EP0985788B1 - Key, particularly for motor vehicles, with remote control case forming head and retractable insert and method of its construction - Google Patents

Description

The present invention relates to keys, particularly motor vehicle, whose head is a remote control housing and whose bit portion - also called insert - is pivotally mounted between a position of use where it extends axially said housing and a position row where it is retracted into this one.

Head key structures forming a remote control box and retractable mechanical insert have already been proposed. In this respect, for example, reference may be made to patents and patent applications DE 39 02 537, DE 42 26 579 and FR 2 640 670.

The key housings of this type known to date are generally constituted by two half-shells which are closed one over the other, one of these half-shells having an outer door which receives one or more stacks of feeding and which is closed by an independent hood of the two half-shells.

These exterior hatch solutions have the advantage of allowing a user to easily change the battery or batteries when discharged. They make it possible to prevent the user, in order to make such a change, to open the two half-shells in which is housed the pivoting mechanism of the insert and consequently to avoid that a user simply wishing to changing its batteries does not disassemble the pivot mechanism of the insert without being able to reassemble it.

However, these exterior hatch solutions are expensive.

An object of the invention is to overcome this drawback and to propose a key structure forming a remote control box and retractable insert that allows a user to easily change the battery or batteries and in which the number of parts and the cost is reduced compared to those of the exterior hatch structures known to date.

For this purpose, the invention proposes a key, especially for a motor vehicle, comprising a remote control housing with two half-shells, a bit-shaped insert which is pivotally mounted about an axis of said housing between a position where it is retracted in it and a position of use where it is released relative to said housing, a mechanism which is mounted on said housing and resiliently removes the insert in its extended position, under the effect of the actuation of a button pushing by an operator, at least one battery for the power supply of the remote control function, characterized in that said battery is housed inside said half-shells and in that the various elements that define the pivot axis and the return mechanism of the insert are mounted between the bottom of one of the half-shells and a holding wall that said half-shell has the right of said bottom, these different elements being maintained between the edit bottom and said wall when the two half-shells are open, in particular to change the battery.

• la clé compôrte une pièce formant pivot qui porte l'insert formant panneton, ladite pièce étant disposée entre ladite paroi de maintien et le fond de la demi-coquille et étant traversée par un orifice dont l'axe correspond à l'axe de pivotement de l'insert ;
• l'orifice de la pièce formant pivot est traversé par un ressort hélicoïdal qui définit l'axe de pivotement de l'insert et qui rappelle élastiquement ledit insert vers sa position sorti, ledit ressort étant maintenu à une de ses extrémités sur le fond de la demi-coquille ;
• le ressort hélicoidal est fixé sur un pion qui est emboîté dans un orifice que présente le fond de la demi-coquille, ledit orifice et ledit pion présentant des moyens complémentaires empêchant la rotation dudit pion dans ledit orifice ;
• le pion est un pion creux à l'intérieur duquel s'étendent deux pattes parallèles qui reçoivent une branche d'extrémité du ressort, qui s'étend en retour à l'intérieur dudit ressort ;
• l'orifice du fond de la demi-coquille présente une nervure diamétrale qui est destinée à coopérer avec une fente que présente le pion ;
• la pièce formant pivot présente deux ergots qui s'étendent en saillie à l'intérieur de l'orifice qui traverse ladite pièce, du côté de ladite pièce qui est destinée à être le plus éloignée du fond de la demi-coquille, ces deux ergots étant diamétralement opposés l'un à l'autre, l'orifice de ladite pièce formant pivot recevant un capuchon formant bouton qui se termine par une jupe qui présente deux fentes destinées à coiffer lesdits ergots et à coopérer avec eux pour lier en rotation ledit capuchon formant bouton et la pièce formant pivot ;
• la pièce formant pivot présente deux ergots qui s'étendent en saillie à l'intérieur de l'orifice qui traverse ladite pièce, du côté de ladite pièce qui est destinée à être le plus éloignée du fond de la demi-coquille, ces deux ergots étant diamétralement opposés l'un à l'autre, l'orifice de ladite pièce formant pivot recevant un capuchon formant bouton qui se termine par une jupe qui présente deux fentes destinées à coiffer lesdits ergots et à coopérer avec eux pour lier en rotation ledit capuchon formant bouton et la pièce formant pivot ;
• le capuchon formant bouton présente un pied qui s'étend en son intérieur et qui se termine par une rainure dans laquelle est reçue une branche en retour que le ressort présente à son extrémité opposée au fond de la demi-coquille ;
• la jupe du capuchon est bordée par une protubérance annulaire qui est d'un diamètre extérieur légèrement supérieur au diamètre intérieur d'un orifice que la paroi de maintien de la demi-coquille présente et qui est traversé par ledit capuchon ;
• le capuchon présente une tête qui est séparée de la jupe par l'intermédiaire d'un décrochement annulaire et comporte en outre deux pattes qui sont en saillie par rapport à ce décrochement et qui s'étendent le long de la tête du capuchon, en étant diamétralement opposées de part et d'autre de celle-ci, ces deux pattes coopérant avec deux encoches disposées de façon diamétralement opposée de part et d'autre d'un orifice par lequel la tête du capuchon formant bouton traverse la demi-coquille qui se ferme sur celle sur laquelle sont montés les différents éléments qui définissent l'axe de pivotement et le mécanisme de rappel de l'insert ;
• les pattes et/ou les encoches présentent des chanfreins qui sont dimensionnés de façon que lesdites pattes et lesdites encoches soient toujours en appui par l'intermédiaire desdits chanfreins lorsque l'insert est dans sa position sortie et/ou dans sa position escamotée ;
• l'insert est emboîté dans un logement que présente la pièce formant pivot et est fixé à celle-ci notamment par l'intermédiaire d'une goupille qui traverse l'insert et les deux faces opposées de son logement présentant deux rainures en V réparties de part et d'autre de l'insert au droit de la goupille, lesdites rainures en V s'étendant des bords du logement aux trous de passage de la goupille.

