Patent ID: 7188872

Claim:
A latch mechanism suitable for a vehicle comprising: a chassis having an over-travel abutment; a latch bolt being movably mounted on said chassis, said latch bolt being moveable between an open position in which said latch bolt can receive a striker of a vehicle, a closed position in which said striker is capable of being retained by said latch bolt, and an over-travel position in which said striker is in an over-travel position relative to said chassis; and an overmold disposed on said latch bolt and defining a buffer for contact wit the over-travel abutment due to over-travel of said latch bolt, wherein the buffer is a buffer of the latch bolt for absorbing over-travel energy, the buffer comprising at least a first cavity having first and second ends and an intermediate portion between the first and second ends, wherein a width of said first and second ends are greater than a width of the intermediate portion, and wherein at least a portion of the intermediate portion closes before said first and second ends when the buffer contacts the over-travel abutment.