GB1574038A - Fastenings for suitcases and the like - Google Patents

Description

(54) IMPROVEMENTS IN FASTENINGS FOR SUITCASES AND THE LIKE (71) We, ANTLER LIMITED, a British Company, of Pilot Works, Alfred Street, Bury, in the County Palatine of Lancaster, do hereby declare the invention, for which we pray that a patent may be granted to us, and the method by which it is to be performed, to be particularly described in and by the following statement:- This invention relates to fastenings for suitcases and the like, and more particularly to sliding clasp fasteners used for closing suitcases. brief cases, travelling bags and like containers (hereinafter termed "cases" for convenience) having lids or closures wholly or partly of a soft or flexible material.The invention is concerned with sliding clasp fasteners of the kind (hereinafter referred to as the kind described) in which the pull of a slider is adapted to be anchored by a lock mounted on one of the components to be joined by the fastener and located adjacent the closed end of the fastener.

Many cases have lids which are held closed by pairs of sliding clasp fasteners running in opposite directions around the sides. In a typical example, the sliders of a pair of such oppositely extending fasteners meet at the centre of the opening edge of the lid or flap and sometimes their pulls can be interconnected to prevent inadvertent opening of either fastener.

Frequently a decorative or protective cover flap can be hinged down over the sliders and pulls in their closed position to conceal and protect them against inadvertent operation.

According to the present invention, a lockable sliding clasp fastener of the kind described comprises a releasable lock hingedly mounted laterally on one of the two components of the case to be secured by the fastener and adapted alternatively to overlie the fastener for the anchorage of the pull or to be swung sideways clear thereof when the pull is free.

Where two fasteners are collinear, as for the closure of a suitcase lid, a pair of locks may be symmetrically disposed with respect to the two sliders when in their respective closed positions, each lock being adapted to secure a respective one of the slider pulls.

Advantageously, the locks are mounted on a common rigid carrier, and are constituted by conventional spring locks as normally provided on cases.

Conveniently, the locks are located on the common carrier at opposite sides of a central aperture of a size to allow both pulls to pass through in order to engage the respective locks.

Practical embodiments of the invention will now be described by way of illustration only thereof, with reference to the accompanying drawings in which: Figure 1 is a fragmentary perspective view of a suitcase embodying one form of the invention; Figure 2 is a plan view of the details of the locking arrangement of Figure 1 showing the sliders in contact with each other in their respective closed positions; Figure 3 is a plan view similar to Figure 2 of a modified form of locking arrangement; Figure 4 is an edge-on view of Figure 3; Figures 5 and 6 are plan views similar to Figure 2 of second and third modifications, respectively;; Figure 7 is a plan view similar to Figure 5 of a fourth modification, and Figure 8 is a view corresponding to Figure 7 but showing the positions of the parts at an intermediate stage in the closing or opening movements of the sliders of Figure 7.

Referring first to Figures 1 and 2, a suitcase 10 has a lid 12 secured by a sliding clasp fastener 14, shown as a band of width w, around three sides of the case and having a pair of oppositely movable sliders 16, 18 each having a respective pull 20, 22, Each pull has a hasp 24 riveted on its free end for engagement in conventional manner with a spring lock 26, and each spring lock is mounted on a rigid plate 28 hinged laterally by a thong 30 to a reinforced band 32 on the girdle of the case in such a way that thte lock 26 can either be swung down, as shown, to overlie the fastener 14 or to be swung up sideways at least far enough to clear the respective slider 16, 18 when the latter is moved along the fastener to perform its closing or opening action.The plates 28 are spaced apart by a distance such that when the sliders 16, 18 meet at mid-point of the opening edge of the lid 12 their pulls 20, 22 can be swung backwards until their hasps 24 engage the locks 26 and anchor the sliders. The plates 28 are hinged on a line parallel to the fastener 14 not only to allow the sliders 16, 18 to pass beneath them but also to enable the user to place a finger beneath the lock 26 when snapping the hasp 24 into engagement therewith.

When the pulls are so locked, the sliders 16, 18 are anchored so that they cannot move apart to give access to the contents of the case, and the whole lock and slider assembly is protected against dirt and superficial damage by a stiffened flap, shown ghosted in Figure 1 by broken lines at 34. As shown, the flap 34 is adapted to be held in its covering position by a releasable fastening strip 36 of tactile material such as that sold under the trade mark "VELCRO".

Figures 3 and 4 illustrate a modified arrangement in which the locks 26 are mounted on a common rigid carrier plate 28a having thongs (not shown) like those shown at 30 in Figures 1 and 2 to allow it to be swung up and down relative to the fastener 14 in the same way as the plates 28.

