Latch and lock housings, handles and mounting brackets

Flush mountable pulls, latches and locks for industrial cabinets, tool carts, electrical equipment enclosures and the like utilize a versatile housing together with other components of novel form mounted on the housing to provide a variety of desired features. Pull handles as well as latch and lock operating handles of a wide variety of types can be connected to the housing, as can a wide variety of latch bolt mechanisms that are configured to engage various types of strikers or keeper formations. The resulting arrangement provides sturdy pull, latch and lock assemblies that employ a small number of parts that can be assembled, installed and serviced with ease.

CROSS-REFERENCE TO RELATED APPLICATIONS 
Reference is made to the following related, concurrently-filed 
applications, the disclosures of which are incorporated herein by 
reference: 
Latch and Lock Assemblies with Spring-Biased Slide Bolts, Ser. No. 072,177, 
filed July 10, 1987 by Lee S. Weinerman, Steven A. Mayo, Joel T. Vargus, 
Frank R. Albris, Richard H. Russell, Thomas V. McLinden, Richard M. 
O'Grady and Timothy H. Wentzell, hereinafter referred to as the "Utility 
Case II;" 
Latch and Lock Assemblies with Spring-Biased Pivot Bolts, Ser. No. 072,174, 
filed July 10, 1987 by Lee S. Weinerman, Steven A. Mayo, Thomas V. 
McLinden and Timothy H. Wentzell, hereinafter referred to as the "Utility 
Case III;" 
Latch and Lock Assemblies with Lift and Turn Handles, Ser. No. 072,175, 
filed July 10, 1987 by Lee S. Weinerman, Frank R. Albris, Thomas V. 
McLinden and Timothy H. Wentzell, hereinafter referred to as the "Utility 
Case IV;" 
Latch and Lock Assemblies with Expansible Latch Elements, Ser. No. 072,250, 
filed July 10, 1987 by Lee S. Weinerman, Steven A. Mayo, Thomas V. 
McLinden and Timothy H. Wentzell, hereinafter referred to as the "Utility 
Case V;" 
Housings for Latches and Locks, Ser. No. 072,282, filed July 10, 1987 by 
Richard H. Russell, David W. Kaiser and Richard M. O'Grady, hereinafter 
referred to as the "Design Case I;" 
Combined Housings and Handles for Latches and Locks, Ser. No. 072,283, 
filed July 10, 1987 by Richard H. Russell, David W. Kaiser and Richard M. 
O'Grady, hereinafter referred to as the "Design Case II;" 
Combined Housings and Handles for Latches and Locks, Ser. No. 072,285, 
filed July 10, 1987 by Richard H. Russell and David W. Kaiser, hereinafter 
referred to as the "Design Case III;" 
Combined Housings and Handles for Latches and Locks, Ser. No. 072,284, 
filed July 10, 1987 by Richard H. Russell and David W. Kaiser, hereinafter 
referred to as the "Design Case IV;" 
Combined Housings and Handles for Latches and Locks, Ser. No. 072,276, 
filed July 10, 1987 by Richard H. Russell and David W. Kaiser, hereinafter 
referred to as the "Design Case V;" 
Combined Housings and Handles for Latches and Locks, Ser. No. 072,573, 
filed July 10, 1987 by Richard H. Russell and David W. Kaiser, hereinafter 
referred to as the "Design Case VI;" 
Combined Housings and Handles for Latches and Locks, Ser. No. 072,277, 
filed July 10, 1987 by Richard H. Russell and David W. Kaiser, hereinafter 
referred to as the "Design Case VII;" 
Mounting Brackets for Latches and Locks, Ser. No. 072,278, filed July 10, 
1987 by Richard H. Russell and Thomas V. McLinden, hereinafter referred to 
as the "Design Case VIII;" 
Mounting Brackets for Latches and Locks, Ser. No. 072,280, filed July 10, 
1987 by Richard H. Russell and Thomas V. McLinden, hereinafter referred to 
as the "Design Case IX;" 
Strikers for Use with Latches and Locks, Ser. No. 072,279, filed July 10, 
1987 by Lee S. Weinerman and Steven A. Mayo, hereinafter referred to as 
the "Design Case X;" and, 
Strikers for Use with Latches and Locks, Ser. No. 072,281, filed July 10, 
1987 by Lee S. Weinerman and Steven A. Mayo, hereinafter referred to as 
the "Design Case XI." 
BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION 
1. Field of the Invention 
The present invention relates generally to flush mounted pulls, latches and 
locks of the type used with closures and other relatively movable 
components of industrial cabinets, tool carts, electrical equipment 
enclosures and the like. More particularly, the present invention relates 
to novel and improved pulls, latches and locks that utilize a highly 
versatile housing together with other interactive components of novel form 
to selectively provide graspable assist structures for effecting relative 
movement of various parts of cabinets, enclosures and the like, and/or to 
provide latches and locks with desired types of latching and locking 
actions. 
2. Prior Art 
Flush mounted pulls that are graspable by an operator to effect movement of 
a door, a drawer or other types of closures are known and take a wide 
variety of forms. A problem not addressed by prior proposals, however, is 
the need for a versatile housing that can be assembled with other 
components to selectively form a pull, a latch or a lock. A further 
problem not addressed by prior proposals is to provide a pull with a 
sufficiently versatile housing to enable it to be connected to a latch or 
lock as by mounting additional components on structure that is already in 
place on the housing. Still another problem that is not addressed by prior 
proposals is the need for a pull and housing assembly and a mounting 
bracket, all of which can be used together with a variety of latch and 
lock hardware to provide the pull and housing assembly with desired types 
of latching and lock capabilities. 
Flush mounted latches and locks including a body, a latch bolt movably 
carried on the body, and an operating handle that is nested by the body 
are well known. Normally the handle is in a flush or nested position when 
the bolt is in a latched position; and, unlatching movement of the bolt is 
effected by moving the handle to an operating position. Latches and locks 
of this type are well suited for use on industrial cabinets, tool carts, 
electrical equipment enclosures and the like. 
Flush-mounted latches and locks having pan-shaped housings that nest 
paddle-shaped operating handles, and that have spring-projected slide 
bolts are disclosed in such patents as U.S. Pat. Nos. 4,335,595, 
4,321,812, 4,320,642, 4,312,205, 4,312,204, 4,312,203, 4,312,202, 
4,309,884, 4,231,597, 4,138,869, 3,707,862, 3,668,907, 3,449,005, 
3,389,932, 3,357,734, 3,209,564, 3,209,563, 3,055,204, 2,987,908, 
2,900,204 and 2,642,300, all of which are assigned to The Eastern Company, 
a corporation of Connecticut. 
Flush mounted latches and locks having latch bolts of other than the 
spring-projected, slide-mounted type are disclosed in such patents as U.S. 
Pat. Nos. 4,413,849, 4,320,642, 4,312,203, 4,134,281, 3,857,594, 
3,338,610, 3,044,814, 3,044,287 and 2,735,706, which are assigned to The 
Eastern Company. 
A cabinet latch having a housing that is usable with a variety of pivotally 
mounted latch bolts, and with a variety of latching mechanisms is 
disclosed in U.S. Pat. No. 4,177,656, also assigned to the Eastern 
Company. 
Clamping type cabinet latches that have a capability to clamp shut a 
cabinet door and/or to compress a cabinet door into firm engagement with a 
resilient door gasket or other seal structure are known. Among the patents 
that disclose latches that have clamping capabilities are U.S. Pat. Nos. 
4,492,394, 4,413,849 and 4,177,656, assigned to The Eastern Company. 
3. The Cross-Referenced Utility and Design Cases 
The present invention, and the inventions described in the several 
referenced Utility and Design Cases, represent the work products of a long 
term and continuing development program. 
The several functional features that form the subjects matter of the 
referenced Utility Cases, and the several appearance features that form 
the subjects matter of the referenced Design Cases, were developed by 
various co-workers, as is reflected in the listing of inventors in these 
cases. Many of the functional and appearance features that are claimed in 
separate ones of the referenced Utility and Design Cases were developed 
substantially concurrently. 
If an invention feature that is disclosed in one of the referenced Utility 
and Design Cases constitutes a species of a development concept that is 
utilized in another of these related cases, it will be understood that 
care has been taken to present a generic claim in the case that describes 
the earliest development of a species that will support the generic claim. 
In this manner, a careful effort has been made to establish clear lines of 
demarcation among the claimed subjects matter of this and the several 
referenced Utility and Design Cases. No two of these cases include claims 
of identical scope. 
