Hardware assembly for luggage and the like

A hardware assembly for luggage and the like comprising a pair of sliding latches adapted to be mounted on a first part of a luggage case adjacent to an edge thereof for sliding movement parallel to said edge, the latches being movable between latching and unlatching positions and being cooperable with associated hasps on a second part of the case for holding the case closed when the parts are brought together, means for biasing the latches to latching position, a slideable actuator adapted to be mounted on the first part of the case, the actuator being slideable between a rest position and an open position in a plane parallel to a plane containing the latches and in a direction transverse to the direction of movement of the latches, connecting means extending between the latches and the actuator for moving the latches to unlatching position when the actuator moves to open position, and means for coupling the connecting means to the latches to enable the latches to move with respect to the connecting means such that the latches can move to unlatching position independently of the movement of the actuator to open position when the parts are brought together to close the case.

A hardware assembly for luggage and the like comprising a housing with an open end, the housing adapted to be mounted on a first part of a luggage case and to project beyond an edge of the first part toward a second part of the case and to be received in a cut-out in an edge of the second part when the parts are brought together to close the case, and an end cap for closing the open end of the housing, the end cap comprising a member having a first portion shaped to fit within the open end of the housing, and a curved portion projecting slightly beyond said open end, the curved portion being shaped to cooperate with means associated with said cut-out to cam the parts into alignment when the parts are brought together to close the case.

A combination lock adapted for use in a hardware assembly for luggage and the like comprising a frame, a longitudinally extending shaft supported on the frame, a plurality of sleeves rotatably supported on the shaft, each sleeve being coupled to an associated dial for rotation therewith, bolt means pivotally supported on the frame for movement between locked and unlocked positions, the bolt means being cooperable with the sleeves and capable of moving to unlocked position only when the sleeves have a predetermined orientation, a rocker supported on the frame for movement between first and second positions, and an actuator coupled to the rocker, the actuator being movable between a rest position and an open position, the rocker being movable with the actuator and being in the first position when the actuator is in the rest position and being in the second position when the actuator is in the open position, the bolt means being pivotally supported about an axis parallel to the axis of the shaft and the rocker being pivotally supported about another axis parallel to the axis of the shaft, and the bolt means and the rocker having cooperable blocking means for preventing movement of the rocker from the first position except when the bolt means is in the unlocked position.

A combination lock adapted for use in a hardware assembly for luggage and the like comprising a frame, a longitudinally extending shaft supported on the frame, a plurality of sleeves rotatably supported on the shaft, each sleeve being releasably coupled to an associated dial for rotation therewith, an actuator movable between a rest position and an open position, the actuator being movable from the rest position only when the sleeves have a predetermined orientation, and combination changing means for moving the sleeves relative to the dials to uncouple the sleeves and the dials to enable the combination to be changed, the actuator having means for preventing operation of the combination changing means except when the actuator is in the open position.