US2680535A - Latch mechanism for doublecovered containers - Google Patents

Description

June 8, 1954 J, p- THON LATCH MECHANISM FOR DOUBLE-COVERED CONTAINERS Filed July 27. 1953 Patented June 8, 1954 UNITED STATES ATENT OFFICE LATCH MECHANISM FOR DOUBLE- COVERED CONTAINERS Claims.

This invention relates to a double-covered container and more particularly to a latch mechanism therefor.

It is an important object of the invention to provide a novel and simple latch mechanism for .a container or box having open and opposed ends and a hingedly mounted cover for each of said open ends.

Another object of the invention is to provide means to prevent the contents of a double-covered box from becoming accidently spilled when one of said covers is used as the bottom of the box.

More specifically, it is on object of the invention to provide a latch device having elicient triple function in maintaining both covers ci a double-covered box in locked condition, maintaining one cover as the bottom of the container in locked condition with the other in releasably contained condition, and finally maintainingr the other cover as the bottom thereof in locked condition and the first mentioned cover in releasably retained condition.

It is still another object to provide a latch device of the class described in which a single manually engageable element will perform the above noted multiple functions.

These and other objects and advantages of my invention will more fully appear from the following description made in connection with the accompanying drawings wherein like reference characters refer to similar parts throughout the several views and in which:

Fig. 1 is a perspective view of a container bearing my double latching device, the device being set for releasably opening the top cover thereof; Y

Fig. 2 is a front elevation of a container with the double latch device in medial or completely locked position;

Fig. 3 is a segmented view in vertical enlarged section of the box and latching device taken on the line 3-3 of Fig. 2; and

Fig. 4 is a fragmentary enlarged horizontal section of the latch mechanism taken on the line of Fig. 2.

Referring now more particularly to the drawing, the container or box which is adapted for use with my invention is an open-ended structure having a iront wall i0, a rear walll i, side walls I2, a iirst cover I3 and a second cover I4. The covers i3 and Il! are hingedly mounted at I5 and if.; respectively to the rear wall Il as shown in Fig. 3. rhe front edges or margins I'I and IS on the covers I3 and M respectively therefore come into abutment with edges I9 and 28 as shown in Figs. 1 and 3. The covers I3 and lli thus simulate to some extent the covers of a book, the forward edges being movable in converging direction to close the ends of the container. The container may be horizontally disposed as shown in Fig. 1 or may take the form of a vertical container such as a ling box (not shown). Furthermore, the internal structure of the box or container may have special structure such as the double compartmented box described in my copending application Serial Number 243,535 filed August 24, 1951.

More particularly, my invention constitutes a double latching device for open-ended containers of the class described, the latching device being mountable upon the box between the forward converging edges 0f the covers to eiiect a simultaneous locking or a selective locking of one cover and releasable retention of the other.

A retaining and locking member such as resilient latch 2| is secured to the cover I3 at the marginal edge Il as shown in Fig. 1. Similarly, another retaining and locking member 22 is secured in complementary relation to the marginal edge I8 of the cover I4. Each of the resilient latches has an attaching area 23 which may be secured by suitable means such as rivets 2d to their respective covers. The latch 2! has an outwardly and downwardly extending portion 25 while the resilient latch 22 has an upstanding and outwardly oiset portion 26 as shown in Fig. 3. Each of the depending and upstanding portions 25 and 26 in turn has an outer surface 29 with a raised oiset or boss 28, and each has an inner surface 2'! with a raised oiiset or boss it extending inwardly therefrom.

Adapted to cooperate with the foregoing retaining and locking members 2| and 22 is a manually operable member 3l as shown in Fig. 1. Manually operable member 3l may comprise a base 32 mounted transversely of the covers It and I4 on the front of the box or container iii and equipped with outstanding flanges or detents 33 for cooperation with the latch 2l and 3d for cooperation with latch 22 as shown in detail in Fig. 3. rihe base 32 further may be equipped with outwardly spaced fiange members 35 which form a track or guideway for a reciprocable shield 3%. The shield 3E in turn may have bent over side edges il which are adapted to encase the tracks or guideways 35 and render the shield slidable in an upwfard and downward direction as shown in Figs. l, 2, and 3. The reciprocable shield 3B' has indented areas 3'I which are concavely formed in the surface 38 which is adapted to face towards the outer surface of front wall l0. The indentations are so formed as to cooperate resiliently with the raised offsets or bosses 28 formed at the outer surface of the resilient latch inembers 2l and 22. While the inner raised oisets 353 of the latch members 2i and 22 are adapted to resiliently engage the outstanding detent porions 33 and 34.

In the use and operation of my double latching device, the resilient latch members 2l and 2s are secured to the marginal edges Vi and i3 of the covers i3 and lli in a box or container of the class described. The manual cooperating element 3i is similarly secured to the front face il of the box or container with the detent portions 33 and 3s in position to be engaged by the inner raised osets or bosses 3i! on their respective latch meinbers 2| and 22. When thus engaged, both of the covers i3 and ill are closed as shown in Figs. 2 and` 3. The reciprocable shield is then slidably adjusted on the track or guideway 35 so that outer indentaticns 3? will engage the raised ofisets or bosses 28 formed at the outer surface 2 of latch members 2i and 22. This is the medial or fully locked position of the box as shown in Fig. 3. Neither of the covers i3 or i4 may be opened when the shield 36 is in such medial position.

