초록 ▼

A latch, lock and hinge system having components that are well suited for use with closures such as tonneau covers that close the upwardly opening rear cargo compartments of pickup trucks and the like, includes rotary latch assemblies that are mounted on hinges for releasably engaging latch strikers

A latch, lock and hinge system having components that are well suited for use with closures such as tonneau covers that close the upwardly opening rear cargo compartments of pickup trucks and the like, includes rotary latch assemblies that are mounted on hinges for releasably engaging latch strikers to provide cover mounting connections that permit the cover both to pivot between open and closed positions, and to be removed when desired. The hinges have pivotally connected arms that are biased to hold the hinge-carried latches adjacent the cover when the cover is removed. Also included are other rotary latch assemblies that are connected by flexible cables to a latch operator assembly having an elongate housing that defines near its opposite ends a pair of recesses wherein latch operators are nested that can be concurrently moved toward each other by the fingers of one hand to unlatch and pivot open the cover. The latch operator assembly is lockable to prevent the cover from being opened and/or removed.

대표청구항 ▼

1. A set of rotary latch assemblies for being connected to a cargo compartment closure of a vehicle for at least assisting to hold the closure in a closed position, comprising:a) first and second rotary latch assemblies for being connected to first and second hinges, respectively, wherein: i) the fi

1. A set of rotary latch assemblies for being connected to a cargo compartment closure of a vehicle for at least assisting to hold the closure in a closed position, comprising:a) first and second rotary latch assemblies for being connected to first and second hinges, respectively, wherein: i) the first and second hinges are connected to first and second spaced-apart regions of the closure, respectively; ii) the first and second hinges cooperate to pivot the closure about a common pivot axis for movement relative to the cargo compartment between an open position and the closed position; and, iii) the first and second rotary latch assemblies are engageable, when the closure is in the closed position, with first and second latch strikers, respectively, that are connected to the vehicle; b) third and fourth rotary latch assemblies for being connected to the closure at third and fourth spaced-apart regions of the closure, respectively, wherein the third and fourth rotary latch assemblies are engageable, when the closure is in the closed position, with third and fourth latch strikers, respectively, that are connected to the vehicle; c) wherein each of the first, second, third and fourth rotary latch assemblies includes: i) a housing that defines a notch for receiving an associated one of the first, second, third and fourth latch strikers; ii) a latch bolt connected to the housing for rotation between A) a latched position wherein a notch defined by the bolt cooperates with the notch defined by the housing to latchingly engage said associated one of the first, second, third and fourth latch strikers, and B) an unlatched position wherein said associated one of the first, second, third and fourth latch strikers can be moved into and out of receiving engagement with the notch defined by the housing; and, iii) means for retaining the latch bolt in the latched position once the latch bolt is rotated to the latched position, and for being operated to release the latch bolt to permit the latch bolt to rotate away from the latched position toward the unlatched position.