# US 2015/0145263 A1 · Vehicle hood latches > Agents: this data is available as JSON from the patentgrep API and MCP server — see https://patentgrep.com/llms.txt - Number: US 2015/0145263 A1 - Document ID: US20150145263A1 - Status: Published application - Kind: A1 - Application number: 14/550,130 - Filed: 2014-11-21 - Published: 2015-05-28 - Earliest claimed: 2013-11-22 - Assignees: Gecom Corporation - Applicants: Gecom Corporation - Inventors: Bryan Farris; Brian Kepler - Web page: https://patentgrep.com/patent/US20150145263A1 ## CPC - E05B 83/24: for car bonnets - E05B 77/08: Arrangements for protection of pedestrians - E05B 85/26: Cooperation between bolts and detents - Y10S 292/14: Hood latches - Y10T 29/49826: Assembling or joining - Y10T 292/1047: Closure - Y10T 292/1075: Operating means - E05B: LOCKS; ACCESSORIES THEREFOR; HANDCUFFS - Y10S: TECHNICAL SUBJECTS COVERED BY FORMER USPC CROSS-REFERENCE ART COLLECTIONS [XRACs] AND DIGESTS - Y10T: TECHNICAL SUBJECTS COVERED BY FORMER US CLASSIFICATION ## Abstract Latches including a slot having a length that allows a striker of the latch to move from a normal closed position downwardly toward the closed bottom of the slot into an over travel position. ## Claims ### Claim 1 A latch comprising: a housing having a fishmouth, the fishmouth defining a length between an open top end of the fishmouth and a closed bottom end of the fishmouth, a ratchet, a pawl, and a striker, wherein the striker is received within the fishmouth; and wherein the ratchet and the pawl cooperate to selectively retain the striker in the fishmouth, the ratchet movable between a closed position wherein the striker is retained in the fishmouth and an open position wherein the striker is free to exit the fishmouth, the pawl moving between a locking position wherein the pawl keeps the ratchet in the closed position and an unlocked position wherein the pawl permits movement of the ratchet out of the closed position, the ratchet being biased to the open position and the pawl being biased to the locking position; and wherein the pawl includes a lower appendage that blocks the ratchet from moving past the closed position, thereby retaining the striker in the closed position, the closed position being an intermediate position between the open top end and the closed bottom end of the fishmouth. ### Claim 2 (depends on 1) The latch of claim 1, further comprising a block lever configured to cooperate with the pawl and the ratchet to retain the ratchet in the closed position. ### Claim 3 (depends on 1) The latch of claim 1, wherein the ratchet is movable downwardly out of the closed position to an over travel position to allow the striker to move downwardly toward the closed bottom end of the fishmouth. ### Claim 4 A latch comprising a housing having a fishmouth, the fishmouth defining a length between an open top end of the fishmouth and a closed bottom end of the fishmouth, a ratchet, a primary pawl, a secondary pawl, and a striker arranged to be received within the fishmouth; and wherein the latch is movable between a fully closed position where the ratchet and the primary pawl cooperate to selectively retain the striker in the fishmouth, a partially closed position where the ratchet and the secondary pawl cooperate to selectively retain the striker in the fishmouth, and an open position where the striker is free to move out of the fishmouth. ### Claim 5 (depends on 4) The latch of claim 4, wherein the ratchet is movable between a first-locked position, a second-locked position, an unlocked position, and an over travel position, the primary pawl is movable between a locked position and an unlocked position, the secondary pawl is movable between a locked position and an unlocked position, and the ratchet is in the first-locked position, the primary pawl is in the locked position, and the secondary pawl is in the locked position when the latch is in the fully closed position. ### Claim 6 (depends on 5) The latch of claim 5, wherein the ratchet is in the second-locked position, the primary pawl is in the locked position, and the secondary pawl is in the locked position when the latch is in the partially closed position. ### Claim 7 (depends on 5) The latch of claim 5, wherein the primary pawl is moved from the locked position to the unlocked position a first time to cause the ratchet to move from the first-locked position to the second-locked position and the primary pawl is moved from the locked position to the unlocked position a second time to cause the ratchet to move from the second-locked position to the unlocked position. ### Claim 8 (depends on 5) The latch of claim 5, wherein the primary pawl is formed to include a primary slot, the secondary pawl is formed to include a secondary hole, the latch further includes a pin extending through the secondary