4. The Referenced Parent Cases 
The referenced Parent Cases disclose a simple means for retaining a key 
cylinder assembly in a lock housing. The lock housing has a generally 
cylindrical opening formed therethrough that extends along an axis for 
mounting a key cylinder assembly for rotation about the axis. Axially 
extending grooves are formed in an internal wall that defines the 
cylindrical opening. One of the grooves (referred to as an "installation 
groove") extends rearwardly and opens through such rear wall portions of 
the housing as surround the cylindrical opening. The grooves serve the 
function of cooperating with key operated tumblers of the key cylinder 
assembly that project radially from opposed sides of the key cylinder 
assembly to selectively permit and prevent rotation of the key cylinder 
assembly relative to the housing. The installation groove serves the 
function of permitting an offset projection that is carried on the back of 
the key cylinder assembly to be inserted completely through the 
cylindrical opening of the housing as the key cylinder assembly is 
installed in the cylindrical opening. Once the key cylinder assembly is 
installed, it is rotated to position the offset projection out of 
alignment with the installation groove so that the offset projection 
extends in overlying relationship with such rear wall portions of the 
housing as surround the cylindrical opening in which the key cylinder 
assembly is installed. By this arrangement, so long as the key cylinder is 
prevented from rotating relative to the housing to a position where the 
offset projection aligns with the installation groove, the offset 
projection serves to retain the key cylinder assembly in place on the 
housing. 
As will be explained in greater detail, the type of housing features that 
are described above, and that also are disclosed in the referenced Parent 
Cases, are utilized in the preferred practice of the present invention. 
For this reason, the present application is being filed as a 
continuation-in-part case, with the benefits of the filing dates of the 
referenced Parent Cases being claimed. 
SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION 
The present invention provides novel and improved flush mountable pulls, 
latches and locks for industrial cabinets, tool carts, electrical 
equipment enclosures and the like, with the pulls, latches and locks 
utilizing a highly versatile housing together with other interactive 
components of novel form. 
A pull latch or lock embodying the preferred practice of the present 
invention includes a one-piece housing that is formed from molded plastics 
material, and on which are mounted other interactive components that 
provide a variety of desired features. As will become apparent from the 
description that follows, the versatile housing that is used with pulls, 
latches and locks that embody the preferred practice of the present 
invention provides a rigid, sturdy structure for securely supporting pull, 
latch and lock components. Pulls, latches and locks that embody the 
preferred practice of the present invention advantageously employ small 
numbers of parts that can be assembled with ease. 
The versatile housing on which other components are mounted preferably is 
formed from a suitable thermoplastics material such as a glass reinforced 
polycarbonate based polymer blend, which provides a dimensionally stable, 
impact resistant structure that is rigid, strong and can be readily 
machined as may be needed to provide mounting formations for handles as 
well as latch and lock components of a wide variety of types. The molded 
housing defines a pan-shaped structure that has a forwardly facing recess 
for nesting a handle. A pair of threaded mounting studs have enlarged head 
portions that are embedded in the molded material of the housing so that 
the threaded studs project rearwardly from a back wall of the housing for 
receiving mounted posts that are threaded onto the studs for mounting 
latch and lock operating components, and/or for establishing connections 
with a mounting bracket. 
While some of the latch and lock structures that embody the preferred 
practice of the present invention have pivotally mounted latch arms, many 
features of the invention are not limited to use with a particular type of 
latch or lock, as will be apparent to those skilled in the art from the 
description and claims that follow.

DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENT 
Referring to FIG. 1, one form of a lock assembly that embodies features of 
the preferred practice of the present invention is indicated generally by 
the numeral 100. The lock assembly 100 has a housing 200 that mounts a 
plurality of interactive components that provide latching and locking 
functions. 
In overview, and as will be explained in greater detail, the interactive 
components that are carried on the housing 200 principally include a 
handle 300 that is mounted on the housing 200; a pivotal latch bolt 400 
that is mounted on the housing 200 so as to be pivotally movable relative 
thereto; and a locking mechanism 600 for selectively permitting and 
preventing latching and unlatching movements of the latch arm 400. 
In another embodiment that is depicted in FIG. 25 (for purposes of 
illustrating the versatility of the housing and handle assembly) a latch 
assembly 100' includes the housing 200, the handle 300, and has a 
resilient, expansible latch member 400' that is mounted on the housing 200 
(as by being threaded onto a shank 952 of a plug 950 that is journaled by 
the housing sleeve 280 so that rotation of the plug 950 and shank 952 will 
effect latching and unlatching movement of the resilient latching member 
400') for expansion and contraction movements between what will be 
referred to as a "latched" position (as shown in FIG. 29) and an 
"unlatched" position (as shown in FIGS. 25, 27 and 28); and, a latch 
operating mechanism 600' (which is depicted as including a tool rotated 
plug 950, but which can just as easily utilize a key operated cylinder 
assembly to rotate the shank 952) can include a key lock, not shown) for 
selectively permitting and preventing latching and unlatching (i.e., 
"expansion" and "contraction") movements of the resilient latch member 
400'. 
