Catches

Claim 1

A two-piece plastic catch comprising an elongated plunger member and a centrally rectangular hollow open ended box-like guide member, the plunger member being complimentary to and able to reciprocate in the guide member, with a cam-shaped nose of the plunger member extending out of the guide member, each of the members being a single moulding of a plastics material, said plunger member including at least one tongue which extends primarily in the direction of relative reciprocation of the members and is resiliently flexible transversely to that direction, each tongue engaging cam means on the said guide member in such a manner that a force acts on the tongue of said plunger member having a component parallel to the direction of relative reciprocation of the members which urges the members towards a limit of relative reciprocation at which the extension of the nose out of the guide member is greatest, whereby if the nose is displaced into the guide member and is thereupon released then the plunger member returns to the said limit, said plunger member having a centrally located operating tail of less width than the nose, there being two of the said tongues carried on the plunger member at each side of the tail, the said cam means is constituted by two cams on the guide member with each of said cams being a web angularly disposed in the direction of reciprocation of the members and each extending inwardly in cantilever fashion from opposite side walls of said guide member in such a disposition that the free ends of the tongues are in opposition to and ride up said cams when the plunger member reciprocates into the guide member, and flange means for mounting said guide member on a workpiece.