Lever latch for drawer

Abstract

A latch mechanism for a sliding drawer supported by telescopic slides and mounted in a cabinet with two strikes on side walls, the drawer including two holes proximate both sides of a front side wall, and two lateral side walls, the latch mechanism comprising in combination a handle mounted on the front side wall of the drawer; two lever catches including a bottom recess pivotably seated upon the bottom of the hole, a top shoulder adjacent the top of the hole for retaining the lever catch, and a top rear tang stopped by the strike in a drawer retention position; and a transverse member secured to the front ends of the lever catches. Clockwise pivoting the transverse member will unlock the tangs. Pulling the handle will open the drawer by passing the tangs under the strikes. Pushing the handle will pass the tangs under the strikes to close the drawer.

1 . A latch mechanism for a sliding drawer supported by telescopic slides and mounted in a cabinet with two lateral side walls, a front opening, and two strikes mounted on the lateral side walls of the cabinet proximate the front opening thereof, the drawer including a front side wall with two side holes, two lateral side walls, and a bottom, the telescopic slides attached to the lateral side walls of the drawer for support and movement of the drawer into and out of the cabinet, the latch mechanism comprising in combination:
 a drawer handle mounted on the front side wall of the drawer;   two lever catches including a bottom recess pivotably seated upon the bottom of the side hole, a top shoulder above the recess, the shoulder opposing the inner surface of the front side wall adjacent the top of the hole so as to prevent the lever catch from disengaging from the side hole, a rear cam surface, and an upward extending tang adjacent the cam surface, the tang being stopped by the strike in a first drawer retention position; and   a transverse member having two ends secured to the front ends of the lever catches;   wherein the total weight of portions of the lever catches in front of the recesses and the transverse member is greater than that of portions of the lever catches behind the recesses such that clockwise pivoting the transverse member about the recesses will unlock the tangs and pulling the drawer handle will dispose the drawer in a second drawer release position by passing the tangs under the strikes, and in the second drawer release position pushing the drawer handle forward will pass the tangs under the strikes until the tangs pass the strikes to dispose the drawer in the first drawer retention position.   
   
   
       2 . The latch mechanism of  claim 1 , wherein the strikes are of L. 
   
   
       3 . The latch mechanism of  claim 1 , wherein the transverse member and the lever catches together shape as a U. 
   
   
       4 . The latch mechanism of  claim 1 , wherein the side hole is disposed between the lateral edge of the front side wall and the lateral side wall of the drawer. 
   
   
       5 . The latch mechanism of  claim 1 , wherein the drawer handle has a front plate depending downward from its top so as to dispose the transverse member and portions of the lever catches in front of the recesses behind the front plate.