Patent ID: 12209444

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF EMBODIMENTS

AccompanyingFIG.1shows in a simplified schematic fashion a latch assembly10in accordance with an embodiment of the invention described herein operatively associated with and capable of releasably latching a moveable component MC relative to a fixed component FC. Those skilled in the art will recognize that the moveable component MC may be any one of an interior passenger door, cabinet door, drawer face, bin door and the like, while the fixed component FC will be a stationary structural member associated therewith, e.g., a frame or enclosure associated with such doors, drawers and the like.

As is shown inFIGS.2-7, the latch assembly10includes a recessed housing12having a perimetrical bezel14at the forward edges of the opposed pairs of side walls12a-12d. A paddle lever16is provided at a forward edge of the housing12and is sized and configured so as to occupy only a portion of the area bounded by the bezel14while a remaining area remains open thereby allowing access to the depth of the housing. A user may therefore manually grasp and forwardly pull the paddle lever16to unlatch the moveable component MC from the fixed component FC to thereby allow movement of the former relative to the latter.

As is perhaps more clearly depicted inFIGS.8-9, the latch assembly10will include a striker/latch subassembly20and an actuator subassembly40and operatively mounted to the housing12. The striker/latch subassembly20is provided with a striker plate22adapted to being positionally fixed to the fixed component FC and defining a latch opening22aadapted to receive therein the beveled upper end of the latch bolt24and thereby latch the movable component MC to the fixed component MC. A latch stem26extends downwardly from the latch bolt24and carries a forwardly projecting latch pin28. The latch bolt24is slidably positioned within the rectangular tubular receiver30extending outwardly from the wall12aof the housing12. The receiver30includes a forward stop plate30aadapted to contact the forward edge of the striker plate22when the moveable component MC is latched to the fixed component FC.

The actuator subassembly40includes a rotary slotted actuator disc42and a closeout panel50. In the depicted embodiment, the actuator disc42is provided with a series of diametrically opposed pairs of arcuate spirally patterned cam slots42a-42deach of which is adapted to receive therein the latch pin28associated with the latch stem26. The cam slots42a-42dare preferably circumferentially spaced apart from one another by about 90° to thereby respectively establish 0°, 90°, 180° and 270° positions of the paddle lever16as will be described hereinbelow. A central aperture44of the actuator disc42is adapted to receive therein a cylindrical pin46that protrudes forwardly from the back wall12eof the housing12. The forward end of the pin46is received within the cylindrical collar52formed on the back side of the closeout panel50(seeFIG.9). The actuator disc42is thereby capable of rotary movements (see arrow A1inFIG.8) about the central axis defined by the cylindrical pin46.

The closeout panel50is sized and configured so the perimetrical edges thereof are in close press-fit frictional engagement with the interior surfaces of the walls12a-12dof the housing12to present a finished appearance to the latch assembly10and thereby visibly hide the rotary actuator disc42. A separated pair of mounting bosses54a,54breceive a rod56therebetween. The rod56is in turn connected at each end which extends beyond the respective bosses54a,54bto a respective one of the separated lobes16a,16b(seeFIG.9) extending outwardly from a rear surface of the paddle lever16. An arcuate guide slot57is formed in the closeout panel50. A fixed actuator pin48protrudes outwardly from a forward face of the rotary actuator disc42. The actuator pin48is located such that it extends through the guide slot57so the pin48is positioned near an uppermost end of the guide slot57when the latch assembly10is in a latched condition. The entire actuator subassembly40may be positionally attached to the housing12by means of machine or self-tapping screws55threadably connected to respective ones of the sockets59protruding from the back side corners of the closeout panel50.

A fixed position actuator flange60extends rearwardly from the paddle lever16and is adapted to engage the actuator pin48extending through the guide slot57of the closeout panel50. The rod56thereby allows the paddle lever16to be pivotally moved from a latched condition (whereby the paddle lever16is essentially coplanar with the bezel14of the housing12) and an outward angulated unlatched condition (whereby the paddle lever16extends outwardly at an angle relative to the bezel14of the housing12).