Such a key is advantageously completed by the following different characteristics taken alone or in all their technically possible combinations:

• the key comprises a pivot piece which carries the bit forming a bit, said piece being disposed between said holding wall and the bottom of the half-shell and having an orifice through which the axis corresponds to the pivot axis of the half-shell; the insert;
• the orifice of the pivot piece is traversed by a helical spring which defines the axis of pivoting of the insert and which elastically returns said insert to its extended position, said spring being held at one of its ends on the bottom of the half-shell;
• the helical spring is fixed on a pin which is fitted into an orifice which has the bottom of the half-shell, said orifice and said pin having complementary means preventing the rotation of said pin in said orifice;
• the pin is a hollow pin inside which extend two parallel tabs which receive an end branch of the spring, which extends back inside said spring;
• the orifice of the bottom of the half-shell has a diametrical rib which is intended to cooperate with a slot that has the pin;
• the pivot piece has two lugs which protrude inside the orifice which passes through said part, on the side of said part which is intended to be furthest from the bottom of the half-shell, these two lugs being diametrically opposed to each other, the orifice of said pivot member receiving a cap forming a button which terminates in a skirt which has two slots for capping said lugs and cooperating with them to rotate said cap forming a button and the pivot piece;
• the pivot piece has two lugs which protrude inside the orifice which passes through said part, on the side of said part which is intended to be furthest from the bottom of the half-shell, these two lugs being diametrically opposed to each other, the orifice of said pivot member receiving a cap forming a button which terminates in a skirt which has two slots for capping said lugs and cooperating with them to rotate said cap forming a button and the pivot piece;
• the button cap has a foot which extends in its interior and which ends in a groove in which is received a return leg that the spring has at its end opposite to the bottom of the half-shell;
• the skirt of the cap is bordered by an annular protuberance which is of an outside diameter slightly greater than the inside diameter of an orifice that the holding wall of the half-shell has and which is traversed by said cap;
• the cap has a head which is separated from the skirt by means of an annular recess and comprises in addition to two tabs which project from said recess and which extend along the head of the cap, being diametrically opposite on either side thereof, these two tabs cooperating with two notches arranged so that diametrically opposite on either side of an orifice through which the head of the knob cap passes through the half-shell which closes on that on which are mounted the various elements which define the pivot axis and the return mechanism of the insert;
• the tabs and / or the notches have chamfers which are dimensioned so that said tabs and said notches are always supported by means of said chamfers when the insert is in its extended position and / or in its retracted position;
• the insert is fitted into a housing that has the pivot piece and is fixed thereto in particular by means of a pin which passes through the insert and the two opposite faces of its housing having two V-shaped grooves distributed between on both sides of the insert to the right of the pin, said V-grooves extending from the edges of the housing to the holes for the passage of the pin.

