The present invention is a covered latch assembly. The covered latch assembly includes a recessed latch housing that supports a retractable latch and a stationary catch. The covered latch assembly comprises a cover assembly that is pivotally attached to the latch housing. The cover assembly is pivotable between an access position wherein the latch is exposed and can be grasped and a secure position wherein the latch is shrouded and cannot be grasped.

CROSS-REFERENCE TO RELATED APPLICATIONS  
         [0001]    (Not Applicable) STATEMENT RE: FEDERALLY SPONSORED RESEARCH/DEVELOPMENT  
           [0002]    (Not Applicable)  
         BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION  
         [0003]    The present invention relates generally to latches, and more particularly to a latch mechanism having a locking cover for preventing access to the latch.  
           [0004]    There is currently known in the prior art a wide variety of latch assemblies which are used to secure adjacent members to each other, such as the lid and body of an equipment case. When used for this particular application, a plurality of latch assemblies are typically spaced along the parting line between the lid and the body of the equipment case. Typical prior art latch assemblies each include a striker plate assembly and a bolt assembly which are mounted to the lid and body, respectively. The bolt assembly typically includes an arm assembly, one end of which is pivotally connected to a bracket secured to the floor of a bolt half cup. The arm assembly itself includes a bolt which slidably extends from one end thereof and is engageable to a striker plate of the striker plate assembly. The striker plate itself typically resides in a striker half cup of the striker plate assembly. The extension and retraction of the bolt from the arm assembly is typically controlled by the rotation of a key which is rotatably connected to the arm assembly. The key is rotatable to a stowed position so as to be substantially enclosed within the bolt half cup to protect it from accidental engagement with other equipment and/or personnel when the lid is secured to the body of the equipment case.  
           [0005]    While the use of the recessed half cup helps to protect from accidental engagement with other equipment and/or personnel, it does not totally alleviate the problem. Furthermore, the latch is not protected from people who should not have access to the latch.  
           [0006]    These particular deficiencies are overcome by the latch assembly of the present invention which employs a cover to protect the latch.  
         BRIEF SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION  
         [0007]    In accordance with the present invention, there is provided a latch assembly. The latch assembly includes a recessed latch housing that supports a retractable latch and a stationary catch. The latch assembly comprises a cover assembly that is pivotally attached to the latch housing. The cover assembly is pivotable between an access position wherein the latch is exposed and can be grasped and a secure position wherein the latch is shrouded and cannot be grasped.  
           [0008]    In accordance with other aspects of the present invention, the cover assembly is attached to the latch assembly using at least one hinge. The at least one hinge may be recessed below an upper surface of the recessed latch housing.  
           [0009]    In accordance with yet other aspects of the present invention, the cover assembly may comprises a lock assembly. The lock assembly may comprise an engagement tab that engages with the latch assembly to hold the cover assembly in the secure position.  
           [0010]    In accordance with still other aspects of the present invention, the cover assembly may be substantially “U” shaped.  
           [0011]    In accordance with further aspects of the present invention, the cover assembly may be substantially coplanar with an upper surface of the recessed latch housing. 
       
    
    
     BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS  
       [0012]    These, as well as other features of the present invention, will become more apparent upon reference to the drawings wherein:  
         [0013]    [0013]FIG. 1 is a top perspective view of the covered latch assembly of the present latch mechanism with the cover open;  
         [0014]    [0014]FIG. 2 is a view of the covered latch assembly shown in FIG. 1 with the cover closed;  
         [0015]    [0015]FIG. 3 illustrates an alternative embodiment of the covered latch assembly shown in FIG. 2 with recessed hinges and a recessed lock mechanism; and  
         [0016]    [0016]FIG. 4 is a top perspective view of an embodiment of the covered latch assembly of the present latch mechanism where the latch assembly employs magnets. 
     
