US3323676A

US3323676A - Closure fastener for a radiographic film magazine

Info

Publication number: US3323676A
Authority: US
Inventors: Poittevin Maurice
Original assignee: LABORIX SOC
Current assignee: LABORIX SOC
Priority date: 1964-07-16
Filing date: 1965-06-30
Publication date: 1967-06-06
Anticipated expiration: 1984-06-06
Also published as: FR1409404A

Description

June 6, 1967 M. POETTEVIN 3,323,676 v CLOSURE FASTENER FOR A RADIOGRAPHIC FILM MAGAZINE Filed June 30, 1965 United States Patent 3,323,676 CLOSURE FASTENER FUR A RADIOGRAPHKC FiLM MAGAZINE Maurice Poittevin, Zola-Chaville, France, assignor to Society Laborix, Paris, France, a corporation of France Filled June 30, 1965, Ser. No. 468,311 Claims priority, appiication France, July 16, 1964, 981,871 11 Claims. (El. 220-55) This invention relates in general to containers and cases and in particular to cases having locking devices.

Cases designed to hold radiological film disposed fiat within the case, at present, comprise a box, a lid and a locking device of the translating bolt type. This type of locking device requires the activation of a translationally movable bolt to unlock the lid from the case. The operation of thisbolt requires a certain amount of force and the operation of moving the locking bolt is separate from, and additional to the operation of lifting the lid of the case. Translationally movable bolts are at present placed on the outside surfaces of radiological cases and are subject to damage as a result of shocks applied to the case during the course of various handling procedures. In addition, radiological cases with translationally movable bolts are subject to accidental opening of the case and to damage of the case as a result of shocks applied either to the surface of the case or to the locking devices during handling procedures.

An object of this inventionis to provide a radiological case with a locking device arranged so that the locking device can be unlocked and the lid of the case can be opened with manual-pressure exertedin a single direction on a single portionof the locking device.

Another object of this invention is to provide a radiological case with a locking device arranged so that the locking device will not accidentally unlock the lid of the case under the influence of a shock applied to the wall of the case.

Another object of this invention is to provide a locking device for the lid of a case which can be closed and locked by pressure exerted in a direction tending to close the lid and can be unlocked and opened by pressure exerted in a direction tending to open the lid, thus combining, in a single operation, the operation of unlocking the lid and the operation of opening the lid.

Another object of this invention is to provide a locking device wherein the force required to open the locking device is less than the force required to open locking devices of the translational bolt type and wherein the force required to open the locking device can be varied by simple proportioning of the components of the locking device.

Other objects and a fuller understanding of the invention may be had by referring to the following description and claims, taken in conjunction with the accompanying drawing, in which:

FIG. 1 is a perspective view of a radiological case according to the invention.

FIG. 2 is a perspective view of a locking device according to the invention, mounted on the lid of the radiological case.

FIG. 3 is a sectional view of the locking device shown in the closed position.

The radiological case represented in FIG. 1 comprises a lid 1 and a flat box 1 on the bottom of which we place the radiological film. The front edge 2 of the box 1 is provided on its inner face with a notch 3 over which there projects a stop 4 (FIG. 3), fixed to the inner face of the case by means of a rivet 5. The stop 4 and the notch 3 form a catch for the pivoting lock which will be described below.

On the rear edge 7 of the box 1' there is disposed a hinge 8 which serves to articulate the lid 1 to the case. The outer flat surface of the lid is sufiiciently depressed below the edges of the box so that in the closed position no part of the lid projects beyond the edges of the box. Against the inner surface of the lid there is attached an elastic pad 9 (FIG. 2), made for example of cellular plastic material covered with a sheet of semi-rigid material, the whole being designed to compress the radiological film flat and uniformly against the bottom of the flat box 1'. The lid presses, in closed position, with its elastic lining, on the lateral bars 1t) represented in FIG. 1, which are provided at opposite sides of the case.

The pivoting locks represented in FIG. 1, are identical and are each fixed to the front edge 11 of the lid and each is disposed between two convexities 12 which project with respect to the flat outer surface of the lid. Between the convexities 12 there is disposed an axis 13 (FIG. 2 and FIG. 3), around which there pivots a bent blade 20 with an end curved in the form of a hook 6. To the bottom surface of blade 20 there is welded a second blade 14 (FIG. 3) in such a way as to form a hinge in which there is engaged the axis 13. The rear end 15 of blade 14 is slightly curved downward, while the lower face 16 of blade 14 rests flat against the surface of the lid 1 and is supported by means of a stop 17 fastened on the lid. Alternatively, instead of stop 17, the slightly curved end 15 of blade 14 may be used to support. the blades 14 and 2%) on the surface of lid 1.

