US2852293A - Hood latch - Google Patents

Description

Sept. 16, 1958 A. cLAuD-MANTLE 2,852,293

' HOOD LATCH Filed Dec. 4. 1955 v 8 Sheets-Sheet 1 MHH INVENTOR ATTORNEYS Sept' 16 1958 A. cLAUD-MANTLE l 2,852,293

`Hoon LATCH 8 Sheets-Sheet 2 Filed Dec. 4 1955 VZC vaga-g U 3 lllnumlil INVENTOR SePt- 16, 1.958 A. cLAuD-MANTLE I 2,852,293

Hoon LATCH 8 Sheets-Sheet 3 Filed Doo. 4. 1953 45 INVENTQR ABY' ATTORNEYS Sept. 16, `1.958 A; cLAUD-MANTLE HOOD LATCH 8 Sheets-Sheet 4 Filed Deo. 4. 1953 INVENTOR @JLM @24224-222215 ATTORNEY Sept 16, 1958 A. cLAuD-MANTLE I 2,852,293

HOOD LATCH Filed Dec. 4. 19543 a sheets-sheet 5 INVENTOR BY @un-iw @MAME- ATTORNEY sePt- 16 1958 A. cLAuD-MANTLE 2,852,293

Hoon LATCHv Filed Dec. 4, i953 e sheets-sheet e INVENTCIR @Af-'LM @lamb MM ATTORNEYS A. cLAUD-MANTLE A 2,852,293

sept.. 16, 195s HOOD LATCH 8 Sheets-Sheet 7 Filed Dec. 4. 1955 INVENTOR .flw man@ ATTORNEYS Sept. 16, 1958 A.. cLAuD-MANTLE HOOD LATCH 8 Sheets-Sheet 8 Filed Dec. 4. 1953 ATTORNE Y United States Patent C) HOOD LATCH Arthur Gland-Mantle, Trumbull, Conn., assignor to Bassick Company, Bridgeport, Conn., a corporation of Connecticut Application December 4, 1953, Serial No. 396,215

18 Claims.' (Cl. 292-54) This invention relates to hood latches for automobiles and more particularly to alligator-type hood latches where the parts of the latch are carried -by the forward end portion of the lid and a lower fixed p artadjacent a grille at the forward end of the engine enclosure.

An object of the present invention is to provide an improved latch of this general type.

Another object is to provideV an alligator hood latch in which, when the lid is moved from the openrto the closed position, the lid is guided in an improved manner without damage to'A the lidtor adjacent partspof the car, the structure of the latch being `such that ,serious defects of latches now in usefare iver'cfo'me.,t c i; y

Another object of fthe inventionv is tro provide a latch of the alligator-type vifith.Qinipfroved safety catch means for the hood lid, i* l y Another purpos'cof .the invention isl'to' a soperior latch mechanism adapted tfor 'manualfoperation from'tlie grille portion of .theV hood. v.

Fig. 1 is a partial'font 'en V elevation of 'an automobile equipped with a liood latch embodying the invention;

Fig. 2 is a fragmentary top plan view, with 'parts broken away, 'of the hood and its latch mechanism, the lid being in its latched position; y ,Y

Fig. 3 is an elevation of the vlatch Amechanismlooking from the front end ofthe car, certain parts of the hood being indicated by broken lines;

Fig. 4 is a side elevation of the'vla'tch with certain parts of the hood shown by broken lines; y

Fig. 5 is a section on line 5-5 of Fig. 3, the upper and lower carrying plates for the latch mechanism being shown inrthis case by full lines; 4 y v Fig. 6 is a section on line 6-1-'6 of Fig. 4;

Fig. 7 is a fragmentary'top plan view of the lower plate member of the latch, the primary latching lever and the safety catch lever being in their 'protracted positions with respect to the latch aperture; l

Fig. 8 is a bottom plan view of the latch plate member shown inFig. 4"7;

Fig. 9 is apartial view of 'the lower plate member'showing both the primary latching lever and thesafety catch lever in their released positions;

Fig. l0 is a viewsiinilar to Fig. 1 showing a modified form of latch in which lthe keeper, instead of vb'ei'rig carried by the lid, is carried by the lower xed part of the engine enclosure;

Fig. 1l is a fragmentary planv view with parts broken away of the latch mechanism shown in Fig. 10;

Fig. 12 is Aan enlarged front elevation Lof this form o latch mechanism;

Fig. 13 is a side 'elevation of this latch mechanism;

Fig. 14 is a section on line 14--14 of Fig. l2;

Fig. 15 is a section on line 1f5-'1'5'of Fig. 13;

Fig. 16 is a top plan view of -*the'upper'1'3late member of this latch, with 'the safety catch lever and the primary latching lever in 'their no'ri'nal positions; and

2,852,293 Patented Sept. 16, 1958 ICC Fig. 17 is a detail perspective view of the safety catch lever looking toward the inner side thereof.

