CA1293279C

CA1293279C - Latch and lock assemblies with spring-biased pivot bolts

Info

Publication number: CA1293279C
Application number: CA000566314A
Authority: CA
Inventors: Lee S. Weinerman; Thomas V. Mclinden; Timothy H. Wentzell; Steven A. Mayo
Original assignee: Eastern Co
Current assignee: Eastern Co
Priority date: 1987-07-10
Filing date: 1988-05-09
Publication date: 1991-12-17
Anticipated expiration: 2008-12-17

Abstract

LATCH AND LOCK ASSEMBLIES WITH SPRING-BIASED PIVOT BOLTS

Abstract Flush mountable latches and locks for industrial cabi-nets, tool carts, electrical equipment enclosures and the like utilize versatile housings of novel configuration together with push-to-operate handles that are pivotally movable relative to the housings to effect unlatching movements of spring-biased, pivotally mounted latch bolts. The lock-type embodiment has a locking mechanism that is mounted on the housing to selectively permit and prevent unlatching movements of its pivotal latch bolt. The resulting arrangement provides sturdy latch and lock assemblies that employ a small number of relatively movable parts that can be assembled, installed and serviced with ease.

Description

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LATCE~ AND LOCK ASSENBLIE~; WITE~ SPRING--BIASED PIVOT BOLTS

The present invention relates generally to flush mount-ed latches and locks of the type used with closures for industri-al cabinets, tool carts, electrical equipment enclosures and the like. More particularly, the present invention relates to novel and improved latches and locks that utilize a highly versatile housing together with other interactive components of novel form to provide desired types of latching and locking actions.
Flush mounted latches and locks including a body, a latch bolt movably carried on the body, and an operating handle that is nested by the body are well known. Normally the handle is in a flush or nested position when the bolt is in a latched position; and unlatching movement of the bolt is effected by moving the handle to an operating position. Latches and locks of this type are well suited for use on industrial cabinets, tool carts, electrical equipment enclosures and the like.
Flush~mounted latches and locks having pan-shaped housings that nest paddle-shaped operating handles, and that have spriny-projected slide bolts are disclosed in such United States patents as 4,335,595, 4,321,812, 4,320,642, 4,312,205, 4,312,204, 4,312,203, 4,312,202, 4,309,884, 4,231,597, 4,138,869, 3,707,862, 3,668,gO7, 3,449,0~5, 3,389,932, 3,357,734, 3,209,564, 3,209,563, 3,055,204, 2,987,908, 2,900,204 and 2,642,300, all of which are assigned to the Eastern Company, a corporation of Connecticut.
Flush mounted latches and locks having latch bolts of other than the spring-projected, slide mounted type are disclosed in such United States patents as 4,413,849, 4,320,642, 4,312,203, 4,134,281, 3,857,594, 3,338,610, 3,044,814, 3,044,287 and 2,735,706, all of which are assigned to the ~astern Company.

~ cabinet latch having a housing that is usable with a variety of pivotally mounted latch bolts, and with a variety of ,~ ~

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latching mechanisms is disclosed in United States patent 4,177,656, also assigned to the Eas-tern Company.
A simple means for retaining a key cylinder assembly in a lock housing is disclosed in United States patent 4,683,736 which issued August 4, 1987 and is referred to hereinafter as the "Parent Case." In the referenced Parent Case, a lock housing is disclosed that has a generally cylindrical opening formed there-through that extends along an axis for mounting a key cylinder assembly for rotation about the axis. Axially extending grooves are formed in an internal wall that defines the cylindrical opening. One of the grooves (referred to as an "installation groove") extends rearwardly and opens through such rear wall portions of the housing as surround the cylindrical opening. The grooves serve the function of cooperating with key operated tum-blers of the key cylinder assembly that project radially from opposed sides of the key cylinder assembly to selectively permit and prevent rotation of the key cylinder assembly relative to the housing. The installation groove serves the function of permit-ting an offset projection that is carried on the back of the key cylinder assembly to be inserted completely through the cylindri-cal opening of the housing as the key cylinder assembly is in-stalled in the cylindrical opening. Once the key cylinder assem-bly is installed, it is rotated to position the offset projection out of alignment with the installation groove so that the offset projection extends in overlying relationship with such rear wall portions of the housing as surround the cylindrical opening in which the key cylinder assembl~ is installed. By this arrange-ment, so long as the key cylinder is prevented from rotating relative to the housing to a posit.ion where the offset projection aligns with the installation groove, the offset projection serves to retain the key cylinder assembly in place on the housing.
As will be explained in greater detail, the type of housing features that are described above, and that also are ~,~

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disclosed in the referenced Parent Case, are utilized in the preferred practice of the present invention.
The present invention provides novel and improved flush mountable latches and locks for industrial cabinets, tool carts, electrical equipment enclosures and the like, with the latches and locks utilizing a highly versatile housing together with other interactive components of novel form to provide desired types of latching and lockiny actions.
A latch or lock embodying the preferred practice of the present invention includes a one-piece housing on which are mounted other interactive components that provide a variety of desired features. As will become apparent from the description that follows, the versatile housing that ls used with latches and locks that embody the preferred practice of the present invention provides a rigid, sturdy bal3e structure for securely supporting latch and lock components. Latches and locks that embody the pre~erred practice of the present invention advantageously employ small numbers of relatively movable parts that can be assembled and serviced with ease.
The versatile housing on which other vperating components are mounted preferably is formed from a suitable injection molded thermoplastics material such as a glass reinforced poly-carbonate based polymer blendl which provides a dimensionally stable, impact resistant structure that is rigid, strong and can be readily machined as may be needed to provide mounting formations for movably mounting operating handles of a wide variety ~f types. The molded housing defines a pan-shaped structure that has a forwardly faciny recess for nesting an operating handleO A pair of threaded mounting studs have enlarged head portions that are embedded in the molded material of the housing so that the threaded studs project rearwardly from a back wall of the housing for receiving mounted posts that are threaded onto the studs for lZ93Z'~9~

mounting latch and lock operating components, and for establish-ing connections with a mounting bracket.
A feature of the latch and lock units that embody the preferred practice of the present invention resides in their use of a pivotal latch member that is "slammable" into engagement with a striker of novel configuration, with the striker serving to pivot the latch bolt from its unlatched position to its latched position. Another feature resides in the configuration of the push-handle that enables the handle to cooperate with the latch bolt so that the handle will be held out of its normal nested position by virtue of its engagement with the latch bolt when the latch bolt is unlatched. A further feature resides in the use of springs that act independently on the handle and on the latch bolt to cause the handle to be biased toward its nor-mally nested position, and to cause the latch bolt to be biased toward its unlatched position.
According to a broad aspect the invention relates to a flush-mountable latch, comprising:
a) housing means including a pan-shaped housing having a front wall, and having recess-de~ining wall formations that define a orwardly facing recess, with portions of the ~ront wall forming a mounting flange that surrounds the recessî
b) the housing being formed as a rigid, one-piece molded structure with the recess-defining wall formations including a back wall at the rear of the recess, with the back wall defining a rearwardly facing mounting surface;
c) threaded fastener means rigidly ~onnected to the back wall at spaced locations, including two threaded fasteners located near opposed ~ides of the mounting surface;

1~3~79 d) handle means including a push-to-operate handle, and handle mounting means pivotally connecting the handle to the housing for movement relative to the housing between a non-operated position wherein the handle extends substantially ~lush with the front wall, and an operated position wherein at least a selected por~ion of the handle is pivoted inwardly with respect to the recess and toward the back wall of the housing;
e) handle biasing means interposed between the handle means and the housing means for biasing the handle away from its operated position toward its non-operated position, with the housing means, the handle means and the handle biasing means cooperating to define a first spring-biased assembly;
f) opening means ~ormed through the recess-defining wall formations of the housing to establish a path of communication between the forwardly facing recess and a region that is located behind the back wall, including an opening that i8 formed through the back wall and opens through the mounting surface at a location between the two threaded fasteners;

g) handle-conne~ted means including a rearwardly extending projection of the handle for extending through the opening means, for extending into said region located behind the back wall, and for being moved within said region in response to movement of the handle between its non-operated and operated positions;
h) housing bracket means for engaging the mounting surface of the back wall and for defining two spaced mounting formations that extend rearwardly from the back wall;
) latch bolt means including an elongate latch bolt that has a central region that exten~s between the rearwardly ex-te;nding mounting formations, and latch bolt mounting means pivo-- 4a ~

