US2377816A - Locket latch - Google Patents

Description

J. M. SLAIN LOCKET LATCH June 5, 1945 Filed July '20, 1942 INVENTCSR J7 MW ATTORNEYS Patented June 5, 1945 "UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE LOCKET LATCH John M. Slain, Providence, R. 1.; Elizabeth Slain,

executrix of said John M. Slain, deceased, assignor to Theresa Brogan, Providence,,R. 1.

Application July 20,1942, Serial No. 451,541

6 Claims.

This invention relates to a. case having two hingedly related parts, such for instance as a locket to be worn on the person of the wearer, and more particularly to the means for holding thetwo hingedly related parts in closed position.

One of the objects of this invention is to provide a means for securing the two hingedly related parts of .a locket or the like so that less breakage and destruction of the holding means will occur in its formation.

. Another object of the invention is to provide a latch which may be made of separate material and hardened to give greater resiliency and holding power than the remainder of the stock of which the locket is formed.

Another object of the invention isto provide a latch device which although formed of a separate piece will require less assembly time than the prior practice of bending the latch into position after assembly.

With these and other objects inview, the invention consists of certain novel features of construction, as will be more fully described and particularly pointed out in the appended claims.

In the accompanying drawing:

Fig. l is a plan view of a locket in closed position;

Fig. 2 is a planview looking at the inside of a locket with the two members swung to open position; I

Fig. 3 is a plan view of the hingedly related bezel'members of the locket;

Fig. 4 is a perspective view of one of the bezel members;

Fig. 5 is a perspective view of a shell which is rolled about one of the bezel members;

Fig. 6 is a perspective view of the latch part which is assembled with the bezel in the case;

Fig. '7 is a section on line 1--'| of Fig. 4; and

Fig. 8 is a section on line 8--8 of Fig. 2.

In the usual manufacture of locket-s a -bezel is located within a shell portion of the locket of each member and the latch or catch for securing the two hingedly related assembled members together is formed by shearing and bending the stock of the bezel so as to provide a protuberant part to perform this function. The bezel is usually rolled into the shell and this latch bent into position thereafter. Such formation often results in the breaking of the latch part and thus makingre-assembly of bezel and shell expensive to perform to salvage the shells of members whose latch is broken. By the arrangement which I have provided the latch is bent and the part carrying it completed, prior to rolling the bezel and shell together. The latch 'is thus more easily completed and if by chance any, imperfect latch should occur the part may bediscarded prior to its being assembled in finished position. Thus when it is assembled in finished position the same is complete and no further bending or distorting operation is needed. In proceeding with this invention I provide a bezel Ill and a bezel II hingedly related as at I2, while a casing part I3 (see Fig. 5) is rolled about each bezel to complete the hingedly related members. The latch designated generally I4 is held between a bezel and the case and is an individual completely preformed separate piece. v

The bezel I0 is provided with a catch opening I5 at one side of the generally heart shaped for-.

mation, and an eye I6 at the other side of the bezel. The bezel H is provided with an opening I1 at one side and a pair of hinge eyes I8 at the other side of the heart shaped formation which are in sufficient registry with the eye [6 so as to receive a pintle pin therethrough to hingedly relate the members together. A suspending eye I9 is formed of the same piece of material as the bezel II, and a shell 20 is rolled thereon and provides a. convenient means of suspension of the locket upon a chain, cord or other supporting means. -A shell 2|, as'shown in Fig. 5 is of a shape corresponding to the shape of the bezel and is cut away or notched as shown in dotted lines at the hinge so as to receive the bezel therein, and then is rolled into engagement with the bezel as seen at 22, in Fig. 8.

