Patent Application
20170022737
The present invention relates to a latch for cupboards, cabinet doors and the like, and, more particularly, “child-proof” latches that include features which make them difficult to be actuated by small children.
Cupboards are commonly used in daily life in kitchens, bedrooms, offices, etc. to store a wide range of articles, some of which may be harmful to children. Small children may also attempt to climb on, or even in, cupboards and cabinets in an effort to hide. Cupboards and cabinets may house many types of materials which may be potentially hazardous to children such as medicines, household cleaners, knives, tools, paint, etc.
To prevent young children from accessing these storage areas, numerous items have been patented and sold, most of a multi-piece assembly. Generally, some sort of a longitudinal member with a hook portion is attached to either side surface of a cupboard or cupboard handle to limit the amount the cupboard door may be opened. The hook portion may engage with the cupboard handles or fixings on the cupboard doors. A latch on the hook may be depressed to release the hook from the cupboard handles or fixings on the cupboard doors.
While the disengagement of the latch is relatively easy for an adult, the latches are intended to be difficult to manipulate by a child. However, since the actuation may be easily learned by an attentive child, the latch may soon prove inadequate.
In some cases, these hooks require at least two components, which need alignment during installation or adjustment after installation. These components generally include protrusions fixed to the cupboard door for the hook to latch around. This mechanism may further require a biasing member (springs, etc.) to bias the latch member against the hook member.
These hooks allow a certain amount of operability of the cupboard doors allowing their partial opening due the playability of the material used or a looseness of the fixing.
What is needed is a “child-proof” safety lock that is easy to install on at least one cupboard door, and which includes a more complex action which must be actuated to release the lock. Thus, a cupboard door may not be partially opened and its contents kept secure from children. Upon actuation of the more complex action by an adult, the contents may become accessible.
It is thus an object of the present invention to provide a lock which may preferably be moulded of plastic to provide a low cost safety latch.
The present invention is described more fully hereinafter with reference to the accompanying drawings, in which preferred embodiments of the invention are shown. This invention, may, however, be embodied in many different forms and should not be construed as limited to the embodiments set forth herein; rather, these embodiments are provided so that this disclosure will be thorough and complete, and will fully convey the scope of the invention to those skilled in the art.
Referring now to
Once the spring loaded bolt 7 has engaged the latching means 6 the external section 1 and the internal section 4 become locked together, retaining the cupboard doors 3 between the two sections 1 and 4. The internal section 4 being attached to the inside of the cupboard by attaching means 5 prevents opening of the cupboard doors 3a and 3b when latching means 6 and spring loaded bolt 7 are engaged.
Holes are provided in the attaching means 5 for attachment to the inside surface of a cupboard with mechanical fasteners, such as small nails or screws. Double-sided adhesive tape or hook-and-loop type fasteners, such as Velcro® may also be used.
The latching means 6 may be disengaged from the internal section 4 by a recompression of the spring loaded bolt 7 by releasing means 2. The releasing means 2, as shown in
In the first embodiment, shown in
In the second embodiment, shown in
In this second embodiment the internal section 24 is also attached to a horizontal shelf in the cupboard by attaching means 5. However, the external section is split into two halves 21a and 21b and these are attached to the external surface of the cupboard doors 3a and 3b by an adhesive or double-sided tape as shown in
By having two releasing means 22a and 22b, this second embodiment has the advantage of being able to open each cupboard door 3a and 3b independently.
The lock is mechanically actuated when the cupboard door is closed by the ramped ends (not shown) of the bolts 27a and 27b which enable the bolts to slide over the edge of the latching means 26 and catch onto the apertures 30a and 30b automatically when the cupboard door is closed.
It should be understood that although specific embodiments of the present invention have been described herein in detail, such descriptions are for purposes of illustration only and modifications may be made thereto within the scope of the invention.
The description and drawings illustratively set forth the presently preferred invention embodiment. We intend the description and drawings to describe this embodiment and not to limit the scope of the invention. Obviously, it is possible to modify these embodiments while remaining within the scope of the following claims. Therefore, within the scope of the claims one may practice the invention otherwise than as the description and drawings specifically show and describe.
| Number | Date | Country | Kind |
|---|---|---|---|
| 201520531347.9 | Jul 2015 | CN | national |
