Fastening device

Claim 1

IN A CATCH FOR RELEASABLY SECURING TOGETHER TWO SEPARABLE PANELS OR THE LIKE, THE COMBINATION COMPRISING A BASE ADAPTED FOR CONNECTING WITH ONE OF SAID PANELS, ON OPERATING LEVER CONNECTED WITH SAID BASE AND HAVING ONE END MOVABLE BETWEEN RAISED AND LOWERED POSITIONS RELATIVE TO SAID BASE TO RESPECTIVELY OPEN AND CLOSE SAID CATCH, A CONTROL LEVER CONNECTED WITH SAID OPERATING LEVER FOR PURELY PIVOTAL MOVEMENT RELATIVE TO SAID OPERATING LEVER ABOUT A TRANSVERSE PIVOTAL AXIS FIXED RELATIVE TO SAID OPERATING LEVER, SAID CONTROL LEVER INCLUDING A MANUALLY ENGAGEABLE PORTION AT SAID ONE END OF SAID OPERATING LEVER, STOP MEANS LIMITING SAID CONTROL LEVER TO MOVEMENT BETWEEN FIRST AND SECOND END LIMITS RELATIVE TO SAID OPERATING LEVER, AN ABUTMENT FIXED RELATIVE TO SAID BASE, A LATCH MEMBER CONNECTED WITH SAID OPERATING LEVER FOR PURELY PIVOTAL MOVEMENT ABOUT SAID TRANSVERSE PIVOT AXIS AND HAVING A PART MOVABLE INTO AND OUT OF LATCHING RELATIONSHIP WITH SAID ABUTMENT IN RESPONSE TO SUCH PIVOTAL MOVEMENT WHEN SAID ONE END OF SAID OPERATING LEVER IS IN ITS LOWERED POSITION, MEANS FOR BIASING SAID LATCH MEMBER TOWARD LATCHING RELATIONSHIP WITH SAID ABUTMENT, AND MEANS ON SAID CONTROL LEVER FOR ENGAGING SAID LATCH MEMBER AND MOVING THE LATTER OUT OF LATCHING RELATIONSHIP WITH SAID ABUTMENT IN RESPONSE TO MOVEMENT OF SAID CONTROL LEVER RELATIVE TO SAID OPERATING LEVER IN THE DIRECTION RESULTING FROM A MANUAL FORCE APPLIED TO SAID MANUALLY ENGAGEABLE PORTION THEREOF IN THE SAME GENERAL DIRECTION AS THE FORCE REQUIRED TO MOVES SAID ONE END OF SAID OPERATING LEVER TO ITS RAISED POSITION, SAID STOP MEANS BEING SO ARRANGED THAT SAID CONTROL LEVER REACHES ONE OF SAID END LIMITS OF ITS MOVEMENT SHORTLY AFTER SAID LATCH MEMBER IS MOVED OUT OF LATCHING RELATIONSHIP WITH SAID ABUTMENT WITH THE RESULT THAT THE MANUAL FORCE APPLIED THERETO IS THEREAFTER TRANSFERRED TO SAID OPERATING LEVER TO TEND TO RAISE SAID ONE END THEREOF.