Abstract:
The present invention essentially comprises an upper assembly having a securing receptor with a guide track, a lower assembly having a securing receptor with a guide track, a bi-fold partition having a top portion and a bottom portion wherein the top portion is received by the upper assembly and the bottom portion is secured by the lower assembly. In a preferred construction, the bottom portion of the partition further has a cooperatively attached pin or foot bolt that is generally received by the lower assembly. When the partition is secured in such a fashion, the partition forms a compartment often referred to as a tack room. To release the partition, the pin is pulled in upward direction and the partition slid out of the lower and upper assembly wherein the partition can be folded and stored along the sidewall of the trailer and in essence removes the tack room sub-compartmentalization.

Description:
CROSS-REFERENCE TO RELATED APPLICATIONS 
   Priority is claimed from provisional application U.S. Ser. No. 60/463,852 filed on Apr. 18, 2003, and incorporated by reference herein. 

   BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION 
   1. Field of the Invention 
   The present invention relates to hinged partitions used in livestock trailers such as but not limited to horse trailers. In general, the present partition latch system is related to devices such as may be used to secure hinged partitions which divide the interior of the horse trailer for separating compartments for horses, equipment and so forth. And more particularly, the present invention provides a means to secure a multi-hinged tack room partition with use of one hand in a single operation. 
   2. Description of the Prior Art 
   Trailers, such as commonly found in association of horses and other livestock, are frequently configured to accommodate various numbers of animals in a relatively secure fashion during transportation. To wit, many trailers have movable and securable partitions for taking the area inside the trailer and compartmentalizing the space into desirable areas which may then maximally utilize the given trailer interior floor space. 
   Frequently, horse trailers position horses across and generally at a diagonal in the trailer such that a rear corner space is optimally designed for storage of equipment associated with horses, often referred to as tack. Hence, it is known to provide a partition which separates a rear corner into a tack room. Furthermore, due to the utility nature of these types of trailers, it is known to take this tack room partition and construct it in a manner wherein the partition can be folded along the side of the trailer, removed, or otherwise repositioned such that the rear corner of the trailer may be used for other purposes. This allows the trailer to be more multifunctional, easier to clean, and provide flexibility of configuration and compartmentalization of the interior. 
   In the known prior art, partitions throughout the trailer are generally spaced to provide a cubical or stall for a horse to stand which will support the horse and help prevent it from falling or stumbling when the trailer is being moved. It is common for a horse to lean or fall against a partition or event to push and kick the partitions thereby exerting significant force on the partition&#39;s latching mechanism. Tack room partitions, therefore, must also provide a sturdy means to hold a horse in a relatively fixed manner on one side of the partition as well as keep the defined tack room space separate such that the horse does not have access to the contents of the tack room. 
   Also of note, these partitions may include other sets of hinges for generally folding the partition so that it may be collapsed and stored along the sidewall of the trailer. It is known in the art that such partitions may act and be constructed very much like a typical bi-fold door found in residential construction of closets and so forth, but without a guiding track for the distal end. In essence, these partitions are free swinging multiple hinged panels or sets of panels with a first end connected to the sidewall with a hinge and the distal end usually secured or aligned with the center of the rear doors by pins. 
   Some prior art tack room partitions have used a set of spring loaded bolts to position the partition. Typically the distal end of the partition is secured by a spring activated or biased pin or bolt at the bottom of the partition and another such pin or bolt located at the top of the partition when the partition is in place forming the tack room. The non-distal end is often hinged to the sidewall of the trailer. 
   These prior art pins or bolts slip into or are generally received by holes or apertures formed in the interior of the trailer with the top pin sliding into a positioning hole in the top or roof of the interior of the trailer and likewise the bottom pin sliding into a hole at the bottom or floor of the interior of the trailer. It is known to place these respective holes in the rear panel frame that generally forms the back portion of the trailer and may include a door or gate structure for letting animals load and unload out of the back of the trailer. 
   In operation, the tack room partition is swung into position by rotating on the hinge attached to the sidewall. Once the distal end is positioned such that the partition encloses a corner formed by the sidewall and the back wall, the partition distal end is secured by positioning the pins over their respective holes and sliding the set of pins into therein. 
   Unfortunately, this operation is often cumbersome due to the nature of the construction of the free swinging distal end. As noted above, the distal end is not tracked like typically found in residential construction of closets. Therefore, the user must steady the partition in the desired location without any mechanical assistance and slide the top pin and the bottom pin into a relatively small hole without much clearance. 
