Note: Descriptions are shown in the official language in which they were submitted.
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RATCBETIN(3 PAWL LATCH
BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION
1. Field of Invention
The present invention relates to the field of latch
assemblies.
2. brief Description of the Prior Art
Latch assemblies are relied on in many applications for
securing items, such as panels, together. Far example,
containers, cabinets, closets, compartments and the like may
be secured with a latch. An important use for latches is in
the automotive field, where there is a desire and need to
access automotive compartments, such as, for example, the
trunk or passenger compartments of vehicles, as well as
interior compartments such as a glove box.
Various latches for panel closures have been employed
where one of the panels such as a swinging door or the like
is to be fastened or secured to a stationary panel or
compartment body. The prior art devices generally utilize a
locking member which is spring loaded externally by one or
more separately provided torsion springs. For example, some
prior art devices rely upon a lock which comprises rigid
metal parts and requires additional biasing members for
operation of the assembly.
SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION
The present invention relates to a latching system for
securing two panels together such as those of storage
structures in which an enclosure is secured by means of a
door or panel which will remain in a closed position until
released. An example of a use of the present latching
system is in connection with automobile glove boxes or other
compartments which are to be secured for storage of items
therein.
The present invention provides a novel ratcheting pawl
latch assembly with a spring locking member which provides
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the locking member with its own internal spring force when
the locking member is deflected by an actuating lever. The
actuating lever can be provided in the form of a handle or
paddle. The spring locking member enables a force from a
handle of the latch assembly to be transmitted to a pawl
which selectively engages and disengages a keeper member.
When the keeper member engages the pawl, the pawl is rotated
until the locking member slips in behind it. The pawl is
provided with a torsional spring member which causes a force
load from the spring member to be supplied to the pawl.
When the paddle is rotated or swingably moved away from
the panel surface to which it is attached, the spring
locking member is engaged and is lowered and retracted out
of the way of the pawl. The pawl is disengaged from the
keeper with the actuation of the paddle, which causes the
spring locking member to release from its engagement with
the pawl, whereupon the torsional pawl spring member which
provides a force load to the pawl, releases its force load
to return the pawl to its unlocked position away from
engagement with the keeper. The keeper wire is thereby
disengaged and the paddle or handle is reset with a spring
loading mechanism to its original position.
The present invention also provides a locking mechanism
in which a key can selectively lock and unlock the latch
assembly. In addition, the present invention also provides
a means whereby the handle or paddle can be offset from the
pawl and locking member. This offers greater flexibility
for selecting a location for the latch and for greater
alternative placements when utilizing this latch as
described herein.
It is a principal object of the present invention to
provide a novel latch assembly which is selectively
engagable with a keeper member, and includes a spring
locking member which is spring-loaded with its own spring
force for engaging and releasing a pawl from a keeper member
when a handle is actuated.
It is another object of the present invention to
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provide a locking member which is comprised of spring steel
or plastic.
Another object of the present invention is to provide a
lock which can be operated by a key or other operator, such
as radio, infrared, electronic or other means, which
selectively engages the locking member against movement.
ERIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS
Fig. 1 is a right front perspective view of a
ratcheting pawl latch according to the present invention
showing the latch housing with the pawl and handle in
exploded view therefrom.
Fig. 2 is a rear perspective view of the latch assembly
of Fig. 1 shown in the open position.
Fig. 3 is a left side elevation view of the latch
assembly of Fig. 1.
Fig. 4 is a right side rear perspective view of the
latch of Fig. 1 shown in the closed position.
Fig. 5a is a front elevation view showing the latch of
Fig. in an installed condition.
Fig. 5b is a left rear perspective view of the handle
of the latch shown in Fig. 5a.
Fig. 6a is a front elevation view of the latch
according to the present invention in an installed
condition, with an alternate handle embodiment.
Fig. 6b is left rear perspective view of the handle of
the latch shown in Fig. 6a.
Fig. 7 is a right rear perspective view of an alternate
embodiment of the latch assembly of Fig. 1 showing the latch
assembly having an offset paddle with locking means in the
closed position.
Fig. 8 is a left front perspective view of the pawl of
the latch assembly of Fig. 1.
