US2993719A - Adjustable strike plate - Google Patents

Description

July 25, 1961 MANCHESTER 2,993,719

ADJUSTABLE STRIKE PLATE Filed Oct. 5, 1959 IN VEN T02 P0 WE G MANCHES r512 5y 2% A/zMQ A TTOPNE Y m Pat nt? 2,993,719... ADJUSTABLE STRIKE PLATE Rowe G, Manchester, 7731 E. Vandorf St.,

South San Gabriel, Calif. Filed 'Oct. 5, 1959, Ser. No. 844,242 7 Claims. (Cl. 292-64118) 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 dampmass or other causes will frequently require resetting of the Strike plate to properly retain the lock.

Adjustable strike plates have been proposed heretofore. However, such type strike plates have generally proved commercially unsuccessful particularly because they are too complicated and cost considerably more than standard single piece, non-adjustable strike plates. That is, such adjustable strike plates generally comprise two or more components movable relative to each other whereby to adjust the strike or keeper edge to a proper position relative to the lock bolt when the door is closed.

A principal object of the present invention is to overcome the above noted disadvaiit'ages of prior adjustable strike plates, 7

Another object is to provide an adjustable strike 'plate which is of one-piece construction.

Another object is to provide an adjustable strike plate which may be manufactured at a cost similar to or less than the cost of a standard non-adjustable strike plate.

Another object is to provide an adjustable strike plate whose strike edge is initially manufactured in a medial position.

Another object is to provide an adjustable strike plate which may be installed in the same manner as a standard non-adjustable strike plate and which need not be adjusted unless necessary.

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

FIG. 1 is a perspective view of an adjustable strike plate embodying the present invention and illustrating the same mounted in a conventional door jamb.

FIG. 2 is a front view illustrating the strike plate with its strike edge adjusted away from the bolt receiving openmg.

FIG. 3 is a view similar to FIG, 2 but illustrating the strike edge in a medial position.

FIG. 4 is a view similar to FIGS. 2 and 3, but illustrating the strike edge adjusted toward the bolt receiving opening.

FIG. 5 is a sectional view taken along line 5--5 of FIG. 3.

The strike plate, generally indicated at 11, is illustrated as mounted in a recess formed in a conventional wood door jamb generally indicated at 12. Wood screws 13 pass through openings in the strike plate and are threaded into the door jamb to hold the strike plate in position.

The strike plate has a bolt receiving opening 14 formed therein which is aligned with a somewhat similarly shaped notch 15 formed in the door jamb 12. A strike or keeper edge 16, formed on a web 17 struck from the strike plate, defines one edge of the opening 14,

Slots 18 and 19 are formed in the plate 11 to extend the length of the web 17 and strike edge 16 beyond the top and bottom edges of the opening 14. The edge of the web 17 opposite the strike edge is defined by a slot 20 which terminates in line with the outer ends of the slots 18 and 19.

Slots 21 and 22, extending parallel to the length of the web, are formed in the web, and their outer ends terminate in line with the outer ends of the slots 18, 19, and 20.

The slots '21 and 22 form parallel legs, i.e. 23, at 0}!- posite ends of the web 17, while the center section of the web is restricted in width to a dimension slightly wider than the widths of the legs, i.e. 23. A tongue 24 is formed to extend into the cut-out portion 24a of the center section of the web for a purpose to be described presently.

The strike plate is manufactured in the form shown in FIG. 3 with the strike edge 16 located in a medial position.

When installing the strike plate in the door jamb an attempt is generally made to locate the same so that the strike edge 16 lies directly adjacent the engaging edge 25' (FIG, 5) of the lock bolt 25. In the event that too small a clearance exists between the strike edge and the bolt, a screw driver or similar too'l, whose blade is indicated by the dot=dash lines 26, is inserted in one of the slots 18, 19, 21 or 22 and is rotated clockwise about its axis, causing the web 17 to deform away from the bolt opening toward its position shown in FIG. 2.

