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US 11,492,827 B1Granted
Latch apparatus
AssigneeCarlson Pet Products, Inc.
InventorsMark A. Flannery, Brian G. Linehan
Life of this patent
Estimating the term…
Abstract
A wire crate latch apparatus having, in a first embodiment, a pivoting member that is continually drawn to a closed position by gravity and that is deflected into a catch when the door having the pivoting member is swung closed. The latch apparatus further includes upper and lower stops to contain a distal end of the pivoting member and to hold the distal end in the position to hit an oblique portion of the catch when the door is closed. In a second embodiment, a sliding latch apparatus is deflected by a catch and is relatively inaccessible from inside of the wire crate by back plates on the latch and catch.
Claims14
A latch apparatus for latching first and second pieces together, one of the first and second pieces being swingable relative to the other of the first and second pieces, comprising:
- a) a latch, the latch engaged to the first piece, the latch comprising a sliding member, the sliding member having a proximal end and a distal end, the sliding member having a bias in a direction from the distal end to the proximal end of the sliding member such that the sliding member is biased to slide in the direction from the distal end to the proximal end of the sliding member;
- and
- b) a catch, the catch being engaged to the second piece, the sliding member and catch engagable to each other and disengagable from each other, the catch comprising an oblique front portion and a back portion, the oblique front portion and back portion being spaced from each other, the oblique front portion having a distal end, a proximal end, and an oblique surface extending between the distal and proximal ends of the oblique front portion, the proximal end of the oblique front portion being spaced from the back portion by a first distance and defining a catch space, the distal end of the oblique front portion being spaced from the back portion by a second distance, the second distance being greater than the first distance such that, when the first piece and sliding member swing toward the back portion of the catch to engage the catch, the oblique surface directs the sliding member to slide against said bias to slide the sliding member over the proximal end of the oblique front portion, whereupon the sliding member reverses a slide direction to slide under the bias in the direction from the distal end to the proximal end of the sliding member such that the proximal end of the sliding member is pushed under the proximal end of the oblique front portion such that the sliding member engages the catch;
- c) wherein the latch includes a back plate upon which the sliding member slides, the back plate of said latch defining a first plane, and the back portion of the catch being in said first plane when the first and second pieces are closed and latched to each other by said latch and catch;
- d) wherein the sliding member includes a first cavity and a second cavity, the first cavity being adjacent to the proximal end of the latch, the first and second cavities being separated by a transverse member, the back plate closing off the second cavity when the sliding member is in a normal biased position, at least a part of the first cavity being open relative to the back plate when the sliding member is in said normal biased position and the first piece has been swung away from the second piece;
- e) the sliding member being slideable on each of the back plate of the latch and the back portion of the catch when the first and second pieces have been swung together;
- and
- f) the back portion of the catch closing off the first cavity and the back plate of the latch closing off the second cavity when the sliding member is in said normal biased position and when the first and second pieces are closed and latched to each other by said latch and catch.
5 more elements
A latch apparatus for latching first and second pieces together, one of the first and second pieces being swingable relative to the other of the first and second pieces, comprising:
- a) a latch having a sliding member and a back plate, the latch being on the first piece;
- b) a catch for engaging said sliding member, the catch being on the second piece, the catch having a back portion;
- c) the sliding member having a cavity that confronts said back plate, the cavity having first and second cavity portions;
- d) the slideable member having a first position where a section of the first cavity portion is exposed relative to the back plate, where the second cavity portion is covered by the back plate, where the catch and latch are unengaged, and where the first and second pieces have been swung away from each other;
- e) the slideable member having a second position where the first cavity portion is closed relative to the back plate and where a section of the second cavity portion is exposed relative to the back plate;
- and
- f) the slideable member having a third position where the back portion of the catch closes off the first cavity portion and the back plate of the latch closes off the second cavity portion, where the sliding member is engaged to the catch, and where the first and second pieces are closed.
4 more elements
A latch apparatus for latching first and second pieces together, one of the first and second pieces being swingable relative to the other of the first and second pieces, comprising:
- a) a latch, the latch engaged to the first piece, the latch comprising a sliding member, the sliding member having a proximal end and a distal end, the sliding member having a bias in a direction from the distal end to the proximal end of the sliding member such that the sliding member is biased to slide in the direction from the distal end to the proximal end of the sliding member;
- and
- b) a catch, the catch being engaged to the second piece, the sliding member and catch engagable to each other and disengagable from each other, the catch comprising an oblique front portion and a back portion, the oblique front portion and back portion being spaced from each other, the oblique front portion having a distal end, a proximal end, and an oblique surface extending between the distal and proximal ends of the oblique front portion, the proximal end of the oblique front portion being spaced from the back portion by a first distance and defining a catch space, the distal end of the oblique front portion being spaced from the back portion by a second distance, the second distance being greater than the first distance such that, when the first piece and sliding member swing toward the back portion of the catch to engage the catch, the oblique surface directs the sliding member to slide against said bias to slide the sliding member over the proximal end of the oblique front portion, whereupon the sliding member reverses a slide direction to slide under the bias in the direction from the distal end to the proximal end of the sliding member such that the proximal end of the sliding member is pushed under the proximal end of the oblique front portion such that the sliding member engages the catch;
- c) the sliding member including a body, the body including a front side, a top side, a bottom side, a proximal end, a distal end, and an open back side;
- d) the latch including a back plate, the back plate of the latch and the back portion of the catch closing off the open back side of the sliding member when the catch and latch are engaged and when the first and second pieces are closed;
- and
- e) the front side of the latch including a first step and a second step and an intermediate section between the first and second steps, the first step being spaced from the back plate by a first distance, the intermediate section being spaced from the back plate by a second distance, and the second step being spaced from the back plate by a third distance, the first distance being less than the second distance, the second distance being less than the third distance, the first step being closer to the catch than the second step.
4 more elements
Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.