Patent Publication Number: US-2023133601-A1

Title: Latch assembly

Description:
CROSS-REFERENCE TO RELATED APPLICATIONS 
     This invention claims priority under 35 U.S.C. § 120, to the U.S. Non-Provisional Pat. Application No. 16/455,487, to Linda Kay Parker, filed on Jun. 27, 2019, which is incorporated by reference herein in their entireties. 
    
    
     FIELD OF THE INVENTION 
     The present invention relates to latches, specifically to latch assemblies for latching parts of objects together. 
     DESCRIPTION OF THE RELATED ART 
     In the related art, it has been known to use latches to secure items such as purses, satchels, handbags, briefcases, luggage, backpacks, diaries, tool boxes, etc. Mechanical latches represent a method of releasably engaging and holding or otherwise joining or assembling objects such as panels, enclosures, belts, fabric, or other similar, discreet objects. A wide variety of special-purpose fasteners are currently employed in the industry for quick-operating, repeated access applications. 
     Specifically, push button operated latches and locks are well known. The contents of objects are typically secured from intrusion and unwanted inspection by the use of push button latches. It has been the usual practice for many years in the design and construction of combined latch and lock mechanisms for luggage cases and the like to provide a spring biased bolt on one of the separable container sections which is urged into latching relation with a keeper on the other separable case section. 
     Push button latches can be attached to objects or incorporated in a variety of ways. Some improvements have been made in the field. Examples of references related to the present invention are described below in their own words, and the supporting teachings of each reference are incorporated by reference herein: 
     U.S. Pat. No.: 3.605,210, issued to Lohr, discloses a safety seat belt buckle having a pair of locking members which engage opposite side edges of a plate-like tongue to prevent its removal from a latched position in the buckle. A release member on the buckle is connected to the locking members such that they can be moved toward release positions either by a motion of the release member, or by contact with the tongue as it is received toward its latched position. 
     U.S. Pat. No.: 4,321,734, issued to Gandelman, discloses a clasp assembly is provided for securing together the free ends of opposed flexible members and includes a first coupling member that is joined to the free end of one of the flexible members and a second coupling member that is joined to the free end of the other flexible member. In the latched position the coupling members appear to be an integral part of the flexible members and impart an ornamental appearance thereto. The first coupling member includes a box element in which a transversely extending spring is located and has a pair of snap levers pivotally mounted on the sides thereof. The second coupling member includes an outwardly extending tongue element that is formed with opposed notches that are engageable with the snap levers for locating the tongue in a latched position within the first coupling member, the snap levers being pivotally movable relative to the tongue and against the action of the spring from a closed to an open position upon the application of a force thereto, for releasing the tongue from engagement with the snap levers and thereby disengaging the coupling members. 
     U.S. Pat. No.: 4,792,165, issued to Nishimura, discloses a plush latch device composed of a case and a slider which slides into the case and out therefrom. The movement of the slider is controlled by a guide mechanism disposed between the slider and the case. The guide mechanism consists of an annular guide passageway formed in a cone side inner surface of the case and a guide lever having a guide member which moves along the guide passageway while being pressed against the side wall thereof. The guide passageway is formed with a substantially V-shaped stoppage portion for stopping the slider within the case. The guide lever has a support spindle formed with a flat surface having an angle to the longitudinal direction of the guide lever to impart forces for pressing the side wall of the guide passageway, the guide lever rotating about the support spindle. The rotary moment is imparted to the guide lever by pushing the support spindle by a coil spring for moving the slider. 
     U.S. Pat. No.: 5,217,262, issued to Kurosaki, discloses a latch device including a pair of circuital cam grooves having different planar shapes formed in opposite surfaces of a latch body. A guide lever is inserted into the circuital cam grooves so that tips of tracing portions of the guide lever do not contact bottom surfaces of the circuital cam grooves. The circuital cam grooves have a heart-shaped projection and a triangular projection, such that torsion is generated in the tracing portions because of differences in configuration of the circuital cam grooves. A restoring force of the guide lever acting opposite the torsional force causes the tracing portions to circulate in a given direction. As a result, compared with conventional latch devices, fewer components may be used. Wear on the circuital grooves of the latch body can be prevented. When the torsional force is eliminated, the tracing portions move in a direction where the groove wall surfaces are not provided. No unpleasant impact sound (operating sound) is produced because the tracing portions do not strike against the groove wall surfaces. 
