EP0619239A1 - Container provided with a one-piece catch - Google Patents

Abstract

Container, made up of two parts which are hinged together, comprising a one-piece catch comprising a body provided with retention means, elastic return means, actuating means which are accessible from the outside and locking means. The body (7) of the catch (1) is made so that it can be inserted into the first part of the container (3) by sliding it through an opening (4) and, once it has been slid into the opening, the retention means (15) engage by snap-fastening with stop means (19) provided on the first part of the container (3) so as to enable the locking means (12) to engage with fastening means on the second part of the container (6). Application: in particular on make-up containers. <IMAGE>

Description

The present invention relates to a housing formed by two parts articulated one on the other and equipped with a one-piece clasp comprising a body capable of being slidably mounted in a first part of the housing, body on which means are provided. retaining means for defining a first position of said body in said first housing part, elastic return means for urging said body elastically to said first position, actuation means accessible from the outside through an opening in said first part of housing for moving said body by manual pushing, against the action of said return means, and locking means for keeping the housing closed.

On known cases of this type, in particular make-up cases, such a one-piece clasp comprises a body on which two branches forming the elastic return means project laterally, on two opposite sides, these two branches cooperating by bending with two supports side provided on the first housing part. Due to the presence of these two branches projecting laterally from the body, the first housing part must necessarily be made in two parts, namely a bottom and a covering part, the clasp being mounted in the bottom before setting place of the cover piece. This complicates the assembly of the housing and increases the cost of the latter.

The present invention relates to a housing with a one-piece clasp which, while being of simple structure and manufacture, can be mounted in the last phase of assembly of the housing.

On the housing according to the invention, the clasp body is made so that it can be introduced into said first housing part by sliding through said opening of said housing part and that said retaining means cooperate, at the end of this mounting by sliding, snap-fastening with stop means provided on the first housing part so as to allow said locking means to cooperate with hooking means provided on the second housing part, under the action of actuating means and elastic return means.

Such an assembly implies that the elastic return means do not laterally project beyond the body of the clasp. This is why, according to the invention, said return means are formed on the body of the clasp in the extension of the latter in the direction of introduction of the clasp into the first housing part, so as to cooperate by elastic bending with support means provided on the first housing part.

According to one embodiment of the invention, the return means can be constituted by two oblique lateral branches converging in the direction of introduction of the clasp into the first part of the housing and bearing by their free ends against a support means arranged in the first housing part in the extension of said introduction opening.

In this case, the retaining means can advantageously be formed by notches laterally projecting from the body of the clasp at the birth of the two branches constituting the return means, while the abutment means are constituted by the opposite lateral inner edges of said opening of the first housing part.

According to another embodiment of the invention, the return means and the retaining means are formed on the body so as to be offset downward relative to the lower edge of the body, being elastically connected to the body with the possibility of pivoting in a vertical plane. The return means and the retaining means can thus engage elastically, during the introduction of the clasp by sliding into the first part of the housing, in a recess formed in said housing part in such a way that one of the sides of said recess constitutes said abutment means and the other side constitutes said support means.

In this case, the return means may have the form of a closed loop, preferably a lozenge-shaped loop.

To facilitate the elastic pivoting movement of the return means and the retaining means during the introduction of the clasp into the first housing part, it is advantageous to provide, at the point of connection, the return means and retained at the clasp body, a weakened area serving as a pivot axis.

• la figure 1 est une vue en perspective d'un fermoir suivant un premier mode de réalisation de l'invention, avant son montage dans le boîtier;
• la figure 2 est une vue de dessus du fermoir de la figure 1, après son montage dans le boîtier;
• la figure 3 est une vue analogue à celle de la figure 2, montrant le fermoir après son actionnement par poussée manuelle;
• la figure 4 est une coupe suivant IV-IV de la figure 2;
• la figure 5 représente, en coupe suivant V-V de la figure 6, un fermoir suivant un deuxième mode de réalisation de l'invention, après son montage;
• la figure 6 est une coupe suivant VI-VI de la figure 5;
• la figure 7 est une coupe analogue à celle de la figure 6, montrant le fermoir actionné par poussée manuelle.

Referring to the appended schematic drawings, two more illustrative and nonlimiting embodiments of a case with clasp according to the invention will be described below in more detail;

• Figure 1 is a perspective view of a clasp according to a first embodiment of the invention, before mounting in the housing;
• Figure 2 is a top view of the clasp of Figure 1, after mounting in the housing;
• Figure 3 is a view similar to that of Figure 2 showing the clasp after its actuation by manual push;
• Figure 4 is a section on IV-IV of Figure 2;
• 5 shows, in section along VV of Figure 6, a clasp according to a second embodiment of the invention, after mounting;
• Figure 6 is a section along VI-VI of Figure 5;
• Figure 7 is a section similar to that of Figure 6, showing the clasp actuated by manual push.

