LOQUET D'ARMOIRE AMELIORE A L'EPREUVE DES ENFANTS

IMPROVED CHILDPROOF CUPBOARD LATCH

Abrégé anglais

A cupboard door, for example in a household kitchen,
swings open freely when pulled by a child or when agitated by
an earthquake tremour. A childproof cupboard latch can be
purchased and retroactively installed on such a cupboard to
withstand the undesirable opening of the door. The mechanism
of a childproof latch and its working is illustrated on
Drawings 1a, 1b and 1c. The latch consists of a hooked catch
arm mounted on the lower inner edge of the cupboard door and
a catch device mounted on the bottom shelf of the cupboard.
The catch arm and the catch are positioned to "latch" the
door so that the former "engages" the latter when the
cupboard door is closed. Furthermore, the design of the
device is such that the catch device latches the door but
allows an opening enough for insertion of a person's finger.
The door, then, will open when the catch arm is released by
lifting the catch arm with a finger in the opening. The
invention by your Petitioner, described on Drawings 2a, 2b
and 2c, will modify the unlatching method just described. The
invention eliminates the finger opening described above
and the insertion of a finger to unlatch the latching device.
The invention consists of attaching an elementary release
device onto an otherwise orthodox childproof cupboard latch.
By this invention, the tentative opening of the cupboard door
required for the insertion of a person's finger, will be

Revendications

CLAIMS
The embodiments of the invention in which exclusive
property or privilege is claimed are defined as follows:
1. A device that disengages the locking action of a
childproof latch on a cupboard without a need for a finger
opening of the cupboard door.
2. The device to con silt of a smooth bodied iron rod
precisely positioned adjacent to the childproof latch and
retained in place by a C-ring collar and a groove in the rod.
3. The device shall allow a modification to an orthodox
childproof cupboard latch such as referred to in Line 2 of
the Specifications above.
4. A device which may be retrofitted on an existing
orthodox childproof cupboard latch and render it the same as
described in Claim No. 1.
5. A metal drilling jig to assuage multiple
installations and, as well, ensure precise positioning of the
plunger, the catch arm, and the catch.

Description

CA 02417948 2003-02-03
SPECIFICATION
1 In drawings illustrating the invention:
Drawing 2a, 2b, and 2c shows an orthodox childproof
cupboard latch modified with the Petitioner's invention.
Drawing 2a shows the same catch arm and catch as seen on
Drawing la and 1b except: that the catch (C) position is
modified so that the cupboard door is held completely closed:
the 1" opening for the finger, as shown on Drawing 1b, does
not occur. In a further modification a plunger (P),
positioned as shown on Drawing 2a, provides for the release
ZO of the catch arm. The Drawing Shows the cupboard doar closed
and the plunger in its rest. position. In Drawing 2b
plunger (P) has been pushed upward by a finger. The catch arm
has been raised clear of catch (C) and a simultaneous pull of
the cupboard door by another finger would allow the door to
open.
In Drawing 2c the cupboard is open and the fingers have
vanished. The plunger (P), which is a 6.4mm diameter polished
cold rolled steel, returns to its rest position by force of
gravity.
20 Drawing 3 shows an installation aid for the invention.
The installation aid is a drilling jig that will position the
hole for the plunger and screw locations for the catch and
the catch arm in an easy and accurate manner in those
instances where a number of cupboards are being fitted with
childproof cupboard latches.
Drawing 4 shows the plunger (P) in isolation. The length
for the plunger is for a cupboard thickness of 12.7mm for
sake of illustration.

Dessin représentatif