Patent ID: 7195292

Claim:
A latch mechanism for use on a vehicle, the latch mechanism comprising: a chassis including an abutment; a latch bolt movably mounted on the chassis and moveable between an open position in which the latch bolt can receive a striker of a vehicle, a closed position in which the striker is retainable by the latch bolt, and an over-travel position; and a buffer including a displacing element and an engagement portion, wherein the buffer operably acts between the abutment and the latch bolt to absorb energy during movement of the latch bolt to the over-travel position, and wherein the displacing element is moveable frictionally against the engagement portion during movement to the over-travel position to generate a frictional force to absorb energy as the latch bolt moves to the over-travel position, wherein the engagement portion includes two engagement surfaces, the displacing element is frictionally moveable against the two engagement surfaces of the engagement portion during movement of the latch bolt to the over-travel position, and the two engagement surfaces surround the displacing element during movement of the latch bolt to the over-travel position.