US2209475A

US2209475A - Attaching device for key chains and the like

Info

Publication number: US2209475A
Application number: US316656A
Authority: US
Inventors: James T Rawlings
Original assignee: Hickok Manufacturing Co Inc
Current assignee: Hickok Manufacturing Co Inc
Priority date: 1940-01-31
Filing date: 1940-01-31
Publication date: 1940-07-30
Anticipated expiration: 1957-07-30

Description

July 30, 1940.

J. T. RAWLINGS 2209,475 ATTACHING DEVICE FOR KEY CHAINS AND THE LIKE Filed Jan. 31, 1940 Patented July 30, 1940 PATENT OFFICE ATTAGHING DEVICE FOR THE LIKE CHAINS AND 7 James T. Rawlings, Rochester, N. Y., assignor to Hickok Manufacturing Company, Inc., Rochester,-N. Y., a corporation of New York Application January 31, 1940, SerialjNo. 316,656 1 Claim. (oi. 24-237) This invention relates to attaching devices for key chains or the like.

An object of the invention is to provide an inexpensive, durable and attractive attaching device for securing key chain and similar devices to wearing apparel and in which in one embodiment of the invention has for its object an attaching device designed for ready loose detachable embracing connection with the belt loop of 10 trousers.

Another object of the invention resides in the provision of a spring actuated attaching member including a normally closed loop having an opening portion disposed out. of line with the longi- 15 tudinal axis of the device so that in the event of a strong accidental pull on the device the loop is not subject to accidental opening and consequent accidental detachment.

A still further object is to provide a device 20 of the nature stated which is formed of a single piece of wire, round or square in cross section, and which includes an attaching loop in one portion of which loop the opposite ends of the wire meet in abutting or overlapping relation 25 and are maintained normally in such position.

With these and other objects in view, the inventionconsists in the construction and novel combination and arrangement of parts hereinafter fully described, illustrated in the accompanying drawing and pointed out in the claim hereto appended, it being understood that various changes in the form, proportion and details of construction, within the scope of the claim, may be resorted to without departing from the spirit 35 or sacrificing any of the advantages of the invention.

In the drawing:

Figure 1 is a perspective view of the invention illustrating the same in use in connection with key chain holding devices.

Figure 2 is an enlarged front elevation of the attaching device, the dotted lines showing the loop of the attaching device in open position.

Figure 3 is a side elevation.

45 Figure 4 is a longitudinal sectional view.

Figure 5 is a front elevation of a modified form of the attaching device.

Figure 6 is a front elevation of another embodiment of the invention.

50 Referring now to the accompanying drawing and more particularly at first to Figures 1 to 4, inclusive, the attaching device is illustrated as composed of a single piece of wire I, round in cross section, and including a coil member 2 at 55 its inner end, 'from the opposite sides of which caused to close automatically to maintain the coil member 2 extend similar reversely' formed and arrangedcompressible spring side arms A and B, which cross each other in slightly spaced relation approximately midway between their ends and curved slightly longitudinally, forming .5 convergingqportions 3 and 4 and diverging vportions 5 and 6. 1

The arms A and B are again crossed and extended in side byside or parallel relation as at l. to form an inner continuous double portion of a substantially elliptical shaped loop C having its outer side portion formed in sections 8 and 9. These sections 8 and 9 are formed by reason of the ends of the single piece of wire meeting in abutting relation at said outer side portion of the loopC. j These abutting ends form a slit lllto provide an opening into the loop. This slit I0 is disposed off center or ofiset with relation to the longitudinal axis of the device and disposed pracz-- tically adjacent one end of the loop C for a purpose presently explained.

The abutting ends of the portions 8 and 9 of the loop C are maintained normally in abutting flat end to end relation by reason of the resiliency or spring action of the spring arms A and B incident to the action thereon of the coil member 2. By thumb and finger or other compression on the diverging portions 5 and 6 of the spring arms A and B, the aforesaid crossed portions 1 of the loop C slide relative to each other and efiect a separation of the abutting ends of the said loop sections 8 and 9 to provide an opening or passage H to permit free and ready entry of the common belt loop or strap of the trousers as shown in Fig. 1 into the loop C, whereby to attach the device to the trousers against accidental disconnection therefrom. As soon as the compression of the spring arms A and B is released, owing to the springy nature of the arms, or by virtue of the coil member 2, the loop is loop C on the belt loop or strap of the trousers. It will be seen in dotted lines in Figure 2 that when the device is pressed between the thumb and finger that the gap or opening H is at one side of the loop rather than in the center thereof. One reason for this is that when the loop C is closed with the slit ll] offset with relation to the longitudinal axis of the attaching device, it produces a safer type of holding of the device 50 on the belt loop or strap and does not open accidentally in the event of a strong pull exerted on the chain l2 carried at one end in a split ring I3 secured in the coil or member 2 of the device.

The chain l2 constitutes in one embodiment '5 of the invention what is known as a key chain, to the outer end of which is secured any suitable type of key holder l4 and while the key chain holding device is illustrated it will be understood that this is done particularly to show one appli cation of the invention. The attaching device is capable of various uses other than in association with key ring chains.

Instead of the ends of the wire forming the abutting sections at the outer side of the loop 0 being flat or at right angle with the wire to form a flat abutment of the ends of the wire, the ends of the wire may be tapered, as shown at 5 in Figure 5, to form or provide for an overlapping of the meeting or abutting ends of the wire, the attaching device being otherwise the same as heretofore described.

If desired, the abutting end sections of the outer side of the encircling or embracing loop C may have one of its sections 8'9', corresponding to the sections 8-9 in the form first described, provided with a substantially V-shaped recess Hi to receive the transversely tapered end I! of the other abutting section, as shown in Figure 6. These two modifications shown and described give added security advantages against action of a strong pull on the chain and it will be understood that other equivalent modifications may be resorted to to provide for slight overlapping and security advantages. As a matter of fact, the meeting ends of the wire may be arranged to overlap each other without the use of cuts or bevels.

In all forms of the invention illustrated and described it is to be noted that the terminals of the cooperating sections at the outer side of the loop are not intended to grip or pierce materials to hold the materials or for the purpose of holding the attaching device to materials, but that rather the invention embodies a normally closed spring controlled loop capable of being operated to provide entrance into and out of the loop and wherebya ready and efiective connection of the attaching device may be efiected particularly with the loop usually provided at the upper edge of trousers for the support of belts.

What is claimed is:

A device of the character described comprising a single unitary piece of spring material in the form of a wire including a coil portion, the terminal ends of which project outwardly from the coil in substantially the same longitudinal direction and turn inwardly, crossing each other at an acute angle and providing compressible side members, the outer ends of said side members being turned inwardly and crossing each other in coextensive engagement throughout a predetermined length, the opposite or outer ends of said inturned coextensive portions being outwardly bowed and, in conjunction with the coextensive portions, providing a loop of substantial elliptical form with its major axis extending transversely and presenting abutting ends at one side of the minor axis of said loop and in the outer curved side thereof, said loop being adapted to receive therein a key chain retaining ring or the like and the curved outer side of the loop serving to guide the ring by a camming action out of the region of the abutting ends when an outward pull is exerted on JAMES T. RAWLINGS.

the device by the ring. 3