1. Field of the invention
The present invention relates to a latch for releasably securing a first member relative to a second member, wherein the first member moves at least in part slidably relative to the second member in order to move into the secured position.
2. Description of the Prior Art
Latches are used to releasably secure panels, covers, doors, electronic modules, and the like to other structures such as compartments, containers, door frames, other panels, frames, racks, etc. Although many types of latches are known in the art, none offers the advantages of the present invention. The advantages of the present invention will be apparent from the attached description and drawings.
The present invention is directed to a latch for use with members that move at least in part slidably into a secured position. The latch includes a cup adapted for mounting to a member such as a panel, door, cover, circuit board, or the like; means for securing the cup to the panel, door, cover, circuit board, or the like; a sliding member supported by the cup; a first linking member; and a second linking member. The sliding member is slidably movable relative to the cup. The first linking member is pivotally connected to the cup, and the second linking member is pivotally connected to the sliding member. The first and second linking members are pivotally connected to one another. The sliding member moves in response to movement of the linking members. The member, such as a panel, door, cover, circuit board, or the like, to which the latch is mounted moves toward a secured position as the first and second linking members are moved to their respective closed positions while the sliding member is in engagement with a stationary keeper.
Similar reference characters denote corresponding features consistently throughout the attached drawings.
Referring to
In the illustrative embodiment the latch 100 is used to secure the lid or removable panel 102 of a container 104 over the top opening of the container 104. The panel 102 has an opening 106 that permits the installation of the latch 100 to the panel 102. The container 104 has a bottom 101, a front side 103, a left side 105, a right side 107, and a rear side 109. The opening 106 is provided in a portion 111 of the panel 102 that is depressed relative to the remainder of the panel 102. This arrangement advantageously provides for the latch 100 to be flush with the greater portion of the panel 102 when the latch 100 is in the closed configuration. This feature is particularly useful when a plurality of containers 104 are to be stacked or mounted in a rack. The flush mounted feature of the latch 100 is made possible to a large extent by its design which allows for very low profile when the latch is in the closed configuration. The latch 100 can also be mounted in a panel where the opening 106 is not provided in a depression.
The latch 100 is used for securing a first member, in the illustrated case panel 102, in a closed position relative to a second member, in the illustrated case the container 104. The latch 100 includes a base 108 adapted for mounting to the first member 102, means for securing the base 108 to the first member 102, a sliding member 110 movably supported by the base 108, a first linking member 112, and a second linking member 114. The sliding member 110 is slidably movable relative to the base 108 over a range of motion between open and closed positions. The first linking member 112 is pivotally connected to the base 108 at a first pivotal connection 116. The first linking member 112 is pivotally movable between open and closed positions. The second linking member 114 is pivotally connected to the sliding member 110 at a second pivotal connection 118. The second linking member 114 is pivotally connected to the first linking member 112 at a third pivotal connection 120. The second linking member 114 is pivotally movable relative to the sliding member 110 between open and closed positions.
The sliding member 110 moves over at least a portion of its range of motion toward its respective closed position relative to the base 108 responsive to movement of the first and second linking members 112 and 114 toward their respective closed positions. The first member 102 moves toward the secured position illustrated in
The sliding member 110 is adapted for being positioned substantially in a secured position relative to a keeper 122 provided in a fixed positional relationship relative to the second member 104 even as the sliding member 110 moves toward its closed position relative to the base 108 responsive to movement of the first linking member 112 and the second linking member 114 toward their respective closed positions. The positional relationship between the sliding member 110 and the keeper 122 is maintained even as movement of the first member 102 toward its secured position relative to the container 104 is occurring.
In the illustrated embodiment, the base 108 is in the form of a cup adapted for mounting in the opening 106 in the first member 102. The cup 108 has a flange 124 that is engageable with a portion of the first member 102 adjacent the opening 106. The cup 108 also has a tub portion 126. The tub portion 126 has a slot 128, and the keeper pin 130 of the keeper 122 passes through the slot 128 such that the keeper pin 130 can be engaged by the sliding member 110 to thereby provide for movement of the first member 102 toward the secured position of the first member 102 shown in
The keeper 122 has at least a portion 130 that is in the form of a post or pin, and the sliding member 110 has an opening 132 adapted to receive the post 130, when the latch 100 is mounted to the first member 102 and the first member 102 is positioned relative to the second member 104 as shown in
In the illustrated embodiment, the first linking member 112 has a pair of closed detent legs 134 that at least help to retain the latch 100 in the closed configuration until the latch is forced to the open configuration by a user. Each of the pair of closed detent legs 134 is resilient and has a tip and a detent projection 136 provided within proximity of the tip. The sliding member 110 has a pair of catch surfaces 138 and the detent projection 136 of each of the pair of closed detent legs 134 engages a respective one of the pair of catch surfaces 138 to at least help to retain the latch 100 in the closed configuration until the latch is forced to the open configuration by a user. Each of the pair of catch surfaces 138 is formed by a respective one of a pair of detent slots 140 formed in the sliding member 110.
In the illustrated embodiment, the linking member 112 has a pair of open detent legs 142 that at least help to retain the latch 100 in the open configuration until the latch 100 is forced to the closed configuration by a user. Each of the pair of open detent legs 142 is resilient and has a tip and a detent projection 144 provided within proximity of the tip of each of the pair of open detent legs 142. The sliding member 110 has a pair of open detent surfaces 146 and the detent projection 144 of each of the pair of open detent legs 142 engages a respective one of the pair of open detent surfaces 146 to at least help to retain the latch 100 in the open configuration until the latch 100 is forced to the closed configuration by a user.
