Patent Publication Number: US-6669250-B1

Title: Push-push latch

Description:
BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION 
     1. Field of the Invention 
     The present invention generally relates to a latch device, and more particularly to a push-push latch that has a lever arm rotatively coupled to a latch body. The push-push latch may open or close in response to a force applied to the lever arm of touch latch. 
     2. Description of the Related Art 
     A latch may be used to secure one moveable surface relative to another surface. One type of latch is a touch latch, which may also be known as a push-push latch. When an arm of a touch latch is in an open position, pushing the arm of the touch latch may cause the touch latch to move to a closed position. When the arm is pushed again, the arm of the touch latch may move back to the open position. Touch latches may be used as component parts in systems that latch doors, cabinets, drawers, windows, and the like. 
     A touch latch may have a path formed in a body of the latch. The path may be formed as a groove within the body of the latch. A locking member of the touch latch may be attached to an arm. The arm typically is coupled to a tracing member that follows the path in the latch body. The path typically has two stable points. When the tracing member is located at the first stable point, the touch latch is in an open position. When the tracing member is located at the second stable point, the touch latch is in a closed position. A spring may be positioned within the body to bias the arm away from the body. The spring may force the tracing member to move to one of the two stable points in the path during operation of the touch latch. 
     In one type of touch latch, the arm is rotationally attached to the body of the touch latch. U.S. Pat. No. 4,215,884, issued to Little, which is incorporated by reference as if fully set forth herein, describes a rotational type of touch latch. The touch latch has an “L” shaped arm. A first leg of the “L” shaped arm traces a path within the body of the touch latch. The second leg of the “L” shaped arm may be contacted by a closure member. When the touch latch is in the open position, pushing the second leg with the closure member rotates the second leg towards the body and causes the first leg to move along the path from the first position to the second position. Pushing the second leg towards the body a second time causes the first leg to move from the second position to the first position and rotates the second leg away from the body of the touch latch. The body of the touch latch may have to be large to accommodate the range of motion of the first leg within the body of the touch latch. Many currently available small, rotational arm touch latches have maximum force ratings of approximately 3 pounds. It is desirable to have a small touch latch that is able to withstand greater than 50 lbs. of force. 
     In another type of touch latch, an arm of the latch retracts into a body of the latch when the arm moves from an open position to a closed position. U.S. Pat. No. 3,156,493, issued to Griffiths, U.S. Pat. No. 4,702,506, issued to Iimura, and U.S. Pat. No. 5,217,262, issued to Kurosaki, which are incorporated by reference as if fully set forth herein, describes touch latch mechanisms that have retractable arms. When a touch latch with a retractable arm is in an open position, pushing the arm may cause the arm to retract within the body of the latch. The movement of the arm may cause a tracing member to follow a path from a first stable position to a second stable position. Pushing the latch a second time may cause the tracing arm to travel the path from the second stable position to the first stable position so that the arm extends from the body of the touch latch. 
     In another type of touch latch, an arm of the latch is flexible. One end of the arm may be fixed in a set position. The tracing member may be located at an opposite end of the arm. The path that the tracing member follows may be located on a movable member. Closing the movable member against the arm causes the tracing member to follow the path so that the tracing member is located at a stable position of the path when the movable member is in a closed position. The tracing member holds the movable member in the closed position. Pushing the movable member a second time causes the tracing member to move away from the stable position so that the movable member is released. U.S. Pat. No. 4,657,292, issued to Bruck describes a touch latch mechanism having a flexible, fixed position arm. 
     Touch latches may be used to hold a closure member in a closed position. In some applications, such as in aircraft applications and marine applications, the touch latch may have to resist large forces exerted against the touch latch by shifting contents within the closure. Many currently available touch latches are not able to withstand large forces exerted against the touch latch without releasing the closure member. Large forces exerted against the touch latch may also damage or destroy a touch latch. 
     Sometimes a user of a touch latch may try to improperly open a storage compartment that is latched with a touch latch. For example, a user may pull outwardly upon the door of a storage compartment, instead of pushing the door inwards. Many currently available touch latches are not able to withstand outward pulling forces exerted against a touch latch without releasing the closure member and without damaging the touch latch. 
