US3412832A

US3412832A - Carrying case comprising hinged together sections and means for retaining same in locked condition

Info

Publication number: US3412832A
Application number: US703919A
Authority: US
Inventors: Jamison Harry; Ralph M Verni
Original assignee: JAMISON PLASTIC CORP
Current assignee: JAMISON PLASTIC CORP
Priority date: 1968-02-08
Filing date: 1968-02-08
Publication date: 1968-11-26
Anticipated expiration: 1985-11-26

Description

NOV. 26, 1968 JAMISON ET AL 3,412,832

CARRYING CASE COMPRISING HINGED TOGETHER SECTIONS AND MEANS FOR RETAINING SAME IN LOCKED CONDITION Filed Feb. 8, 1968 2 Sheets-Sheet 1 ZZZIILL r 6 [Ir/1 6 Arman?! Nov. 26, 1968 JAMI N ET AL 3,412,832

CARRYING J E COMPRISING GED TOGET SECTIONS AND MEAN CR RETAINING SAME IN LOCKE ON IO Filed Feb. 6, 1968 Sh s-Sheet 2 United States atent O CARRYING CASE COMPRISING HINGED TO- GETHER SECTIONS AND MEANS FOR RE- TAINING SAME IN LOCKED CONDITION Harry Jamison, Beechhurst, and Ralph M. Verni, Baldwin, N.Y., assignors to The Jamison Plastic Corporation,

North Bellmore, N.Y., a corporation of New York Filed Feb. 8, 1968, Ser. No. 703,919 14 Claims. (Cl. 190-49) ABSTRACT OF THE DISCLOSURE The carrying case comprises a pair of hinged together case sections. A bezel attached to one case section at its edge, has means overlapping the edge of the other case section when the case is closed. Said sections, adjacent their edges, have slots. A member hinged transversely to the bezel, has a pair of parallel tongues that move through said slots when said member is swung in one direction, to told said sections in closed position. A key actuated slider on said member engages a keeper on the bezel to lock said member and retain said sections in closed condition. When said key actuated slider is in unlocked condition. said slider has a releasable snap latching engagement with said keeper, to permit unsnapping said member to open position with said tongues out of said slots, so that the case sections can then be swung apart.

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION Field of the invention This invention relates to attac'h cases and the like carrying cases or luggage cases which comprise hinged together sections which close, with edges at their open sides of the case sections coming together, and to locks for retaining said case in closed condition.

Description the prior art Attache cases have been known to comprise hinged together sections provided with key actuated lock means.

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION One object of this invention is to improve the construction disclosed in our copending application Ser. No. 561,276 filed June 28, 1966 and now Patent No. 3,371,757. In said copending application, a bezel is attached to the edge of one case section and overlaps an edge of the other case section when the case is closed. A member hinged to said bezel was provided with a pair of parallel tongues received in openings near the edges of said sections, to thold the sections closed. In said copending application, there was no lock provided to retain said member closed, other than a releasable snap fit between said member and a latch on the bezel. The bezel, its latch and said hinged member were all made of plastic. No key actutaed means was provided to retain the case in locked condition.

-It is hence another object of this invention to provide a case construction of the character described in which the hinged member together with its tongues, is made of metal, while the bezel is made of plastic, and in which key actuated means is provided to lock said hinged member in locking position.

Another object of this invention is to provide in a case of the character described, a keeper integrally formed with the bezel, a slider movable under actuation of a key, beneath said keeper, and said slider having a snap latching engagement with said keeper when in unlocked condition.

Another object of this invention is to provide in a device of the character described, improved lock construction in which the locking slider is also made of plastic, and a metal box containing the slider is fixed within the hinged member, and has a slot through which a tongue on the slider passes for locking engagement with the keeper on the bezel.

A further object of this invention is to provide a strong and durable case of the character described, which shall be relatively inexpensive to manufacture, easy to manipulate and which shall yet be practical and efiicient to a high degree in use.

Other objects of this invention will in part be obvious and in part hereinafter pointed out.

The invention accordingly consists in the features of construction, combinations of elements, and arrangement of parts which will be exemplified in the construction hereinafter described, and of which the scope of invention will be indicated in the following claims.

