EP2023764A2

EP2023764A2 - Openable keyring

Info

Publication number: EP2023764A2
Application number: EP07734712A
Authority: EP
Inventors: Gaetano Donatiello
Original assignee: D-effe Srl; EFFE Srl D
Current assignee: D-effe Srl
Priority date: 2006-05-29
Filing date: 2007-05-24
Publication date: 2009-02-18
Also published as: WO2007138459A3; ITMI20061039A1; WO2007138459A2

Abstract

Openable ring (1) consisting of a main portion (10) and at least two further portions (12, 14). Said further portions comprising one or more intermediate portions (12) and an end portion (14). The first end of the intermediate portion (12) is hinged to the first end of the main portion (10) and the second end of the intermediate portion (12), is hinged to the first end of the end portion (14) on a rotation axis perpendicular to the plane on which the ring lies. Possible intermediate portions (12) beyond the first are hinged together at the respective ends on rotation axes perpendicular to the plane on which the ring lies. The second ends of the main portion (10) and of the end portion (14) are equipped with removable mutual coupling means (20, 22). The main, intermediate and end portions (10, 12, 14) are each made with a succession of two or more plates (24) piled up along a direction perpendicular to the plane of extension of the ring (1) and joined together through fixed coupling means (30).

Description

OPENABLE KEYRING

The present invention refers to an openable ring intended in particular but not exclusively for use as a keyring . In the following description, however, it should be specified that by the term "ring" we more generally indicate any closed shape, polygonal or continuous, which is not necessarily a circumference. Document EP 0 648 442 discloses an openable ring consisting of a first portion or arc of circumference, with an angle to the centre of about 270°, and a second and third portion of circumference, of suitable length, which cooperate with one another and with said first portion so as to form, in the ring's closed configuration, a complete circumference. The ring is thus provided with hinge connections between the first and the second portion of circumference and between the second and the third portion of circumference, so as to allow the ring to be opened and closed through mutual rotation of the different portions on the plane on which the ring itself lies, and it is also provided with locking means to prevent it from opening accidentally. Whilst possessing some advantages compared to common known keyrings, including easy opening and closing without the help of special mechanisms and the high degree of safety against accidental opening, the keyring described above also has some drawbacks .

A first drawback is due to the fact that, to make keyrings of different thicknesses, be they made from metal or plastic, it is necessary to provide different moulds, with the consequent need to differentiate the production processes .

Moreover, given the specific intended use of the ring, in other words as a keyring but also possibly as an item of jewellery or a mechanical connection element with a particular design, the fact that the three portions that form the ring itself are made in a single piece, and therefore from a single material, limits the possibility of obtaining a wide range of different chromatic effects but above all prevents different mechanical characteristics from being obtained while keeping the size of the ring the same.

The general purpose of the present invention is therefore to solve the drawbacks quoted above in an extremely simple, cost-effective and particularly functional manner.

In particular, a purpose of the invention is to allow openable keyrings to be made that have different thicknesses, and therefore different mechanical strength and elasticity, using the same production process and the same manufacturing material.

Vice-versa, another purpose of the invention is to make rings with different materials and colours between their inner part and outer part, whilst still keeping the elastic and structural characteristics of the ring itself unchanged. A further purpose of the invention is to manufacture the openable ring, in particular if made from metal, through the simple shearing process, without needing to use special machine tools like work stations, with clear advantages in terms of reducing production costs. In view of the aforementioned purposes, according to the present invention, it has been thought of to make an openable keyring, preferably but not exclusively able to be used as a keyring, having the characteristics outlined in the attached claims . The structural 'and functional characteristics of the present invention and its advantages compared to the prior art shall become clearer from an examination of the following description, referring to the attached drawings, in which: Figure 1 is a plan view of the openable ring according to the present invention, in closed configuration; Figure IA is a perspective view of the- ring of figure 1; Figure 2 is a plan view of the openable ring of figure 1, in partially open configuration; Figure 2A is a perspective view of the ring of figure 2; Figure 2B is a cross section view obtained along the line A-A of figure 2 ;

