US2979356A

US2979356A - Locking fastener

Info

Publication number: US2979356A
Authority: US
Inventors: Winthrop F Ashworth
Original assignee: United Carr Fastener Corp
Current assignee: United Carr Fastener Corp
Priority date: 1958-12-29
Filing date: 1958-12-29
Publication date: 1961-04-11
Anticipated expiration: 1978-04-11

Description

April ll, 1961 vw. F. AsHwoRTH LOCKING FASTENER 2 sheets-Sheet 1 Filed Dec. 29, 1958 I I vez/ae? F.' 55mm/ih.

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April 11, 196l w. F.. AsHwoRTH 2,979,356

LOCKING FASTENER Filed Dec. 29. 1958 2 Sheets-Sheet 2 n ad.

United States Patent LOCKING FASTENER Winthrop F. Ashworth, Wenhani, Mass., asslgnor to vUnited-Carr Fastener ACorporatiomCambridge, Mam., acorporation of Delaware Filed Dec. 29, 195s, ser. Nerea-419 z claims. (c1. 292-317) Other objects of the invention will, in part, be obvious, and will, in part, appear hereinafter.

In the drawings:

Fig. l is a top plan view of the top part;

Fig. 2 is a view in side elevation of the top of Fig. 1;

Fig. 3 is a front elevation of the top of Fig. 1;

Fig. 4 is a top plan View of the bottom part;

Fig. 5 is a side elevation of the bottom part of Fig. 4;

Fig. 6 is a front elevation of the bottom part of Fig. 4;

Fig. 7 is a top plan View of the plastic lock;

Fig. 8 is a side elevation of the plastic lock;

Fig. 9 is a top plan view of the plastic lock partly broken away to show locking feature;

Fig. 10 is a view in section taken on line 10-10 of Fig. 9;

Fig. l1 is a bottom plan view of another embodiment;

Fig. 12 is a side elevation of Fig. l1; Y

Fig. 13 is a side elevation of Fig. ll;

Fig. 14 is an end elevation of Fig. 11;

Fig. 15 is a top plan view ofthe plastic lock;

Fig. 16 is a side elevation of the plastic lock;

Fig. 17 is a top plan view of the hasp;

Fig. 18 is a top plan view of the hasp, staple and plug engaged and attached to a strap; and

Fig. 19 is a view in section taken on line 19-19 of Fig. 18. g

One embodiment of the fastener is illustrated in Figs. 1-10. 'I'he fastener comprises a plug receptacle 10, a plug receptacle cover 12, aV hinge element 14, and a plug 16. The plug receptacle 10 is formed from one piece of material, in the present instance, aluminum. Naturally any semi-rigid material may be used, such as plastic 'ora most of the metals. The receptacle 10 comprises a -base 18, two side walls 20 inintegral right angle relationship with said base 18 and in spaced parallelrelationship with each other, and a rear wall 22 in integraljright angle relationship with said base 18 and also with both side walls 20 as shown in Fig. 4. The base 18 has an attaching means 24 centrally located for attaching the receptacle 10 to a strap 26 or the like. -ln this embodiment of the invention applicant has drawn a stud attaching means 24 integral with the base `18. Many different types of attaching means 24 could be used for the purpose such as a stud and socket, or eyelet etc. A tongue 21 may be formed integral with the terminal end of the base 18 farthest from the rear wall 22 and extending below the said base 18 in a direction away from the direction of the side walls 20, which on engagement with the strap 26, could be bent toward the base 18 to hold the said strap 26 between the base and the said tongue 21 as '2,979,356 Y'Patentecl Apr. 11, 1961 an additional holding means in cooperation with the attaching means 24. The two side walls 20 have a leading edge 28`1ocated at the point farthest from the rear wall 22 and between each of the said leading edges 28` 5 and the rear wall 22, two tabs 30 are formed, one integral with each wall, in right angle relationship with their 'respective wall 20, in spaced parallel relationship with" the base 18 and pointing toward each other as shown in Fig. 4. A rectangular latch 32 is formed integral on one 10 side with the base 18, in acute angular relationship there;

to and protruding upward a predetermined distance between the walls 20. The latch 32 may also be triangular or circular in shape.