• ■ introduire le ressort à travers l'orifice de la paroi de maintien et l'orifice de la pièce formant pivot ;
• ■ fixer le capuchon formant bouton sur l'extrémité dudit ressort ;
• ■ tourner ledit capuchon, en sollicitant en torsion le ressort, de façon à présenter les fentes de la jupe dudit capuchon au dessus des ergots ;
• ■ exercer sur le capuchon un effort qui comprime le ressort de façon à faire traverser l'orifice de la paroi de maintien à la jupe et à son renflement annulaire ;
• ■ refermer l'autre demi-coquille sur la demi-coquille sur laquelle sont montés les différents éléments qui définissent l'axe de pivotement et le mécanisme de rappel de l'insert.

The invention also proposes a method for mounting such a key, characterized by the steps of:

• ■ insert the spring through the hole of the holding wall and the hole of the pivot piece;
• ■ fix the button cap on the end of said spring;
• ■ turning said cap, by biasing the spring in torsion, so as to present the slots of the skirt of said cap above the lugs;
• ■ exert on the cap a force that compresses the spring so as to cross the hole of the holding wall to the skirt and its annular bulge;
• ■ close the other half-shell on the half-shell on which are mounted the various elements that define the pivot axis and the return mechanism of the insert.

• ■ le pion est positionné dans l'orifice central de ladite pièce formant pivot,
• ■ ces deux éléments ainsi positionnés sont introduits entre la paroi de maintien et le fond de la demi-coquille,
• ■ le pion est repoussé sur le fond de la demi-coquille.

Advantageously, prior to the introduction of the spring through the orifice of the holding wall and the orifice of the pivot piece:

• The pin is positioned in the central orifice of said pivot piece,
• These two elements thus positioned are introduced between the holding wall and the bottom of the half-shell,
• ■ the pawn is pushed back on the bottom of the half-shell.

• la figure 1 est une représentation en perspective d'une clé conforme à un mode de réalisation de l'invention ;
• la figure 2 est une représentation en vue éclatée de la clé de la figure 1;
• la figure 3 est une vue de dessus de la clé de la figure 1 ;
• la figure 4 est une vue selon la ligne IV-IV de la figure 3;
• la figure 5 est une vue selon la ligne V-V de la figure 3 ;
• la figure 6 est une vue selon la ligne VI-VI de la figure 3 ;
• les figures 7a et 7b sont des représentations en perspective par dessus et par dessous du capuchon constituant le bouton commandant la sortie de l'insert par rapport au boîtier ;

Other features and advantages of the invention will become apparent from the description which follows. This description is purely illustrative and not limiting. It shall be compared with the attached drawings in which:

• Figure 1 is a perspective representation of a key according to one embodiment of the invention;
• Figure 2 is an exploded view of the key of Figure 1;
• Figure 3 is a top view of the key of Figure 1;
• Figure 4 is a view along the line IV-IV of Figure 3;
• Figure 5 is a view along the line VV of Figure 3;
• Figure 6 is a view along the line VI-VI of Figure 3;
• Figures 7a and 7b are perspective views from above and below the cap constituting the button controlling the output of the insert relative to the housing;

The mechanical key which is illustrated in FIGS. 1 to 7 comprises a flat metal part 1 and a case 2.

The metal part 1 is the bit of the key and is also designated insert in the following text to use the terminology of the skilled person.

The housing 2 is a remote control box and constitutes the head of the key.

