U.S. patent number 3,876,104 [Application Number 05/397,986] was granted by the patent office on 1975-04-08 for locking device for percolator tops.
This patent grant is currently assigned to Dart Industries Inc.. Invention is credited to Robert E. Lull, Norman C. Minsky, James M. Straughn.
United States Patent |
3,876,104 |
Minsky , et al. |
April 8, 1975 |
LOCKING DEVICE FOR PERCOLATOR TOPS
Abstract
A receptacle cover latch means adapted to prevent accidental
displacement of a cover from a receptacle wherein a receptacle is
provided with an opening in its upper portion, said receptacle
adapted to carry a cover over said opening; said receptacle having
an outer side wall surface portion below said opening; a handle for
said receptacle; a bell crank lever pivotally mounted on said
handle and having a latch portion extending over the cover enclosed
opening of the receptacle; and a manually engagable portion of said
lever extending in an opposite direction from said latch portion
and relative to the pivotal axis of said lever; a spring tending to
hold said lever with its latch portion over a receptacle cover and
said cover enclosed opening whereby said latch portion may be moved
to release said cover by said manually engagable portion of said
lever when depressed by the thumb of a person's hand which supports
a handle of the receptacle.
Inventors: |
Minsky; Norman C. (West Bend,
WI), Straughn; James M. (West Bend, WI), Lull; Robert
E. (West Bend, WI) |
Assignee: |
Dart Industries Inc. (Los
Angeles, CA)
|
Family
ID: |
23573508 |
Appl.
No.: |
05/397,986 |
Filed: |
September 17, 1973 |
Current U.S.
Class: |
220/318; 99/310;
220/322; 220/326 |
Current CPC
Class: |
A47J
36/10 (20130101); B65D 45/24 (20130101) |
Current International
Class: |
A47J
36/10 (20060101); A47J 36/00 (20060101); B65D
45/24 (20060101); B65D 45/00 (20060101); B65d
045/08 (); B65d 045/22 (); A47j 036/06 () |
Field of
Search: |
;220/55R,55K,55H,24R,55.5,55.7,59,315,316,317,318,324,325,326,322
;99/292,299,310,418 |
References Cited
[Referenced By]
U.S. Patent Documents
Primary Examiner: Petrakes; John
Claims
I claim:
1. A receptacle cover latch means adapted to prevent accidental
displacement of a cover from a receptacle comprising: a receptacle
having an opening in its upper portion, said receptacle being
provided with a handle; said receptacle adapted to carry a cover
over said opening; said receptacle having an outer side wall
surface portion disposed below said opening; a generally bell crank
shaped lever; lever support means carried by said handle pivotally
mounting said lever on said receptacle on a generally horizontal
axis and adjacent to said outer side wall surface portion, said
lever support means comprising a pair of opposed channel shaped
portions in said handle; said lever having a latch portion normally
disposed in a latching position over said opening; a pair of
opposed pivotal trunnions on said lever; said trunnions having a
common pivotal axis; said trunnions extending into respective ones
of said opposed channels; and means resiliently urging said lever
in a direction to hold said latch portion over a cover enclosing
said opening; said lever having a manually engagable portion
adapted for pivoting said lever, against force of said resilient
means, to a position in which said latch portion is out of latching
position to permit removal of said cover from said receptacle.
2. The invention as defined in claim 1 wherein said lever is
provided with a space between said trunnions; said resilient means
comprising a spring disposed in said space between said trunnions;
said spring having first and second engaging portions tending
resiliently to move apart; said first engaging portion bearing on
said lever in said space; said second engaging portion bearing on
said handle between said channel-shaped portions therein.
3. The invention as defined in claim 2 wherein said first and
second engaging portions of said spring bearing in laterally spaced
relation with said axis of said trunnions and on opposite sides
thereof with respect to said outer side wall portion of said
receptacle.
4. The invention as defined in claim 2 wherein one of said first
and second engaging portions of said spring having a restraining
portion restrained in spaced relation to said pivotal axis of said
trunnions.
5. The invention as defined in claim 4 wherein said restraining
portion is generally U-shaped; and a protuberance on said lever
located in said space between said trunnions; said U-shaped portion
engaged over said protuberance.
