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1. A latch assembly comprising: a housing, wherein the housing includes a front side and an opposed rear side,wherein the housing includes a receptacle on the front side of the housing, wherein the receptacle includes an aperture,a handle, wherein at least a portion of the handle extends into the receptacle, wherein the handle is operative to move between a retracted position and an extended position with respect to the receptacle,a latching mechanism mounted to the rear side of the housing,a trigger extending through the aperture, wherein the trigger is...
1. A latch assembly comprising: a housing, wherein the housing includes a front side and an opposed rear side,wherein the housing includes a receptacle on the front side of the housing, wherein the receptacle includes an aperture,a handle, wherein at least a portion of the handle extends into the receptacle, wherein the handle is operative to move between a retracted position and an extended position with respect to the receptacle,a latching mechanism mounted to the rear side of the housing,a trigger extending through the aperture, wherein the trigger is in operative connection with the handle on the front side of the housing and with the latching mechanism on the rear side of the housing,wherein the trigger is operative to cause the latching mechanism to operate, responsive at least in part to movement of the handle,a water seal system including: a backing plate, wherein the backing plate includes a slot therethrough;a gasket mounted to the backing plate, wherein the gasket includes a slot therethrough; anda stop surface in operative connection with at least one of the trigger or handle, or any combination thereof,wherein the backing plate and gasket are mounted to the trigger on the front side of the housing such that the trigger extends through the slots of the backing plate and the gasket in an orientation in which an end of the backing plate abuts against the stop surface,wherein the aperture includes a portion that is configured to receive therein a portion of the gasket,wherein movement of the handle from the extended position to the retracted position is operative to cause the stop surface to urge the backing plate to compress the gasket adjacent at least some portions of the receptacle that extend in surrounding relation of the aperture and the gasket portion to extend into the aperture portion. 2. The latch assembly according to claim 1, wherein the gasket is mounted to the backing plate with a pressure sensitive adhesive. 3. The latch assembly according to claim 1, wherein the latch mechanism further includes a spring, wherein the spring is in operative connection with the trigger, wherein the spring is operative to cause the handle to be biased toward the retracted position, and wherein in the retracted position, the stop surface biasingly engages the backing plate along one side edge thereof and biasingly engages the backing plate transversely of the side edge across less than an entire width of the backing plate but more than half of such entire width. 4. The latch assembly according to claim 3, wherein the slot in the backing plate extends in a portion of the backing plate that in the retracted position of the handle is disposed transversely away from the stop surface. 5. The latch assembly according to claim 1, wherein the gasket is comprised of a resilient deformable material, and wherein the slot in the gasket is sized such that the slot in the gasket is deformably engaged with the trigger and extends in surrounding relation of the trigger, and due to the engagement of the gasket with the trigger, the gasket moves with the trigger as the handle moves between the extended and retracted positions. 6. The latch assembly according to claim 5, wherein the deformable material is comprised of neoprene. 7. The latch assembly according to claim 1, wherein the trigger includes an end portion that extends through the slots of the backing plate and the gasket, wherein the trigger includes the stop surface, wherein the stop surface corresponds to a portion of the trigger that extends at an angle that is perpendicular to a direction that the end of the trigger portion extends through the slots of the backing plate and the gasket. 8. The latch assembly according to claim 7, wherein the gasket has a larger width, length, and thickness than the backing plate when the gasket is not in compressed engagement with the portions of the receptacle. 9. A method of providing a water seal system in a latch assembly that comprises a housing, wherein the housing includes a front side and an opposed rear side,wherein the housing includes a receptacle on the front side of the housing, wherein the receptacle includes an aperture,a handle, wherein at least a portion of the handle extends into the receptacle, wherein the handle is operative to move between a retracted position and an extended position with respect to the receptacle,a latching mechanism mounted to the rear side of the housing,a trigger, wherein the trigger is in operative connection with the handle on the front side of the housing,wherein the method comprises:a) sliding a backing plate onto the trigger, such that an end portion of the trigger extends through a slot in the backing plate;b) sliding a deformable gasket onto the trigger, such that the end portion of the trigger extends through a slot in the gasket;c) extending the end portion of the trigger through the aperture and into operative engagement with the latch mechanism on the rear side of the housing, such that the trigger is operative to cause the latch mechanism to operate, responsive at least in part to movement of the handle, wherein the backing plate abuts a stop surface in operative connection with at least one of the trigger or handle, or any combination thereof, wherein the aperture includes a portion that is operative to receive therein a portion of the gasket, wherein movement of the handle from the extended position to the retracted position is operative to cause the stop surface to urge the backing plate to compress the gasket adjacent at least some portions of the receptacle that extend in surrounding relation of the aperture and the gasket portion to extend in the aperture portion. 10. The method according to claim 9, wherein the trigger includes the stop surface, wherein the step of sliding the backing plate onto the trigger includes sliding the backing plate into abutting engagement with the stop surface. 