This housing 2 has a generally rounded parallelepiped shape defined by two half-shells 3a and 3b closed one on the other.

The half-shell 3a constitutes the cover of the housing 2. It carries a stack which comprises a membrane 4 which carries buttons 5 of actuation of the remote control, an electronic circuit board 6 and a support 7 which is mounted on the half-shell 3a and which, with the half-shell 3b, holds said membrane 4 and the electronic card 6 in place against the bottom of the half-shell 3a.

This support 7 further comprises, on the side opposite the membrane 4 and the card 6, a housing in which is received a flat battery 9, and two blades 8a, 8b which provide the electrical connection between the circuit carried by the card 6 and the positive and negative terminals of said flat cell 9.

The half-shell 3b has in its central part a cavity C receiving the support 7, the components mounted on the card 6 and the battery 9, the bottom of said cavity C having pads on which said battery 9 bears.

Moreover, the half-shell 3b carries in its front part the entire pivoting mechanism of the insert 1 - said insert 1 and the various parts of its pivoting mechanism being all mounted on said half-shell 3b - and present on its edge a housing L which extends at one of its corners in front of the half-shell 3b and on a portion of length in the extension of said corner and which is intended to receive the insert 1 in his retracted position.

Note that throughout the present text, the qualifiers front / rear must be understood relative to the direction of introduction of the metal insert 1 in a barrel, the metal insert 1 being at the front of the key, when it is out of the housing 2, the housing 2 then being at the rear.

The half-shell 3b is bordered on its entire periphery opposite its bottom by a flange B which has a slight protuberance which cooperates with a recess of complementary section which extends inside the half-shell 3a, over a whole periphery thereof, to resiliently lock the half-shell 3a on the half-shell 3b. The joint action of this elastic locking and compression of the edge of the membrane 4 over its entire periphery between the two half-shells 3a, 3b near the locking zone ensures the sealing of the assembly.

At the right of the housing L, the flange B is extended by a wall 29 which extends inside the half-shell 3b being parallel to the bottom thereof.

The half-shells 3a and 3b are made by molding in a plastic material, the wall 29 being obtained by means of a sequential demolding.

The rear end of the insert 1 is of rectangular parallelepiped shape and is fitted into a housing 11 that has a piece 10 forming a pivot.

The piece 10 is of flat shape, the housing 11 being formed in its thickness.

The insert 1 and said part 10 are fixedly fixed relative to each other on the one hand by the shape of the housing 11 - which is complementary to that of the end of the insert 1 which it receives - and on the other hand via a pin 12 which passes through the insert. This pin 12 cooperates with two complementary holes 13 that the piece 10 and in which it is received.

The edges which define the opening of the housing 11 have two grooves 14 V which extend from said opening towards the interior of the housing 11, being distributed on either side of the insert 1, the funds said grooves extending in the plane passing through the axis defined by the pin 12 and the median axis in which the insert 1 extends when it is out of the housing 2. These grooves 14 facilitate the introduction of the insert 1 in its housing 11. They also make it possible to weaken said housing 11 so that, in accordance with the security regulations in force in Europe, the head constituted by said housing 2 is broken by relative to the insert 1 when a large torque is exerted between said head and said insert, in particular during a shock.

The piece 10 forming a pivot is traversed by an orifice 15 of predominantly cylindrical shape whose axis is perpendicular to the plane of said piece 10.

This orifice 15 receives, as will be described later in more detail, a coil spring 16.

This coil spring 16 is held at one of its ends in a hollow pin 17 which is itself fitted into an orifice 18 which is provided with the bottom of the half-shell 3b.

A rib 19 extends diametrically in said orifice 18. This rib 19 cooperates with a slot that the pin 17 has at its bottom, to maintain said pin 17 in rotation relative to the half-shell 3b.

The hollow pin 17 also has two parallel tabs 20 extending in its height from its bottom. These two lugs 20 define a housing receiving an end branch 21 of the spring 16, this leg 21 extending back inside said spring 16. Said lugs 20 thus block said end branch 21 relative to the pin 17 and with respect to the half-shell 3b.

