GB1583639A

GB1583639A - Key case head

Info

Publication number: GB1583639A
Application number: GB803778A
Authority: GB
Original assignee: Beatrice Foods Co
Current assignee: Beatrice Companies Inc
Priority date: 1977-06-03
Filing date: 1978-03-01
Publication date: 1981-01-28
Also published as: DE2809088A1; FR2392624A1; CH619849A5; AU511421B2; FR2392624B1; AU3374678A; PH17255A; MX146023A; CA1086268A; NZ186593A

Description

(54) KEY CASE HEAD (71) We, BEATRICE FOODS CO., a Corporation organized and existing under the Laws of the State of Delaware, United States of America, of 120, South LaSalle Street, Chicago, State of Illinois, United States of America, 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 described in and by the following statement:- This invention relates to key case heads and is directed more particularly to a key case head having access openings for the removable attachment of key hooks.

A variety of embodiments of key case heads is well known in the art and such heads generally comprise relatively movable inner and outer members for alignment of access openings for the removal or entrance of key hooks.

The access opening for the key hooks is larger in diameter than the width of a slot communicating with the opening for receiving and retaining the hook. The access opening permits entry of the enlarged head or ball on the anchor end of the key hook. It is generally the case, that any access opening is provided at one end of the outer member slot and, by moving the first or second member, it is aligned with a similar enlarged recess of the inner member so as to permit the key hook to be withdrawn from the inner and outer members. A problem with this arrangement has been that once a selected pair of openings and recesses are in alignment for the removal of a single key hook, so also are the remainder of the openings and recesses in alignment for removal of key hooks.It often happens that when all the escape openings and recesses are in alignment and the key hooks tumble to one end of their respective slots a number of the hooks drop through openings and are unintentionally detached from the key case.

It is an object of the present invention to provide a key case head constructed in such a manner as to prevent unintentional detachment of the key hooks.

A further object is to provide such a key case head which is easy to operate, simple in construction, and inexpensive to manufacture.

Yet another object of the invention is to provide means by which the inner member of a key case head is operatively retained in the outer member, but without the need of a specific fabrication step directed to that end, i.e. without crimping or adding parts.

According to the invention we provide a key case head comprising a first generally cylindrical outer member having longitudinally spaced slots extending circumferentially thereof, each slot being in communication with a longitudinally offset opening, each of said slots being adapted to retain a key hook having an enlarged head for movement therealong, each of said offset openings being adpated to permit said head to pass therethrough, and a second member disposed within said first member, said second member having a slot means in alignment with said slots, each of said slot means having a recess in communication therewith but longitudinally offset therefrom, said second member being rotatable for alignment of said recesses with said openings to permit insertion and removal of said key hook.

Reference is made to the accompanying drawings in which is shown an illustrative embodiment of the invention from which its novel features and advantages will be apparent.

Fig. 1 is a perspective view of one form of key case head illustrative of an embodiment of the invention; Fig. 2 is a perspective exploded view of the key case head of Fig. 1; Fig. 3 is an end view thereof; Fig. 4 is a front elevational view thereof; Fig. 5 is a top plan view thereof; and Fig. 6 is a back elevational view thereof.

Referring to the drawings, it will be seen that the illustrative device includes a tubular member or barrel 2 which as shown is a cylinder. The member is provided with a series of longitudinally spaced arcuate slots 4 extending circumferentially thereof. Each slot 4 has a channel or throat portion 5 in communication with an enlarged part-circular opening 6 longitudinally offset from the slot.

Each of the slots 4 is dimensioned to retain the head 7 of a key hook 8 (Figs. 1 & 2) and each of the offset openings 6 is adapted to permit entry and removal of the head 7 therethrough. The throat portions 5 are preferably of the same width as the slots 4 so that the stem of a key loop 8 must be aligned therewith for movement of head 7 into registration with the opening 6. The outer member 2 may be affixed to or may be an integral part of a flange portion 10 suitable for attachment to a key case of leather or other suitable material. The outer member 2 is preferably of metal or rigid plastic.

An inner member or cylindrical latch 12 (Fig. 2) is disposed within the outer member 2 and has a series of longitudinally spaced, arcuate grooves or slots 14, each in communication with an enlarged recess 16 which is longitudinally offset therefrom. The grooves 14 in latch 12 are in alignment with the slots 4 in the barrel 2. The latch member recesses 16 are adapted to be aligned with the outer barrel member openings 6. the latch member 12 is roatable within the barrel member 2 to selectively align the recesses 16 with the openings 6, thereby to permit entry or removal of a key hook 8. The inner member 12 may be formed of any suitable material but it has been found preferable to employ a molded synthetic plastic resin for long wearing operation in a metal barrel 2.This combination of plastic latch and metal barrel also provides for smooth quiet operation and a low coefficient of friction between the bearing surfaces of these relatively rotatable components.

The inner member 12 is provided at one end with actuator 18 which is biased by a coil spring 20 to a position in which the recesses 16 are out of alignment with the openings 6.

A shoulder or abutment 24 is formed in the member 12 for engaging the barrel to serve as a stop for limiting rotation of the member within the barrel 2. Accordingly, to release a key hook 8 from the key case head, it is necessary for an operator to depress the actuator 18 against the pressure of the spring 20 to rotate the inner member 12 to its stop position in which the recesses 16 are in alignment with the openings 6.