6. The invention as defined in claim 5 wherein said U-shaped
portion is provided with opposite ends each having integral coil
portions and an arm portion integral with each of said coil
portions, said arm portions constituting one of said engaging
portion and said U-shaped portion constituting the other one of
said engaging portions.
7. The invention as defined in claim 1 wherein said handle is
provided with an end portion abutted to said outer side wall of
said receptacle, said opposed channel-shaped portions being
horizontally disposed and having open ends at said end portion of
said handle.
8. The invention as defined in claim 7 wherein a screw extends
through said side wall of said receptacle and is screw threaded
into said end portion of said handle for holding it in abutted
relation to said outer side wall portion of said receptacle.
9. The invention as defined in claim 1 wherein said handle is
provided with an upper portion; said upper portion of said handle
having a top opening between and communicating with said opposed
channel portions; said lever extending upwardly through said top
opening in said handle, said manually engagable portion of said
lever being above said handle and extending in a direction away
from said side wall of said receptacle beyond said axis of said
trunnions whereby said manually engagable portion of said lever is
disposed to be operated by the thumb of a person's hand while
carrying said receptacle by said handle.
10. The invention as defined in claim 9 wherein said latch portion
of said lever extends upwardly above said handle and over said
opening in said receptacle toward the middle thereof.
Description
BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION
Various cover enclosed receptacles such as coffee percolators, tea
pots, sauce pans, etc. have been provided with means to prevent
accidental displacement of the covers from such receptacles
especially during the pouring of beverages from percolators or tea
pots or during the movement of a sauce pan or the like when it is
desired to hold the cover in an enclosing position with the upper
open portion of the receptacle. Various latches have been secured
to covers of receptacles and various mechanisms for locking such
latches have been utilized including toggle devices as well as
frictionally engaged latches. Many of these, however, have been
either complicated or inconvenient to operate relative to the side
wall of the receptacle and especially when one hand of the operator
is utilized to support the receptacle while the other hand is used
to remove the receptacle cover. Additionally, prior art latch
mechanisms for holding covers on receptacles have been complicated
and expensive to produce and some of them have failed to meet
aesthetic requirements for use on various receptacles such as
percolators and coffee pots or the like.
SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION
The invention relates to a receptacle cover latch means
particularly adapted for use in preventing accidental displacement
of covers from percolators, coffee pots, sauce pans or other
receptacles. The invention comprises a novel cover latch means
cooperably associated with a receptacle handle so as to provide for
convenient operation of the latch means by the thumb of a person's
hand which carries the receptacle by its handle. The latch means
comprises a lever having a latch portion extendable over an upper
open end of a respective receptacle and over an enclosing cover
thereon and the lever is pivoted adjacent the outer side wall of
the receptacle and is provided with a manually engagable portion
adapted to pivot the lever against compression of a resilient means
which tends to hold the latch portion of the lever over the
receptacle cover which encloses the upper open end of the
receptacle. The latching lever is generally a bell crank shaped
lever having a pivotal axis disposed generally horizontally.
Trunnions are provided at the pivotal axis and these trunnions are
mounted in normally horizontal opposed channels which are integral
with the receptacle handle and a spring is disposed between the
trunnions of the lever and interengages with the lever and the
handle tending to force the latch portion of the lever over a cover
enclosing the upper open end of the receptacle. The aforementioned
opposed channels in which the opposed trunnions of the lever are
pivotally mounted are open at a normally upper end of the handle
which is abutted to the outside wall of the respective receptacle
and this upper end of the handle is fixed to the receptacle by a
suitable screw threaded device.
The aforementioned opposed channels are molded in the handle and
the trunnions on the bell crank shaped latch lever are spaced apart
providing a space in which a spring is disposed between the
trunnions. This spring is provided with an intermediate U-shaped
portion engaged over a restraining protrusion in the space between
the trunnions so as to hold the spring in position relative to the
trunnion axis and a pair of coil portions are integral with said
U-shaped portion and opposite ends of these coils are provided with
extending engaging portions which engage the handle of the coffee
pot and thereby provide for abuttment of the spring so that it may
forcefully act about the axis of the trunnions and cause the latch
portion of the lever to be normally held over the upper open end of
a receptacle and its respective cover. The pivotal mounting means
molded integral with the handle and the trunnions as well as all
features of the bell crank shaped latch lever, are die formed or
molded so that production and assembly of the receptacle cover
latch of the invention is very favorable to provide economy of
manufacture.
