US2695807A - Strike plate - Google Patents

Description

NOV. 30, 1954 J B|$$QT 2,695,807

STRIKE PLATE Filed Aug. 8, 1952 FIE i5- I 3 (/5 EIE Z EI1ELE E H3141;

INVENTOR. J0$EPH E. Busor ATTOP/VEY United States Patent 2,695,807 STRIKE PLATE Joseph E. Bissot, Culver City, Calif., assignor to Rowe G. Manchester, County of Los Angelcs, Calif.

h Application August 8, 1952, Serial No. 303,214

1 Claim. (Cl. 292341.18)

This invention relates to door locks and has particular reference to improvements in a strike plate which is secured to a door jamb or frame, to be engaged by a lock bolt carried on a door. The present invention is a continuation-in-part of my copending application, Serial No. 187,589, filed on September 29, 1950, and now abandoned.

When installing locks and strike plates therefor trouble is often encountered in properly aligning these elements since a strike plate should be so positioned that a bolt just passes the keeper edge of the plate upon closing the door. Too great a clearance will permit the door to rattle, whereas not enough clearance will prevent the bolt from locking.

Even if the strike plate is properly installed originally, shrinking or swelling of the door or its frame due to dampness or other causes will frequently require resetting of the strike plate to properly retain the lock.

Although adjustable strike plates have been proposed heretofore, they have generally proved commercially unsuccessful, probably because they are either too complicated and unsightly or, because of their adjustable feature, they are necessarily bulky, as well as expensive to manufacture. Also, such adjustable plates cannot be used to replace the usual fixed strike plates without extensive mortising or reworking of the door frame to receive the same.

It therefore becomes a principal object of the present invention to overcome the above noted ditficulties and defects in prior adjustable strike plates.

Another object is to provide an adjustable strike plate assembly which is simple in construction and which may be manufactured at a cost comparable to that of a conventional fixed strike plate.

A further object is to provide an adjustable strike plate having no visible adjustment features, such as slots, etc., which would otherwise collect dirt and the like.

A further object is to provide an adjustable strike plate assembly which is similar in appearance and size to a fixed strike plate whereby to require a minimum of additional mortising of the door frame in order to substitute the same for the usual fixed strike plate.

A further object is to facilitate forming an adjustable strike plate of stamped sheet metal.

The manner in which the above and other objects of the invention are accomplished will be readily understood on reference to the following specifications when read in conjunction with the accompanying drawings, wherein:

Fig. 1 is is a perspective view of an adjustable strike plate embodying the present invention, illustrating the same assembled in a conventional door jamb.

Figs. 2 and 3 are front views of the strike plate assembly showing the same in different adjusted positions and assembled in a door jamb.

Fig. 4 is a front view of the strike plate.

Fig. 5 is a sectional plan view of the strike plate assembly and is taken along the line 5-5 of Fig. 3.

Referring to the drawings, the strike plate assembly comprises a strike plate element generally indicated at and a retainer plate generally indicated at 11. The retainer plate is flat and generally U-shaped when viewed from the front, with two rectangular wings 11a extending forwardly from the opposite ends of a central web section 11b. The retainer plate is preferably formed of sheet metal and is provided with counter-sunk holes 12 located centrally of the wings 11a to receive the heads of wood screws 13. The latter are inserted through the holes 12 to secure the assembly to a door jamb generally indicated at 14.

The strike plate element 10 is also generally U-shaped, being provided with two rectangular wings 15 extending rearwardly from the opposite ends of acentral tongue 17.

In order to form the strike plate with a minimum waste of material from sheet metal and at the same time make the outer surface of the tongue 17 flush with the outer surface of the retainer plate 11, the tongue is folded over from the remaining body of the strike plate as shown at 19 (Fig. 5). This provides a strike or keeper edge 20, against which the bolt rests when the door is locked, of twice the thickness of the metal from which the strike plate is formed. Also, by virtue of this construction the length (height) of the tongue 17 is such that it snugly and slidably fits within the adjacent edges of the wings 11a of the retainer plate 11 when the elements are assembled. This leaves no unsightly exposed slots or shoulders which would tend to collect dust and dirt, while the bent over formation of the tongue materially strengthens the strike plate element 10.

