Patent Publication Number: US-3879072-A

Title: Safety latch

Description:
United States Patent [1 1 Tuley 1 1 Apr. 22, 1975 1 SAFETY LATCH [75] inventor: James R. Tuley. Detroit Mich.  
 [731 Assignee: The Raymond Lee Organization.  
 Inc., New York NY.  
 [22] Filed: Mar. 25, 1974 [21] Appl. No.: 454,708  
 [56] References Cited UNITED STATES PATENTS 3.381992 5/1968 Fricscn 292/87 FOREIGN PATENTS OR APPLICATIONS United Kingdom 292/268 297.334 (1/1954 Switzerland 292/268 Primary E.\&#39;umincrRichard E. Moore [5 7] ABSTRACT A safety latch for use in securing a drawer or door within a suitable opening in a cabinet in which the door or drawer can only be opened a small distance by pulling and in which additional manipulation is required for further opening. A vertical prong extends downwardly in the opening with an upper thick region and a lower thin region. A horizontally elongated resilient plate secured to the drawer or door has a slot with a front wide section in which the thick prong region normally slidably extends and a rear thin section adapted to receive the thin prong region when the door or drawer is fully opened.  
 3 Claims, 7 Drawing Figures SAFETY LATCH SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION This invention is directed toward a safety latch which can be used to prevent a child from opening a drawer or door in a cabinet or the like and yet at the same time can be easily manipulated by an adult to permit proper usage. This invention is inexpensive. is easily installed (or removed if such is desired) and uses no locks or similar securing devices.  
  The drawer or door constitutes a movable member in an opening in a fixed structure such as a cabinet.  
  A vertical prong is secured at the periphery of the opening and extends downwards. The prong has an upper relatively thick section and a lower relatively thin section.  
  A horizontally elongated resilient plate secured to the member has a slot with a front relatively wide sec tion and a rear relatively narrow section.  
  Normally. when the member is closed or slightly open. the thick section of the prong slidably engages the narrow section of the slot. In order to fully open the door or drawer. the user must insert his finger between the slightly open member and the support and press downward upon the plate. thus moving the slot into engagement with the thin section of the prong. This section can move freely through the narrow section of the slot. permitting the member to be easily and completely opened.  
 BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS In the drawings: FIG. 1 is a detail perspective view of the invention in use;  
  FIG. 2 is a top view of one type of plate used in FIG. 1;  
  FIG. 3 is a bottom view of another type of plate used in FIG. 1;  
 FIG. 4 is a side view of a prong used in FIG. 1; FIG. 5 is a view taken along line 5-5 in FIG. 2; FIG. 6 is a view taken along line 6-6 in FIG. 3; and FIG. 7 is a view taken along line 7-7 in FIG. 4.  
 DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS Referring now to FIGS. 1-6, cabinet 10 has a first opening 12 accommodating sliding drawer 14 and a second opening 16 accommodating door 18 hinged vertically along one side of the opening.  
  Each opening has disposed at its top peripheral region a horizontal plate 20 screwed in place and supporting a vertical prong which extends downwards. The prong has an upper cylindrical section 22 of relatively large diameter interconnected by shoulder 24 to a lower cylindrical section 26 of relatively small diameter. These sections 22 and 24 have a common vertical axis.  
  A vertical plate 28 is secured to the inside of each drawer and door and has a horizontally elongated resilient inner extension.  
  The extension 30 secured to the drawer has a slot extending in the longitudinal section with a front section 32 wide enough to receive section 22 and a rear section 34 which can receive section 26 but not section 24. When section 22 is in section 32, the drawer can be closed or slightly opened. In the latter case, the extension can be depressed until section 26 engages the slot and then the drawer can be fully opened. The drawer can be closed in conventional manner and the extension will spring back automatically.  
 The extension 40 of the plate secured to the door has a curved slot with a front section 42 wide enough to receive section 22 and a rear section 44 which can receive section 26 but not 24. Operation is the same for the door as for the drawer.  
  While I have described my invention with particular reference to the drawings. such is not to be considered as limiting its actual scope.  
  Having thus described this invention. what is asserted as new is:  
  I. A safety latch for use in securing a movable member such as a door or drawer within a suitable opening in a fixed support such as a cabinet, said latch comprismg:  
 a vertical prong secured to the periphery of the opening and extending downward, said prong having a lower thin section and an upper thicker region; and  
 a horizontally elongated prong receiving resilient plate secured to the member. said plate having a slot with a front disposed wide section through which said upper region of the prong can extend and a rear disposed narrow section through which said thin prong section can extend and through which the thick section cannot extend, the positions of plate and prong being so chosen that the member with the thick prong section engaging the front section of the slot can only be opened sufficiently to enable a user to insert a finger, the member being only openable fully after the user has pressed his finger down on the plate to enable the thin prong section to engage the rear section of the slot.  
  2. The latch of claim I wherein said member is a drawer and said slot extends in the longitudinal direction of the drawer.  
 3. The latch of claim 1 wherein the member is a door and said slot falls along a curve.  
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