US20040020882A1

US20040020882A1 - Key holder

Info

Publication number: US20040020882A1
Application number: US10/380,060
Authority: US
Inventors: Mitsuhiko Hirate
Original assignee: Individual
Current assignee: Individual
Priority date: 2000-09-14
Filing date: 2001-08-27
Publication date: 2004-02-05
Also published as: CN1458834A; AU2001280190A1; JP2002085244A; WO2002021981A1

Abstract

A key holder capable of surely eliminating such a highly possible problem that a hook may fall down from a hooking slit provided in a base member, which was a major defect of an existing same type of key holder and minimizing a production cost, characterized in that a hooking hardware for detachably hooking keys thereto is installed on a key cover enclosing a bundle of keys, the aforementioned hooking hardware (A) further comprising a base member (1) having a tubular part (2) with a plurality of slits (2 a) therein, a hooking rod (3) fitted into the tubular part (2), a fitting means for fixing the fitted state of the hooking rod, and a plurality of hook members (6) for hooking the keys, each hook member (6) further comprising a hook (6 a) for hooking the key thereto and a stop ring (6 b) allowing the hooking rod (3) to be passed therethrough; the fixing means should desirably be so formed that a lever (4) provided extendedly at one end of the hooking rod (3) is elastically engaged with and disengaged from a locking claw (5) provided on the base member (1).

Description

FIELD OF THE INVENTION

This invention relates to a key holder comprising a key cover to enclose a bundle of keys and a hooking hardware for detachably hooking keys, and which is completely modified so that a major serious problem that the important keys may fall down from the hooking hardware will never occur.

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION

Conventional types of key holders are shown in FIGS. 4, 5 and 6.

A key holder ( 200) as shown in FIG. 4 comprises a hooking hardware (60) for detachably hooking keys (not shown in FIG. 4) in the upper middle area of a square-shaped inner sheet of a key cover (50).

The key cover ( 50) is folded into three layers so that a bundle of keys can be enclosed. A snap hook (51) is provided to enclose the keys firmly inside the key cover.

The hooking hardware ( 60) as shown in FIG. 4 has a tubular part (61 a) which is created by rolling up one side of a base member (61) of a metal plate in which a bottom part of the hooking member for detachably hooking the key is engaged with each slit (61 b) provided in an axial direction of the base member.

A hook member ( 62) as shown in FIGS. 4 and 5, has a structure in which a ball-shaped projection (62 b) is provided on a bottom edge of a hook (62 a) for hooking the key.

And the projection ( 62 b) engaged with the tubular part (2) is hooked in an edge of the slit (61 b) and the hook member (62) is fixed and will not fall down.

As an installing method of the hook ( 62 a) comprising the above-identified structure, an opening for inserting the projection is provided on one part of the slit. And after inserting the projection into the tubular part the said opening should be closed with a closing member to be attached, or when inserting the projection into the opening, the slit (61 b) is compulsorily widened. However this existing type of key holder (200) had a major defect that the base member (61) is sometimes bent together with the tubular part (71 a) under some external pressure while the key holder (200) is in use as indicated in FIG. 6.

In that case, the slit ( 61 b), as indicated in FIG. 6, should be widened larger than the diameter of the projection (62 b), and then the hook member (62) easily drops off the base member (61). Thus, it was not uncommon for people to accidentally lose the important key and feel embarrassed.

Also, the existing type of key holder comprising an opening provided in the slit and closed with the attached closing member after inserting the projection had a problem to greatly increase a production cost of such hooking hardware. Therefore, this invention provides a key holder capable of surely eliminating such a highly possible problem that a hook ( 62) may fall down from a hooking slit (61 b) provided in a base member (61), which was a major defect of an existing same type of key holder (200) and minimizing a production cost.

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION

A key holder in this invention to achieve the above-identified objective is characterized in that a hooking hardware for detachably hooking keys thereto is installed on a key cover enclosing a bundle of keys, the aforementioned hooking hardware (A) further comprising a base member ( 1) having a tubular part (2) with a plurality of slits (2 a) therein, and a fitting means for fixing the fitted state of a hooking rod (3) fitted into the tubular part (2), a lever (4) provided extendedly at one end of the hooking rod (3) and a locking claw (5) provided on the base member (1) for elastic engagement and disengagement, and a plurality of hook members (6) for hooking the keys, each hook member (6) further comprising a hook (6 a) for hooking the key thereto and a stop ring (6 b) allowing the hooking rod (3) to be passed therethrough.

And the fixing means should desirably be so formed that a lever ( 4) provided extendedly at one end of the hooking rod (3) is elastically engaged with and disengaged from a locking claw (5) provided on the base member (1).

