GB2056543A

GB2056543A - Fastening for reel container

Info

Publication number: GB2056543A
Application number: GB8014240A
Authority: GB
Original assignee: Minnesota Mining and Manufacturing Co
Current assignee: 3M Co
Priority date: 1979-05-01
Filing date: 1980-04-30
Publication date: 1981-03-18
Also published as: CA1138387A; IT1145655B; IT8048557A0; GB2056543B; FR2455554A1; JPS55158887U; CH650092A5; JPS5846061Y2; FR2455554B1; BR8002664A; DE3016695A1

Abstract

A reel storage container comprising a body 10 including a central post 20 having a generally mushroom-shaped head; a cover 17 having an elongate handle 25 extending diagonally across its center; and a latching member 30 mounted within the handle for longitudinal sliding movement between a release position and a latching position (Fig. 5) to which it is biased. The latching member will engage the mushroom-shaped head in its latching position, will cam around and engage the mushroom-shaped head when the body and cover are assembled, and is manually engageable through an opening in the handle so that the latching member can be manually moved to its release position to open the container. <IMAGE>

Description

SPECIFICATION Reel container This invention relates to reel containers.

Reel containers typically comprise a body and a cover which define an annular chamber adapted to receive a reel, and a centrally located latch assembly for releasably coupling the body and cover together. Such latch assemblies typically include a latch member mounted on the cover for movement between a latching position in engagement with the body when the body and cover are assembled, and a releasing position affording separation or assembling of the body and cover.

Such latch assemblies on known reel containers have not been as easy to release with one hand as may be desired to open the containers, and have required manual manipulation of the latch members to move their to their engage positions after the body and cover portions have been assembled. This can be inconvenient.

The present invention provides an inexpensive latch assembly for a reel container that can be easily operated by one hand to remove a cover of the container, and which latch assembly is self-engaging when the cover is again assembled with a body of the container.

The latch assembly in a reel container according to the present invention comprises a post fixed centrally on the body of the container, which post extends towards the cover when the body and cover are assembled, and has a generally mushroom-shaped head at its end. The cover has walls defining an elongate handle ext#ending across the center of the cover, which handle is adapted for engagement from the outer surface of the cover, has a channel along its surface and has an opening into the channel adjacent one end. The latching member is mounted within the channel for sliding movement between a release position and a latching position and is biased to its latching position by biasing means.The latch member includes a projection adapted to engage under the head on the post when the latching member is in its latching position, and has a cam on the projection adapted to engage the end surface of the mushroom-shaped head and move the latching member toward its release position and around the head in opposition to the biasing means when the body and cover are assembled. Also the latching member has a surface adapted for manual engagement through the opening by one finger of a hand grasping the handle to push the latching member to its release position so that the cover can be removed from the body.

The invention will be further described with reference to the accompanying drawing wherein like numbers refer to like parts in the several views, and wherein: Figure 1 is a perspective view of a reel container including a latch assembly according to the present invention; Figure 2 is a top view of the reel container of Figure 1; Figures 3, 4 and 5 are enlarged fragmentary sectional views taken approximately along the lines 3-3 of Figure 2 which sequentially illustrate movement of a latch member in the latch assembly as a body and a cover of the reel container are assembled; Figure 6 is a perspective view of the latch member shown in Figures 3,4 and 5; Figure 7 is a perspective view of a part of the latch assembly which is included in the cover of the reel container; Figure 8 is a top view of the part illustrated in Figure7; and Figure 9 is a sectional view taken along the lines 9-9 of Figure 8.

Referring now to the drawing, there is shown a reel container according to the present invention comprising a body 10 and a cover 11 adapted to be releasably assembled to define an annular chamber 12 adapted to receive a reel, and a central latch assembly for releasably coupling the body 10 and cover 11 together.

