Case Latch Assembly

A case latch assembly, comprising:

• a strike plate member (18) provided on a first lock mounting part (12);
• a hinge member (16) mounted on a second lock mounting part (14) for pivotal movement about a pivot;
• a reciprocating element (20) mounted for reciprocal movement on the hinge member (16), the reciprocating element (20) comprising a strike plate engagement portion (20a) to a side of the pivot nearest to the first lock mounting part (12) for engaging with the strike plate member (18), and a cantilever portion (20b) which extends to the side of the pivot furthest from the first lock mounting part (12);
• and
• a torsion element (32a, 32b) being arranged to apply torsion to the hinge member (16) to bias the strike plate engagement portion (20a) away from the strike plate member (18);
• wherein, as the reciprocating element (20) moves between a first position and a second position, the cantilever portion (20b) interacts with a constraining formation (52) on the second lock mounting part (14) to offset the bias applied by the torsion element (32a, 32b) to cause the strike plate engagement portion (20a) to be deflected towards the strike plate member (18).