Latching Mechanism

• US 20120213576A1
• Filed: 04/30/2012
• Published: 08/23/2012
• Est. Priority Date: 07/31/2009
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Jean Jacques Jaouen
• Original Assignee: Jean Jacques Jaouen
• Inventors: Jaouen, Jean Jacques
• Granted Patent: US 8,636,439 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 403/321
• CPC Class Codes: B65D 83/0038 moved by a spring-like mechanism B65D83/005, B65D83/0817, B65D83/0858 take precedence
• CPC Class Codes: Y10T 29/49826 Assembling or joining
• CPC Class Codes: Y10T 403/59 Manually releaseable latch type
• CPC Class Codes: Y10T 403/593 Remotely actuated

Abstract

A latching mechanism includes a pusher member formed with an internal ring and being attached to a first object. A center post formed with a relief groove is secured to a release button and is connected to a second object. A slidable sleeve biased upwardly surrounds the center post and carries a pair of detent balls in a position to be alignable with the relief groove. The internal ring of the pusher member pushes the detent balls downwardly until the detent balls become aligned with the relief groove allowing the internal ring pass below the detent balls and thus latch the first and second objects together. Release is attained by pressing the release button to raise the center post into alignment with the detent balls to allow the internal ring to move past the detent balls and affect a release of the latching mechanism.

Claims

1. A latching mechanism for detachably connecting two objects, comprising:

a base member mounted with a first object;

an upright center post projecting upwardly from said base member and being formed with a head and a relief groove below said head;

a slidable sleeve surrounding said center post and being vertically movable relative to said center post, said sleeve being biased into an uppermost position by a compression spring and being movable into a lowermost position by compressing said compression spring; and

at least one detent ball carried by said sleeve and being laterally movable between an outward lock position when aligned with said head of said center post and an inward release position when aligned with said relief groove.

2. The latching mechanism of claim 1 further comprising:

a pusher member being secured to a second object and being formed with an internal ring that is engagable with said at least one detent ball when in said outward lock position, said pusher member being sized to pass over said slidable sleeve.

3. The latching mechanism of claim 2 further comprising a release button coupled to said center post to move said center post relative to said sleeve when said release button is depressed.

4. The latching mechanism of claim 3 wherein the depressing of said release button moves said center post upwardly to align said relief groove with said at least one detent ball so that said at least one detent ball can be moved into said relief groove to allow said internal ring to move past said at least one detent ball.

5. The latching mechanism of claim 4 wherein said pusher member is cylindrical and said slidable sleeve carries a pair of detent balls movable between said outward lock position and said inward release position.

6. The latching mechanism of claim 5 wherein the positioning of said internal ring of said pusher member below said detent balls while said detent balls are aligned with the head of said center post orients said latching mechanism into a locked position.

7. The latching mechanism of claim 6 further comprising an ejection spring carried by said pusher member to be compressed when said pusher member is in said locked position.

8. The latching mechanism of claim 6 wherein said base member includes a retainer cooperable with said slidable sleeve to limit upward movement of said sleeve to said upper most position, said retainer further capturing said compression spring between said sleeve and said release button.

9. The latching mechanism of claim 8 wherein the depression of said release button compresses said compression spring against said sleeve.

10. A method of detachably connecting two objects together, comprising the steps of:

mounting a base member to a first object;

providing a latching mechanism having a an upright center post projecting upwardly from said base member and being formed with a head and a relief groove below said head, a slidable sleeve surrounding said center post and being vertically movable relative to said center post, said sleeve being biased into an uppermost position by a compression spring and being movable into a lowermost position by compressing said compression spring, and at least one detent ball carried by said sleeve and being laterally movable between an outward lock position when aligned with said head of said center post and an inward release position when aligned with said relief groove;

securing a pusher member to a second object, said pusher member having an internal ring that is engagable with said at least one detent ball when in said outward lock position, said pusher member being sized to pass over said slidable sleeve;

pressing said internal ring of said pusher member against said at least one detent ball and compressing said compression spring until said at least one detent ball is aligned with said relief groove in said center post;

moving said at least one detent ball into said relief groove as said pressing step continues;

passing said internal ring past said at least one detent ball to allow said compression spring to force said at least one detent ball out of said relief groove and to move said sleeve back into said uppermost position; and

trapping said internal ring in a locked position beneath said at least one detent ball by the movement of said at least one detent ball into a bypass groove in said pusher member while said sleeve is in said uppermost position.

11. The method of claim 10 wherein said center post is coupled to a release button, said compression spring being trapped between said release button and said slidable sleeve, said method further comprising the steps of:

depressing said release button to allow said internal ring to return past said at least one detent ball to permit said pusher member to be separated from latching mechanism.

12. The method of claim 11 wherein said depressing step includes the steps of:

moving said center post along said sleeve until said relief groove is aligned with said at least one detent ball; and

sliding said pusher member along said sleeve so that said internal ring laterally moves said at least one detent ball into said relief groove on said center post, whereby said internal ring is clear to return past said at least one detent ball.

13. The method of claim 12 wherein said pressing step includes the step of compressing an ejection spring beneath said internal ring, said sliding step being accomplished by the decompression of said ejection spring to bias said pusher member away from said base member.

14. The method of claim 13 wherein said depressing step compresses said compression spring against said sleeve.

15. A latching mechanism for detachably connecting two objects, comprising:

a base member mounted with a first object, said base member including a retainer;

an upright center post projecting upwardly from said base member and being formed with a head and a relief groove below said head;

a release button coupled to said center post;

a slidable sleeve surrounding said center post and being vertically movable relative to said center post, said sleeve being biased into an uppermost position by a compression spring captured by said retainer between said sleeve and said release button, said sleeve being movable into a lowermost position by compressing said compression spring;

a pair of detent balls carried by said sleeve and being laterally movable between an outward lock position when aligned with said head of said center post and an inward release position when aligned with said relief groove;

a pusher member being secured to a second object and being formed with an internal ring that is engagable with said detent balls when in said outward lock position, said pusher member being sized to surround said slidable sleeve.

16. The latching mechanism of claim 15 wherein the depressing of said release button moves said center post upwardly to align said relief groove with said detent balls so that said detent balls can be moved into said relief groove to allow said internal ring to move past said detent balls.

17. The latching mechanism of claim 16 wherein said pusher member is cylindrical, the positioning of said internal ring of said pusher member below said detent balls while said detent balls are aligned with the head of said center post orients said latching mechanism into a locked position.

18. The latching mechanism of claim 17 further comprising an ejection spring carried by said pusher member to be compressed when said pusher member is in said locked position.