

Another object of the invention is to provide a double door structure having bolts at the top and bottom which are operated simultaneously by a single lever located between the door, and which are fully concealed within the door structure and frame when the doors are closed.

Still another object of the invention is to provide a double door structure of the aforesaid type in which the basic structure of the two is identical in construction, and a center member or box containing the latching mechanism is secured to the center edge of one of the doors, thus eliminating the need for fabricating doors of different construction for the double door combination.

A further object is to provide a center door box member containing a latch mechanism for double doors, which can be easily assembled in place and secured to the center edge of one of the doors, and which includes a means for retaining a panel insert for matching the decor in the compartment of the camper or other vehicle.

Additional objects and advantages of the present invention will become apparent from the following description and accompanying drawings, wherein:

FIG. 1 is a perspective view of a camper showing the present door structure installed thereon;

FIG. 2 is a perspective view similar to that shown in FIG. 1 showing the doors in open position;

FIG. 3 is a fragmentary perspective view showing one of the doors open and one of the doors closed;

FIG. 4 is a perspective view of the door structure of FIGS. 1, 2 and 3 showing the double door arrangement with one of the doors in open position;

FIG. 5 is a vertical cross sectional view taken on line 5 -- 5 of FIG. 4;

FIG. 6 is a vertical cross sectional view taken on line 6 -- 6 of FIG. 5, showing the door in latched position;

FIG. 7 is a vertical cross sectional view similar to that shown in FIG. 6, showing the door in its unlatched position;

FIG. 8 is an enlarged fragmentary cross sectional view of the area indicated by Numeral 8 on FIG. 6;

FIG. 9 is a horizontal cross sectional view taken on line 9 -- 9 of FIG. 8; and

FIG. 10 is a perspective view of a parts retainer of the latch mechanism shown in FIGS. 8 and 9.

Referring more specifically to the drawings, numeral 10 indicates generally a camper having the present door structure 12 installed therein. For the purpose of the present description, the camper is considered conventional and consists of a body 14, and an undercarriage 16. The present door structure, however, is designed to be used in combination with a variety of different kinds of vehicles such as pick-up campers, fifth wheel campers, travel trailers, mobile homes and the like. The camper may also be of the fold down type, i.e. a camper in which the top is elevated when it is being used and folded down on the upper edges of the body when it is being moved.

The door structure to which the present invention relates includes a frame 20 having upper and lower frame members 22 and 24 and vertical side members 26 and 28, the two doors 30 and 32 being hinged to vertical frame members 26 and 28, respectively, as illustrated by numerals 34 and 36. The doors are essentially identical in construction, those shown in the drawings consisting of a peripheral frame 40 having outside panel 42 and inside panel 44 spaced from one another, the outside panel preferably being of material similar to that of the external surface of the vehicle body, and the inside panel preferably being finished to conform to the decor of the compartment of the camper or other vehicle body. The frame of the door is offset as illustrated at numeral 46, thus providing a flange 48 for seating on flange or outer edge 49 of the upper and lower frame members 22 and 24.

The principal feature of the present invention is the manner in which the double door arrangement is fastened, the feature consisting of a center post or box member 50 which is secured to the edge of the inner frame member of one of the doors, for example door 30. The post swings with the door and contains the latch mechanism for securing the door in its closed position. The post forms a part of the door and swings with the door when the door is opened, and consists of a generally rectangular channel member or box 60 of metal such as extruded aluminum. This box is secured to the inner edge of the door frame by a plurality of screws 62 extending through wall 64 of the box into the frame of the door, and is thus held securely in place by the screws so that it effectively becomes a part of the door. The box contains the latch mechanism, best seen in FIGS. 8, 9, and 10, consisting of an upper shaft 70, a lower shaft 72 and an operating mechanism 74 connected to the two shafts and including links 76 and 78, respectively. The upper shaft 70 is supported for axial movement by a plate 80 at the upper end of the box and a bracket 82 near the lock mechanism, and the lower shaft is retained in position for axial movement by a plate 84 at the bottom of the post and a bracket 86 near the operating mechanism 74. The two brackets are rigidly secured to a retainer 88, which in turn is secured to the inner surface of wall 90 of the box member. The retainer includes holes 92 and 94 in side walls 96 and 98 for receiving a shaft 106, and a slot 100 is provided in retainer wall 102 for receiving the operating handle 104 of the operating mechanism. Shaft 106 is journalled in holes 92 and 94 for free rotative movement of lock operating element 110.

The upper and lower ends of shafts 70 and 72 extend into holes 112 and 114 of door frame members 22 and 24 and hold door 30 in firmly latched position when the operating handle is moved upwardly to extend the two shafts 70 and 72 upwardly and downwardly, respectively. When the latch is in the position to latch the door closed, operating handle 104 is almost fully retracted into slot 100, thereby permitting door 32 to close without any interference from the handle. Door 32 is retained in its closed position by a lock 120 having a handle 122 on its inner side and knob 124 on its outer side, and a bolt 124 for seating in slot 126 in box member 50. The knob may have a keyhole or slot for locking the door.

