초록 ▼

A latch assembly for a movable closure, which latch assembly has a housing having a front and rear and a wall with a forwardly facing surface, and an actuating assembly that is changeable between first and second states. The actuating assembly has an actuator element that is operable to selectively

A latch assembly for a movable closure, which latch assembly has a housing having a front and rear and a wall with a forwardly facing surface, and an actuating assembly that is changeable between first and second states. The actuating assembly has an actuator element that is operable to selectively change the actuating assembly from the first state into the second state. The housing wall has an opening therethrough to allow the actuating assembly to extend from forwardly of the housing wall through the housing wall opening to rearwardly of the housing wall and reposition a latch element at the rear of the housing as an incident of the actuating assembly changing from the first state into the second state. The actuating assembly has a wall disposed in front of the housing wall that fully blocks the housing opening as viewed from the front of the housing.

대표청구항 ▼

[ I claim:] [1.] A latch assembly for a movable closure, the latch assembly comprising:a housing having a front, a rear, and a wall with a forwardly facing surface; andan actuating assembly that is changeable between first and second states,the actuating assembly including an actuator element that i

[ I claim:] [1.] A latch assembly for a movable closure, the latch assembly comprising:a housing having a front, a rear, and a wall with a forwardly facing surface; andan actuating assembly that is changeable between first and second states,the actuating assembly including an actuator element that is operable to selectively change the actuating assembly from the first state into the second state,the housing wall having an opening therethrough to allow the actuating assembly to extend from forwardly of the housing wall through the housing wall opening to rearwardly of the housing wall and reposition a latch element at the rear of the housing as an incident of the actuating assembly changing from the first state into the second state,the actuating assembly comprising a first wall disposed in front of the housing wall that fully blocks the housing opening as viewed from the front of the housing,wherein the actuator element comprises a hand operable paddle that is pivotably connected to the housing for movement around an axis between first and second positions to change the actuating assembly from the first state into the second state,wherein the paddle defines the first wall and has a peripheral edge as viewed from the front of the latch assembly and spaced edge portions spaced from each other by a first distance along a line that is substantially orthogonal to the axis,the first wall having a rearwardly facing surface,said actuator element comprising a cantilevered post which projects rearwardly from the first wall at a location spaced from each of the edge portions by a distance at least equal to 1/4 of said first distance,the cantilevered post being oriented to project in a direction generally perpendicular to the first wall,there being a space between the peripheral edge of the paddle and the housing so that fingers on a user's hand can move rearwardly into the space and engage the rearwardly facing surface on the first wall to draw a part of the paddle forwardly to pivot the paddle from the first position into the second position,said cantileverd post being fixedly connected to the first wall,said latch assembly further comprising a latch element that is movable between a latched position and a released position,said cantilevered post driving the latch element from one of the latched and released positions into the other of the latched and released positions as an incident of the paddle moving from the first position into the second position.