As still another example of the versatility of the housing 200, reference 
is made to FIG. 6 wherein the housing 200 and the handle 300 are shown in 
a form that provides a simple handle--i.e., a pull assembly 100". 
Appearance features of the combined housing and handle (i.e., the housing 
200 and the handle 300) are shown in greater detail in the referenced 
Design Case V. 
Referring to FIG. 25, it will be seen that, in the latch embodiment 100", 
the resilient latch member 400' projects relatively rearwardly with 
respect to the housing 200 for engaging a suitably configured keeper 180 
or other structure that is located adjacent the latch assembly 100 when a 
closure (not shown), on which the latch assembly 100 is mounted, is 
"closed." 
The keeper 180 has an elongate body structure 182 that surrounds and 
defines a latch-member receiving opening 184 that is of adequate size to 
receive a cylindrical body portion of the latch member 400, and to 
releasably retain the latch member 400 when the latch member 400 has been 
expanded while extending through the opening 184. 
The manner in which the latch member 400 engages, expands within and 
contracts within the keeper opening 184 is illustrated in FIGS. 27-29. In 
FIG. 27, the latch member 400' is shown separated from the keeper 180 but 
aligned with the keeper opening 184. In FIG. 28 the latch member 400' is 
shown inserted through the keeper opening 184. In FIG. 29, the latch 
member 400' is shown in latched or expanded relationship with the keeper 
180 to securely grip the keeper 180. 
Expansion and contraction movement of the latching member 400' (which does 
not rotate relative to the housing 200) is effected by rotating the plug 
950 and its rigidly attached shank 952. A groove 954 is provided in the 
head of the plug 950 to receive an O-ring 953. 
Returning to the lock assembly 100 that is depicted in FIGS. 1 and 2, the 
preferred manner in which the lock assembly 100 can be mounted on a 
closure will be described. Referring to FIG. 5, a closure portion 110 is 
shown that has a mounting opening 112 formed therethrough. The closure 
portion 110 has a front surface 114 and a rear surface 116 that extend 
about the perimeter of the opening 112. The opening 112 has top and bottom 
boundaries 122, 124, and left and right side boundaries 126, 128. 
In order to mount the lock assembly 100 on the closure 110, the lock 
assembly 100 has a pair of mounting posts 700 that project rearwardly for 
connection to a mounting bracket 750. The mounting bracket 750 is of 
generally U-shaped configuration, having a back wall 760 that connects at 
opposite ends with legs 762, 764. The legs 762, 764 extend forwardly from 
the plane of the back wall 760 toward the mounting flange 202, and 
cooperate with the housing 200 for clampingly mounting the lock assembly 
100 on the closure 110. Appearance features of the mounting bracket 750 
are disclosed in greater detail in the referenced Design Case IX. 
When the lock assembly 100 is to be installed on the closure 110, a gasket 
270 is positioned to engage the mounting flange 202, and portions of the 
lock assembly 100 are installed through the closure opening 112 to 
position the gasket 270 adjacent the opening 112 in clamped engagement 
between the rear face 206 of the mounting flange 202 and the front surface 
114 of the closure 110. The mounting bracket 750 is positioned to overlie 
the lock assembly 100, with the legs 762, 764 of the mounting bracket 750 
extending into engagement with the rear surface 116 of the closure 110. 
Threaded fasteners 702 are installed to extend through holes 752 that are 
formed through the back wall 760 of the bracket 750. The fasteners 702 are 
threaded into the mounting posts 700 of the lock assembly 100 to clamp the 
mounting flange 202 into engagement with the gasket 270, to clamp the 
gasket 270 into engagement with the front surface 114, and to clamp the 
legs 762, 764 into engagement with the rear surface 116. 
Turning now to a more detailed description of features of the components of 
the lock assembly 100, the housing 200 is preferably formed as a molded, 
one piece structure; thus it will be understood that the mounting flange 
202 together with the walls that form an essentially pan-shaped housing 
portion 220 (i.e., the walls that define the width, length and depth of 
the recess 210) are integrally-formed parts of the same one-piece 
structure. The fabrication of the housing as a one-piece member molded 
from thermoplastic, material such as a glass reinforced polycarbonate 
based polymer blend helps to provide a strong, rigid, impact resistant 
structure, whereby the housing 200 is capable of providing a versatile 
mounting platform for supporting the various relatively movable components 
of the lock assembly 100. 