Figure 3 is a plan view of the openable ring of figure

1, in an open configuration;

Figure 3A is a perspective view of the ring of figure 3 ; Figure 4 is a plan view of the openable ring of figure

1, in a partially open configuration and without one of the outer plates;

Figure 4A is a perspective view of the ring of figure 4;

Figure 4B is an enlarged view of the detail indicated with "A" in figure 4;

Figure 5 is a plan view of another example embodiment of the openable keyring according to the present invention, in closed configuration;

Figure 5A is a perspective view of the ring of figure 5; Figure 6 is a plan view of the openable ring of figure

5, in partially open configuration;

Figure 6A is a perspective view of the ring of figure 6;

Figure 6B is a cross section view obtained along the line A-A of figure 6; Figure 7 is a plan view of the openable ring of figure

5, in open configuration;

Figure 7A is a perspective view of the ring of figure 7;

Figure 8 is a plan view of the openable ring of figure

5, in a partially open configuration and without one of the outer plates;

Figure 8A is a perspective view of the ring of figure 8; Figure 8B is an enlarged view of the detail indicated with "A" in figure 8 ;

With reference to the figures of the attached drawings and to the preferred embodiments represented here, the ring according to the invention is wholly indicated with reference numeral 1 and consists of a succession along a circumference of three different curved portions - a main portion 10, preferably but not necessarily C- shaped, to which an arc of circumference shaped intermediate portion 12 is hinged, through the rotation pin 16, which in turn has an end portion 14, again arc of circumference shaped, hinged to it, through the rotation pin 18. Again with reference to the illustrated example embodiments, the intermediate portion 12 and the end portion 14 are substantially shorter than the main portion 10 and they fit together with it in the formation of the ring 1.

More specifically, the rotation pins 16, 18 allow the rotation, about respective rotation axes perpendicular to the plane on which the ring 1 lies, of the intermediate portion 12 with respect to the main portion 10 and of the end portion 14 with respect to the intermediate portion 12, to go from a closed configuration (figures 1 and 5) to an open configuration (figures 3 and 6) of the ring 1 itself.

On the mutually adjacent ends of the main portion 10 and — 5 —

of the end portion 14, on the other hand, there are removable coupling means, i.e. respectively one or more curved hooks 20 and one or more corresponding insertion cavities 22. Each hook 20 and its corresponding cavity 22 are of a shape and have a radius of curvature suitable for engaging in contact with each other in the closed configuration of the ring 1.

Preferably, the end part 32 of the hook 20 has a curved profile to make it easier to insert the hook 20 itself into the cavity 22.

In particular, in the example embodiment illustrated in figures 5 to 8B, the position of the hooks 20 and of the relative cavities 22 can be inverted by inverting the shape of the portions 10 and 14 in contact with each other.

Advantageously, each of the three curved portions 10, 12 and 14 that constitute the ring 1 is made with a plurality of plates 24 laid over one another, preferably made from metal or resilient plastic material, permanently joined together through suitable fixed coupling means.

The plates 24 , both those that form the two outer surfaces of the ring 1, respectively indicated with reference numerals 26 and 28 in the sections of figures 2B and 6B, and the inner ones 27, present in the case in which the overall number of piled up plates is greater than two, can be made with different materials and/or with different thicknesses, to give the correct hardness to the three portions 10, 12 and 14 of the ring 1 according to its size or the particular type of use for which it is intended.

It is important to note that the hook or the hooks 20 are not placed on the relative portions 10 and/or 14 but are made in a single piece with the plates 24 that form the ring 1, in particular being formed from the superposition of the plates 24 themselves.

