US2613770A - Luggage hardware - Google Patents

Description

Oct. 14, 1952 D. I EvlNE LUGGAGE HARDWARE Filed 001;. 21, 1948 avon.:

IN VEN TOR. Driv/D EVM/E A TTO'QNY Patented Oct. 14, 1952 LUGGAGE HARDWARE David Levine, New York, N. Y., assignor to Crest Lock Co., Inc., New York, N. Y., a corporation of New York Application October 21, 1948, Serial No. 55,671

2 Claims. 1

The present invention relates to an article of luggage hardware, more particularly to a piece or ring, generally known as a D ring, for connecting a luggage handle to the article of luggage proper. The term luggage as used herein embraces ladies handbags.

InV connecting a handle to many types of articles of luggage, a D ring is passed through a hole or loop at the end of the handle and through another loop in a strip of leather, or the like, generally formed by the folding over of the leatherl strip, which is secured to the luggage piece.

Heretofore, three different conventional types of D rings have been used in the art, each type with certain disadvantages inherent in its construction.

-One type of D ring heretofore used is a split ring made of wire, its ends generally meeting along a straight side' of the ring. Such ring requires to be iirst spread open, which is a separate. time consuming operation, requiring the use of tools. It then must be pushed through the loop in the handle; an operation requiring a great deal of manipulation, especially with stiffened handles. It next must be assembled with the loop of the folded connecting strip, an operation which again requires the use of tools, such as pliers or a hammer, to close the ring. Usually the ring cannot be restored to completelyclosed state and a gap remains which widens, in time, through repeated use, suii'iciently for the ring to become disengaged from the connecting strip or handle.

Another type of D-ring conventionally used is a cast split ring. Such ring is delivered opened to the luggage manufacturer and does not require the spreading operation. However, suchl cast ring is necessarily of greater thickness and stil-"fer than a Wire ring, so that the assembly With the handle becomes more diicult and the closing operation requires greater force and effort and frequently results in breakage during closing.

A third, conventional type of D ring heretofore in use is the one piece ring, which is either cast, forged or stamped. This type of D ring must be sent out by the luggage manufacturer to have the handle built around it, at considerablevincreased cost of the handle. Furthermore, the ring and handle must be assembled with the connecting strip and the connecting strip secured to the luggage piece before any of the pockets, partition and lining may be secured in place thereon. As a consequence, any delay in the delivery of the rings and handles from the handle maker will result in the stoppage and delay of the entire production, at enormous cost to the manufacturer. f

The present invention contemplates, therefore, the provision of a D ring which possesses rnone of the disadvantages of any vof the foregoing conventional types of D-rings and which possesses all of theircombined advantages.

lt is an object of the present invention to provide a D-ring of the character described which does not require any bending or distortion of its shape to open or close for assembly-purposes.

It is another object of the present invention to provide a D-ring of the char-acterdescribed which will not loosen and .become disengaged from the connecting piece or handle during use.r

It is .also an object oi the present invention to provide a D-ring of the character described which will permit the assembly of the handle Withthe luggage piece at any time,:either .before or after completion of the luggage lpiece properfandmay not, therefore, interfere withr or retard the production line.

It is still another object of the present invention to provide a D-ring of the character described which is strong Yand durableand is not likelyfto break during assembly.

`it is still further an obect of the. .present invention to vprovide a D-ring of the characterfdescribed which is itself economical to produce and which may be used .to connect a handle to a luggage piece with great facility, with a minimum of force and elort and a great saving'in time and labor with resulting productioneconomies.

The `foregoing and other advantages and superiorities of the D-rings of the present invention will become more readilyapparent to those skilled in the art `from the several embodiments thereof shown in the accompanying drawings and from the descriptionl following. lt is to be understood, however, that -such embodiments are shown by Way oiillustration only, to make the principles and practice of the invention more readily comprehensible, and Without any intention of limiting'` the invention to the specic details therein shown. I

ln the drawings: I

Fig. 1 is asideelevation of a luggage piece employing .a D.ring of the present invention tosccureitshandle thereto; f

Fig. 2 is an end elevation of the same;

Fi-g. 3 is an enlarged fragmentary view ofthe D-ring, handle and `connecting -strip assembly, with the D-ring partly in section-to show structural details thereof; y

Fig. 4 is an'edge view of the assembly of Fig. 3;

Fig. 5. is a section taken on line 'a3- 510i Fig..3; Fig. 6 is aview similar to Fig. 3, `showing the assembly before-the D-.ring is completely closed;

Fig'. 7 is a lview similar `to Fig. 3, showing a modied iormofD-ring; and

Fig. 8 isan edge View of the assembly of Fig. 4'7.

Referring more specically t0 the accompany- 'ing drawings, it willbe seen that, generally stated, the D-ring of the invention'which may be-vmadewof `any suitable metalby any desirable process comprises a substantially U-shaped sec'- tion and an associated, separate pin or pintle section which spans the opening of the U-section.

