Low silhouette adjustable latch with secondary lock

Claim 1

In a latch for joining two adjacent members including, an integral base and housing adapted to be secured to one of the members; a handle pivot with its axis transversely disposed and extending through the forward portion of the housing; a handle having a pair of legs attached by their ends to the handle pivot outwardly of the housing and joined rearwardly of the housing by integral side flanges and a top surface to form a channel-like longitudinal opening; a drawhook disposed forwardly of the housing, adapted to engage a catch on the other of the members, and having a pair of rearwardly extending arms each pivotally attached at its end to one of the legs of the handle rearwardly of and nearer the base than the handle pivot; the improvement comprising: (1) means in the housing permitting limited longitudinal movement of the handle pivot; (2) an end wall closing the rear of the housing; (3) an adjustment screw disposed longitudinally within the housing and having one end in threaded engagement with the handle pivot and a headed opposite end journalled in the housing end wall with its head bearing on the outer surface thereof; (4) means on the head of the adjustment screw engageable externally of the latch by a tool extending through the channel-like opening in the handle on the axis of the screw for turning the same; (5) locking means on the handle generally disposed and operable in a plane through the axis of the adjustment screw parallel to the base and offset laterally from said axis, said locking means adapted to releasably secure the handle to the housing against rotation thereof about the handle pivot.