In the illustrated embodiment, the first linking member 112 has a middle portion and the third pivotal connection 120 is located within proximity of the middle portion of the first linking member 112 and the first linking member 112 serves as a handle or lever to allow a user to operate the latch 100. Alternatively, the positions of the lever 112 and the link 114 may be reversed such that the lever 112 is pivotally connected to the sliding member 110 while the link 114 is pivotally connected to the cup 108.
In the illustrated embodiment, the means for securing the base or cup 108 to the first member 102 comprises a retainer 148 pivotally supported relative to the cup 108. The retainer 148 is movable between fastened and unfastened positions. The retainer 148 and the flange 124 cooperatively maintain the portion of the first member 102 adjacent the opening 102 intermediate the retainer 148 and the flange 124 to thereby maintain the cup 108 in a mounted position relative to the opening 106 in the first member 102 when the cup 108 is in the mounted position and the retainer 148 is in the fastened position.
The latch 100 further includes means for maintaining the retainer 148 in the fastened position. In the illustrated embodiment, the retainer 148 is a resilient frame-like or brace-like structure pivotally linked to the cup 108. The cup 108 has at least a pair of slots 150 and the retainer 148 has at least a pair of opposing projecting portions 152 that engage respective ones of the pair of slots 150 to retain the retainer 148 in the fastened position. Thus, in the illustrated embodiment, the means for maintaining the retainer 148 in the fastened position includes the pair of slots 150. Each of the pair of opposing projecting portions 152 is approximately U-shaped and is formed by a bend or a bent portion in the wire-frame-like structure of the retainer 148. Although a pair of opposing slots 150 and a pair of corresponding bend portions 152 are preferred, a single slot 150 and a single corresponding bend or projecting portion 152 may also be employed as an alternative.
In the illustrated embodiment, the slots 150 and the projecting portions 152 are arranged such that the pair of opposing projecting portions 152 extend through the pair of slots 150 and at least in part help to guide the sliding member 110 as the sliding member 110 slidably moves relative to the cup 108. The projecting portions 152 limit the movement of the sliding member 110 away from the bottom of the tub portion 126 of the cup 108 by working against the surfaces 154 of the sliding member 110.
In the illustrated embodiment, the retainer 148 is formed by a wire or wire-like structure having bends at various locations along its length to thereby form the resilient frame-like structure illustrated in
As an alternative to or in combination with the slots 150 and the projecting portions 152, the retainer 148 may include at least a projecting portion 156 that extends toward the pivot axis of the retainer 148. In the illustrated embodiment the pivot axis 117 of the retainer 148 is essentially coincident with the pivot axis of the lever 112 at the pivotal connection 116. Any solid or hollow shaft placed through the holes 123, provided on each side of the cup 108, and the hole 121 of the lever 112 can be used to pivotally attach the lever 112 to the cup 108. The opposing free ends 119 of the retainer 148 pass through the holes 123 to pivotally attach the retainer 148 to the cup 108 and extend into the hole 121 of the lever 112. The projecting portion 156 is adapted to engage the slot 160 proximate the opening 106 in the first member 102 to retain the retainer 148 in the fastened position. In the illustrated embodiment, the projecting portion 156 is formed by an approximately V-shaped bend in the retainer 148. Alternatively, the projecting portion 156 may be formed by an approximately U-shaped bend.
A further aspect of the present invention is to provide a latch having an operating mechanism that includes at least one projection that moves back and forth as the operating mechanism is operated between the closed and open configurations. The projection engages some portion of the panel 102 when the latch is in the closed configuration to temporarily hold the latch in the mounted position until the retainer is applied. In the illustrated embodiment, the tub portion of the cup 108 is provided with lateral slots 162. The link 114 has projections 164 that extend through the lateral slots 162 and slide along the lateral slots 162 as the sliding member 110 moves relative to the cup 108. The projections 164 extend approximately along the pivot axis of the pivotal connection between the link 114 and the sliding member 110. The panel 102 is provided with at least one tab 166 projecting from the back or interior of the panel proximate the opening 106 in the panel 102. The tab 166 is engaged by the projections 164 when the slide 110 is in the closed position relative to the cup 108 in order to temporarily hold the latch 100 in the mounted position until the retainer 148 is applied.
In the illustrated embodiment, the panel 102 has an opening 106 adapted to receive the cup 108. The panel 102 has an exterior and a back. The panel includes a plurality of tabs 166 projecting from the back of the panel proximate the opening 106. At least one slotted tab 168 projects from the back of the panel proximate the opening 106. The plurality of tabs 166 are positioned adjacent the opening 106 and contact the cup 108 of the latch to thereby provide a larger supporting surface for the cup of the latch when the latch is mounted to the panel. The slotted tab 168 has a slot 160 adapted for engagement by the resilient retainer 148 pivotally connected to the cup 108 of the latch. The opening 106 has a first portion 170 having a first width and a second portion 172 having a second width, the second width being larger than the first width. The portion 172 is provided to accommodate the pivotal attachment of the retainer 148.
In use, the latch 100 is first mounted to the panel 102. With the panel 102 in the position shown in
This application is a continuation of U.S. patent application Ser. No. 10/434,903, filed on May 9, 2003, which is a continuation-in-part of U.S. patent application Ser. No. 10/159,890, filed on Jun. 1, 2002, which claims the benefit of United States Provisional Application for Patent Ser. No. 60/371,527, filed on Apr. 9, 2002, all of which are incorporated by reference herein in their entirety.
Number | Date | Country | |
---|---|---|---|
60371527 | Apr 2002 | US |
Number | Date | Country | |
---|---|---|---|
Parent | 10434903 | May 2003 | US |
Child | 11314583 | Dec 2005 | US |
Number | Date | Country | |
---|---|---|---|
Parent | 10159890 | Jun 2002 | US |
Child | 10434903 | May 2003 | US |