AccompanyingFIGS.10A-10B and11A-11Bshow front and rear perspective views depicting the paddle lever16and its cooperative engagement with the actuator subassembly40in latched and unlatched conditions, respectively, while accompanyingFIGS.12A-12Bdepict the cooperative engagement between the actuator subassembly40and the striker/latch subassembly20during latched and unlatched conditions, respectively. With reference to suchFIGS.10A through12B, it will be seen that exerting a manual pull force on the paddle lever16will cause the paddle lever16to pivot outwardly into an unlatched condition which in turn responsively to causes the actuator flange60to engage the actuator pin48extending through the guide slot57and thereby move the pin48along the guide slot57from an initial position near one end of the guide slot57towards an opposite end thereof. Movement of the pin48in such a manner will therefore responsively rotate the rotary actuator plate42in a counterclockwise direction about the axis ARas viewed from the front. At this time, assuming the paddle lever16is in a 0° orientation such that the latch pin28is operatively received within the slot42a, the slot42awill exert a cam force against the latch pin28thereby pulling the latch stem26and retracting the latch bolt24(i.e., in the direction of arrow A2shown inFIG.12B) away from the opening22aassociated with the fixed position striker plate22thereby disengaging the latch bolt24from the striker plate22. Once the latch bolt24is disengaged from the striker plate22, the movable component MC may then be positionally moved relative to the fixed component FC. Returning the paddle lever16to the latched condition will reverse the movements described above, i.e., so as to rotate the actuator plate42in a clockwise direction (arrow A1inFIG.8) about the rotation axis AR(seeFIGS.8and9) to responsively extend the latch bolt24(i.e., a direction opposite to arrow A2shown inFIG.12B).

A suitable compression spring (not shown) may be positioned within the receiver30to exert a spring force against the latch bolt24in a direction opposite to arrow A2thereby biasing the bolt24into engagement with the strike plate22. The beveled upper end of the latch bolt24will therefore allow engagement with the forward edge of the strike plate22causing the latch bolt24to be retracted into the receiver30against the bias force of the compression spring and then encouraged to be extended into engagement with the opening22aupon alignment with the beveled end of the latch bolt24. Such bias force will also urge the rotary disc42to be rotated in a counterclockwise direction (as viewed from the front) to assist in returning the paddle lever16to its normal state whereby the paddle lever16is essentially coplanar with the bezel14of the housing12a.

It will therefore be appreciated that the actuator subassembly40may be disassociated from the housing12by removal of the screws55and then pulling the entire subassembly40with the paddle lever16attached thereto out of rotary engagement with the back pin46. Thereafter the entire subassembly40with the paddle lever16attached thereto may be rotated to align the latch pin28with a different one of the spirally patterned cam slots42a-42d, following which the subassembly40may be re-associated operatively within the housing12and re-attached by means of the screws55. In the embodiment depicted, alignment of the latch pin28with the slot42aof the rotary disc42will position the paddle lever16in a 0° orientation as shown inFIG.13; the alignment of the latch pin28with the slot42bof the rotary disc42will position the paddle lever16in a 90° orientation as shown inFIG.14; the alignment of the latch pin28with the slot42cof the rotary disc42will position the paddle lever16in a 180° orientation as shown inFIG.15; and the alignment of the latch pin28with the slot42dof the rotary disc42will position the paddle lever16in a 270° orientation as shown inFIG.16. Such selectable orientations thereby provide the latch assembly10with enhanced universal installation which will also accommodate user preferences.

While reference is made to a particular embodiment of the invention, various modifications within the skill of those in the art may be envisioned. Therefore, it is to be understood that the invention is not to be limited to the disclosed embodiment, but on the contrary, is intended to cover various modifications and equivalent arrangements included within the spirit and scope thereof.