Patent ID: 7004517

Claim:
A latch assembly, the latch assembly comprising: an elongate housing having walls thereto and a hook-like shaped member extending outwardly transversely thereto from an outside of a said wall thereof; a pawl pivotally attached to the housing and being movable between a closed and an open position, the pawl being provided with a torsion spring member that biases the pawl toward the open position; a solenoid within the housing and operating parallel to a longitudinal axis thereof; a locking member extending from said solenoid parallel to the longitudinal axis of the housing and actuated by said solenoid, the locking member being movable to selectively intercept the pivotal path of the pawl; and a spring positioned inboard of the locking member and operating against the solenoid from which the looking member extends to bias the locking member to extend outwardly from the solenoid; wherein the pawl extends outwardly from said housing transversely to the longitudinal axis Thereof and in adjacent proximity to said housing hook-like shaped member.