     U.S. Pat. No.: 5.273,328, issued to Kurosaki, discloses a lock mechanism for causing an openable member such as a cover or a door of a box or the like to engage with or disengage from a main body as the openable member is pressed, and a latch device for retaining a latch body in the housing in a state in a pushed-in state and in a withdrawn state. The center of rotation of each of a pair of arms of the latch device is formed on substantially the same line as a line of action of a force acting on a retaining surface of each of the arms for retaining a striker. A fitting hole, a guide hole, a slanted guide surface, and a fitting hole are provided to allow a tracing member of the latch device to be fitted from outside the housing at the time of assembling the tracing member to the housing. In the lock mechanism and the latch device, the tracing member is caused to trace side walls of a pair of circulatory guide paths by making use of the resilient restoring force of a resilient tracing member, and the tracing member is maintained in a state of noncontact with the bottom surfaces of the circulatory guide paths during tracing. 
     The inventions heretofore known suffer from a number of disadvantages which include not being easily scalable to different sizes, having less consistent manufacturing, being difficult to latch, having less control over release, having the ability to be accidentally released, being difficult to manufacture, being difficult to use, being unreliable, being more likely to get stuck, and being weaker. 
     What is needed is a latch assembly that solves one or more of the problems described herein and/or one or more problems that may come to the attention of one skilled in the art upon becoming familiar with this specification. 
     SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION 
     The present invention has been developed in response to the present state of the art, and in particular, in response to the problems and needs in the art that have not yet been fully solved by currently available latch assemblies. Accordingly, the present invention has been developed to provide a latch assembly for latching. 
     The latch assembly may comprise a latch buckle. The latch buckle may include: a buckle housing; a first lateral aperture that may be disposed along a first side of the buckle housing; a second lateral aperture that may be disposed along a second side of the buckle housing; a pair of levers that may be h-shaped (chair-shaped) and/or each be pivotally coupled to an interior of the buckle housing, and/or extending out of the first lateral aperture and/or the second lateral aperture, respectively; a spring ring that may be disposed between the pair of h-shaped levers; a pair of springs, each spring may be coupled to an interior of the buckle housing and/or an h-shaped lever, respectively; and/or a buckle aperture that may be disposed along a top of the buckle housing and/or between the pair of h-shaped levers. The latch assembly may also comprise a latch tongue that may include: a tongue plate; a plate spacer that may be coupled to the tongue plate and/or extending orthogonal therefrom; and/or a latch flange that may be coupled to the plate spacer and/or extending orthogonal therefrom, and/or that may be configured to be received by the buckle aperture. The latch tongue may be selectably coupleable to the latch base. The levers may include a lever arm with a hook extending therefrom. The hook may extend orthogonally from the lever arm. The levers may pivot about points adjacent to the spring ring and/or may be disposed on opposite sides thereof. 
     The buckle housing may include a front base plate, and/or a back base plate disposed opposite the front base plate and/or coupled to the front base plate. The back base plate may further include a plurality of lever traps that may be disposed along a surface of the back base plate proximate to the front base plate. The tongue plate and/or the latch flange may be planar. The back base plate may include a lip that may be disposed along a bottom of the back base plate and/or coupled to a bottom of the front base plate. 
     The back base plate may include a plurality of spring ring traps that may be disposed along a surface of the back base plate proximate to the front base plate. The second side aperture may be disposed opposite the first side aperture. The h-shaped levers may pivot about the spring ring. A diameter of the spring ring may decrease and/or increase when the h-shaped levers pivot. 
     Reference throughout this specification to features, advantages, or similar language does not imply that all of the features and advantages that may be realized with the present invention should be or are in any single embodiment of the invention. Rather, language referring to the features and advantages is understood to mean that a specific feature, advantage, or characteristic described in connection with an embodiment is included in at least one embodiment of the present invention. Thus, discussion of the features and advantages, and similar language, throughout this specification may, but do not necessarily, refer to the same embodiment. 