ln the form illustrated, by way of example, in Figs. 1 to 9, inclusive, the organization of parts includes a depending rigid keeper in the form of a plunger or post carried by the forward end of the lid and in this instance having a conical head at the lower extremity adapted to be latched by a latching member mounted on the lower lixed part of the engine enclosure. As a part of the latch mechanism, there is provided a lifting spring for the lid, but this spring, instead of embracing the keeper as in some prior latches, is spaced in a forward direction with reference to the keeper and is mounted upon the lower member of the latch, as hereinafter more particularly described. The keeper is adjustably connected at its upper end portion with a mounting that comprises upper and lower attaching plates between which is interposed a plate-like keeper-carrying member which is provided within the hood lid. The lower member of the latch comprises a main latch plate that is provided with a throat or aperture for receiving the keeper head and is further provided with a primary latching lever pivoted to the plate at the Iunder surface thereof and having a lug or tab engageable over and releasable from the upper part of the conical head on the keeper. The latch plate just referred to is arranged below a carrying plate on the lower fixed part of the engine enclosure and a portion of this carrying plate is sandwiched between the latch plate and a keeper-guiding member extending in an upward direction from the main latch plate. In this instance, the keeper-guiding member is in the form of a vertical channel having lower anges or foot portions by means of which this member is secured to the main latch plate with the carrying member or mounting member interposed. The guiding channel member has associated with it at one side, 4as hereinafter described, a safety catch member which is in the form of a lever mounted to swing in a horizontal direction and having a lug adapted to overlie the keeper head for the purpose of holding the hood lid in the safety position. The channeled guiding member in this form is also provided above and somewhat forwardly of the latch aperture with a casing portion in which is mounted a lid-lifting spring, as hereinafter described, said spring acting upon a stem or plunger projecting upwardly from the guiding member and adapted to be depressed by engagement with the upper mounting structure of the keeper for the purpose of energizing the spring when the lid is closed. The latching lever is operable manually from the forward end of the hood and for this purpose the body of the lever is extended from the latch mechanism in a direction which is transverse to the hood and is provided with an extension that has a forwardly offset manipulating portion that is easily accessible through the grille in a location where it is to one side of the longitudinal median line of the hood.

In the drawings, the rearwardly hinged hood lid is indicated at 20, the grille at the lower forward end of the hood at 21, the latch device in general at 22, the carrying plate within the upper part of the lid at 23, the carrying plate fixed to the lower stationary part of the hood enclosure at 24, the rigid depending keeper at 2S, the mounting for the upper end of thekeeper at 26, the apertured main latch plate at 27, the latch aperture or throat at 28, the channeled keeper-guiding member at 29, the primary latch lever at 30, the latching lug of lever 30 at 31, the forwardly disposed manipulating portion of the latching lever at 32, the safety catch member or lever at 33, the spring-enclosing portion of the guide member 29 at 34, the lid-lifting spring enclosed within this portion at 35, and the stem or plunger for cornpressing the spring at 36.

Taking up first the structure of the latch plate 27 of the lower or fixed latch member, this plate is, in general, similar to a latch plate disclosed in my application, Serial No. 384,120, filed October 24, 1953, now Patent No. 2,781,214, dated February l2, 1957, the same being adapted to cooperate wtih 'a conical head 37 integral with thekeeper 25 at the lower end of the latter, the keeper-receiving aperturebeing elongated longitudinally of the hood so as to permit some relative forward and rearward movement of the lid and hood body when the lid is in the closed position. The lower plate has in association with the aperture two depending and continuous flanges, each flange extending along one side of the elongated aperture so as to provide a skirt which preventsthe keeper head from extending under the plate and becoming jammed therewith. The latching lever is pivoted to the plate adjacent the forward end of the aperture and extends along the left-hand side of the aperture, as viewed in Fig. 2, and the lever lug 31 is normally projected through the ange or skirt structure 38 between the ends of the aperture, said lug being supported so that it can overlie the keeper head in any position of the head along the length of the aperture.

As shown in Fig. 2, a portion 39 of the latch lever 30 extends laterally from the left side of the latch plate with the oEset manipulating portion 32 arranged in a forward position where it is easily accessible. The forwardly disposed pivot ofthe latch lever 30 is indicated at 40, and at 41 is an armprojecting rearwardly from the body of the latchl lever, which arm extends into a guiding slot 42 at the rear edge of the plate. The latch lever 30 is acted upon by- .a coil Aspring 43, one end of which is hookedv into an opening y44Alin thelatch plate so as to. engage-the edge ofthe latch; plate, vwhile the opposite end of this spring has hooked rengagement with a perforated lug 45 integral with-thearm 41 o f the latch lever and .projecting downwardly therefrom. The edge portion 46 of the latchpIate, withwhichthe hook 47 of spring 43 is engaged,.is..idepressedor channeled, as shown in the drawingsso that it, inconnection with the aperture 44, enables 1 thespring c oil to be straight at thisA end withoutdistortiomwhile, atthe same time, some rockingpof the coil on itsv axisis, permitted. The other -end hook provided upon; the,spring,pindicated at 48, passes through a roundt hole 49 inthe lug 45 and the extremity of this hook-which isdownwardly disposed, is engagedina somewhat wider notch 50Iin the lower edge of the lug 45.1 Due to these provisiQn'S, the spring 43 will act on lthe, llatch-,lever 30v in an effective manner in all of the different positions assumed by the lever, it being possible-for the spring coil to remain straight and elective at all times as a result of the v rockable arrangement of the end hooks.,

