Latch mechanism

Claim 1

A LATCH MECHANISM COMPRISING: AN ELONGATED HOUSING SPACED SUPPORT WALL AND SIDE WALLS THEREBETWEEN, SAID SIDE WALLS AT ONE END OF SAID HOUSING BEING CONVERGENT AND BEING ADAPTED TO ACT AS PILOT MEANS FOR GUIDING SAID LATCH MECHANISM INTO LATCHING POSITION RELATIVE TO A KEEPER DEVICE, AN ELONGATED LEVER PIVOTALLY MOUNTED AT ONE OF ITS ENDS AT SAID ONE END OF SAID HOUSING FOR SWINGING MOVEMENT ABOUT A PIVOT AXIS INTERSECTING SAID SUPPORT WALLS, SAID LEVER EXTENDING LONGITUDINALLY OF SAID HOUSING ALONG ONE OF SAID SIDE WALLS, A LATCH ELEMENT PIVOTALLY MOUNTED WITHIN SAID HOUSING BETWEEN SAID ELONGATED LEVER AND THE OTHER OF SAID SIDE WALLS FOR SWINGING MOVEMENT ABOUT A PIVOT AXIS LOCATED INTERMEDIATE THE ENDS OF SAID HOUSING AND PARALLEL TO SAID LEVER PIVOT AXIS. SAID LATCH ELEMENT HAVING A KEEPER ENGAGING PORTIONM AT ONE SIDE THEREOF PROJECTING THROUGH AN APERTURE IN SAID OTHER SIDE WALL OF SAID HOUSING, A DETENT ON SAID ELONGATED LEVER INTERMEDIATE THE ENDS AND ON THE SIDE THEREOF TOWARD SAID OTHER SIDE WALL, AN ABUTMENT ON SAID LATCH ELEMENT ON THE SIDE THEREOF OPPOSITE SAID KEEPER ENGAGING PORTION AND IN OPPOSING RELATION TO SAID DETENT. SPRING MEANS URGING SAID ELONGATED LEVER AND THEREBY SAID DETENT TOWARD SAID OTHER SIDE WALL INTO ABUTTING RELATION TO SAID LATCH ELEMENT ABUTMENT, AND AN OUTER MANUALLY OPERABLE MEANS PIVOTALLY MOUNTED ON ONE OF SAID SUPPORT WALLS AT THE OTHER END OF SAID HOUSING ENGAGEABLE WITH THE OTHER END OF SAID ELONGATED LEVER TO SWING THE SAME AND THEREBY SAID DETENT PORTION OUT OF LATCH ELEMENT HOLDING POSITION.