The body 10 comprises a circular side wall 13 from which projects a cylindrical edge wall 14 and a concentric cylindrical inner sealing wall 15; and the cover 11 comprises a circular side wall 16 having an annular groove around its periphery adapted to receive and seal around the end of the edge wall 14, and a concentric inner recessed dish-shaped wall 17 having a lip 18 adapted to engage seal against the end ofthe sealing wall 15 of the body 10 when the body 10 and cover 11 are assembled to restrict entrance of dust into the chamber 12.

The latch assembly comprises a post 20 fixed centrally on the body 10. The post 20 projects through a central opening in the dish-shaped wall 17 when the body 10 and cover 11 are assembled, and has a generally mushroom-shaped head 16 at its end. A generally circular latch assembly part 23 is fixed within the dish-shaped wall 17 of the cover 11. The latch assembly part 23 has transversely extending walls defining a recessed handle 25 extending across the center of the cover 11, which handle 25 is adapted for engagement from the outer surface of the cover 11. The walls also define a channel 26 along the surface of the handle 25 adjacent the body 10 and have an opening 27 adjacent one end into the channel 26.

A latching member 30 is mounted within the channel 26 for sliding movement between a latching position (Figures 3 and 5) to which it is biased by means comprising a resiliently flexible generally U-shaped spring 31 which is a portion of and integrally formed with the latching member 30 and at which latching position a hook-like projection 32 will engage under the head 21 on the part 20 when the cover 11 and body 10 are assembled (Figure 5); and a release position at which the hook-like projection 32 will move past the side of the head 21 to allow the cover 11 to be removed from the body 10. The latching member 30 has an end surface 34 at its end opposite the spring 31 that can be readily reached through the opening 27 in the handle 25 and pushed to its releasing position by the index finger of a hand grasping the handle 25 so that the container can easily be opened with one hand.

Also, the hook-like projection 32 has a cam surface 36 adapted to engage the end surface of the mushroom-shaped head 21 and move the latching member 30 toward its release position and around the mushroom-shaped head 21 as the cover 11 is assembled with the body 10 (see Figures 3,4 and 5) whereupon the projection 32 will be moved under the head 21 by the influence of the spring 31 so that the latch assembly is self-engaging as the cover 11 is assembled on the body 10.

As illustrated, the container can be made in four moldings, one of which forms the latching member 30 including the spring 31, another of which forms the entire body 10, another of which forms the side wall 16 and dish-shaped wall 17 included in of the cover 11, and the last of which forms the latch assembly part 23 also included in the cover 11.

Claims

1. In a reel storage container comprising a body and a cover defining a chamber adapted to receive a reel, and a centrally located latch assembly for releasably coupling the body and cover together, said latch assembly including a movable latch member mounted on said cover for movement between a latching position in engagement with said body when said cover and body are assembled, and a releasing position out of engagement with said body to afford separation or assembling of the container portions, the improvement wherein:: said body comprises a fixed central post projecting into said cover when said body and cover are assembled, which post has a generally mushroomshaped head at its end; said cover has walls defining an elongate handle extending across the center of said cover and adapted for engagement from the outer surface of said cover, said handle having a channel along its surface adjacent said body and an opening into said channel adjacent one end;; said latching member is mounted within said channel for sliding movement between said latching and release positions, has a projection adapted to engage under said mushroom-shaped head when said latching member is in said latching position, a cam surface on said projection adapted to engage the end surface of said mushroom-shaped head and move said latching member toward its release position when said projection is moved past said mushroom-shaped head as said body and cover are assembled, and a surface positioned for manual engagement through said opening to move said latching member to said release position; and said latch assembly includes means for biasing said latching member towards said engaging position.

2. A reel storage container according to claim 1 wherein said means for biasing comprises a spring integrally formed with said latching member.

3. A reel storage container substantially as described herein with reference to and as illustrated by the accompanying drawings.

4. A latch assembly for a reel storage container substantially as described herein with reference to and as illustrated by the accompanying drawings.