In this form, the manipulating portion 32 of the latch lever is part of a rod-like member that is formed separately from the lever portion 39 and secured thereto by suitable means, as by welding, the portion- 39 being provided with an offset apertured 'part 39a through which the end of the rod portion is extended and then welded in place.

As best shown in Fig. 8, the latch plate 27 has integral depending anges along two sides, and the latch lever extends through a' slot 51 in one of these anges. rIlle keeper-guiding member 29 is provided with lower anges or lportions 52 and 53 constituting a plate formed integrally with the guiding member, the flange 52 at one side being of greater length than the flange 53 of the other side, and fastening screws 54 having hexagonal heads above the flange 52 pass through holes in this ange and holes in the carrying plate 24 and have threaded portions engaging threaded lsockets 55 formed integrally with the latch -plate 27 and extending. downwardly from this plate. Similarly a screw 56 passes downwardly through the flange 53 and the carrying plate into a threaded socket 57 on the latch plate, the arrangement being such that the keeper-guiding member is firmly secured in position above the latch plate with its channel portion in line with the latch aperture, as best shown in Figs. 7 and 8.

The keeper-guiding member 29 made of sheet metal has side walls or cheeks 58 that are parallel to each other and lined up with the `skirted side portions of the latch aperture and these walls at their lower portions, that is to say, in the portions below the spring-enclosing portion indicated at 59, extend from the region of the rear edge of the latch plate to a location close to the forward end of the latch aperture. The keeper-guiding member shown is made from a metal blank bent to form the spring-enclosing portion which, in plan, has the shape shown in Fig. 7 and has lug or tab portions meeting each other and providing top and bottom walls between Which the lid-lifting spring 35 is confined, these top and bottom walls being cut away to provide the guide openings in which the stem or plunger 36 ismounted. This spring-enclosing portion, associated withI the keeper-guiding member, overhangs the portion of the main latch plate forwardly of the latch aperture, asl shown in the drawings, and the arrangement is suchl that the upper end of the stem 36 can make contact with' the mounting of the keeper, as hereinafter described.

The spring 35, as will be noted from Fig. 5, has its' lower end abutted against the bottom wall of the spring. casing and the upper end of the spring abuts a collar 60 integral with the stern somewhat below its upper end; and normally the spring 35, which is under compression, will hold the stem in an elevated position with the collar 60 against the top wall of the spring casing, in which position a substantial portion of the stem will extend upwardly from the casing.

The latch member or lever 33 is a member pivoted adjacent the rear edge of the assembly and swingable in a horizontal plane and having adjacent its forward end a projecting part movable through aslot in the adjacent side wall of the keeper-guiding member, saidA projection being normally in a position in which it overlies the' conical head of the keeper. The rear end of the lever is pivoted to the rear edge portion of the corresponding keeper-guiding wall, for which purpose said wall is provided with integral upper and lower parts formed to present knuckles that hold the upper and lower ends of a lxed pivot pin 61 on which the lever 33 is pivotally mounted. As shown in Fig. 6, the lever 33, in this form, is an elongated sheet metal member of channeled crosssection with the channel facing toward the outer surface of the adjacent keeper-guiding wall. The lower wall of lever 33 is provided adjacent the forward end with an integral extension providing a lug 62 which is the safety catch projecting part mentioned above. The lug operates in a slot or clearance opening 63 in the keeperguiding Wall. The pin 61, mentioned above, is embraced by a helical spring 64 arranged in the channel of lever 33 and having a projecting end bearing against a part ofthe lever and another projecting end bearing against the adjacent portion of the side wall; and this spring holds the lever 33 against the keeper-guiding wall with the lug 62 extending into the channel of the keeperguiding member, as shown in Figs. 6 and 7.

For the purpose of providing a camming connection between the lever 33 and the primary latching lever, the lever 33, in this form, carries adjacent the rear end a depending linger or pin 65. In this form, the pin 65 has a head 66 and is inserted through holes in the upper and lower walls of lever 33 and has a lower end extended through a clearance opening 67 in the latch plate so that the pin has a portion lying in the plane of the lever 30 and engageable with a side edge of the lever body. As shown in Fig. 8, the pin 65 is at some distance from 'the latch lever body when the latter is in the latching position, but the lever body has an edge portion 68 'adapted Ato engage the pin 65 for the purpose of swinging'the catch lever to the poistion shown in Fig. 9, which is its keeper-releasing position.

