EP0320162A1

EP0320162A1 - Catches

Info

Publication number: EP0320162A1
Application number: EP88311294A
Authority: EP
Inventors: James Alan Dodman
Original assignee: Mothercare UK Ltd
Current assignee: Mothercare UK Ltd
Priority date: 1987-12-08
Filing date: 1988-11-29
Publication date: 1989-06-14
Also published as: GB2213190A; GB8728661D0; GB2213190B

Abstract

A "child-proof" two part catch has interengageable portions (3, 12), both of which must be manually displaced, in mutually transverse directions, to permit both release and engagement of the catch.

Description

This invention relates to two-part catches applicable, for example, to cabinets such as freezers and refrigerators, to deter opening by small children.
It is known, for example from US Patent 3909050, to provide a two part catch for attachment, to a cabinet body and cabinet door, respectively, wherein the parts have respective interengageable portions which are relatively displaceable to effect engagement and disengagement of the catch parts.
Such catches may be constructed in various ways to make it difficult for small children to release them but they usually re-engage with a snap-action.
The present invention is mainly characterized in that a two-part catch comprising one part for attachment to a cabinet body and one for attachment to a cabinet door, wherein the parts have respective interengageable portions which are relatively displaceable to effect engagement and disengagement, characterized in that both said portions must be so displaced in mutually transverse directions to effect both engagement and disengagement of the parts.
With this arrangement, the catch can be designed to require two-handed operation both for release of the catch and engagement, thus reducing the risk of the cabinet being opened by small children and obviating the risk of a child locking itself in the cabinet by "automatic" engagement of the catch.
One form of catch in accordance with the invention will now be described, by way of example, with reference to the accompanying drawings, in which:

Fig. 1 is a front view of one part of the catch;
Fig. 2 is a cross-section on the line II-II in Fig. 1;
Fig. 3 is a front view of a second part of the catch;
Fig. 4 is a scrap section on the line IV-IV of Fig. 3;
Fig. 5 is a cross-section showing the catch parts interengaged;
Fig. 6 is a perspective view illustrating operation of the catch.

Figs. 1 and 2 show a first catch part 1 which will be termed the "hook part" for convenience. It is moulded in a resilient plastics material to have a flat, plate-portion 2, a cantilever spring finger 3 terminating at a barb or hook 4, and a hoop 6. As seen in Fig. 2, the spring finger is cranked so that for most of its length it is offset outwardly from the plate-portion 2, whilst remaining parallel to the surface on which the hook part is mounted.
The second catch part, or keeper 10, is illustrated in Figs. 3 and 4. It is again moulded from a resilient plastics material and has the form of a flat plate 11 terminating at one end in a thickened loop having a vertical limb 12. The loop also supports an integral keeper bar 13 which is offset from the main plane of the keeper 10 as seen in Fig. 4.
Both catch parts have smooth inner surfaces of substantial area by which they may be attached to the door and body of a cabinet, such as a refrigerator, preferably by means of double-sided adhesive pads.
The hook part 1 is secured to the door 'D' adjacent its opening edge so that the free, barbed end of the finger 3 is level with the edge of the door. The keeper 10 is secured to the side wall of the cabinet body B, level with the hook part, with its loop projecting beyond the outer face of the door D.
Fig. 5 shows the parts interengaged, with the barb 4 of the spring finger 3 engaged with the keeper bar 13.
In order to release the catch, it is necessary, as indicated in Fig. 6, to press the finger 3 inwardly to disengage the barb from the keeper bar, and also to press the loop of the keeper 10 outwardly, in a direction substantially parallel to the length of the spring finger, i.e. as indicated by the arrows in Fig. 5.
This manipulation of the catch thus involves deflecting portions of the catch in mutually transverse directions and sensibly requires two-handed operation, as illustrated in Fig. 6.
Thus, it is very difficult for a small child to release the catch.
However, equally important is the fact that deliberate manipulation is required to engage the catch.
When the door is merely moved into its closed position, the catch parts cannot interengage, the spring finger 3 coming to rest in the phantom-line position seen in Fig. 5. If the catch is to be engaged, the user must again use two hands, pressing the keeper hoop outwardly and the spring finger inwardly, and then releasing the hoop and then the finger. It is thus impossible for a child to lock itself inside the cabinet, and difficult for a child outside the cabinet to engage the catch.
The fact that the catch parts cannot engage automatically on closure of the door is also convenient for normal, authorized use for example of a domestic refrigerator, since the door can be opened and closed freely, in the usual way, until the user acts positively to engage the catch.

Claims

1. A two-part catch comprising one part for attachment to a cabinet body and one for attachment to a cabinet door, wherein the parts have respective interengageable portions which are relatively displaceable to effect engagement and disengagement, characterized in that both said portions (3, 12) must be displaced in mutually transverse directions to effect both engagement and disengagement of the parts.

2. A two-part catch according to claim 1, characterized in that one said part (1) comprises a spring finger (3) extending in use generally parallel with the surface on which the part is mounted, the free end (4) of the finger being resiliently displaceable in directions perpendicular to the said surface, and the other said part (10) having a keeper part (12) formed on the displaceable portion (11) of the respective part, the said portion (11) being resiliently displaceable in a direction substantially parallel with the length of the said finger (3), engagement being effected by displacement of the keeper part (12) away from the free end of the finger (3) and of the free end of the finger towards the said surface, followed by resilient return of both parts to their normal positions.