In the event that too great a clearance exists between the strike edge and the bolt, the blade 26 is preferably inserted in the cut-out portion 24a and the tool is rotated against the tongue 24, thereby' deforming the web 17 toward its position shown in FIG.- 4. A similar result could be achieved by inserting the blade 26 in any of the slots 20, 21 or 22 and rotating the tool counterclockwise a desired amount.

Due to the parallel action of the spaced legs, i.e. 23, of the web 17, the Web can be readily deformed in the plane of the strike plate by the tool without tending to twist or deflect out of such plane. At the same time, the web will resist bending due to pressure thereagainst by the lock bolt when attempting to open the door without withdrawing the bolt.

It will be further noted that the conformation of the web 17 is such that the tip 27 of the lock bolt will not catch within any of the slots, i.e. 20, when sliding across the face of the strike plate. For this reason, the tongue 24 extends inward sufficiently to prevent the bolt tip from engaging in the slot 20 in the different adjusted positions of the web.

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

1. An adjustable strike plate for door locks, said strike plate having a lock bolt receiving opening, one edge of said opening forming a strike edge, said plate having a slot extending substantially the length of said strike edge and forming a web containing said strike edge, said plate having tool receiving openings in said web adjacent the ends of said slot, and said web being deformable toward and away from said opening by a suitable tool.

2. An adjustable strike plate for door locks, said strike plate having a lock bolt receiving opening, one edge of said opening forming a strike edge, said plate having a slot extending substantially the length of said strike edge and forming a web containing said strike edge, said plate having tool receiving slots in said web adjacent the ends of said slot, said slots extending parallel to said edge, and said web being deformable toward and away from said opening by rotative movement of an elongate tool blade about its axis in one of said tool receiving slots.

3. An adjustable strike plate for door locks, said strike plate having a lock bolt receiving opening, one edge of having spaced tool receiving slots in said web adjacent 'the ends of said slot, the portion of said web intermediate said tool receiving slots defining a central portion, said 'slots extending parallel to said edge, and said web being deformable toward and away from said opening by rtative movement of an elongate tool blade about its axis in one of said tool receiving slots, the width of each of -those'portions of said web between said tool receiving slots and said strike edge and between said tool receiving slots and said first mentioned slot being at least substantially the same as the Width of said central portion of said web between said first mentioned slot and said strike edge.

4. An adjustable strike plate for door locks, said plate of slots at opposite ends of said strike edge, said slots extending to said opening and extending parallel to said edge whereby to extend said edge beyond said opening,

from said opening by rotative movement of an elongate tool about its axis in certain of said slots.

5. An adjustable strike plate for door locks, said plate having a lock bolt receiving opening, one edge of said opening forming a strike edge, said plate having a slot extending substantially the length of said strike edge and forming a web containing said strike edge, said web being deformable toward and away from said opening,

' said web having a cut-out portion in the center of the having a lock bolt receiving opening, one edge of said opening forming a strike edge, said plate having a pair edge thereof opposite said strike edge, and a tongue on said plate extending into said cut-out portion.

6. An adjustable strike plate for door locks, said plate having a lock bolt receiving opening, one edge of said opening forming a strike edge, said plate having a slot extending substantially the length of said strike edge and forming a web containing said strike edge, said web being deformable toward and away from said opening, said web having a cut-out portion in the center of the edge thereof opposite said strike edge, said web having additional slots extending intermediate said cut-out portion and the ends of said web, and a tongue on said plate extending into said cut-out portion.

7. An adjustable strike plate for door locks, said strike plate having a lock bolt receiving opening, the portion of said strike plate surrounding said opening extending in a flat plane, an elongate slot in said portion, the part of said portion intermediate said opening and said slot forming a web, the side edge of said web which forms part of said opening defining a strike edge, said web being deformable edgewise toward said opening, and a 'side edge of said portion which defines part of said slot opposite a side edge of said Web which also defines part of said slot having a part located closer to said strike edge than a part of said last mentioned side edge of said web.

References Cited in the file of this patent UNITED STATES PATENTS 1,919,798 Gottlieb Jan. 5, 1960 FOREIGN PATENTS 164,993 Sweden Oct. 7, 1958 419,818 Great Britain Nov. 20, 1934 .7 .'620,771 France Ian. 24, 1927

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