The pin 17 extends over a height greater than that of the orifice 18 and opens out with respect thereto (FIGS. 4 and 6). Its emergent part is received in the base of the central orifice 15 of the piece 10 forming a pivot, these two elements being able to pivot and slide relative to each other.

Said piece 10 also has two lugs 22 which project inwardly from the orifice 15, on the side of the piece 10 which is intended to be farthest from the bottom of the half-shell 3b, being diametrically opposed to each other. The distance between these lugs 22 is slightly greater than the outside diameter of the spring 16.

These two lugs 22 are intended to be covered by two inverted U-shaped slits 23 which has a skirt 24 which borders a cap 25 forming a button. This cap 25 forming a button is intended to be received in the orifice 1, said lugs 22 and said slots 23 cooperating to rotate said knob cap 25 and the pivot member 10, said cap 25 being nonetheless axially slidable in the orifice 15.

This button cap (FIGS. 4 and 7a, 7b) has a foot 26 which extends inside and ends with a groove 26a in which a branch 27 is received in return which the spring 16 has at its opposite end. 17. In the example illustrated in the figures, the branches 21 and 27 are perpendicular; the groove 26a extends perpendicular to the diameter of the skirt 24 on which the slots 23 are distributed.

The cap 25 is intended to extend through an orifice 28 which is provided with the wall 29, to the right of the housing of the bottom of the half-shell 3b which receives the pin 17, said orifice 28 being bordered partially by an excess thickness 28a which partially reinforces the wall 29 at the front thereof.

The skirt 24 of said cap 25 is bordered over its entire periphery by an annular protuberance 30 which is of an outside diameter slightly greater than the inside diameter of the orifice 28. This annular protrusion 30 prevents the cap 25 from disengaging with respect to the orifice 28 once it is in place inside thereof.

The cap 25 has a head 34 which is separated from the skirt 24 by a flat annular recess. It furthermore has two tabs 33 which project from said recess and which extend along the head 34 of said cap 25, being arranged diametrically opposite on either side thereof, at slit right 23.

The half-shell 3a is traversed by an orifice 31 in which the head 34 of the cap 25 is passed when said half-shell 3a is closed on the half-shell 3b. Under the action of the force exerted by the spring 16 on the cap 25, the lugs 33 are pushed in abutment against the inner edge of said orifice 31. This edge has two notches 32 which are arranged diametrically opposite sides and else of the orifice 31 and receiving said tabs 33, when the insert 1 is in its retracted position inside the housing 2 or in its fully extended position with respect to said housing 2.

Said tabs 33 and / or said notches 32 are bordered by chamfers 35 which are dimensioned so that said tabs 33 and said notches 32 are always resting at said chamfers 35 when the insert 1 is in its retracted position or in its position totally out.

The mounting of the key that has just been described is as follows.

The rear part of the insert 1 is nested in the housing 11 of the piece 10 forming a pivot.

Then, the pin 17 is positioned in the central orifice 15 of said pivot piece.

Both are introduced into the housing L of the half-shell 3b, at the zone between the housing 18 of the bottom of said half-shell 3b and the orifice 28 of the wall 29.

Once these two elements in place, it pushes the pin 17 so that it plugs into the housing 18, its slot coming to cap the rib 19 which extends inside said housing.

Then, the spring 16 is introduced through, on the one hand, the orifice 28 of the wall 29 and, on the other hand, the orifice 15 of the pivot piece 10, presenting it so as to wedge its end branch 21 between the legs 20 of the pin 17.

The spring 16 not being compressed and emerging from the orifice 28, is placed the cap 25 on the end of said spring 16 opposite the end 21, presenting it so that the branch 27 engages in the groove 26a of the foot 26 of said cap.

Then turns a quarter turn said cap 25 on itself, by biasing the spring 16 in torsion, so as to present the slots 23 of the skirt 24 above the lugs 22.

When this position is reached, the cap 25 is pressed and the spring 16 is compressed so as to pass through the orifice 28 to the skirt 24 and to its bulge 30. The cap 25 is then blocked in the orifice 28 by the annular bulge 30. It defines with the spring 16 and the pin 17 a pivot axis for the part 10 and the insert 1.