~332 f 9 tally connecting the latch bolt to the rearwardly extending mounting formations for movement relative to the housing bracket means between latched and unlatched positions, with the elon~ate latch bolt having opposed end region~ that are interconnected by the central region;
j) latch bolt biasing means interposed between the latch bolt means and the housing bracket means for biasing the latch bolt away from its latched position toward its unlatched position, with the housing bracket means, the latch bolt mean~
and the latch bolt biasing means cooperating to define a second spring-biased assembly;
k) securing means for threadedly engaging the threaded fastener means so as to clamp the housing bracXet means into engagement with the mounting surface to rigidly connect the ~irst and second spring-biased assemblies such that one end region of the elongate latch bolt extends into overlying relationship with the opening that is formed in the back wall whereby, when the handle is in its non-operated position and the latch bolt is in its latched position, the rearwardly extending projection of the handle directly engages the one end region of the latch bolt to releasably retain the latch bolt in its latched position in opposition to the action of the latch bolt biasing means, and whereby, when the handle is pivoted to its operated position in opposition to the action of the handle-biasing spring, the one end region of the latch bolt is disengaged by the rearwardly extending projection of the handle so as to permit the latch bolt to pivot toward its unlatched position under the influence of the latch bolt biasing spring; and~
1) interengageable formation means carried on the rearwardly extending projection of the handle and on the one end of the latch b~lt for permitting the handle to move to its non-operated position under the in~luence of the handle biasing means only when the latch bolt is in its latched position.

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Another feature of the invention is that the portion of the push-to operate handle on which an operator is to push in order to move the handle from its nested position towards its operated position, carries indicia to designate the handle portion to which force should be applied by the operator. The indicia on the latch would include the word "PUSH".
While latch and lock structures that embody the pre-ferred practice of the present invention have latch bolts of the pivoted latch bolt type, not al]. of the features of the invention are limited to use with locks and latches that have pivoted latch bolts, as will be apparent to those skilled in the art from the descript.ion and claims that ~ollow.
These and other features, and a fuller unde.rstanding of the invention may be had by referring to the description and claims that follow, taken in conjunction with the accompanying drawings, wherein:
FIGURE 1 is an exploded perspective view of one form of lock assembly that embodies features of the preferred practice of the present invention, illustrating how the lock assembly is mounted on a closure, and showing two types of strikers that may be used with the lock assembly, with ~ront surface portions of the strikers being broken away;

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FIGURE 2 is an exploded perspective view of components of the lock assembly of FIGURE l;
FIGURE 3 is a schematic top plan view, on a reduced scale, showing the lock assembly of FIGURE 1 installed on a pivotal closure, with a striker shown in cross section and mount-ed on a cabinet wall, and with the closure in an open position;
FIGURE 4 iS a schematic top plan view similar to FIGURE
3 but with the closure moved toward its closed position to bring a rearwardly projecting latch bolt of the lock assembly into engagement with the striker;
FIGURE 5 is a schematic top plan view similar to FIGURE
3 and 4, but with the closure closed, and with the latch bolt in latched engagement with the striker;
FIGURE 6 is a right side elevational view thereof, with the handle in its normally nested position, with the latch bolt pivoted to its latched position, and with locking components locked;
FIGURE 7 is a rear elevational view thereof;
FIGURE 8 is a bottom plan view thereof;
FIGURE 9 is a rear elevational view similar to FIGURE 7 but with the locking components unlocked;
FIGURE 10 is a rear elevational view similar to FIGURE
9 but with the latch bolt pivoted to its unlatched position, and with the handle being held out of its nested position by the latch bolt;
FIGURE 11 is a schematic view, partially in cross section, on an enlarged scale, showing the handle in i.ts normal nested position in relation to the housing, and showing the latch bolt latched, with the latch bolt being held in its latched position by its engagement with a rearwardly projection position of the handle;

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FIGURE 12 is a schematic view similar to FIGURE 11, but showing the han~le fully pivoted out o~ its nested position, and with the latch bolt unlatched;
FIGURE 13 is a perspective view of portions of the handle and housing, with housing portions broken away, with the handle in its normal nested position with respect to the housing, and with the view showing principally rear features thereof;
FIGURE 14 is a sectional view, on an enlarged scale, as seen from a plane indicated by a line 14--14 in FIGURE 2;
FIGURE 15 is an exploded perspective view showing selected portions of -the lock assembly, with alternate forms of a rotary plug that is insertable into the housing being shown;
FIGURE 16 is a rear elevational view of selected portions of the lock assembly showing a rotary plug or lock cylinder assembly in an unlocked position;
FIGURE 17 is a rear elevational view similar to FIGURE
16 showing the rotary plug or lock cylinder assembly in a locked position; and, FIGURE 18 is a perspective view, on an enlarged scale of rear portions of the housing.
Referring to FIGURE 1, one form of a snap-acting lock assembly that embodies features o~ the preferred practice of the present invention is indicated generally by the numeral 100. The lock assembly 100 has a housing 200 that mounts a plurali-ty of interactive components that provide latching and locking func-tions.
In overview, and as will be explained in greater detail, the interactive components that are carried on the housing 200 principally include a handle 300 that is mounted on the housing 200 for movement between normal and operating posi-tions; a spring-pivoted latch bolt 400 that is mounted on the housing 200 for movement between latched and unlatched posit.ions;
a bracket and spring assembly 500 that mounts the latch bolt 400 _ ~ _ , ~3~

on the housing 200 for movement between latched and unlatched positions, with movements of the latch bolt 400 to its unlatched position taking place in response to movement of the handle 300 to its operatin~ position; and, a locking mechanism 600 for selectively permitting and preventing unlatching movement of the latch bolt 400 by the handle 300. If the locking mechanism 600 is omitted, the lock assembly 100 is thereby transformed into a latch assembly, i.e., a unit which has a handle 300 that always can be operated to retract the latch bolt 400.
Referring to FIGURE 1, it will be seen that the latch bolt 400 projects relatively sidewardly with respect to the housing 200 for engaying a suitably confi~ured striker such as the s~rikers 180, 190 that are depicted in FIGURE 1; however, those skilled in the art will understand that other types of strikers, as well as keeper formations of conventional, commer-cially available confiyurations, also may be used to engage and releasably retain the latch bolt 400.
The strikers 180, 190 have body structures 182, 192 that surround and define bolt-receiving chambers 184, 194, re-spectively. Openings 186, 196 are formed in the body structures 182, 192 and communicate with the chambers 184, 194, respective-ly. The openings 186, 196 are of adequate size to receive and releasably retain a tip portion of the latch bolt 400. Latch bolt engagement surfaces 188, l9B extend along one side of their associated openings 186, 196.
The manner in which the latch bolt 400 of the lock assembly 100 cooperates with the striker 180 as the closure 110 is pushed to its closed position is depicted in the schematic top views of FIGURES 3-5. Referriny to FIGURE 3, when the closure 110 is open with respect to a cabinet structure 111 on which the closure 110 is pivotally mounted, the latch bolt 400 of the lock assembly 100 is pivoted (under the action of a torsion coil spring 510 that is shown in FIGURE 2) to an unlatched position, . ~

