Patent ID: 6170892
Filing Date: 2001-01-09
Classification: E05B,E05C,Y10T

Abstract:
In combination with a latch, a hinged gate and a stationary gate post, said latch comprising a cooperative latch bar and latch mechanism, one fixedly attached to the gate and the other fixedly attached to the gate post, wherein the latch mechanism includes a frame, a tongue with a slot to receive said latch bar and a lever arm having an aperture for attachment of a latch pull, said lever arm being pivotally mounted on said frame to move the tongue between a latch bar capture position securing said latch bar and a latch bar release position freeing said latch bar, and including a through aperture in the one of said gate and gate post to which said latch mechanism is fixedly secured, the improvement which comprises:said through aperture being located in the one of said gate and gate post substantially adjacent an upper end of the lever arm of said tongue when said tongue is in the latch bar release position; anda gate latch pull comprising an elongated band that is wider than it is thick, said band having at one end a snap retainer which is fixedly secured to the end of said lever arm and having its opposite end extending through said aperture,said band being formed of a flexible plastichaving a thickness sufficient to permit said band to flex sufficiently in a first plane parallel to its length and normal to its width andhaving a horizontal width greater than its thickness to provide resistance to flexing in a second plane normal to the first planeto permit the one end of said band to follow the arcuate movement of the lever arm to which it is attached as the upper end of said lever arm moves between a position spaced from said through aperture when the tongue is in the latch bar capture position and a position substantially adjacent to said through aperture when the tongue is in the latch bar release positionwhile retaining sufficient stiffness to permit said band alone to transmit a pushing force from the opposite end of said band to said lever.