It may be noted here that when the latch lever is in the latched position, the edge portion 68 is at such a ,distance from pin 65 that the pin is not engaged by the lever until the lug of the latch lever has cleared the latch aperture. Approximately at the time that the latch clears the latch aperture, the latch lever engages the pin 65 and the releasing movement of the catch lever 33 commences. In other words, the latch lever has a continuous releasing movement during the first part of which the latching lug is moved to full release and during the remaining part of which the catch lug 62'is moved so that the keeper is fully cleared by the catch lever.

Taking up next the mounting 26 for the keeper 25, this mounting comprises lower and upper mounting plates 69 and 70 between which a portion of the upper carrying plate 23 is interposed. The lower plate 69 is a rectangular plate having a downwardly dished rectangular portion 71 at the center in which a threaded socket 718L for the keeper is provided, a part of this socket being formed in the material of the plate 69 and another part by a nut 72v which is welded in place in the dished part of the plate. Extended integrally from the dished part of the plate are four strengthening ribs, two of which are rela- 'tively wide and at, as indicated at 73, and are in line with eachother and substantially in the longitudinal median line of the hood. The lower tlat face of one of these ribs 73 is arranged to overlie the upper end of the stem 36, as shown in Fig. 5. Near the corners of the plate 69 are slots 74 elongated in a direction lengthwise of the 'hood for purposes of Vlongitudinal adjustment of the keeper, and screws 75 provided with lower hexagonal heads extend upwardly through these slots and through holes in the carrying plate 23 and into threaded sockets 75 provided on the upper plate 70, the arrangement being such that when the keeper is accurately positioned in a longitudinal direction, it can be firmly secured to the carrying plate.

'I'he upper end of the keeper 25 is projectable upwardly through the upper plate 70 to a certain extent, as shown, for example, in Fig. 3, this being permitted because of fthe provision in plate 70 of a clearance aperture 76, and the carrying plate has a corresponding aperture.

'The keeper 25 is a post-like or bolt-like member of which the conical head 37 is an integral part presenting an upper flat'latching face over which the primary latching lug 31 engages (Fig. 6), the stem portion immediately above the head being cylindrical and smooth, as indicated at 77. Above this portion'77 is a portion 78 which is of slightly larger diameter and provided with a suitably roughened surface, as by knurling. In this form, the vertical dimension of the knurled part 78 is about the same as that of the smooth portion 77. Above the portion 78, substantially the entire remaining portion of the `stem is externally threaded, as shown at 79, the outside diameter of the threaded portion being somewhat greater than that of the knurled portion. The threaded portion is adapted to engage the threads of the upper socket 71a, previously mentioned. A nut 80 which may be a hexagonal nut is placed on the threaded portion 79 'below the mounting and by screwing up the nut 80 against the lower fa'ce of the keeper mounting, the keeper can be securely held in any selected vertical adjustment.

It will have been noted that in the present latch the lid-lifting spring which raises the lid by exerting force against themounting of the keeper member in a location forwardly `of the keeper, does not embraces fthe keeper,

as in someprior constructions, and, hence, with a keeper'- constructed and arranged as above described, it is possible to effect adjustment of the keeper much more readily than has been possible heretofore. Heretofore, owing to the provision of a spring helix and a cup member about the keeper, providing a definite obstacle, it has been a ltiliflicult matter to adjust the keeper even by the use of a ='(scr`ewdriver 'inserted into a nick in the conical h'eaii.

`With the present construction, the knurling of the keeper shank or stem enables the keeper to be turned by hand located in the vertical direction. Also, the keeper can be released from its secured position very readily by hand manipulation in case further adjustment is desirable. It is unnecessary to use a screwdriver for adjustment of the keeper.

It will be understood that in the operation of the improved latch, the latch can be readily released from the latched position, shown in Figs. l to 6 in full lines, by inserting the hand through the grille opening and pulling the manipulating part 32 of the latch lever in a forward direction. This will withdraw the lug 31 from Vthe latch aperture, as previously described. The lidlifting spring will then lift the lid as a result of the stem 36 pushing the lid in an upward direction. If the primary latching lever is not swung suiciently to swing the safety catch lug 62 out of the channel of the keeper-guiding member, the upper face of the conical head of the keeper will abut against the lower face of the lug 62, as indicated by the broken lines in Fig. 6, and, therefore, the catch lever 33 will serve to hold the lid in the safety position in which, as customary, the lid is opened to a relatively slight extent. If, however, it is desired to obtain a full opening of the lid, the primary lever is actuated to the full extent so that, as previously described, the catch lever is moved out -of the way, the safety catch lever being actuated in the manner previously described. In this way, the lid can be moved up to the customary fully raised position by hand manipulation of the lid after the primary latching lever has been fully actuated,

and it is understood, of course, that upon such full 'actuation of the latching lever to the releasing position,

the lid-lifting spring will raise the keeper to a point Where it is substantially above the level of the catch lever lug.

