Racking resistant door control mechanism

Abstract

A racking resistant door control mechanism for securing a pivoted door employs an elongate lock rod that extends the height of the door, is journaled for pivotal movement about a lock rod axis by door mounted bearing assemblies, and has cam type latch members welded to its opposite ends for engaging keeper members carried by upper and lower parts of a door frame. The cam and keeper members feature novel, compact arrangements of interengageable formations that are located on opposite sides of, but relatively near to, the lock rod axis of the locked door--formations that cooperate in bringing the door to its fully closed position, in securely retaining the door closed, in preventing racking movements of the closed door and its adjacent door frame, and in breaking the door open when ice formations, cold seals or the like resist initial opening movement of the door. Additional racking resistance preferably is provided by utilizing upper and lower end regions of door mounted bearing assembly covers to engage shoulders defined at junctures of the cam members with opposite ends of the lock rod, and to engage opposite end portions of at least one other lock-rod-carried component so that a plurality of lock-rod-carried components are engaged by door mounted components in a manner that is highly effective in resisting relative axial movements of the locked door, the door frame and other lock-rod-connected components.