Fig. 9 is a right side perspective view of the pawl
torsional spring of the latch assembly of Fig. 1.
Fig. 10 is a front elevation view of an alternate
embodiment of a latch according to the present invention.
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Fig. 11 is a rear elevation view of the latch assembly
of Fig. lo.
Fig. 12 is a top plan view of the latch assembly shown
in Figs. 10 and 11.
Fig. 13 is a rear elevation view of the locking member
of the latch assembly shown in Figs. 10 through 12.
Fig. 14 is a front elevation view of a latch assembly
according to Figs. 10 through 13 shown with an alternate
handle embodiment.
Fig. 15 is a right rear perspective view of the handle
of the latch assembly shown in Fig. 14.
DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFE17.RED EMBOD
Referring to Fig. 1, a ratcheting pawl latch 10 is
shown having an actuating member, such as, for example, the
handle or paddle 11 which is pivotally mounted to a latch
housing 12. The paddle 11 is attached to the housing in
accordance with arrows "a" and snaps into the housing 12.
The housing 12 is provided with means for accommodating the
handle 11 to allow the handle 11 to rotate over a
predetermined range when installed. The handle
accommodating means is shown comprising flanges 13 and 14
which have projections thereon, respectively 15 and 16. The
paddle or handle 11 is preferably provided with suitable
means for attachment to the housing such as pintels, raised
bosses or the like. Preferably mounting flanges 17, 18 are
provided on opposite handle sides having slots 19, 20
therein respectively (Fig. 5b), for attachment to, the
projections 15, 16 (Fig. 1) of the housing flanges 13, 14.
While a snap-fit handle attachment means is shown in the
embodiment of Fig. 1 it is conceivable that other fastening
means such as a pins, axles, bearings, and the like can also
be employed.
The housing 12 is shown in Fig. 1 provided with a lock
holding means comprising the lock plug socket 22 having a
generally cylindrical bore for receipt of a lock plug 23,
which may be optionally provided with the assembly as shown
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in Figs. 2, 4 and 7. The housing 12 is provided with a body
portion 24 from which the flanges 13 and 14 extend. A
flange 25 is provided on the top of the housing body 24.
The flange 25 extends rearwardly from the housing body
5 portion 24 and is vertically disposed and terminates into an
arm portion which is generally perpendicular to the housing
body 24. A first slot 26 is provided within the flange 25
and extends through the rear of the housing body 24 (as
shown in the rear view of Fig. 2). The first slot 26
thereby forms a generally L-shaped configuration. A second
slot 27 is provided below the vertical component of the
first slot 26 and preferably communicates with the first
slot 26. The second slot 27 extends through the housing
body 24, and is generally
perpendicular in relation to the first slot 26, as shown in
the rear perspective view of the latch assembly of Fig. 2.
The latch assembly 10 also includes a pawl 28 shown
pivotally connected to the latch housing 12 with suitable
attachment means such as the pawl pivot members 29,30 which
are provided extending outwardly from the pawl 28 at
opposite sides thereof. The pivot members 29, 30 can also
be provided as a single pivot member extending through the
pawl 28. A pair of annular portions 31 are provided on the
pawl pivot members 29,30. The annular portions 31 may be
provided integral with the pawl pivot members 29,30 or can
be separately provided in the form of rings or washer
members which can be provided on the pawl pivot member
29,30. The annular portions 31 facilitate centering of the
pawl 28 within the housing 12 in the centering slots 45a,45b
provided in the housing 12 (Fig. 1). The pawl 28 is
installed onto the housing 12 by snap-fit placement of the
pawl pivot members 29,30 into the pawl pivot recesses 32,33
disposed in the housing 12. A pair of guide slots 34,35 is
provided on the housing leading from the edge of the housing
to the pawl pivot recesses 32,33 for guiding the pawl pivot
members 29,30, in the direction of arrow "b" into the pawl
pivot recesses 34,35.