11. The method according to claim 10, wherein in the step of sliding the backing plate onto the trigger, the stop surface corresponds to a portion of the trigger that extends at an angle that is perpendicular to a direction that the end portion of the trigger extends through the slots of the backing plate and the gasket. 12. The method according to claim 9, wherein the gasket includes a pressure sensitive adhesive that is covered with a cover, wherein prior to the step of sliding the gasket onto the trigger, the cover is removed from the gasket; and wherein the step of sliding the gasket onto the trigger includes pressing the gasket against the backing plate to adhesively attach the gasket to the backing plate via the pressure sensitive adhesive. 13. The method according to claim 12, wherein when the gasket is being slid onto the trigger, the gasket has a larger width, length, and thickness than the backing plate when the gasket is not compressed against the portions of the receptacle. 14. The method according to claim 9, wherein in step (b) when the gasket is being slid onto the trigger and after the backing plate has been slid onto the trigger, the gasket slot is deformed in surrounding engaged relation of the trigger such that the gasket and the backing plate move together with the trigger when the handle moves between the extended and retracted positions. 15. The method according to claim 9 wherein in step (c) the stop surface engages the backing plate adjacent an edge thereof, and wherein the stop surface engages more than half but less than an entire width of the backing plate in a direction transverse of the edge, and wherein the backing plate slot extends in the backing plate away from the stop surface in a direction substantially perpendicular to the width of the backing plate. 16. The method according to claim 14, wherein the gasket slid onto the trigger in step (b) is comprised of neoprene. 17. The method according to claim 9, wherein prior to sliding the backing plate onto the trigger in step (a), end portion of the trigger is removed from the aperture, and a previously installed gasket and backing plate are slid off and out of engagement with the trigger. 18. A method of using a water seal system in a latch assembly that comprises a housing, wherein the housing includes a front side and an opposed rear side,wherein the housing include a receptacle on the front side of the housing, wherein the receptacle includes an aperture,a handle, wherein at least a portion of the handle extends into the receptacle, wherein the handle is operative to move between a retracted position and an extended position with respect to the receptacle,a latching mechanism in operative attached connection to the rear side of the housing,a trigger extending through the aperture, wherein the trigger is in operative connection with the handle on the front side of the housing and with the latching mechanism on the rear side of the housing,wherein the trigger is operative to cause the latching mechanism to operate, responsive at least in part to movement of the handle,a spring in operative connection with the trigger, wherein the spring is operative to cause the handle to be biased toward the retracted position,a water seal system including: a backing plate, wherein the backing plate includes a slot therethrough;a gasket mounted to the backing plate, wherein the gasket includes a slot therethrough; anda stop surface in operative connection with at least one of the trigger or handle, or any combination thereof,wherein the backing plate and gasket are mounted to the trigger on the front side of the housing such that the trigger extends through the slots of the backing plate and the gasket in an orientation in which in a retracted position of the handle, the backing plate is in biased abutting engagement with the stop surface, and a portion of the gasket extends into a portion of the aperture,wherein the method comprises: moving the handle from the extended position to the retracted position, and responsive to the moving of the handle to the retracted position, the stop surface is caused to urge the backing plate to compress the gasket against at least some adjacent portions of the receptacle that extend in surrounding relation of the aperture and the gasket portion to extend into the aperture portion. 19. The method according to claim 18, further comprising: moving the handle from the retracted position to the extended position such that the trigger causes the latching mechanism to change from a latched configuration to an unlatched configuration, in which the stop surface ceases to urge the backing plate to compress the gasket against the adjacent portions of the receptacle that extend in surrounding relation of the aperture and ceases causing the gasket portion to extend into the aperture. 20. The method according to claim 18, wherein the latching mechanism includes a rotary latch, wherein moving the handle from the retracted position to the extended position moves the trigger and causes movement of the rotary latch from a latched position to an unlatched position. 21. The latch assembly according to claim 1, wherein the gasket portion extends into the aperture in the retracted position of the handle from the front side toward the rear side and inwardly adjacent the portions that extend in surrounding relation of the aperture against which the gasket is compressed. 22. The latch assembly according to claim 1, wherein the latching mechanism includes a rotary latch, wherein the trigger is operative to cause the rotary latch to rotate from a latched position to an unlatched position. 23. The latch assembly according to claim 22 further comprising a linkage operatively associated with the trigger and the rotary latch, wherein the trigger is configured to operatively engage the linkage to cause the rotary latch to rotate from the latched position to the unlatched position. 24. The latch assembly according to claim 23 further including a spring operatively associated with the trigger and the linkage, wherein the spring is operative to cause the linkage to bias the trigger to move the handle toward the retracted position and cause the backing plate to compress the gasket and cause the gasket to extend into the aperture portion. 25. The latch assembly according to claim 24 wherein the slot of the gasket is offset from a center of the gasket.