The said plug receptacle cover 12 comprises a substan- 15 tially rectangular cap 34, a fore wall 36, an after wall 38,

and a flank wall 40. All three of said walls are in integral right angle relationship with said cap 34 and the fore wa1l`36 and the after wall 38 are in spaced parallel relationship with each other and in right angle relation- 20 shipV with said Hank wall 40. The fore wall 36 has an aperture 42 formed therein and has a height from the Icap 34 equal to the height of the after wall 38 plus the height ofthe rear wall 22 of the plug receptacle 10. A connector portion 44 is formed integral with the plug receptacle cover 12 to engage the hinge element 14. In

ythe preferred embodiment the connector portion 44 comprises a ilat contiguous element 46 and a cylindrical connector element 48. The hinge element 14 in the preferred embodiment is a rectangular frame in which one of the longer bars 450 is moveably attached to a terminal end 52 of the strap 26. This attachment may be made by looping the said end 52 laround the bar 50 and then attaching it to the strap 26 in the usual manner. The other bar 54 in spaced parallel relationship with its opposite bar 50, is placed axially in the cylindrical connector element 48 so that the receptacle cover 12 can rotate about the bar 54 from the point where it contacts one side of the strap 26 to the opposite side of the strap 26. To engage the receptacle 10 with the receptacle cover 12, the terminal end of the strap 26 on the opposite Y end from the terminal end 52 is passed through the aperture 56 formed by the frame of the hinge element 14 to allow the cover 12 to be dropped over the receptacle 10 with the fore wall 36 of the cover 12 in contact with the side walls 20 and in spaced parallel relationship with the rear wall 22 of the receptacle 10. The one piece plug 16 is formed of a fragile material, such as plastic in the shape of the capital letter D as shown in Fig. 7. The plug comprises a plug base 58, flexible legs 60 in 50 integral right angle relationship with said base 58 and connected at their ends farthest from the base 58 by an arcuate connecting portion 52 split on the. midline of the arcas shown in Fig. 7. The plug 16 is made from plastic or some other material that is easily broken under 55 shear stresses. To engage the receptacle 10, the receptacle cover 12 and the 'plug 16, the receptacle 10 and the receptacle Vcover are engaged with each other as herein set forth. The plug 16 is then passed between the walls of the Iaperture 42 formed in the cover 12` and .between the base 18 and the two tabs 30 until the terminal end.52 o f 'the plug v16 rpasses. over the rectangular latch 32 `of the plug receptacle. At this point, the plug base 58 "abuts the fore wall 36 of the plug receptacle 10 and thefplug 16'cannotbe withdrawn because the latch 32 holds the plug 16. The receptacle 10 is now engaged with the lreceptacle cover 12 and the two elements cannot be separated without breaking the plug 16.

A second embodiment of the invention is shown in Figs. 11-19 wherein an ordinary hasp 64 and staple 66 are used as two of the three basic elements of the invention. Engaged with the hasp 64 is the third element, a plug receptacle 68. The plug receptacle 68 comprises a base plate 70 generally rectangular in shape having its two longer side edges bent in right angle relationship to the said base plate 70 to form

side walls

72, 73 and said

side walls

72 and 73 are `in opposed spaced parallelrelationship with each other as bestillustratedin Fig. 14. An vaperture 74 is formed in` the base plate-70 approximately midway between

Ytheside walls

72 and 73 in the form shown in Fig. 111 similar to the spherical form of the hasp aperture. The tops of the side walls 72-and 73 are bent in right angles to themselves to form wing portions 76. The planes of wing portions 76 are in spaced parallel relationship with the plane of the base plate 70 as shown in Fig. 14. An engagement tab 78 is formed 'in the side wall 72 so that it protrudes into the area delned by the side wall 72, its wing portion 76 and the base plate 70 as best illustrated in Figs. 11 and 14. Onthe opposite side of the base plate 70 from that on which the tab 78 is located, a rectangular aperture 80 is formed in the side wall 73, the base plate 70 forming one edge of said aperture S0. The rectangular aperture 80 is formed by shearing two projections 82 from the side wall 72. The projections 82 protrude into the area dened by the base plate 70 and the