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As shown in Fig. 1, the pawl 28 is provided having a
body portion 36 with a pair of pawl pivot members 29,30
extending therefrom. The pawl 28 has a locking engagement
portion 37 and is provided with a pawl slot 38 to retain the
keeper member 100 shown in Fig. 3. Preferably the keeper
member 100 is attached to the stationary panel or
compartment (not shown) at a position such that when the
swinging panel to which the latch assembly 10 is attached is
rotated to engage the keeper member 100, the keeper member
100 will be below the arm portion of the upper flange 25 for
engagement with the pawl 28. The pawl 28 is also shown
having an arm portion 39 extending from the pawl body 36. A
pawl torsional spring 40 is shown installed on the pawl 28,
and having downwardly extending tail portions 41,42 and arms
43,44 extending vertically therefrom. The vertical spring
arms 43,44 extend from the respective coil portions 46 of
the torsional spring 40 and connect to form a slot 47 for
receiving the pawl arm 39 therein for engagement therewith.
The paddle 11 in Fig. 1 is shown having an actuation
arm 48 extending rearwardly therefrom and a paddle retaining
pin 49 extending rearwardly therefrom. Extending from the
housing body 24 is a spring retaining socket 50 which is
disposed in the area of the paddle retaining pin 49. A
paddle compression spring 51 is installed on the retaining
pin 49 and is held in part by the socket 50, as shown by
arrow "c." The spring 51 provides a bias when the handle 11
is lifted so that after actuation takes place the handle 11
is returned to its original position by the force of the
compression spring 51.
As shown in Fig. 2, the actuation arm 48 of the paddle
11 is provided to engage the engaging end 52 of the spring
locking member 53 (Fig. 1). The spring locking member 53 is
provided to extend through the lateral second slot 27
disposed in the lower portion of the housing 12. At the
opposite end of the paddle engaging end 52 of the spring
locking member 53 is the retaining portion 54 which is shown
having a slot 55 provided therein for accommodating a
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locking pin 56 of a lock plug 23 which is disposed within
the lock socket 22. The spring locking member 53 is
preferably comprised of a spring steel composition or
plastic composition such as for example acetal, or any
suitable like flexible member which is also durable enough
to withstand the forces of actuation of the latch assembly.
In addition, the retaining portion 54 of the locking
member 53 is provided with a positioning tab 59 which
engages a positioning stop 58 on the housing 12. This
facilitates alignment of the locking pin 56 within the slot
55, by maintaining the locking member 53 in a desired
position (see Fig. 4).
The positioning stop 58 is shown comprising a detent
58a which extends downward in relation to the positioning
tab 59. The positioning tab 59 is preferably provided as a
spring member for deflection by the positioning stop 58 as
the locking member 53 is slidably moved in parallel relation
in the horizontal direction shown by the path of double
arrow "d", from one side to the other of the positioning
stop 58. This is accomplished by the selective engagement
of the lock plug pin 56 by the user with a key or other
operating device. As shown in Fig. 4, the latch 10 is in
the unlocked position with the paddle engaging portion 52 of
the locking member 53 seen positioned below the actuation
arm 48 or the paddle 11 for selective engagement therewith
when the paddle il is drawn forward. Referring to Fig. 4,
in order to lock the assembly, the lock pin 56 is rotated to
slide the locking member 53 to the right in the direction of
arrow "d" to draw the paddle engaging portion 52 of the
locking member 53 out of the reach of the paddle actuation
arm 48. In the locked position, while not shown, the
positioning tab 59 will be caused to be moved to the right
of the positioning stop 58 by the movement of the lock pin
56 and will thus prevent the paddle engaging portion 52 of
the locking member 53 from being able to engage the paddle
actuation arm 48 when the paddle 11 is lifted.
The spring locking member 53 is also provided with a
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pawl engaging portion 57 which engages the locking arm 37 of
the pawl 28. The latch assembly 10 is actuated by lifting
the paddle 11 in an upward direction (away from the surface
to which the latch assembly 10. is mounted). The actuation
arm 48 of the paddle I1 engages the paddle engaging portion
52 of the locking member 53 (Fig. 2) and the engaging
portion 52 is lowered within the lateral second slot 27 of
the housing 12. By actuating the locking member 53, it is
lowered a distance such that the pawl engaging portion 57 of
the locking member 53, which engages the pawl locking arm
37, is moved out of engagement with the pawl locking arm 37
thereby freeing up the pawl 28 for pivoting. The bias
provided by the pawl torsional spring 40 releases the. pawl
28 from its vertical (Fig. 1 and Fig. 3) position and allows
the pawl 28 to rotate to disengage the keeper member 100,
thereby opening the compartment or panel to which the latch
assembly 10 is attached. The keeper member 100 is shown in
Fig. 3 comprising a striker wire, but may comprise any like
suitable member such as a bar, claw, or other suitable
attachment member.
