Door latch assembly with pushbutton actuation

Claim 2

An improved door latch assembly which is useful for latching and locking a door relative to a doorway and which can be unlatched from one side of the door even when a lock is applied to an opposite side of the door, comprising the combination of: a base plate which can be attached to a surface of a door, a housing secured to said base plate by securing means which are concealed when said base plate is attached to the surface of the door, a lever plate mounted for rocking movement about a fixed pivotal axis which is substantially parallel to a surface of the door, said lever plate being completely enclosed within said housing, a pawl means mounted for rocking movement about a fixed pivotal axis within said housing, said pawl means having (a) a latching end which extends out of an open end of the housing, and (b) a locking shoulder which can be engaged by a first end of said lever plate to prevent rocking movement of the pawl means in one direction about its pivotal axis, first spring means for normally urging the lever plate in a direction which will cause the first end of the lever plate to contact the lockIng shoulder of said pawl means so as to prevent rocking movement of the pawl means in one rotational direction about its fixed pivotal axis, said first spring means extending between a portion of said base plate and a back surface of said lever plate, a second spring means for normally urging said pawl means in a direction which maintains the locking shoulder of the pawl means in engagement with said first end of the lever plate, said second spring means extending between a front surface of said lever plate and a portion of said pawl means, a pushbutton means mounted to extend through said housing for movement towards and away from said lever plate, said pushbutton means being positioned to contact said lever plate and to release the end of the lever plate from its engagement with the locking shoulder of the pawl means when the pushbutton means is pushed towards the surface of the door on which the housing and base plate are secured, whereby said pawl is released by merely pressing said pushbutton means, a keeper means mounted on a wall or door frame adjacent to the position of said housing and base plate so that the latching end of said pawl means engages the keeper means in a latching relationship when the door is in a closed position relative to a doorway, and a releasing means mounted through the door and said base plate so as to engage a portion of said lever plate, said releasing means being operable from an opposite side of the door from which said housing and base plate are mounted, and said releasing means being positioned to contact said lever plate to move said lever plate out of engagement with said pawl means without moving said pushbutton means.

Claim 3

An improved door latch assembly which is useful for latching and locking a door relative to a doorway and which can be unlatched from one side of the door even when a lock is applied to an opposite side of the door, comprising the combination of: a base plate which can be attached to a surface of a door, a housing secured to said base plate by securing means which are concealed when said base plate is attached to the surface of the door, a lever plate mounted for rocking movement about a fixed pivotal axis which is substantially parallel to a surface of the door, said lever plate being completely enclosed within said housing, a pawl means mounted for rocking movement about a fixed pivotal axis within said housing, said pawl means having (a) a latching end which extends out of an open end of the housing, and (b) a locking shoulder which can be engaged by a first end of said lever plate to prevent rocking movement of the pawl means in one direction about its pivotal axis, first spring means for normally urging the lever plate in a direction which will cause the first end of the lever plate to contact the locking shoulder of said pawl means so as to prevent rocking movement of the pawl means in one rotational direction about its fixed pivotal axis, a second spring means for normally urging said pawl means in a direction which maintains the locking shoulder of the pawl means in engagement with said first end of the lever plate, a pushbutton means mounted to extend through said housing for movement towards and away from said lever plate, said pushbutton means being positioned to contact said lever plate and to release the end of the lever plate from its engagement with the locking shoulder of the pawl means when the pushbutton means is pushed towards the surface of the door on which the housing and base plate are secured, whereby said pawl is released by merely pressing said pushbutton means, said pushbutton means having a bore formed transversely therethrough for receiving a locking device which prevents movement of the push button means towards the lever plate, a third spring means interposed between said pushbutton means and said lever plate so as to normally urge said pushbutton means outwardly away from said lever plate, a keeper means mounteD on a wall or door frame adjacent to the position of said housing and base plate so that the latching end of said pawl means engages the keeper means in a latching relationship when the door is in a closed position relative to a doorway, and a releasing means mounted through the door and said base plate so as to engage a portion of said lever plate, said releasing means being operable from an opposite side of the door from which said housing and base plate are mounted, and said releasing means being positioned to contact said lever plate to move said lever plate out of engagement with said pawl means without moving said pushbutton means.

Claim 4

An improved door latch assembly which is useful for latching and locking a door relative to a doorway and which can be unlatched from one side of the door even when a lock is applied to an opposite side of the door, comprising the combination of: a base plate which can be attached to a surface of a door, a housing secured to said base plate by securing means which are concealed when said base plate is attached to the surface of the door, a lever plate mounted for rocking movement about a fixed pivotal axis which is substantially parallel to a surface of the door, said lever plate being completely enclosed within said housing, a pawl means mounted for rocking movement about a fixed pivotal axis within said housing, said pawl means having (a) a latching end which extends out of an open end of the housing, and (b) a locking shoulder which can be engaged by a first end of said lever plate to prevent rocking movement of the pawl means in one direction about its pivotal axis, first spring means for normally urging the lever plate in a direction which will cause the first end of the lever plate to contact the locking shoulder of said pawl means so as to prevent rocking movement of the pawl means in one rotational direction about its fixed pivotal axis, a second spring means for normally urging said pawl means in a direction which maintains the locking shoulder of the pawl means in engagement with said first end of the lever plate, a pushbutton means mounted to extend through said housing for movement towards and away from said lever plate, said pushbutton means being positioned to contact said lever plate and to release the end of the lever plate from its engagement with the locking shoulder of the pawl means when the pushbutton means is pushed towards the surface of the door on which the housing and base plate are secured, whereby said pawl is released by merely pressing said pushbutton means, said pushbutton means having a bore formed transversely therethrough for receiving a locking device which prevents movement of the push button means towards the lever plate, a third spring means interposed between said pushbutton means and said lever plate so as to normally urge said pushbutton means outwardly away from said lever plate, a keeper means mounteD on a wall or door frame adjacent to the position of said housing and base plate so that the latching end of said pawl means engages the keeper means in a latching relationship when the door is in a closed position relative to a doorway, and a releasing means mounted through the door and said base plate so as to engage a portion of said lever plate, said releasing means being operable from an opposite side of the door from which said housing and base plate are mounted, and said releasing means being positioned to contact said lever plate to move said lever plate out of engagement with said pawl means without moving said pushbutton means.

Claim 5

The improvement of claim 1 wherein said pushbutton means includes a bore formed transversely therethrough for receiving a locking device which prevents movement of the pushbutton means towards said lever plate.

Claim 6

The improvement of claim 1 wherein said base plate includes a slot therethrough which is enlarged at one end so as to receive the head of a fastening element, whereby said base plate and housing can be attached to a flat surface by a fastening means which is concealed and inaccessible once the base plate and housing are attached to the flat surface.

Claim 7

The improvement of claim 1 wherein the lever plate is mounted into said housing by a pin means which is secured to the lever plate and which is carried by removable bearing elements fitted into recesses formed into interior surfaces of the housing, whereby no borings through the housing are required for assembling and receiving the pin means.

Claim 8

The improvement of claim 1 wherein said releasing means is mounted to contact a second end portion of said lever plate so as to move the second end portion of the lever plate outwardly away from the base plate.

Claim 9

The improvement of claim 1 wherein said housing has a fixed handle means formed onto its outer surface.

Claim 10

The improvement of claim 1 wherein said pawl means is fixed to a vertically disposed shaft which passes through said housing to permit rocking movement of the pawl means about said pivotal axis.

Claim 11

The improvement of claim 1 wherein said vertically disposed shaft extends to at least one additional latching assembly which also includes a pawl means which can be rocked relative to a keeper.