     Furthermore, the described features, advantages, and characteristics of the invention may be combined in any suitable manner in one or more embodiments. One skilled in the relevant art will recognize that the invention can be practiced without one or more of the specific features or advantages of a particular embodiment. In other instances, additional features and advantages may be recognized in certain embodiments that may not be present in all embodiments of the invention. 
     These features and advantages of the present invention will become more fully apparent from the following description and appended claims, or may be learned by the practice of the invention as set forth hereinafter. 
    
    
     
       BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS 
       In order for the advantages of the invention to be readily understood, a more particular description of the invention briefly described above will be rendered by reference to specific embodiments that are illustrated in the appended drawing(s). It is noted that the drawings of the invention are not to scale. The drawings are mere schematics representations, not intended to portray specific parameters of the invention. Understanding that these drawing(s) depict only typical embodiments of the invention and are not, therefore, to be considered to be limiting its scope, the invention will be described and explained with additional specificity and detail through the use of the accompanying drawing(s), in which: 
         FIG.  1    is a right side perspective view of a latch assembly, according to one embodiment of the invention; 
         FIG.  2    is a left side perspective view of a latch buckle, according to one embodiment of the invention; 
         FIG.  3    is a right side exploded perspective view of a latch buckle, according to one embodiment of the invention; 
         FIG.  4    is a left side perspective view of a latch tongue, according to one embodiment of the invention; 
         FIG.  5    is a right side exploded view of a latch tongue, according to one embodiment of the invention; 
         FIG.  6    is a back side perspective view of a latch assembly with a cut-away of a front base plate, according to one embodiment of the invention; and 
         FIG.  7    is a left side perspective view of a latch assembly, according to one embodiment of the invention. 
     
    
    
     DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION 
     For the purposes of promoting an understanding of the principles of the invention, reference will now be made to the exemplary embodiments illustrated in the drawing(s), and specific language will be used to describe the same. It will nevertheless be understood that no limitation of the scope of the invention is thereby intended. Any alterations and further modifications of the inventive features illustrated herein, and any additional applications of the principles of the invention as illustrated herein, which would occur to one skilled in the relevant art and having possession of this disclosure, are to be considered within the scope of the invention. 
     Reference throughout this specification to an “embodiment,” an “example” or similar language means that a particular feature, structure, characteristic, or combinations thereof described in connection with the embodiment is included in at least one embodiment of the present invention. Thus, appearances of the phrases an “embodiment,” an “example,” and similar language throughout this specification may, but do not necessarily, all refer to the same embodiment, to different embodiments, or to one or more of the figures. Additionally, reference to the wording “embodiment,” “example” or the like, for two or more features, elements, etc. does not mean that the features are necessarily related, dissimilar, the same, etc. 
     Each statement of an embodiment, or example, is to be considered independent of any other statement of an embodiment despite any use of similar or identical language characterizing each embodiment. Therefore, where one embodiment is identified as “another embodiment,” the identified embodiment is independent of any other embodiments characterized by the language “another embodiment.” The features, functions, and the like described herein are considered to be able to be combined in whole or in part one with another as the claims and/or art may direct, either directly or indirectly, implicitly or explicitly. 
     As used herein, “comprising,” “including,” “containing,” “is,” “are,” “characterized by,” and grammatical equivalents thereof are inclusive or open-ended terms that do not exclude additional unrecited elements or method steps. “Comprising” is to be interpreted as including the more restrictive terms “consisting of” and “consisting essentially of.” In addition, terms like “front,” “back,” “left,” and “right,” are used merely to show location. 
       FIG.  1    illustrates a right side perspective view of a latch assembly  10 , according to one embodiment of the invention. There is shown a latch assembly  10  with a latch buckle  12 , and a latch tongue  14  removably coupled to the latch buckle  12 . The latch buckle  12  includes a buckle housing  13  and h-shaped levers  16  protruding through the buckle housing  13 . The latch tongue  14  includes a latch flange  18  for removably coupling the latch tongue  14  to the latch buckle  12 . 