2-322CA ~32 ~ 9 i.e., to a position wherein the latch bolt 400 projects rearwardly and rightwardly as viewed in FIGURE 3.
As the closure 110 is pivoted progressi~ely toward its closed position, the latch bolt 400 is brought into engagement with the striker engaging surface 188 of the striker 180, as is shown in FIGURE 4. Completion of the pivotal movement of the closure 110 to its closed position causes the engagement of the latch bolt 400 with the striker surface 188 to pivot the latch bolt 400 (in opposition to the action of the torsion spring 510) to the latched position of the latch bolt 400, as is shown in FIGVRE 5. As the latch bolt reaches its latched position, the handle 300 pivots to its normally nested position (under the influence of a compression coi:L spring 360 that is shown in FIGURE 2). When the handle 300 pivots to its normally nested position, a rearwardly e~tending projection 320 of the handle 300 moves into a position of retaining enyagement with an end region ~02 of the latch bolt ~00 to hold the latch bolt 400 in its latched position (as is depi.cted schematically in FIGURE 11).
Unlatching of the lock assembly 100 is effected by depressing the handle 300, as is depicted schematic~lly in FIGURE
12. Pivotal movement of the handle 300 to its operated position moves the projection 320 out of retaining engagement with the latch bolt end region 402, whereupon the latch bolt 400 pivots under the action of the torsion coil spring 510 to its unlatched position, as is depicted in FIGURE 12. As the latch bolt 400 pivots to its unlatched position, the engagement between the latch bolt 400 and the striker surface 188 causes the closure 110 to be "popped openl' to the position shown in FIGURE 4.
Before turning to a more detailed description of the components of the lock assembly 100, the preferred manner in which the lock assembly 100 can be mounted on a closure 110 will be described. The portion of the closure 110 that is shown in FIGURE 1 is a plate-like structure that has a mounting opening ,~,~..
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112 formed therethrough. More extensive portions of the closure 110 are depicted schematically in FIGURES 3-5, as i5 associated cabinet structure 111. The closure portion 110 has a front sur-face 114 and a rear surface 116 that extend about the perimeter of -the opening 112. As is best seen in FIGURE 1, the opening 112 has top and bottom boundaries 122, 124, and left and right side boundaries 126, 128.
In order to mount the lock assembly 100 on the closure 110, the lock assembly 100 has a pair of mounting posts 700 that project rearwardly for connection to a mounting bracket 750. The mounting bracket 750 .is of generally U-shaped configuration, hav-ing a back wall 760 that connects at opposite ends with legs 762, 764. The legs 762, 764 extend forwardly from the plane of the back wall 760 toward the mounting flange 202, and cooperate with the housing 200 for clampingly mounting the lock assembly 100 on the closure 110. A notch 768 is formed in one side of the back wall 760 to provide a clear, unobstructed path of movement for the latch bolt 400.
When the lock assembly 100 is to be installed on the closure 110, a gasket 270 is positioned to engage the mounting flange 202, and portions of the lock assembly 100 are installed through the closure opening 112 to position the gasket 270 adjacent the opening 112 in clamped engagement between the rear face 206 of the mounting flange 202 and the front surface 114 of the closure 110. The mounting bracket 750 is positioned to over-lie the lock assembly 100, with the legs 762, 764 of the mounting bxacket 750 extending into engagement with the rear surface 116 of the closure 110, and with the notch 768 overlying the bolt 400. Threaded ~asteners 702 are installed to extend through holes 752 that are formed through the back wall 760 of the brac-ket 750. The fasteners 702 are threaded into the mounting posts 700 of the lock assembly 100 to clamp the mounting flange 202 into engagement with the gasket 720, to clamp the gaske~ 720 into . - 9 _ ; ~

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~3Z'~9 engagement with the front surface 114, and to clamp the legs 762, 764 into engagement with the rear surface 116.
To facilitate an understanding of the various relative positions of the principal relatively movable components of the lock assembly lOQ, reference is made to FIGURES 1 and 6-8 wherein the components of the lock assembly 100 are arranged such that:
the handle 300 is in its "normal" or "nested" position; the latch bolt 400 is in its "latched" or "pro~ected" position; and the lock mechanism 600 is "locked" so as to prevent unlatching move-ment of the latch bolt 400 in response to attempted operation of the handle 300. In FIGURE 9, the mechanism of the lock 600 is shown "unlocked" so as to permit unlatching movement of the latch bolt ~00 by operation of the handle 300. In FIGURES 10 and 12, the handle 300 is shown in its "operating" position wherein the handle 300 functions to permit the latch bolt ~00 to pivot to its "unlatched" position.
Turning now to a more detailed description of features of the components of the lock assembly 100, the housing 200 is preferably formed as a molded, one piece structure; thus it will be understood that the mounting flange 202 together with the walls that form an essentially pan~shaped housing portion 220 (i.e., the walls that define the width, length and depth of the recess 210) are integrally-formed parts of the same one-piece structure. The fabrication of the housing 200 as a one-piece member molded from thermoplastics material such as a glass reinforced polycarbonate based polymer blend help.s to provide a strong, rigid, impact resistant structure, whereby the housing 200 is capable of providing a versatile mounting platform for supporting the various relatively movable components of the lock assembly lO0.

A preferred material from which the housing ~00 is formed is a thermoplastic that is a glass reln~orced polycar-bonate based polymer blend, typically of the type sold by General ; ~`;' 2-322CA ~3z ~

Electric Company, Pittsfield, MA 01201 under the registered trademark XENOY. The most preferred resin blend is about 10 percent glass reinforced, and is selected from the "6000 Series"
of the XENOY products sold by General Electric, with XENOY 6240 being preferred. While many other commercially available mold-able plastics materials can be used to form the housing 200, as will be apparent to those skilled in the art, the preferred material helps to provide a high strength housing that is light in weight, resists crazing and hardening, is heat and chemical resistant, is resistant to impact, and can be machined as needed to provide suitable mounting holes and the like for movably mounting a wide variety of handles within the confines of the recess 210, as will be explained.
The mounting flange 202 has a front ~ace 204 that defines the front of the housing 200. The mounting flange 202 has a rear face 206 that is substantially flat, i.e., all por-tions of the rear face 206 extend substantially in a single plane. The mounting flange 202 is bordered by a perimetrically extending edge surface 208 that joins the front and rear surfaces 20~, 206 at their peripheries. While all portions of the mount-ing flange 202 are formed integrally and therefore serve to define elements of a one-piece structure, for purposes of refer-ence, the mounting flange 202 can be thought of as having a top portion 212 that extends across the top of the recess 210, a bottom portion 214 that extends across the bot-tom of the recess 210, and opposed side portions 216, 218 that extend along left and right sides of the recess 210. Li]~ewise, the edge surface 208 can be thought of as having a top portion 222, a bottom portion 224, and opposed side portions 226, 228. The flange portions 212, 214, 216, 218 and their associated edge portions 222, 224, 226, 228 cooperate to define a mounting flange 202 that has a generally rectangular configuration, with corner regions ~ "

2-322CA 1~3 ~, ~

where adjacent ones of the edge portions 222, 224, 226, 228 join preferably being gently rounded to give an enhanced appearance.
The pan-shaped portion 220 of the housing 200 (i.e., the portion of the housing 200 that defines the forwardly facing recess 210) includes a top wail 232, a bottom wall 234, a pair of opposed side walls 236, 238, and a back wall 242. The back wall 242 is arranged so that it extends substantially parallel to the rear face 206 of the mounting flange 202. Stated in another way, the back wall 242 has a front face 244 and a rear face 246 that extend in planes that substantially parallel the plane of the rear face 206. Particular attention is paid to the molding of the rear face 2~6 of the back wall 242 so that the rear face 246 pro~ides a srnooth, planar back wall surface that can be utilized for the important function of mounting other components of the lock assembly lO0, as will be explained.
E'or the purpose of providing an enhanced appearance, it is preferred that front face 204 of the housing 200 be of curved, slightly convex configuration. Stated in another way, the front face 204 is convexly curved such that the thicknesses of the mounting flange portions 212, 214, 216, 218 increase progressive-ly the closer these formations extend toward an imaginary center point of the front face 204. Likewise, the thicknesses of the mounting flange portions 212, 214, 216, 218 decrease progressive-ly as these formations extend toward the edge surface portions 222, 224, 226, 228. Preferably, the thicknesses of the mounting flange portions 212, 214, 216, 218 as measured at locations that are adjacent to the edge portions 222, 224, 226, 228, are sub-stantially uniform all along the edge surface 208 -- which is to say that the edge surface 208 has a width that is substantially constant as the edge surface 208 extends about the housing 200.