Now, however, when it is desired to open one side of the box, as for example with cover I3 constituting the top of the box, the reciprocable shield 33 is manually lowered to the position shown in Fig. l. Itis to be noted that where the indentations 3'1 are formed by stamping in sheet material, a corresponding raised portion 3d is formed at the outer surface 4Q oi the shield 3S and conveniently creates a ribbing effect which maintains good contact between the thumb oi a user and the shield during reciprocation.

With the shield 3G in the lowermost position as shown in Fig. 1, the raised odset portion 23 or" latch 2i becomes disengaged while the raised offset 28 of latch 22 is maintained in engagement with another indentation 3l at the inner surface of the shield 35. Thus, the resilient latch 22 remains locked together with its cover ill while cover I3 becomes releasably engaged through its inwardly facing offset or boss means 3i). Since the latches 2i and are resilient in nature, the offset portions will slide over the detent 33 when slight pressure is applied to the marginal edge il of cover i3.

Where it is desired to gain access to the opposite side of. the box through cover ill, the cover I3 is again closed, the reciprocable shield 3S slid through its medial full locking positionto engagement with the upper latch 2l of Fig. 1 and to expose the lower resilient latch E2 for similarreleasable opening. The box is then inverted and pressure applied to the marginal edge i8 of cover lf3 to eiect opening of the other end of the box. With the reciprocable shield 3E in one of its three operative positions it will be observed that it is impossible to open both covers at one time. Since one oi the indentations 3l' will be so engaged with the oiset 28 o at least one or the latches as to render the resilient latch incapable of springing outwardly over the respective detent 33 fixed to the face iii of the box.

It may thu-s be seen that l2 have devised an extremely simple and useful latch mechanism lfor double compartinented boxes which will prevent the simultaneous opening of both sides of a box lili thus preventing the accidental spilling of the contents of one side while the other is being used.

It will, of course, be understood that various changes may be made in the form, details, arrangement and proportions of the parts without departing irom the scope of my invention.

What I claim is:

l. Latch mechanism for a box having opposed covers swingable convergently to closed position in Contact with the edges oi a iront wall of said box, said mechanism comprising a resilient latch member securable to each of said covers and adapted to closely overlie a portion oi said front wall, detent means securable to said front wall for releasably retaining both of said resilient latch members and their respective covers in closed position, and a unitary locking means overlying said detent means whereby to cooperatively lock both of said latch members and their respective covers and slidable to uncover one of said latch members and condition its associated cover for opening while maintaining the other latch niember its associated cover in locked condition.

2. A double latching device for an open-ended container of the type having a front wall, a rear wall, and opposed covers hinged at the rear or the container and swingable convergently toward each other at the front of the container to close seid open ends, said device comprising a pair or retaining and locking members for resiliently securing respectively to the forward edges of said covers and for extending laterally therefrom to overlie the front of said box when in closed position, the resilient members each having an offset surface, a pair of detents for securing at the front of the box and adapted to be respectively engaged in sliding contact by the resilient inembers and to releasably hold each cover in closed position with said oise-t in engagement with the datent, and means reciprocably mountable at a medial position in locking engagement with both of said resilient members and mot ble laterally with respect to said covers to a position closer to one of said covers to maintain the resilient meinber of said one cover in locked condition while simultaneously conditioning the other member for releasably opening said other cover.

3. A double latching device for an open-ende. container of the type having a front wall, a rear Wall, and opposed covers hinged at the rear of the container and swingable convergently toward each other at the front of the container to close said open ends, said device comprising a pair of retaining and locking members for resiliently securing respectively to the forward edges of said covers and for extending laterally therefrom to overlie the front of sai-d box when in closed position, said resilient members each having an odset surface, a pair of detente secnrable at the front of the 'cox and adapted to be respectively engaged in sliding contact by the resilient meinbers and to releasably hold each cover in closed position with said odset in engagement with the detent and a shield reciprocably mountable at the front of the box and movable laterally from a medial position in overlying locking engagement with both of said resilient members to a position closer to one of said covers to maintain the resilient member of said one cover in locked cond'- tion while simultaneously conditioning said other member for releasably opening the other cover.

The combination with an open-ended box having a front wall, a rear wall, opposed covers hinged at the rear of the container and swingable convergently toward each other at the front of the box to close said open ends, of a pair of resilient latch members secured respectively to the forward edges of said covers substantially normal thereto and in close clearance with the front of said box when in closed position, said resilient latch members each having an offset, a pair of detents secured in outstanding relation with the front of the box and adapted to be respectively engaged in sliding contact by the resilient latch members and to releasably hold each cover in closed position with said offset in engagement with the detent, and locking means reciprocably mounted at the front of the box in a medial position in overlying locking engagement with both of said resilient latch members to a position closer to one of said covers to maintain the resilient latch member of said one cover in locked condition while simultaneously conditioning said other member for relearably opening the other cover.

5. A latching mechanism for an open-ended box havingr opposed covers swingably mounted at a rear Wall of the box and convergently swingable at a forward Wall of the box to close said ends, said mechanism comprising a pair of at retaining and locking members resiliently securable respectively to the forward margins of said covers for overlying closely a portion of the front of said box when in closed position, said flat resilient members each having a boss formed inwardly towards the front of the box and another boss, a pair of detents securable to the front of the box and adapted to be respectively engaged in sliding contact by the resilient members and to releasably hold each cover in closed position with said inward boss in engagement with a detent, and means reciprocably mountable at the front of the box and movable laterally from a medial position in overlying retention with said outwardly extending bosses to lock both of said resilient members to a position closer to one of said covers and in releasably retained relation with the resilient member of said one cover to maintain it in locked condition while simultaneously disengaging the outwardly extending boss of said other member to condition the other cover for releasable opening.

No references cited.

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