Latch and lock mechanism

Claim 1

A LATCH MECHANISM FOR RELEASABLY SECURING TOGETHER SEPARABLE PARTS OF A RECEPTACLE ADJACENT A LINE OF SEPARATION ALONG COPLANAR FRONT SURFACES OF THE PARTS COMPRISING: A MOUNTING BASE MEMBER ADAPTED TO BE AFFIXED TO ONE OF SAID FRONT SURFACES HAVING A FRONT WALL SPACED FROM THE ASSOCIATED FRONT SURFACE AND IN PARALLELISM THEREWITH, AN ELONGATED LATCHING MEMBER FORMING A REARWARDLY OPENING COVER FOR SAID BASE MEMBER DISPOSED WITH ITS LONGITUDINAL AXIS IN PARALLELISM WITH SAID LINE OF SEPARATION, SAID LATCHING MEMBER HAVING A LENGTH TO ACCOMMODATE MOVEMENT OF SAID LATCHING MEMBER ALONG SAID AXIS RELATIVE TO SAID BASE MEMBER FROM A LATCHING POSITION TO A RELEASE POSITION AND A WIDTH TRANSVERSELY OF SAID AXIS TO LAP OVER A PORTION OF THE FRONT SURFACE OF THE OTHER RECEPTACLE PART WHEN THE RECEPTACLE PARTS ARE IN CLOSED CONDITION, MEANS MOUNTING SAID LATCHING MEMBER ON SAID BASE MEMBER FOR RECTILINEAR RECIPROCATIVE MOVEMENT ALONG SAID LONGITUDINAL AXIS, SAID LATCHING MEMBER INCLUDING A LATCHING TONGUE OF HOOK-SHAPED CONFIGURATION EXTENDING ACROSS SAID LINE OF SEPARATION TO OVERLIE THE FRONT SURFACE OF THE OTHER RECEPTACLE PART, AND A HOLLOW ELONGATED KEEPER MEMBER HAVING A LENGTH CORRESPONDING TO THE LONGITUDINAL DIMENSION OF SAID LATCHING MEMBER ADAPTED TO BE AFFIXED TO THE FRONT SURFACE OF THE OTHER RECEPTACLE PART ADJACENT SAID LINE OF SEPARATION TO UNDERLIE SAID LATCHING MEMBER WHEN THE LATTER IS IN SAID LATCHING POSITION IN SUBSTANTIAL REGISTRY WITH THE PORTION OF THE LATCHING MEMBER OVERLAPPING SAID OTHER RECEPTACLE PART, SAID KEEPER MEMBER HAVING AN INTERLOCK SLOT OPENING TOWARD SAID BASE MEMBER TO ACCOMMODATE INSERTION AND WITHDRAWAL OF SAID LATCHING TONGUE THERETHROUGH WHEN SAID LATCHING MEMBER IS IN SAID RELEASE POSITION, LONGITUDINAL MOVEMENT OF SAID LATCHING MEMBER FROM SAID RELEASE POSITION TO SAID LATCHING POSITION BEING OPERATIVE TO INTERLOCK THE NOSE PORTION OF SAID LATCHING TONGUE WITH PORTIONS OF SAID KEEPER MEMBER BOUNDING SAID INTERLOCK SLOT.