In order to secure the hingedly related members 22 and 24, each consisting of a shell and bezel in closed position, I have inserted a latch part I4, see Fig. 6, which consists of a strip of sheet material 25 which will be of a suflicient length and configuration so as to maintain itself against longitudinal movement within the member 24 beneath the bezel and between the bezel and the shell. This I accomplish in the utilization of a shape following somewhat the shape of the heart at the v-shaped formation thereof, and when this is located between the shell and the bezel as shown in Fig. 2 in dotted lines it is incapable of lateral, and of longitudinal movement. A protuberant latch designated 26 is bent from the stock of the part 25 at a location where it will extend through the opening ll of the bezel II, and the structure of this protuberant latch part 26 is convex on its engaging face such that it will extend through the opening I5 which acts as a catch and will engage the edge of this opening I5 by its bulging edge springing past this edge and thus will serve to friction against this edge and hold the two members in closed position. The latch part [4 is firmly secured in position by the bezel l I forcing the surface 27 of the latch into engagement with the inner surface 28 of the shell 2 I.

To open the locket it is merely necessary to insert the finger nail orsome instrument between the hinged members and force the same apart.

By reason of this arrangement the latch is preformed so that bending after assembly is not necessary and it is so located that it serves to engage the catch part without material adjustment.

I claim:

and with the edge of the said-side walls engaging the bottom wall of said shells, providing a space between the said top wall of the bezel and bottom wall of said shell, a separatepart positioned in 1. In combination a pair of members, means for hinging said members together, catch means provided on one member, the other member com-.

prising a shell, a bezel within the shell having a wall spaced from the bottom wall of said shell and provided with an opening extending therethrough, a separate part positioned in the space i between the bezel and shell and in firm engagement with said walls to prevent movement of the said separate part, said separate partbeing provided with a resilient protuberant latch extending through the opening in the bezel and adapted to engage with said catch means.

2. In combination a pair of members, means for hinging said members together, catch means provided on one member, the other member comprising a shell, a bezel Within the shell having a wall spaced from the bottom wall of said shell and provided with an opening, a separate part conforming generally to theshape of the bezel and positioned in the space between the bezel and shell and in firm engagement with said walls to preventmovement of the said separate part, said separate part being provided with a resilient protuberant latch of the same piece of stock as the said part and extending through the opening in the bezel and adapted to engage With said catch means.

3. In combination a pair of.bezcls hinged together each provided with a side wall and a top wall and each provided with an opening at a point on the opposite side thereof from said hinge connection, shells rolled about each of said bezels, and with the edge of the said side walls engaging the bottom wall of said shells providing a space between the said top wall of the bezel and bottom wall of said shell, a separate part positioned in the space between one bezel and shell and in firm engagement with said walls to prevent movement of the said separate part, said separate part being provided with a resilient protuberant latch exthe space between one bezel and shell and in firm engagement with the said top and the said bottom wall and of an extent to follow the bezel sufficiently to be retained against longitudinal movement and provided with a resilient protuberant latch extending through the opening in the bezel for extending into the opening in the other bezel and resiliently engaging an edge thereof to form a holding clasp.

5. A device of the class described comprising an outer casing embodying two shells, a field piece retained in each shell, hinge means movably connecting said shells and field pieces, each said shells and field piece-having an open space therein positioned opposite each other when said field pieces are in closed position, a latch member the main portion of which is between a said field piece and a said shell, said latch member embodying a catch that projects through one said space and is cooperative with the other said open space of the adjacent field piece portion to hold said field pieces and shells in closed position, and also embodying an extension portion part of which extends substantially at right angles to another part of said extension portion. I

6. A device of the class described comprising an outer casing embodying two shells, a field piece in each shell, hinge means movably connecting said shells and field pieces, one said shells and field piece having an opening in an intermediate portion thereof, another said field piece having a cut-out therein extending from an outside edge portion inwardly and positioned opposite said opening when said field pieces and shells are in closed position, a latch member between a said shell and a said field piece embodying a catch, said catch projecting through said cut-out outwardly beyond said field piece and cooperative with said opening of the adjacent field piece portion to hold said field pieces in closed position.

JOHN M. SLAIN.

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