Latch means for step-up mechanism

Claim 1

IN A STEP-UP MECHANISM HAVING A RATCHET WHEEL, A DRIVING PAWL FOR SAID WHEEL AND MEANS FOR ACTUATING SAID PAWL TO ADVANCE SAID WHEEL STEP-BY-STEP, TOGETHER WITH SPRING MEANS ACTING ON THE WHEEL TO RETURN THE SAME FROM ADVANCED TO A STARTING POSITION AND A RELEASABLE HOLDING DOG MEANS COOPERABLE WITH THE WHEEL TO HOLD THE SAME IN ADVANCED POSITION, IMPROVEMENTS COMPRISING, NAMELY: MEANS PIVOTALLY MOUNTING AND YIELDINGLY URGING THE HOLDING DOG IN COOPERATIVE RELATION TO SAID WHEEL FOR MOVEMENT INTO AND OUT OF HOLDING ENGAGEMENT THEREWITH; AN ELECTROMAGNETIC SOLENOID INCLUDING A PLUNGER FOR PIVOTING SAID HOLDING DOG MEANS INTO AND OUT OF HOLDING ENGAGEMENT WITH THE RATCHET WHEEL; A DOG-ACTUATING LEVER CO-PIVOTED WITH SAID HOLDING DOG MEANS AND HAVING AN IMPOSITIVE DRIVING INTERCONNECTION WITH SAID SOLENOID PLUNGER FOR ACTUATION TO OSCILLATE THE SAME ABOUT ITS PIVOTAL AXIS AND COMPRISING AN ACTUATING LEVER HAVING A PART EXTENDING RADIALLY OF SAID AXIS BETWEEN THE LATER AND THE CONNECTION THEREOF WITH SAID PLUNGER, AND SAID DOG MEANS HAVING A PART LIKEWISE EXTENDING RADIALLY OF SAID AXIS AND CO-DIRECTIONALLY ALONG SIDE SAID RADIALLYEXTENDING PART OF THE ACTUATING LEVER; AND MEANS CARRIED BY SAID ACTUATING LEVER ON OPPOSITE SIDES OF SAID RADIALLYEXTENDING PART OF THE LATTER TO ENGAGE AN OPPOSITE SIDE PORTION OF THE RADIALLY-EXTENDING PART OF THE DOG MEANS RESPONSIVE TO OSCILLATION OF THE ACTUATING LEVER BY ACTUATION OF SAID PLUNGER WHEREBY TO IMPART DIRECTIONALLY CORRESPONDING MOVEMENT TO THE HOLDING DOG MEANS, DEPENDING UPON THE DIRECTION OF MOVEMENT OF THE ACTUATING LEVER BY SAID PLUNGER, WHEREBY SAID IMPOSITIVE DRIVING INTERCONNECTION IS SUCH AS TO PERMIT A LIMITED AMOUNT OF OSCILLATORY ESCAPE MOVEMENT OF THE HOLDING DOG MEANS INDEPENDENTLY OF SAID LINK AND PLUNGER DURING MOVEMENT OF THE RATCHET WHEEL BY SAID DRIVING PAWL; A LATCH LEVER PIVOTALLY CARRIED BY SAID ACTUATING LEVER AND DISPOSED TO OVERLIE A PART OF SAID DRIVING PAWL WHEN THE LATTER IS DISPOSED A PREDETERMINED DISTANCE TOWARD AND INTO RATCHET-ADVANCING POSITION WITH THE HOLDING DOG MEANS IN SUBSTANTIALLY HOLDING ENGAGEMENT WITH SAID RATCHET WHEEL, WHEREBY TO PREVENT DISPLACEMENT OF THE DRIVING PAWL FROM ENGAGEMENT WITH THE TEETH OF THE WHEEL BY ANY MOVEMENT IN A DIRECTION APPROXIMATELY RADIALLY AWAY FROM THE WHEEL.