   The operation is further complicated by the size of the partition. The user must first align the partition, hold it in place, slide one pin and then reach to the opposite end to slide the other pin. Although the floor mounted pin is typically constructed such that a user may kick the spring loaded pin into position into the receptacle, the user must still reach the top pin by hand. Needless to say, short or young users frequently can not reach the top pin without assistance of a stool, ladder, or stepping into the tack compartment. Likewise, it is not always easy to see if the pin is properly secured. 
   Due to this inherit concern, it is not unusual for individuals to fail to secure the top portion of the partition. This may pose a severe safety problem during transportation of the animal as well as create a hazard to the user who mistakenly believes the partition is secured. 
   Of note, while it is important that the partition latching system is easy to position, it is also of utmost importance that the partition is secured in a stable fashion. Currently, there are no known partitions generally used in association with tack rooms that provide a single step process to align the distal end to a back of the trailer and a convenient means of securing the aforementioned. 
   Although there are numerous trailer designs and features, the prior art has failed to bridge the gap between user wants and currently available products. Likewise, there is a desire to improve the operation and utilization of tack room partitions. Therefore, an extensive opportunity for design advancements and innovation remains where the prior art fails or is deficient. 
   SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION 
   In view of the foregoing disadvantages inherent in the known types of latching systems now present in the prior art, the present invention provides a single handed latch construction for securing a swinging partition wherein the same can be utilized reliably in those situations where dependability, safety, and ease of operations are desired. As such, the general purpose of the present invention, which will be described subsequently in greater detail, is to provide a new and improved partition latching system which has all the advantages of the prior art devices and none of the disadvantages. 
   To attain this, the present invention essentially comprises an upper assembly having a securing receptor with a guide track, a bottom assembly having a securing receptor with a guide track, a bi-fold partition having a top portion and a bottom portion wherein the top portion is received by the upper assembly and the bottom portion is secured by the lower assembly. In a preferred construction, the bottom portion of the partition further has a cooperatively attached pin or foot bolt that is generally received by the lower assembly. When the partition is secured in such a fashion, the partition forms a compartment often referred to as a tack room. To release the partition, the pin is pulled in an upward direction and the partition slid out of the lower and upper assembly wherein the partition can be folded and stored along the sidewall of the trailer and in essence removes the tack room sub-compartmentalization. 
   There has thus been outlined, rather broadly, the more important features of the invention in order that the detailed description thereof that follows may be better understood and in order that the present contribution to the art may be better appreciated. There are, of course, additional features of the invention that will be described hereinafter and which will form the subject matter of the claims appended hereto. 
   In this respect, before explaining at least one embodiment of the invention in detail, it is to be understood that the invention is not limited in this application to the details of construction and to the arrangements of the components set forth in the following description or illustrated in the drawings. The invention is capable of other embodiments and of being practiced and carried out in various ways. Also, it is to be understood that the phraseology and terminology employed herein are for the purpose of description and should not be regarded as limiting. As such, those skilled in the art will appreciate that the conception upon which this disclosure is based may readily be utilized as a basis for the designing of other structures, methods, and systems for carrying out the several purposes of the present invention. It is important, therefore, that the claims be regarded as including such equivalent constructions insofar as they do not depart from the spirit and scope of the present invention. 
   Further, the purpose of the foregoing abstract is to enable the U.S. Patent and Trademark Office and the public generally, and especially the engineers and practitioners in the art who are not familiar with patent or legal terms or phraseology, to determine quickly from a cursory inspection the nature and essence of the technical disclosure of the application. The abstract is neither intended to define the invention of the application, which is measured by the claims, nor is it intended to be limiting as to the scope of the invention in any way. 
   Therefore, it is an object of the present invention to provide a new and improved partition latching system which may be easily and efficiently manufactured and marketed. 
   It is a further object of the present invention to provide a new and improved partition latching system which is of a durable and reliable construction. 
   An even further object of the present invention is to provide a new and improved partition latching system which is susceptible to a low cost of manufacture with regard to both materials and labor, and which accordingly is then susceptible to low prices of sale to the consuming public, thereby making such latch economically available to the buying public. 
   Still another object of the present invention is to provide a new and improved partition latching system which provides all of the advantages of the prior art, while simultaneously overcoming some of the disadvantages normally associated therewith. 