hole and the primary slot, and the pin is positioned in the primary slot to allow the primary pawl to move between the locked and unlocked positions without causing the secondary pawl to move between the locked and unlocked positions when the latch is in the fully closed position. ### Claim 9 (depends on 8) The latch of claim 8, wherein the pin is positioned in the primary slot to couple the primary pawl and the secondary pawl together such that movement of the primary pawl between the locked and unlocked positions causes movement of the secondary pawl between the locked and unlocked positions when the latch is in the partially closed position. ### Claim 10 (depends on 5) The latch of claim 5, wherein the ratchet is rotatable out of the first-locked position to an over travel position to allow the striker to move downwardly toward the closed bottom end of the fishmouth from a closed position. ### Claim 11 (depends on 10) The latch of claim 10, wherein the striker is allowed to move downwardly by about 10 millimeters to about 30 millimeters from the closed position to the over travel position. ### Claim 12 (depends on 4) The latch of claim 4, wherein the ratchet is movable between a first-locked position, a second-locked position, an unlocked position, and an over travel position, the primary pawl is movable between a locked position and an unlocked position, the secondary pawl is movable between a locked position and an unlocked position, and the ratchet is in the first-locked position, the primary pawl is in the locked position, the secondary pawl is in the locked position when the latch is in the fully closed position, and the latch further comprises a toggle lever configured to cooperate with the ratchet to block the striker from moving downwardly toward the closed bottom end of the fishmouth. ### Claim 13 (depends on 12) The latch of claim 12, wherein the toggle lever is movable between a neutral position, a blocking position, and a bypass position, the ratchet is allowed to rotate when the toggle lever is in the neutral position, and the ratchet is blocked from rotating when the toggle lever is in the blocking position and the ratchet is engaged with the toggle lever. ### Claim 14 (depends on 13) The latch of claim 13, wherein the toggle lever is biased by a toggle bias member into the neutral position. ### Claim 15 (depends on 13) The latch of claim 13, wherein the ratchet engages the toggle lever to move the toggle lever to the bypass position when the ratchet is moved from the first-locked position to the open position. ### Claim 16 (depends on 13) The latch of claim 13, wherein the ratchet engages the toggle lever to move the toggle lever to the blocking position when the ratchet is moved from the open position to the first-locked position. ### Claim 17 (depends on 13) The latch of claim 13, wherein the toggle lever remains in the blocking position to block the ratchet from moving to the over travel position to cause the striker to be blocked from moving downwardly toward the closed bottom end of the fishmouth when the ratchet is being moved from the open position to the first-locked position. ### Claim 18 A method of latching comprising the steps of: providing a housing defining a slot having an open top, a closed bottom and a length between the open top and the closed bottom, operably attaching together the housing and a primary pawl such that the primary pawl is arranged to move between a primary locked position and an primary unlocked position, operably attaching together the housing and a ratchet, receiving within the slot a striker, seating the striker within the ratchet in a closed position, retaining the ratchet in the closed position, and allowing the ratchet to release the striker to travel downwardly from the closed position to an over travel position. ### Claim 19 (depends on 18) The method of claim 18, further comprising the step of operably attaching a secondary pawl to the housing such that the secondary pawl is arranged to move between a secondary locked position and a secondary unlocked position and retaining the ratchet in a first-locked position by the primary pawl while the primary pawl is in the primary locked position, the ratchet being allowed to move to the over travel position to allow the striker to travel downwardly toward the closed bottom of the housing when the ratchet is in the first-locked position. ### Claim 20 (depends on 19) The method claim 19, further comprising the step of activating a pawl release to cause the primary pawl to move from the primary locked position to the primary unlocked position such that the ratchet moves from the first-locked position to a second-locked position and is retained in the second-locked position by the secondary pawl in response to the primary pawl moving to the primary unlocked position.