Heretofore, such as shown in U.S. Pat. No. 5,199,756 dated Apr. 6, 1993, tongs have been provided which may be releasably locked in a closed position when not in use such as desirable for storage or cleaning in a dishwasher, for example. The tongs in the '756 patent includes a locking plate movable between a locked closed position of the tongs in which both tongs or arms are blocked by the locking plate and an unlocked open position of the tongs in which both tongs or arms are pivoted relative to the locking plate to an open position for use. The locking plate has a relatively complicated slot arrangement and may tilt relative to the arms resulting in possible binding.
It is an object of the present invention to provide a simplified releasably locking mechanism for a pair of tongs which is easily moved between open and closed positions of the tongs without canting or tilting.
Another object of the present invention is to provide a pair of tongs with a slidable channel-shaped locking member having opposed flanges with transversely aligned elongate slots receiving a pivot pin for the tongs to facilitate sliding movement of the locking member between opened and closed positions of the tongs.