The safety catch lever serves as a safety catch member to prevent full release of the keeper in case the lid when closed down is n'ot fully secured or, due to some cause, escapes -from the hold of the latching lever and, in such case, the catch lever securely retains the keeper head in a position such as shown by the broken lines in Fig. 6, the keeper head being at this time rather closely confined between the opposite walls of the guide channel or like keeper-guiding member. Under such circumstances, the keeper head is effectively preventedfrom lifting out of the lower part of the keeper guide that is over the latch aperture.

When the lid is closed, the keeper-guiding member 29 serves a very important function. The upper end of this member receives and guides the cone-shaped keeper head at a distance well above the lower latch plate and guides the keeper to the latch plate. The guiding effect is particularly one which guides the lid in a lateral or transverse relation to the engine enclosure so that thelid, in being closed, is not out of line with the longitudinal median line of the hood. By this guidance, the closing and latching of the hood is greatly facilitated and damageadjacent the side edges of the lid (either to the lid itself or to the fenders) is prevented. Moreover, it is possible to obtain this centering action in a structure having a simple and relatively short keeper member.

In closing the lid, the keeper head, when it reaches the catch lever lug, A-forces the catch lever out of the way against the action of its spring and the head then. passes downwardly to engage the latching lug 31 and to be latched thereby. The catch lug, after the head passes, moves back to the safety position.

It will be apparent that this structure has a guiding member for the keeper including in its structure a lidlifting spring which urges the keeper head toward a safety position between a lower primary latch lever and an upper catch lever. f

As in this structure the carrying plates for the keeper and lower latch Vrne'mber respectively 'are sandwiched 7 between upper and lower mounting members .or parts in each instance, the rigidity and strength of the latch mechanism is greatly increased. v

In the modified structure shown in Figs. l to 17, inclusive, the chief difference over the form first described arises from the fact that here the arrangement of the keeper and the apertured latch plate is reversed, the keeper being an upwardly directed member fixed in position on the lower part of the engine enclosure and the apertured latch plate being mounted on the lid. In this particular case also, no lid-lifting spring is employed, although if desired such a spring may be incorporated in the structure. Structurally, a great many of the parts of the latch are similar to those previously described.

In this form, as well as in the form first described, the forward edge of the hood lid is shown as lying in immediate proximity to the grille when the lid is closed, with no separating member, but if desired a separate cross member or bridge piece may be used as a support for the forward edge of the lid.

In this form of Figs. to 17, inclusive, the manipulating member for the latch lever indicated at 81 extends toward the right of the hood (Fig. l0) rather than the left, and is accessible by way of a slot or opening 82 associated with the upper part of the grille 83. The upper latch member comprising the latch plate 84 and the keeper-guiding member 85 is applied to the carrying plate 86 associated with the lid, in the manner shown in Fig. l2, with the keeper-guiding member in a depending position, the carrying plate being sandwiched in between the two members, as described above. The

keeper 87 extends upwardly from the lower carrying plate 88 and the latch is engaged by having the latch member, carried by the lid, move downwardly over the fixed keeper. The latch plate 84 and its associated parts are in this instance substantially identical tothose previously described. The latch lever being disposed .above the upper carrying plate, -as shown in Fig. 12, makes it necessary for this carrying plate to' have an aperture 89 through which a part 90 of .the manipulating handle portion 81 is extended, whereby the A'handle or gripping part of the lever is disposed below the upper carrying plate in a location where it is readily accessible. in the recess 82. In this case, the pin 91, which corresponds to the pin 65 previously described, has a head 91' atV the lower end of the pin and the pin isl fixed in position in a suitable manner relatively to the catch lever.

The keeper-guiding member 85 is generally similar to the member 29 previously described, but as no lid-lifting element is associated with this member, the channeled keeper guide, at its closed forward end, has a transverse wall 92 at right angles to the side walls, this transverse wall having its inner face substantially in line with the forward end of the latch aperture. These are the principal, if not the only distinctions of this latch member, over the one previously described.

The. keeper member 87 is provided with an upper conical head 93 of the kind previously described and it cooperates with the guiding member, the safety catch lever and the primary latching lever in the manner previously described taking into consideration that the keeper is the fixed member rather than the movable member of the assembly. In view of the preceding description, it is thought that 'the mode of operation of this form of latch will not require detailed description.

In the closed position of the latch shown in Fig. 12, the latching cone 93 isl engaged by the latching lever and the catch lever positioned below the latching lever serves as a safety to prevent more than a slight upward movement of the lid. The keeper member is shorter than in the form first described because it is possible to bring the carrying plates closer together where the springpressed lid-lifting stem is omitted. In this form, the knurled portion 94 of the keeper is somewhat longer than initial position.

