Patent ID: 7287787

Claim:
A thumb-piece latch mechanism which has ergonomic features comprising: an inner plate and an outer plate which plates are secured together with a latch mechanism therebetween; a thumb-piece extending into the inner plate and secured to a thumb-piece glide plate in the latch mechanism and which said thumb-piece moves linearly up and down; said thumb-piece glide plate moveable linearly up and down in the latch mechanism with the thumb-piece when the thumb-piece is moved up and down, respectively; a spindle rotably mounted to the inner plate; a spindle turn plate secured to the spindle and which rotates when the spindle is rotated; a permissive spring having one end connected to the spindle turn plate and the other end connected to the thumb-piece glide plate; a spindle tail secured to the spindle in the same plane and which rotates when the spindle is rotated; and a latch connected to the spindle tail which moves a latch bolt transversely to the spindle tail when the spindle tail is rotated; wherein when the thumb-piece is depressed the thumb-piece glide plate is moved downward and the spindle turnplate is rotated, rotating the spindle, and the spindle tail thereby moving the latch bolt transversely from a door frame.