Push button operators for latches and locks and locking systems employing lockable push button operators

A latch system for a pickup truck box having an elongate body and a lid hinged to open along a length of the body, comprising:

• a) first and second latch strikers adapted to be attached to the lid;
• b) first and second latch assemblies for mounting inside the body for engagement with a corresponding striker when the lid is closed, with the latch assemblies having releases that are movable to unlatch the latches;
• c) first and second push button latch operators having housings adapted to be mounted in openings formed through body near opposite ends of the body, with the latch operators including operating arms that are moved between non-operated and operated positions when push buttons of the latch operators are pushed;
• and,
• d) means for interconnecting the operating arms of the latch operators and the releases of the latch assemblies for enabling either of the latch operators to concurrently unlatch the latch assemblies when one of the push buttons is pushed, including a reversing crank mounted inside the body for pivotal movement about an axis located near an imaginary center plane located substantially midway between the first and second latch releases and substantially midway between the first and second latch operators, first means for extending to one side of the center plane for connecting the release of the first latch assembly with the first operating arm and with the reversing crank, and second means for extending to the other side of the center plane for connecting the release of the second latch assembly with the second operating arm and with the reversing crank such that the reversing crank causes the first means and the second means to move in opposite directions relative to the center plane when the releases of the latch assemblies are being moved by one of the latch operators to unlatch the latch assemblies.

A latch and lock system for a pickup truck box having a body, with a length of the body being defined by opposed, relatively long sides that extend between opposed, relatively shorter ends of the body, and having a lid, with a length of the lid being defined by opposed sides that extend along the length of the body between opposed ends of the lid, with the lid- being connected to the body by at least one hinge located along one of the opposed sides of the lid for pivoting the lid relative to the body between open and closed positions, with the latch system being operable to releasably retain the lid in the closed position, and comprising:

• a) first and second push button operators adapted to be attached to a selected one of the body and the lid at locations near the ends of the selected one of the body and the lid, with an imaginary center plane being located substantially mid-way between the locations where the first and second push button operators are attached to the selected one of the body and the lid, with each of the push button operators including:
• i) a generally tubular housing having a central passage extending therethrough along an imaginary central axis of the housing and opening through forward and rearward ends of the housing;
• ii) a push button slidable within the central passage between non-operated and operated positions, with the push button having a forward end region, a rearward end region, and an interior passage extending therethrough along the central axis of the housing and opening through the forward and rearward end regions;
• iii) a key operated lock cylinder carried within the interior passage and being rotatable relative to the housing about the central axis of the housing between locked and unlocked positions of the key operated lock cylinder, with the key operated lock cylinder having a front end region that is configured to receive a key configured to rotate the key operated lock cylinder between the locked and unlocked positions of the key operated lock cylinder, and a rear end region that projects from the rearward end of the housing;
• iv) means for limiting the rotation of the key operated lock cylinder relative to the housing when moving between the locked and unlocked positions of the key operated lock cylinder to approximately a quarter turn;
• v) an operating arm connected to the rear end region of the key operated lock cylinder and being configured to extend transversely with respect to the central axis of the housing for pivotal movement between locked and unlocked positions of the operating arm when the key operated lock cylinder is rotated relative to the housing between the locked and unlocked positions of the key operated lock cylinder;
• vi) with the push button and the operating arm connected to the key operated lock cylinder being movable in unison toward and away from the center plane to move the operating arm between non-operated and operated positions of the operating arm when the operating arm is in the unlocked position of the operating arm;
• and
• vii) sealing means for preventing the passage of moisture through the central passage of the housing and through the interior passage of the push button including at least a first resilient O-ring seal in the central passage surrounding a portion of the push button, and at least a second resilient O-ring means in the interior passage surrounding a portion of the key cylinder;
• b) a reversing crank adapted to be mounted inside the box and adapted to be connected to the selected one of the body and the lid at a location near the center plane for pivoting about an axis, and having opposed end regions that extend in opposite directions away from the axis to define first and second points of connection located on opposite sides of the axis and substantially equidistantly from the axis;
• c) first and second latch strikers adapted to be attached to a different one of the body and the lid at spaced locations along the length of the different one of the body and the lid, which locations are substantially equidistant from the center plane;
• d) first and second latch assemblies adapted to be attached to the selected one of the body and the lid at first and second locations for latchingly engaging a corresponding one of the first and second strikers when the lid is closed, with the latch assemblies having releases that are capable of being moved concurrently from non-operated positions of the releases to operated positions of the releases for substantially concurrently unlatching the latching engagement of the latch assemblies with the strikers so that the lid can be pivoted to the open position, with the first and second locations of the latch assemblies being substantially equidistant from the center plane, and with the releases being movable in opposite directions relative to the center plane when being moved from the non-operated positions of the releases to the operated positions of the releases to unlatch the latch assemblies;
• and,
• e) linkage means for connecting the operating arms, the releases and the points of connection of the reversing crank for enabling either of the operating arms, when moved from the non-operated position thereof to the operated position thereof, to effect substantially concurrent movement of the releases from the non-operated positions of the releases to the operated positions of the releases to unlatch the latch assemblies from latchingly engaging the strikers to thereby enable the lid to be pivoted from the closed position to the open position.