A notched portion 65 is shown in the back of the pawl
36 to provide clearance for the locking member 53, when the
pawl 36 is released, as shown in Fig. 2. This facilitates
the relief of stress upon the spring locking member 53 when
the pawl is in its released (Fig. 2) position.
Suitable mounting means are provided to retain the
latch assembly 10 on a panel or mounting surface. For
example, installation of the latch assembly 10 to a panel
may be accomplished with the mounting means shown in Fig. 2
comprising apertures 60,61,62 and guide pins 63,64 for
facilitating the fastening of the latch assembly to a panel,
such as for example, a glove box of an automobile.
An alternate embodiment of a latch assembly according
to the present invention may be provided wherein the lock
plug 21 (Fig. 1) is not employed. In such an embodiment,
the handle utilized can be supplied without the lock
aperture 70 of Figs. 5a, 5b.
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Figs. 5a and 5b show the handle 11 of the present latch
assembly 10 installed on a panel 300. The handle 11, is
shown provided with a lock aperture 70 for allowing access
to and exposing the lock plug 23 installed on the housing
12. The paddle boss 49 is provided to retain the paddle
spring 51 (Figs. 1 and 4) between the handle 11 and the
spring-retaining socket 50 of the housing 12. The paddle
flanges 17,18 and slots 19,20 permit attachment to the
housing 12 as previously described above. As shown in Fig.
5b, apertures 74,75 are disposed in the flanges 17,18 at the
end of the slots 19,20 for retention of the housing
projections 15,16 (Fig. 1).
The handle 11 of the latch assembly 10 may optionally
be provided having multiple-piece construction, as shown in
Figs. 6a and 6b, wherein the handle 311 is provided to
extend over a portion of the housing 12, but not over the
lock plug 23. In this embodiment, a trim plate 319 is
provided to cover the area surrounding the lock plug 23.
The trim plate 319 is shown having an aperture therein 370
for permitting access to the lock plug 23. The trim plate
319 is also provided with suitable mounting means for
attachment to the housing 12. The mounting means are shown
in Fig. 6b comprising a plurality of flange members 323
extending outwardly from the trim plate 319. While not
shown, the trim plate can alternately be attached to. the
panel on which the latch is to be mounted with any suitable
attachment means. In addition, the trim plate may be
provided of varied sizes and dimensions including even a
portion which underlies the bottom of the handle 311 to form
a face plate.
Fig. 6b also, shows the means for connecting the paddle
311 to the housing 12. The paddle 311 comprises outwardly
extending flange members 371,372 having slotted portions
376,377 therein which facilitate guiding the paddle over the
housing projections 15,16 for installation of the
projections 15,16 into the apertures 374,375 provided in the
flange members respectively, 372,371 of the paddle 311.
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Preferably, a connecting portion 373 is also provided for
stability and retention, and is shown connecting the paddle
flanges 371,372. The paddle 311 further includes an
actuation arm 348 and a spring holding boss 349, for
5 operation similar to that described above in relation with
the paddle I1 of Figs. I, 2, 4, 5a and 5b.
Referring to Fig. 7, an alternate embodiment of a latch
assembly 210 according to the present invention is shown
having an offset actuating mechanism. The actuating member
10 211 is provided at a distance from the housing body 212 and
is shown having an extension member 209 which is connected
to the paddle 211 for rotation with the paddle 211. A
paddle mounting plate 213 is also provided to pivotally
support the paddle 211. The extension member 209 extends
from the paddle 211 to the housing and has an actuation arm
247 for selectively engaging the engaging portion 252 of the
locking member 253 to lower the locking member 253 out of
engagement with the locking arm of the pawl 226.