     The design of some touch latches may allow the touch latch to open if the spring that biases the arm away from the body of the touch latch breaks. It is desirable to have a touch latch that will remain in a closed position if the spring that guides the tracing member along should break during use. 
     SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION 
     The problems outlined above may in large part be solved by a latch system that may include a push-push latch and a catch. The push-push latch may be small in size, yet the push-push latch may have a large strength to size ratio. The push-push latch may include an arm that is rotationally attached to a body of the latch. An end of the arm may engage the catch when the push-push latch is in a closed position. 
     In an embodiment, the push-push latch may have a body with a groove formed in an inner surface of the body. A lever arm may be rotatively coupled to the body at a pivot connection. One arm of a torsion spring may contact the body of the latch. A second arm of the torsion spring may contact the lever arm. The force that the torsion spring applies to the push-push latch will tend to rotate the lever arm away from the body of the latch. One end of a toggle may be pivotally coupled to the lever arm between an end of the lever arm and the pivot connection. A second end of the toggle may have a tracing member that is positioned within the groove in the body of the latch. The groove may have two stable positions. When the tracing member is in the first stable position, the push-push latch is in an open position. When the tracing member is in the second stable position, the push-push latch is in a closed position. When the push-push latch is in the closed position, an end of the lever arm may be held by the catch of the latch system. 
     When the lever arm is rotated away from the body as far as the toggle arm will allow, the tracing member is in the first position, and the lever arm is in an open position. When the lever arm is rotated toward the body by a closing force, the tracing member follows the path of the groove towards the second position. If the closing force is not large enough to move the tracing member from the first stable position to the second stable position, the torsion spring will tend to force the lever arm away from the body to return the lever arm to the open position when the closing force is removed. If the closing force is large enough to move the tracing member from the first stable position to the second stable position, the tracing member will move to the second stable position when the closing force is removed from the lever arm. When the tracing member is in the second stable position, the lever arm is in a closed position. An end of the lever arm may be held by the catch when the lever arm is in the closed position. The end of the lever arm may be a roller that is rotationally connected to the lever arm. 
     When the lever arm is in the closed position, applying an opening force to the lever arm that pushes the lever arm towards the body of the push-push latch may cause the tracing member to follow a path that moves the tracing member from the first stable position to the second stable position. If the opening force is not large enough to move the tracing member from the second stable position to the first stable position, the tracing member will return to the second stable position when the opening force is removed from the lever arm. The lever arm will remain in the closed position, and the end of the lever arm will not be released from the catch. If the opening force is large enough to move the tracing member from the second stable position to the first stable position, the tracing member will move to the first stable position when the opening force is removed. The end of the lever arm will be released from the catch, and the lever arm will move to the open position. 
     Advantages of the push-push latch include that the latch may be small, light weight, and strong. The small size of the push-push latch may allow the latch to be coupled to space restricted surfaces and confined regions that were not previously usable for latching mechanisms. The small size, light weight and high strength characteristics of the push-push latch may make the push-push latch ideal for use in space, aircraft, and marine applications. The push-push latch may be able to withstand large forces that attempt to improperly open the latch without breaking the latch, and without opening the latch. Forces that try to improperly open the push-push latch may result in the application of tension to the toggle of the latch. The toggle, the connection between the toggle and the body, and the connection between the toggle and the lever arm may be made of materials that have good resistance to failure due to tension applied through the toggle. A push-push latch that is less than 1⅛″×¾″×⅜″ when in a closed position (less than 1½″×¾″×⅜″ when in an open position) may withstand outward pulling force in excess of 90 pounds of force without releasing the push-push latch from the closed position and without damaging the latch. Changing the materials and/or size of a push-push latch may allow the push-push latch to withstand outward pulling force in excess of 150 pounds of force without releasing the push-push latch from a closed position and without damaging the latch. 