A preferred material from which the housing 200 is formed is a 
thermoplastic that is a glass reinforced polycarbonate based polymer 
blend, typically of the type sold by General Electric Company, Pittsfield, 
MA 01201 under the registered trademark Xenoy. The most preferred resin 
blend is about 10 percent glass reinforced, and is selected from the "6000 
Series" of the Xenoy products sold by General Electric, with Xenoy 6240 
being preferred. While many other commercially available moldable plastics 
materials can be used to form the housing 200, as will be apparent to 
those skilled in the art, the preferred material helps to provide a high 
strength housing that is light in weight, resists crazing and hardening, 
is heat and chemical resistant, is resistant to impact, and can be 
machined as needed to provide suitable mounting holes and the like for 
movably mounting a wide variety of handles within the confines of the 
recess 210, as will be explained. 
Referring to FIGS. 7-17 which disclose features of the housing 200, the 
mounting flange 202 has a front face 204 that defines the front of the 
housing 200. The mounting flange 202 has a rear face 206 that is 
substantially flat, i.e., all portions of the rear face 206 extend 
substantially in a single plane. The mounting flange 202 is bordered by a 
perimetrically extending edge surface 208 that joins the front and rear 
surfaces 204, 206 at their peripheries. While all portions of the mounting 
flange 202 are formed integrally and therefore serve to define elements of 
a one-piece structure, for purposes of reference, the mounting flange 202 
can be thought of as having a top portion 212 that extends across the top 
of the recess 210, a bottom portion 214 that extends across the bottom of 
the recess 210, and opposed side portions 216, 218 that extend along left 
and right sides of the recess 210. Likewise, the edge surface 208 can be 
thought of as having a top portion 222, a bottom portion 224, and opposed 
side portions 226, 228. The flange portions 212, 214, 216, 218 and their 
associated edge portions 222, 224, 226, 228 cooperate to define a mounting 
flange 202 that has a generally rectangular configuration, with corner 
regions where adjacent ones of the edge portions 222, 224, 226, 228 join 
preferably being gently rounded to give an enhanced appearance. 
The pan-shaped portion 220 of the housing 200 (i.e., the portion of the 
housing 200 that defines the forwardly facing recess 210) includes a top 
wall 232, a bottom wall 234, a pair of opposed side walls 236, 238, and a 
back wall 242. The back wall 242 is arranged so that it extends 
substantially parallel to the rear face 206 of the mounting flange 202. 
Stated in another way, the back wall 242 has a front face 244 and a rear 
face 246 that extend in planes that substantially parallel the plane of 
the rear face 206. Particular attention is paid to the molding of the rear 
face 246 of the back wall 242 so that the rear face 246 provides a smooth, 
planar back wall surface that can be utilized for the important functions 
of mounting and guiding the movement of other components of the lock 
assembly 100, as will be explained. 
For the purpose of providing an enhanced appearance, it is preferred that 
front face 204 of the housing 200 be of curved, slightly convex 
configuration. Stated in another way, the front face 204 is convexly 
curved such that the thicknesses of the mounting flange portions 212, 214, 
216, 218 increase progressively the closer these formations extend toward 
an imaginary center point of the front face 204. Likewise, the thicknesses 
of the mounting flange portions 212, 214, 216, 218 decreases progressively 
as these formations extend toward the edge surface portions 222, 224, 226, 
228. Preferably, the thicknesses of the mounting flange portions 212, 214, 
216, 218 as measured at locations that are adjacent to the edge portions 
222, 224, 226, 228, are substantially uniform all along the edge surface 
208--which is to say that the edge surface 208 has a width that is 
substantially constant as the edge surface 208 extends about the housing 
200. Appearance features of the front face 204 of the housing 200 are 
within the purview of the referenced Design Case I. 
For the purpose of providing an enhanced appearance, the positioning of the 
top and bottom walls 232, 234 of the pan-shaped housing portion 220 that 
defines the recess 210 preferably is asymmetrical relative to top and 
bottom edges 222, 224 of the mounting flange 202. Likewise, for purposes 
of enhanced appearance, the positioning of the left and right side walls 
236, 238 of the pan-shaped housing portion 220 preferably is asymmetrical 
relative to the left and right opposed side edges 226, 228 of the mounting 
flange 202. This absence of symmetry in locating the recess 210 relative 
to opposed top and side edge portions 222, 224 and 226, 228 of the 
mounting flange 202 results in the top wall portion 212 being relatively 
short in height in comparison with the relatively tall height of the 
bottom wall portion 214 that depends beneath the recess 210, and results 
in the left sidewall portion 216 being relatively wide, while the right 
side wall portion 218 is relatively narrow. 