   Another object of the present invention is to provide a new and improved partition latching system having a guide system for aligning and securing the distal portion of the partition in a one step operation. 
   Another object of the present invention is to provide a new and improved partition latching system which may be used with a single band and is easy to operate regardless of the user&#39;s height. 
   An even further object of the present invention is to provide a partition latching system with simplified operation and few parts than the prior art. 
   These, together with other objects of the invention, along with the various features of novelty which characterize the invention, are pointed out with particularity in the claims annexed to and forming a part of this disclosure. For a better understanding of the invention, its operating advantages, and the specific objects attained by its uses, reference should be had to the accompanying drawings and descriptive matter in which there are illustrated preferred embodiments of the invention. 

   
     BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS 
     The invention will be better understood and objects other than those set forth above will become apparent when consideration is given to the following detailed description thereof. Such description makes reference to the annexed drawings wherein: 
       FIG. 1  is a general perspective depiction of a preferred embodiment of the invention wherein the partition segment is not drawn to relative scale. 
       FIG. 2  is a partial top view of a horse trailer with the present invention showing a tack wall partition in a closed position. 
       FIG. 3  is a general partial top plan view of  FIG. 2  of a horse trailer with the present invention showing a tack wall partition in a closed position. 
       FIG. 4  is a side view generally depicting a partition in accordance with a preferred embodiment of invention. 
       FIG. 5  is a perspective view of an upper housing in accordance with a preferred embodiment of invention. 
       FIG. 6  is a perspective view of a lower housing in accordance with a preferred embodiment of invention 
       FIG. 7  is an illustration of a preferred embodiment of the invention generally depicting a user operating pin assembly. 
       FIG. 8  is a perspective view of a preferred embodiment of the invention generally depicting a bottom portion of a partition entering the lower assembly. 
       FIG. 9  is a perspective view of a preferred embodiment of the invention generally depicting a top portion of a partition inserted into the upper assembly. 
       FIG. 10  is another perspective view of a preferred embodiment of the invention generally depicting a top portion of a partition inserted into the upper assembly. 
       FIG. 11  is another perspective view of a preferred embodiment of the invention generally depicting a top portion of a partition being inserted into the upper assembly. 
       FIG. 12  is a perspective view of a preferred embodiment of the invention generally depicting a bottom portion of a partition being inserted into the lower assembly with the pin in the up position. 
       FIG. 13  is another perspective view of a preferred embodiment of the invention generally depicting a bottom portion of a partition being inserted into the lower assembly with the pin in the up position. 
       FIG. 14  is perspective view of a preferred embodiment of the invention generally depicting a bottom portion of a partition inserted into the lower assembly and the pin communicating with the lower housing. 
       FIG. 15  is another perspective view of a preferred embodiment of the invention generally depicting a bottom portion of a partition inserted into the lower assembly and the pin communicating with the lower housing. 
   

   DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS 
   Referring to the drawings in detail and to  FIGS. 1 and 2  in particular, reference character  10  generally designates a new and improved partition latching system constructed in accordance with the present invention. Partition latching system  10  is generally provided for trailer  12  having a hinged partition  14  which is typical of a trailer used for livestock and more specifically horses. 
   It is contemplated that partition latching system  10  may further be used in association with other types of trailers other than livestock, such as but not limited to cargo trailers, car hauilers, storage systems, and so forth. Furthermore, invention  10  could also be utilized in non-trailer related applications such as but not limited to stock pens, barns stalls, and livestock loading ramps. Likewise, invention  10  may be used with applications unrelated to livestock or trailers. 
   Trailer  12  generally depicts a typical layout for a slant load horse trailer having a front  16 , a left side  18 , a right side  20 , and a rear  22 . It is understood that orientation of right side, left side, front and rear is for convenience and should not be considered limiting. Trailer  12  front  16  includes means for attaching the trailer  12  to a towing vehicle (not shown), in this case, the trailer  12  includes a tongue  24  with a hitch  26 . 
   It is further contemplated that invention  10  may be utilized in larger trailers that commonly utilize a goose-neck hitch in place of the tongue  24  and hitch  26  as shown. It is still further contemplated that the present invention, partition latching system  10 , can be used in self-propelled vehicles that may have one or more partition  14 . It is also understood that invention  10  may be used with a plurality of partitions  14  in livestock carriers and the illustrations depicting a preferred embodiment should not be considered to be limiting. Furthermore, it is still further understood that the arrangement of partition  14  in trailer  12  may be of various and numerous configurations and the depicted embodiment is for purposes of illustration. 