` 8 in the first form and extends substantially from the head of the keeper to the threaded lower part of the keeper Stem.'

yIt will be readily understood that when the lid is raised to a substantial extent, the keeper is readily accessible for manual manipulation for the purpose of raising or lowering the keeperhead, if such adjustment is desirable. By this' adjustment, the keeper head can be placed in exactly the desired position vertically to cooperate in an optimum manner with the upper member of the latch.

When the lid is lowered for closing the same, the keep er-guiding member acts substantially in the manner previously described to guide the lid and center it so that itf median longitudinal line is coincident with the mediar longitudinal line of the hood structure. The lower moutl portion of the keeper guide engages over the upwardly pointed keeper head and the guide then moves down over the keeper head, the catch lever being engaged and swung out of the way and the latch lever being then engaged an( swung out of the way and moving back to underlie thc head in the position shown, for example, in Fig. l5.

In the present case, there is no need for a spring tc move the lid upwardly when it is released. To release tht lid, the manipulating portion o fthe latch lever is puller in a forward direction and the lid can be given an initia lift by the hand which grasps the manipulating portion o the latching lever. As soon as the lever has been swum to a certain extent, as in the first form, the safety catcl lever begins its releasing movement and hence it is ap parent that by giving the lever a full swing and main taining the grip on the lever, the lid can be moved up wardly beyond the safety catch position. If necessary the other hand of the operator can be used in connectiol with the lid-lifting operation.

It is apparentv from the foregoing that, by the latc] structure herein described, the lid of the hood is con trolled and guided in an improved manner when am as the lid is being closed so as to interengage the latche partsvin a proper and correct manner so as to accomplis] elective latching, while, at the same time, eliminatin damage to the lid or adjacent parts of the car due to th `misalignment of the descending lid which, in many pre ceding latch structures, has been a serious drawback. Th structure of the latch in general is also improved as corr pared to previous latch structures. The keeper and it mounting'structure are also improved permitting muc easier adjusting ofthe keeper longitudinally (vertically than has been possible heretofore. Hand manipulatie of the keeper is all that is necessary for this adjustmer and jamming of the keeper in a given adjustment is prf vented or inhibited by the described structure. More over, a keeper of minimum length can be employed. Th safety catch (secondary latch) provisions of the latc are also of an improved kind, likewise the provisior whereby the lid, after being released, is lifted from th In one aspect of the invention, a co1 siderably improved device for lifting the lid to an e1 tent by spring pressure is provided. In another aspe( of the invention, the latch is simplified to such an extel that a lifting spring for the lid is not required, the princip: latching lever being under the control of a manipulatin portion carried by the lid which manipulating portion of utility in raising the lid after the keeper has been di engaged by the latching lever.

While the guiding member for the keeper is shown z being of channel form, the invention is not limited to guide channel. It is noted that, in both forms describe above, the guiding member carries a preliminarily actir latch member engagedV before the engagement of tl primary latching member and serving as a safety catcl In both forms, the safety catch remains in fully oper: tive position during a movement of the primary latc that will release the keeper.

l While two forms of the latch are disclosed herein, the: are by way of example only and various modicatior and changes in the details may be made wit-hout departure from the principles of the invention or the scope of ,the claims. I What I claim is:

1. In a latch -for use on hoods of the alligator type having a fixed hood body and a rearwardly hinged lid one of which parts carries at the forward end a postlike keeper 4uprightly disposed and having a base and a distal head:

latching means for mounting on the other of said parts to scooperate with the keeper comprising a latch plate having a keeper-receiving aperture elongated longitudinally of the Vhood, a guiding member in fixed relation to said latch plate having substantially parallel walls extending, toward the keeper base at opposite sides of said aperture and disposed in planes parallel to the longitudinal axis of the l hood and adapted to contact the keeper at opposite sides of the keeper head, a spring-biasedA primary latch lever movable in a substantiallyhorizontal plane and pivoted` Q to said latch plate at a point forwardly of said elongated apertureA and somewhat offset from the longitudinal axis p of: said aperture, said lever having a portion thereof engageable with the Vhead of the keeper for latching action,

said lever having an operating extension for manual manipulation disposed in anopening at the front of the hood body, a spring-biased pivoted safety catch lever associated with one of the walls of said guiding member zontaliplane substantially parallel tothe operating plane of saidprimarylatch lever and having a lug movable through a slot in saidwallto overlie the head of the keeper inzthe` safety position of saidv catch lever, and -an upl `right projecting'clement carriedbysaid` catch lever exteriorly of said guiding-member and-*adjacent the pivot of Vsaidfcatchlever,l said-'projecting element being engageable by an edge portionof said primaryv latch lever so that after movementof said primary lever to release the keeper and n continued movementof said primary ievcr the catch lever will be moved to an inoperative position.