Several functional features of the housing 200 are arranged substantially 
symmetrically about the center plane 201, including the side walls 236, 
238 of the housing portion 220, and a sleeve-like housing formation 280, 
which will be described. With respect to the side-to-side positioning of 
the recess 210 relative to features of the mounting flange 202, however, 
it will be understood that this is a feature dictated solely by appearance 
considerations, and not by functional considerations. Indeed, functional 
features of the lock assembly 100 would not be affected if the narrow 
flange portions 212, 218 were enlarged to give the flange portions 212, 
218 widths that are equivalent to the relatively wider flange portions 
214, 216, respectively. Likewise the styling of the front face 204 of the 
mounting flange 202 is dictated entirely by appearance considerations. 
Threaded studs 250 project rearwardly from the rear face 246 of the back 
wall 242 for mounting various latch and lock components, as will be 
explained. Referring to FIG. 17, the threaded studs 250 have enlarged head 
portions 252 with radially outwardly extending projections 254 that have 
somewhat of a toothed washer appearance and that are located adjacent the 
head portions 252. The head portions 252 and the projections 254 are 
embedded within the molded material of the back wall 242 of the housing 
200 to provide structures that are anchored securely to the plastics 
material and will not rotate with request thereto. The studs 250 have 
elongate threaded shank portions 256 that project rearwardly from the head 
portions 252. The threaded shank portions 256 extend along spaced 
imaginary axes 251 that intersect the plane of the back wall 242 at right 
angles thereto. The axes 251 extend coaxially through the holes 752 that 
are formed in the back wall 760 of the mounting bracket 750. The axes 251 
of the studs 250 are located equidistantly from the center plane 201, and 
are positioned on opposite sides of the center plane 201. 
In preferred practice, the threaded studs 250 are commercially available 
fasteners that are sold by Penn Engineering and Mfg. Corp. of Danboro, PA, 
under the trademark PEM. The preferred part is model number CHN-832-4, 
which is formed from stainless steel, has a tapered head 252 with a 
maximum diameter of about 0.289 inch, has radially extending projecting 
portions 254 that have a maximum outer diameter of about 0.328 inch, and 
has a shank length of about 0.250 inch that is threaded with a standard 
thread such as 8-32 NC. While these commercially available fasteners are 
intended for use with sheet metal, not plastic, they have been found to be 
quite suitable for use in the application described here. 
Locator projections 260 are provided at spaced locations along the side 
walls 236, 238 at junctures of the side walls 236, 238 with the rear face 
206 of the mounting flange 202. As will be seen in FIG. 11, the locator 
projections 260 are arranged symmetrically in pairs on opposite sides of 
the center plane 201. The locator projections 260 are intended to directly 
engage opposite sides 126, 128 of the opening 112 to orient the lock 
assembly 100 properly on the closure 110; however, if the opening 112 has 
been formed so as to be slightly "oversized," the locator projections 260 
may be utilized during installation of the lock assembly on the closure 
110 as "guides" to visually aid in properly positioning the housing 200 
with respect to the closure opening 112, preferably with the locator 
projections 260 being arranged to be spaced substantially equidistantly 
from opposite side portions 126, 128 of the opening 112. 
Referring to FIG. 5, while the gasket 270 is not essential in many 
applications where the lock assembly 100 can be used, the gasket 270 
preferably is used in applications that present a possibility that 
moisture may penetrate the opening 112 as by passing between the back face 
206 of the mounting flange 202 and the front face 114 of the closure 110. 
To aid in properly positioning the gasket 270 about the lock assembly 100, 
the gasket 270 has an asymmetrical configuration that causes the gasket 
270 to extend in an obviously skew, out-of-alignment relationship with 
respect to the edge portions 226, 228 of the mounting flange 202 if the 
gasket 270 is installed incorrectly, e.g., in an "inside- out" manner. 
Specifically, referring to FIGS. 1 and 2, the gasket 270 has a relatively 
wide left side portion 276 that underlies the relatively wide left side 
wall 236; similarly, the gasket 270 has a relatively narrow right side 
portion 278 that underlies the relatively narrow right side wall 238. 