Brief description of the drawing In the accompanying drawing, in which is shown an illustrative embodiment of this invention,

FIG. 1 is a perspective View of an attaoh or carrying case embodying the invention;

FIG. 2 is an enlarged top view taken on plane 2-2 of FIG. 1;

FIG. 3 is a cross-sectional view taken on line 3-3 of FIG. 4;

FIG. 4 is an enlarged cross-sectional view taken on line 4-4 of 3;

FIG. 5 is a corss-sectional view taken on line 5-5 of FIG. 4; and

FIG. 6 is a cross-sectional view taken on line 66 of FIG. 3.

DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENT Referring now in detail to the drawing, 10 designates a carrying case emboding the invention, here shown, for purpose of illustration only in the form of an attach case. Except for changes or dilferences indicated herein this case may be substantially like the one disclosed in our said copending application Ser. No. 561,276 filed June 28, 1966.

The case 10 comprises a-pair of

case sections

11, 12 which may be hinged together in any suitable manner. Case 11 has an outer side Wall 13 from which a bottom wall 14, end walls 15 and a top wall 16 extend substantially at right angles to said side wall.

Case section 12 comprises an outer side Wall 20 from which a bottom wall 21, end walls 22 and top wall 23 extend toward

Walls

14, 15, 16 respectively. Wall 14 is hinged to wall 21 so that the case sections can be swung open or shut.

Attached to the outer edge portions of

walls

15, 16 is a bezel preferably made of plastic. Said bezel comprises a central web portion 31 from which upper and

lower flanges

32, 33, respectively, extend outwardly thereby forming

opposed grooves

34, 35 respectively receiving the edge portions of

walls

15, 16 and 22, 23. The bezel is permanently attached to

walls

15, 16 by adhesive or in any other suitable manner, and removably receives the edge portions of

walls

22, 23.

A central handle 36 may be hingedly attached to the middle of the top portion of the bezel in the manner disclosed in our said copending application Ser. No. 561,276, or in any other suitable manner.

The upper flanges 32 of bezel 30 are formed on opposite sides of handle 36 with opposed pairs of parallel notches 37 at their outer edges.

Walls

16, 23 are formed with pairs of parallel through slots 38 registering with said notches 37. Flanges 33 are formed with pairs of parallel through slots 39 registering with slots 38.

said one position of said member, for locking engagement with said keeper.

2. The combination of claim 1, said slider, in its retracted position, having snap latching engagement with said keeper.

3. The combination of claim 1, said means to hinge said member to said one case section, comprising a bezel fixed to said one case section, and means to hingedly connect said member to said bezel.

4. The combination of claim 3, said bezel having a longitudinal groove fixedly receiving an edge portion of said one case section and a groove removably receiving the edge portion of the other case section.

5. The combination of claim 4, and said keeper being integrally formed with said bezel.

6. The combination of claim 5, and said bezel having a Web portion disposed between said edge portions.

7. The combination of claim 5, and said bezel having slots registering with the slots in said case sections for receiving said tongues.

8. The combination of claim 7, and said bezel having notches through which said tongues pass.

9. The combination of claim 1, said member comprising a top wall from which side walls extend downwardly, shoulders extending inwardly from the lower ends of said side walls, and said tongues extending downwardly from said shoulders.

10. The combination of claim 9, a box fixed within said member and having a bottom wall resting on said shoulders and an end wall formed with a slot, said slider resting on said bottom wall and having a tongue adapted to pass through said slot in said end wall.

11. The combination of claim 10, said top wall of said member being formed with an opening, a key receiving ferrule rotatably mounted on said top wall, and a spring interposed between said slider and ferrule.

12. The combination of claim 11, said spring having arms interconnected by a bent back portion, said arms having openings through which a key inserted through the slot in said ferrule may pass through to engage a notch formed in the slider.

13. The combination of claim 4, said bezel being made of synthetic plastic and said member being made of metal.

14. The combination of claim 13, and said slider being made of synthetic plastic material.

References Cited UNITED STATES PATENTS 1,741,603 12/1929 Axelman 190-49 3,112,018 11/1963 Gehrie 190-49 X DONALD F NORTON, Primary Examiner.