A push button lock operator, comprising:

• a) a generally tubular housing having a central passage extending therethrough along an imaginary central axis of the housing and opening through forward and rearward ends of the housing;
• b) a push button slidable within the central passage between non-operated and operated positions, with the push button having a forward end region, a rearward end region, and an interior passage extending therethrough along the central axis of the housing and opening through the forward and rearward end regions;
• c) a key operated lock cylinder carried within the interior passage and being rotatable relative to the housing about the central axis of the housing between locked and unlocked positions, with the key operated lock cylinder having a front end region that is configured to receive a key configured to rotate the key operated lock cylinder between the locked and unlocked positions, and a rear end region that projects from the rearward end of the housing;
• d) means for limiting the rotation of the key operated lock cylinder relative to the housing when moving between the locked and unlocked positions to approximately a quarter turn;
• e) means for permitting and preventing the unlatching of at least one latch by movement of the push button from the non-operated position to the operated position including an operating arm connected to the rear end region of the key operated lock cylinder and being configured to extend transversely with respect to the central axis of the housing for alignment with linkage connected to the at least one latch when the key operated lock cylinder is in the unlocked position, and for non-alignment with the linkage when the key operated lock cylinder is in the locked position, whereby the operating arm is operable when the push button is moved from the non-operated position to the operated position while the key operated lock cylinder is in the unlocked position to engage and operate the linkage to unlatch the at least one latch, and is unable to engage and operate the linkage to unlatch the at least one latch when the push button is moved from the non-operated position to the operated position while the key operated lock cylinder is in the locked position;
• and,
• f) sealing means for preventing the passage of moisture through the central passage of the housing and through the interior passage of the push button including at least a first resilient O-ring seal in the central passage surrounding a portion of the push button, and at least a second resilient O-ring means in the interior passage surrounding a portion of the key cylinder.

A push button operator assembly for a latch including a generally cylindrical housing having a push button movable forwardly and rearwardly within a passage defined by the housing along an axis of the passage, having an operating arm connected to a rear end region of the push button for movement forwardly and rearwardly along a path of movement that parallels the axis of the passage, and having a bracket and linkage assembly including a right angle bracket with a rearwardly extending leg and a transversely extending leg that are connected by a right angle bend, a pair of J-shaped linkage arms connected to the rearwardly extending leg, and means for connecting the transversely extending leg to a rear end region of the housing and for positioning the rearwardly extending leg to extend alongside the path of movement and to position inner end regions of the J-shaped linkage arms along opposite sides of the path of movement for being engaged and pivoted in opposite directions of rotation by the operating arm when the operating arm is moved from a non-operated position of the operating arm to an operated position of the operating arm for unlatching a pair of latches that are connected to the J-shaped linkage arms, wherein the means for connecting the transversely extending leg to the rear end region of the housing includes a circumferentially extending groove formed on the rear end region of the housing, at least one concave formation defined by the transversely extending leg and configured to be received and seated in selected portions of the groove, and means for clamping the at least one concave formation into seated engagement with the selected portions of the groove.

A bracket and linkage assembly attachable rigidly to a generally cylindrical body of a push button operator assembly having a housing that defines a central axis along which a push button is movable forwardly and rearwardly to move an operating arm connected to the push button between non-operated and operated positions of the operating arm, comprising:

• a) a right angle bracket having a rearward extending leg connected by a right angle bend to a transversely extending leg;
• b) means for connecting the right angle bracket to the housing so that the transversely extending leg extends in a plane that intersects a rear end region of the housing and positions the rearwardly extending leg to substantially parallel the central axis at a distance spaced therefrom and alongside a path of movement that is followed by the operating arm when moving between the non-operated and operated positions of the operating arm;
• c) a pair of J-shaped linkage arms connected to the rearwardly extending leg and having inner end regions positioned along the path of movement for being engaged and moved by the operating arm between non-operated and operated positions of the J-shaped linkage arms when the operating arm is moved between the non-operated and operated positions of the operating arm, and wherein the J-shaped linkage arms have outer end regions adapted for connection to remotely located latches for concurrently operating the latches when the J-shaped linkage arms are moved from the non-operated positions to the operated positions of the J-shaped linkage arms;
• and,
• d) wherein the means for connecting the right angle bracket to the housing includes:
• i) a circumferentially extending groove defined by the rear end region of the housing;
• ii) a first concave edge defined by the transversely extending leg and configured to extend into one side of the circumferentially extending groove;
• iii) a second concave edge defined by a clamping member and configured to extend into the other side of the circumferentially extending groove;
• and,
• iv) means for clamping the first and second concave edges toward each other when the first and second concave edges extend into the one and other sides of the circumferentially extending groove so that the first and second concave edges securely grip the housing while positioning the transversely extending leg to extend within said plane.

In combination, a push button operator having a housing with a generally cylindrical rear end region, and defining a passage that extends forwardly and rearwardly through the housing that slidably mounts a push button for movement therein between non-operated and operated positions of the push button;

• an operating arm connected to a rear end region of the push button and being movable along a path of movement located to the rear of the housing between non-operated and operated positions of the operating arm in response to corresponding movements of the push button between the non-operated and operated positions of the push button;
• a bracket and linkage assembly including a bracket that pivotally mounts a link for movement between non-operated and operated positions of the link;
• and means for mounting the bracket and linkage assembly on the rear end region of the housing for positioning the link to be extend into the path of movement of the operating arm so as 1) to be engaged by the operating arm when the operating arm moves from the non-operated position to the operated position of the operating arm, and 2) to be pivoted as the result of such engagement from the non-operated position to the operated position of the link, wherein the means for mounting the bracket and linkage assembly on the rear end region of the housing includes a circumferentially extending groove defined by the generally cylindrical rear end region of the housing, with the groove extending in a plane that is transverse to a central axis of the passage, with the bracket defining at least one concave formation configured to be received in and to seat within one side of the groove, and means for clamping the bracket toward one side of the rear end region of the housing to firmly seat the at least one concave formation within the one side of the groove to establish a rigid connection between the housing and the bracket.