Pressure-releasing latch assembly for picnic coolers

Claim 2

A safety latch assembly for a cooler having a box-like body having a plurality of side walls defining A door opening and a door hingedly secured to the body for closing the door opening comprising a latch movably mounted on one side wall of the body adjacent the door opening, the latch including a laterally inwardly extending keeper portion and being movable between a locking position and an unlocking position, and a strike member secured to the door, the strike including: a. an attaching portion secured to the door, b. a flexible and resilient shank portion extending from the attaching portion toward the latch, and c. a foot portion extending laterally outwardly from the shank portion generally perpendicularly thereto, the foot portion being engagable with the keeper portion of the latch when the door is closed and the latch is in the locking position to prevent inadvertent opening of the door, the shank portion and the foot portion being flexible away from the keeper portion when a predetermined opening force is applied to the door whereby the foot portion may be disengaged from the keeper portion and the door may be opened, the shank portion and the foot portion returning to their unflexed position when the door is opened.

Claim 3

The latch assembly of claim 1 in which the keeper portion of the latch and the foot portion of the strike extend generally perpendicularly to said one side wall and the keeper portion extends laterally inwardly beyond the outer end of the foot portion when the door is closed.

Claim 4

The latch assembly of claim 1 in which the keeper portion of the latch extends laterally inwardly beyond the outer end of the foot portion for at least about one-half of the length of the foot portion.

Claim 5

The latch assembly of claim 1 in which the strike is molded integrally from plastic and the shank portion is longer than the foot portion to provide the shank portion with greater flexibility than the foot portion whereby the shank portion will preferentially flex about the attaching portion rather than the foot portion flexing about the shank portion when an opening force is applied to the door.

Claim 6

The latch assembly of claim 1 in which the attaching portion and the shank portion are generally planar, the shank portion including a pair of side edges extending from the attaching portion to the foot portion, the attaching portion extending laterally beyond each side edge of the shank portion and being provided with a screw opening laterally outwardly of each side edge of the shank portion, the strike being secured to the door by screws extending through the screw openings.

Claim 7

The latch assembly of claim 1 in which the door includes a planar flange extending generally parallel to said one side wall when the door is closed, the strike being secured to the flange laterally inwardly thereof, the shank portion extending adjacent the flange.

Claim 8

In a cooler having a plurality of generally planar side walls defining an inner cooling enclosure with a door opening, a door hingedly secured to a side wall for closing the door opening and including a generally planar flange, and a door latch rotatably mounted on the outside of one side wall, the latch being rotatable in an arc extending parallel to the plane of said one side wall between a locking position and an unlocking position and including a keeper plate extending generally perpendicularly to said one side wall toward the cooling enclosure and terminating in an inner end, an improved strike for engagement with the keeper plate to lock the door in the closed position comprising a generally planar flexible and resilient flexing portion and a generally planar foot portion extending generally perpendicularly to the flexing portion, the flexing portion being secured to the inside of the door flange, the foot portion extending laterally outwardly beyond the door flange and terminating in an outer end, the keeper plate extending generally parallel to the foot portion when the latch is in the locking position and the door is closed and the inner end of the keeper plate extending laterally inwardly beyond the outer end of the foot portion whereby the foot portion is engagable with the keeper plate to prevent inadvertent opening of the door, the flexing portion and the foot portion being flexible laterally inwardly away from the door flange and the keeper plate when a predetermined opening force is applied to the door whereby the foot portion may be disengaged from the keeper plate and the door may be opened, the flexing portion returning to its unflexed position when the door is opened.

Claim 9

In a cooler having a plurality of generally planar side walls defining an inner cooling enclosure with a door opening, a door hingedly secured to a side wall for closing the door opening and including a generally planar flange, and a door latch rotatably mounted on the outside of one side wall, the latch being rotatable in an arc extending parallel to the plane of said one side wall between a locking position and an unlocking position and including a keeper plate extending generally perpendicularly to said one side wall toward the cooling enclosure and terminating in an inner end, an improved strike for engagement with the keeper plate to lock the door in the closed position comprising a generally planar flexible and resilient flexing portion and a generally planar foot portion extending generally perpendicularly to the flexing portion, the flexing portion being secured to the inside of the door flange, the foot portion extending laterally outwardly beyond the door flange and terminating in an outer end, the keeper plate extending generally parallel to the foot portion when the latch is in the locking position and the door is closed and the inner end of the keeper plate extending laterally inwardly beyond the outer end of the foot portion whereby the foot portion is engagable with the keeper plate to prevent inadvertent opening of the door, the flexing portion and the foot portion being flexible laterally inwardly away from the door flange and the keeper plate when a predetermined opening force is applied to the door whereby the foot portion may be disengaged from the keeper plate and the door may be opened, the flexing portion returning to its unflexed position when the door is opened.

Claim 10

The structure of claim 7 in which the keeper plate of the latch and the foot portion of the strike extend generally perpendicularly to said one side wall when the door is closed, the keeper plate extending laterally inwardly beyond the outer end of the foot portion when the door is closed.

Claim 11

The structure of claim 7 in which the flexing portion is generally T-shaped and includes an elongated attaching portion having a pair of end portions and a shank portion extending generally transversely from the attaching portion intermediate the end portions thereof.

Claim 12

The structure of claim 9 in which the length of the shank portion between the attaching portion and the foot portion is greater than the length of the foot portion between the shank portion and the outer end of the foot portion, the shank portion having greater flexibility than the foot portion.

Claim 13

The structure of claim 9 in which the attaching portion is provided with a screw opening through each end portion thereof, the strike being secured to the door flange by screws passing through the screw openings.