Latch assembly for tackle boxes and the like

Claim 1

A LATCH ASSEMBLY FOR RELEASABLY FASTENING A COVER HINGED ON A CONTAINER HAVING SIDE WALLS COMPRISING, A CATCH MEMBER FIXED ON SAID COVER COMPRISING A HOOKSHAPED FIRST CATCH FACING OUTWARDLY AWAY FROM SAID BOX AND HAVING A SURFACE DISPOSED SPACED FROM SAID CATCH AND BEVELED DOWNWARDLY IN A DIRECTION TOWARD SAID COVER, A LATCH COMBINATION MOUNTED ON A SIDE WALL COMPRISING A PIVOTALLY MOUNTED MAIN BAIL SECOND CATCH OPERABLE TO A LOWERED POSITION ENGAGING SAID BEVELED SURFACE TO FASTEN SAID COVER AND TO A RAISED POSITION DISENGAGED FROM SAID FIRST CATCH AND CLEAR THEREOF TO PERMIT UPWARD MOVEMENT OF SAID COVER TO AT LEAST A PARTIALLY OPENED POSITION, A STRIKE MEMBER MOUNTED ON SAID SIDE WALL OF SAID CONTAINER HAVING A DEFLECTABLE, FLEXIBLE PORTION CAPABLE OF SELF-RESTORATION PROVIDED WITH AN OPENING FOR RECEIVING SAID FIRST CATCH AND A STRIKE PART BIASED IN A DIRECTION FOR AUTOMATICALLY POSITIONING IT TRANSVERSELY OF THE PATH OF TRAVEL DEFINED BY SAID FIRST CATCH FOR ENGAGEMENT BY SAID FIRST CATCH AND DEFLECTABLE BY SAID FIRST CATCH AWAY FROM SAID WALL AS SAID COVER IS CLOSED AND AUTOMATICALLY RESTORABLE TO SAID POSITION IN SAID PATH OF TRAVEL FOR RELEASABLY ENGAGING SAID FIRST CATCH WHEN SAID COVER IS IN A CLOSED POSITION, A FINGER-OPERATED LIFT MEMBER PIVOTALLY MOUNTED FOR PIVOTAL MOVEMENT TOWARD AND AWAY FROM SAID SIDE WALL PIVOTALLY MOUNTING SAID SECOND CATCH THEREON FORMING A TOGGLE COMBINATION THEREWITH AND OPERABLE PIVOTALLY, SELECTIVELY TO A LOWERED POSITION FOR OPERATING SAID SECOND CATCH TO SAID LOWERED POSITION ENGAGING SAID BEVELED SURFACE THEREBY TO FASTEN SAID COVER AND OPERABLE TO A RAISED POSITION FOR OPERATING SAID SECOND CATCH TO SAID RAISED DISENGAGED POSITION CLEAR OF SAID BEVELED SURFACE RELEASING SAID CATCH MEMBER, MEANS PIVOTALLY MOUNTING SAID SECOND CATCH ON SAID LIFT MEMBER TO ALLOW MOVEMENT OF SAID SECOND CATCH IN A DIRECTION TOWARD SAID BOX AND AWAY THEREFROM WHEN SAID FINGER-OPERATED MEMBER IS IN ITS RAISED AND LOWERED POSITIONS RESPECTIVELY THEREBY TO CAUSE ENGAGEMENT AND DISENGAGEMENT OF SAID SECOND CATCH WITH SAID CATCH MEMBER AS SAID LIFT MEMBER IS LOWERED AND RAISED, SAID LIFT MEMBER HAVING MEANS EFFECTIVE AUTOMATICALLY IN THE RAISED POSITION OF SAID MEMBER FOR CAMMING SAID STRIKE PART OF SAID FLEXIBLE PORTION OF SAID STRIKE MEMBER IN A DIRECTION AWAY FROM SAID SIDE WALL AND CLEAR OF SAID PATH OF TRAVEL OF SAID FIRST CATCH TO ALLOW MOVEMENT OF SAID COVER TO A COMPLETELY OPENED POSITION, AND MEANS ON SAID LIFT MEMBER EFFECTIVE TO LIMIT THE EXTENT SAID STRIKE MEMBER IS CAMMED AWAY FROM SAID SIDE WALL AND THE EXTENT SAID LIFT MEMBER IS RAISABLE.