Minnesota Mining and Manufacturing Company

Jacqueline J Forbes

Gerald J Niles

Davis W Chamberlin

Susan K Jongewaard

Thomas P Biebel

A reclosable light-tight container for storing a plurality of sheets of light-sensitive material includes a lower wall, an upper wall, and a plurality of side walls. A door is formed as part of the upper wall, and a door hinge permits the container to be opened and closed. A reclosable light-tight closure is created by an unbroken wall formed on the inner surface of the lower wall and extending around and enclosing the portion of the inner surface corresponding to the door location when the door is closed. A raised platform on the inner surface of the upper wall door has a top surface which abuts the inner surface of the lower wall outside of the unbroken wall when the door is closed. The raised platform blocks light from entering the container by covering the parting line between the unbroken wall on the lower wall and the upper wall. A tab on the unbroken wall blocks light at the door hinge.

Light-tight container

An over-center toggle latch which can be integrally molded with the first and second members of a case. The over-center toggle latch includes a hinge arm that has first and second spaced ends. A first living hinge attaches the first end of the hinge arm to the first case member. A second living hinge is for coupling a lever arm to the second end of the hinge arm. An engagement member-receiving seat is formed on the second member of the case. An engagement member is mounted to the lever arm and is spaced from the second hinge. The engagement member pivotally engages the seat with the hinge arm in an over-center position with respect to the engagement member. The latch is configured for use with first and second case members that have sides and edges. When the first and second case members are secured by the latch, the edges are generally coplanar and perpendicular to the sides. When latched, the latch arm is positioned within recesses in the edges while the handle is positioned within a recess in the second member.

Integral over-center toggle latch for use with a molded case

A triple-action latch assembly for a shipping case having first and second housing members includes a U-shaped flexible slide movably received on a T-shaped rail associated with the first housing member. The T-shaped rail includes a notch configured to receive a tab associated with the second housing member. When the slide is moved from an open state to a locked state, the tab is trapped within the notch. The slide includes a first detent engageable with an end portion of the rail to secure the slide against movement. The slide further includes a second detent defined by a latch bar having a latch beam engageable with a first cavity in the rail to further secure the slide against movement relative to the T-shaped rail. When the first detent is lifted out of engagement with the rail and the second detent is simultaneously depressed to lift the latch beam out of engagement with the first cavity, the latch assembly can be slid to the open state. In this position, the latch beam engages a second cavity located within the rail and the first detent engages a third cavity also located in the T-shaped rail. The second and third cavities include sloped and inclined surfaces, respectively, that act to automatically cam the latch beam and first detent out of the second and third cavities, respectively, to permit the slide to be merely moved from the open state to the locked state.

Growing community of inventors

Woodbury, MN, United States of America

Jacqueline J Forbes