     The illustrated latch buckle  12  includes a buckle housing  13 . As shown, the buckle housing  13  may substantially contain (or house) components of the latch buckle  12 , such as, but not limited to, the levers  16 . The buckle housing  13  may have any size and/or shape for housing components of the latch buckle  12  and/or removably coupling to the latch tongue  14 , such as, but not limited to: square, rectangular, elongated, ovoid, round, and so on. Further, the buckle housing  13  may be comprised of a variety of materials, such as, but not limited to: metal, plastic, wood, rubber, polymers and/or glass. 
     As shown, the levers  16  may be substantially disposed within the buckle housing  13 . Also shown, the  16  levers may protrude from the buckle housing  13  so that the levers  16  may function as push-buttons for releasing the latch flange  18  for uncoupling the latch tongue  14  from the latch buckle  12 . The levers  16  may have any size and/or shape for removably coupling to the latch flange  18  of the latch tongue  14  and for functioning as push-buttons. Likewise, the levers  16  may be comprised of a variety of materials for removably coupling to the latch flange  18 , such as, but not limited to: metal, plastic, wood, rubber, polymers and/or glass. 
     The illustrated latch tongue  14  includes a latch flange  18 . The latch flange  18  removably couples the latch tongue  14  to the buckle housing  13 . The latch flange  18  may removably couple to the h-shaped levers  16 . For instance, in one non-limiting embodiment, the latch flange  18  may removably couple to the levers  16  by tight-fitting, such as spring-fitting. Accordingly, the latch flange  18  may have any size or shape that compliments the size and/or shape of the levers  16  for removably coupling to the levers. For example, the latch flange  18  may be shaped, such as, but not limited to: T-shaped, mallet-shaped, club-shaped, fan-shaped, etc. Likewise, the latch flange  18  may be forked. Moreover, the latch flange  18  may be comprised of a variety of materials for complimenting the levers  16 , such as, but not limited to: metal, plastic, wood, rubber, polymers, and/or glass. 
     In operation of one embodiment of the invention, there is a latch assembly  10  that includes a latch buckle  12  removably coupled to a latch tongue  14 . The latch assembly may be a light-weight assembly. The latch buckle  12  includes levers  16  that are a dual release. A major portion of the levers  16  are disposed within an interior of a buckle housing  13  of the latch buckle  12 . As a result, a portion of a latch flange  18  of the latch tongue  14  passes through the interior of the buckle housing  13  to couple to the levers  16  in an interior of the housing  13 . The levers  16  function to release the latch flange  18  when simultaneously pressed, or pushed, and thereby not coming accidentally unlatched. 
     Advantageously, the illustrated latch assembly may be coupled to a pair of structures, wherein the buckle is coupled to one structure and the tongue is coupled to another structure and those structures may then be selectively mated together and selectably released from each other as desired by applying force to the ends of the lever arms that extend from the buckle housing. Further, the spacing and tolerances of the various components may be such that both lever arms must be pivoted in order to release the tongue from the buckle, thereby reducing the likelihood of accidental separation of the tongue from the buckle. 
     Such a latch assembly may be applied to a great variety of associated structures, including but not limited to purses, bags, luggage, clothing, wall mountings, decorative accessories, modular systems, electronics installations, tool belts, mounts for vehicle interiors, and the like and combinations thereof. The illustrated tongue and buckle may be affixed to such structures by various means, including but not limited to screws, rivets, pins, glue, contact adhesive, hook-and-loop, magnets, and the like and combinations thereof. 
     In one non-limiting embodiment, the buckle is disposed within a container (e.g. a purse) with a slit through an exterior wall of the container that matches up with the aperture of the buckle so that a tongue may enter thereinside and couple to the buckle from outside the container. There may be a plurality of tongues that each fit the buckle, with each tongue coupled to a secondary bag, decorative item, or the like such that the user may selectably couple a plurality of different items to their container. Advantageously, someone without access to an interior of the container would not be able to release the latch assembly as the ends of the lever arms would be within the container. 
       FIG.  2    illustrates a left side perspective view of a latch buckle  12 , according to one embodiment of the invention. There is shown a latch buckle  12  with a buckle housing  13  and levers  16  substantially disposed within the buckle housing  13 . The buckle housing  13  includes a first lateral aperture  21  disposed along a first side  22  of the buckle housing  13 . The buckle housing  13  also includes a front base plate  25  with a back base plate  26  coupled to the front base plate  25 . Disposed between the front base plate  25  and the back base plate  26  there is a buckle aperture  27 . 
