APPLIANCE LATCH WITH POWER FAILURE UNLOCK

摘要

A lock (16) for a washing machine or the like provides fast actuation through a solenoid driven bolt (32) that remains stably in the locked position after power is no longer applied to the solenoid (38). The possibility of power failure preventing subsequent access to the washing machine is avoided through the use of a slower actuation time, thermal actuator (59) storing sufficient energy to unlock the bolt after a time delay when power is lost.