side walls

72 and 73 as shown in Fig. l1. Each of the projections 82 have terminal contact edges 84. Semi-circular tabs 86 are sheared from the base plate 70 to protrude toward the wing portions 76 as is best shown in Fig. 14. The position of the tabs 86 is best shown in Fig. ll. The tabs 86 are four in number, two on each side of the aperture 74 and lying under the wing portions 76. The distance from one tab 86 to its opposite member tab 86 is always smaller than the width of the hasp 64 as will be more fully explained hereinafter. The semi-circular tabs 86 are integral with the base plate 70. The hasp 64 is basically of a form old in the art having two straight side edges 88, separated by a spherical aperture 90 and connected at one of each of their terminal ends by an integral arcuate portion 92, their opposite terminal ends are connected by a rectangular base edge 93. The base edge 93 is curled about one of the longer arms 94 of a square frame 95, and the opposite longer arm 97 is in spaced parallel relationship with said arm 94 and moveably attached to -a leather strap 96 as shown in Figs. 17 and 18. One of the straight side edges 88 ofthe hasp 64 has formed therein an acute angular notch 98 with its apex pointing toward the base edge 93 as shown in Fig. 17. The design of the notch 98 is not critical as long as it contains an indentation and a stop edge 100 in right angle relationship with the axis of the aperture 90 of the li-asp 64. An embossment 102 may be formed about the periphery of the laperture 90 to provide strength although such embossment is not absolutely necessary. To engage the hasp 64 with the plug receptacle 68, the straight side edges 88 of the hasp 64 ride over the arcuate portion of the semi circular tabs 86 and under the wing portions 76. The engagement tab 78 rides on the side edge 88 in which the angular notch 9S is formed. The plug receptacle 68 is pushed onto the hasp 64 until the engagement tab 78 snaps into the notch 98 so that the free terminal end of the engagement tab 78 rests against the stop 100 of the notch 98. The receptacle 68 can now be moved a short distanceV between the curled portion of the base edge 93 and the stop 100 as determined by the length of the engagement tab 78. In this engaged position the aperture 74 ofthe plug receptacle 68 is in spaced parallel relationship with the aperture 90 of the hasp 64.

The staple 66 is attached to the strap 96 using any. of

Y angular notches are formed `iny the -legs` of the plug 16a as shown in Fig. 15.

To lock theV hasp 64, the plug receptacle A68 and the staple 66 together after these Athree pieces have been engaged as explained herein, the plug 16a is passed between the walls of the rectangular aperture 80 of the plug receptacle 68 until its plug base 58a rests against the side wall 73 as shown in Fig. 18. The projections 82 snap into the notches of the plug 16a preventing its removal from the receptacle 68 without breaking the plug 16a. The bight of-the arcuate portion of the plug 16a is made so that when the plug is completely inserted into the plug receptacle, it is superimposed over the aperture 90 of the hasp 64 and lies between the hasp 64 and the plug receptacle base plate 68. In this position it also lies in the area formed by the staple 66. The hasp 64,

the receptacle 68 and the staple 66 are now locked together and cannot be separated without breaking the plug 16a. If the device described were used to bind a mail bag together, the bag could not be opened without creating an easily detectable damage to the bag or fastener.

Since certain other obvious modifications may be made in this device without departing from the scope of the invention, it is intended that all matter contained herein be interpreted in an illustrative and not in a limiting sense.

I claim:

l. A locking fastener comprising a plug receptacle, a plug receptacle cover and a plug, said plug receptacle having two side walls in spaced parallel relationship, a base portion in right angle relationship with said side walls, extending the full length of said side walls, and an end wall in right angle relationship with said base portion, said base portionhaving a latch member sheared therefrom in acute angular relationship thereto, said side walls each having a tab in right angle relationship therewith and in spaced parallel relationship with said base portion, said plug receptacle cover having a rectangular cap, a fore wall and an after wall in spaced parallel relationship with each other and in right angle relationship `with said cap, and a flank wall in right angle relationship with said cap, said walls and cap forming a four sided compartment, said fore wall having yan aperture formed therein, whereby said plug can be passed between the walls of said aperture in said fore wall, between the base portion and said ytabs to engage said latch member, thereby lockingthe said plug receptacle to the said plug receptacle cover.

2. A fastener as disclosed in claim l wherein the plug comprises an arcuate exible member and a plug base connecting the terminal ends of said arcuate member.

References Cited in the n`le of this patent i UNITED STATES PATENTS 777,749 Russel Dec. 20, 1904 1,173,603 Murray et al Feb. 29, 1916 1,830,950 Lake Nov. 10, 1931 1,950,803y Lewis Mar. 13, 1934 1,987,351 Rose Jan. 8, 1935