US 6,056,359 AGranted

Two-position latch system

AssigneeTecla Company, Inc.

InventorRichard N. Clark

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Abstract

A power boat helmsman's station chair having a two-section seat bottom articulated by a pivotal hinge framework so that the front section of the seat can be folded up from its normal position as a horizontal extension of the rear section of the seat bottom to a position raised and disposed over the rear section. Port and starboard hinge subassemblies include a L-shape angle corner bracket that is fastened to both the bottom and the side boards of the rear seat section framework, thereby reinforcing the same, and that pivotally carries one end of an associated hinge arm fastened at its other end to the framework of the seat bottom front section. A one piece plastic member of generally inverted V-shaped configuration has one arm fixed to the upright flange of the comer bracket with the other arm disposed for spring latching, camming engagement with a cam follower edge surface of the pivot end of the hinge arm. The mobile arm of the spring latch member is cam profile configured and oriented to yieldably hold the hinge arm in the upright position of the seat front section and its spring stabilizing force can be overcome by pulling forwardly on the upright seat bottom front section with a predetermined force to unlatch the same and fold it down to its normal horizontal use position.

A pivotal framework subassembly latch system comprising, in combination, a spring latch member having a mounting arm portion, a yieldably movable latch arm portion having a free end, and a bight portion integrally resiliently connecting said arm portions remote from said free end and holding said latch arm portion spaced away from said mounting aim portion in the free state condition of said latch member to thereby define a flexing space therebetween for pivotal motion of said latch am portion free end relative to said mounting arm portion in a travel plane of said latch arm portion free end,

said latch arm portion having a camming surface on a side thereof remote from said mounting arm portion with a generally convex configuration oriented in the travel plane of said latch arm portion free end and defining an apex generally adjacent said free end, said framework system further including support bracket means, fastening means fixedly securing said mounting arm portion to said bracket means against movement thereon, and a mobile hinge arm having one end thereof secured by pivot support means to said bracket means for pivotal motion of said hinge arm between first and second angularly spaced end limits for swinging generally in a hinge arm travel plane coplanar to the travel plane of said latch arm portion free end,
said one end of said hinge arm carrying cam follower means constructed and arranged to engage said latch arm camming surface for travel therealong on either side of and over said apex in an over-center relationship, as said hinge arm pivots between its swinging end limits, and such that said cam follower means forces said latch arm portion to yieldably swing toward said mounting arm portion during such cam follower engagement over said apex while being yieldably resisted by the biasing force exerted by said resilient bight portion as the same flexes to accommodate such swinging of said latch arm portion whereby said hinge arm is yieldably latched into either one of two angular spaced latched positions at or between its swing end limits.

Abstract

Claims30