The forward end of the tongue curves inwardly toward its leading edge, as seen particularly in Fig. 5, whereby to cam the bolt of the door look into retracted condition as the same is moved over the tongue to its locked position.

Both of the juxtaposed faces of the elements of the strike plate, i. e., the outer face of the strike plate element 10 and the inner face of the retainer plate 11, are serrated or provided with vertically extending V-grooves as at 21 to facilitate locking the same in different adjusted positions. To enable such adjustment, elongated slots 23 are formed in the wings 15 of the strike plate element 10 through which the screws 13 extend after passing through the holes 12 in the retainer plate.

It will be noted particularly on reference to Figs. 2 and 3, that the wings 15 of the strike plate element are of a width somewhat less than the width of the wings 11a of the retainer plate. This permits lateral adjustment of the element 10 between the outer and inner limits of adjustment as illustrated in Figs. 2 and 3, respectively, without moving past the boundaries of wings 11a of the retainer plate. Therefore, the adjustment feature remains hidden in all adjusted positions of the strike plate. When using the present adjustable strike plate assembly on door jambs for doors, a lateral adjustment on the order of is found sufilcient in most cases, although, by applicants construction, this adjustment may be varied as desired.

In mounting and adjusting the strike plate assembly on a door jamb, the latter is mortised in the same manner as a fixed strike plate, and a recess 21 is cut in the door jamb for alignment with the rectangular opening 18 formed by the two strike plate elements to receive the latch bolt. When the screws 13 are tightened they will lock the whole assembly in place on the door jamb and will also lock the strike plate element 10 in fixed relation to the retainer plate. If adjustment is found necessary the screws are backed 01f, the door is closed, and the strike plate element is adjusted so that the keeper edge 24) just touches the lock bolt, whereupon the door is again opened and the screws are re-tightened.

Since the size and shape of the present adjustable strike plate is substantially the same as that of a fixed strike plate, there being no protuberances or the like, the same can be easily substituted for a fixed plate of similar general dimensions with little if any additional mortising of the door jamb.

Further, the assembly, when mounted on a door jamb, will appear the same as a fixed strike plate.

Having thus described the invention, what I desire to secure by United States Letters Patent is:

An adjustable strike plate assembly for door locks comprising; a fiat sheet metal generally U-shaped retainer plate, the legs of said retainer plate defining wings of substantial width having spaced parallel inner edges, a strike plate having a sheet metal tongue of the same thickness as said retainer plate snugly slidably fitting between said edges in flush relation to said wings, spaced flat sheet metal extensions fixedly secured to said tongue with their outer faces substantially flush with the rear face of said tongue, said extensions respectively completely underlying said wings in surface engagement therewith and being of substantially lesser dimension than said wings in the direction of said edges, a screw hole in each of said Wings, openings through said extensions in registry with said screw holes, said openings being of greater Width than said screw holes in the direction of said edges, portions of the engaging surfaces of said wings and extensions being provided with complementary interengaging linear serrations extending in a direction transverse to said edges, said tongue and extensions comprising inte ral portions of a sheet metal member, a portion of said member extending between said extensions in underlying relation to the plane of said tongue, said portion being integrally joined to said tongue along a fold line extending between said edges of said wings and defining a latch bolt engaging shoulder.

References Cited in the file of this patent UNITED STATES PATENTS Number Name Date 769,770 Phelps Sept. 13, 1904 1,143,610 Carr June 22, 1915 1,214,227 Schwenk Ian. 30, 1917 1,445,681 Hage Feb. 20, 1923 2,127,891 Starling Aug. 23, 1938 2,166,735 Sward July 18, '1939 2,446,206 Beckman Aug. 3, 2,604,347 Snyder July 22, 1952

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