The openings 6 are offset from both ends of their respective slots 4 enabling the key hooks to tumble toward one end or the other of the slots 4 over an arc of about 180 .

Preferably, the axes of the openings 6 are disposed at angles substantially normal to the plane of the flange portion 10.

Latch member 12 is retained within the barrel member 2 by means of upwardly extending finger or lug 28 disposed at one end of the barrel and defining with the adjacent cylindrical portion of the barrel an upwardly opening recess 30. The underside of the actuator 12 has a reduced radius which terminates at shoulder 24. Inwardly of the shoulder 24, a rib or raised portion 32 is provided which fits within the slot 30 in the barrel as best seen in Fig. 6. This arrangement of interfitting portions enables rotation of the latch member 12 within the cylindrical member 2 while serving to retain the two components in their assembled relation.

In assembly, the latch member 12 is slid into the barrel member 2 with the members substantially in the position shown in Fig. 2, so that the rib 32 slides over the end of the finger 28. Once the inner member is in place, spring 20 is fitted between the actuator 18 and the outer member 2. The spring 20 not only biases the inner member to a position so as to retain the key hooks 8 within the assembly but also urges the latch to its stop position within the barrel as illustrated in Figs. 1 and 6 wherein the rib 32 and shoulder 24 of the latch member 12 interengage with the slot 30 and finger 28 of the barrel 2.

For the inner member to subsequently be removed from the outer member, it is necessary to remove the spring 20 and all the key hooks and further necessary to depress the actuator fully. Thus, the chances of inadvertent release of the inner member are remote.

In operation of the key head, the user need merely depress actuator 18 to align the recesses 16 and the openings 6 so that he may manually urge the head 7 of the key hook 8 longitudinally of the member 2, through the throat 5, into or out of the registered recesses and openings 16 and 6 to insert or remove the key hook from the key head. For the key hook to be removed, it must be disposed in an attitude extending substantially radially outwardly from the member 2. The remaining key hooks in the assembly will invariably be retained by the key head until the operator urges the key hooks out of their respective slots 4 and into their respective aligned recesses 16 and openings 6. Upon release of the actuator 18, the spring 20 causes the inner member 12 to snap to a position in which the openings 6 and the recesses 16 are in non-aligned relationship.

It is unlikely that a key hook would be inadvertently released from the device of the present invention because (1) the recesses 16 and openings 6 must be aligned, against spring pressure, by an operator before a key hook may be withdrawn, (2) the widths of the slots 4 and the channels 5 are substantially equal, preventing a combination of open spaces sufficient to permit undesirable escape of the key hook and (3) even after the openings 6 and the recesses 16 are aligned, the heads 7 have only a small clearance within openings 6 and the key hook must be held in a given position extending radially outwardly from the cylinder 2 for removal of the key hook, and (4) the openings 6 are offset from the ends of their respective slots, and prefer ably at an angle normal to the flange 10, so that the key hooks would not be inclined to "dwell" at the location of the openings.

WHAT WE CLAIM IS: 1. Key case head comprising a first generally cylindrical outer member having longitudinally spaced slots extending circumferentially thereof, each slot being in communication with a longitudinally offset opening, each of said slots being adapted to retain a key hook having an enlarged head for movement therealong, each of said offset openings being adapted to permit said head to pass therethrough, and a second member disposed within said first member, said second member having slot means in alignment with said slots, each of said slot means having a recess in communication therewith but longitudinally offset therefrom, said second member being rotatable for alignment of said recesses with said openings to permit insertion and removal of said key hook.

2. A key case head according to Claim 1 in which said second member is provided with an actuator for rotation of said second member relative to said first member.

3. A key case head according to Claim 1 in which each of said openings is spaced from both ends of its respective slot and in which the underside of said head includes a flange portion for attachment to a key case.

4. A key case head according to Claim 1 in which each slot of said outer member is in communication with said opening by way of a throat portion having a width substantially equal to the width of said slot but less than the diameter of said opening.

5. A key case head according to Claim 1 in which said inner member includes recessed and non-recessed portions, and said outer member includes a lug and a recess complemental to and adapted to interengage said recessed and non-recessed portions of said inner member to retain said inner and outer members in assembled relation and to permit relative rotation of said members.

6. A key case head according to Claim 2 in which said actuator is spring biased to a position in which the inner member recesses are circumferentially displaced from the openings in the cylindrical member.

7. A key case head according to Claim 2 in which said cylindrical member is metallic and in which said inner member is a synthetic plastic molding, said slot means being in the form of grooves and with said recesses being molded into said inner member.

8. A key case head according to Claim 3 in which said openings are disposed approximately diametrically opposite said flange portion.

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

Claims

**WARNING** start of CLMS field may overlap end of DESC **. ably at an angle normal to the flange 10, so that the key hooks would not be inclined to "dwell" at the location of the openings. WHAT WE CLAIM IS:

1. Key case head comprising a first generally cylindrical outer member having longitudinally spaced slots extending circumferentially thereof, each slot being in communication with a longitudinally offset opening, each of said slots being adapted to retain a key hook having an enlarged head for movement therealong, each of said offset openings being adapted to permit said head to pass therethrough, and a second member disposed within said first member, said second member having slot means in alignment with said slots, each of said slot means having a recess in communication therewith but longitudinally offset therefrom, said second member being rotatable for alignment of said recesses with said openings to permit insertion and removal of said key hook.