     Another advantage of the push-push latch is that the latch will not release if the torsion spring breaks while the latch is in a closed position. A push-push latch may be used in a system wherein items are stored within a closure, and a door of the closure may be held in a closed position by the latch. If the torsion spring of the push-push latch happens to break while the push-push latch is in a closed position, the latch will not release the door of the closure. The push-push latch will prevent the contents of the closure from discharging from the closure even if the torsion spring of the latch breaks. In other words, the push-push latch will still function even if the push-push latch should partially fail. 
     Another advantage of the push-push latch is that the latch may be formed of materials that are strong, hard, non-corrosive, and nonflammable. The moving parts of the push-push latch, and the parts of the latch that come into contact with the moving parts, may be made of materials that inhibit galling. The use of non-galling materials may allow the push-push latch to be operated without the need for lubrication of the moving parts of the latch and without excessive wear to the parts of the latch. 
     A further advantage of the push-push latch is that no visible hardware is present on exterior surfaces of a closure when the latch is used as a part of a latching system for the closure. Further advantages of the push-push latch are that the latch may be sturdy, durable, simple, efficient, and reliable; yet the latch may also be easy to manufacture, install, maintain and use. 
    
    
     BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS 
     Further advantages of the present invention will become apparent to those skilled in the art with the benefit of the following detailed description of embodiments and upon reference to the accompanying drawings in which: 
     FIG. 1 is an exploded view of a push-push latch without a torsion spring and without a coil spring; 
     FIGS. 2 a  and  2   b  show elevational views of a torsion spring that may be used to force a lever arm of a push-push latch away from a body of the latch; 
     FIGS. 3 a  and  3   b  show elevational views of a coil spring that may be positioned between a lever arm and a toggle of a push-push latch; 
     FIG. 4 is an elevational view of a first body member showing an endless groove formed in a surface of the first body member; 
     FIG. 5 is a perspective view of a second body member showing a channel in a surface of the second body member; 
     FIG. 6 is a cross sectional view of a closure that has a push-push latch, wherein the push-push latch is in an open position; 
     FIG. 7 is a cross sectional view of a closure that has a push-push latch, wherein the push-push latch is in a closed position; 
     FIG. 8 is perspective view of a storage device that uses as a touch latch as part of an activation mechanism; 
     FIG. 8A is a schematic diagram of a storage device in an aircraft cabin. 
     FIG. 8B is a schematic diagram of a storage device in a boat cabin. 
     FIG. 9 is a cut-away view of a drawer in a closed position; 
     FIG. 10 is a cut-away view of a drawer in an open position; and 
     FIG. 11 depicts a front view of the push-push latch in an open position. 
    
    
     While the invention is susceptible to various modifications and alternative forms, specific embodiments thereof are shown by way of example in the drawings and will herein be described in detail. It should be understood, however, that the drawings and detailed description thereto are not intended to limit the invention to the particular form disclosed, but to the contrary, the intention is to cover all modifications, equivalents and alternatives falling within the spirit and scope of the present invention as defined by the appended claims. 
     DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS 
     Referring to the drawings, a push-push latch is designated generally as  10 . Uses for a push-push latch  10  include, but are not limited to, latching doors, cabinets, drawers, storage compartments, and the like. A push-push latch  10  may also be part of an activation mechanism in a storage device that stores an accessory in an out of the way location when the storage device is in a closed position, and brings the accessory to hand when in the storage device is in an open position. The accessory may be a tray, a telephone, a personal viewing device, or other device that a user desires to store in an out of the way location when not in use. The push-push latch  10  may be small, light weight, and able to withstand large applied forces without breaking. 
     The push-push latch  10  may include first body member  12 ′, second body member  12 ″, lever arm  14 , roller  16 , torsion spring  18 , toggle  20  having pin  22 , and coil spring  24 . FIG. 1 shows an exploded view of the push-push latch  10  without the torsion spring  18  and without the coil spring  24 . The torsion spring  18  is shown in FIGS. 2 a  and  2   b , and the coil spring  24  is shown in FIG. 3 a  and FIG. 3 b . The materials used to form the component parts of the push-push latch  10  may be purchased from the McMaster-Carr Supply Company. 
