Fin latch assembly

Claim 1

AN IMPROVED MOUNTING DEVICE FOR ATTACHING A CONTROL FIN TO A MISSILE AND WHICH WILL RELEASE SAID CONTROL FIN WHEN A KEY IS INSERTED THEREIN TO ALLOW SAID CONTROL FIN TO BE DETACHED FROM SAID MISSILE COMPRISING, A TUBULAR CONTROL RECEPTACLE HAVING OPEN AND CLOSED ENDS AND A HOLE THEREBETWEEN MOUNTED IN SAID MISSILE WITH SAID OPEN END ADJACENT THE OUTER SURFACE OF SAID MISSILE, A PIN AFFIXED TO THE INTERIOR OF SAID RECEPTACLE ADJACENT SAID CLOSED END AND TRANSVERSE TO THE LONGITUDINAL AXIS OF SAID RECEPTACLE, A COMPRESSION SPRING RETAINED WITHIN SAID RECEPTACLE BETWEEN SAID PIN AND SAID CLOSED END, A GUIDE SLOT ON THE INNER SURFACE OF SAID RECEPTACLE AND EXTENDING FROM SAID OPEN END TO SAID HOLE, A SHAFT RECEIVABLE IN SAID RECEPTABLE MOUNTED ON SAID CONTROL FIN AND HAVING A DIAMETRICALLY EXTENDING SLOT ON THE END THEREOF, A TRANSVERSE BORE IN SAID SHAFT, A PLUNGER HAVING A TAPERED END MOVABLE IN SAID SHAFT BETWEEN LOCKED AND UNLOCKED POSITIONS, AND BIAS MEANS RETAINED WITHIN SAID BORE FOR BIASING SAID PLUNGER OUTWARDLY INTO SAID LOCKED POSITION, SAID PLUNGER BEIFNG MOVED TO SAID UNLOCKED POSITION BY INSERTION OF SAID KEY IN SAID GUIDE SLOT, SAID PLUNGER AND SAID DIAMETRICALLY EXTENDING SLOT POSITIONED ON SAID SHAFT TO BE REGISTERABLE WITH SAID GUIDE SLOT AND SAID PIN, RESPECTIVELY, AS SAID SHAFT IS INSERTED IN SAID RECEPTACLE WHEREBY SAID SHAFT WILL DEPRESS SAID SPRING AND SAID PIN WILL ENTER SAID DIAMETRICALLY EXTENDING SLOT ASSURING SIMULTANEOUS ROTATION OF SAID SHAFT AND SAID RECEPTACLE.