     The illustrated buckle housing  13  includes a first lateral aperture  21  disposed along a first side  22 . As shown, the levers  16  may protrude from the lateral aperture  21 . Accordingly, the lateral aperture  21  may have any size or shape to allow the levers  16  to extend from the buckle housing  13 . 
     Also, the illustrated buckle housing  13  includes a front base plate  25  and a back base plate  26  coupled to the front base plate  25 . The base plates  25  and  26  may be coupled by a variety of coupling mechanisms, such as, but not limited to: screws, nails, bolts, pegs, snap-fit, dowels, adhesives, etc. The front base plate  25  and the back base plate  26  may be sized and/or shaped to substantially contain the levers  16 . Similarly, the front base plate  25  and the back base plate  26  may be sized and/or shaped to form apertures  21  and/or allow the levers  16  to protrude therefrom. The base plates  25  and  26   may be comprised of a variety of materials, such as, but not limited to: metal, plastic, wood, rubber, polymers, and/or glass. 
     Further illustrated, there is a buckle aperture  27  disposed between the front base plate  25  and the back base plate  26 . As a result, the front base plate  25  and the back base plate  26  may be shaped and/or sized to provide a buckle aperture  27 . The buckle aperture  27  may have any shape and/or size configured to receive the latch flange of the latch tongue (See e.g.,  FIG.  1   , items  18  and  14 , respectively). 
       FIG.  3    illustrates a right side exploded perspective view of a latch buckle  12 , according to one embodiment of the invention. As shown, the latch buckle  12  includes a buckle housing  13  with a pair of levers  16  substantially disposed therein. The latch buckle  12  has a first side  22  with a second side  32  disposed substantially opposite the first side  22 . Also disposed within the buckle housing  13  there is shown a spring ring  34  and a pair of springs  36 . Further, disposed along an interior  37  of the back base plate (See e.g.,  FIG.  2   , item  26 ), of the buckle housing  13  are a plurality of lever traps  38  and a base plate lip  39 . 
     The illustrated levers  16  are h-shaped (chair-shaped) and are substantially disposed within the buckle housing  13  with just the tips extending outside thereof so that they may be manipulated by hand to pivot as desired. The illustrated levers are mirror images of each other and each include a lever arm with a securing pin at an end thereof opposite the end that extends outside the buckle housing. The illustrated levers include hooks that extend orthogonally from the lever arms near a midpoint thereof. The hooks each point inward and form the structure that secures the latch flange within the buckle when it is disposed therein. Further, pivoting the lever arm about the securing pin causes the hooks to change position. Pivoting one direction traps the latch flange and pivoting the opposite direction releases the latch flange. The illustrated springs  36  bias the lever arms such that the hooks are in a mode to trap the latch flange. Further, the hooks each include an angled tip that allows the latch flange to cause the lever arms to pivot as the latch flange is entering between the hooks and the springs then snap the hooks back into a trapping mode after the latch flange has fully entered the hooks. The illustrated levers pivot about points (at the securing pins) adjacent to the spring ring and are disposed on opposite sides thereof. 
     The h-shaped levers  16  may be rotatably coupled to the buckle housing  13  so that they may rotate about an axis and/or provide leverage. The h-shaped levers  16  may have any size and/or shape for receiving and/or coupling to the latch flange of the latch tongue (See e.g.,  FIG.  1   , items  18  and  14 , respectively). For example, the h-shaped levers  16  may be shaped such as, but not limited to: h’s, chairs, y’s, 4’s, and so on. Further, the h-shaped levers  16  may be identical and/or mirror-images. The h-shaped levers  16  may protrude from the buckle housing  13  so that they may function as push-buttons for releasing the latch flange (See e.g.,  FIG.  1   , item  18 ). In addition, the h-shaped levers  16  may be comprised of a variety of materials, such as, but not limited to: metal, plastic, wood, rubber, polymers, and/or glass. 
