Patent US3722927A successfully refreshed from Google Patents.
US3722927A
Expired / Lapsed
US
⏱️ 0.0 years remaining
Latch and return spring
Assignee: Unisys Corp
•
Filing: 1971-05-20
•
Granted: 1973-03-27
•
Expires: 1991-05-20
Abstract
Abstract Apparatus for separably connecting a portable source of supply of hot air and a hair grooming implement holder together, wherein the source includes a housing, and the holder includes a housing adapted to carry a hair grooming implement and guide hot air from the source laterally of the the implement. The connecting apparatus comprises: an L-shaped latch, one leg of which is slidably mounted in a passageway formed in one of the housings, and the other leg of which is positioned to internally overlap a portion of the other housing when the housings are brought together for connection; a leaf spring connected to the one housing to contact the latch for resiliently loading the latch in the passageway; and a keeper cavity formed in the other housing for receiving the other latch leg. The spring resiliently loads the latch for forcing the other latch leg into the cavity to connect the housings together, and the latch is manually movable against the spring load to enable the housings to be separated. Also, the spring acts as a stop to limit the travel of the latch so as to prevent the spring from being overstressed.
Inventors
- 👤 A Miska
Bibliographic Details
Application Number
—
Jurisdiction
US
Data Source
google_patents
Last Synchronized
2026-10-25 18:35
CPC Classifications
A; A45; A45D; A45D20/00; A45D20/48; A45D20/50; Y; Y10; Y10T; Y10T292/00; Y10T292/08; Y10T292/0911; Y10T292/0926; Y10T292/0928; Y10T292/0934; Y10T403/00; Y10T403/59; Y10T403/598; Y10T403/60; Y10T403/602; Y10T403/604; Y10T403/606
Claims Analysis
Total Claims: 9
Claim 1
Independent Claim
245 words
Apparatus for separably connecting a portable source of supply of hot air and a hair grooming implement holder together, the source including a housing, and the holder including a housing adapted to carry a hair grooming implement and guide hot air from the source laterally of the implement, the connecting apparatus comprising: a. a manually operable L-shaped latch, one leg of the latch slidably mounted in a passageway formed in one of the housings, the other leg of the latch internally overlapping a portion of the other housing when the housings are brought together for connection, b. a flat spring of the cantilever type, the spring having a body portion and an arm portion, the body portion connected to the one housing and the arm portion extending internally thereof, the spring arm portion contacting the latch and resiliently loading the latch to exert a force thereon, said spring force constraining travel of the one latch leg to travel thereof within the passageway, and c. the other housing having a keeper cavity formed therein for receiving the other latch leg, said spring force urging the other latch leg into said keeper cavity to connect the housings when they are brought together, and the one latch leg extending from the passageway for operating the latch against said spring force to thereby slidably move the one latch leg within the passageway and move the other latch leg out of the cavity to enable the housings to be separated.
Claim 2
Dependent Claim
245 words
Apparatus for separably connecting a portable source of supply of hot air and a hair grooming implement holder together, the source including a housing, and the holder including a housing adapted to carry a hair grooming implement and guide hot air from the source laterally of the implement, the connecting apparatus comprising: a. a manually operable L-shaped latch, one leg of the latch slidably mounted in a passageway formed in one of the housings, the other leg of the latch internally overlapping a portion of the other housing when the housings are brought together for connection, b. a flat spring of the cantilever type, the spring having a body portion and an arm portion, the body portion connected to the one housing and the arm portion extending internally thereof, the spring arm portion contacting the latch and resiliently loading the latch to exert a force thereon, said spring force constraining travel of the one latch leg to travel thereof within the passageway, and c. the other housing having a keeper cavity formed therein for receiving the other latch leg, said spring force urging the other latch leg into said keeper cavity to connect the housings when they are brought together, and the one latch leg extending from the passageway for operating the latch against said spring force to thereby slidably move the one latch leg within the passageway and move the other latch leg out of the cavity to enable the housings to be separated.
Claim 3
Dependent Claim
54 words
The apparatus according to claim 1, including the one housing having an internal pocket formed therein for receiving the spring body portion, the pocket including walls, the spring body portion having a base secTon with a tab extending therefrom which contacts a wall of the pocket to anchor the base section within the pocket.
Claim 4
Dependent Claim
43 words
The apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the spring body portion includes a base section, and the spring arm portion extends from the base section and is curved through successive arcs of approximately 90* to provide the arm portion with an S-shaped configuration.
Claim 5
Dependent Claim
50 words
The apparatus according to claim 1, wherein each of the housings has an end portion forming a conduit, said conduits being of complementary configuration to fit together when the housings are connected, and said conduits respectively including means for preventing relative rotation between the housings when the housings are connected.
Claim 6
Dependent Claim
83 words
The apparatus according to claim 1, including means for aligning the latch and keeper cavity relative to one another for connecting the housings together, the aligning means including a channel in one of the housings and a key on the other of the housings, the key and channel relatively dimensioned to fit together when the housings are brought together for connection, and the latch and keeper cavity being properly aligned for connecting the housings when key and channel are aligned to fit together.
Claim 7
Dependent Claim
89 words
The apparatus according to claim 1, including the latch leg which overlaps the other housing having a finger portion, the finger portion including a surface, said other housing slidably contacting said finger surface to move the latch against said spring force when the housings are initially brought together for connection, the finger surface slidably contacting said overlapped portion of the other housing as the housings are being brought together for connection, and the finger portion being urged by said spring force into the cavity for connection of the housings.
Claim 8
Dependent Claim
79 words
The apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the spring arm portion includes a surface which overlaps a portion of the one latch leg, the overlapped portion of the one latch leg has a cutout opposite said spring surface, and the overlapped portion of the one latch leg contacts the spring surface when the one latch leg is excessively moved within the passageway, said spring surface thus restraining movement of the one latch leg to movement thereof within the passageway.
Claim 9
Dependent Claim
67 words
The apparatus according to claim 1, wherein said keeper cavity includes a portion of each of the housings, the cavity portion of said other housing including an aperture formed therein, the aperture having an opening at each of the ends thereof, and the cavity portion of said one housing including an internal wall portion thereof which closes one of the aperture openings when the housings are connected.
References Cited (Backward Citations)
USPTO Annuity & Maintenance Windows
| Annuity Stage | Window Opens | Payment Deadline | Surcharge Period Until | Estimated Fee | Status |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 3.5 Years (Year 4) | 1976-03-26 | 1976-09-25 | 1977-03-27 | $2000.00 | Window Closed / Lapsed |
| 7.5 Years (Year 8) | 1980-03-26 | 1980-09-25 | 1981-03-27 | $3760.00 | Window Closed / Lapsed |
| 11.5 Years (Year 12) | 1984-03-26 | 1984-09-25 | 1985-03-27 | $7700.00 | Window Closed / Lapsed |