Inertia actuated door locking mechanism

Claim 2

In combination with an upright vehicle door disposed in a plane at least generally paralleling the intended direction of movement of said vehicle and provided with an oscillatable door latch lock actuator shiftable back and forth between active and inactive positions, respectively, said door including support means, weight means mounted from said support means for oscillating movement of a major portion of said weight means along a generally horizontal path generally paralleling said plane, and motion transmitting means operatively connecting said major portion of said weight means to said actuator for downward shifting of said actuator from said inactive position to said active position in response to inertia shifting of said major portion of said weight means in one direction along said path, said support means comprising a horizontally disposed bar generally paralleling said plane, said weight means comprising a weight body having a laterally upwardly opening open-ended slot formed therein in which said bar is loosely received, an upper roller journaled in an upper portion of said slot above said bar and whose lower periphery is rollingly engaged with the upper longitudinal surface of said bar.

Claim 3

The combination of claim 1 including a pair of lower rollers journaled in opposite end portions of said slot and including upper peripheral portions closely underlying the lower longitudinal surface of said bar for rolling engagement therewith.

Claim 4

In combination with an upright vehicle door disposed in a plane at least generally paralleling the intended direction of movement of said vehicle and provided with a vertically shiftable door latch lock actuator shiftable between upper and lower active and inactive positions, respectively, said door including support means, weight means mounted from said support means for oscillating movement of a major portion of said weight means along a generally horizontal path generally paralleling said plane, and motion transmitting means operatively connecting said major portion of said weight means to said actuator for downward shifting of said actuator from said inactive position to said active position in response to inertia shifting of said major portion of said weight means in one direction along said path, said support means comprising a horizontally disposed bar generally paralleling said plane, said weight means comprising a weight body having a laterally upwardly opening open-ended slot formed therein in which said bar is loosely received, an upper roller journaled in an upper portion of said slot above said bar and whose lower periphery is rollingly engaged with the upper longitudinal surface of said bar.

Claim 5

In combination with an upright vehicle door disposed in a plane at least generally paralleling the intended direction of movement of said vehicle and provided with a vertically shiftable door latch lock actuator shiftable between upper and lower active and inactive positions, respectively, said door including support means, weight means mounted from said support means for oscillating movement of a major portion of said weight means along a generally horizontal path generally paralleling said plane, and motion transmitting means operatively connecting said major portion of said weight means to said actuator for downward shifting of said actuator from said inactive position to said active position in response to inertia shifting of said major portion of said weight means in one direction along said path, said support means comprising a horizontally disposed bar generally paralleling said plane, said weight means comprising a weight body having a laterally upwardly opening open-ended slot formed therein in which said bar is loosely received, an upper roller journaled in an upper portion of said slot above said bar and whose lower periphery is rollingly engaged with the upper longitudinal surface of said bar.

Claim 6

The combination of claim 3 including a pair of lower rollers journaled in opposite end lower portions of said slot and including upper peripheral portions closely underlying the lower longitudinal surface of said bar for rolling engagement therewith.

Claim 7

The combination of claim 4 wherein said upper roller is generally centered between upstanding transverse vertical planes containing the axes of rotation of said lower rollers.