GB2562794A

GB2562794A - Key ring with flexible wire loop

Info

Publication number: GB2562794A
Application number: GB1708475.7A
Authority: GB
Inventors: Smith Harley; Sin Harry
Original assignee: Alfred Dunhill Ltd
Current assignee: Alfred Dunhill Ltd
Priority date: 2017-05-26
Filing date: 2017-05-26
Publication date: 2018-11-28
Anticipated expiration: 2037-05-26
Also published as: GB2562794B; GB201708475D0

Abstract

The key ring 10 has a flexible loop 32, a base 30 and a rigid ring (20, figure 2). The loop 32 has end parts 36 (34, figure 4), each being securable in the base 30, with one end part (34, figure 4) being detachable from the base 30 to mount or dismount items, e.g. keys, 40 on the loop 32. The ring (20, figure 2) opens and closes in order to mount or dismount items 50 and the base 30. The base 30 has a through hole (35, figure 3) to allow passage of the ring (20, figure 2) through the base 30, and the detachable end part (34, figure 4) cannot be detached from the base 30 when the base 30 is mounted on the ring (20, figure 2). Items 40, 50 may be attached to the most suitable of either the flexible loop 32 or the rigid ring (20, figure 2).

Description

Key ring with flexible wire loop

The invention relates to a key ring device with a flexible wire or cable retention loop for holding keys or other items.

Key rings of this type are known. For example, US3852982 discloses a flexible ring with a fastener for retaining the ends of the ring including a male fastener element which is received through an entrance opening and slot and retained against a seat in a female fastener element. The resiliency and flexibility of the cable ring are used to retain the fastener element in position. The entrance slot for the shank portion of the male element is oriented radially outwardly from the finished ring configuration to secure the fastener elements and enable connection and removal of the fastener element when desired.

Similarly, US5619875 discloses a flexible key ring device formed of a section of flexible material, such as metal cable or plastic, anchored at one end to a coupling sleeve. The free end of the flexible section carries a coupling plug which can be inserted axially to an open end of the coupling sleeve. The coupling sleeve is formed with a locking notch, such as a through opening, facing radially inwardly with respect to the closed ring. When the coupling plug is inserted into the open end of the coupling sleeve, and past the locking notch, a locking portion, formed by the back end of the coupling plug, is resiliently displaced into locking engagement with a shoulder formed by the locking notch. The device is locked in a closed configuration against being opened by tension forces. The device can be opened by manually re-aligning the coupling plug with the axis of the coupling sleeve and withdrawing the plug axially from the open end of the sleeve.

The utility model CN2261744Y discloses an elastic key buckle, which is composed of a key buckle body, a wire cable key ring, and positioning components, where the positioning components are arranged on both ends of the wire cable key ring are provided with a predefined inclination angle. A slot is arranged on the key buckle body, the slot being shaped with a wide middle and narrow ends so that the positioning components can be clamped into the key buckle body by the slot.

Key ring devices with a flexible wire or cable retention loop such as the above are easier to manipulate and better suited for carrying bulkier items such as fobs and modern car keys that often have small through holes through which the key ring or loop must pass. Unfortunately, however, existing flexible retention loop devices remain overly susceptible to unintentional or accidental opening of the retention loop, potentially leading to loss or damage. Furthermore, a flexible retention loop is also less suitable for carrying certain types of keys, tags or other items than a more conventional rigid key ring structure.

There is consequently a need for a key ring device having a flexible retention loop that is (i) more secure and better able to prevent an unintentional opening of the retention loop, and (ii) better suited for carrying a variety of different item types.

To alleviate the above mentioned drawbacks, the present invention provides a key ring device as set out in independent claim 1 below. The key ring device may further include the additional characteristics as set out in dependent claims 2 to 11 below.

In the following, embodiments of the invention are described by way of example with reference to the drawings, in which:

Figure 1 is a cross-sectional view a key ring device according to the invention;

Figure 2 is perspective view of a ring of the key ring device ;

Figure 3 is a perspective view of a flexible retention loop and retention loop base of the key ring device;

Figure 4 is a cross-sectional view of the retention loop base and the end parts of the flexible retention loop; and

Figures 5Aand 5B are perspective views showing opposite sides of the retention loop base.

