Latch receptacle

Claim 1

A one-piece plastic latch adapted to project through and be axially telescoped into and mounted in an opening in a panel and adapted to receive in said latch a projecting strike, said latch including an apertured head, a pair of spaced retaining legs extending axially from said head, said legs each having engaging means spaced from and in opposition to the head for engaging the panel, an oval axially disposed resilient tubular means located between and in spaced relation to said legs and spaced from said head and having an open oval bore positioned in alignment with said head aperture, said tubular means being supported in spaced relation to said head and legs by one or more spaced support means located at each of the opposite end walls of said oval tubular means, spaced means positioned within said tubular means for impinging on the strike when it projects through said head aperture into said tubular means, said tubular means being substantially flat along its elongated side walls which are interconnected by curved end walls, said support means including axially extending flanges which are angularly disposed relative to the long axis of said oval with at least one flange extending outwardly from adjacent an axial line on each of the curved end walls where each said curved end wall meets one of said elongated side walls, the end of said flanges having a limited connection to said head whereby said flanges can absorb a tortional stress at said connection thereby permitting deformation of said tubular member at its curved end walls as well as its elongated side walls during insertion of said strike, but said flanges maintaining the tubular means in relatively fixed spaced relation to said head and said legs.