For the purpose of providing an enhanced appearance, the positioning of the top and bottom walls 2321 234 of the pan shaped housing portion 220 that defines the recess 210 . ~

~ 2-322CA ~Z~32~

preferably is asymmetrical relative to top and bottom edges 222, 224 of the mounting flange 202. Likewise, for purposes of en-hanced appearance, the positioning of the left and right side walls 236, 238 of the pan-shaped housing portion 220 preferabl~-is asymmetrical relative to the left and right opposed side edges 22~, 228 of the mountiny flange 202. This absence of symmetry in locating the recess 210 relative to opposed top and side edge portions 222, 224 and 226, 228 of the mounting flange 202 results in the top wall portion 212 being relatively short in height in comparison with the relatively tall height of the bottom wall portion 214 that depends beneath the recess 210, and results in the left sidewall portion 216 being relatively wide, while the right side wall portion 218 is relatively narrow.
~ feature of the present invention resides in the provision o~ compact, simply configured locks and latches having pivotal latch bolts, with the functional, operating components thereof being arranged substantially symmetrically about an imaginary, vertically e~tending center plane designated in FIGURE
7 by the numeral 201. In this regard, it will be understood that several functional features of the housing 200 are arranged sub-stantially symmetrically about the center plane 201, including the side walls 236, 238 of the housing portion 220, and a sleeve-like housing formation 280, which will be described.
With respect to the side-to-side positioning of the recess 210 relative to features of the mounting flange 202, how-ever, it will be understood that this is a feature dictated solely by appearance considerations, and not by functional con-siderations. Indeed, functional features of the lock assembly 100 would not be affected if the narrow flange portions 212, 218 were enlarged to give the ~lanye portions 212, 218 widths that are equivalent to the relatively wider flange portions 214, 216, respectively. Likewise the styling of the front face 204 of the ~,~,.1..

2-322CA ~3z~9 mounting flange 202 is dictated entirely by appearance consider-ations.
Threaded studs 250 project rearwardly from the rear face 246 of the back wall 242 for mounting various latch and lock componen-ts, as will be explained. Referring to FI~URE 14, the threaded studs 250 have enlarged head portions 252 with radially outwardly extending projections 254 that have somewhat of a toothed washer appearance and that are located adjacent the head portions 252. The head portions 252 and the projections 254 are embedded within the molded material of the back wall 242 of the housing 200 to provide structures that are anchored securely to the plastics material and will not rotate with respect thereto.
The studs 250 have elongate threaded shank portions 256 that project rearwardly from the head portions 252. The threaded shank portions 256 extend along spaced imaginary axes 251 that intersect the plane of the back wall 242 at right angles thereto.
The axes 251 extend coaxially through the holes 752 that are formed in the back wall 760 of the mounting bracket 750. The axes 251 of the studs 250 are located equidistantly from the center plane 201, and are positioned on opposite sides of the center plane 201.
In preferred practice, the threaded studs 250 are com-mercially a~ailable fasteners that are sold by Penn Engineerin~
~nd Mfg. Corp. of Danboro, PA, under the trademark PEM. The preferred part is model number CHN-832-4, which is formed from stainless steel, has a tapered head 252 with a maximum diameter of about 0.289 inch, has radially extending projecting portions 254 that have a maximum outer diameter of about 0.3~8 inch, and has a shank len~th of about 0.250 inch that is threaded with a standard thread such as 8-32 NC. While these commercially avail-able fasteners are intended for use with sheet metal, not plas-tic, they have been found to be quite suitable for use in the application described here.

2-322CA ~3z~

Locator projections 260 are provided at spaced loca-tions along the side walls 236, 238 at ~unctures of the side walls 236, 238 with the rear face 206 of the mounting flange 202.
As will be seen in FIGURE 7, the locator projections 260 are arranged symmetrically in pairs on opposite sides of the center plane 201. The locator projections 260 are intended to directly engage opposite sides 126, 128 of the opening 112 (see FIGURE 1) to orient the lock assembly 100 properly on the closure 11~;
however, if the opening 112 has been formed so as to be slightly "oversized," the locator projections 260 may be utilized during installation of the lock assembly 100 on the closure 110 as "guides" to visually aid in properly positioning the housing 200 with respect to the closure opening 112, preferably with the locator projections 260 being arranged to be spaced substantially equidistantly from opposite side portions 126, 128 of the opening 112.
While the ~asket 270 is not essential in many applica-tions where the lock assembly 100 can be used, the gasket 270 preferably is used in applications that present a possibility that moisture may penetrate the opening 112 as by passing between the ~ack face 206 of the mounting flange 202 and the front face 114 of the closure 110. To aid in properly positioning the gas-ket 270 about the lock assembly 100, the gasket 270 has an asym-metrical configuration that causes the gasket 270 to extend in an obviously skew, out-of-alignment relationship with respect to the edge portions 226, 228 of the mounting flange 202 if the gasket 270 is installed incorrectly, e.g., in an "inside- out" manner.
Specifically, referring to FIGURES 1 and 2, the gasket 270 has a relatively wide left side portion 276 that underlies the rela-tively wide left side wall 236, similarly, the gasket 270 has a relatively narrow right side portion 278 that underlies the rela-tively narrow right side wall 238. Further, the gasket 270 has a relatively large, generally triangular-shaped corner region 272 2-322CA ~32 7~

that is configured to underlie a correspondingly large corner portion of the bottom wall 214 of the mounting flange 202, and a relatively smaller, general]y triangular shaped corner region 274 that is configured to underlie a correspondingly smaller corner portion of the bottom wall 214 of the mounting flange.
Referring to FIGURES 2 and 15, the sleeve~like forma-tion 280 of the housing 200 is located below the recess 210 and extends rearwardly from the rear face 206 of the mounting flange 202 along the bottom wall 234 of the housing portion 220. In preferred practice, the sleeve formation 280 is provided on the housing 200 regardless of whether the sleeve formation 280 is to be utilized to house operating components of a latch or lock.
If the sleeve formation 280 is to be utilized to house latch or lock components, an opening 282 is formed through the front wall 204 to communicate with a passage 284 that extends through the sleeve formation 280. The opening 282 and the pas-sage 284 extend coaxially along an imaginary axis 281 that lies within the imaginary center plane 201 (see FIGURE 7) and that extends substantially perpendicular to the planes of the rear face 206 and the back wall 246. If the sleeve formation 280 is not to be utilized to house latch or lock components, either no opening 282 is formed through the front wall 204, or a suitably configured plug (not shown) is installed in the opening 282 to close the opening 282.
Referring to FIGURES 15 and 18, features of the sleeve formation 280 are shown on an enlarged scale. A shoulder 286 extends substantially radially with respect to the axis 281 to form a transition between the relatively large diameter of the opening 282 and the relatively smaller diameter of the passage 284. Axially extending top and bottom grooves 288 are formed in opposed upper and lower portions of the passage 284~ The grooves 288 ex-tend axially rearwardly from the shoulder 286 and have bottom walls 289 that are curved and represent continuations of a 2 322CA ~3~