Further, the gasket 270 has a relatively large, generally 
triangular-shaped corner region 272 that is configured to underlie a 
correspondingly large corner portion of the bottom wall 214 of the 
mounting flange 202, and a relatively smaller, generally triangular shaped 
corner region 274 that is configured to underlie a correspondingly smaller 
corner portion of the bottom wall 214 of the mounting flange. 
The sleeve-like formation 280 of the housing 200 is located below the 
recess 210 and extends rearwardly from the rear face 206 of the mounting 
flange 202 along the bottom wall 234 of the housing portion 220. In 
preferred practice, the sleeve formation 280 is provided on the housing 
200 regardless of whether the sleeve formation 280 is to be utilized to 
house operating components of a latch or lock. 
If the sleeve formation 280 is to be utilized to house latch or lock 
components, an opening 282 is formed through the front wall 204 to 
communicate with a passage 284 that extends through the sleeve formation 
280. The opening 282 and the passage 284 extend coaxially along an 
imaginary axis 281 that lies within the imaginary center plane 201 and 
that extends substantially perpendicular to the planes of the rear face 
206 and the back wall 246. If the sleeve formation 280 is not to be 
utilized to house latch or lock components, either no opening 282 is 
formed through the front wall 204, or a suitably configured plug (not 
shown) is installed in the opening 282 to close the opening 282. 
Referring to FIG. 7, a shoulder 286 extends substantially radially with 
respect to the axis 281 to form a transition between the relatively large 
diameter of the opening 282 and the relatively smaller diameter of the 
passage 284. Axially extending top and bottom grooves 288 are formed in 
opposed upper and lower portions of the passage 284. The grooves 288 
extend axially rearwardly from the shoulder 286 and have bottom walls 289 
that are curved and represent continuations of a cylindrical surface 290 
of enlarged diameter that is formed in the rearward end region of the 
sleeve 280. A radially extending shoulder 292 forms a transition between 
the passage diameter that is designated by the numeral 284, and the 
enlarged diameter end region 290. A rounded groove 294 of shallower depth 
than the grooves 288 is formed in a side of the passage portion 284. The 
rounded groove 294 extends from the shoulder 286 to the shoulder 292. 
Referring to FIG. 24, two opposed portions 296, 298 of the shoulder 292 
extend radially outwardly and interrupt opposed side portions of the 
sleeve formation 280 to provide radially extending, rearwardly opening 
notches that are designated by the numerals 296, 298. 
In preferred practice, the housing 200 is formed without any openings, 
holes, slots or the like extending through the walls that define the 
recess 210, i.e., the top, bottom, and side walls 232, 234, 236, 238, and 
the back wall 242 are smooth and have no openings formed therethrough. By 
this arrangement, a wide variety of types of handles as well as latch and 
lock components of various forms may be utilized with the housing, as is 
illustrated and described in the referenced Utility and Design cases. 
Depending on the type of handle that is to be used with the housing 200, 
and on the type of latch or lock operating mechanism that is to be mounted 
on the housing 200, one or more suitable passages through the housing 200 
are machined in the form of openings, holes, slots and the like which 
formed as by drilling, milling or other conventional machining techniques. 
For purposes of mounting the handle and shank assembly 300 on the housing, 
five holes 336 are formed through the back wall 242 of the housing 200, as 
is best seen in FIG. 6. The handle 300 has depending leg portions 338 that 
extend into the holes 336 with at least a plurality of the legs 338 being 
heat staked to hold the handle 300 in position in the housing 200, as is 
indicated by the numeral 340 in FIG. 3. 
The lock mechanism 600 includes a key cylinder 650 that is installed in the 
sleeve structure 280 of the housing 200 for selectively permitting and 
preventing the latch arm 400 from pivoting to effect latching and 
unlatching movements. 
While the lock 100 does not require the presence of a ring-like insert 610 
in the back of the housing formation 280, some latches and locks that can 
be formed using the housing 200 and the handle 300 do require an insert 
610. For this reason, reference is made to FIGS. 24 and 25 wherein the 
latch 100' is depicted which employs the insert 610. 
The insert 610 is positioned in the rear end region of the sleeve portion 
280 of the housing 200. The insert 610 serves the function of closing rear 
end regions of the top and bottom grooves 288, and of defining a 
rearwardly extending stop projection 620 for limiting the range of rotary 
movement of certain locking members that can be used as a part of the 
various latch and lock parts that can be used with the housing 200 
(examples being the latches and locks disclosed in the other referenced 
Utility Cases) 600. 