Between the locks 26 the plate 28a is apertured at 40 to allow both pulls 20, 22 (shown in broken lines in Figure 3) to pass through the aperture when their respective sliders 16, 18 meet and to swing mutually outwards and downwards to overlie the carrier plate 28aU In this form of slider anchorage, the hasps 24 are replaced by slots 21 by which the pulls can be latched over tongues 23. upstanding from the plane of the plate 28a. When thus latched, each pull 20, 22 prevents its respective slider 16, 18 from moving, thus effecting a temporary anchorage.In order to secure the pulls against accidental disengagement from the tongues 23 rigid security cover plate 34a (Figure 4) is also hinged on the same thongs 30 as hold the carrier plate 28a at its lugs 38 and is free to be swung down so as to snugly overlie the pulls 20, 22 and to sandwich them against the carrier plate 28a.

The security cover plate 34a is provided with clearance holes 25 to allow the tongues 23 to pass through, and hasps 24 on the plate 34a engage the locks 26. When the cover plate 34a is thus locked, it traps the pulls and the sliders 16, 18 are effectively anchored. At the same time, the security plate 34a presents a flush closure for the protection of the sliders 16, 18 from dirt and superficial damage.

The tongues 231 may be resilient and adapted to retain the respective pulls 20, 22 under such conditions of vibration or jolting as are likely to be encountered in normal handling, or they may be punched or pressed out of the plate 28a itself.

Alternatively again, the tongues 23 may be formed on the pulls 20, 22 and the slots 21 may be formed in the plate 28r If there is any resilient snap or frictionl action in the interengagement of the tongues 23 and slots 21, there will be a tendency for the pulls and the carrier plate 28a to jam or selfiock if the plate is lifted, which will constitute a measure of protection against accidental release of the sliders 20, 22 should the security cover plate 34a for any reason not be in place.

In the second modification illustrated in Figure 5, the two locks 26 are mounted back-to-back on a common carrier plate 28b adapted to be hinged by lugs 38 on the girdle 32 of the case. The pulls 20, 22 have hasps 24 which engage the locks 26 when the sliders 16, 18 are pulled against the carrier plate 28b as it overlies the fastener 14, The plate 28b is extended so as to underlie the full extent of each pull between the hasps 24 and its respective slider when the latter is anchored. In this way the carrier plate 28b covers the unclosed gap in the sliding clasp fastener 14 between the sliders 16, 18.

The third modification shown in Figure 6, which is a variant of the arrangement of Figure 5, reduces the unclosed gap between the sliders 16, 18. To achieve this, the carrier plate 28c is made about twice as wide as, and a little shorter than, that shown in Figure 5 and the two locks 26 are placed side by side and slightly skewed with respect to the line of the fastener 14.

The width of the carrier plate 28c can be further reduced by shortening the pulls 20, 22 and skewing their respective hasps 24 to compensate for the increase in the angle between the axis of a pull and the axis A-A or B-B through the respective lock 26. In Figure 6, of course, the axis of each pull 20 or 22 and its associated lock 26 are coincident. It will not normally be practical to maintain this coincidence when decreasing the width of the plate 28c beause of any increase in the angle between A-A or B-B and the line of the fastener 14 will involve an increase in length of the plate.

In a fourth alternative embodiment illustrated in Figures 7 and 8, the two sliders 16, lg meet in the closed position on the same side of a single lock 26 mounted on a carrier plate 28. The slider 16 has the same type of flat tab pull 20 as in Figures 1-6, but the slider 18 has a ring pull 22a of sufficient diameter to allow the tab pull 20 to pass therethrough when the latter engages the lock 26. In the closed and locked position shown in Figure 7, the slider 18 is both anchored by its ring pull 22a which is captive on the tab pull 20 and trapped between the slider 16 on the one side and the carrier plate 28 on the other.

The method of achieving this interlocked state is shown in Figure 8. The carrier plate 28 is swung back on the hinge 30 and both sliders are brought nearly to the fully closed position of Figure 7. The slider 18 is then advanced towards the slider 16 while its ring pull 22a is passed over the tab pull 20. As soon as the slider 18 has reached the position 18cue the carrier plate 28 is swung down to present the lock 26 in its operative position to the hasp 24 of the tab pull 20. The latter is then engaged with the tongue (not shown) of the lock 26 through the conventional slot 27. It will then be noted that in order to achieve this engagement, the tab pull 20 must be long enough to overlie the slider 18 in order to reach the slot 27 while the slider 18 is trapped between the plate 28 and the slider 16.

In all the examples described and illustrated, the fastener 14 is continuous with two oppositely movable sliders 16, 18 whose meeting-point effectively defines the ends of two separate fasteners. The invention is therefore equally applicable where the fastener 14 consists of two physically separate items which may actually overlap.

WHAT WF CLAIM IS:- 1. Means for locking a sliding clasp fastener of the kind described in the closed condition thereof wherein the lock is mounted laterally on one of the components to be joined by the fastener by means of a hinge which allows the lock alternatively to overlie the fastener when the slider is anchored or to be swung to one side clear thereof when the slider is free.