     The first body member  12 ′ and the second body member  12 ″ may be joined together with fasteners  26  to form body  12  of the push-push latch  10 . The first body member  12 ′ and the second body member  12 ″ may have holes  28 . Fasteners  26  may be positioned through the holes  28  to join the body members  12 ′,  12 ″ together. Suitable fasteners  26  may include, but are not limited to, rivets, screws, and bolts. If the fasteners  26  are threaded, the holes  28  in the first body member  12 ′ or the second body member  12 ″ may have corresponding threading so that the first body member is securely fastened to the second body member when the push-push latch  10  is assembled. 
     The first body member  12 ′ and the second body member  12 ″ may include mount holes  30 . Suitable fasteners  32  may be positioned in the mount holes  30  so that the push-push latch  10  may be removably attached to mounting plate  34  or to a mounting surface (not shown). The push-push latch  10  may be attached to the mount plate  34  or mounting surface by screw rivets, or other type of fastening system. Fasteners (shown in FIGS. 6 and 7) may be positioned in holes  36  in the mounting plate  34  to attach the mounting plate to a mounting surface. 
     The first body member  12 ′ and the second body member  12 ″ may also include pivot holes  38 . Rivet  40  positioned through pivot mount holes  38  may be used to rotationally couple the lever arm  14  to the body  12  of the push-push latch  10 . The rivet  40  may also pass through coil  42  of the torsion spring  18 . 
     The first body member  12 ′ may include endless groove  44 . FIG. 4 shows an elevational view of the first body member  12 ′. The groove  44  may include first stable position  46  and second stable position  48 . The groove  44  defines a path that the pin  22  of the toggle  20  travels when the push-push latch  10  is opened and closed. When the pin  22  is in the first stable position  46 , the push-push latch  10  is open. When the pin  22  is in the second stable position  48 , the push-push latch  10  is closed. The first body member  12 ′ may be made of a material that has a high resistance to galling caused by the pin  22  traveling within the groove  44 . The toggle  20  may be made of stainless steel, such as  410  stainless steel. The toggle  20  may be heat treated after being formed to increase the strength of the toggle. The first body member  12 ′ may be made of an aluminum bronze alloy, such as Alloy 954 aluminum bronze. Alloy 954 aluminum bronze has a high resistance to galling. 
     As shown in FIG. 5, the second body member  12 ″ may include channel  50 . The channel  50  may have a length, width and depth that permits the toggle  20  to move within the channel when the push-push latch  10  is assembled. The second body member  12 ″ may be made of aluminum that has an anodized finish. 
     FIG. 1 shows the lever arm  14 . The lever arm  14  may include upper member  52 , lower member  54 , and back  56 . Rivet  40  may be positioned through first set of holes  58  (only one shown), through pivot holes  38  in the body  12 , and through the coil  42  of the torsion spring  24  (shown in FIG. 2 a ) to rotationally couple the lever arm  14  to the body. Rivet  60  may be passed through second set of holes  64  in the upper and lower surfaces  52 ,  54  of the lever arm  14 , and through hole  62  in the roller  16  to rotationally couple the roller to the lever arm  14 . Rivet  68  may be positioned through third set of holes  66 , through the coil spring  24  (shown in FIG. 3 a ), and through hole  70  in the toggle  20  to pivotally couple the toggle to the lever arm  14 . The coil spring  24  may be positioned between the upper member  52  and the toggle  20 . The coil spring  24  may exert a force against the lever arm  14  and the toggle  20  that inhibits vertical motion of the toggle and helps to keep the pin  22  seated within the groove  44  of an assembled push-push latch  10 . 
     The third set of holes  66  may be located between the first and second set of holes  58 ,  64 . The roller  16  may be made of a plastic material, such as black acetal plastic. The rivets  40 ,  60 ,  68  may be made of zinc plated,  1006  carbon steel. Fasteners other than rivets may be used to attach the body  12 , the toggle  20  and the roller  16  to the lever arm  14 . Other types of fasteners may include, but are not limited to nuts and bolts, screws, and bolts. The lever arm  14  may be made of aluminum that has an anodized finish. 
