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US 6,116,660 AGranted
Apparatus for sealing latching devices
AssigneeSouthco, Inc.
InventorsRichard B. Langkamp, Jr., D. Dale Turner
Life of this patent
Estimating the term…
Abstract
A latch has a housing for mounting in a door, panel or the like and a moveable pawl which engages a frame, panel or the like in a fastened position. The latch is provided with a substantially resilient member in the form of a seal, which is adapted to be compressed when the pawl is in the fastened position for inhibiting the passage of matter.
Claims18
A latch comprising:
- a housing generally elongate along a longitudinal axis defining an upper end, an outer surface, a lower end, and an opening at least within said lower end extending in a direction of said longitudinal axis of said housing in a direction of said upper end;
- a shaft substantially elongate and disposed within said opening of said housing, said shaft having a terminating end positioned outside of said opening of said housing;
- actuating means operatively associated with said shaft for rotation along an axis coincident with said longitudinal axis of said housing to move said shaft at least in a substantially axial direction relative to said longitudinal axis of said housing, said actuating means comprising means for translating rotation of said actuating means to substantial axial translation of said shaft;
- fastening means including a pawl attached with said terminating end of said shaft for movement at least in an axial direction between latched and unlatched positions corresponding with movement of said shaft, wherein said fastening means is at spaced separation from said lower end of said housing and said fastening means is closer to the lower end of the housing in the latched position than the unlatched position;
- and
- means for sealing said opening of said housing comprising a sealing member substantially of an elastomeric material and having an opening therethrough positioned on said terminating end of said shaft between said lower end of said housing and said fastening means, and with said sealing member being of a defined height and with said defined height being greater than said spaced separation between said fastening means and said lower end of said housing in said latched position, and said defined height of said sealing member being smaller than said spaced separation between said fastening means and said lower end of said housing in said unlatched position, wherein said sealing member is compressed by contact with the lower end of the housing and the fastening means when the pawl is in its latched position, said sealing member being uncompressed when the pawl is in its unlatched position.
3 more elements
A latch comprising:
- a housing generally elongate along a longitudinal axis defining an upper end, a lower end, and an opening at least within said lower end;
- a shaft disposed within said opening of said housing;
- actuating means for moving said shaft at least in an axial direction relative to said longitudinal axis of said housing;
- fastening means attached with said shaft for movement at least in an axial direction between latched and unlatched positions;
- and
- means for sealing said opening of said housing comprising a sealing member positioned on said shaft and attached by an adhesive to said lower end of said housing, wherein said sealing member comprises an opening therethrough defining an inner surface through which said shaft is disposed, an outer surface defining a perimeter spaced from said inner surface, and a connecting surface extending between said inner surface and said outer surface, wherein said connecting surface of said sealing member includes said adhesive thereon and with said adhesive being positioned on said connecting surface at spaced separation from said inner surface of said sealing member, wherein said sealing member is in a compressed state when said fastening means is in said latched position and in a uncompressed state when said fastening means is in said unlatched position.
3 more elements
A latch comprising:
- a housing generally elongate along a longitudinal axis defining an upper end, a lower end, and an opening at least within said lower end;
- a shaft disposed within said opening of said housing;
- actuating means for moving said shaft at least in an axial direction relative to said longitudinal axis of said housing;
- fastening means attached with said shaft for movement at least in an axial direction between latched and unlatched positions;
- and
- means for sealing said opening of said housing comprising a sealing member positioned on said shaft and attached by an adhesive to one of said lower end of said housing or said fastening means, wherein said sealing member comprises an opening therethrough defining an inner surface through which said shaft is disposed, an outer surface defining a perimeter spaced from said inner surface, and a connecting surface extending between said inner surface and said outer surface, said connecting surface having said adhesive thereon and with said adhesive being positioned on said connecting surface at spaced separation from said inner surface of said sealing member, wherein said sealing means is in a compressed state when said fastening means is in said latched position and in a uncompressed state when said fastening means is in said unlatched position.
3 more elements
Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.