cylindrical surface 290 of enlarged diameter that is formed inthe rearward end region of the sleeve 280~ A radially extending shoulder 2~2 forms a transition between the passage diameter that is designated by the numeral 284, and the enlarged diameter end region 290. A rounded installation groove 294 of shallower depth than the grooves 288 is formed in a side of the passage portion 284. The rounded installation groove 294 extends from the shoulder 286 to the shoulder 292.
Referring to FIGURE 18, two opposed portions 296, 298 of the shoulder 292 extend radially outwardly and interrupt op-posed side portions of the sleeve formation 280 to provide ra-dially extending, rearwardly opening notches that are designated by the numerals 296, 298.
Referring to FIGURES 1, 2, and 3, it will be understood that, in preferred practice, the housing 200 is formed without any openings, holes, slots or the like extending through the walls that define the recess 210, i.e., the top, bottom, and side walls 232, 234, 236, 238, and the back wall 242 are smooth and have no openings formed therethrough. Depending on the type of handle that is to be used with the housing 200, and on the type of latch or lock operating mechanism that is to be mounted on the housing 200, one or more suitable passages (such as a back wall opening 322 depicted in FIGURES 11-13) through the housing 200 are machined to provide openings, holes, slots and the like, as may be needed, which formed as by drilling, milling or other conventional machining techniques.
Referring to FIGURES 2 and 13, the handle 300 is formed from molded plastics material, preferably of the same thermoplas-tics material from which the housing 200 is formed. The handle 300 has a front surface 304 that is of complexly curved, general-ly conve~ shape, and is configured to extend in a flush, substan-tially contiguous manner to smoothly continue the curvature of the complexly curved, conve~ front surface 204 of the mounting flange 202 when the handle 300 is in its normal or nested posi-tion. The handle 300 has a back wall surface 306. The handle 300 is mounted on the housing 200 for movement between a normally nested position that is, shown in FIGURES 1, 5-9, 11 and 13 and an operating position that îs depicted in FIGURES 10 and 12.
The handle 300 has a generally rectangular shape and a size that lets the handle 300 nest and move with ease within the confines of the recess 210. The handle 300 has mounting portions 310, that have aliyned holes 312 formed -therethrough. The handle 300 has a rearwardly extending projection 320 that extends through a hole 322 that is formed in the back wall 242 of the housing 200. A stop surface 324 is provided on the projection 320. When the handle 300 is in its nested position, the stop surface 324 engages one side of the hole 322, as is shown in FIGURE ll, 16 and 17.
A mounting pin 350 e~tends throuyh the aligned holes 312 that are formed in the mounting portions 310, and through aligned holes 352 (one is shown in FIGURE 2) that are formed in the end walls 232, 234 of the housing 200 to pivotally mount the handle 300 on the housing. A compression coil spriny 360 (see FIGURE 2) is interposed between the back surface 306 and the back wall 242. One end region of the spring 360 is wrapped tightly about a projection 362 (see FIGURE 13) that extends rearwardly from the back surface 306. The spriny 360 biases the handle 300 toward its nested position.
As is best seen in FIGURES 11 and 12, the handle projection 320 has an end portion 370 that is engageable with the bolt 400 either to retain the bolt 400 latched (as is shown in FIGURE 11) or to release the bolt 400 for movement to is un-latched position (shown in FIGURE 12).
Referring to FIGURE 2, the handle mounting pin 350 is formed from stainless steel stock of round cross section, and is provided with a head 352 at one end. The opposite end 304 of -the ....
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pin 350 is clinched (see FIGURE 8) after installation to hold it in place in the housing 200.
The latch bolt 400 is connected to the housing 200 by means of mounting plate and spring assembly 500 that is mounted on the back wall 242 of the housing 200 by the mounting posts 700. The latch bolt 400 is movable between a latched position (shown in FIGURES 1~ 5-9 and 11) and an unlatched position (shown in FIGURES 10 and 12).
Referring to FIGURES 2, 11 and 12, the latch bolt 400 is an elongate member of generally rectangular configuration having a left end region 402 that is enyageable with the handle projection 320, a right end region 406 that is engageable with the striker surfaces 18~, 198 t and a central region 410 that interconnects and extends between the end regions 402, 406. A
pair oE mounting formations 412 are prov.ided on the central re-gion 410. The mounting formations 412 border opposite sides of a slot 414 that. is formed through the mounting plate within which a torsion coil spring 510 is carried.
Referring to FIGURE 2, the torsion coil spring 510 and a mounting plate 520 are connected to the latch bolt 400 by a pivot pin 530. The pivot pin 530 extends through aligned holes 418 formed in the mounting formations 412, through coils of the spring 510, and through aligned holes 542 that are provided in a pair of upstanding mounts 540 that are formed integrally with the mounting plate 520.
The mounting plate 520 preferably is formed from the same thermoplastics material that is used to form the housing 200 and the handle 300. The mounting plate 520 is configured to engage the back wall 2~2 of the housing 200, and has holes 522 that receive the threaded studs 250. The mounting posts 700 have cylindrical portions 703 that extend into the holes 522 as the mounting posts 700 are threaded onto the studs 250 to clamp the mounting plate 520 in place on the housing 200. The mounting ~ 19 -. ..

~32 ~9 studs 700 have enlarged hex formations 705 that can be engaged by a nut driver or a wrench to tighten the mounting posts 700 in place on the studs 250.
~ passage 524 is formed through a central region of the mounting plate 520 in alignment with the back wall opening 322 to receive the handle projection 320. The torsion spring 510 has opposite ends 512, 514 in engagement with the mounting plate 520 and the bolt 400 to bias the bolt in the direction of the arrow 516 as shown in FIGURES 11 and 12. When the latch bolt 400 is in its latched position, the end 402 of the latch bolt 400 is en-gaged by the end 370 of the handle projection 320 and is thereby held securely in its latched position. When the handle 300 is pivoted (as is shown in FIGURE 12) to its operated position, the end 370 of the projection 320 disengages the latch bolt 400, and the latch bolt 400 pivots to its unlatched position under influ-ence of the torsion coil spring 510. As the latch bolt 400 pivots to its latched position, the engagement between the latch bolt 400 and the striker surface 188 (see FIGURES 3-5) will cause the closure 110 to be forced open with something of a pop-open type of action.
Referring to FIGURES 2, 7 and g, the locking system 600 includes a P-shaped member 640 that is slidAbly mounted by the mounting plate 520 for movement between a locked position shown in FIGURE 7, and an unlocked position shown in FIGURE 9. The P-shaped member 640 has an elongate stem portion 642 that is carried slidably carried in a slide channel 528 that is defined bv the mounting plate 520 (see FIGURE 2). When the locking sys-tem 600 is locked, the stem portion 612 of the P-shaped member overlies a portion of the opening 524 (see FIGURE 2~ and prevents the handl~ projection 320 from moviny away from the bolt xetain-ing position illustrated in FIGURE 11. When the P-shaped member 640 is slid to its unlocked position, however, as is shown in FIGURE 9, movement of the handle projection 320 is no longer , , ~., 2-322CA ~3~ J~

obstxucted and the handle 300 can be operated to effect unlatch-ing movement of the latch bolt 400.
Referring to FIGURE 15, the manner in which the key cylinder assembly 650 is installed in the ho.using opening and passage 282, 284 is to align the offset projection 675 of the key cylinde.r assembly with the installation groove, whereupon the key cylinder 650 assembly can be inserted into the opening 282 and into the passage 284, with the offset projection 575 traveling entirely through the length of the installation groove 294, 624 so as to extend rearwardly behind the sleeve formation 280 of the housing 200 and behind the insert 610, whereupon the key cylinder assembly 650 then is rotated to position the offset projection 675 out of alignment with the installation groove 294, 624 where-upon the key cylinder assembly 650 is retained in the housing 200 by virtue of the offset projection's overlying rear surface por-tions of the insert 610 that surrounds the key cylinder 650.
Two motion-limiting components of the lockiny assembly 600 cooperate to keep the offset projection from re-aligning with the installation groove. One of the motion-limiting components is the P-shaped locking member 6~0 that is slidably mounted on the mounting plate 520. The P-shaped locking member 640 has a cut-out slot 644 that fits over the offset projection 675, with the length of the slot 644 and the sliding path of movement of the P-shaped member 640 (as defined by the mounting plate 520) being such as to confine movements of the offset projection 675 to a range of rotary movement that excludes the installation groove portions 294, 624.
~ eferring to FIGURES 2 and 15-17, the other of the motion-limiting components is a rotation limiting cap 670 is installed on the rear end region of the sleeve~like portion 280 of the housing 200 after the ring-like insert 610 has been bonded in place on the housing 200. The cap 670 has generally cylindri-cal skirt 672 that extends about the periphery of the rear end ''..~

~3;~9 region of the sleeve-like portion 280, and has a washer-like end 67~ that overlies rear surface portions of the sleeve 280 and the insert 610. Parts o~ the skirt and the end are cut out to re-ceive the rearwardly extending projection 620 of the insert 610.
The skirt 672 has a cut away portion to accommodate the juncture of the sleeve 280 with the bottom wall 234 of the pan-shaped housing portion 220.
The cap 670 has a cut-out central portion 676 through which the off~et projection of the key cylinder assembly extends.
As is best seen by comparing the "unlockedl' and "locked" posi-tions of the offset projection 675 as depicted in FIGURES 16 and 17, respectively, it will be seen that the cut out central por-tion 676 does nothing to inhibit a 180 degree range of rotary movement of the offset projection 675 between its unlocked and locked positions, with this mo~ement taking place along a path of travel that is indicated by an arrow 677; however, clockwise movement o the offset projection ("clockwise" as viewed in FIGURES 16 and 17) from the locked position (shown in FIGURE 17) to the unlocked position (shown in FIGURE 16) is halted by a stop surface 679 if an effort is made to continue such rotation beyond the unlocked position. By this arrangement, the cap 670 cooper-ates with other components of the locking system 600 to keep the offset projection 675 from being brought into alignment with the installation groove.
In place of the key cylinder assembly, plug members 800, 810 that have substantially the same general shape as the key cylinder assembly 650 can be installed in the opening and passages 282, 284 to function like the key cylinder assembly 650 except that no key is required to effect their rotation. In-stead, a tool receiving formation such as a hex driver receiving opening 820, or a flat groove 822 for receiving a screwdriver blade is provided in outer end regions of the plug members 800, 810 as is depicted in FIGURE 15.