2. Means according to claim 1 wherein the fastener has two oppositely movable sliders the pull of one of which is mechanically interengageable with that of the other in the closed condition of the fastener and the pull of the other slider is adapted to be anchored by the lock so as to render both sliders captive.

3. Means according to claim 1 wherein the fastener has two oppositely movable sliders the pulls of which can be separately anchored with respective locks when the latter overlie the fastener.

4. Means according to claim 3 wherein the locks are spaced apart lengthwise of the fastener by a distance sufficient to permit the sliders to meet between them when they overlie the fastener and anchor their respective pulls.

5. Means according to claim 3 or 4 wherein both locks are mounted on a common rigid carrier plate which is apertured between the locks to allow the pulls to project therethrough to permit their anchorage by the respective locks.

6. Means according to claim 5 wherein each pull is releasably engageable with a latch formation on the rigid carrier plate and a separate security plate is hinged to the same component as the carrier plate so as to be free to snugly overlie the carrier plate and the pulls when latched thereto and to engage the locks thereon.

7. Means for locking a sliding clasp fastener substantially as hereinbefore described with reference to the several figures of the accompanying drawings.

8. A sliding clasp fastener having oppositely movable sliders in combination with locking means substantially as hereinbefore described with reference to the accompanying drawings.

**WARNING** end of DESC field may overlap start of CLMS **.

Claims (8)

**WARNING** start of CLMS field may overlap end of DESC **. beause of any increase in the angle between A-A or B-B and the line of the fastener 14 will involve an increase in length of the plate. In a fourth alternative embodiment illustrated in Figures 7 and 8, the two sliders 16, lg meet in the closed position on the same side of a single lock 26 mounted on a carrier plate 28. The slider 16 has the same type of flat tab pull 20 as in Figures 1-6, but the slider 18 has a ring pull 22a of sufficient diameter to allow the tab pull 20 to pass therethrough when the latter engages the lock 26. In the closed and locked position shown in Figure 7, the slider 18 is both anchored by its ring pull 22a which is captive on the tab pull 20 and trapped between the slider 16 on the one side and the carrier plate 28 on the other. The method of achieving this interlocked state is shown in Figure 8. The carrier plate 28 is swung back on the hinge 30 and both sliders are brought nearly to the fully closed position of Figure 7. The slider 18 is then advanced towards the slider 16 while its ring pull 22a is passed over the tab pull 20. As soon as the slider 18 has reached the position 18cue the carrier plate 28 is swung down to present the lock 26 in its operative position to the hasp 24 of the tab pull 20. The latter is then engaged with the tongue (not shown) of the lock 26 through the conventional slot 27. It will then be noted that in order to achieve this engagement, the tab pull 20 must be long enough to overlie the slider 18 in order to reach the slot 27 while the slider 18 is trapped between the plate 28 and the slider 16. In all the examples described and illustrated, the fastener 14 is continuous with two oppositely movable sliders 16, 18 whose meeting-point effectively defines the ends of two separate fasteners. The invention is therefore equally applicable where the fastener 14 consists of two physically separate items which may actually overlap. WHAT WF CLAIM IS:-

1. Means for locking a sliding clasp fastener of the kind described in the closed condition thereof wherein the lock is mounted laterally on one of the components to be joined by the fastener by means of a hinge which allows the lock alternatively to overlie the fastener when the slider is anchored or to be swung to one side clear thereof when the slider is free.

2. Means according to claim 1 wherein the fastener has two oppositely movable sliders the pull of one of which is mechanically interengageable with that of the other in the closed condition of the fastener and the pull of the other slider is adapted to be anchored by the lock so as to render both sliders captive.

3. Means according to claim 1 wherein the fastener has two oppositely movable sliders the pulls of which can be separately anchored with respective locks when the latter overlie the fastener.

4. Means according to claim 3 wherein the locks are spaced apart lengthwise of the fastener by a distance sufficient to permit the sliders to meet between them when they overlie the fastener and anchor their respective pulls.

5. Means according to claim 3 or 4 wherein both locks are mounted on a common rigid carrier plate which is apertured between the locks to allow the pulls to project therethrough to permit their anchorage by the respective locks.

6. Means according to claim 5 wherein each pull is releasably engageable with a latch formation on the rigid carrier plate and a separate security plate is hinged to the same component as the carrier plate so as to be free to snugly overlie the carrier plate and the pulls when latched thereto and to engage the locks thereon.

7. Means for locking a sliding clasp fastener substantially as hereinbefore described with reference to the several figures of the accompanying drawings.

8. A sliding clasp fastener having oppositely movable sliders in combination with locking means substantially as hereinbefore described with reference to the accompanying drawings.