Latch assembly for covered containers

A latch assembly for latching a cover to a container, said latch assembly comprising

• a flat base having opposite end segments, an upper surface with a hole or depression therein and a lower surface for contacting a cover;
• a cover member substantially coextensive with and superimposed on said upper surface of the base, said cover member having opposite end margins and opposite end segments seated against the opposite end segments of the base and a raised segment extending between the end margins of the cover member above said hole or depression in the base to form a lateral passage between the base and the cover member, said passage having first and second open ends;
• a slider slidably positioned in said passage and having a first end exposed at the first end of the passage, a second end exposed at the second end of the passage, an undersurface extending between said first and second ends, means defining first and second holes or recesses in said undersurface and a latch portion extending from the first end of the slider beyond the base, the area of said undersurface around said first and second holes or recesses being of a rigid, low friction material, said slider being slidable along said passage between a latched position wherein the latch portion is located at a first position relative to the base and a unlatched position wherein the latch portion is located at a second position relative to the base, and
• a flat spring member seated on the base, said spring member having a flexible, resilient portion extending opposite the hole or depression in the base and a protuberance extending from said spring member portion toward the slider, the height of the protuberance being such that the protuberance engages the undersurface of the slider and deflects the spring member portion into the hole or depression in the base, said first and second holes or recesses in the slider being positioned relative to the protuberance such that when the slider is in said latched position, the protuberance resiliently seats in the first hole or recess and when the slider is in said unlatched position, the protuberance resiliently seats in the second hole or recess.