The join between the plates 24 can be obtained by means of various different attachment systems, like for example a plurality of pins 30 that can be inserted by screwing, both directly on the plates 24 and with small nuts or with male and female screws, by clinching or by forcing in suitable holes 36 (figures 2B and 6B) made through the plates 24 themselves in a direction perpendicular to the plane on which the ring 1 lies. The pins 30 can be inserted so as to be both flush with the end plates 26 and 28 (figures 1-3 and 5-7) or else projecting from such end plates (figures 4 and 8) . In the case of joining of the plates 24 by means of pins 30, the connection hinges 16 and 18, respectively between the main portion 10 and the intermediate portion 12 and between the intermediate portion 12 and the end portion 14 of the ring 1, are also made from two of such W

- 8 -

pins 30 .

As an alternative to the use of the pins 30, the plates 24 can be coupled with each other through front welding, projection welding, laser side welding or else with 5 other known joining systems.

Operatively, the ring 1 according to the invention is opened, from the closed configuration of figures 1 and 5, through pressing on the hinge connection 18 in the radial direction towards the centre of the ring 1

10 itself. The consequent movement of the hinge 18 causes the rotation of the portions 12 and 14 respectively about the hinge 16 and the same hinge 18, with consequent disengagement of the hook 20 or of the hooks 20 from the relative seats 22 (figures 2 and 6) . In the

15 positions of figures 2 and 6 it is possible to see the partial opening of the ring 1 and the locking, to avoid total unhooking, obtained through the abutment between the portions 12 and 14 in the point indicated with A. In order to make it easier for the user to identify the

20 point of the ring 1 on which the necessary pressure to open it should be applied, for example in low-light conditions, it is possible to foresee a knurled portion 34 on the back of the plates 24 at the hinge 18 or else, in addition or alternatively, the pin that defines the

25 hinge 18 itself can be distinctively coloured and/or be shaped (raised or else flat at the level of the plates) - S -

or sized differently.

Vice-versa, to go from the completely open configuration of the ring according to the invention (figures 3 and 7) to the closed configuration, the portions 12 and 14 must be displaced and rotated until the hook or hooks 20 engage with the relative seats 22, as can be seen in figures 2 and 6. The ring 1 then closes with sufficient pressure in point B (figures 2 and 6) until the parts 10, 12 and 14 are stably aligned (figures 1 and 5) . In particular, in the example embodiment illustrated in figures 5 to 8B, the hold in the closed position is determined by the inner and outer plates of the portions in contact 10 and 14. Such plates, being mounted and locked to one another, cannot move apart from one another, both in the radial direction with respect to the centre of the ring and with respect to the plane of the ring itself.

The movement of the hinge 18 in the radial direction both ways, in other words both in the opening and closing operation of the ring 1, requires the mutual movement of the ends of the C-shaped main portion 10. This can be obtained thanks to the fact that the main portion 10, just like the entire ring 1, is made from a resilient material, the elasticity of which can advantageously be varied in many ways, in other words based upon the number and thickness of the plates 24 that make up the ring 1, based upon the quality of the material used, possibly also different between inner plates 27 and outer plates 26 and 28, and also according to the position and number of suitable notches 38 that can be made on the inner plates 27.

From what has been described above with reference to the figures it is clear how an openable ring according to the invention is particularly useful and advantageous . The purposes mentioned in the preamble of the description are thus achieved, in particular the possibility of obtaining a wide variety of mechanical, size and aesthetic configurations of the keyring by simply varying the number, the thickness and/or the material of the plates that make it up, in any case keeping production costs relatively low.

Moreover, in the variant shown in figures 5 to 8B there is the possibility of having rings with particularly small section both in the transversal direction, in other words with less coupled plates, and in the radial direction, since it is not necessary to create the blind hole for the hooking system. The coupling between the parts is thus simpler, because it is not necessary to centre the hole on the hook and, more precisely, because the hook couples on circular shapes with total contact (less clearances) that still allow the rotation of one shape on the other during the hooking and unhooking step .

Of course, the shapes of the ring of the invention, just like it intended use, not strictly limited to the keyring function, can be different from the one shown just as a non-limiting example in the drawings, just as the materials used can also be different. The scope of protection of the invention is therefore defined by the attached claims.