     Additionally illustrated, disposed within the buckle housing  13  there is shown a spring ring  34  and a pair of springs  36 . The spring ring  34  may provide a spring-back force to help the latch flange (See e.g.,  FIG.  1   , item  18 ) release from the h-shaped levers  16 . The spring ring  34  provides a bias against the latch flange, essentially pushing the latch flange out of the buckle when the h-shaped levers release it. The illustrated spring ring  34  is a torus, but it may have any size and/or shape and/or be comprised of any material that provides the described bias force to facilitate release the latch flange (See e.g.,  FIG.  1   , item  18 ). In one non-limiting embodiment, the spring ring  34  may be comprised of rubber, plastic, composites thereof and/or other elastically deformable materials. 
     The pair of springs  36  is functionally coupled to the h-shaped levers  16 , and thereby allows the h-shaped levers  16  to pivot and/or to function as push buttons. Thus, the pair of springs  36  may bias the h-shaped levers  16  in open and closed positions. Likewise, the pair of springs  36  may have any size and/or shape and/or be comprised of any material to allow the h-shaped levers  16  to pivot. In one non-limiting embodiment, the pair of springs  36  may be comprised of metal. 
     Further illustrated, disposed along an interior  37  of the back base plate (See e.g.,  FIG.  2   , item  26 ), of the buckle housing  13 , there are are a plurality of lever traps  38 . The lever traps  38  may be integral to the back base plate (See e.g.,  FIG.  2   , item  26 ) or may be extensions thereof. As a result, the lever traps  38  may be comprised of a variety of material, such as, but not limited to: metal, plastic, wood, rubber, polymers, and/or glass. As illustrated, the plurality of lever traps  38  are substantially L-shaped; however, the plurality of lever traps  38  may have any size and/or shape for trapping, securing, stabilizing, etc. the h-shaped levers  16 , such as, but not limited to: c-shaped, v-shaped, u-shaped, and so on. 
     Also illustrated, the back base plate (See e.g.  FIG.  2   , item  26 ) includes a base plate lip  39 . The base plate lip  39  is disposed along a length of the back base plate (See e.g.,  FIG.  2   , item  26 ). The base plate lip  39  may be integral to the back base plate (See e.g.,  FIG.  2   , item  26 ). Accordingly, the base plate lip  39  may be an extension of the back base plate (See e.g.,  FIG.  2   , item  26 ) and may be comprised of a variety of materials, such as, but not limited to: metal, plastic, wood, rubber, polymers, and/or glass. The base plate lip  39  may provide spacing between the front base plate and the back base plate (See e.g.,  FIG.  2   , items  25  and  26 , respectively) for housing components of the latch buckle (See e.g.,  FIG.  1   , item  12 ) within the buckle housing (See e.g.,  FIG.  1   , item  13 ). As a result, the base plate lip  39  may have any size, shape, length, etc. configured to provide spacing. 
       FIG.  4    illustrates a left side perspective view of a latch tongue  14 , according to one embodiment of the invention. As shown, the latch tongue  14  includes a latch flange  18 . Coupled to the latch flange  18  is a plate spacer  42 , and coupled to the plate spacer is a tongue plate  40 . 
     The illustrated latch flange  18  extends from the latch tongue  14  so that it may be received by the h-shaped levers (See e.g.,  FIG.  1   , item  16 ) of the buckle housing (See e.g.,  FIG.  1   , item  13 ). For instance, in one non-limiting embodiment, the latch flange  18  may slide into the buckle housing (See e.g.,  FIG.  1   , item  13 ). Accordingly, the latch flange  18  may have any size and/or shape for removably coupling to the latch buckle (See e.g.,  FIG.  1   , item  12 ). For example, the latch flange  18  may be shaped, such as, but not limited to: T-shaped, mallet-shaped, club-shaped, fan-shaped, etc. Similarly, the latch flange  18  may be planar and/or substantially flat. More, the latch flange  18  may be comprised of a variety of materials for complimenting the h-shaped levers  16 , such as, but not limited to: metal, plastic, wood, rubber, polymers, and/or glass. 
