US2550375A

US2550375A - Key holder

Info

Publication number: US2550375A
Authority: US
Inventors: Joseph J Pentek
Original assignee: Individual
Current assignee: Individual
Priority date: 1950-03-13
Filing date: 1950-03-13
Publication date: 1951-04-24
Anticipated expiration: 1968-04-24

Description

April 1951 r J. J. PENTEK 2,550,375

KEY HOLDER Filed March 13, 1950.

Zmoentor Patented Apr. 24, 1951 2,550,375 KEY HOLDER Joseph Pcri tek, San Carlos, Calif. Application March 13, 1950,'Serial No. 149,250

2 Claims; (01. 70-450 This'invention relates to key holders,- and more particularly to improvements in that type of key holder which comprises a case, a key carriage slidably disposed therein, and spring means for the carriage adapted to retract the carriage and key, carried thereby within the case when the key becomes slidably movable within the key barrel of-a-zlock. 1 r

, ,Invsummary, the invention resides, in part, in that improvement in a device of the class above mentioned enablingthe latchin of a key carriage inzits forward position Within the case, i. e., so that the key extends outside of the case, whereby. thekey may be manipulated with respect to the lock with a minimum of effort, since the key is secured against retractile movement within the case, with said latching means being operable upon the application of a pulling force to the key tending to remove the key further from the case, as; for example, when the key is pulled outwardly of a lock, to release the keycarriage and allow the same to beretracted rearwardly into the case to enclose the key therein. Additional improvements reside in the provision of a key case comprised of complementary sections, with the guide slot for the thumb contactable button of the carriage .beingformed by the complementary edges forming a side ofeach of the case sections,

and, further, the provision of means enablin the ready securing of a key to the carriage after the carriage has been assembled and enclosed within the case of the holder, said means comprising an aperture in the carriagealignable with an aperture through the-wall of the case to enable the introduction of an attachment stud through thecase aperture and into the carriage aperture to securea, key to the carriage. Further details of the invention parent from the following description taken in conjunction'with the drawings forming part of thisspecification, and in which: 7 s

Figure 1 is a.view inside elevation of the key holder embodyingthe invention; -;Figure,2 is a View in side elevation of the key holder withthe top section of .the case removed;

,Figure 3 is: a view in section taken along lines 3-3 of Figure 2, but showing the key tocarriage fastening means in place; i Figure 4 is a view in side elevation showing the inside of the top section of the key holder cases 1 a Figure 5 is a view in bottom elevation of the key holder of Figure 1;and V ,,Fig1.1re 6 is. a view insection'taken along lines will be ap- Referring to the drawing for more details of the invention, the key holder comprises a bottom case section II] and a top case section I2 complementary thereto. The bottom case It! is characterized by a pair ofoppositely disposed semi-wells l4, an elongate recess. 16 at the inside of the upper side wall, an upstanding'guide rib I8 extending around the rearward portion of the side walls, of thecase section andserving as positional attachment means for the top case section l2, a boss 20 having a rivet aperture 22 therethrough, a box-like rib structure 24, an elongate groove 26, an aperture 28 through the wall of the case, a smaller aperture 30 for key chain attachment purposes, and cleats 32 serving in conjunction with the rib [8 to positionally secure the case sections In and I2 together when they are juxtaposed.

A key carriage indicated generally at 34 is slidably disposed within case section Ill and a spring 36 secured at one end as by a rivet 38 to the carriage and having a loop at its other end in sleeved relation to the boss 20 serves to yieldingly retain the carriage in the position shown in Figure 2; The bottom case and carriage assembly, before the attachment to the bottom case of the top case sectionl2, further comprises a coil spring 40 clipped over the forward side of the box-like tructure 24 so that the rearward end of the spring is within the box-like structure and the forward end extends forwardly thereof to serve as a resilient bumper when the carriage 34 is retracted by the spring 36 to the position of Figure 2. The lowerside- Wall of case section 10 is provided with a relatively deep notch 42 within whichv a latching stud 44 is fitted so that the enlarged inner end 46 of the stud prevents axial withdrawal of the stud from the notch 42; A spring 48 sleeved on the shank of stud 44 and incontact With the under side of the head of the stud and the outer surface of the case section I 0 serves to maintain the stud in a retracted position with'respect to the interior of the case section.

j The bottom case and carriage assembly, as thus described, is converted to the complete key holder by the attachment thereto of the top case section [2, said latter section comprising semi- Wells 50 complementary to the semi-wells l4 of the bottom case section H), a boss and aperture 52 and 54, respectively, complementary -to the

corresponding elements

20 and 22 of the bottom case section, an aperture 56 complementary to the aperture 30 of the bottom case section, an elongate groove 51, and an aperture '58 through the wall of the top case section adapted to be in alignment with the corresponding aperture 28 of the bottom case section when the sections are secured together in complementary relation. The case section I2 is also provided with a niblike member 60 adapted to be received within the notch 42 of the bottom case section when the two case sections are placed in complementary relation to retain the stud 44 against any appreciable lateral movement.

When the top case section is juxtaposed to the bottom case section I0, any forward motion by way of slippage of the section with respect to the section I2 is prevented by the rib it, while any rearward slippage of the section [2 with respect to the case It] is prevented by the cleats 32 which fit within the case atpositions indicated by 62 in Figure 4. Rivets 64 are then passed through the aligned semi-wells l4 and 5t; and aligned apertures 22 and--54, and these rivets are then upset to secure the case sections together. Whenthe sections areso secured together the bosses: 20 and 52 are in engagement with each other, thus-preventing the'spring 36 from working free of the boss 2f! during operation or use of the key holder. A suitable attachmentchain, not shown, may be passed through the aligned aperturesBiI-and 56.