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

FIG. 1 shows an embodiment in this invention and is an oblique perspective view of the key cover to be widely spread, [0013]
FIG. 2 shows an embodiment in this invention and an oblique perspective view of a dismantled hooking hardware installed in the key cover, [0014]
FIG. 3 also shows an embodiment in this invention and partially indicates a longitudinal sectional view of the hooking hardware, [0015]
FIG. 4 shows an embodiment of the conventional type of key holder, [0016]
FIG. 5 corresponding to FIG. 1 partially shows a longitudinal sectional view of the hooking hardware and [0017]
FIG. 6 corresponds to FIG. 5 indicating a state where a deflection pressure is added to the hooking hardware.[0018]

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS

One embodiment in this invention is described here based on the explanation of FIGS. [0019] 1 to 3.
As indicated in FIG. 1, a key holder ([0020] 100) comprises a structure in which a hooking hardware (A) for detachably hooking a plurality of keys (not indicated in Fig.) is provided inside a sheet type of a key cover (B) which can be folded into three layers. An item (10) is a hook for fixing the folded key cover.
As shown in FIGS. 1, 2 and [0021] 3, a main body of the hooking hardware (A) is a square-shaped base member (1) which is riveted on a specific place of the key cover (B).
One side of the metal base member ([0022] 1) is rolled up to create a tubular part (2).
A plurality of slits ([0023] 2 a) is provided at a regular interval in the axial direction of the tubular part (2).
As indicated in FIGS. 1 and 2, a hooking rod ([0024] 3) for hooking each hook member (6) as described below is fitted inside the hollow of the tubular part (2)
One end of the hooking rod ([0025] 3) with almost the same length of the tubular part (2) extends to the outside of the tubular part and is bent at a right angle and then integrated with a short lever (4).
The diameter of the hooking rod ([0026] 3) in this embodiment is approximately 4 mm.
On the other hand, one side of the base member ([0027] 1) as indicated in FIG. 1 is integrated with an elastic locking claw (5) as a fixing means for detachably fixing the condition where the lever (4) is engaged and disengaged from the said locking claw.
As indicated in FIG. 2, the hook member ([0028] 6) comprises a structure in which a hook (6 a) for detachably hooking the key and a stop ring (6 b) allowing the hooking rod (3) to be passed therethrough are both connected by a connecting ring (6 c).
To assemble the hooking hardware (A) with the three parts of base member ([0029] 1), hooking rod (3) and hook member (6), firstly the stop ring (6 b) of the hook member (6) is inserted into the tubular part (2) through the slit (2 a).
Then, as indicated in FIGS. 2 and 3, the hooking rod ([0030] 3) is inserted into the tubular part (2) and the stop ring so that the hook member (6) can be firmly stopped and fixed on the base member (1).
After installing the plurality of the hook member ([0031] 6), insert the hooking rod (3) completely into the tubular part (2) and then press down the lever (4) toward the hooking claw (5) as indicated in FIG. 1 so that the hooking rod (3) can be surely engaged and stopped by the elastic function of the said lever (4) and the hooking claw (5).
Thus, the hooking hardware (A) assembled as indicated above comprises such a thick hooking rod ([0032] 3) of approx. 4 mm in diameter to be passed through each stop ring (6 b) of the hook member (6).
Therefore, even if the base member (I) is exposed under a great pressure for any reason while the key holder ([0033] 100) is in use, the tubular part (2) will never be bent although the conventional key holder as mentioned in the beginning was often bent.
Even in the unlikely event that the tubular part ([0034] 2) is bent, as easily imagined in FIG. 3, the hook member (6) will not fall down from the base member (1) since the hooking rod (3) is inserted into the stop ring (6 b) of the hook member (6).
Besides the above-identified embodiments, many other different fixing means can be applied as a fixing means for the hooking rod ([0035] 3).
For example, a male screw provided on one end of the hooking rod ([0036] 3) can be engaged with female screw provided on the inner face of the tubular part (2), a stop ring can be engaged with a ring-shaped groove provided on the external circumference of one end of the hooking rod (3), or the like.

POTENTIAL FOR INDUSTRIAL USE

As clearly indicated in the above description, a key holder proposed in this invention comprises the following practical advantages compared to the conventional key holder as indicated in FIG. 4 in which a projection provided on one end of the hook member is hooked up to the opening edge of the slit in the tubular part provided on the base member. [0037]
(a) A hooking rod is inserted into a stop ring provided on the bottom part of the hook member inserted through the slit of the tubular part created on base member so that the hook member will never fall down from the hook member. [0038]
(b) Also, the hooking rod inserted into the tubular part surely prevents the tubular part itself from the external pressure. [0039]
(c) Therefore, a key holder comprising the above-identified structure eliminates such a highly possible problem that people accidentally lose a key and feel embarrassed. [0040]
(d) Furthermore, it is possible to minimize a production cost and time to provide an opening hole for the projection to be passed therethrough and to provide an additional member to close the opening. [0041]

Claims

1. A key holder characterized in that a hooking hardware for detachably hooking keys thereto is installed on a key cover enclosing a bundle of keys, the hooking hardware (A) further comprising a base member (I) having a tubular part (2) with a plurality of slits (2 a) therein, a hooking rod (3) fitted into the tubular part (2), a fitting means for fixing the fitted state of the hooking rod, and a plurality of hook members (6) for hooking the keys, each hook member (6) further comprising a hook (6 a) for hooking the key thereto and a stop ring (6 b) allowing the hooking rod (3) to be passed therethrough.