From the point of view of molding the housing 200, the use of the insert 
610 to close rear end regions of the grooves permits the mold components 
that form the housing 200 to take a simpler, less expensive form, in that 
the mold formations that define the grooves 288, 294 all can be withdrawn 
rearwardly from a newly molded sleeve portion 280, thereby enabling the 
grooves 288 to be formed with closed end portions without the use of 
relatively movable mold parts to define interior portions of the sleeve 
structure, and enabling the sleeve structure to be formed either with or 
without an accompanying front wall opening. 
In order to provide an extension of the rounded groove 294 through the 
ring-like insert 610, a rounded groove portion 624 is provided in the 
insert 610 and is aligned with the rounded groove 294 of the sleeve member 
280. In order to properly align the ring-like insert for mounting on the 
housing, a pair of radially extending formations 626, 628 are provided to 
engage the grooves 296, 298 that are formed at the rear end of the sleeve 
member 280. The groove 296 and the formation 626 are of relatively small 
size and are configured to mate in a close slip fit. The groove 298 and 
the formation 628 are of relatively larger size and are configured to mate 
in a close slip fit. The difference in sizes of the mating components 296, 
626 and 298, 628 prevents inadvertent switch mating of these similarly 
configured parts. The positioning of the relatively larger formation 628 
as well as the rearwardly extending projection 620 at locations adjacent 
the area of the ring-like insert 610 that is structurally weakened by the 
provision of the rounded groove 624 serves to strengthen this area of the 
ring-like insert 610. 
Referring to FIG. 5, a key-receiving, tumbler-carrying plug assembly 650 
that has an enlarged diameter head portion 652 that is configured to be 
rotatably received in the front end region of the opening 282, and a 
substantially constant diameter portion 284 that extends rearwardly from 
the head portion 652 and is configured to be rotatably received in the 
central region 284 of the through passage that is formed through the 
housing portion 280. Radially extensible tumblers 656 form components of 
the plug assembly 650 and are extensible into the top and bottom grooves 
288. An offset cylindrical formation 675 is provided at the rear of the 
plug 650 for engaging a back face of the insert 610 to hold the plug 650 
in place in the housing 200. The plug assembly 650 is insertable into the 
sleeve 280 by inserting an appropriately configured key (not shown) to 
retract the tumblers 656, and by aligning the cylindrical formation 675 
with the grooves 288 to enable the cylindrical formation 675 to move 
through the sleeve 280 to a position behind the insert 610. The plug 650 
is retained in place on the housing 200 by preventing the cylindrical 
formation 675 from rotating to a position of alignment with the grooves 
624, 294, 2505, which position the plug assembly 650 could be removed from 
the sleeve 280. 
Referring to FIG. 5, it will be seen that tool operated latching plugs 800, 
810 can be provided to replace the key operated tumbler assembly 650. The 
plugs 800, 810 are shaped like the plug 650 and are insertable into the 
sleeve 280 in the manner described, with offset projection tool receiving 
hex and slot formations 820, 822 are provided to effect rotation of the 
plugs 800, 810 without use of a key. 
For purposes of providing detents to restrain unwanted rotary movements of 
the plugs 800, 810, the plugs 800, 810 have bores 804, 814 that carry 
springs 806, 816 and balls 808, 818 that are based radially outwardly by 
the springs 806, 816 to engage the grooves 288. 
Also shown in FIG. 5, are alternate forms 400', 400" of the latch arm 400 
that may be employed. Other configurations can be used, as will be 
apparent to those skilled in the art. 
In FIG. 6, a non-latching, non-locking form of the handle 300 and the 
housing 200 is shown which differs from the embodiments described above in 
that a simple disc-like plug 990 is provided to close the front wall 
opening 282. 
Also, two forms of mounting brackets 750, 750' are shown that can be used 
has been described in conjunction with the embodiment 750. 
In FIGS. 18-23, the provision of a pull 100"' that uses housing embodiment 
200"' that is identical to the embodiment 200 except for the absence of a 
front wall opening 282 is disclosed. The housing embodiment 200' can be 
used in place of the housing embodiment 200 in many applications where no 
locking or latching action is to be provided. 
Although the invention has been described in its preferred form with a 
certain degree of particularity, it is understood that the present 
disclosure of the preferred form has been made only by way of example, and 
that numerous changes in details of construction as well as the 
combination and arrangement of parts may be made without departing from 
the spirit and scope of the invention as hereinafter claimed. It is 
intended that the patent shall cover by suitable expression in the 
appended claims, whatever features of patentable novelty exist in the 
invention disclosed.