   As generally depicted in the illustrations, partition  14  is hingedly mounted to trailer  12  sidewall  28  such as left side  18  by one or more hinges  30 . In this way, partition  14  may generally pivot along hinges  30  along arc  32  such that partition  14  may be in a closed position  34  or in an open position  36  (not shown). It is understood that when partition  14  is in the generally closed position  34 , a compartment  38  is formed at the rear  22  of trailer  12  along corner  40 . Compartment  38  may generally be used for storing equipment, tack, feed, and other various and sundry items. 
   In a preferred construction as shown in  FIG. 4 , partition  14  comprises a top portion  42 , a bottom portion  44 , a sidewall mounting portion  46 , and a second or distal end  48 . It is understood that partition  14  may be of a solid piece construction or of construction of a plurality of panels, such as but not limited to a first panel  50  and a second panel  52 . It is known in the art to provide partitions  14  that have multiple panels hingedly connected such as found on bi-fold doors. It is understood that partition  14  may be made of numerous configurations with a preferred embodiment having a first panel  50  and a second panel  52  connected by hinges  54 . Such configuration leads to utilization of space by allowing the partition  14  to be folded in a manner that can be tied, connected, or removably attached to the sidewall  28 . This allows compartment  38  to be essentially eliminated wherein a larger area  56  is created in the interior  58  of trailer  12 . 
   Partition  14  has sufficient length and is located along the right side  20  such that when the partition  14  is in the closed position  34 , distal end  48  of the partition  14  is held in place at the rear  22  of trailer  12 . As shown in  FIG. 3 , partition  14  distal end  48  generally meets back wall  60  with a preferred construction being approximately a middle  62  of back wall  60 . It is understood that back wall  60  is generally configured to swing, move, reposition, or open such that the interior  58  is accessible and wherein tack room compartment  38  is further accessible. Likewise, livestock may be placed in area  64  through such access point. 
   In a preferred construction, partition  14  may contact trailer  12  back wall  60  in a generally perpendicular manner. It should be noted that the partition  14  may be mounted in a reverse manner so that it is hingedly connected to the opposite side of sidewall  28 . It should also further be noted that partition  14  may have numerous angles of contact in different preferred embodiments while in closed position  34  and as such a preferred embodiment is depicted for purposes of illustration but should not be considered limiting. Furthermore, it is understood that partition  14  may be removably attached to trailer  12 . 
   When partition  14  is in closed position  34 , partition  14  distal end  48  interlocks with a latch assembly  66 . Latch assembly  66  prevents partition  14  from moving. In addition, this interlocking may generally add structural strength to trailer  12 . 
   As shown in latch assembly  66  generally includes an upper housing  68 , a lower housing  70 , and a pin assembly  72  generally mounted on partition  14 . It is understood that upper housing  68  and lower housing  70  may be integrally formed with trailer  12  or be of a separate construction wherein the aforementioned are welded, bolted, screwed, riveted, or otherwise affixed to trailer  12 . 
   Furthermore, upper housing  68  and lower housing  70  may be constructed from plastic, rubber, metal, or other natural and synthetic materials. It is contemplated that partition  14  may be made from metal such as but not limited to aluminum and thus further contemplated that due to the interaction of partition  14  with upper housing  68  and lower housing  70 , the later mentioned are of a softer material. In a preferred construction ultra high molecular weight, also referred to as U.H.M.W., plastic may be utilized. Such is found to not mark, scar, or otherwise mar the aluminum or other materials used in partition  14 . 
   In a preferred embodiment, upper housing  68  is generally a U shaped bracket with a securing receptor  74  that generally receives, communicates, or holds partition  14  distal end  48  top portion  42 . It is further contemplated that an upper guide track  76  may be provided for generally lining up the distal end  48  top portion  42  of partition  14  while it travels fully into the securing receptor  74 . Still furthermore, it is contemplated that upper housing  68  may include a stop  78  for limiting the travel of the partition  14  after it has reached a desired position. 
   In accordance with a preferred construction of invention  10 , lower housing  70  is generally shaped like a channel, bracket, or the like and generally receives, communicates, or holds partition  14  distal end  48  bottom portion  44 . As shown in  FIG. 6 , it is further contemplated that a lower guide track  80  may be provided for generally lining up the distal end  48  bottom portion  44  of partition  14  while it travels fully into position. Lower housing  70  may further include securing receptor  74  aperture  82  for communicating, connecting or generally cooperating with pin assembly  72  which will be discussed in greater detail below. 