According to Figures 1 to 4 a one-piece clasp made of plastic, for example polyacetal, is intended to be mounted by sliding in the direction of the arrow 2 in Figure 1 in a part 3 of a housing, by an opening 4 planned in tranche 5 of the housing part 3. In the example shown, the housing part 3 is the lower part or bottom part of a housing whose upper part 6 or cover part visible in FIG. 4 is articulated in a manner not shown on the lower part 3 opposite the section 5.

The clasp 1 comprises a body 7 of generally parallelepiped external shape. More specifically, the body 7 has, seen in plan, a U-shape, the core of the U constituting the large outer edge 8 of the body 7 and the two wings of the U constituting the two opposite small edges 9 of the body 7.

On the wafer 8 is formed a rib 10 projecting outwards, over the entire length of the wafer 8, this rib 10 serving as a means of actuating the clasp 1.

The wafer 8 also carries, on the inner side, a cage 11 open upwards, the side opposite to the wafer 8 ends upwards by a hook-shaped head 12, the side 13 of which faces towards the wafer 8 is inclined in the form of a ramp.

The two sections 9 of the body 7 are extended opposite the section 8 by two oblique converging branches 14 ending at a short distance from each other.

At the point of connection of the branches 14 to the lateral edges 9 of the body 7 of the clasp 1, each edge 9 has a notch 15 projecting laterally outwards. Each notch 15 is defined, on the side facing the edge 8, by a sidewall 16 perpendicular to the edge 9 and, on the side facing the branch 14, by an oblique sidewall 17, forming a ramp (see FIG. 1).

The opening 4 provided in the housing part 3 to receive the clasp 1 has a height very slightly greater than the height of the body 7 of the clasp. The width of the opening 4 is very slightly greater than the width that the body 7 has at the location of its edges 9, outside the notches 15, but less than the overall width of the body 7 at the location of the notches 15.

Inside the housing part 3, the opening 4 opens into a cavity 18 whose width is greater than the overall width of the body 7 of the clasp 1 at the location of the notches 15, this cavity connecting by two shoulders 19 to the opening 4. The depth of the cavity 18 is slightly less than the distance separating the sides 16 of the notches 15 of the body 7 of the clasp 1 of the free ends of the branches 14 perpendicular to the plane of the edge 8 body 7.

The housing part 3 also comprises, in its upper face, an opening 20 whose function will appear later.

The clasp 1 as described above and illustrated by Figures 1 to 4 can be mounted in the housing part 3 by insertion in the direction of the arrow 2 into the opening 4, the arms 14 being turned forward . During this introduction movement, the edges 9 of the body 7 bend slightly inward when the notches 15 pass through the opening 4, to then relax as soon as the notches 15 have crossed the shoulders 19 and come into place behind these shoulders. Shortly before this catching of the notches 15 behind the shoulders 19, the free ends of the branches 14 touch the bottom 21 of the cavity 18, so that when the notches 15 are snapped behind the shoulders 19, the branches 14 are slightly bent elastically. It is therefore under the effect of the elasticity of the branches 14 that the sides 16 of the notches 15 are pressed against the shoulders 19 which serve as a stop, preventing the clasp 1 once introduced in the housing part 3 in a visible manner in Figure 2 to emerge from the housing part 3.

In this mounting position, the notches 15 do not hinder the mobility of the clasp 1 against the return effect of the elastic branches 14 in bending, under the action of a push exerted by hand on the rib d actuation 10 in the direction of the arrow as shown in FIG. 3.

As shown in Figure 4, the upper housing part 6 has a locking hook 22 which, when the housing is closed, crosses the opening 20 of the lower housing part 3 and cooperates with the hook 12 of the clasp 1, by the sliding of the ramp 23 of the hook 22 on the ramp 13 of the hook 12 until the two hooks snap one behind the other.

To unlock the two hooks 22 and 12 in order to open the case, a push is exerted on the rib 12 of the clasp 1 in the direction of the arrow P in FIG. 3, so that the clasp 1 is pressed in. against the return effect of the branches 14 which flex elastically, which allows the hook 22 to disengage from the hook 12 when a torque is exerted on the upper part of the housing 6 in the direction of the opening, ie manually, or by an elastic means known per se.

