Closure fasteners – Bolts – Hooked end
Reexamination Certificate
1998-05-22
2001-03-20
Luu, Teri Pham (Department: 3627)
Closure fasteners
Bolts
Hooked end
C292S095000, C292S097000, C292S100000
Reexamination Certificate
active
06203075
ABSTRACT:
BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION
1. Field of the Invention
The invention relates to latches. More particularly, the invention relates to latches which are engageable and disenageable from an easily accessible area to an otherwise inaccessible area such as when a latch is actuatable from a front of a container and the latch hook is on the side of the container, the side of the container being obscured by other containers.
2. Prior Art
In the ensuing discussion the types of latches described are generally referred to as front opening latches since the first surface perceived by a user is considered to be the “front” of the container. In the discussion of the prior art hereunder and in the discussion of the invention, the term “front” is used generically to indicate the exposed surface of the container. This could actually be, however, any surface of the container.
Front opening latches of the prior art have been developed for the same purpose as the present invention; that is to allow operation of the latch where containers are stacked next to one another obstructing access to the sides of the container. Since other conventional latches reside on the side of the container or require movement out of the plane of the side of the container, operation of these would be severely impeded.
Two main categories of prior art latches are intended to satisfy the desire/requirement for front operation latches. These are 1) side mounted latches that are operable when access to box sides is limited and 2) top mounted latches.
In the first category (side mounted), an example of an arguably “front only” actuatable latch is known by the trade name “Hook Lock” and is illustrated in
FIG. 1
of this application. One of skill in the art will recognize this latch. The latch incorporates a cam design so that movement of the handle lever causes both an arcuate and a radial movement of the hook. Thus, upon moving the handle lever in the appropriate direction the hook moves into engagement with the keeper plate. Further movement of the lever in the same direction causes the hook to draw the keeper plate toward the cam of the handle lever. This action draws the container cover toward its base and provides a tight closure. The latch is sold as actuatable from the front only because if mounted in a recess in the container side, it is considered possible to slide one's finger between adjacent containers and actuate the latch without actually seeing more than the end of the lever. Clearly, this suffers the substantial drawback that the latch could not be actuated in this manner if the cover of the container was deep. If it were, the fingers of the user would not reach the latch. Thus, this type of latch is not a viable solution to the front only operation dilemma.
Top mounted latches provide more diversity in the front only operation forum since they truly operate from the exposed surface of the container. Prior art top mounted latches have certain inherent drawbacks with some types of containers (e.g., fluid tight containers). These latches thus leave the art searching for a better solution to the need for front only operation.
One type of top mounting latch is a bail spring latch such as that illustrated in
FIG. 2
of the disclosure. This type of latch, although effective in closing and tensioning a container lid, requires a “through the container” mounting. In containers commonly employed for transport of sensitive equipment where a fluid tight seal is required at all times, these latches require a very effective (expensive) dynamic seal. Dynamic seals of this nature are cost prohibitive, subject to failure and therefore do not provide a preferred solution.
Other prior art latches whether top or side mounted which operate well for their intended purpose cannot work where adjacent structures are concerned because of their requirement that they move out of the side plane of the container or where they don't, they simply cannot be easily actuated from the exposed surface of the container. The adjacent structure inhibits the movement and/or access to these latches and prevents operation thereof.
SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION
The above-discussed and other drawbacks and deficiencies of the prior art are overcome or alleviated by the front opening latch of the invention.
Although “front” is employed in this specification as the location of operability of the latch disclosed herein, it will be understood that any plane of the container on which the latch is employed could be the operation plane or surface. More specifically, the latch body could be mounted on the front, top, side, bottom or rear of the container depending upon how the container is being viewed. The more important concept of the invention is that the latch is completely operable from an exposed plane or surface of the container, while acting on an adjacent surface which may be obscured from access or view. This is particularly advantageous when said containers are stacked one atop another or next to one another, etc. The most ubiquitous example of such use is, of course, where many of such containers are stacked in such a way that they create a wall. In this situation, a box in the middle could be opened if the invention is employed but could not have been opened if many of the prior art latches were installed. Since this scenario is most common and the exposed plane of the container is generally considered the “front” by most people, the term “front” has been used herein as the generic descriptor. Limitation is not intended. The invention also has no dynamic seals and is operable using only one hand.
An important feature of the invention is variability in the available stroke for drawdown. By varying the distance between certain components of the invention the stroke is increased or decreased. This benefit is achieved while not affecting the motion of the hook perpendicular to the side of the container. In other words the attachment of the hook to the latch lever, discussed hereunder in detail, does not need to move laterally during drawdown regardless of the stroke of the latch. This concept cannot be achieved by the prior art and provides a significant advantage in function.
Another important feature of the invention is the designed in capability of the latch to be made from plastic materials. The latch is preferably made of thermoplastic polyester which would creep under loads normally associated with latches intended to secure covers to containers as is the current invention. To accommodate the loads in such a way that the desired material is employable, the surface area of load bearing components of the latch have been enlarged to enable sufficient strength of the inexpensive and relatively malleable material to be employed.
The latch of the invention generally comprises a latch body having several components mounted as a unit on one surface of a container and a hook that is disposed generally perpendicularly to the latch body and is selectively engageable with a strike mounted fixedly on a surface of the container adjacent the surface upon which the body is mounted. The latch operates over the generally perpendicular angle by facilitating control of the hook from a spring lever disposed on or in the body.
The latch develops about 100 lbf of closure force near the end of its stroke and securely holds the cover of the container in place and sealed. Operation force required by the user, however, remains very small at 10 lbf or less.
The latch is maintained in the closed position by either or both of an over-center pivot point arrangement relative to the principal drawdown force vector of the draw down assembly and a hold down catch in the latch body.
Another feature of the latch of the invention is a warning system indicating that the latch is not engaged. Since it is desirable to prevent the latch lever from being freely located beyond the outer plane of a container to which it is mounted (i.e., mounted in a recess), it is spring loaded to return to and stay in the down or closed position when it is disengaged. Since in this position the lat
Gaydos Mark C.
Hardigg James S.
Neal David B.
Wells, Jr. Robert L.
Hardigg Industries Inc.
Luu Teri Pham
McCormick Paulding & Huber LLP
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