Patent ID: 8757675

Claim:
A combination comprising a panel having front and rear surfaces and an easily modified closure latching system, said easily modified closure latching system comprising two discrete assemblies, one being a bolt mechanism assembly having a backing plate and the other an actuator housing assembly, said combination including complementary means extending through said panel attachably and detachably joining said backing plate of said bolt mechanism assembly to said actuator housing assembly, said panel being adapted to be received in a frame having a striker, said bolt mechanism assembly comprising: said backing plate having a surface abutting a complementary surface of said rear surface of said panel and an opposed exposed surface which is generally smooth and generally parallel to said surface of said panel, said bolt mechanism assembly housing attached to said backing plate and received within said panel, a sliding bolt assembly carried by said bolt mechanism assembly housing, said sliding bolt assembly being received in said panel, said sliding bolt assembly including a bolt having at one end a cam adapted to extend from an edge of said panel and engage and latch to said striker, said bolt having an actuating pin extending laterally therefrom, a spring in said bolt mechanism assembly housing for biasing said end of the bolt having said cam out of said bolt mechanism assembly housing to latch to the striker, said bolt mechanism assembly housing including passage access for a hammer adapted to compress said spring and withdraw said end of the bolt having said cam to unlatch said cam from said striker; and said actuator housing assembly comprising: an actuator housing having an opening therein, a movable push button actuator member received in said opening in the actuator housing, said movable push button actuator member having a front digitally accessible surface and an opposed rear surface and being digitally inwardly movable in said opening, said push button actuator member carrying a hammer on said opposed rear surface, said push button actuator member being carried by said actuator housing and being digitally inwardly movable in said opening, said hammer being rigidly affixed to and extending at about a right angle from said rear surface of said movable push button actuator member, said hammer adapted to compress said spring by contact with said laterally extending actuating pin on said bolt upon inward movement of said push button actuator member to withdraw said bolt sufficiently into said bolt mechanism assembly housing to unlatch said cam from said striker.