Cargo handling apparatus

Claim 1

IN A CARGO STORAGE AREA HAVING AN ELONGATED CARGO SPACE DEFINED IN PART BY TWO SIDE STRUCTURES; THE IMPROVEMENT COMPRISING GUIDEWAYS EXTENDING LONGITUDINALLY WITHIN THE CARGO SPACE ALONG THE SIDE STRUCTURE; A SERIES OF CARGO CARRIERS ADAPTED TO BE SLIDABLY SUPPORTED IN ENDTO-END RELATION ON SAID GUIDEWAYS FOR LONGITUDINAL MOVEMENT THEREALONG; EACH CARRIER HAVING A RETRACTABLE LATCH, AND AT LEAST ONE OF THE SIDE WALLS HAVING A COOPERATING KEEPER; EACH LATCH BEING PROVIDED WITH AN OPERATOR WHICH EXTENDS LONGITUDINALLY OF THE CARRIER; EACH OPERATOR HAVING OPPOSITE END PORTIONS WHICH NORMALLY PROJECT BEYOND THE FRONT AND REAR LIMITS OF THE CARRIER SO THAT A LONGITUDINAL ACTUATING FORCE ON EITHER END PORTION IS EFFECTIVE TO OPERATE THE LATCH; THE OPPOSITE END PORTIONS OF EACH OPERATOR BEING LATERALLY OFFSET ON OPPOSITE SIDES OF A LONGITUDINAL LINE TAKEN THROUGH THE CARRIER SO THAT ADJACENT END PORTIONS OF THE OPERATORS ON DIFFERENT CARRIERS ARE PREVENTED FROM STRIKING ONE ANOTHER.