Importance

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Abstract

A latch assembly providing continuous engagement with a corresponding door includes a housing, an actuator, a biasing member, a latch, and a cam. The housing may optionally include a handle. The actuator may include an actuator shaft and the actuator shaft may be optionally rotated by a handle, a thumbturn, a pushbutton, or a locking mechanism. The biasing member may be a spring, which may be positioned between the housing and the latch and which may consistently exert a force against the latch to bias the latch toward the locked position. The cam may be rotated by the actuator shaft and may contact a bottom surface of the latch. The cam may contact the latch at points of minimum and maximum thickness. When the cam contacts the latch at the point of minimum thickness, the latch is in the locked position and the biasing member biases the latch their in. When the cam is rotated from the locked position, the latch is pivoted to the unlocked position.

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First Claim