Latch mechanism

• US 10,549,793 B2
• Filed: 12/18/2015
• Issued: 02/04/2020
• Est. Priority Date: 12/31/2014
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Club Car Incorporated
• Original Assignee: Club Car Incorporated
• Inventors: Huston, Steven Paul, Long, Dean Jayson
• Primary Examiner(s): Mitchell, Katherine W
• Assistant Examiner(s): Massad, Abe
• Application Number:
  US14/974,907
• Publication Number:
  US 20160185397A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,509 Days
• CPC Class Codes: B62D 33/037 Latching means therefor
• CPC Class Codes: E05B 63/248 the striker being movable for latching, and pushed back by a member on the wing for unlatching, or vice versa
• CPC Class Codes: E05B 83/16 Locks for luggage compartments, car boot lids or car bonnets
• CPC Class Codes: E05B 85/18 a longitudinal grip part being pivoted about an axis parallel to the longitudinal axis of the grip part
• CPC Class Codes: E05C 3/12 with latching action devices in which the securing part is formed or merely carried by a spring and moves only by distortion of the spring, e.g. snaps, E05C19/06; tilt-plate latches E05C19/007

Abstract

A latch mechanism for releasably securing a hinged gate to one or more latches. The latch mechanism includes a handle that is pivotally connected to a gate wall. The handle includes at least one retention arm that lockingly engages a latch when the hinged gate is in a latched position. According to certain embodiments, the handle includes a retention arm at both ends of the handle, with the handle extending generally along the length of the gate wall. Further, the handle may be pivotally displaced about the retention arm(s) so that the handle is displaced from the first position to a second position. As the handle is pivotally displaced to the second position, a release mechanism of the handle may engage and pivotally displace the adjacent latch so that the retention arm may be released from the locking engagement with the latch.

Claims

1. A latch mechanism comprising:

a latch having a head which includes a tip portion and an engagement portion, the engagement portion generally defining a recess;

a handle having at least one retention arm and at least one release mechanism, the handle configured for pivotal displacement between a first position and a second position, at least a portion of the at least one retention arm adapted to be received within the recess when the handle is in the first position and to be removable from the recess at least when the handle is in the second position, the at least one release mechanism having a rounded exterior and which is separated from the at least one retention arm by an elongated neck where the elongated neck is thinner than the rounded exterior to form a head and neck configuration, the at least one release mechanism configured to engage the tip portion to pivotally displace the latch as the handle is pivotally displaced toward the second position, the elongated neck of the at least one release mechanism providing an offset of the rounded exterior from the at least one retention arm to permit the tip portion of the latch to be nested between the at least one retention arm and the rounded exterior of the release mechanism and to provide an offset for lever action of the latch relative to a hinge of the latch;

a tailgate having a front wall and a rear wall that extend between a first opposing end and a second opposing end of the tailgate, the tailgate structured to retain the handle and provide a pivot support for the pivotal displacement of the handle, the tailgate further including a protected recess between the front wall and the rear wall between which the entirety of the head of the latch resides when the at least one release mechanism engages the tip portion of the latch; and

a side cover connected to the first opposing end of the tailgate and structured to extend between the front wall and rear wall, the side cover including an orifice through which the retention arm is slidably inserted, and a guide slot through which the release mechanism is slidably guided.

2. The latch mechanism of claim 1, further including a latch biasing member configured to bias at least a portion of the engagement portion against the at least one retention arm.

3. The latch mechanism of claim 1, wherein the handle is configured to be pivotally displaced between the first position and the second position about at least a portion of the at least one retention arm.

4. The latch mechanism of claim 3, wherein the at least one retention arm is a portion of a pin that extends through a portion of the handle, and that the handle is pivotally displaced between the first position and the second position about the pin.

5. The latch mechanism of claim 1, wherein the release mechanism and the handle are part of the same monolithic structure.

6. The latch mechanism of claim 1, wherein the at least one retention arm comprises a first retention arm and a second retention arm, and wherein the at least one release mechanism comprises a first release mechanism and a second release mechanism, the first retention arm and the first release mechanism being positioned about a first end of the handle, and the second retention arm and the second release mechanism being positioned about a second end of the handle.

7. The latch mechanism of claim 6, wherein the handle further includes a biasing member, the biasing member configured to provide a biasing force to bias the handle toward the first position.

8. A latch mechanism comprising:

a latching assembly which includes a latch and a spring used to bias the latch, the latch having a tip portion and an engagement portion, the engagement portion generally defining a recess;

a handle having at least one retention arm and at least one release mechanism, the handle configured for pivotal displacement between a first position and a second position, at least a portion of the at least one retention arm adapted to be received within the recess when the handle is in the first position and to be removable from the recess at least when the handle is in the second position, the at least one release mechanism having a curved head which extends from a neck portion coupled between the at least one retention arm and the at least one release mechanism and in which the curved head extends beyond lateral sides of the neck, the at least one release mechanism configured to engage the tip portion to pivotally displace the latch as the handle is pivotally displaced toward the second position, the neck portion providing an offset structured to permit the tip portion to be nested between the curved head and the at least one retention arm and providing an offset to permit a lever action of the latch relative to a hinge of the latch;

a tailgate having a top and a bottom and structured to pivot about a tailgate pivot, the tailgate also having a front wall and a rear wall that extend between opposing lateral sides, the tailgate structured to retain the handle; and

a side cover connected to one of the opposing lateral sides of the tailgate and structured to extend between the front wall and rear wall, the side cover including a guide slot through which the release mechanism is slidably guided;

wherein the spring of the latching assembly extends a distance less than half way between the engagement portion and the tailgate pivot.

9. The latch mechanism of claim 8, wherein the spring is configured to bias at least a portion of the engagement portion against the at least one retention arm.

10. The latch mechanism of claim 8, wherein the handle is configured to be pivotally displaced between the first position and the second position about at least a portion of the at least one retention arm.

11. The latch mechanism of claim 10, wherein the at least one retention arm is a portion of a pin that extends through a portion of the handle, and that the handle is pivotally displaced between the first position and the second position about the pin.

12. The latch mechanism of claim 8, wherein the release mechanism and the handle are part of the same monolithic structure.

13. The latch mechanism of claim 8, wherein the at least one retention arm comprises a first retention arm and a second retention arm, and wherein the at least one release mechanism comprises a first release mechanism and a second release mechanism, the first retention arm and the first release mechanism being positioned about a first end of the handle, and the second retention arm and the second release mechanism being positioned about a second end of the handle.

14. The latch mechanism of claim 8, wherein the handle further includes a biasing member, the biasing member configured to provide a biasing force to bias the handle toward the first position.