Figure 1 is a cross-sectional view of a key ring device 10 in accordance with an illustrative embodiment of the present invention. Device 10 comprises a substantially rigid annular ring 20 and a flexible retention loop 32 having a base 30. In accordance with the invention, the retention loop base 30 can be mounted on, and slide along, the ring 20. The flexible retention loop 32 may be a flexible material of any type, such as a metal cable or wire. Ring 20 and base 30 may also be made of metal, although other materials may alternatively be used.

Ring 20 has an open position and a closed position. In the illustrated embodiment, ring 20 is generally toroidal shaped and comprises a first ring portion 22 and a second ring portion 24. In the closed position of Figure 1, the two rings portions 22, 24 fit together to form the ring, the latter defining a preferably circular closed shape. Alternatively, the ring may form other closed shapes. In the open position shown in Figure 2, the two rings portions 22, 24 can be separated from one another so that keys or items such as a tag 50, via a connector ring 52, can be mounted onto or dismounted from the ring 20.

The first ring portion 22 is connected to the second ring portion 24 by a first central bar 26 and a second central bar, the latter having a base portion 28 and a head portion 29. The first central bar 26 is fixed to the first ring portion 22, and the second central bar 28, 29 is fixed to the second ring portion 24. The base portion of the second central bar is located within an opening 25 of the first central bar 26 and is telescopically displaceable within that opening. In the closed position of ring 20, the base portion 28 is located substantially entirely within the opening 25, and the head portion 29 abuts against the free end of the first central bar 26, i.e., the end not connected to of the first ring portion 22. To open ring 20, the base portion 28 of the second central bar is pulled partially out of the opening 25 in the first central bar 26 against the force of a biasing means. The biasing means may be a helical spring 27 that is also located in the opening 25 and acts to maintain the second ring portion 24 in the closed position, i.e., against the first ring portion

22. The second ring portion 24 and the second central bar 28, 29 may also pivot in rotation relative to the first central bar 26 and the first ring portion 22 in order to facilitate the mounting or dismounting of items onto or from either of the ring portions 22, 24. The rings portions 22, 24 preferably have means for blocking rotation of the second ring portion 24 when the ring 20 is in the closed position. In particular, the ends of the second ring portion 24 may have projections 23 that mate with corresponding grooves 21 on the ends of the first ring portion 22 to block any relative rotation between the two rings portion 22, 24 in the closed position of ring 20.

More generally, in other embodiments, the ring 20 may have any form so long as the ring can be opened and closed in order to mount and dismount keys or other items onto the ring. For example the ring could alternatively be a simple split ring type in which a single piece of metal is bent and shaped into a double helical loop.

Turning to Figures 3, 4 and 5, the flexible retention loop 32 and its base 30 are shown with the loop 32 in open and closed positions respectively. In the closed position of Figure 4, each end part 34, 36 of the flexible retention loop 32 is held securely inside base 30 as shown. In the open position shown in Figure 3, end part 34 is detached from base 30. End part 34 can be connected and detached from base 30 by passing the end part 34 and a portion of the loop 32 through openings 35 and 38 on the side 37 of the base 30. As shown, the openings 35 and 38 are in communication with one another but opening 35 is larger as explained further below. End part 36 may also be detachable from base 30, in which case a side opening may also be provided on the opposite side 33 of the base 30. However, preferably end part 36 is fixed to base 30, for example by soldering so that only end part 34 is detachable. Once end part 34 is detached and loop 32 is in an open position, keys and other items such as a car key fob 40 can be mounted on or dismounted from the flexible loop 32 before the end part (or parts) is reconnected to the base 30.

Side opening 38 of base 30 has a slightly larger width than the diameter of the flexible loop 32 so the loop can pass through opening 38 without difficulty. However, each detachable end part has at least one section with a greater diameter than that of the loop 32 and the side opening 38 so that the end part cannot pass through side opening 38, but must pass through hole 35 in order to be detached from (or reconnected to) the base 30. In the embodiment of Figure 1, the end parts 34, 36 have a cylindrical shape, while in Figures 3 and 4 the end parts 34, 36 are shown having a spherical shape. More generally, the end parts 34, 36 may have different shapes as long as each detachable end part has at least one section with a greater diameter than that of side opening 38 so that the end part cannot pass through that opening.

