US2556324A - Cable operated closing means for bags and suitcases - Google Patents

Description

June 12, 1951 v. FIORUCCI 2,556,324

CABLE OPERATED CLOSING MEANS FOR BAGS AND SUITCASES Filed Aug. 17, 1949 Y -Mr llllllllll VII/III) IIIIIIIIIIIIIIAVAIIIIII/I];

' IN VEN TOR. Mm/13am Patented June 12, 1951 OFFICE v CABLE OPERATED CLOSING MEANS FOR BAGS AND SUITCASES' Victor Fiorucci, Nice, France Application August 17, 1949, Serial No. 110,802 In France November 9, 1948 v9 Claims.

.xsuit-cases having a yielding cover are generally provided with a so-called lightening or zip fastener. It often occurs that such closing means aredefective in operation due to numerous reasons and much time is lost for restoring them into their proper operative state. On the "other hand, zipper closing means does not provide perfect fiuidtightness for the suit-cases and their contents may be submitted to damage by reason of the possible seeping of water or the like jobjectionable fluid material inside it.

According to my invention, I provide suit-cases of any description with a very simple closing system that removes these drawbacks, that is practically proof against misadjustment and provides for perfect fluidtightness of the suit-case.

This closing system includes chiefly a normally slack cable lying over all or part of the periphery of the edge opening of the cover of the suitease and provided with fastening means, operable through a small outer lever controlling the tensioning and slacking of the cable.

In an embodiment of the invention the case may be closed tight by a tensioning device incorporating a cam and a pawl and ratchet to provide a gradual tensioning of a cable and prevent untimely slackening of the cable. It .also provides means that prevent passing a hand between the edges forming the opening of the bag when the cable is tensioned.

My invention is applicable to any suit-cases even of a rigid type provided they incorporate a yielding sheath inside which the cable may slide, the remainder of the cover edge andthe tween the cover and the body of the suitease, Turning to the embodiment illustrated in Figs-: 1 to 4, the closing system includes a cable I ofwhich one end is secured to a stationary point 2 and the other to a point 3 in the peripheral.- groove of a cam 4. This cable is positioned" in": the extreme edge portion of the cover, which edge 2 portion is then folded over and secured through sewing or any other suitable means to form a flexible sheath for the cable. r

The lateral corners of the walls of the'suitcase cover and body are rounded to allow the sheathed cable to hug the underlying surfaces. The cam 4 is mounted to turn with its shaft 5 in a casing I I, which casing is secured outside the suitcase cover; said cam is provided on its curved periphery with a notch or notches; 6 engageable by a pawl 8 when in register. An' outside lever I is keyed to shaft 5 to turn the cam [Within the casing I I when the pawl 8 is disengaged from the notch 6 by a removable key I Zagainst the resistance of a pawl spring ID. The spring I0 normally moves the pawl 8 towards the curved periphery of said cam. When the pawl 8 is disengaged from the notch 6, the cable is provided with suflicient slack, and the suitcase may be opened. By moving the lever I from the position shown in dotted lines to that shown in dash and dot lines in Figure 3, the cable is tensioned to take up the slack, and the cover of the suitcase is locked to the body of the same.

Throughout or a part of the-periphery of the wall of the suit-case body is provided with a bead I3 constituted by a small rod of semi-circular cross-section or by a rib integral with the suitcasewall if the latter is of metal. The edge of the cover carrying the cable sheath. registers with said projection or bead I3 so that the cable when tensioned, said cable is then locked against the lower edge of said projection. It is also possible to provide two cables located to eitherside of the projection or again two projectionsand two cables which. allow'a' tighter casing to be obtained.

. The operation of the closing system is a follows: The extreme edge of the cover is fitted over the bead I3. The lever 'I is then moved so' as to turn thecam 4 and to tension the cable I held inside the groove of said cam; the cable pressure exerted on the edge of the cover and the Wall of the suit-case. body under cover and on the lower portion. of the bead I3; thus providing a perfect closing and absolute fluid tightness of the suit-case.

The lever I is locked in closed position of the suitcase .throughthe action of the spring In on the pawl 8 which engages the notch 6 in the cam 4. To move the lever I back and thereby to slackenthe cable for opening the'cover, it is sufiicient to moveflthe key I2 to disengage the pawl 8 from the cam whereby it is possible to return the lever I into its starting cable releasing position that is, providing cable slack.

The arrangement illustrated in Figs. 5 and 6 is to prevent any one inserting a hand inside the suit-case by moving the edge of the cover away from the body thereof when the cable is tensioned. Said arrangement carried on the body of the suit-case includes one or more forks 4| located in the immediate vicinity and just underneath the bead I3 on the suit-case body; one or more rivets..42i are rigidly secured just above the sheath containing the cable I whereby when drawing in the cable for closing the suit-case; the rivets 42 engage the interval between the arms of the fork a'l which positively prevents-any moving of the edge of the cover with reference to the Wall of the suit-case body.

Furthermore, instead of providing a bead l3 as hereinbefore described for engagement with the cable, it is possible to provide a groove inside which said cable fits tightly when it is stretched.

Obviously the closing means described may be submitted to various modifications within the scope. of accompanying claims while. the-parts forming it may be designediinany shape and size .andof any material as desired orconvenient.

