Abstract:
In a hinge latch mechanism for a cabinet door of the type including a strike and a keeper assembly mounted on a pair of door hinge parts and cooperating to releasably retain the door in closed position, the improvement featuring a novel keeper assembly and mode of mounting same on its associated hinge part.

Description:
BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION 
     The present invention is generally directed to cabinet door hinge latch mechanisms of the type disclosed for instance in U.S. Pat. No. 3,418,683, wherein a spring biased keeper element is carried by a door mounted hinge part and a strike is formed integrally with a cabinet frame mounted hinge part; the keeper element cooperating with the strike to releasably retain the door in closed position relative to a cabinet. Patents illustrative of alternative constructions, wherein placement of the keeper and strike is reversed, include as by way of example, U.S. Pat. Nos. 3,203,031; 3,262,149; 3,623,185 and 3,688,342. 
     SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION 
     The present invention relates to an improved hinge latch mechanism featuring a novel keeper assembly and mode of mounting same on an associated hinge part. More particularly, the keeper assembly of the present invention is characterized by a keeper housing, which defines camming and restraining surfaces arranged for cooperation with a strike element and cooperates with its associated hinge part to fully conceal the spring operating and supporting mechanisms of the keeper assembly. 
    
    
     DRAWINGS 
     The nature and mode of operation of the present invention is now more fully described in the following detailed description taken with the accompanying drawings wherein: 
     FIG. 1 is a fragmentary view of a door and cabinet shown in association with a hinge latch mechanism constructed in accordance with the present invention; 
     FIG. 2 is a sectional view taken generally along the line 2--2 in FIG. 1; 
     FIG. 3 is a view taken generally along the line 3--3 in FIG. 1; 
     FIG. 4 is a sectional view taken generally along the line 4--4 in FIG. 2; 
     FIG. 5 is a sectional view taken generally along the line 5--5 in FIG. 1; 
     FIG. 6 is a sectional view taken generally along the line 6--6 in FIG. 1; and 
     FIG. 7 is a sectional view taken generally along the line 7--7 in FIG. 2. 
    
