Handle-operated shear pin latch

Claim 1

A LATCH ASSEMBLY FOR USE ON A MEMBER HAVING A SURFACE FORMED WITH AN OPENING, A SHEAR PIN, MEANS MOUNTING SAID SHEAR PIN FOR MOVEMENT ALONG A PREDETERMINED PATH BETWEEN A RETRACTED POSITION AND AN EXTENDED POSITION, AN OPERATING HANDLE HAVING A DIMENSION CORRESPONDING TO ONE DIMENSION OF SAID OPENING, MEANS MOUNTING SAID HANDLE FOR MOVEMENT BETWEEN AN OPEN POSITION EXTENDING OUT OF SAID OPENING AND A POSITION IN REGISTRY WITH SAID OPENING, A BELL CRANK HAVING A PAIR OF ARMS, A FIXED PIVOT MOUNTING SAID BELL CRANK FOR PIVOTAL MOVEMENT, MEANS PROVIDING A POSITIVE TWO-WAY CONNECTION BETWEEN ONE OF SAID BELL CRANK ARMS AND SAID PIN, A LINK CONNECTING THE OTHER BELL CRANK ARM TO SAID HANDLE, SAID BELL CRANK BEING SO CONSTRUCTED AND SAID LINK HAVING A LENGTH SUCH THAT SAID ONE BELL CRANK ARM OCCUPIES A POSITION ADJACENT A POSITION GENERALLY PERPENDICULAR TO THE PATH OF MOVEMENT OF SAID SHEAR PIN IN THE OPEN POSITION OF SAID HANDLE AND SUCH THAT SAID ONE BELL CRANK ARM OCCUPIES A POSITION REMOTE FROM SAID GENERALLY PERPENDICULAR POSITION IN THE CLOSED POSITION OF SAID HANDLE, AN ACTUATABLE CATCH FOR RELEASABLY HOLDING SAID HANDLE IN ITS CLOSED POSITION, MEANS MOUNTING SAID CATCH WITH AN AREA THEREOF IN REGISTRY WITH SAID OPENING, SAID AREA HAVING A DIMENSION CORRESPONDING TO SAID ONE DIMENSION OF SAID OPENING AND MEANS RESPONSIVE TO RELEASE OF SAID CATCH FOR PRODUCING AN INITIAL MOVEMENT OF SAID HANDLE OUT OF SAID OPENING.