WhatI claimis: l. In.- suit-cases and the likecontainers providedwith a bodyand a cover overlapping same, a closing. arrangement including a sheath provided along the edge of the cover ofthe-con-- tainer,,a-cable.lying insidesaid sheath and hand' operable means actinglon' the cable'for' tensioning same and clamping it into engagement withthe underlying portion of the container body, at least one forked member located on the body of the container. in register withthe. path followed: by the. cableand at least one projection-carriediby thecable sheathengageable with said fork upon tensioning of the cable.

2. In .a suitcase, a rigid bead on the-face at one; edge of. the caseopening'andsubstantially parallel. to the: edge, asheath of flexible. materiallatithe'z other edge of theopening, a normallyslackrcable. in the. sheath having its ends. anchored at. the

ends of the sheath,. said sheathed. cable lying below the rigid member when the: opening is closed, cable? tensioning means secured to the.

sheath edge and engaging the cable, and separable. interlocking means positioned at the edges ofrthe opem'ng and locking when the cable istensioned to' bringthe same against. the bead.

3. A suitcase'having a rig-idbead' atione edge" of. the opening and parallel thereto, a sheath: of flexiblematerial borderingthe other edge of. the. opening, a normally' slack cable inthe' sheath. having the ends thereof anchored. to: the ends.

of the sheath, said sheathed cable" lying: below the: rigid member when the: opening, is closed, cable tensioning means. secured to the sheath edge andengaging the cable, and separableinterelocking means positioned at the edges of the opening; ontheoutersurface of the: rigid member and inner surfacerofthe sheathed edge and adapted to be locked when the sheathed cable'is tensioned cable, and separable interlocking means having parts secured near the edge of the sheathed cable and cooperating parts secured on the edge where the bead is provided, said parts adapted to interlock when the cable is tensioned to bring the same against the lower edge of the bead when the case is closed.

5. A suitcase comprisingga body section and a cover section hinged to thebody section; the corners of the lateral walls of both sections being rounded, the said lateral Walls of the cover adapted .to nestthe proximate parts of said lateral walls of the body section when the cover is closed on the body, rigid beaded sections on the rounded corners of the body walls below the exposed edges of said walls and substantially parallel to said edges and in a substantially common plane, a flexible sheath bordering the exposed edges of the walls of the cover to locate below the said beads when the cover is:closed, a normally slack cable in said sheathhaving itszends anchoredi to the. cover: atthe. sheathends; and-a cable-tension ing, device. secured to;v the cover: at the; sheath. to: engage. the cable to tensionthesame in thesheathz about the nested. walls. of. the body and. against: the said beads v-Jhen'thecaseiis' closed.

6. A suitcasehaving aibody'section andta cover:- section, said body' andfcover. sections having the; corners between their lateral wallsroun'ded',said; cover 'walls'nestingthe upper portion ofisa'id body walls when the. cover is on" the body, the..e'dges; of the body and cover: walls: defining. the case opening, said rounded: corners'of the bod'y: sec=-- tion having means on the face thereof disposedf below said edges of saidbody section and parallel'l to engage th means when the cable is tensioned whilethe case is closed.

7. A suitcaseh'aving rounded wall-cornersris ing from the bottom andextending from the top, the rounded w'alls'of' the top nesting the proxi'- mate upper portions of the walls rising from the bottom when the case is--closed;'the exposed edges of said'top and bottom walls defining-'the opening of the-case; a sheath of? flexible material bor dering the exposed edges-of thetop, a normally slack cable-in the sheath having its' ends an-- chored' to the cover at the ends of the sheath, cable tensioning means securedto' the top and engaging the sheathed cable; and alining' spaced apart co-planar beads of rigidmaterial on the walls rising fromthe-bottom; said beads-adapted: to lie above the sheathed cable when the case. is closed, saidsheathed cable adapted to' engage the lower edge of said beads when the sheathed cable is tensionedagainst the portionof the walls nested under the walls of the cover.

8; A suitcase having a' body secti'onand a cover section, said body and cover sections havingthe' corners between their lateral walls rounded, said cover walls nesting theupper portion of'said'bod'y" walls when the cover is on the-body; theedgesiOf the body and'cover walls definingthe case open.-

ing, said body section'having' meanson the outer;

face thereof'dispcsed below the edge of said wallsand parallel thereto, a sheath of'fl'exibie material bordering the exposed edges of the cover. and

adapted to locate-at the meanswhen' thecover" is closed, a normally slack cable in the sheath having its ends anchored to the cover at the sheath ends, and a cable tensioning device secured to the cover at the sheath and engaging the cable to draw the sheathed cable against the nested walls of the body section and into engagement with the means when the cable is tensioned while the case is closed.

9. A suitcase, comprising a body section having rigid walls, a cover for said body section, a normally slack cable carried by the unattached edges of the cover and sheathing said cable thereat to permit a relative movement between the cable and sheath, cable actuating means secured to the cover and engaging the cable, said body section having means on the outer face of the walls below the edges engageable by the cover to under- He said sheathed cable, said latter means being 6 adapted to be engaged by the sheathed cable when the cable is tensioned by the cable actuating means and whereby the cover is locked to the body.

F'IORUCCI, VICTOR.

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

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