Patent ID: 7526843

Claim:
A snap hook comprising: a body having a shaft being tubular and having an upper end; a lower end; and a guide slot being defined longitudinally through the shaft and communicating with the lower end of the shaft; and a hook having a proximal end being formed on and protruding out from the upper end of the shaft; a distal end; and an opening being formed between the distal end of the hook and the upper end of the shaft; a sliding latch being mounted slidably in and protruding from the tubular shaft, selectively closing the opening in the hook and having a sliding rod being mounted in the tubular shaft through the lower end of the shaft, being mounted slidably in the tubular shaft, aligning with and selectively abutting the distal end of the hook and having an outer end protruding from the upper end of the shaft; and an inner end; and a thumb tab being formed on and protruding radially from the sliding rod and being mounted slidably in the guide slot; a resilient element being mounted in the tubular shaft at the lower end, abutting the inner end of the sliding rod and pressing the outer end of the sliding rod against the distal end of the hook; a swivel being mounted rotatably on the shaft and having an upper flat surface having a mounting hole formed through the upper surface; and an eye extending down from the upper flat surface; a connector mounted through the mounting hole in the swivel, connecting to the lower end of the shaft and having a lower end; a head being formed at the lower end of the connector, being larger than the mounting hole in the swivel and abutting the bottom end of the mounting hole; and a shaft being formed coaxially on and extending up from the head, being mounted through the mounting hole in the swivel, being mounted in and connected to the lower end of the shaft of the body and abutting and holding the resilient element against the sliding rod; and, a latch lock being mounted rotatably on the shaft of the body and having an upper end; a lower end; a release slot being defined longitudinally through the latch lock and communicating with the upper end; and a positioning boss being formed on and protruding slightly into the latch lock between the release slot and the lower end.