     Also illustrated, the latch flange  18  is coupled to a plate spacer  42 . The plate spacer  42  spaces the latch flange  18  from the tongue plate  40 . Thus, the plate spacer  42   is coupled to, and disposed between, the latch flange  18  and the tongue plate  40 . The plate spacer  42  may be sized and/or shaped to provide spacing. For example, the plate spacer  42  may have a variety of lengths, diameters, and/or shapes for spacing, such as, but not limited to: cubed, cylindrical, trapezoidal, and so on. The plate spacer  42  may be integral to the tongue plate  40  such that the plate spacer  42  is an extension of the tongue plate. As a result, the plate spacer  42  may also be comprised of a variety of materials, such as, but not limited to: metal, plastic, wood, rubber, polymers, and/or glass. 
     Further, the illustrated tongue plate  40  is coupled to the plate spacer  42  at an end opposite the latch flange  18 . The tongue plate  40  may extend from the plate spacer in a direction parallel to the latch flange  18 . The tongue plate  40  may provide support, such as a base, for the plate spacer  42  and the latch flange  18 . Accordingly, the tongue plate may have any shape and/or size for providing support. The tongue plate  40  may be planar and/or substantially flat. The tongue plate  40  may be comprised of a variety of materials, such as, but not limited to: metal, plastic, wood, rubber, polymers, and/or glass. In one non-limiting embodiment, two or more of the tongue plate  40 , plate spacer  42 , and latch flange  18  may be a single component (e.g. molded as a single shaped piece) instead of a plurality of components coupled to each other. 
       FIG.  5    illustrates a right side exploded view of a latch tongue  14 , according to one embodiment of the invention. As shown, the latch tongue  14  includes a latch flange  18 . Coupled to the latch flange  18  is a plate spacer  42 , and coupled to the plate spacer is a tongue plate  40 . 
     The illustrated plate spacer  42  is disposed between the latch flange  18  and the tongue plate  40 . The latch flange  18  and the tongue plate  40  may be coupled to the plate spacer  42  by a variety of coupling mechanisms, such as, but not limited to: screws, nails, bolts, pegs, dowels, adhesives, etc. Hence, the latch flange  18 , the tongue plate  40 . and the plate spacer  42 , may be comprised of a variety of materials, such as, but not limited to: metal, plastic, wood, rubber, polymers, and/or glass. 
       FIG.  6    illustrates a back side perspective view of a latch assembly  10  with a cut-away of a front base plate  25 , according to one embodiment of the invention. As shown, the latch assembly  10  includes a latch buckle  12  with a pair of h-shaped levers  16 , and a latch tongue  14  with a latch flange  18 . The latch assembly  10  also includes a second lateral aperture  61  disposed along a second side  32 , a spring ring  34  disposed between a plurality of spring ring traps  62  and along the latch flange  18 , and a pair of springs  36 . The spring ring traps  62  are nubs extending into the space around the spring ring and prevent it from traveling within the buckle so that when the latch flange presses against the spring ring, the spring ring maintains its force/bias against the latch flange. 
     The illustrated latch assembly  10  includes a latch buckle  12  coupled to a latch tongue  14 . The latch buckle  12  may be coupled to the latch tongue such as by push-button/spring release. For example, in one embodiment, the latch buckle  12  includes a pair of h-shaped levers  16  disposed within the latch buckle  12 . Functionally coupled to the pair ofh-shaped levers  16  are a pair of springs  36  that may function to pivot the h-shaped levers and thereby release the latch tongue  14 . The h-shaped levers  16  may protrude from the latch buckle  12 . For instance, in one embodiment, the h-shaped lever  16  protrudes from a second lateral aperture  61  disposed along a second side  32  of the latch buckle. As a result, the second lateral aperture  61  may be shaped and/or sized to allow an h-shaped lever  16  to protrude from the latch buckle  12  and thereby function as a push-button release. In one non-limiting embodiment, both h-shaped levers  16  must be pushed simultaneously in order to release the latch tongue  14 . 