     As shown in FIG. 2 a  and FIG. 2 b , the torsion spring  18  may include the coil  40 , first end  72  and second end  74 . Rivet  40  may be passed through the coil  44  during assembly of the push-push latch  10 . The first end  72  of the torsion spring may be positioned against channel wall  76  of the second body member  12 ″. The second end  74  of the torsion spring  18  may be positioned against back  56  of the lever arm  14 . The torsion spring  18  may provide a force against the lever arm  14  that tends to rotate the lever arm away from the body  12  of the push-push latch  10 . The torsion spring  18  may be formed from 17-7 stainless steel. 
     The toggle arm  20  may have integrally formed pin  22  near an end of the toggle. Alternately, a pin  22  may be securely attached to a toggle  20  near an end of the toggle. When the push-push latch  10  is assembled, the pin  22  is positioned in the groove  44 , and rivet  68  passes through the toggle hole  70  to pivotally couple the toggle  20  to the lever arm  14 . The toggle  20  limits the range of motion of the lever arm  14 . When the lever arm  14  rotates, the rotation of the lever arm moves the toggle  20 , which in turn moves the pin  22 . The pin  22  travels the path of the groove. When the pin is in the first stable position  46 , the roller  16  is positioned as far away from the body  12  as the toggle  20  will allow. When the pin  22  is in the first stable position  46 , the push-push latch is open. When the pin  22  is in the second stable position  48 , the roller  16  is located near the body  12  of the push-push latch  10 . When the pin  22  is in the second stable position  48 , the push-push latch  10  is closed. 
     To assemble an embodiment of the push-push latch  10 , the pin  22  of the toggle  20  is placed in the groove  44  of the first body member  12 ′. The second body member  12 ″ is fastened to the first body member  12 ′ by fasteners  26 . The first end  72  of the torsion spring  18  is inserted in the channel  50  of the second body member  12 ″ against the wall  76  of the channel. The second end  74  of the torsion spring  18  is positioned against the back  56  of the lever arm. The set of holes  58  on the lever arm  14 , and the coil  42  of the torsion spring  18  are aligned with the pivot holes  38  of the body  12 . The rivet  40  is positioned through the hole (not shown) in the lower member  54  of the lever arm  14 , through hole  38  in the first body member  12 ′, through the coil  42  of the torsion spring  18 , through the hole  38  in the second body member  12 ″, and through the hole  58  in the upper member  52  of the lever arm. The rivet  40  is set to rotationally couple the lever arm  14  to the body  12 . The lever arm  14  is then rotated towards the body  12  until the toggle hole  70  aligns with the set of holes  66  in the lever arm. The rivet  68  is inserted through the lower member  54  of the lever arm  14 , through the toggle hole  70 , through the coil spring  24  and through the upper member  56  of the lever arm. The rivet  68  is set so that the rivet pivotally connects the toggle  20  to the lever arm  14 . The roller  16  is aligned with the set of holes  64 , and the rivet  60  is positioned through the set of holes in the lever arm  14  and through hole  62  in the roller  16 . The rivet  60  is set to connect the roller arm  16  to the lever arm  14 . 
     FIG. 6 shows an embodiment of a latch system mounted within a cabinet  78 . The latch system may include a push-push latch  10 , a mounting plate  34 , and catch  80 . The cabinet may include mount surface  82 , door  84 , walls  86 , and a hinge (not shown). The mounting plate  34  may be attached by fasteners  90  to the mount surface  82 . The catch  80  may be attached by fasteners (not shown) to surface  92  of the door  84 . The door  84  may be attached to a wall  86  of the cabinet  78  by the hinge. 
