Patent ID: 6378919
Filing Date: 2002-04-30
Classification: E05B,Y10S,Y10T

Abstract:
Apparatus comprising:a vehicle compartment; a luggage compartment defined by a plurality of interior surfaces; an access to the luggage compartment from a vehicle exterior; a door hingedly attached along an edge of the access for closing the access; a catch installed on a surface of the interior surface adjacent the access, the catch being a single piece rigid element having a fixed position in relation to the access and having a sloped face toward the access; a lock cylinder mounted through opposite major sides of the door and defining a latch bar guide perpendicular to the lock cylinder; a latch bar mounted in the latch bar guide for linear travel through the lock cylinder to releasably engage the catch, the latch bar being positioned by the latch bar guide to impinge on the catch as the door is closed and having a leading beveled edge along an exposed end of the latch bar for riding over the sloped face of the catch as the door is closed on the access; a spring in the latch bar guide engaging the latch bar to bias the latch bar against the sloped face with the latch bar assuming an engaged position with the catch when the door is fully closed; a cam mounted in the latch guide coupled to the lock cylinder and actuable by key from outside the luggage compartment when the door is closed to retract the latch bar to a released position relative to the catch; a release cable attached to the latch bar at one end to retract the latch bar to the released position relative to the catch; and a handle attached to the opposite end of the release cable and positioned at a location remote to the latch bar and catch and outside the luggage compartment but inside the vehicle compartment.