    
     DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION  
       [0017]    Referring now to the drawings wherein the showings are for purposes of illustrating preferred embodiments of the present invention only, and not for purposes of limiting the same, FIG. 1 is a top perspective view of a covered latch assembly  10  formed in accordance with the present invention. The latch assembly  10  of the present invention includes a latch  24  configured to securely engage to a catch  26 . In the exemplary embodiment shown in FIG. 1, latch  24  is a retractable latch having a curved end which secures to a stationary catch  26  with a complementary curved end. The retractable latch  24  and stationary catch  26  are attached to a bottom surface  30  of a recessed latch housing  20 . The recessed latch housing  20  also includes an upper surface  22  or flange which is substantially parallel to the bottom surface  30  of the recessed latch housing  20 . The latch assembly  10  of the present invention can be attached to a surface, such as that of an equipment case using a securing device, such as a screw or bolt which can be placed through an apperture  32  on the upper surface  22  of the recessed latch housing  20 .  
         [0018]    The covered latch assembly  10  shown in FIG. 1 is in an unlocked position. In the unlocked position, the latch  24  and the catch  26  are not engaged. The latch  24  can be moved to a locked position by engaging the retractable latch  24  with the stationary catch  26 . A key  28  is then used to secure the latch  24  in the lock position. For example, the key  28  is rotated and then moved from a vertical position such as that shown in FIG. 1 to a horizontal position. When the key  28  is in the horizontal position, a cover assembly  12  can be closed so that the latch  24  can not be accessed.  
         [0019]    [0019]FIGS. 2 and 3 show the latch assembly  10  of FIG. 1 with the cover assembly  12  in a secure position that shrouds the latch  24  so that the latch can not be grasped. In the exemplary embodiment shown in FIGS. 1 and 2, the hinges  18  that are attached to the upper surface  22  of the recessed latch housing  20  pivotally connect the cover assembly  12  to the recessed latch housing  20 .  
         [0020]    A lock mechanism  14  is used to secure the cover assembly  12  in the closed position shown in FIG. 2. The exemplary lock assembly  14  shown in FIG. 2 is a raised lock assembly that uses a key to secure the cover assembly  12  in place. As can be seen in FIG. 1, lock assembly  14  may have an engagement tab  16  which when turned engages with latch  24  so that the cover assembly  12  is held securely in place when the cover is in the closed and locked position.  
         [0021]    In alternative embodiments, hinges  18  may be lowered or recessed as shown in FIG. 3. Lowering the hinges may be desired to keep the covered latch assembly as planar as possible to prevent damage either to the covered latch assembly  10  or to anything that comes in contact with the covered latch assembly  10 .  
         [0022]    The cover assembly  12  shown in FIGS. 1 and 2 is a raised, U-shaped cover. Other configurations may be used in alternative embodiments. For example, as shown in FIG. 3, the cover may be coplanar with the upper surface  22  of the latch housing  20 .  
         [0023]    Alternative embodiments may have different lock assemblies than those shown in FIG. 2. For example, as shown in FIG. 3, lock assembly  14  may be flush with the cover assembly  12 . The lock assembly may be a key lock, such as that shown in the figures. Alternative locks, such as those secured by magnets, may also be employed.  
         [0024]    The covered latch assembly of the present invention can be implemented with various latch mechanisms. In exemplary embodiments, a latch mechanism employing magnets, such as the one shown in FIG. 4 is used. The latch mechanism shown in FIG. 4 is fabricated from a ferrous material, such as stainless steel. The exemplary covered latch assembly  10  shown in FIG. 4 comprises a circularly configured first magnet  70  which is attached to the inner surface of a bolt  54  between the proximal end of the bolt  54  and a cam slot  66  formed therein. Attached to the support bracket  42  is a circularly configured second magnet  72 . The first and second magnets  70 ,  72  are oriented relative to each other such that the first magnet  70  is magnetically repelled by the second magnet  72  when the bolt  54  is moved to its unlatched position. This force of magnetic repulsion has the effect of biasing an arm  50  to its outward position. Conversely, when the bolt  54  is moved to its latched position, the first magnet  70  is magnetically attracted to the ferrous support bracket  42 . This force of magnetic attraction has the effect of drawing the arm  50  to its inward position.  
         [0025]    Additional modifications and improvements of the present invention may also be apparent to those of ordinary skill in the art. Thus, the particular combination of parts described and illustrated herein is intended to represent only one embodiment of the present invention, and is not intended to serve as limitations of alternative devices within the spirit and scope of the invention.