Patent ID: 7533782

Claim:
A carrying case comprising: a generally rectangular body of surrounding material having a first component and a second component for opening and closing together thereby to provide access to a space defined by the surrounding material, each component having a sealing area for location adjacent a respective sealing area of the opposite component and walls for each of the first and second components; a hinge mounted exteriorly between the first and second components; a liner fitting in the space in the surrounding material; a latch mounted exterior to a top wall and a bottom wall, the top and bottom walls each being one of the walls for the first and second components respectively, the latch having two side ends, a tip, at least one slot parallel to the side ends, and an elongated face component, the elongated face component having an extension to allow a finger of a user to unlock the latch by a lifting action on the extension, the lifting action being an action in an outward direction away from the bottom wall; a pair of bottom wall extensions extending from the bottom wall, the bottom wall extensions each being located beside a respective side end of the latch such that the latch is located between the bottom wall extensions, each bottom wall extension having an at least one bottommost point, the bottommost point being below the tip of the latch; a pair of top wall extensions extending from the top wall, the top wall extensions each located beside a respective side end of the latch such that the elongated face component of the latch extends longitudinally from one top wall extension to the other top wall extension; at least one intermediate support extension extending from the top wall, the at least one intermediate support extension located between the pair of top wall extensions, the intermediate support extension being received in the slot on the latch in both locked and unlocked positions of the latch; and an interlocking element on the latch and a cooperating hook element on the second component for engaging the interlocking element.