    
     DETAILED DESCRIPTION 
     Reference is now made more particularly to FIGS. 1 and 2, wherein the hinge latch mechanism formed in accordance with the present invention is generally designated as 10 and shown as being employed for pivotally mounting a door or closure 12 on a cabinet frame 14. Mechanism 10 includes a first or cabinet wing or hinge part 16 and a second or door wing or hinge part 18 pivotally joined by a suitable pivot arrangement, such as may be defined by a hinge pin or spindle 20 passing through curls or knuckles 22 and 24 formed integrally with wings 16 and 18, respectively. 
     Cabinet wing 16 is shown as including right angularly related flange portions 26 and 28, which in use are intended to abut against adjacently disposed cabinet frame front and inner surfaces 30 and 32, respectively. In the illustrated construction of mechanism 10, flange portion 26 is defined by a pair of parallel straps or legs 26a, which extend between curls 22 and flange portion 28 and are spaced apart to define an opening 34 of sufficient width to receive door wing 18 and allow movement thereof into the door closed position illustrated in FIG. 1. However, it will be understood that the design of flange portion 26 is a matter of choice and will depend upon the desired positioning or spacing of hinge pin 20 relative to front surface 30. 
     Flange portion 28 is best shown in FIGS. 1, 2 and 4 as mounting a strike element 36 having adjacently disposed camming and retainer surfaces 36a and 36b, respectively. Preferably, strike element 36 is formed integrally with flange portion 28, such as by a tab formed from part of the material removed during the step of forming clearance opening 34. Cabinet wing 16 may be secured to cabinet frame 14 in any desired manner, such as by screw fasteners 38 received within opening 40 provided in flange portions 26 and 28. 
     Door wing 18 is shown as being in the form of a single flange portion 42 having a generally T-shaped plan view configuration and comprising a hinge end portion 42a formed integrally with curl 24 and sized for receipt within clearance opening 34, and a transversely enlarged free end portion 42b, which serves to support a keeper assembly 46. Flange portion 42 may be fixed to the rear or inner surface 48 of door 12 by suitable means, such as screw fasteners 50a and 50b received within openings 50a&#39; and 50b&#39; formed in end portions 42a and 42b, respectively. As indicated above in the case of flange portion 26, the specific configuration of flange portion 42 and more particularly that of end portion 42a will depend upon the desired positioning of hinge pin 20. 
     By referring primarily to FIGS. 3-6, it will be understood that in the preferred form of the present invention, free end portion 42b is characterized as having a planar central portion 50 bounded in part by parallel side marginal edge portions, which serve to define a pair of L-shaped guide members 52 and 52&#39; and a pair of first stop flanges 54 and 54&#39;; and an end marginal edge portion in the form of an upstanding second stop flange 56, which is arranged to extend transversely between guide members 52 and 52&#39; and formed with a pair of locator projections 56a and 56a&#39;. As best shown in FIGS. 4, 5, and 6, guide members 52 and 52&#39; are defined by upstanding base flanges 52a and 52a&#39;, which are disposed in essential alignment with stop flanges 54 and 54&#39;, and free edge or guide flanges 52b and 52b&#39;, which are disposed to lie essentially parallel to central portion 50 and face outwardly in opposite directions. As will be apparent from viewing the drawings, door wing flange portion 42b and thus guide members 52 and 52&#39; are arranged to extend essentially normal to cabinet wing flange portion 28, when door 12 is disposed in its fully closed position. 
     Keeper assembly 46 is shown in the drawings as comprising a housing 60, which is preferably of integrally formed molded plastic construction, and spring operating means, such as may be defined by a pair of coil springs 62 and 62&#39;. Housing 60 generally includes a pair of generally L-shaped, open ended channels 64 and 64&#39;, which depend from adjacent opposite side edges of the housing and open in a facing relationship to slidably receive guide flanges 52b and 52b&#39;; an abutment 66, which depends from and extends across the front end of the housing; and intersecting retaining and camming surfaces 68 and 70, respectively, which are also disposed adjacent the front end of the housing. As will be apparent from viewing FIGS. 4, 5 and 7, the cutting away of housing 60 to define retaining surface 68 serves to essentially divide abutment 66 into two like parts, wherein each part includes a forwardly facing recessed abutment surface 66a arranged in alignment with one of first stop flanges 54 and 54&#39; and a rearwardly facing abutment surface 66b arranged in alignment with one of locator projections 56a and 56a&#39;. Also, by reference to FIGS. 2, 4, 6 and 7, it will be seen that housing 60 is formed with a through access opening 74 and has its inner or lower surface formed with a pair of parallel locator recesses 76 and 76&#39; arranged to extend rearwardly from abutment surfaces 66b. 
     Springs 62 and 62&#39; are best shown in FIGS. 2, 6 and 7 as extending lengthwise within locator recesses 76 and 76&#39; with their relatively forwardly disposed ends arranged in engagement with abutment surface 66b and their relatively rearwardly disposed ends arranged in engagement with second stop flange 56 peripherally of locator projections 56a and 56a&#39;. Recesses 76 and 76&#39; primarily cooperate with projections 56a and 56a&#39; to positionally locate the springs relative to housing 60 and free end portion 42b. Thus, a particularly important feature of the present invention is that the design of housing 60 and the mode of attaching same to flange portion 42 provides for an aesthetically and unobtrusive construction, wherein springs 62 and 62&#39; and the mounting connection between the housing and flange portion are fully hidden from view when door 12 is in an open position. Moreover, the smoothly contoured outer surface of the enclosing housing and the remote cabinet mounting and rounded configuration of strike element 36 do not present any sharp edge or projection, which might cut a user and/or catch on the user&#39;s clothing, during insertion/removal of objects from the cabinet. 
     As will be apparent, springs 62 and 62&#39; tend to bias housing 60 to the left as viewed in FIGS. 1, 2 and 4 in order to normally maintain abutment surfaces 66a in bearing engagement with first stop flanges 54 and 54&#39; and thereby determine the latched position of keeper assembly 46. It will be noted that when keeper assembly 46 is disposed in its latched position, access opening 74 is arranged in axial alignment with mounting opening 50b&#39; in order to permit insertion and/or removal of threaded fastener 50b. 
     It will be understood that housing 60 is operatively aligned with strike 36, such that upon closing movements of door 12, housing camming surface 70 will eventually be brought into operative engagement with strike camming surface 36a, as indicated in broken line in FIG. 1. As closing movement of the door continues, camming surfaces 70 and 36a cooperate to effect sliding movements of housing 60 away from its latching position against the bias of coil springs 62 and 62&#39;. After the apex or juncture of surfaces 68 and 70 rides over the apex or juncture of surfaces 36a and 36b, so as to place retaining surface 68 in engagement with retaining surface 36b, springs 62 and 62&#39; serve to return housing 60 to its original latched position and in doing so surfaces 68 and 36b cooperate to effect automatic or unassisted swinging movement of door 12 through at least several degrees into its fully closed and latched positions shown in full line in FIG. 1. When a user wishes to open door 12, it is necessary for the user to initially apply sufficient opening force to the door to effect movement of housing 60 from its latched condition against the bias of springs 62 and 62&#39;, as an incident to cooperative sliding engagement of surfaces 68 and 36b. Once the previously described apexes pass one another, during door opening movements, springs 62 and 62&#39; are once again freed to return housing 60 to its latched position and door 12 is freed of the constraint afforded by strike 36 and may be swung to any desired open position.