A lock socket 220 is provided with a lock cylinder 257
installed therein. The lock cylinder 257 is provided with a
locking pin member 256 which selectively engages a loop 206
of a wire member 207 which is connected to the locking
portion 254 of the locking member 253 to control movement
thereof. While not shown, the wire member 207 may
alternately be configured to actuate the locking member 253
as well.
Referring to Fig. 10, an alternate embodiment of a
latch assembly 410 is shown according to the present
invention. A paddle 411 is provided and is pivotally
connected to a housing 412. A pawl 428 is pivotally
installed in the housing through a pair of guide slots 434,
435 through which pawl pivot members 429, 430 are received,
in the same manner as described above in connection with the
embodiments shown in Figs. 1 through 9. The pawl 428 can be
provided in the same manner as the pawl 28 shown in Figs. 1
through 4 and 8 and 9 above, and is installed and operates
within the housing in the manner described above.
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Fig. 11 is a rear view of the latch of Fig. 10 showing
a spring locking member 453 installed within the housing
412. The locking member 453 is shown in Fig. 13 in an
enlarged view. The engaging end or foot 452 of the locking
member 453 is provided to be engaged by the paddle arm 448
(Fig. 11) when the latch 410 is actuated. The spring
locking member 453 also includes a pawl engaging portion 457
which engages the locking arm 437 of the pawl 428. A
retaining portion 454 is provided at one end of the locking
member 453 and is held within the housing 412, as shown in
Fig. 11. The pawl 428 and locking member 453 function in
the manner described above in the embodiments shown in Figs.
1 through 9. When the latch 410 is actuated by lifting the
handle 411 away from the housing the actuation arm 448 of
the handle 411 depresses the engaging portion 452 of the
locking member 453 The spring locking member 453 is thereby
deflected by the actuation of the paddle 411 and the pawl
428 is then released from engagement with a keeper member,
as discussed above.
Referring to Fig. 12, a compression spring 451 is shown
disposed between the housing 412 and the paddle 411. The
paddle compression spring 451 is held by a retaining pin 449
extending outwardly from the inside of the paddle 411. The
opposite end of the compression spring 451 may be held in a
socket 450 of the housing as described above in connection
with the embodiment of Figs. 1 through 9. Fig. 12 shows the
handle 411 being held on the housing 412 by a pair of
mounting flanges 417, 418 extending outwardly from the
handle on opposite ends thereof, each flange having a guide
slot 419, 420, respectively, in which are disposed
apertures, respectively, 421 and 422. The housing is
provided with a pair of outwardly extending arms, 423, 424
which include projections, as described above and shown in
connection with Figs. 1-9, which are received in the handle
flange apertures 421, 422. The handle 411 is thereby
pivotally connected to the housing 412.
An alternate embodiment of a latch assembly according
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to the present invention is shown in Fig. 14. The latch 510
is provided similar to that 410 described above and shown in
Figs. 10 through 13 but with the paddle 511 having a larger
dimension. The latch embodiment 510 permits push and pull
actuation of the latch assembly. The handle 511 can be
pulled by gripping below the paddle and pulling it forward,
or, alternately, can be actuated by depressing the upper
portion of the paddle inwardly toward the housing 412.
Fig. 15 is a rear view of the paddle 511 of the latch
embodiment 510 shown in Fig. 14. The paddle 511 includes
paddle flanges 517, 518 and slots 519, 520 which permit
attachment to a housing, such as that 412 described above
and shown in Figs. 10 through 13. The paddle flanges 517,
518 also contain apertures 574, 575, respectively, disposed
therein. A grip guard 580 is provided to prevent slippage
of a user s fingers into the latch assembly when the latch
is operated. The handle 511 also includes an actuation arm
548 which is provided to engage a locking member'as
described above in accordance with the latching and
unlatching operation.
It will be apparent to those skilled in the art that
various modifications can be made to the ratcheting pawl
latch invention without departing from the scope and spirit
of the invention, and it is intended that the present
invention cover modifications and variations of the
ratcheting pawl latch which are within the scope of the
appended claims and their equivalents.
