US1742915A - Key case - Google Patents

Description

Jan. 7, 1930.

R. H. INGERSOLL KEY CASE Filed Aug. 18, 1926 2 Sheets-Sheet 2 Patented Jan. 7, 1930 UNITED STATES amen PATENT OFFICE ROBERT H. INGERSOLL, OF NEW YORK, N. Y.; CHAR-LES S. SMITH, F LANSING, MICHI- GAN; AND FREDERIC C. LEUBUSGI-IEB, OF ESEEX FELLS, NEW JERSEY, EXEOUTORS OF SAID ROBERT H. INGEB-SOLL, DECEASED, ASSIGNORS TO 30131. H. INGERSOLL, INC., OF NEW YORK, N. Y., A CORPORATION OF NEVI YORK if KEY CASE Application filed August 18, 1926. Serial No. 130,022.

This invention relates to improvements in pocket key cases, and more particularly bears upon the key retaining links for use in such cases. I

It has heretofore been proposed to construct pocket key cases of purse form invarious manner. According to the present invention such a case is made with a rigid plate which has a series of ears thereon to receive the retaining members for a number of keys, and a special key retaining device is provided from which a key cannot be detached by a pull in any direction, so that the key is assured of maintenance within the case when closed, and of attachment to th key case' when the latter is open.

In the drawings:

Fig. 1 is a perspective view of a key case having one key retaining member represented with a key thereon.

Fig. 2 is a sectional view through a key retaining member substantially-on the line 2&2 of Fig. 3.

Fig. 3 is a side elevation of the key retaining member. 1

Fig. 4 is a section on line 44 of Fig. 2. Fig. 5 is a plan view on an enlarged scale of a sheet metal blank for making a swivel member. a

Fig. 6 is a view on a similar scale showing the member after it has been folded and shaped.

.Fig. 7 is a section on line 7- 7 of Fig. 6.-

Fig. 8 is a view on an enlarged scale of a modified form of swivel member.

Fig. 9 is a view showing the modified swivel member as being foldedand shaped, in conjunction with the correspondingly modified sheath.

Fig. 10 is a section on line 10-10 of Fig. 9, showing the swivel member only.

Fig. 11 is an elevation of a further modified form of the assembly.

Fig. 12 is a section on line 1212 of Fig. 11.

In the drawings, 10 designates a key purse casing of leather or similar material having the snap fastening members 11, 12 thereon, to hold the casing in closed position when so desired.

A stiff metal plate 13 is fastened to this casing by the hollow eyelets 14 and, at its outer edge adjacent the edge of the casing proper, has a plurality of ears 15 formed by leaving small projecting fingers on the edge of the plate 13 during manufacture and then curling these fingers into shape until the free end is brought into substantial engagement with the end of the plate itself.

The key retaining members are each intended to support one key K, and the number of members normally corresponds to the number of curled ears 15. For the purpose of simplicity, only one of such members isshown in the present drawing.

Each of these key retaining members or links comprises a swivel member having an eye 21 at one end and an enlarged head 22 at the other end. A small sheath 23 of thin sheet metal is prepared by an appropriatestamp ing and forming operation and has an aperture at its apex which is barely suficient to pass the stem 20 of the swivel member. The

head 22 of this swivel member is therefore Y permitted to swivel freely intheupper portion of the sheath. The skirt 24 of this sheath is out out at one side at 24 and the edges are forced downward and curled as shown at 25 and 26 in Fig. 4.v The other side ofthe skirt is pressed until itv is substantially flat as shown at 27 in Fig. 3. v A wire key loop 28 is formed with a rightangled portion 29 at one side which, during the process of assemblage, is held within the skirt 24 of the sheath, while the latter is being curled, so that the curl 25 is forced around the wire loop 28, 29 and holds the latter rigidly in position in the sheath. The other leg 30 of the loop has an out-turned pip 31 at its free end which forms a sharp internal angle so that a strain along the line of the leg 30 is transmitted in a plane perpendicular to the axis of the pip 31; and this pip holds the leg 30 against withdrawal in the direction of its length after the pip 31 is seated in its aperture. The curl 26 of the skirt 24 is of a sufficient size to closely receive and guide the leg 30 of the wire loop, and is provided with a small aperture 32 therein to receive the pip 31 of this wire loop.

The device is assembled in the manner indicated above, and resembles a safety pin in its action of closing and opening.

The key and its retainer may be swung into and out of the case by the sliding movement of the eye 21 upon the curled car 15. A swiveling movement of the key above the eyelet is permitted by the engagement of the-enlatrged head 22 of the swivel member in the sheath 23, while the eye 21 itself by rotation about the ear 15 permits a relatively lateral movement of the key out of its straight line position when suspended from the ear 15, as shown in Fig. 1. A substantially universal movement is thus permitted to the key;

The key K of Fig. 1 may be removed from the retainer by compressing the leg '30 sothat it moves in the sheath and may be pressed laterally out of the cutaway portion 24 of the sheath. The key may then be slipped off the end 31 of the wire loop, and if desired a new one placed thereon. The leg 30 is then pressed toward leg 28 again, and then moved inward until its end 31 can again snap into the aperture 32 on the skirt of the sheath.