The hook shaped blade 20 is activated on its inner face by a leaf spring 18 having free play in a recess 19 formed inside the thickness of the lid 1. The closed and locked position of the lid 1 is obtained by simple pressure on the outer surface of the lid 1 in a direction tending to close the lid. In the closed and locked position the hook 6 engages in notch 3 and its locking is insured on the one hand by spring 18 which holds it in place, and on the other handby stop 4. The lid is opened by simply raising the free end of the blade 20 thus compressing the leaf spring 18 and pivoting hook 6 away from notch 3 and stop 4.

The pressure required to open the lid, from the locked position, can be changed by either one or by a combination of the following modifications: changing the mechanical advantage of the lever formed by blade 20 by lengthening or by shortening the end of the blade opposite the hook 6, or changing the stiffness of the spring 18.

While a preferred embodiment of the invention has been shown by way of example in the drawing and as herein particularly described, it will be understood that modifications in construction may be made within the scope of the appended claims.

What I claim and desire to secure by Letters Patents is:

1. A case for radiographic film comprising: a box having a bottom, a front side, and a rear side, a lid having an inner and an outer surface, a front edge and a rear edge, with the lid covering the box and connected to the rear side of the box by means of a hinge, pivotal mounting means on the outer surface of the lid located at the front edge of the lid, a blade having a first end, a second end and an intermediate portion with the intermediate portion pivotally mounted in the pivotal mounting means, with the first end in the form of a hook and with the second end forming an operating portion, a catch located on the inside surface of the front side of the box and disposed so as to cooperate with the hook portion of the blade, thus locking the blade to the front side of the box until pivotal motion of the operating portion causes the hook to swing away from the catch, thus unlocking the lid from the front side of the box.

2. A case for radiographic film as in claim 1, wherein the lid is disposed so that the sides of the box project beyond the surface of the lid when the lid is in the closed position.

3. A case for radiographic film as in claim 1, wherein the pivotal mounting means are disposed so that the blade has pivotal motion in a plane perpendicular to the plane of the outer surface of the lid.

4. A case for radiographic film, comprising a rectangular, open box having a bottom portion, a front portion, a rear portion and two side portions, a lid having an inner and an outer surface, a front edge and a rear edge, with the lid covering the box and disposed so that the front, rear and side portions of the box project beyond the outer surface of the lid when the lid is in the closed position, a hinge connecting the rear portion of the box and the rear edge of the lid, pivotal mounting means disposed on the outer surface of the lid and located at the front edge of the lid, 21 blade having a first end and a second end and an intermediate portion, with the intermediate portion pivotally mounted on the outer surface of the lid, with the first end in the form of a hook and with the second end forming an operating portion, a catch located on the inside surface of the front portion of the box and disposed so as to cooperate with the hook portion of the blade thus locking the blade to the first portion of the box, biasing means located on the lid and disposed so as to exert a force on the hook tending to maintain the hook engaged in the catch, thus locking the lid to the front portion of the box until a force on the operating portion of the blade directed away from the lid causes pivotal motion of the blade, overcomes the biasing force and causes the hook to swing away from the catch, thus unlocking the lid from the front portion of the box and tends to swing open the lid.

5. A case for radiographic film as in claim 4, wherein the pivotal mounting means comprises: a pair of convexities projecting beyond the outer surface of the lid and an axle having 2 ends with each end connected to one of the oonvexitics and with the axle mounted parallel to the front edge of the lid.

6. A case for radiographic film as in claim 5, wherein the blade is disposed so as to lie between the convexities when in the locked position with the convexities thus serving to protect the blade when the blade is in the locked position.

7. A case for radiographic film as in claim 4, wherein the biasing means comprises a resilient element.

8. A case for radiographic film as in claim 7, wherein the biasing means comprises a campered leaf spring.

9. A case for radiographic film as in claim 4, wherein the blade comprises an upper plate having a top surface and a bottom surface, a first and a second end and an intermediate portion, with the first end of the upper plate bent in the form of a hook, and a lower plate fastened to the bottom surface of the top plate with the lower plate having a first end and a second end, with the first end of the lower plate disposed adjacent to the intermediate portion of the upper plate and with the first end of the lower plate forming a hinge for pivotally mounting the blade with the second end of the upper plate projecting beyond the second end of the lower plate and with the second end of the lower plate curved away from the bottom surface of the upper plate.

10. A case for radiographic film as in claim 9, wherein the lid comprises a stop block mounted on the upper surface of the lid and disposed between the hinge of the blade and the second end of the lower plate of the blade, and serving to bear against and locate the blade when the blade is in the locked position.

11. A case for radiographic film as in claim 4, comprising a lateral bar located at the junction between the side portion of the box and the bottom portion of the box, having a surface which is both parallel to the inner surface of the side portion and at an acute angle to the bottom portion of the box.

References Cited UNITED STATES PATENTS 9/1906 Anderson 220-55 11/1966 Maize et al. 292-128