Door latch having overcenter spring

Claim 1

In a latch arrangement for securing a panel over an opening in a housing, said panel being hinged to said housing and having a pair of plates projecting inwardly toward the inside of said housing, latch means pivotally mounted about an axis extending between said plates, a projecting portion of said latch means extending from said panel and being adapted to engage an inside wall of said housing to secure said panel over said opening, said latch means is comprised of a pair of spaced walls joined together by a cylindrically-shaped portion having a center on said axis of said pivotal mounting of said latch means, and a base extending between said spaced walls with one end thereof forming said projecting portion, a handle carried by said latch means and extending to a position exterior of said panel, a spring connected at one end to said latch means and connecting at the other end to said plates, said other end of said spring and said axis about which said latch means pivots lying along a fixed axis, movement of said handle pivots said latch means and said spring to shift said spring from a position on one side of said fixed axis to the other side thereof, whereby clockwise movement of said handle and said latch means moves the one end of said spring beyond said fixed axis whereupon the projecting portion of the latch means is disengaged from the inside of said housing and whereby movement of said handle in a counterclockwise direction will move the spring back beyond said fixed axis for positioning said projecting portion of said latch means against the inside wall of said housing for holding the panel latched over the opening into said housing.