   In a preferred construction, partition  14  may include the pin assembly  72  generally located on the bottom portion  44  near or on the distal end  48  for securing the partition  14  in closed position  34 . Pin assembly  72  may include a downwardly spring biased pin  84  with spring  86  and may include handle  88 . Pin  84  may generally slide into aperture  82 . Pin assembly  72  may further include bracket  90  that may be attached to partition by bolting, welding, riveting, screwing or otherwise attaching. 
   A preferred construction may provide a partition latch system for a trailer having an interior surface defined by a front, a first sidewall, a back, a second sidewall, a floor, a roof and a partition having a first end and a second end with a top portion and a bottom portion and wherein said partition first end is hingedly attached to said trailer first sidewall, said latch system comprising: an upper housing attached to said interior roof of said trailer for receiving said partition second end top portion; a lower housing having a guide track and an aperture wherein said lower housing is attached to said interior of said trailer floor for receiving said partition second end bottom portion ;and a pin assembly attached to said partition second end bottom portion that communicates with said aperture of said lower housing for securing said partition second end in said interior of said trailer. 
   Further, a preferred construction may include a pin assembly is that is spring biased, the upper housing and said lower housing are made from plastic, the partition is further comprised of multiple panels hingedly connected the upper housing is a U shaped bracket, the partition is made from aluminum, the partition second end may further be secured to said trailer first sidewall, and the trailer is a horse trailer. 
   IN OPERATION 
   To position partition  14  into the closed position  34  forming tack compartment  38 , user may grasp handle  88  of pin assembly  72  and generally pull the partition  14 . As partition  14  reaches the desired position, top portion  42  of distal end  48  will generally enter upper housing  68 . Upper guide track  76  may be utilized for generally lining up the distal end  48  top portion  42  of partition  14  while it travels fully into the securing receptor  74 . Partition  14  will stop travel when reaching stop  78 . 
   Likewise, while the above operation is conducted, user moves partition  14  to lower guide track  80  which may generally receive the distal end  48  bottom portion  44  of partition  14  while it travels fully into closed position  34 . It is understood that user may generally line up the bottom portion  44  with lower housing  70  and upper housing  68  will generally automatically line up with top portion  42 . Hence, the user will only need to look at and move the bottom portion  44  into lower housing  70 . It is contemplated that the user may perform the aforementioned operation with a single hand. 
   After partition  14  is generally aligned in the closed position  34 , pin assembly  72  should be approximately aligned whereas pin  84  is positioned directly over aperture  82  of lower housing  70 . User may now release the pin  84  such that spring  86  forces the pin  84  downward to engage, communicate, receive, or enter aperture  82  thereby securing partition  14 . 
   To move partition  14  from closed position  34 , user simply pulls pin  84  upwardly such that pin  84  disengages or is removed from aperture  82 , thus allowing the partition  14  to be backed out from the upper housing  68  and lower housing  70  simultaneously. It is contemplated that the user may perform the aforementioned operation with a single hand. Partition  14  may not be secured, stored or removed out of the way such that compartment  38  generally is no longer a separate area in trailer  12 . 
   In a preferred method, a tack room is provided or formed for a trailer having an interior surface defined by a front, a first sidewall, a back, a second sidewall, a floor, a roof and a partition having a first end and a second end with a top portion and a bottom portion and wherein said partition first end is hingedly attached to said trailer first sidewall, and wherein said trailer further includes an upper housing attached to said interior roof of said trailer for receiving said partition second end top portion; a lower housing having a guide track and an aperture wherein said lower housing is attached to said interior of said trailer floor for receiving said. partition second end bottom portion ;and a pin assembly attached to said partition second end bottom portion that communicates with said aperture of said lower housing for securing said partition second end in said interior of said trailer, comprising the steps: grasping said pin assembly with one hand; guiding said partition second end bottom portion into said lower housing via said guide track; and connecting said pin assembly to said aperture of said lower housing securing said partition and forming said tack room. 
   Changes may be made in the combinations, operations, and arrangements of the various parts and elements described herein without departing from the spirit and scope of the invention. Furthermore, names, titles, headings and general division of the aforementioned are provided for convenience and should, therefore, not be considered limiting.