Deck lid lock safety release

• US 4,155,233 A
• Filed: 09/28/1977
• Issued: 05/22/1979
• Est. Priority Date: 09/28/1977
• Status: Expired due to Term

• Current Assignee: Christopher Ward
• Original Assignee: Christopher Ward
• Inventors: Lira, Nicholas
• Primary Examiner(s): Foss, J. Franklin
• Application Number:
  US05/837,106
• Time in Patent Office: 601 Days
• Field of Search: 70/DIG. 9, 70/DIG. 12, 70/DIG. 39, 70/DIG. 42, 70/92, 292/11, 292/13, 292/49, 292/111, 292/129, 292/92, 292/DIG. 42, 64/23, 403/113, 403/117, 403/335, 403/336
• US Class Current: 70/92
• CPC Class Codes: E05B 15/004 Lost motion connections
• CPC Class Codes: E05B 83/16 Locks for luggage compartments, car boot lids or car bonnets
• CPC Class Codes: E05B 83/26 Emergency opening means for persons trapped in the luggage compartment
• CPC Class Codes: Y10S 292/42 Trunk latches
• CPC Class Codes: Y10S 292/43 Rear deck lid latches
• CPC Class Codes: Y10S 292/65 Emergency or safety
• CPC Class Codes: Y10S 70/42 Lost motion devices
• CPC Class Codes: Y10T 292/0908 Emergency operating means
• CPC Class Codes: Y10T 292/0915 Cam
• CPC Class Codes: Y10T 70/5159 Emergency exit
• CPC Class Codes: Y10T 70/8946 Emergency unlocking or release arrangements

Abstract

An automobile deck or trunk lid having a key operated lock for releasing a lid latch is provided with a lost motion drive connection in a shaft between the lock and latch and the inner end of the shaft has a knob accessible from within the trunk compartment for releasing the latch without turning the key operated lock. The shaft is readily detachable and attachable to the lock and latch so that it may be installed as a replacement for a conventional one-piece shaft in existing automobiles.

Claims

1. A latch release device for an automobile having a luggage compartment provided with a movable lid, releasable latch mechanism for holding said lid closed and including a rotary latch release member, a key operated rotary lock spaced from and in generally axial alignment with said latch release member, said key operated lock being accessible from outside said automobile, and a shaft drivingly connecting said key operated lock to said latch release member, the improvement comprising:

said shaft being comprised of a unitary assembly of interconnected and aligned inner and outer portions and rotational lost-motion drive means connecting said portions, said inner portion extending slidably through said latch release member and having a manually actuable knob thereon accessible from the rear side of said latch release member at the interior of said compartment whereby said inner portion of said shaft may be rotated to release said latch without rotating said outer portion and without disconnecting said portions from each other, said outer portion being releasably connected to said key operated lock;

said lost-motion drive means comprising mutually abutting radial discs fixed, respectively, to the adjacent ends of said inner and outer portions of said shaft, each of said discs having lugs extending outwardly from its outer periphery, the circumferential spaces between lugs being greater than the circumferential width of each lug, the lugs of at least one disc being bent over and slidably embracing the peripheral edge portion of the other disc between the lugs thereon.