US1966429A - Key case - Google Patents

Description

'July 17, 1934. w, R," BUXTQN 1,966,429

KEY CASE Filed April 2l, 1932 INVENroR BY Mfr/ro? .5f/xfa# ATT ORNE YJ Patented July 17, 1934 v latam y m cass l Warner B. Buxtomllongmeadow, Mael., assigner to Buxton, Incorporated. Springfield, Mal., a corporation of Massachusetts -I Applicaion April 21, 1932, serial No. mais ZCIairns. (Cl. C-40) This invention relates to improvements in key ycases and has to do more particularly with the construction of the leather case or folder as distinguished from the key holders and their supl porting structure. l

` The invention has for lan objectv an improvement in the means for enclosing,` the keys and key` holders and is characterized bythe use of a single pair of interengageable fastener ele- 10 ments, applied at a new location to the overlapping flaps. which areadapted to be held together by such elements. By this new location, an important function is accomplished inthe prevention of substantial relative pivotal movement of l5 the iiaps about the interengaged fasteners as an axis and -the keys are firmly bound in place against unintentional escape through the uppe and open end of the key case.

This andother features of the invention will more particularly appear from the, following description and will be pointed out' in the appended claims.

The invention will be disclosed withreference to theaccompanying drawinglfin which;

Figs. 1- and2 aretop plan and side elevational views of a key case embodyingmy invention, the case being shown as closed;

Fig. 3 is a front elevational view of the key case, shown as open; and

3Q Fig. 4 is a sectional elevational view taken on theline4-4o'fFig. 1.

` Referring 'tol the'drawing; the key case inclujdes acfolder, usually made of leather'or like material and comprising a strip of such mate- -`345 'rial divided oil'- by lines of fold 5 into a central section 8 and two flaps 'I and 8, o'ne on each side of the central section. These flaps are foldable in overlapping'relation uponthe central section Q8 and are fas/tened together in such relation in 40f--za special and improved mannenas'will later appear. l

y The central section carries the-key holders 9 which may be of any suitable form. They are supported from a metal plate 10 for swinging movement into and out of the case inthe usual;

orany suitable manner and. preferably also for swivelling movement. As indicated, the key holders have y ball heads' l1 which turn in the hollow cylindrical and transversely slotted upper 5o rolled over part l2 of plate l0.' The plate is in' the ap 8 slopes or curves in any desired way, 05,

such as the ornamental way herein shown, to-v wards the two extremities of its line of fold 5. This construction avoids loose` free corners, which eventually present a dog-eared appearance after the key ease has been in use for some time, and 'l0V alsoenables a satisfactory closure to beeifected by a single set of fasteners.

The most important feature, however, is in the location of the fastener elements. A single pair oi' fastener elements have been used heretofore 75.

for securing together the naps of a key case but 'they have' always been centrally applied to the naps i. e.'half way between the upper and lower edges thereof, and cannot accomplishl the results of this invention. Two pairs of such fasteners 80. have also been used, one pair near the top andl the other near the bottom. The present invention, however, accomplishes all the desired results by the use of a single pair of fasteners located in the special place shown and in coniunc-I 845,4

tion with'the special formation of ap 8.

There are in a key case, two factors which limit the extent .to which the'flaps 'I and 8 can be drawn' together. One of these is the rigld'platel which extends acro the upper part of the central sec- 90. tion and restrains the flaps 7- and 8from bending along lines which are spaced any more vclosely than the length of this plate. The other factor is Igthe keys themselves, or more properly the heads thereof as these are the more bulky parts of the 945 keysand take up the most room. The overlapp ing heads of the keys fitting between the lines of gfold of the flaps restrict the flaps from being -dravn together more closely, just as plate 10does,

aa, which indicates the level in the key case at which the greatest bulk occurs. This level is somewhat nearer the top than the bottom of the extremities of the key holders. 1

This invention is characterized by the location of the fastener elements at a point intermediate the line a-a of greatest bulk aud .the lower vedge of the plate 10. As a practical matter, the fastenets are 'usualbr applied at a point between the 11- and this restriction occurs along a line such as key case and it is usually slightly below the lower 'los lower extremities of the key holders and the lower edge of plate 10. By this location of the fasteners the flaps may be drawn together tightly and fastened at a level intermediate the two levels where restrictions exist and actually the sides of the closed key case may be pinched in, as illustrated at l5 in slightly exaggerated form in Fig. 4. That is, the leather folder encompasses the key holders more tightly here than it does at locations immedjately above and below.

The practical and highly useful resultof the arrangement is that the keys are effectually bound in place and prevented from falling out or being shaken out from the open upper end of the key holder. The condition, under which the keys can accidentally become dislodged from a closed key case, are set forth in my prior U. S. Patent No. 1,443,937, and illustrated in Fig. 5 thereof. A preventative means of a different nature is there disclosed for overcoming the difliculty. The present invention provides a simpler and better way of securing the same general results in an even more effective way. As a practical matter, the present invention is very desirable in addition to the vpreventative means of my prior patent. By the novel location of the single pair of interengageable fasteners, the flaps 7 and 8 not only firmly bind the key holders against material swinging movement and form a constriction in the case through which the keys cannot pass in the only path open for them to pass,vbut it also naturally prevents the pivotal movement of the naps referred to in the prior patent. Above and below the fasteners, about which the flaps ordinarily may pivot, are restrictions, a metal plate and bulky mass of overlapping key heads, and these elements'prevent the flaps from turning on the fasteners as pivots to any substantial degree.

The invention has been disclosed herein for illustrative purposes but the scope of the invention is defined to the appended claims.

What I claim is: A

1. A key case, comprising, a folder having a central back panel and two side flaps 4adapted to be folded in overlapping relation over the back panel to form a flat tubular container, a rigid stifening member extending entire width of lthe back panel near its upperaend, a series of rigid key holders pivotally supported from the back panel near its upper'edge for swinging movement into and out of the case in arc-like paths of substantially constant radius, said flaps when folded over the key holders restraining the latter from movement in said paths and maintaining them substantially at against said back panel with their free and lower ends lying substantially definitely located in a predetermined line extending transversely across the back panel and between the upper and lower edges thereof, and interengageable means on said aps for fastening them together in overlapping relation at one point only and in a manner enabling relative pivotal movement, said point being located between said support and said line, whereby any keys on said holders will be located for the most part below said line and will spread out and press against the sides of the case, thereby spreading apart the flaps at points below said pivotal means and causing the flaps at points above said means to swing inwardly about said fastening means as a pivot and be pressed against the ends of said rigid support to tightly close the upper end of the case.

2. A key case, comprising, a folder having a central back panel and two side aps adapted to be folded in overlapping relation over the back panel to form a flat tubular container, a rigid stilening member extending across the entire width of the back panel near its upper end, a series of rigid key holders pivotally; supported 105 from the back panel near its upper edge for swinging movement into and out of* the case in arc-like paths of substantially constant radius, saidflaps when folded over the key holders restraining the latter from movement in said'paths 110 and maintaining them substantially hat against said back panel with their free and lower ends lying substantially definitely located in a predetermined line extending transversely across the back panel and between the upper and lower edges thereof, and interengageable means on said aps for fastening them together in overlapping relation at one point only and at a point located between said line and support, said fastening means constructed to draw the flaps tightly together and constrict the case in width at a point between said line and rigid support to vrn'event escape of keys.

A WARNER R. BUXTON.

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