The pivoting mechanism of the insert is then finished to be mounted.

The support 7, the card 6 and the membrane 4 having been previously placed on the half-shell 3a, is then closed said half-shell 3a on the half-shell 3b after setting up the battery 9 in the bottom of the cavity C, the head of the cap 25 having passed through the orifice 31 that the half-shell 3a has for this purpose.

The insert 1 being out, it is recalled by the torsional force exerted by the spring 16 to a position where the piece 10 abuts against a wall of the housing L and where the tabs 33 are engaged in the notches 32 .

The swivel insert wrench is ready for use.

To tilt the insert 1 to its position where it is retracted inside the housing 2, the operator presses the button that constitutes the head 34 of the cap 25 to disengage the tabs 33 relative to the notches 32 and fold said insert 1 on said housing 2 by opposing the torsional force of the spring 16. When the insert 1 reaches the end of the stroke, the tabs 33 are found again engaged in the notches 32, due to the effort thrust that the spring 16 exerts on the cap 16.

When it wants to release the insert 1 relative to the remote control unit 2, the operator presses the button that constitutes the head 34. In doing so, it disengages the tabs 33 relative to the notches 32. Due to the torque of torsion exerted by the spring 16 on the insert 1 and the pivot piece 10, through the cap 25, the insert 1 is elastically biased to its position where it is completely out of the housing 2, it takes then almost instantaneously. In this position, the tabs 33 are again engaged in the notches 32, said tabs and notches being supported by means of their chamfer (s) 35, so that the insert 1 is held without play in this position under the effect of both compression and torsion of the spring 16.

The operator also uses his key as a remote control which he activates by means of the buttons 5.

If the battery 9 is discharged, it can easily change it.

To do this, it introduces between the two half-shells 3a and 3b - for example at a slot provided for this purpose - a tool which it uses as a lever to disengage the half-shell 3a with respect to the half-shell 3b.

When the half-shell 3a is open relative to the half-shell 3b, the tabs 33 of the cap 25 are no longer abutted against the edge of the orifice 31 of the half-shell 3a, but the cap 25-and with the various other elements of the mechanism of pivoting and resilient return of the insert - is maintained in the orifice 28 by abutment of the annular protrusion 30 against the edge of said orifice.

The operator can therefore access the cavity C in which the battery is located, without the risk of disassembling the pivoting mechanism of the insert 1.

Claims (14)