Claims

1. Openable ring (1) consisting of a main portion (10) and at least two further portions (12, 14) , fitting together with said main portion (10) in the formation of said ring (1) , said further portions comprising one or more intermediate portions (12) and an end portion (14) , the first end of said intermediate portion (12) , or of the first of said intermediate portions (12) , being hinged to the first end of said main portion (10) on a rotation axis perpendicular to the plane on which the ring lies and the second end of said intermediate portion (12) , or of the last of said intermediate portions (12) , being hinged to the first end of said end portion (14) on a rotation axis perpendicular to the plane on which the ring lies, possible intermediate portions (12) beyond the first being hinged together at the respective ends on rotation axes perpendicular to the plane on which the ring lies, the second ends of said main portion (10) and of said end portion (14) being equipped with removable mutual coupling means (20, 22) , characterised in that said main, intermediate and end portions (10, 12, 14) are each made with a succession of two or more plates (24) piled up along a direction perpendicular to the plane of extension of the ring (1) , and joined together through fixed coupling means (30) .

2. Ring (1) according to claim 1, characterised in that said plates (24) can be made with different materials and/or with different thicknesses to give the correct hardness to said main, intermediate and end portions (10, 12 and 14) , according to the size of the ring and/or the particular type of use for which it is intended.

3. Ring (1) according to claim 1, characterised in that said fixed coupling means (30) of said plates (24) comprise a plurality of pins inserted in suitable holes (36) made through said plates (24) in a direction perpendicular to the plane on which the ring lies .

4. Ring (1) according to claim 3, characterised in that said pins (30) can be inserted into the relative holes (36) by screwing, clinching or else forcing.

5. Ring (1) according to claim 4, characterised in that the screwing of said pins (30) into the relative holes (36) can take place both directly on the plates 24 and with small nuts or with male and female screws.

6. Ring (1) according to claim 3, characterised in that said pins (30) are inserted so as to be flush with the end plates (26) and (28) that form the two outer surfaces of said ring (1) .

7. Ring (1) according to claim 3, characterised in that said pins (30) are inserted so as to project from the end plates (26) and (28) that form the two outer surfaces of said ring (1) .

8. Ring (1) according to claim 3, characterised in that said pins (30) , at the contiguous ends between said main portion (10) and said main intermediate portion (12) , between said further intermediate portions (12) adjacent to each other and between said last intermediate portion (12) and said end portion (14) , also constitute the rotation pins (16, 18) through which said portions are hinged together.

9. Ring according to claim 8, characterised in that at least one rotation pin (18) , between said last intermediate portion (12) and said end portion (14), or else between two adjacent intermediate portions (12) , is coloured differently to the remaining pins (30) .

10. Ring according to claim 8, characterised in that at least one rotation pin (18) , between said last intermediate portion (12) and said end portion (14), or else between two adjacent intermediate portions (12), is shaped or sized differently to the remaining pins (30) .

11. Ring according to claim 1, characterised in that said fixed coupling means of said plates (24) foresee the welding of said plates (24) .

12. Ring according to claim 1, characterised in that it comprises a knurled portion (34) , on the back of said plates (24) , at said rotation pin (18) between said last intermediate portion (12) and said end portion (14) of the ring, or else between two adjacent intermediate portions (12) .

13. Ring according to claim 1, characterised in that said removable coupling means (20, 22) , between the second ends of said main portion (10) and of said end portion (14) , consist of one or more male elements (20) and one or more corresponding female elements (22) .

14. Ring according to claim 13, characterised in that said male element (20) is made in a single piece with said plates (24) .

15. Ring according to claim 13, characterised in that the end part (32) of said male element (20) has a curved profile to make it easier to insert it into the corresponding female element (22) .

16. Ring according to claim 1, characterised in that one or more notches (38) can be made on said plates (24) to vary the characteristics of elasticity of said ring.

17. Openable ring as described previously and as illustrated and for the specified purposes.