GB2160255A - Latch - Google Patents

Abstract

A latch comprises a pair of cooperating parts 10,20 each adhesively attachable to ones of a door or drawer and a surface thereadjacent respectively, one said part 10 having a resilient prong in use extending toward the other said part 20 the free end of the prong being enlarged to form a head 16 and the other part having a protruding stud 23 formed thereon, the arrangement being such that when the door or drawer is being closed the head cammingly engages and rides over the stud and, when the door is closed, the head is biassed by the resilient prong into a latch position in which surfaces of the head and stud abut and prevent opening of the door or drawer. The head cammingly engages and rides a side surface of the stud as the door or drawer is being closed such that the head is moved, and the resilient prong flexes, in a plane parallel to the surfaces on which said one part is adhesively attached. The parts are of moulded plastics and attached to a door and side wall of e.g. a refrigerator by double-sided adhesive tape. The head and stub are preferably arrow or part-arrow shaped with their rear surfaces recessed. <IMAGE>

Description

SPECIFICATION Latches The invention concerns latches, particularly but not exclusively latches which prevent drawers and/or doors being opened to enable access to be made to stored articles and materials by infants.

Simple latches or catches comprising a pivoted hook and eye respectively attachable to a door and a door jamb are known. In such an arrangement the separate parts of the latch are usually screwed or bolted onto the door and door jamp respectively and, to close the latch, the hook is manually moved into engagement with the eye. To unlatch the door the hook must first be disengaged from the eye.

Such an arrangement, whilst providing adequateprevention of the unauthorised opening of the door by an infant (or an animal) must be manually operated to ensure that the door is latched.

A number of automatic latch proposals have been made which provide that a bolt carried on a door engages between a pair of gripping members carried on a door engages between a pair of gripping members carried on the door jamb or a cooperating surface adjacent the door. When the door is shut the bolt resliently biasses the gripping members apart and is received behind (or within) them. The problem with such arrangements is that by simply pulling on the door with sufficient force it is possible for the bolt to bias the gripping members apart and the door will open.

It is an object of the invention to provide a latch arrangement enabling the automatic latching of a door as the door is closed but requiring physical manipulation of a latch part before the door can subsequently be opened.

Most of the known arrangements of latches for doors provide that the latch parts are screwed or stapled onto the door. Such latches are of little use in domestic electrical white goods such as cookers and/or refrigerators in which the door and adjacent surfaces are usually of enamelled metal and are not readily susceptible to screwing or stapling without special tools and without damage to the equipment.

It is a further object of the invention to provide a latch the parts of which are readily fixable to a door and an adjacent surface respectively without need for special tools, and which if required may be removed leaving no permanent damage to the equipment on which it has been fitted.

In accordance with the invention I provide a latch comprising a pair of cooperating parts each adhesively attachable to ones of a door or drawer and a surface thereadjacent respectively, one said part having a resilient prong in use extending toward the other said part, the free end of the prong being enlarged to form a head and the other part having a stud formed thereon, the arrangement being such that when the door or drawer is being closed the head cammingly engages and rides over the stud and, when the door is closed, the head is biassed by the resilient prong into a latching position in which surfaces of the head and stud abut and prevent opening of the door or drawer.

The head preferably cammingly engages and rides over a side surface of the stud as the door or drawer is being closed such that the head is moved, and the resilient prong flexes, in a plane parallel to the surface on which said one part is adhesively attached.

To unlatch a door fitted with a latch embodying the present invention it is necessary to manually push the head out of engagement with the stud before the door can be opened.

With advantage the parts of the latch are of moulded plastics materials.

Preferably the parts of the latch are fixed to the door or drawer and adjacent surface respectively by double-sided adhesive tape.

The head may be in the form of an arrow or part of an arrow shape. The stud is also preferably in the form of an arrow or part arrow shape conforming to the shape of the head on the end of the resilient prong.

An embodiment of the invention will now be described with reference to the accompanying drawings in which: Figure shows the two parts of a latch embodying the present invention in plan (A) and side (B) respectively, and Figure 2 shows the latch in an operative position mounted on a refrigerator.

As can be seen the latch comprises a first part 10 having a base 11 fixed by doublesided adhesive tape 1 2 to a side wall 1 3 of a refrigerator 1 4. Base 11 supports an elongage prong 1 5 terminating as shown in an enlarged head 1 6 having roughly the shape (in outline) of half an arrow head.

The other part 20 comprises a base 21 fixed by double-sided adhesive tape to the edge of the door 22 of the refrigerator 14.