1. Key, in particular for a motor vehicle, comprising a remote control case (2) with two half-shells (3a, 3b), a bit-forming insert (1) which is mounted so as to pivot about an axis of said case (2) between a position where it is retracted therein and a position of use where it is out with respect to said case (2), a mechanism which is mounted on said case (2) and which elastically returns the insert (1) to its out position, under the effect of the activation of a push button (25) by an operator, at least one battery (9) for the power supply of the remote control function, characterised in that said battery (9) is housed inside said half-shells (3a, 3b), and in that the various elements (10, 16, 17, 25) which define the axis of pivot and the return mechanism of the insert are mounted between the bottom of one of the half-shells and a support wall (29) which said half-shell (3b) has in line with said bottom, these various elements (10, 16, 17, 25) being held between said bottom and said wall (29) when the two half-shells (3a, 3b) are open, in particular for changing the battery (9).
2. Key according to Claim 1, characterised in that it comprises a pivot-forming piece (10) which carries the bit-forming insert (1), said piece (10) being disposed between said support wall (29) and the bottom of the half-shell (3b) and having an orifice (15) passing through it, the axis of which corresponds to the axis of pivot of the insert (1).
3. Key according to Claim 2, characterised in that said orifice (15) in the pivot-forming piece (10) has a helical spring (16) passing through it, which defines the axis of pivot of the insert (1) and which elastically returns said insert (1) to its out position, said spring (16) being held at one of its ends on the bottom of the half-shell (3b).
4. Key according to Claim 3, characterised in that the helical spring (16) is fixed on a stud (17) which is fitted into an orifice (18) in the bottom of the half-shell (3b), said orifice (18) and said stud (17) having complementary means preventing the rotation of said stud (17) in said orifice (18).
5. Key according to Claim 4, characterised in that said stud (17) is a hollow stud inside which there extend two parallel tabs (20) which receive an end leg (21) of the spring (16), which extends returning inside said spring (16).
6. Key according to either of Claims 4 or 5, characterised in that the orifice (18) in the bottom of the half-shell has a diametral rib (19) which is intended to cooperate with a slot in the stud (17).
7. Key according to one of Claims 2 to 6, characterised in that the pivot-forming piece (10) has two lugs (22) which extend projecting inside the orifice (15) which passes through said piece (10), on the side of said piece (10) which is intended to be furthest away from the bottom of the half-shell (3b), these two lugs (22) being diametrically opposite one another, the orifice (15) in said pivot-forming piece (10) receiving a button-forming, cap (25) which ends in a side wall (24) which has two slots (23) intended to cover over said lugs (22) and to cooperate with them in order to connect rotation-wise said button-forming cap (25) and the pivot-forming piece (10).
8. Key according to Claims 3 and 7, characterised in that the button-forming cap (25) has a foot (26) which extends in its interior and which ends with a groove (26a) in which there is received a returning leg (27) which the spring (16) has at its end opposite to the bottom of the half-shell (3b).
9. Key according to either of Claims 7 or 8, characterised in that the side wall (24) of the cap (25) is edged with an annular protuberance (30) which has an external diameter slightly greater than the internal diameter of an orifice (28) in the support wall (29) of the half-shell (3b) and which said cap (25) passes through.
10. Key according to one of Claims 7 to 9, characterised in that the cap (25) has a head (34) which is separated from the side wall (24) by means of an annular discontinuity in alignment, and in that it also comprises two tabs (33) which project with respect to this discontinuity in alignment and which extend along the head (34) of the cap (25), while being diametrically opposite on either side thereof, these two tabs (33) cooperating with two notches (32) disposed diametrically opposite on either side of an orifice (31) by which the head (34) of the button-forming cap (25) passes through the half-shell (3a) which closes on the one (3b) on which there are mounted the various elements (10, 16, 17, 25) which define the axis of pivot and the return mechanism of the insert.
11. Key according to Claim 10, characterised in that the tabs (23) and/or the notches (32) have chamfers which are dimensioned so that said tabs and said notches are always in contact by means of said chamfers when the insert is in its out position and/or in its retracted position.
12. Key according to one of Claims 2 to 11, characterised in that the insert (1) is fitted into a housing (11) in the pivot-forming piece (10) and is fixed thereto in particular by means of a pin which passes through the insert and the two opposite faces of its housing having two V-shaped grooves distributed either side of the insert in line with the pin, said V-shaped grooves extending from the edges of the housing to the holes through which the pin passes.
13. Method for the assembly of a key, in particular for a motor vehicle, according to Claims 3 and 9, characterised by the steps consisting of:

    • introducing the spring (16) through the orifice (28) in the support wall (29) and the orifice (15) in the pivot-forming piece (10);

    • fixing the button-forming cap (25) on the end of said spring (16);

    • turning said cap (25), acting torsionally on the spring (16), so as to line up the slots (23) in the side wall (24) of said cap (25) above the lugs (22);

    • exerting on the cap (25) a force which compresses the spring (16) so as to make the side wall (24) and its annular bulge (30) pass through the orifice (28) in the support wall (29);

    • closing up the other half-shell (3a) onto the half-shell (3b) on which there are mounted the various elements (10, 16, 17, 25) which define the axis of pivot and the return mechanism of the insert.
14. Method according to Claim 13, for the assembly of a key according to Claim 4, characterised in that, prior to the introduction of the spring (16) through the orifice (28) in the support wall (29) and the orifice (15) in the pivot-forming piece (10):

    • the stud (17) is positioned in the central orifice (15) in said pivot-forming piece (10);

    • these two elements thus positioned are introduced between the support wall (29) and the bottom of the half-shell (3b);

    • the stud (17) is pushed back onto the bottom of the half-shell (3b).