In the embodimentr of Figs. 1-6, inclusive, the U-shaped section, generally designated as I0, comprises an arcuate base portion and side portions or legs I2 and I3 substantially parallel to one another. The legs I2 and I3 are each provided adjacent their ends, with an aperture, such as |4 and I5, respectively, which are aligned and facing one another. One of the apertures, such as I4, may be of uniform cross section throughout and may extend completely through the leg I2, or it may extend only partly therethrough, just forming arecess therein, as illustrated. The other aperture I5 may have at least its outer portion of enlarged cross section, 4to form a seat or socket I6.

The opening of the U-shaped section I is spanned and closed by a loop engaging pin or pintle I'I, which may be inserted through the aperture I and into the aperture I 4, to bridge the opening of the section I0. The pintle I7 is formed with an enlarged, finely knurled head I8 at one end, of a cross section slightly larger than the cross section of the socket I6 so that it may be force-fitted into the socket to be thereby tightly and safely secured in place. The other end of the pintle may be snugly tted without force into the aperture III.

In use, a strip 20 is secured in suitable location on the bag 2| as by stitching or other suitable means, and preferably in folded over position, to form a detached loop 22. The section I Il of a D-ring of the present invention is then inserted through an opening or loop 23 at the end of a preformed handle 24. The pintle I1 is then inserted through the aperture I5 through a loop .22 and into the aperture I4 and is secured in place by having its knurled head |8 forcefitted, by means of suitable tool or device into the socket |6.

It will be readily apparent that the section I0, not having any inwardly bent end portions such as found in the conventional split wire ring, may be easily and rapidly inserted through the openings 23 of the handle 24, and that the D-ring of the present invention may be engaged with the connecting strip 20 with eoual ease and speed, without any danger of breaking and at any time prior to or after the luggage piece 2| has been otherwise completed.

It also will be apparent that a small and simple -tool can be employed to force t the pintle in its operative position.

In the embodiment of Figs. 7 and 8, the U-shaped section, generally designated as 3l, may be formed with a straight base portion 3| which may have the legs 32 and 33 extending to one side thereof and the integrally formed closed loop or ring 35 extending to the other side thereof. such closed loop being provided, preferably, with a straight loop-engaging side 36 substantially parallel to the base portion 3 In practice, the D-ring of Figs. 7 and 8, is rst secured to the strip 20 by passing the fold of the strip -20 over the side 36 of the closed ring section 35 before it is secured to the luggage piece 2|. The D-ring is then secured to the handle 24 by passing the pintle I'I through the end loop 23, thereof, and securing the head I 8, by force fitting, into the socket I 6.

This completes the description of the several embodiments of the D-rings of the present invention. It will be apparent, however, that many modifications and variations of the same may be made by any one skilled in thefart, in accordance with the principles of the invention hereinabove set forth and Without the use of any inventive ingenuity.

I desire, therefore, to have the protection of the patent laws for any and all such modifications and variations that may be made within the spirit of the present invention and the scope of the claims hereto appended.

What I claim is:

1. A ring for connecting a preformed loop of a piece of luggage to a preformed loop of a handle, said ring comprising a U-shaped member including a base and substantially parallel widely spaced legs. said ring additionally comprising a pintle, one end of said pintle being larger than the other, said legs having aligned facing apertures formed therein, the opposite ends of said pintle being received in said apertures, the aperture which receives the larger end of the pintle being a through aperture and having a diameter slightly smaller than the diameter Aof said larger end, the other aperture slidably receiving the smaller end of the pintle, whereby with the base of the U-shaped member in one of the preformed loops, the smaller end of ther pintle can be threaded first through the through aperture and then through the other preformed loop after Which said small end is slidably received in its aperture as the larger end is force-tted in the through aperture.

2. A ring for connecting a preformed loop of a piece of luggage to a preformed loop of a handle, said ring compising a U-shaped member including a base, a pair of substantially parallel widely spaced legs and a bar in one piece with said legs and extending therebetween intermediate the opposite ends of the legs so that the bar is spaced from the base and from the tips of the legs, said ring additionally comprising a pintle, one end of said pintle being larger than the other, said legs having aligned facing apertures formed therein, the opposite ends of said pintle being received in said apertures, the vaperture which receives the larger end of the pintle being a through aperture and having a diameter slightly smaller than the diameter of said larger end, the other aperture slidably receiving the smaller end of the pintle, whereby with the base of the U-shaped member in one of the preformed loops, the smaller end of the pintle can be threaded first through the through aperture and then through the other preformed loop after which said small end is slidably received in its aperture as the larger end is force-tted in the through aperture.

DAVID LEVINE.

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

UNITED STATES PATENTS Number Name Date 382,545 Minard et al May 8, 1888 1,602,422 Way et al. Oct. 12, 1926 1,940,307 Keeler Dec. 19, 1933 2,170,841 Thies et al Aug. 29, 1939 2,231,060 Eber Feb. 11, 1941 l2,450,820 Wilcox Oct. 5, 1948 FOREIGN PATENTS Number Country Date 2,519 Great Britain Feb. 1, 1902 207,457 Switzerland Feb. 1, 1940

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