US2775804A - Key ring holder - Google Patents

Description

S. F. AYOUB KEY RING HOLDER Jan. 1, 1957 Filed Aug. 7, 1955 INVENTOR. 6.92m F. Agoub United States Patent KEY RING HOLDER Sam F. Ayoub, El Paso, Tex. Application August 7, 1953, Serial No. 373,029

1 Claim. c1. 24 -3 This invention relates to key ring holders and more particularly to the type of key ring holder adapted for attachment to a belt.

The primary object of this invention is to provide a key ring holder of simple two part construction wherein a key ring may be easily placed therein and the holder then made secure so as to prevent accidental displacement of the key ring.

It is a further object of this invention to provide a key ring holder in which the key ring will be positively prevented by interengaging, movable latch means from accidental loss or unwarranted removal.

Other objects and advantages will become apparent from the following detailed description, forming the specification, taken in conjunction with the accompanying drawings, in which:

Figure l is a perspective view of the key holder embodying this invention supported upon a belt and showing the component parts in open position;

Figure 2 is a side elevational view showing the parts in their latched or closed position;

Figure 3 is a side elevational view similar to Figure 2 but showing the component parts in the relation of Figure 1;

Figure 4 is a perspective view of the retainer element;

Figure 5 is a perspective view of the slide element; and

Figure 6 is a blank of material from which the slide of Figure 5 may be made.

The key holder of this invention, generally indicated by the reference numeral 10, is shown in Figure l as being supported from a belt 12 and retaining the ring 14 of a key chain (not shown). The key ring holder comprises two parts, a retainer generally indicated at 16 (Figure 4) and a slide, generally indicated at 18, shown in Figure 5.

The retainer element 16 is a single piece of flat material, which may be plastic, tin, sheet metal or other suitable material. As shown in Figure 4, the strip of fiat material from which the retainer 16 is fashioned is oppositely bent to form two hooks 20 and 22 and an intermediate connecting portion 24. The hook 20 which is formed between the connecting portion 24 and a downwardly depending leg 26, of approximately the same linear dimension as the connecting portion 24, is adapted to be placed over and be retained by a belt, such as belt 12. The lower end of the hook 20 resiliently abuts the arcuate portion 28 of the outwardly facing hook 22 due to the resilience of the material from which the retainer is fashioned. Hook 22 is dependingly carried by the intermediate connecting portion 24, and the arcuate section 28 extends laterally toward the leg 26 and then curves outwardly and upwardly terminating in a curved ear or lug 30. A groove 32 is provided transversely of the car 30 and adjacent the outermost end thereof. The intermediate connecting portion 24 has a stop tongue 34 struck from it and extending in a direction towards the leg 26 and lying in a horizontal plane with respect to the porpreviously indicated materials. The blank 36 comprises a centrally elongated rectangular member 38 and two shorter generally rectangular wings 40 and 42. The wings 40 and 42 are integrally joined to the central member 38 along lines of bend 44 and 46 respectively. It will be noted that the lower end of the central member 38 extends beyond the lower edges of the wings .40 and 42 and carries adjacent this lower end a raised boss or ridge 48. The central member 38 is extended upwardly and is formed in the shape of the head of a key in the form of an extension 50. A pair of slots 52 and 54 are provided on either side of the central member 38 and extend from the lower end of the lines of bend 44 and 46 to the lower ends of the wings 40 and 42.

To form the slide 18 from the blank 36, the wings 40 and 42 are bent along the lines of told 44 and 46 respectively, towards each other, and since the wings 40 and 42 are each approximately one-half the width of the central member 38, they will approximately abut to form the back section 56 of the slide 18. As a result of this bending operation, the central member 38 will form the front section or face of the slide 18 and the rear section 56 will be spaced from and generally parallel to the front face 58 to define a passageway rectangular in cross section. The lower portion of the central member 38 is arcuately formed to project outwardly away from the back section 56 to form a latch tongue 60. It will be seen that the latch tongue 60 now carries the ridge 48 on its inner surface.

The wings 40 and 42 of the blank 36 when bent in the manner hereinbefore described, will be placed on the connecting portion 24 of the retainer 16 to encircle the connecting portion and be slidably retained thereon. The extension 50 now provides a thumb piece or grip by which the slide can be moved longitudinally of the connecting portion 24.

When the component parts, the retainer 16 and the slide 18, are fashioned together in the manner described, the slide 18 will be free to move along the connecting portion 24 but limited in its movement in one direction by the bight 62 interconnecting the leg 26 and connecting portion 24, and limited in sliding movement in the other direction by the stop tongue 34.

In the open position, shown in Figures 1 and 3, the slide 18 has been raised to its approximate limit of travel in the direction of the bight 62 which forms a stop for the slide. In this open position, a ring, such as ring 14, of a key chain may be placed in the book 22 to be supportingly retained therein. The slide is then moved by the thumb piece 64 to its limit of travel in the other direction abutting the stop tongue 34. During the travel of the slide 18 in the direction towards the stop tongue 34, the latch tongue 60 will ride over the end of the ear 30 on the book 22, and when the slide is in abutment with the stop tongue 34 the ridge 48 will be engaged in the groove 32. Thus, the ridge 48 and the groove 32 constitute interconnecting latch means whereby the ring 14 may be securely retained within the hook 22 and prevent accidental displacement of the ring 14 from the hook 22. This locked or latched position is shown in Figure 2.

In order to release the latch means provided by the cooperation between the groove 32 and the ridge 48, slight manual pressure may be applied to the lower end of the ear 30 and the slide raised by gripping the thumb piece 64 to move the slide 18 in the direction of the stop provided by the bight 62.

From the foregoing, it will be evident that there has Patented Jan. 1, 1957 been provided a key ring holder having a retainer and a slide carried on the retainer, and interengaging latch means carried by the slide and by a hook onthe retainer.

While there is shown and described the preferred embodiment of the invention, it is to. be understood that the structure is susceptible to change and n odifieation within the practicability of the invention and therefiore should be limited only by the scope of the claims appended hereto.

What is claimed is:

A key ring holder comprising a retainer and a slide carried on the retainer, said retainer having an intermediate portion and a resilient hook element carried by said intermediate portion and terminating in a free end adapted to retain the key ring, said hook element carryns. flamer die the nd h of a sto t ns projegting from said intermediate portion, a dependent latch tongue carried by said slide, said tongue having a ridge thereon engageable with said groove under resilient action of said hook element when said slide is moved into abutting relation with respect to said tongue stop, and a thumb piece integrally formed on said slide to facilitate movement of the slide upon the retainer.

References Cited in the file of this patent UNITED STATES PATENTS

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