2. In a latch for use on hoods of the alligator type having a fixed hood body and a rearwardly hinged lid one of which parts carries at the forwardV end a postlike keeper uprightly disposed and havinga proximate base and a distal head: a guiding member in fixed relation to the other'of said parts having substantially parallel walls extending toward the keeper base and serving to contact the keeper by engagement with the head of the latter at opposite sides, a spring-biased pivoted safety catch lever associated Withone of the Walls of said guiding member at the exterior of said member and swingable in a substantially horizontal plane and carrying at a distal end a lug movable through a slot in said wall to overlie the keeper head and retain the keeper in the safety position, a spring-biased keeper-head-engaging primary latch lever having a pivot in fixed relation to said other part of the latch which lever is swingable in a plane substantially parallel to the operating plane of said catch lever, and means operable manually from the forward end of the hood for swinging said safety catch lever and said primary latch which lever is swingable in a plane substantially positions.

3. A structure as defined in claim 2, in which the said guiding member is mounted on the hood body and said parallel walls of said guiding member are interconnected at their forward ends by a cross wall, said cross wall enclosing a lid-lifting spring-pressed stem.

4. A structure as defined in claim 2, in which said safety catch lever is of substantially U-shaped cross section having inturned upper and lower flanges, and in,v

'10' its pivot located adjacent the. opposite or free' endof the associated Wall.

6. A structure as defined in claim 2, in which said guiding member is x'ed to the hood body.

7. In a latch for use on hoods of the alligator type having a fixed hood body and a rearwardly hinged lid one of which parts carries at the forward end a postlikev keeper uprightly disposed and having a base and a distal head: a guiding member for guidance of the lid in closing having fixed-relationship to the other of said parts and of substantially U shape in plan, .the intermediate or connecting part of the U being disposed toward the front of the hood at the exterior of saidx member and swingable in a horiand the sides of the U being walls extending: rearwardly substantially parallel tol each-other and serving to contact the keeper by engagement withzthezkeeper'hcad at opposite sides, a spring-biasedpivoted safety catch= lever disposed exteriorly of said Aguidingi member alongone of said walls and having its pivot. adjacent the rear end of said last-named Wall, said safety catch'lever being swingable in a substantially horizontal plane and providedwith a lug movable `through a` slot in said wall to overlie the keeper head and retain'the keeperv inT the:safety position, a spring-biased primary latchwl'ever having a pivot in fixed relation to said other part of the' latch which lever is swingable in a plane-substantiallyrparallel to the operating plane of the'catch lever,zand"means operable manually from the forwardendvofitheiho'od for swinging said safety catchrlever and;saidfprinilaryflatchA lever: totheir releasing positions.-

8. In a latch forhoodshavingziaifixed hoodv body and a rearwardly hinged lidone of whichtpartsfcarriesiat the forward end'. a. postlikef keeper?.uprightly` disposed and having a distal headzfa piloting guidetme'mber-L for *guidance of the' lid in: closing; having ixedfrelatio'nship tofthe other of said parts substantially? U-shapedrin plan, the intermediate or connecting'. part offth'ef U-l being disposed toward the front of the'hoo'dfandlthesidesiof thelU being walls extending rearwardlyfsubstantially parallel vto each other and serving-to' coritactthe'keep'er by engagement of the keeperlhead .atvoppositer sides;- one of. said walls being equipped intermediate-of the heightt'of thef'wall with a spring-biased latchl elementi to take over and retain the keeper head, and meansto swing saidlatch" element in a lateral direction so lastov release thekeeper.

9. A structure as defined'in claim 8, in which said latching element is a lever.v pivotedaadjacent: the rear end of said wall and having adjacent-the free end a lug movable n a slot in said wall.` f

10. In a latch for hoods havingi a1 fixed hoodvbody and a rearwardly hinged lid one of whichf parts-carries at th'e forward end a postlikeV keeper uprightly disposed and having a distal head: a guide member for the keeper in fixed relationship to the otherof saidl parts having rearwardly directed parallel' gnidewalls and a connecting wall extending toward the keeper, a-'latch movably mounted with relation to the walls for engagement with the keeper in a normal closed position, a safety catch carried by one of the side walls for engaging the keeper and holding it in a partially released or safety position.

l1. In a latch for hoods having a fixed hood body and a rearwardly hinged lid one of which parts carries at the forward end a postlike keeper uprightly disposed and having a distal head: a latch member carried by the other of said-parts having a horizontally swingable primary latch lever co-acting with the keeper head, said latch member being further provided with an uprightly disposed guiding member having parallel walls co-acting with the keeper head for guidance of the lid in closing, one of said walls having a slot, and a laterally swingable spring-biased safety catch lever having a lug extending through said slot to engage the keeper head.

12. In a latch for hoods having a fixed hood body and a rearwardly hinged lid one of which parts carries at the forward end a postlike keeper uprightly disposed and having a distal head: a latch member carried by the other of said parts having parallel upright walls engageable with the keeper head for guidance of the lid in closing, said latch member also having primary and secondary latch levers co-operating with the keeper head and movable in substantially parallel horizontal planes, the seconary lever being operable by the primary lever after the primary lever has released the keeper head.

