Quick acting hook

Claim 1

HOOK APPARATUS ADAPTED TO BE SUSPENDED FROM ABOVE AND COMPRISING: A U-SHAPED BODY PORTION HAVING UPPER AND LOWER LEGS AND AN INTERCONNECTING ARCUATE WEB, SUSPENSION-RECEIVING MEANS PROVIDED ON SAID UPPER LEG IN POSITION FOR CAUSING SAID SUSPENSION TO DISPOSE THE BODY PORTION WITH THE U-OPENING FACING SUBSTANTIALLY LATERALLY OUTWARDLY, HANDLE MEANS CARRIED BY SAID WEB AND EXTENDING LATERALLY OUTWARDLY OF THE WEB IN A DIRECTION OPPOSITE TO SAID U-OPENING, A U-SHAPED LATCH AND CATCH ASSEMBLY INTEGRALLY FORMED OF A CATCH ARM, AN ARCUATE LATCH ARM AND AN INTERCONNECTING ARCUATE WEB, MEANS CARRIED BY SAID LOWER LEG OF THE BODY PORTION FOR PIVOTALLY CARRYING SAID LATCH AND CATCH ASSEMBLY ON A HORIZONTAL AXIS, SAID AXIS EXTENDING THROUGH SAID ASSEMBLY WEB AND BEING OFFSET OUTWARDLY OF SAID ASSEMBLY WEB CENTER TOWARD SAID U OPENING, SAID ASSEMBLY BEING MOUNTED IN POSITION FOR SWINGING OUTWARDLY FROM A CLOSED POSITION, WHEREIN SAID ARCUATE LATCH ARM ABUTS SAID ARCUATE BODY PORTION WEB AND SAID CATCH ARM TRAVERSES SAID U-OPENING OF THE BODY PORTION, INTO AN OPEN POSITION WHEREIN SAID UOPENING IS EXPOSED, HOOK DETENT MEANS CARRIED AT THE OUTER END OF THE UPPER LEG OF THE BODY PORTION FOR ENGAGING THE LATCH ARM IN SAID OPEN POSITION WHEREBY SAID OUTWARD SWINGING MOVEMENT OF THE LATCH ARM IS LIMITED, RESILIENT MEANS NORMALLY URGING SAID LATCH AND CATCH ASSEMBLY INTO SAID OPEN POSITION, RETRACTABLE PLUNGER MEANS CARRIED AT THE OUTER END OF SAID CATCH ARM FOR ENGAGING SAID HOOK DETENT MEANS WHEN SAID CATCH ARM IS IN SAIDCLOSED POSITION, MEANS RESILIENTLY URGING SAID PLUNGER MEANS OUTWARDLY OF SAID CATCH ARM, AND MEANS OPERABLE FROM A REMOTE POSITION FOR MANUALLY RETRACTING SAID PLUNGER, SAID PLUNGER HAVING A CAM SURFACE ADAPTED TO ENGAGE THE OUTER END OF SAID UPPER LEG DURING A CLOSING MOVEMENT OF SAID LATCH AND CATCH ASSEMBLY, SAID ENGAGEMENT DEPRESSING SAID PLUNGER FOR PERMITTING THE PLUNGER TO MOVE PAST SAID OUTER END INTO A RESILIENTLYHELD ENGAGEMENT WITH SAID DETENT MEANS, WHEREBY SAID CATCH ARM AUTOMATICALLY CLOSES AND INTERLOCKS.