     Referring to FIG.  6  and to FIG. 4, when the push-push latch  10  is in an open position (as shown in FIG.  6 ), the pin  22  of the toggle  20  is located at the first stable position  46  (shown in FIG.  4 ). When a closing force is applied to the door  84 , the surface  92  of the door contacts the roller  16  of the push-push latch  10 . The closing force rotates the lever arm  14  towards the body  12 . The rotation of the lever arm  14  towards the body  12  moves the toggle  20  within the body  12 . The pin of the toggle  20  moves along the groove  44 . The pin moves from the first stable position  46  toward position  94 . If the closing force is not large enough to close the door  84 , the torsion spring of the push-push latch  10  will rotate the lever arm  14  away from the body  12  and return the pin to the first stable position  46  when the closing force is removed from the door  84 . If the closing force is large enough to close the door  84 , the pin will move to position  94 , and when the closing force is removed from the door, the torsion spring  18  will rotate the lever arm  14  away from the body  12 . The movement of the lever arm  14  away from the body  12  will cause the pin to move from position  94  to the second stable position  48 . When the pin is in the second stable position  48 , the connection between the toggle  20  will prevent the lever arm from rotating away from the body  12  of the push-push latch  10 . When the door  84  is closing, the roller  16  will roll along the surface  92  of the door  84 . The roller  16  will be positioned beneath the catch  80  when the door  84  is closed. When the pin is in the second stable position  48 , the push-push latch  10  is in a closed position. 
     FIG. 7 shows the push-push latch  10  when the pin is in the second stable position. The roller  16  is held by the catch  80 . If a force is applied against surface  92  of the door  84  that would move the door away from the closed position, the latch system will hold the door in the closed position. Such a force could be transmitted to the door  84  by shifting articles that are stored within the cabinet, or by a user who tries to improperly open the door by pulling the door away from the latching system. The force transmitted against the door will be transmitted through the catch  80  to the push-push latch  10  as a tension force acting through the toggle  20 . 
     Should the torsion spring  18  happen to fail when the push-push latch  10  is in a closed position, the lever arm  14  will not automatically move to the open position. The torsion spring  18  of the push-push latch  10  is unlikely to fail, but if it does fail when the latch is in a closed position, the latch may prevent items stored within the cabinet  78  from being inadvertently discharged out of the cabinet  78 . 
     Referring to FIG.  7  and FIG. 4, the door  84  may be released from the closed position if the door is pushed toward the push-push latch  10  with an opening force. When an opening force is applied to the door  84 , the opening force causes the lever arm  14  to initially move toward the body  12 . The movement of the lever arm  14  toward the body causes the toggle  20  and pin to move. The pin will move from the second stable position  48  toward position  96 . If the opening force is not large enough to open the door  84 , the torsion spring will cause the lever arm  14  to rotate away from the body  12  when the opening force is removed from the door. The pin will return to the second stable position  48  and the door  84  will remain in a closed position. If the opening force is large enough to open the door  84 , the pin will move to position  96 , and when the opening force is removed from the door, the torsion spring will rotate the lever arm  14  away from the body  12 . The rotation of the lever arm  14  away from the body  12  will cause the pin  22  to move from position  96  to the first stable position  46 . When the pin is in the first stable position  46 , the toggle  20  will prevent further rotation of the lever arm  14  away from the body  12 . The rotation of the lever arm  14  away from the body when the pin is traveling from position  96  to the first stable position  46  will cause the door  84  to open. When the pin  22  is located in the first stable position  46 , the door  84  is open. 
     FIG. 8 shows an embodiment of storage device  98  that uses a push-push latch  10  as part of an activation mechanism that opens and closes the storage device. The storage device  98  shown in FIG. 8 is in a closed position. The storage device  98  may include mounting plate  100 , housing  102 , platform  104 , drive mechanism  106 , drive mechanism mounting plate  108 , pulley block  110 , and catch  80 . The platform  104  may be coupled to the push-push latch  10 . The platform  104  may be configured to move vertically within the housing  102 . When the platform  104  moves within the housing  102 , the push-push latch  10  moves with the platform. The drive mechanism may be a gas spring, spring reel or similar device. The drive mechanism  106  may be coupled to drive mechanism mounting plate  108 . The drive mechanism mounting plate  108  is stationary. The drive mechanism  106  shown in FIG. 8 is a gas spring in a compressed configuration. The catch  80  may also be coupled to the drive mechanism mounting plate  108 . A cable (not shown) is threaded in the pulley block  110 . One end of the cable may be attached to the drive mechanism mounting plate  108 . The other end of the cable may be attached to the platform  104 . 
