Door latches

Claim 1

A mortice latch assembly comprising a tubular body and a subassembly insertable as a unit through one end of said tubular body, said subassembly comprising a slam bolt and a bolt spring and a follower and a rotary actuator, the bolt being slidable in the body between a forward projecting latching position and a rear retracted release position, the actuator seating on the body for angular movement transverse to the direction of bolt sliding movement, the bolt having side limbs that extend rearwardly from a front nose portion of the bolt, the follower being slidable in the body between the bolt limbs, the spring being disposed between the bolt limbs and acting in compression between the rear of the bolt nose and the front of the follower, the actuator, having an operating projection between the bolt limbs that engages with the bolt limbs to hold the subassembly together for fitting into the body, the bolt limbs having cam surfaces thereon that contact the actuator projection and that are inclined to the direction of bolt sliding movement so that rotation of the actuator in one direction from a rest position moves the bolt rearwardly, the follower having a cam surface thereon that contacts the actuator projection and that is inclined to the direction of bolt sliding movement and oppositely inclined to the cam surfaces of the bolt limbs so that rotation of the actuator in said one direction from said rest position moves the follower forwardly.