Patent ID: 8602464

Claim:
A decompression latching system, comprising: a door assembly, separating first and second compartments, the door assembly including: a door having an opening, a movable flap attached to the door to seal the opening, and a strike plate attached to the door proximate to the opening; and a decompression latching mechanism attached to the flap proximate to the strike plate, the decompression latching mechanism including: a latch that cooperates with the strike plate and is configured to move, between a locked position and an unlocked position, the locked position preventing the flap from moving and the unlocked position allowing the flap to move, a spring loaded tip block abutting the latch, and a spring loaded plunger configured to move between a closed position and an open position, the plunger having first surface in fluid communication with the first compartment, a second surface in fluid communication with the second compartment, and a stop block disposed on the first surface to cooperate with the tip block, wherein when the plunger is in the closed position the stop block prevents the tip block from moving more than a predetermined distance, which prevents the latch from moving from the locked position to the unlocked position, and wherein when the plunger is in the open position the stop block does not prevent the tip block from moving more than the predetermined distance, which allows the latch to move from the locked position to the unlocked position.