     Storage devices are often needed in areas where there is a limited amount of free space. Such areas may include, but are not limited to, aircraft cabins and boat cabins. FIG. 8A shows a schematic diagram of storage device  98  including push-push latch  10  in an aircraft cabin. FIG. 8B shows a schematic diagram of storage device  98  including push-push latch  10  in a boat cabin  130 . 
     An object (not shown) that is to be stored within the storage device  98  may be placed on upper surface  112  of the platform  104 . The object may be a telephone or other type of device that a user desires to store in an out of the way position when the object is not in use. To activate the storage device  98  to bring a stored object to the user, the user pushes down on an upper surface of the object. Pushing down on the object will cause a force to be transmitted to the push-push latch  10 . The force will rotate the lever arm  14  toward the body  12  of the push-push latch  10 . When the force is released, the lever arm  14  will rotate away from the body  12 , and the roller  16  of the push-push latch  10  will be released from the catch  80 . Arm  114  of the drive mechanism  106  will extend when the roller  16  is released from the catch  80 . The extension of the arm  114  will cause the cable to raise the platform  104 . Raising the platform  104  will bring the object to the user. 
     To store the object in the out of the way position, the user places the object on the platform  104  and pushes the platform downward with a closing force exerted against the top of the object. The closing force will compress the drive mechanism  106  and lower the platform  104 . The roller  16  will contact the drive mechanism mounting plate  108 , and will be positioned beneath the catch  80 . When the closing force is released, the push-push latch  10  will be in a closed position such that the roller  16  holds catch  80 . The object will stay in the out of the way position until the push-push latch  10  is activated again. 
     FIG.  9  and FIG. 10 show a push-push latch  10  used in a drawer system. The push-push latch  10  may be mounted to a latch plate  34 . The latch plate  34  may be mounted to an inside surface of drawer support structure. The catch  80  may be mounted to the inside surface of drawer  116 . When the drawer is closed, the catch securely holds the drawer against the drawer support structure. To open the drawer  116 , a user applies an opening force to the drawer  116  that moves the drawer towards the push-push latch  10 . The inner surface of the drawer  116  will contact the roller  16  and rotate the lever arm  14  towards the body of the latch. When the user stops applying the opening force, the torsion spring of the push-push latch  10  will rotate the lever arm  14  away from the body and the torsion spring will open the drawer  116 . The user may that grasp the drawer  116  and fully open the drawer. FIG. 10 shows the drawer  116  in an open position. 
     To close the drawer  116 , the user applies a closing force to the drawer to move the drawer towards the push-push latch  10 . The roller  16  will contact the inside surface of the drawer  116 , and the drawer will move the lever arm  14  toward the body of the push-push latch  10 . When the user stops applying the closing force, the torsion spring of the push-push latch  10  will rotate the lever arm  14  away from the body of the latch to the closed position. The roller  16  will hold the catch  80  and prevent the drawer from inadvertently opening. 
     FIG. 11 depicts a front view of the latch in an open position. Lever arm  14  may be rotatively coupled to body  12 . Toggle  20  may be pivotally coupled to lever arm  14 . Torsion spring  18  may be coupled to lever arm  14  and body  12 . Coil spring  24  may be placed between toggle  20  and upper member  52  of lever arm  14 . 
     Further modifications and alternative embodiments of various aspects of the invention will be apparent to those skilled in the art in view of this description. Accordingly, this description is to be construed as illustrative only and is for the purpose of teaching those skilled in the art the general manner of carrying out the invention. It is to be understood that the forms of the invention shown and described herein are to be taken as examples of embodiments. Elements and materials may be substituted for those illustrated and described herein, parts and processes may be reversed, and certain features of the invention may be utilized independently, all as would be apparent to one skilled in the art after having the benefit of this description of the invention. Changes may be made in the elements described herein without departing from the spirit and scope of the invention as described in the following claims.