As indicated by. Figures 1-3, the carriage 34 is provided with a thumb knobor button 8% integral with the carriageproper through the neck or reduced'sect-i'on portion 68, slidable within the slot formedby the elongate recess It of case section: lfi'and the'adjacentedge of case section I2; A rib-Hl'at one side of the carriage anda boss '12 of -the otherside thereof" serve as'means =for guiding the movement ofthe carriage with respect to the case. The carriage is also provided with an aperture l l adaptedto receive-a screw-l3; and a-hexagonal-recessfll? in; oneside of the carriage adaptedto receive-a" nut Silfor the securing of the screw tor-the carriage; The'head of the screw 'l-fi-is-slightly smaller than the-aperture 58 andregistrabletherewith by a slidable positioning; of the carriage-34 within the case, While the hexagonal recess 18- issimilarly registrable with the aperture 2 8 of case section ii]. A; key iii-may be secured to the-carriage 34-after thekey holder is-fully assembled by thesimple expedient-of'slidingthe carriage toalign the screw 16 and nut 80 with their respective case-apertures 58-and 28; unfastening the screw and removing the same, inserting. the head of a key within the mouth of the case against the side surface 84 of the carriage to align the aperture of the key withthe case apertures 28 and 58 and the carriage aperture l4, and re-engaging the screw lfi with nut 80. The elongate recesses 25 and 51 are for the accommodation of the head of screw 'lfiand for the outer portion of nut 89 which protrudes slightly from the .face of the-carriage.

From the foregoing description it will-be-clear that the-key 82 may be inserted within the igni tion switch of an automobile, for example',-byapplying the thumb to the-button B6-and forcing the carriage 34 forwardl-y in the case againstthe action of spring 36 to unsheath the key. Upon insertion of the ke within the ignition switch and the turning .of the switch to the on position the-engagement of the key, in the lock will prevent spring urged withdrawal of the; key within thecase: When the key-is turned'in the ignition'switch-to niove-theswitch to the off position, the key. isthen' relatively freely slidably m va l i l c m he s r 3,6:them5ervc's 4 to withdraw the key from the ignition switch, with the force of the spring urged return of the carriage Within the case being absorbed by the spring 40.

When the carriage has been moved forwardly to unsheath the key to a sufficient degree so that the rearward end 86 of the carriage is located slightly forwardly of the stud 44, the stud 44 may be, urged inwardlyof the case against the action of spring 48 to become engaged with the rearward edge of the carriage and prevent the spring urged return of the same. The force of spring 36 tending to return carriage 34 within the case as applied transversely to the axis of stud 44 is sufiicient to prevent the spring 48 from withdrawing the stud from its latching position with respect to the carriage. The case then serves in effect as a fixed carrier or handle for the extended key, enabling a ready and efficient manipulation of the key with respect to thelo'ck'. When'the carriageis' in this latched condition and the ignition switch is turned to the off position, the spring: 36 will not be effective to retract the key from the lock. However, when the case is-grasp'ed and pulled toward the operator to remove the key from the lock, the fric tiona-l engagement between the lock and key is normally such as to enable a slight rearward movement of the case before the withdrawing movement" of the key 'takes' place. This serves to move the carriage 34 forwardly of the stud 44, thus freeing the stud" 44' for retraction from the return path of the carriage'by meansof" the spring 43; When this hasoccurre'd, the spring 36- will'- snap the carriage S'4 an'd ke'y 82cai'rie'd. thereby into.- sheathe'd relatiori'w'ith' the case.

While a preferred embodiment or the key holder of the invention has been shown-and de'-' scribed, it is to be-understood-tha-t'all substantial equivalents of said embodiment a're within the scope of the invention.

What- I- claimasnew and desire tosecure by Letters Patent is:

1-. A- key holder comprising a" case having' an opening at its forwardend; a key carriage-slidably disposed therein and having a manual con-- trolmember extending through a." guide" slot formed.- inthe case; a-springforming a" c'onnec= tion between said carriage andsaid ca'se'oper able to urge said carriage? rearwardly in" the case; catch means carried by the case" and adaptedto be movedinwardly into the path" of movement of said carriage after said carriage has- -beenslidably" moved forwardly of said catch means towardwhe-open end of said case to retain" said carriage against rearward movement by said spring, and spring means associated with said catch-means and said case operable'to move said:catchmeains =ol1t' of tlie'path of said" car'- riagein response to a'further'forward movement of said carriage to-b'ring? said carriage out of engagement with said=catch means.

2. A key holder comprising acase having an opening at its; forward-end; a' key" carriage slidably; disposed therein andhaving a manual-cor!- trol member; extenlhng.- through a* guide slot formed in the case; a springformin'g a connection between said carriage 'and"saidcase' operableto' urge 'sa-id 'carriage rearwardly in the "case, a member extending through said case" and car ried by said case for limited movement trans versely of the p'athiof *m'ove'ment'of said carriage, said member being operableupon it's movement inwardly of said case after said-carriage has *been yieldingly urged forwardly of saidrme'r'nlfierto 5 ward the open end of said case to block rearward movement of said carriage therepast, the spring-pressed engagement of said carriage with said member serving to retain said member in such carriage-blocking position, and spring means for said member operable when the spring pressure applied through said carriage to said member is relieved to move said member outwardly of said case to free said carriage for retractile movement.

.JOSEPH J. PENTEK.

6 7 REFERENCES CITED The following references are of record in the file of this patent:

UNITED STATES PATENTS Number Name Date 1,701,771 Stefano Feb. 12, 1929 1,745,836 Miller et a1 Feb. 4, 1930 2,076,895 Johnston Apr. 13, 1937 2,176,863 Nash Oct. 17, 1939 2,484,547 Bishop Oct. 11, 1949 2,500,198 Mullan Mar. 14, 1950