The box member 50 has a plate 140 on the inner side adapted to receive a strip 142 which can be inserted into the slots 144 and 146 when the box member is being assembled on the door. The insert is normally of a material which blends with the decor or trim of the inside of the camper or other vehicle body. After the box member has been secured in place, the latch mechanism can be installed in the post by sliding wall 90 into slots 148 and 150 in the body of the post. Thus, with this type of an assembly, the extruded body of the post can be firmly secured to the door and then the latch installed so that a rigid, permanent structure is obtained with a minimum amount of cutting and drilling being required.

In the assembly and operation of the present door structure, the frame is installed in the opening provided therefor in the vehicle body, either with or without the doors. The door structure including the two doors may be constructed separately and the entire door assembly inserted as a unit. In the construction of the door assembly, the box member 50 is secured to door 30 by screws 62, and the lock assembly on wall 90 is inserted in the hollow body of the box member. After the post has been secured to the door and assembled in the foregoing manner, door 30 may be easily latched when it is in closed position by merely raising the operating handle from a downwardly extending position shown in FIG. 7 to an upwardly extending position seen in FIG. 6, the latter position holding the extended ends of shafts 70 and 72 in holes 112 and 114, thus retaining the door in its closed position. With the latch mechanism in the position shown in FIGS. 6 and 8, door 32 can be secured in closed position by lock 120, the outer edge of plate 140 forming a flange 160 against which the inner side of the frame of door 32 seats to form, in effect, a jamb and seal for the door, thus closing any space which might otherwise exist between the two doors. A seal strip 162 is preferably used to form a water tight seal between the doors.

Since the operating handle 104 is disposed between the doors and operates both the upper and lower shafts simultaneously to latch the door at the top and bottom, the door 30 remains securely in closed position when the handle is moved to its upper latching position. The door post or box member thereby forms a firm and reliable securing member for lock 120 when door 32 is closed. With the handle disposed between the doors, it cannot be operated to open door 30 until door 32 has been opened, thus eliminating inadvertently opening of the two doors simultaneously by accidentally releasing a latch mechanism such as normally used on the double door arrangement of the prior double doors. The door structure can be made of various sizes and can be adapted to various types of vehicles, and can be provided with the proper paneling, both inside and out, to match the decor and trim. One of the particular advantages of the present structure is that the post or box member permits the two doors to be substantially identical in construction and size, since the post or box member is a separate unit which is secured to the door after the door has been assembled.

While the description herein has referred to a door structure, the same concept can be applied to a window; hence, reference to a door structure is intended to be sufficiently broad to embrace the use of the invention in a window structure. Only one embodiment of the door structure has been described in detail herein; however, various changes and modifications may be made without departing from the scope of the invention.

Claims

I claim:

1. A door structure comprising a frame, a pair of doors hinged to said frame and opening from the center, a box member secured to the center edge of one of said doors and having an elongated channel of generally rectangular cross section and an elongated strip insertable in the edge of said box facing the other door, a latch means disposed in said box member and having a retainer and an upper and lower axially movable shaft for engaging a socket in the frame at the top and bottom parts thereof, guide means for said shafts disposed in said channel, and an operating mechanism in said retainer having a member interconnecting said shafts and having an operating handle disposed along the edge of said box member between said doors when said doors are in closed position for operating both of said shafts simultaneously, said latch means being mounted on said elongated strip and being inserted in said channel as said strip closes the open side of said channel, and a means on said other door for retaining it in closed position while said latch means is retaining said other door in closed position.

2. A door structure as defined in claim 1 in which said channel is secured to the edge of one of said doors with the open side of the channel facing the other of said doors.

3. A door structure as defined in claim 2 in which said operating handle extends through an elongated slot in said strip and is retracted into said channel when the door is latched.

4. A door operating structure as defined in claim 3 in which said operating mechanism includes a shaft, rotatable member mounted on said shaft in said channel and links connecting said rotatable member to the inner ends of said shafts.

5. A door structure as defined in claim 1 in which said box member includes a plate along the inner side thereof providing a flange extending beyond the center edge of said box member for said other door to seat thereon.

6. A door structure as defined in claim 4 in which said box member includes a plate along the inner side thereof providing a flange extending beyond the center edge of said box member for said other door to seat thereon.

7. A door structure as defined in claim 6 in which said plate includes a channel and, an insert of decorative material is seated in said channel.

8. A door structure as defined in claim 1 in which said means on the other door is a lock having a bolt extending from the center edge of the door and said box member includes a slot for receiving the end of said bolt for locking said other door in closed position.

9. A door structure as defined in claim 6 in which said means on the other door is a lock having a bolt extending from the center edge of the door, and said box member includes a slot for receiving the end of said bolt for locking said other door in closed position.