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Ball detents 802, 812 can be provided in the plug members 800, 810 as by forming radially extending passages 804, 814 into which are inserted compression coil springs 806, 816 and balls 808, 818. The balls 808, 818 are operative to engage the grooves 288 to prevent unwanted rotary movement of the plugs 800, 810.
Regardless of whether a key cylinder assembly or a plug is installed in the opening and passage 282, 28~, an O-ring 653 preferably is installed in a groove that is formed around the circumference of an enlarged diameter head portion of the key cylinder 650 and the plugs 800, 810 to engage the interior wall surfaces that define the opening 282 to prevent unwanted moisture from pass.ing therethrough.
A ring-like insert 610 is provided for positioning in the rear end region of the sleeve portion 280 of the housing 200.
The insert 610 serves the function of closing rear end regions of the top and bottom grooves, 288 and of defining a rearwardly extending stop projection 620 for limiting the range of rotary movement of certain locking members that can be used as a part of the locking system 600.
In order to provide an extension of the rounded groove 294 through the ring~like insert 610, a rounded groove portion 624 is provided in the insert 610 and is aligned with the rounded groove 294 of the sleeve member 280. In order to properly align the ring-like insert for mounting on the housing, a pair of radially extending formations 626, 628 are provided to engage the grooves 296, 298 that are formed at the rear end of the sleeve member 280, The groove 296 and the formation 626 are of rela-tively small size and are configured to mate in a close slip fit.
The groove 298 and the formation 628 are of relatively larger size and are configured to mate in a close slip fit. The differ-ence in sizes of the mating components 296, 626 and 298, 628 prevents inadvertent switch mating of these similarly configured , 2-322CA ~932 ~ ~

parts. The positioning of the relativ~ly larger formation 628 as well as the rearwardly extending projection 620 at location adjacent the area of the ring-like insert 610 that is structural-ly wea~cened by the provision of the rounded groove 624 serves to strengthen this area of the ring-like insert 610.
Although the invention has been des~ribed in its preferred form with a certain degree of particularity, it is understood that the present disclosure of the preferred form has been made only by way of example~ and that numerous changes in details of construction as well as the combination and arrange-ment of parts may be made without departing from the spirit and scope of the invention as hereinafter claimed. It is intended that the patent shall cover by suitable expression in the append-ed claims, whatever features of patentable novelty exist in the invention disclosed.

'~

Claims

1. A flush-mountable latch, comprising:
a) housing means including a pan-shaped housing having a front wall, and having recess-defining wall formations that define a forwardly facing recess, with portions of the front wall forming a mounting flange that surrounds the recess;
b) the housing being formed as a rigid, one-piece molded structure with the recess-defining wall formations including a back wall at the rear of the recess, with the back wall defining a rearwardly facing mounting surface;
c) threaded fastener means rigidly connected to the back wall at spaced locations, including two threaded fasteners located near opposed sides of the mounting surface;
d) handle means including a push-to-operate handle, and handle mounting means pivotally connecting the handle to the housing for movement relative to the housing between a non-operated position wherein the handle extends substantially flush with the front wall, and an operated position wherein at least a selected portion of the handle is pivoted inwardly with respect to the recess and toward the back wall of the housing;
e) handle biasing means interposed between the handle means and the housing means for biasing the handle away from its operated position toward its non-operated position, with the housing means, the handle means and the handle biasing means cooperating to define a first spring-biased assembly;
f) opening means formed through the recess-defining wall formations of the housing to establish a path of communication between the forwardly facing recess and a region that is located behind the back wall, including an opening that is formed through the back wall and opens through the mounting surface at a location between the two threaded fasteners;

2-322CA
g) handle-connected means including a rearwardly extending projection of the handle for extending through the opening means, for extending into said region located behind the back wall, and for being moved within said region in response to movement of the handle between its non-operated and operated positions;
h) housing bracket means for engaging the mounting surface of the back wall and for defining two spaced mounting formations that extend rearwardly from the back wall;
i) latch bolt means including an elongate latch bolt that has a central region that extends between the rearwardly ex-tending mounting formations, and latch bolt mounting means pivo-tally connecting the latch bolt to the rearwardly extending mounting formations for movement relative to the housing bracket means between latched and unlatched positions, with the elongate latch bolt having opposed end regions that are interconnected by the central region;
j) latch bolt biasing means interposed between the latch bolt means and the housing bracket means for biasing the latch bolt away from its latched position toward its unlatched position, with the housing bracket means, the latch bolt means and the latch bolt biasing means cooperating to define a second spring-biased assembly;
k) securing means for threadedly engaging the threaded fastener means so as to clamp the housing bracket means into engagement with the mounting surface to rigidly connect the first and second spring-biased assemblies such that one end region of the elongate latch bolt extends into overlying relationship with the opening that is formed in the back wall whereby, when the handle is in its non-operated position and the latch bolt is in its latched position, the rearwardly extending projection of the handle directly engages the one end region of the latch bolt to releasably retain the latch bolt in its latched position in opposition to the action of the latch bolt biasing means, and whereby, when the handle is pivoted to its operated position in opposition to the action of the handle-biasing spring, the one end region of the latch bolt is disengaged by the rearwardly extending projection of the handle so as to permit the latch bolt to pivot toward its unlatched position under the influence of the latch bolt biasing spring; and, l) interengageable formation means carried on the rearwardly extending projection of the handle and on the one end of the latch bolt for permitting the handle to move to its non-operated position under the influence of the handle biasing means only when the latch bolt is in its latched position.
2. The latch of Claim 1 wherein the front wall has a front surface that extends in a smooth convex curve, with the thickness of the front wall portions that define the mounting flange differing across the front wall, with maximum thickness being provided where the front wall portions join with the recess-defining wall formations so as to form strong junctures between the front wall and the recess-defining wall formations all along the juncture of the recess-defining wall formation with the front wall.

3. The latch of Claim 2 wherein the handle is formed as a rigid, one piece molded structure, the handle has a front wall that has a front surface, and the front surface of the handle is configured to extend contiguously with front surface portions of the housing when the handle is in its non-operated position.

4. The latch of Claim 3 wherein the housing and the handle are formed from an injection molded, glass reinforced, polycarbonate based polymer blend thermoplastics material.

5. The latch of Claim 1 wherein the handle means includes a rigid, handle formed as a rigid, one-piece molded structure.

6. The latch of Claim 5 wherein the rearwardly extending projection of the handle is a rigid formation that is an integral part of the one-piece handle structure.

7. The latch of Claim 1 wherein the latch bolt mount-ing means includes pivot pin means for extending through aligned holes that are formed in the two rearwardly extending formations of the housing bracket means and in the latch bolt means so as to pivotally connect the latch bolt to the housing bracket means.

8. The latch of Claim 7 wherein the latch bolt biasing means includes a torsion coil spring having portions thereof extending around the pivot pin means, and having opposed end regions engaging the housing bracket means and the latch bolt, respectively, for biasing the latch bolt toward its unlatched position.

9. The latch of Claim 1 wherein a rearwardly extending formation is provided on a back surface of the handle, and the handle biasing means includes a compression coil spring that is interposed between the handle and the housing for biasing the handle toward its non-operated position, with the spring having opposed end regions, with one of the end regions being reeved around portions of the rearwardly extending formation to connect the handle to the compression coil spring, and with the other of the end regions engaging the back wall of the housing.