Additionally, the generally bell crank shaped latch lever of the
invention is disposed in a top opening in the handle and projects
thereabove to provide access for a person's thumb to engage a
manually engagable portion of the latch lever for convenience in
operating the cover latch by the thumb of the same hand which
supports the receptacle by its handle, whereby a person wishing to
remove the cover of a receptacle by one hand is capable of doing so
while the receptacle is supported in the other of the person's
hands by the receptacle handle.
The generally bell crank shaped lever of the invention provides for
economy, simplicity, and generally acceptable aesthetic features
compatible with coffee percolators, coffee pots and other
receptacles. The features of construction of the cover latch means
of the invention employing the bell crank shaped latch lever
disposed and recessed in the handle of the receptacle encloses the
lever actuating spring and lends aesthetic quality to the
receptacle cover latch of the invention. Additionally, the trunnion
mounting channels in the handle which support the pivotal trunnions
of the latch lever are open at a portion of the handle which is
abutted and fixed to the side wall of a respective receptacle,
thereby affording very simple and economical features for
assembling the latch lever of the invention relative to the handle
or relative to its pivotal support on the outer side of the
receptacle. The foregoing features provide for an assembly of the
latch lever with the handle simply by sliding the opposed trunnions
into opposed channels of the handle together with the spring which
is restrained on the latch lever.
An additional advantage of the invention is due to the fact that
the cover of the receptacle will be supported by the top of the
receptacle cover latch unless the latch is manually actuated to
secure the cover thus enabling it visually obvious to the user that
the cover is not secure.
Accordingly, it is an object of the present invention to provide a
very simple, economical, convenient and aesthetic cover latch means
for various receptacles for use in preventing accidental
displacement of the covers from the receptacles.
Another object of the invention is to provide a novel and simple
combination of a latch lever and handle structure wherein all of
the features of the latch lever and handle structure are molded to
provide for pivotal support of the latch lever on the handle and to
provide for simple and easy installation of trunnions of the latch
lever into open ends of opposed channels in the handle which form
pivotal supports for the trunnions of the latch lever.
Additonally, it is an object of the invention to provide a novel
latch lever operating spring having a U-shaped portion engaged with
a protrusion on the handle so that when the handle and its trunnion
portions are inserted into opposed channel bearings in the handle,
that the lever will carry the spring into the recess in the handle
between the opposed channels thereby providing great facility of
assembly of the parts of the invention during production
thereof.
Another object of the invention is to provide a receptacle cover
latch means wherein a receptacle is provided with a handle carrying
the latch lever of the invention in such position that it is very
conveniently operable by the thumb of a person's hand normally used
to support the receptacle by the receptacle handle.
Further objects and advantages of the invention may be apparent
from the following specification, appended claims and accompanying
drawings.
BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS
FIG. 1 is a fragmentary side elevational view of a coffee
percolator showing the receptacle cover latch means of the
invention in connection therewith and illustrating a varying or
unlatched position of the lever by broken lines;
FIG. 2 is an enlarged vertical sectional view of the cover latch
means of the invention taken through the latch means as outlined by
the circle designated 2 in FIG. 1 of the drawings;
FIG. 3 is an enlarged fragmentary sectional view taken from the
line 3--3 of FIG. 2;
FIG. 4 is a fragmentary sectional view taken from the line 4--4 of
FIG. 3;
FIG. 5 is a fragmentary top or plane view taken from the line 5--5
of FIG. 2;
FIG. 6 is a fragmentary sectional view taken from the line 6--6 of
FIG. 2;
FIG. 7 is a view similar to FIG. 2 showing a modification of the
invention; and
FIG. 8 is a fragmentary top or plan view taken from the line 8--8
of FIG. 7 .
DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS
As shown in FIG. 1 of the drawings, a receptacle 10 such as a
coffee percolator of the like is provided with a cover 12 and the
receptacle 10 is provided with an upper open end 14 enclosed by the
cover 12 which as shown in FIG. 2 of the drawings is provided with
a skirt 16 fitted within an opening 18 in the upper open end 14 of
the receptacle 10.
A handle 20 of generally C-shaped configuration is provided with an
upper end 22 fixed to an outer side wall surface 24 of the
receptacle 10.
As shown in FIG. 2 of the drawings, a screw 26 extends through an
opening 28 in the side wall of the receptacle and is screw threaded
into an internally screw threaded bore 30 molded in the handle
22.
A lower end 32 of the handle 10 is secured by a screw 34 to a
fixture 36 hermetically sealed at 38 into the side wall of the
receptacle 10. Thus the lower end 32 of the handle 20 is held in
abutted relation to the outer side wall surface 24 of the
receptacle 10.
The handle 20 at its upper end 22 is provided with a pair of
horizontally disposed and opposed channel portions 40 and 42 shown
best in FIG. 3 of the drawings and the upper portion 22 of the
handle is also provided with a top opening communicating with said
channels 40 and 42 and this top opening is provided with opposite
sides 44 and 46 adjacent the respective channel portions 40 and 42.
Thus the space between the opposite sides 44 and 46 provides a top
opening through which a generally bell crank shaped latch lever 48
projects. The latch lever 48 as shown in FIGS. 3 and 4 is provided
with a pair of opposed trunnions 50 and 52 which are positioned in
the respective opposed channels 40 and 42 in the handle portion 22.
The lever 48 is provided with a space between the trunnions 50 and
52 and opposite sides of the space between the trunnions are
designated 54 and 56 and the upper wall of the space is designated
58, all as shown best in FIG. 3 of the drawings.
A spring 60 is mounted in the space between the upper wall 58 and
the side walls 54 and 56 of the lever 48 and this spring as shown
best in FIGS. 2, 3 and 6 of the drawings, is provided with a
generally U-shaped intermediate portion 62 which is a restraining
portion engaged over a protuberance 64 extending downward from the
upper inner wall 58 of the lever 48 as shown best in FIGS. 2, 3 and
6 of the drawings. Integral with the U-shaped portion 62 of the
spring 60 are coil portions 66 and 68 adjacent the wall portions 54
and 56 respectively of the latch lever 48. Integral with these coil
portions 66 and 68 are respective ends 70 and 72 which bear on a
lower wall portion 74 of the handle portion 22 between the channels
40 and 42, all as shown best in FIGS. 2 and 3 of the drawings.
The trunnions 50 and 52 in the channels 40 and 42 are similar in
configuration and as shown in FIG. 4, the cross-sectional shape of
the trunnion 52 is generally circular and bears against an upper
wall surface 75 of the channel 42. Likewise the trunnion 50 bears
against an upper wall 76 of the channel 40 and the spring 60 at its
opposite end portions, namely the intermediate portion 62 and the
ends 70 and 72 tend to separate and become forced apart such that
the portion 62 is forced away from the end portions 70 and 72 and
in this manner the lever 48 is forced upwardly causing the
trunnions 50 and 52 to bear against the upper wall portions 76 and
75 respectively of the channels 40 and 42 respectively.
As shown in FIG. 2 of the drawings, the lever 48 is provided with a
thumb engaging portion 78 and this portion 78 extends upwardly
between the walls 44 and 46 above the channels 40 and 42 and thus
extends through the top opening in the handle a sufficient distance
to be engaged and depressed by a person's thumb against compression
of the spring 66.
Integral with the handle portion 78, the lever is provided with an
upwardly extending latch portion 80 having a generally horizontally
extending portion 82 which extends over an upper surface 84 of the
cover 12. This portion 82 extending inwardly toward the middle of
the receptacle 10 and over its upper open end and particularly the
opening 18 as shown in FIG. 2 such that the latch portion 82
retains the cover in the opening 18 and prevents it from being
accidentally displaced.