According to Figures 5 to 7, a clasp 30 comprises a body 31 slidably mounted in an opening 32 of a lower housing 33. Seen in plan, the clasp body 31 has a U-shape, with two parallel lateral wings 34 forming the small sections of the body 31 and a core 35 which here forms a large curved section according to the curved shape of the edge of the housing part 33, as can be seen in FIG. 5. A cage 36 formed on the inner face of the edge 35 of the body 31 has, opposite the edge 35, a side shaped as a hook 37 as it appears better in FIGS. 6 and 7.

The body 31 of the clasp 30 is extended rearwards, at the base of the side of the cage 36 forming the hook 37, by a flat part 38 offset downwardly relative to the underside of the body 31 of the clasp 30. As this appears especially in FIGS. 6 and 7, the part 38 constitutes a pallet connected to the body 31 by a horizontal elastic articulation 39 defined by a weakening of the material at the location of the connection of the pallet 38 to the body 31. The pallet 38 comprises a rigid retaining part 40, adjacent to the articulation 39, followed by an elastic return part 41 constituting a closed loop, having the general shape of a rhombus.

The housing part 33 comprises, to receive the pallet 38 of the body 31, in the extension of the opening 32, a hollow 42 of generally rectangular shape whose width is greater than the width of the pallet 38 and whose length substantially corresponds to the length of part 38.

For mounting the clasp 30 in the housing part 33, the clasp 30 is introduced, the pallet 38 facing forwards, into the opening 32 whose height and width are slightly greater than the height and width of the body 31. During this sliding insertion movement, the pallet 38 can flex elastically upwards around the joint 39.

As soon as the pallet 38 has reached the recess 42 of the housing part 33, it enters the recess 42 by expanding elastically. The recess 42 thus constitutes both the support means for the loop 41 serving as elastic return means whose free end bears against the front flank of the recess 42, and abutment means preventing the clasp 30 from coming out of the housing part 33, the retaining part 40 of the pallet 38 coming to bear against the front flank of the hollow 42.

Thus, when closing the housing by folding down an upper housing part 43 on the lower housing part 33, the hook 44 of the upper housing part 43, passing through the opening 45 of the housing part 33, comes lock behind the hook 37 of the clasp 30, in the visible manner in FIG. 6.

To open the case, a push is exerted in the direction of arrow P in FIG. 7 on the edge 35 of the body 31 of the clasp 30 to push the body 31 against the return effect of the loop 41 which is thus elastically deformed, until the hook 44 of the upper housing part 43 is released by the hook 37 of the clasp 30 and the two housing parts 43, 33 can be separated from one another , either manually or automatically by elastic means not shown, as indicated by the arrow 0. It is also possible to provide for this purpose, as indicated in dashes in FIG. 7, a ramp 46 on the edge 35 of the body 31 of the clasp 30, opposite the hook 37, so as to exert, when the clasp 30 is pressed, after release of the hook 44, by the hook 37, a mechanical action in the opening direction 0 on the upper part of the housing 43.

Claims (4)

Case formed by two parts articulated one on the other, the first of which comprises an opening for receiving a one-piece clasp comprising a body which is slidably mounted in said opening and on which are provided elastic return means for urging the body elastically to against the direction of introduction into the first housing part, actuation means accessible from the outside through said opening to move the body by manual pushing against said return means, locking means to keep the housing closed and retaining means for cooperating, at the end of mounting of the body in the first housing part, by snap-fastening with stop means provided on said first housing part, to allow said locking means to cooperate , in this position, with hooking means on the second housing part, said return means being formed s in the extension of said body in the direction of introduction of the body into the first housing part, so as to cooperate by elastic bending with a bearing surface provided on said first housing part, characterized in that said elastic means return (41) and said retaining means (40) are formed on a part (38) offset downward relative to the lower edge of the clasp body (31) and connected to the latter with possibility of elastic pivoting in the plane vertical so as to be able to engage elastically, during the introduction of the clasp into the first housing part (33), in a recess (42) formed in the first housing part (33) so that, in the direction introduction of the clasp into the first housing part, the front flank of said recess (42) constitutes the stop means for said retaining means (40) and the rear flank of said recess (42) constitutes the support means for said elastic return means (41). Housing according to claim 1, characterized in that the elastic return means (41) have the form of an elastically deformable closed loop. Housing according to claim 2, characterized in that said loop has the shape of a diamond. Housing according to any one of claims 1 to 3, characterized in that the clasp has a weakening zone, serving as a pivot axis at the point of connection of said pivoting part (38) to the clasp body ( 31).

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