10. The latch of Claim 1 wherein:
a) the housing has a generally cylindrical sleeve-like portion formed integrally with the front wall and defining a through passage that opens through the front wall, with the through passage having an inner wall surface that is of generally cylindrical configuration and extends concentrically about an imaginary axis that extends substantially perpendicularly to the common plane of the rearwardly facing mounting flange surface portions;

b) at least one groove is formed in the inner wall surface of the through passage;
c) a plug is configured to fit within the through passage and is journaled therein for rotation about the imaginary axis;
d) an offset projection is connected to the plug and extends rearwardly therefrom at a location behind the rear wall of the plug, with at least a portion of the projection being offset from the imaginary axis so as to have a portion of the projection located radially outwardly beyond the inner wall of the passage; and, e) the plug being insertable into the passage and being withdrawable therefrom only when the offset projection is in alignment with the groove so as to pass through the groove as the plug moves through the passage.

11. The latch of Claim 10 wherein the locking member has a projection receiving formation that engages the rearwardly extending offset projection to drivingly interconnect the plug and the locking member so that the locking member is moved between its locked and unlocked positions in response to rotary movement of the plug between its locked and unlocked positions.

12. The latch of Claim 11 wherein the inner cylindri-cal surface has at least one groove formed therein to receive tumblers of a key-operated locking plug to lock the locking plug against rotation, and the plug includes key-operated locking means that is responsive to the insertion of a key therein for selectively permitting and preventing rotation of the locking plug between locked and unlocked position.

13. The latch of Claim 1 wherein:
a) the housing bracket means defines a slide channel that extends alongside the opening that is formed through the back wall;

b) the rearwardly extending handle projection is configured so as to reside toward one side of the back wall opening when the handle is nested, and to reside toward an opposite side of the back wall opening when the handle is moved to its operated position; and, c) a locking member is positioned in the slide channel and is movable between locked and unlocked positions, with the locking member being configured such that when it is in its locked position it blocks movement of the rearwardly extending handle projection from the one side to the other side of the back wall opening, whereby the locking member blocks movement of the handle to its operated position when the locking member is in its locked position.

14. The latch of Claim 1 additionally including striker means for engaging the latch bolt when the latch bolt is in its latched position, for pivoting the latch bolt from its unlatched position to its latched position as a closure on which the latch is mounted is moved into closed position wherein the latch bolt engages the striker means, and, for effecting pop-opening movement of the closure when the handle is operated to pivot the handle from its nested position to its operated position whereupon the latch bolt is released to move under the influence of the latch bolt biasing means to pivot from its latched position to its unlatched position.

15. The latch of Claim 14 wherein:
a) the striker means defines a bolt receiving chamber for receiving the latch bolt when the latch bolt is in its latched position, and a pair of engagement surfaces on opposite sides of an opening that extends into the bolt-receiving chamber;
b) the of the engagement surfaces is configured to engage an end region of the latch bolt when the closure is being moved to its closed position, whereby the one striker engagement surface serves to engage the latch bolt to effect pivotal movement of the latch bolt to its latched position as the closure is being moved to its closed position; and, c) the other of the striker engagement surfaces is configured to overlie the latch bolt when the latch bolt is in its latched position to prevent opening movement of the closure when the latch bolt is in its latched position.

16. The latch of Claim 1 wherein the portion of the push-to-operate handle on which an operator is to push in order to move the handle from its nested position toward its operated position carries indicia to designate said handle portion to which force should be applied by the operator.

17. The latch of Claim 16 wherein the indicia includes the work "PUSH."

18. The latch of Claim 1 additionally including striker means configured to engage the latch bolt when a pivotally mounted closure on which the latch is mounted is moved toward its closed position wherein the latch bolt is brought toward a position of engagement with the striker means;
a) the striker means including structure defining a latch bolt engagement surface for engaging the latch bolt as the latch bolt approaches the striker means during closing of the door, and for effecting rotation of the latch bolt from its unlatched to its latched position in response to complete movement of the closure to its closed position; and, b) the striker means having formation means for releasably retaining the latch bolt in its latched position once the latch bolt has been received by the striker means and has moved to its latched position as the closure has completed its movement to its closed position.

19. A flush-mountable latch, comprising:
a) a pan-shaped housing having a front wall, recess-defining wall formations that define a forwardly facing recess, with portions of the front wall forming a mounting flange that surrounds the recess, and with the housing having a locking plug mounting location defined at one end of the recess by a sleeve-like structure that has a through passage that opens through the front wall;
b) the housing being formed as a rigid, one-piece structure from injection molded material, with the recess-defining wall formations including a back wall at the rear of the recess, with the back wall defining a rearwardly facing mounting surface, with two threaded mounting studs having portions embedded in the material of the back wall and having threaded stud portions that project rearwardly from the back wall at spaced locations near opposite side portions of the mounting surface;
c) handle means including a push-to-operate handle, and handle mounting means for pivotally connecting the handle to the housing for movement relative to the housing from a nested position wherein the handle extends substantially flush with the front wall to an operated position wherein at least a selected portion of the handle is pivoted inwardly with respect to the recess and toward the back wall of the housing;
d) handle biasing means interposed between the handle means and the housing means for biasing the handle away from its operated position toward its nested position, with the housing means, the handle means and the handle biasing means cooperating to define a first spring-biased assembly;
e) opening means formed through recess-defining wall formations of the housing to establish a path of communication between the forwardly facing recess and a region located outside the recess and behind the back wall, including an opening that is formed through the back wall and that opens through the mounting surface at a location between the two threaded mounting studs;
f) handle-connected means including a rearwardly extending projection of the handle for extending through the opening means, for extending into said region located behind the back wall, and for being moved within said region in response to movement of the handle between its nested and operated positions;
g) housing bracket means for engaging the mounting surface of the back wall and for defining two spaced mounting formations that extend rearwardly from the back wall;
h) latch bolt means including an elongate latch bolt that has a central region that extends between the rearwardly extending mounting formations, and latch bolt mounting means for pivotally connecting the latch bolt to the rearwardly extending mounting formations for movement relative to the housing bracket means between latched and unlatched positions, with the elongate latch bolt having opposed end regions that are interconnected by the central region;
i) latch bolt biasing means interposed between the latch bolt means and the housing bracket means for biasing the latch bolt away from its latched position toward its unlatched position, with the housing bracket means, the latch bolt means and the latch bolt biasing means cooperating to define a second spring-biased assembly;
j) securing means for threadedly engaging the mounting studs and for cooperating with the mounting studs to clamp the housing bracket means into engagement with the mounting surface to rigidly connect the first and second spring-biased assemblies such that one end region of the elongate latch bolt extends into overlying relationship with the opening that is formed in the back wall whereby, when the handle is in its nested position and the latch bolt is in its latched position, the rearwardly extending projection of the handle directly engages the one end region of the latch bolt to releasably retain the latch bolt in its latched position in opposition to the action of the latch bolt biasing means, and whereby, when the handle is pivoted to its operated position in opposition to the action of the handle biasing means, the one end region of the latch bolt is disengaged by the rearwardly extending projection of the handle so as to permit the latch bolt to pivot toward its unlatched position under the influence of the latch bolt biasing means;
and, k) interengageable formation means carried on the rearwardly extending projection of the handle and on the one end of the latch bolt for permitting the handle to move to its nested position under the influence of the handle biasing means only when the latch bolt is in its latched position.

20. The latch of Claim 19 wherein the handle means is formed as a one-piece structure from injection molded plastics material.

21. The latch of Claim 19 wherein:
a) the housing bracket means defines a slide channel that extends alongside the opening that is formed through the back wall;
b) the rearwardly extending handle projection is configured so as to reside toward one side of the back wall opening when the handle is nested, and to reside toward an opposite side of the back wall opening when the handle is moved to its operated position; and, c) a locking member is positioned in the slide channel and is movable between locked and unlocked positions, with the locking member being configured such that when it is in its locked position it blocks movement of the rearwardly extending handle projection from the one side to the other side of the back wall opening, whereby the locking member blocks movement of the handle to its operated position when the locking member is in its locked position.