The upper end of the handle 22 at its surface 88 communicates with
open ends of the channels 40 and 42 as shown best in FIGS. 2 and 4
of the drawings. An open end 90 of the channel 42 being shown in
FIG. 4 of the drawings and it will be obvious that the trunnions 50
and 52 of the lever 48 together with the spring 60 may readily be
inserted in the handle simply by moving the trunnions 50 and 52
into the respective channels 40 and 42 while the projection 64
engages the U-shaped portion 62 of the spring 60 and this
restraining portion of the spring 60 forces the spring to be pulled
into the handle on the lower wall surface 74. Upturned end portions
92 of the spring, as shown best in FIG. 2 of the drawings,
facilitate insertion of the spring at its ends 70 and 72 into and
upon the lower wall surface 74 shown best in FIGS. 2 and 3 of the
drawings. The latch lever 48 as well as the handle 20 are both
molded in precision dies and the spring 60 is readily installed in
the lever 48 and the assembly of the latch means of the invention
including the lever and the handle is very simply accomplished
whereupon the handle may be abutted at its end 88 to the outer side
wall surface 24 of the receptacle 10 and the screw 26 may be screw
threadably engaged in the handle as hereinbefore described so that
the head portion 94 of the screw 26 abuts the inner side of the
receptacle wall and holds the upper end surface portion 88 of the
handle firmly abutted to the outer side wall surface 24 of the
receptacle and thereby retains the latch lever 48 as well as the
spring 60 in the channels 40 and 42 above the surface 74 and allows
the lever to project upwardly through the top opening of the handle
between the walls 44 and 46 shown in FIG. 3. The projection 64 in
the U-shaped portion 62 of the spring retains it and holds it in
the assembled relation with the latch lever 48 all as shown best in
FIG. 2 of the drawings.
It will be seen that the latch lever 48 is a generally bell crank
shaped lever in which the latch portion 82 extends toward a middle
portion of the open end 14 of the receptacle 10 and the manually
engagable portion 78 extends in the opposite direction away from
the outer side wall surface 24 of the receptacle 10 and thus the
trunnions 50 and 52 are on a common pivotal axis which is disposed
between the latch portion 82 and the manually engagable portion 78
so that downward pressure thereon causes a pivotal movement of the
latch portion 82 to a broken line position as shown in FIG. 1 of
the drawings, out of interference relative to the upper surface of
the cover 12 and relative to the opening 18 in the upper open end
14 of the receptacle 10, thereby allowing the cover 12 to be
removed from the open end 14 of the receptacle 10. It will be seen
that a person's hand may grip the hand engaging portion 96 of the
handle 20 while the person's thumb may depress the manually
engagable portion 78 of the latch lever 48 during the movement of
the latch lever to its broken line position, FIG. 1, and out of the
latching position shown by solid lines in FIG. 1 of the
drawings.
In the modification of the invention as shown in FIGS. 7 and 8 of
the drawings, a simple U-shaped bracket 98 is secured to the outer
side wall surface 24 of the receptacle 10 and a spring 100 similar
to the spring 60 may surround a hinge pin 102 which passes through
opposite legs 104 and 106 of the U-shaped bracket 98 to provide a
pivotal mounting for the bell crank shaped latch lever 108 of the
modified structure. This lever 108 is substantially similar to the
general shape of the lever 48 hereinbefore described. This lever
108 is provided with a latching portion 110 similar to the portion
82 hereinbefore described and is also provided with a manually
engagable portion 112 similar to the portion 78 hereinbefore
described.
The spring 100 at a U-shaped end 114 thereof tends resiliently to
force the manually engagable portion 112 upwardly while opposite
end portions 116 of the spring 100 bear against the outer side wall
surface portion 24 so that the spring may resiliently react to hold
the latch portion 110 normally over the cover 12 and the upper open
end of the receptacle 10.
In accordance with the modified structure shown in FIGS. 7 and 8, a
separate handle 118 is secured to the side wall of the receptacle
in a similar manner to that hereinbefore described.
It will be obvious to those skilled in the art that various
modifications may be resorted to without departing from the spirit
of the invention.
* * * * *