In accordance with the present invention, the opening 35 of the retention loop base 30 is a through hole allowing passage of the ring 20 through the base so that the base can be mounted on ring 20 like other suitable items. In this way, when the retention loop base 30 is mounted onto ring 20, the end part 34 cannot be detached from base 30, and the flexible loop 32 cannot be opened. This provides two levels of security before a key or other item can be separated or removed from the flexible loop 32 and its base 30. As will be appreciated, where the ring 20 has a circular shape when closed, the through hole 35 preferably has a corresponding arc-shape to facilitate sliding of the base 30 along the ring.

Despite the increased two-step security for removing items mounted on the flexible loop 32, the key ring device 10 of the present invention can still be easily accessed and manipulated by a user for quickly mounting and dismounting items on the loop 32. Furthermore, items that are better suited for mounting on a rigid support can be mounted onto the substantially rigid ring 20 while items better suited for a flexible support can still be mounted on loop 32. In this manner, key io ring device 10 can more appropriately cater to and carry a greater variety of keys and other items.

Reference list key ring device ring groove first ring portion projection second ring portion opening first central bar spring second central bar base second central bar head retention loop base flexible retention loop first side of base first retention loop end part arc-shaped through hole second retention loop end part second side of base side opening car key fob tag connector ring

Claims

1. A key ring device (10) comprising a flexible retention loop (32) having first and second end parts (34, 36), each of the end parts (34, 36) being securable in a retention loop base (30) and at least one of the end parts (34) being detachable from said base (30) in order to mount or dismount a first set of items (40) on the retention loop (32), characterised in that the device further comprises a substantially rigid ring (20), the ring (20) being adapted to open or close in order to mount or dismount a second set of items (30, 50) on the ring (20) when the ring is in an open position and to hold the second set of items (30,50) securely when the ring is in a closed position, said second set of items including the retention loop base (30), and characterised in that the retention loop base (30) has a through hole (35) for allowing passage of the ring (20) through the base (30), and wherein the at least one detachable end part (34) cannot be detached from the retention loop base (30) when said base is mounted on the ring (20).

2. The device according to claim 1, characterised in that the base has an opening (38) through which the loop can pass but through which the at least one detachable end part (34) cannot pass, the at least one detachable end part (34) needing to pass through the hole (35) in order to be detached from or reconnected to the retention loop base (30).

3. The device according to claim 2, characterised in that the at least one detachable end part (34) has a spherical or cylindrical shape having a section with a diameter that is larger than the size of the opening (38).

4. The device according to any preceding claim, characterised in that one of the end parts (34) is detachable from the retention loop base (30) and the other end part (36) is fixed to said base (30).

5. The device according to any preceding claim, characterised in that the ring (20) defines a substantially circular shape when in the closed position, and wherein the hole (35) passing through the retention loop base (30) is substantially arc shaped.

6. The device according to claim 5, characterised in that the ring (20) is substantially toroidal shaped.

7. The device according to any preceding claim, characterised in that the ring (20) comprises a first ring portion (22) and a second ring portion (24), the two rings portions (22, 24) fitting together to form the ring (20) in the closed position, and the two rings portions (22, 24) being separable from one another in the open position.

8. The device according to claim 7, characterised in that the first ring portion (22) is connected to the second ring portion (24) by a first central bar (26) and a second central bar (28, 29), the first central bar (26) is fixed to the first ring portion (22), the second central bar (28, 29) is fixed to the second ring portion (24), and wherein a portion (28) of the second central bar is located within an opening (25) of the first central bar (26) and is telescopically displaceable within said opening (25) .

9. The device according to claim 8, characterised in that the ring (20) comprises biasing means (27) located in the opening (25) of the first central bar (26) and acting to maintain the second ring portion (24) against to the first ring portion (22) to bias the ring (20) into the closed position.

10. The device according to claim 8 or 9, characterised in that the second ring portion (24) is pivotable in rotation relative to the first ring portion (22) in order to facilitate the mounting or dismounting of items (30,50) onto or from either ring portion (22, 24).

11. The device according to claim 10, characterised in that the first and

5 second rings portions (22, 24) comprise means for blocking rotation of the second ring portion (24) relative to the first ring portion (22) when the ring (20) is in the closed position.