     Also illustrated, the latch tongue  14  includes a latch flange  18 . Disposed along the latch flange  18  is a spring ring  34 . The spring ring  34  is disposed within the latch buckle  12 . The spring ring  34  abuts the latch flange  18  and may flex so that it provides a force that assists in release of the latch flange  18  from the latch buckle  12  when the h-shaped levers  16  are pushed. Accordingly, an effective diameter of the spring ring  34  may increase or decrease when the latch flange presses against or releases from contact with the spring ring  34 . For these reasons, the spring ring may be comprised of a flexible material, such as, but not limited to: rubber, plastic, polymers, etc. While the illustrated spring ring is circular, the spring ring may be of a different shape/configuration, so long as it operates to bias the tongue to exit the buckle, such as but not limited to a disc, oval, square, sphere, irregular shape, triangle, pyramid, and the like and combinations thereof. 
     Further illustrated, the spring ring  34  is disposed between a plurality of spring ring traps  62 . The spring ring traps  62  may trap, secure, stabilize, hold in place etc. the spring ring  34 . As a result, the spring ring traps  62  may be sized and/or shaped to trap the spring ring  34 . For instance, the spring ring traps  62  may be shaped, such as, but not limited to: cones, pyramids, cylinders, cubes, and so on. The spring ring traps  62  are disposed within the latch buckle  12  and may be integral to the latch buckle  12 . Hence, the spring ring traps  62  may be extensions of the latch buckle. Accordingly, the spring ring traps  62  may be comprised of a variety of materials, such as, but not limited to: metal, plastic, wood, rubber, polymers, and/or glass. 
       FIG.  7    illustrates a left side perspective view of a latch assembly  10 , according to one embodiment of the invention. As shown, the latch assembly  10  includes an h-shaped lever  16  disposed between a front base plate  25  and a back base plate  26 . The illustrated back base plate  26  includes a base plate lip  39 . The latch assembly  10  also includes a latch flange  18  disposed within a buckle aperture  27  and removably coupled to the h-shaped levers  16 . Coupled to the latch flange  18  is a plate spacer  42 , and coupled to the plate spacer  42  is a tongue plate  40  so that the tongue plate  40  is disposed substantially below the back base plate  26 . The latch assembly further includes a second lateral aperture  61 . 
     The illustrated tongue plate  40  is disposed below the back base plate  26  along substantially the entire length of the back base plate  26 . Accordingly, the tongue plate  40  provides additional support for the latch assembly  10 . As a result, the tongue plate  40  may have any size, shape, length, diameter, etc. for supporting the latch assembly  10 . Likewise, the tongue plate  40  may be comprised of a variety of materials, such as, but not limited to: metal, plastic, wood, rubber, polymers, and/or glass. 
     It is understood that the above-described embodiments are only illustrative of the application of the principles of the present invention. The present invention may be embodied in other specific forms without departing from its spirit or essential characteristics. The described embodiment is to be considered in all respects only as illustrative and not restrictive. The scope of the invention is, therefore, indicated by the appended claims rather than by the foregoing description. All changes which come within the meaning and range of equivalency of the claims are to be embraced within their scope. 
     For example, although the figures illustrate a latch flange and h-shaped levers for latching, it is envisioned that any design of complimenting male and female components may be used for latching. Additionally, although the figures illustrate a single latch assembly, it is envisioned that objects may include multiple latch assemblies for latching. It is also envisioned that the latch assembly may be used for latching a plethora of objects, such as, but not limited to: purses, satchels, handbags, briefcases, luggage, backpacks, diaries, tool boxes, etc. More, the latch assembly may be sewn into the object into which it is being installed. 
     It is expected that there could be numerous variations of the design of this invention. An example is that the latch assembly may have multiple latch flanges or that the latch flanges may be forked. Likewise, although the figures illustrate a pair of h-shaped levers, the assembly may have any number of h-shaped levers. 
     Finally, it is envisioned that the components of the assembly may be constructed of a variety of materials, such as, but not limited to: metal, plastic, wood, rubber, polymers, and/or glass. The components of the assembly may be constructed by injection molding. 
     Thus, while the present invention has been fully described above with particularity and detail in connection with what is presently deemed to be the most practical and preferred embodiment of the invention, it will be apparent to those of ordinary skill in the art that numerous modifications, including, but not limited to, variations in size, materials, shape, form, function and manner of operation, assembly and use may be made, without departing from the principles and concepts of the invention as set forth in the claims. Further, it is contemplated that an embodiment may be limited to consist of or to consist essentially of one or more of the features, functions, structures, methods described herein.