Resilient detented lid latch

Claim 2

A container having an opening and flange means projecting outwardly from said opening, a lid for covering said opening, and a plurality of latch units cooperating with said flange means to operatively secure said lid to said container; said plurality of latch units mounted to said lid and spaced along the edge thereof; each of said latch units including cage means fixedly mounted on said lid, and latch means pivotally mounted to said cage means; said cage means including a wall section spaced outward of a sidewall of said container and having an upper edge; said latch means including a pivot forming lower section, a manually engageable upper section, and an intermediate section between said upper and lower sections; said upper section projecting above said upper edge and said intermediate section disposed between said wall section and said sidewall; means defining a horizontal axis at said lower section about which said upper section is movable between an inner container holding position and an outer container releasing position; said upper section defining a recess in which said flange means is entered when said upper section is in said holding position; said upper section also including a formation that cooperates with said upper edge to define detent means for releasably maintaining said upper section in said releasing position.

Claim 3

Container, lid and latch units as defined in claim 1 in which said intermediate section includes biasing means for urging said upper section downward against said upper edge.

Claim 4

Container, lid and latch units as defined in claim 2 in which said upper section includes a generally horizontal wall that rides on said upper edge as said upper section moves between said holding and releasing positions.

Claim 5

Container, lid and latch units as defined in claim 3 in which said formation of said upper section includes a projection extending downward from said horizontal wall and movable to positions inboard and outboard of said upper edge; with said projection outboard of said upper edge, said detent means maintaining said upper section in said releasing position, and with said projection inboard of said upper edge, said detent means maintaining said upper section in said holding position.

Claim 6

Container, lid and latch units as defined in claim 3 in which said formation of said upper section includes a recess in said horizontal wall positioned to receive said upper edge when said upper section is in said releasing position; said upper section including another formation that is releasably engageable with a detent formation in the upper surface of the lid for maintaining said upper section in said holding position.

Claim 7

Container, lid and latch units as defined in claim 3 in which the latch means comprises an element constructed of resilient material; said intermediate section normally being bowed; said intermediate section being stressed to constitute said biasing means.

Claim 8

Container, lid and latch units as defined in claim 6 in which said lower section includes a hook formation that abuts a downwardly facing surface of said cage means to cooperate therewith in defining said horizontal axis.

Claim 9

Container, lid and latch units as defined in claim 6 in which said cage means for all of the latch units are formed integrally with the lid.

Claim 10

Container, lid and latch units as defined in claim 8 in which the cage and lid are molded of plastic material.

Claim 11

Clamping means for clamping a covering, or the like, to the open end of a container, wherein the container has a sidewall, and an open end defined by the periphery of the sidewall, and the covering includes an annular portion which overlays the periphery of the sidewall, and the covering includes a flange projecting outwardly over the periphery of the sidewall; the latch unit comprising cage means fixedly mounted to the covering for providing a support for latch means, and comprising latch means having a bottom end thereof which is pivotally mounted to said cage means; said cage means including a wall section spaced outward of a sidewall of said container and having an upper edge; said latch means including a pivot forming lower section, a manually engageable upper section, and an intermediate section between said upper and lower sections; said upper section projecting above said upper edge and said intermediate section disposed between said wall section and said sidewall; means defining a horizontal axis at said lower section about which said upper section is movable between an inner container holding position and an outer container releasing position; said upper section defining a recess wherein said flange is entered when said upper section is in said holding position; said upper section also including a formation that cooperates with said upper edge to define detent means for releasably maintaining said upper section in said releasing position.

Claim 12

Clamping means for clamping a covering, or the like, to the open end of a container, wherein the container has a sidewall, and an open end defined by the periphery of the sidewall, and the covering includes an annular portion which overlays the periphery of the sidewall, and the covering includes a flange projecting outwardly over the periphery of the sidewall; the latch unit comprising cage means fixedly mounted to the covering for providing a support for latch means, and comprising latch means having a bottom end thereof which is pivotally mounted to said cage means; said cage means including a wall section spaced outward of a sidewall of said container and having an upper edge; said latch means including a pivot forming lower section, a manually engageable upper section, and an intermediate section between said upper and lower sections; said upper section projecting above said upper edge and said intermediate section disposed between said wall section and said sidewall; means defining a horizontal axis at said lower section about which said upper section is movable between an inner container holding position and an outer container releasing position; said upper section defining a recess wherein said flange is entered when said upper section is in said holding position; said upper section also including a formation that cooperates with said upper edge to define detent means for releasably maintaining said upper section in said releasing position.

Claim 13

The latch unit of claim 10 in which said intermediate section includes biasing means for urging said upper section downward against said upper edge.

Claim 14

The latch unit of claim 10 in which the upper section includes a generally horizontal wall that rides on said upper edge as said upper section moves between said holding and releasing positions.

Claim 15

The latch unit of claim 12 in which said formation of said upper section includes a projection extending downward from said horizontal wall and movable to positions inboard and outboard of said upper edge; with said projection outboard of said upper edge, said detent means maintaining said upper section in said releasing position, and with said projection inboard of said upper edge, said detent means maintaining said upper section in said holding position.

Claim 16

The latch unit of claim 12 in which said formation of said upper section includes a recess in said horizontal wall positioned to receive said upper edge when said upper section is in said releasing position; said upper section including another formation that is releasably engageable with a detent formation in the upper surface of the covering for maintaining said upper section in said holding position.

Claim 17

The latch unit of claim 12 in which the latch means comprises an element constructed of resilient material; said intermediate section being stressed to constitute said biasing means.

Claim 18

The latch unit of claim 15, wherein said intermediate section is normally bowed in a direction which normally biases said upper section toward the covering.

Claim 19

The latch unit of claim 15 in which the lower section includes a hook formation that abuts a downwardly facing surface of said cage means to cooperate therewith in defining said horizontal axis.

Claim 20

The latch unit of claim 15 in which the lower section is disposed between the wall section and the sidewall of said container.

Claim 21

The latch unit of claim 16 in which the latch element is molded of plastic material.

Claim 22

The latch unit of claim 15 in which said cage means for said latch unit are formed integrally with said covering.

Claim 23

The latch unit of claim 20 in which said cage means and said covering are molded of plastic material.

Claim 24

The latch unit of claim 15 in which said formation of said upper section includes a projection extending downward from said horizontal wall and movable to positions inboard and outboard of said upper edge; with said projection outboard of said upper edge, said detent means maintaining said upper section in said releasing position, and with said projection inboard of said upper edge, said detent means maintaining said upper section in said holding position.

Claim 25

The latch unit of claim 15 in which said formation of said upper section includes a recess in said horizontal wall positioned to receive said upper edge when said upper section is in said releasing position; said upper section including another formation that is releasably engageable with a detent formation in the upper surface of the lid for maintaining said upper section in said holding position.

Claim 26

In combination, the latch unit of claim 10, a lid serving as the covering of the container and a separate second covering for being disposed above the lid; the cage means being defined in the second covering and the second covering being shaped to enable the cage means to extend to a location along the container below the lid; the upper section recess being disposed in the latch means at a location such that with the covering over the lid and latch means in engagement with the cage means, the upper section is movable for cooperating with the flange of the lid and the periphery of the container for holding same together.

Claim 27

The combination of claim 24, wherein the second covering includes a formation at its underside which is applied to the top of the lid when the second covering is over the lid, for resting on the lid and for thereby relating the positions of the second covering and lid.