22. The latch of Claim 19 additionally including striker means for engaging the latch bolt when the latch bolt is in its latched position, for pivoting the latch bolt from its unlatched position to its latched position as a closure on which the latch is mounted is moved into closed position wherein the latch bolt engages the striker means, and, for effecting pop-opening movement of the closure when the handle is operated to pivot the handle from its nested position to its operated position whereupon the latch bolt is released to move under the influence of the latch bolt biasing means to pivot from its latched position to its unlatched position.

23. The latch of Claim 22 wherein:
a) the striker means defines a bolt receiving chamber for receiving the latch bolt when the latch bolt is in its latched position, and a pair of engagement surfaces on opposite sides of an opening that extends into the bolt-receiving chamber;
b) one of the engagement surfaces is configured to engage an end region of the latch bolt when the closure is being moved to its closed position, whereby the one striker engagement surface serves to engage the latch bolt to effect pivotal movement of the latch bolt to its latched position as the closure is being moved to its closed position; and, c) the other of the striker engagement surfaces is configured to overlie the latch bolt when the latch bolt is in its latched position to prevent opening movement of the closure when the latch bolt is in its latched position.

24. The latch of Claim 19 wherein the portion of the push-to-operate handle on which an operator is to push in order to move the handle from its nested position toward its operated position carries indicia to designate said handle portion to which force should be applied by the operator.

25. The latch of Claim 24 wherein the indicia includes the work "PUSH."

26. The latch of Claim 19 additionally including striker means configured to engage the latch bolt when a pivotally mounted closure on which the latch is mounted is moved toward its closed position wherein the latch bolt is brought toward a position of engagement with the striker means;
a) the striker means including structure defining a latch bolt engagement surface for engaging the latch bolt as the latch bolt approaches the striker means during closing of the door, and for effecting rotation of the latch bolt from its unlatched to its latched position in response to complete movement of the closure to its closed position; and, b) the striker means having formation means for releasably retaining the latch bolt in its latched position once the latch bolt has been received by the striker means and has moved to its latched position as the closure has completed its movement to its closed position.

27. A latch, comprising:
a) housing means defining a pan-shaped housing having a front wall with housing portions located rearwardly relative to the front wall and defining a forwardly-facing recess that opens through the front wall, with the front wall having portions that define a mounting flange which extends about the recess, with the housing portions that define the recess including a back wall that extends substantially parallel to the front wall at a location that is behind the front wall, with portions of the back wall defining a rearwardly facing mounting surface, and with all such portions of the housing means being formed integrally to define a one-piece housing as by injection molding the housing from thermoplastics material;
b) threaded fastener means having portions embedded in and rigidly connected to the material of a back wall, including two mounting studs that each have elongate shank means extending rearwardly from the back wall at spaced locations near opposite sides of the mounting surface, and with each of the elongate shank means having threaded portions formed thereon;

c) housing bracket means including a mounting plate portion for extending across and engaging the mounting surface of the back wall, with the mounting plate portion having holes formed therethrough to permit the elongate shanks of the mounting studs to extend through the holes, and with the housing bracket means also including two spaced mounting formations that extend rearwardly from the mounting plate portion;
d) securing means threaded onto the threaded shanks for clamping the mounting plate portion into engagement with the mounting surface;
e) aligned openings formed through the back wall and through the mounting plate portion;
f) handle means including a push-to-operate handle and handle mounting means pivotally connecting the handle to the housing for movement relative thereto between a nested position wherein the handle is nested in the recess and extends substan-tially flush with the front wall, and an operating position wherein at least portions of the handle are pivoted inwardly with respect to the recess and toward the back wall of the housing, with the handle having a rearwardly extending portion that projects through the aligned openings that are formed in the back wall and in the mounting plate portion for moving within a region that is located behind the mounting surface in response to movement of the handle between its nested and operated positions;
g) handle biasing means interposed between the handle means and the housing means for biasing the handle away from its operated position toward its nested position, with the housing means, the handle means and the handle biasing means cooperating to define a first spring-biased assembly;
h) latch bolt means including an elongate latch bolt that has a central region that extends between the rearwardly extending mounting formations, and latch bolt mounting means for pivotally connecting the latch bolt to the housing bracket means for movement relative to the housing bracket means between latched and unlatched positions;
i) latch bolt biasing means interposed between the latch bolt means and the housing bracket means for biasing the latch bolt away from its latched position toward its unlatched position, with the housing bracket means, the latch bolt means and the latch bolt biasing means cooperating to define a second spring-biased assembly, and with the securing means serving to rigidly connect the first and second spring-biased assemblies such that one end region of the elongate latch bolt extends into overlying relationship with the aligned openings that are formed through the back wall and through the mounting plate means whereby, when the handle is in its nested position and the latch bolt is in its latched position, the rearwardly extending projection of the handle directly engages the one end region of the latch bolt to releasably retain the latch bolt in its latched position in opposition to the action of the latch bolt biasing means, and whereby, when the handle is pivoted to its operated position in opposition to the action of the handle-biasing means, the one end region of the latch bolt is disengaged by the rearwardly extending projection of the handle so as to permit the latch bolt to pivot toward its unlatched position under the influence of the latch bolt biasing means; and, j) interengageable formation means carried on the rearwardly extending projection of the handle and on the one end of the latch bolt for permitting the handle to move to its non-operated position under the influence of the handle biasing means only when the latch bolt is in its latched position.

28. The latch of Claim 27 wherein a rearwardly extending formation is provided on a back surface of the handle, and the handle biasing means includes a compression coil spring that is interposed between the handle and the housing for biasing the handle toward its nested position, with the spring having opposed end regions, with one of the end regions being reeved around portions of the rearwardly extending formation to connect the handle to the compression coil spring, and with the other of the end regions engaging the back wall of the housing.

29. The latch of Claim 27 wherein:
a) the housing bracket means defines a slide channel that extends alongside the aligned openings;
b) the rearwardly extending handle projection is configured so as to reside toward one side of the aligned openings when the handle is nested, and to reside toward an opposite side of the aligned openings when the handle is moved to its operated position; and, c) a locking member is positioned in the slide channel and is movable between locked and unlocked positions, with the locking member being configured such that, when the locking member is in its locked position it blocks movement of the rearwardly extending handle projection from the one side to the other side of the aligned openings, whereby the locking member blocks movement of the handle to its operated position when the locking member is in its locked position.

30. The latch of Claim 27 additionally including striker means for engaging the latch bolt when the latch bolt is in its latched position; for pivoting the latch bolt from its unlatched position to its latched position as a closure on which the latch is mounted is moved into closed position wherein the latch bolt engages the striker means; and, for effecting pop-opening movement of the closure when the handle is operated to pivot the handle from its nested position to its operated position, whereupon the latch bolt is released to move under the influence of the latch bolt biasing means to pivot from its latched position to its unlatched position.

31. The latch of Claim 30 wherein:

a) the striker means defines a bolt receiving chamber for receiving the latch bolt when the latch bolt is in its latched position, and a pair of engagement surfaces on opposite sides of an opening that extends into the bolt-receiving chamber;
b) one of the engagement surfaces is configured to engage an end region of the latch bolt when the closure is being moved to its closed position, whereby the one striker engagement surface serves to engage the latch bolt to effect pivotal movement of the latch bolt to its latched position as the closure is being moved to its closed position; and, c) the other of the striker engagement surfaces is configured to overlie the latch bolt when the latch bolt is in its latched position to prevent opening movement of the closure when the latch bolt is in its latched position.

32. The latch of Claim 27 wherein the portion of the push-to-operate handle on which an operator is to push in order to move the handle from its nested position toward its operated position carries indicia to designate said handle portion to which force should be applied by the operator.

33. The latch of Claim 32 wherein the indicia includes the word "PUSH."

34. The latch of Claim 27 additionally including striker means configured to engage the latch bolt when a pivotally mounted closure on which the latch is mounted is moved toward its closed position wherein the latch bolt is brought toward a position of engagement with the striker means, a) the striker means including structure defining a latch bolt engagement surface for engaging the latch bolt as the latch bolt approaches the striker means during closing of the door, and for effecting rotation of the latch bolt from its unlatched to its latched position in response to complete movement of the closure to its closed position; and, b) the striker means having formation means for releasably retaining the latch bolt in its latched position once the latch bolt has been received by the striker means and has moved to its latched position as the closure has completed its movement to its closed position.