Tube and biased drift pin combination and dustpan incorporating same

Abstract

A tube is combined with a biased drift pin arrangement, which combination is useful for locking functions in coupling and decoupling separate tubes, or in locking-hinged dustpans, and so on. The tube has a wall formed with a pair of holes. The drift pin is formed on a leaf spring that has a base portion and a cantilever portion joined to the base portion for relative flexion therebetween. It is the cantilever portion that is formed with the drift pin, as well as a spaced push pin. The leaf spring inserts in the tube such that the drift and push pins are aligned to extend and retract through respective ones of the pair of holes. To wedge the leaf spring in place, a separate cartridge is sized and shaped to permit sliding insertion in to where respective abutment surfaces of the leaf spring and cartridge, respectively, mate each other. Thus the cartridge wedges the base portion of the leaf spring relatively immobile against the tube wall, such that the push and drift pins are normally biased to extend through the respective ones of the holes. The leaf spring is prevented from moving axially in the tube by the fact of the push pin constantly occupying its respective hole for all angles of flexion and extension of the cantilever portion. The leaf spring further is arranged to hold the cartridge captive in its stationary position. In use, the push pin is depressible to actuate or induce full retraction of the drift pin.