13. A structure as defined in claim 12, in which said guide member is mounted on the hood body with said parallel walls extending in a rearward direction and in which the part of the guide member disposed toward the front of the hood is equipped with a spring-pressed lidlifting stem.

14. In a latch for hoods having a fixed hood body and a rearwardly hinged lid one of which parts carries at the -forward end a postlike keeper uprightly disposed and having a distal head: a latch member carried by the other of said parts having opposing parallel upright walls engageable with the keeper head for guidance of the lid in closing, said latch member also having spring-biased primary and secondary latch levers co-operating with the keeper head and movable in parallel planes, and means operable from the front of the hood to move said levers to releasing position.

15. In a hood latch assembly a latch structure and a keeper, one to be mounted on an automobile hood and the other on an automobile closure forsaid hood, said latch structure comprising a plate, said plate having an aperture adapted to be penetrated by said keeper, means extending from one face of said plate adjacent to the periphery of the aperture to prevent interlocking of the keeper and plate, a pair of spaced, generally parallel walls mounted on the opposite face of said plate and extending therefrom in axial alignment with said aperture a distance substantially equal to the length of said keeper, said walls being spaced apart a distance substantially equal to the largest diameter of said keeper whereby said walls are effective to serve as a guide for said keeper in the course of its travel toward said aperture, said spaced walls being joined by a third wall of equal extension from said plate with said spaced walls and a latch movably mounted with relation to said plate for engagement with said keeper.

16. In a hood latch assembly a latch structure and a keeper, one to be mounted on an automobile hood and Y the other on an automobile closure for said hood, said being spaced apart a distance substantially equal to the CTI Y12 largest diameter of said keeper whereby said walls ar effective to serve as a guide for said keeper in the cours of its travel toward said aperture, said spaced walls bein,

s joined by a third wall of equal extension from said platt with said spaced walls and a latch movably mounted witl relation to said plate for engagement with said keeper 17. In a hood latch assembly a latch structure and z keeper, one to be mounted on an automobile hood and the other on an automobile closure for said hood, said latch structure comprising a plate, said plate having an aperture adapted to be penetrated by saidkeeper, va pair of spaced, generally parallel walls mounted on one face of said splate and extending toward the keeper in axial alignment with said aperture a distance substantially equal to the length of said keeper, said walls being spaced apart a distance substantially equal to the largest diameter o1 said keeper whereby said walls are effective to serve as a guide for said keeper in the course of its travel toward said aperture, said spaced walls being joined by a third wall of equal extension from said plate with said spaced walls and a latch movably mounted with relation to said plate for engagement with said keeper.

18. Ina hood latch assembly, a latch structure and a keeper, one to be mounted on an automobile hood and the other on an automobile closure for the hood, the latch structure comprising a pair of spaced generally parallel walls substantially equal to the length of the keeper and extending toward the keeper, said walls being spaced apart a distance substantially equal to the largest diameter of the keeper whereby the walls are effective to serve as a guide for said keeper in the course of the hood closure travel toward its closed position, said spaced walls being joined by a third Wall, a latch movably mounted with relation to the walls forengaging the keeper in a normal closed position, and a safety catch carried by one of the side walls for engaging the keeper and holding it in a partially released or safety position.

References cited in the me of this patent UNTTED STATES PATENTS 2,199,467 Saunders May 7, 1940 2,199,468 Saunders May 7, 194C 2,211,217 Peterson Aug. 13, 1940 2,253,660 Tell Aug. 26, 1941 2,269,537 Krause Jan. 13, 1942 2,275,740 DeOrlow -2-- Mar. 10, 1942 2,302,957 Rhodes Nov. 24, 1942 2,333,465 Claud-Mantle Nov. 2, 1943 2,492,683 Claud-Mantle Dec. 27, 1949 2,646,299 Kramer July 21, 1953 2,697,625 Krause Dec. 21, 1954 FOREIGN PATENTS 300,411 Great Britain Nov. 15, 1928 UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE CERTIFICATE 0F CORRECTION Patent No., 2,852,293 September lo, 3.958'

Arthur Claud=Mantle It is herebr certified that error appears in the printed specification of the above numbered patent requiring correction and that the said Letters Patent should read as corrected below.

Column l, line 3l, for "Another" read A further g column 3, line 5, for "wtih" read with un; column 5, line 68, for "embraces" read e embrace w; column 6, line A, for "located in the vertical direction.. read into e position in which the keeper is accurately located in the vertical direction., u; column 9, lines 59 and 6G, for "latch which lever is swingable in a plane substantially positions," read m latch lever pivotell;T so es to move them to their releasing poeitioneo ma Signed and sealed this: 6th day of January i959@ SEAL) ttest:

KARL Hg. AXLINE ROBERT C. WATSON Attesting Officer Commissioner of Patents

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