A verysimple, cheap and easily manufactured structure is thus presented; which at the same time has the advantage that Whileit is'made of small and light material, yet the wire loop is well supported and guided, and even a very strong pull upon the key will not cause the legs 28, to be disengaged from the skirt of the sheath, since one is retained therein by the curl 25, and the other by the curl 26 on engagement of its outwardly bent pip 31 in the hole 32. p

In the form of execution represented in Figs. 'lto 4, it has. been assumed that the swivel member 20, 21', 22 was made of solid metal. This is not essential for the invention: and this swivel member may be made of sheet metal as shown in Figs. 5, 6 and 7.

V In Fig. 5, theblank is cut from sheet metal by appropriate operations to form the substantially circular central portion 40 having the connecting bridges 41 leading to the terminal eyes 42. The bridges and eyes are folded upward and at the same time the edges of the circular portion 40 are likewise folded upwardly, and the whole is given the form shown f in Figs. 6 and 7, in which the two eyes 42 lie parallel to each other, while the portion 40 has been refolded and shaped until its upper surface is substantially of the form of a portion of a'spl1ere,so that it may be easily received in the sheath 23, and may rock therein in its swiveling and self-adjusting relationship therewith.

tion 45 with the bridges 46 leading to the end eyes 47. An aperture 48 is formed in the central circular portion 45. 'This blank is then folded and shaped similar to that of Fig. 5, but the middle of the circular portion 45 'is bent upwardly until its internal surface substantially forms a portion of a sphere. In conjunction with this the sheath 23 of Fig. 9 is formed with a ball-49 at its upper end which is connected tothe sheath 23 proper by a bridge 50. The ball 49 fits snugly within the spherical portion of theswivel member, and the latter may have the metal surrounding the aperture 48 in the V folded and shaped form bent inward as shown at 51in Fig. 10 to hold the swivel 49in 'position.

In the modified form shown inFigs. 11 and 12, a single piece of wire is employed to form both the loop and whatcorresponds to the.

substantial right angles to the leg 28, and finally a rebent end 58 which holds the .as-

sembly together. The portions '55 and 57 are bent away from each other vtoform an aperture for the passage of the stem 20 of a swivel member, as shown in Fig; 12.

It is apparent that the invention is not limited to the specific forms of execution represented, but may be modified within the scope of the appended claims. 7

I claim:

1. In a key link for a key case, a swivel member to be fastened to said case by an eye thereon, a second member :swiveled on said swivel member and having apart of its side cut away, and a wire loop fastened rigidly and permanently at one end to saidv second member and at its other end having a releasable connection therewith said loop being adapted to enter said second memberthrough the cut away part thereof. v

2. In a key link for a key case, a member of thin sheet material, a wire loop held rigidly and permanently at one end to said mem-- her by a portion thereof surrounding and gripping the same and having a releasable connection at its other end with a. further portion of said member.

3. In a key case comprising a casing and a swivel member adapted to swing into and out of said casing; a link swiveled to said swivel member, and a wire loop fastenedrigidly and permanently at one end to said link, and at its other end being guidable and securable in another portion of said link, said link being laterally cut away to permit the entry and removal of the latter end of said loop.

4. In a key holder, a hollow member, a resilient loop rigidly and permanently fixed at one end to said hollow member and having an oflset projection at its other end, said hollow member having a laterally open channel to receive the latter end of the loop and a cavity to receive said ofl'set projection to prevent movement of the latter leg of said loop except in the direction toward said first leg.

5. In a key holder, a sheath, a key retaining loop having one end fixedly and permanently secured in said sheath and having an outwardly turned pip at the other end, said sheath having a curled flange thereon to receive and guide said free end of said key-retaining loop, and providing a channel open at one side above its bottom, said flange extending substantially in the direction of said free end of said loop, said sheath also having an aperture therein in said curled flange to receive the outwardly bent pip of said loop whereby the loop may be compressed against its own resiliency and moved laterally into and out of positions opposite said channel.

6. In a key holder, a sheath, a key retaining loop having its upper end located in said sheath and fixedly and permanently secured thereto by a compressed and curled portion of the material of said sheath, a curled flange formed on said sheath as a channel, the material of the sheath being formed with an aperture opening into said channel, the key retaining loop having at its free end an outwardly bent pip, the loop being resilient so that its free end is receivable in and removable from said channel for presenting its pip into said aperture when in closed position in said channel by a relatively resilient movement of said free end toward said fixed end and a lateral movement toward or from said sheath.

In testimony whereof, I aflix my signature.

ROBERT H. INGERSOLL.

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