Base 21 supports a protruding stud or boss 23 shaped as shown.

When fitted to a refrigerator the two parts 10 and 20 are fixed to the side wall 1 3 and the door 22 slightly offset from one another such that the 'leading' corner of stud 23 (between a surface 25 and surface 28) is in line with the top or bottom of the prong 1 5 of the other part.

When it is required to close the door 21 it is merely pushed to. As this happens the head 1 6 meets stud 23 and one of its leading surfaces 24 cammingly engages a surface 25 of stud 23. The head 1 6 is increasingly biassed against the resilience of prong 1 5 as door 21 closes. As door 21 reaches its closed position the head 16 on prong 1 5 is resiliently biassed up (by prong 15) to lie behind stud 23 with its rear surface 27 adjacent the back surface 28 of stud 23. The door is now latched.

The surfaces 27 are preferably slightly swept back through a small angle (for example approximately 10 ) to the normal running from the top and bottom of the prong 1 5 such that the outermost ends of the surfaces 27 lie nearer the base 11 than do the other ends of those surfaces. Similarly the rear surface 28 of stud 23 is preferably recessed and in the form of a shallow C conforming to the shape and disposition of the surfaces 27.

To open door 21 is it necessary to push down (as shown in Fig. 2) on the head 16 to move the surfaces 27 and 28 out of engagement. Once the head 1 6 has been moved down in this way sufficiently far to clear stud 23 it is possible to open the door 21 using handle 29 as normal.

The parts 10 and 20 are preferably integrally moulded from a suitable plastics material such as polyvinyl chloride.

It is not intended that a latch embodying the invention be used to provide a "secure" latching of the door. It is intended that the latch be used to prevent unauthorised access to the equipment for example by a child, or even an animal, which has learnt that by pulling on the handle 29 of a refrigerator door 21 the door will open enabling access to materials therein.

It will be noted that the fixing of the parts of the latch to a refrigerator require no substantial work to be done. No holes need to be drilled in the door or side of the equipment, the parts are merely stuck onto the respective cooperating parts of the equipment (making use for example of a proper template) by means of double-sided adhesive tape.

It will be appreciated that the parts forming the latch now proposed may be used in the orientation shown in Fig. 2, that is to say with the prong 1 5 lying beneath the stud 23 when the latch is operative. As an alternative the parts 10 and 20 may be disposed such that the prong 1 5 lies above the stud 23 when the latch is operating. It will further be appreciated that the latch is readily adaptable to use on right or left-hand opening doors. The latch may also be used on other articles of domestic equipment and furniture.

Various modifications may be made to the described arrangement without departing from the scope of the invention; in particular the shapes of the head 1 6 and stud 23 may differ from that shown.

Other means of fixing the parts to the equipment may of course be used-for example the adhesive tape may be removed and an impact adhesive used in its place.

A particular advantage of the present invention is that when it is decided that latch is no longer required the latch may be removed from its operative position without leaving any permanent damage to the parts of the equipment to which it had been attached.

Claims (8)

1. A latch comprising a pair of cooperating parts each adhesively attachable to ones of a door or drawer and a surface theradjacent respectively, one said part having a resilient prong in use extending toward the other said part the free end of the prong being enlarged to form a head and the other part having a protruding stud formed thereon, the arangement being such that when the door or drawer is being closed the head cammingly engages and rides over the stud and, when the door is closed, the head is biassed by the resilient prong into a latch position in which surfaces of the head and stud abut and prevent opening of the door or drawer.

2. A latch according to Claim 1, in which the head is arranged to cammingly engage and ride over a side surface of the stud as the drawer or door is closed such that the head is moved, and the resilient prong flexes, in a plane parallel to the surface on which said one part is adhesively attached.

3. A latch according to Claim 1 or Claim 2, wherein the parts of a latch are of moulded plastics material.

4. A latch according to any of the preceding Claims, wherein the parts of the latch are fixed to the door or drawer and adjacent surface respectively by double-sided adhesive tape.

5. A latch according to any one of the preceding Claims, wherein the head has the form of an arrow or part of an arrow shape.

6. A latch according to any one of the preceding Claims, wherein the stud has the form of an arrow or part of an arrow shape conforming to the shape of the head on the end of the prong.

7. A latch according to any one of the preceding Claims, wherein the surfaces of the head and stud which cooperate to latch the door or drawer are recessed.

8. A latch according to any one of the preceding Claims and substantially as herein described.