US3473649A

US3473649A - Film spool box

Info

Publication number: US3473649A
Application number: US651193A
Authority: US
Inventors: Pierre A L Posso
Original assignee: PIERRE A L POSSO
Current assignee: PIERRE A L POSSO
Priority date: 1967-02-10
Filing date: 1967-07-05
Publication date: 1969-10-21
Anticipated expiration: 1986-10-21
Also published as: DE1989285U; GB1185546A; FR93207E

Description

Oct. 21, 1969 P. A. 1.. Posso 3,473,649

FILM SPOOL BOX Filed July 5, 1967 2 Sheets-Sheet 1 INVENTOR: Pierre A. L. P0550 BY M :2

United States Patent US. Cl. 206-52 6 Claims ABSTRACT OF THE DISCLGSURE This invention relates to a box to contain a spool of cinematographic film or magnetic film or tape which is in two parts, viz, a cover and a body. In a plurality of opposed corners of the cover and the body there are each provided the cooperating members of a catch or locking device operable by relative sliding movement. These catches or locking devices are located in such a position that their axes of movement are at right angles to a common pivot axis of the two parts of the box. Preferably each corner of the box is provided with a catch or locking device.

Boxes made of plastics material are already known which are intended to contain a spool of cinematographic film or magnetic film or tape so that it may be protected from dust and so that it can be sent by post.

In order that the box may be closed very securely, the known boxes have, at the four corners thereof, independent rotary catches which enable the cover to be firmly tightened on the body of the box. The rotary member of these catches may occupy two positions, in one of which locking pins are engaged with fixed catches and in the other of which these pins are placed opposite disengagement slots.

Because the four above-mentioned catches are independent, it is necessary to place them all in the same condition by operating them one after the other, in order to either open or close the box. In practice, it has been established that the operator often forgets to operate one of them or does it incompletely and consequently the box cannot be opened or closed without reverifying the suitable positioning of all the catches.

Moreover, in order to close the box, it is necessary that the male parts of all the catches be previously and simultaneously in engagement in the female parts. This operation is delicate because it is necessary to effect a centering operation, this not being convenient nothing is provided to facilitate it. Finally, as the catches are completely embedded in the box, their operation is often difiicult due to the poor grip which they afford and the resistance which they sometimes offer.

The present invention has for an object to remove or minimise these disadvantages by providing a box in which the locking is effected simultaneously at the corners simply by pivoting the two opening parts of the box in relation to one another.

To this end the invention consists in a box to contain a spool of cinematographic film or magnetic film or tape, comprising two parts, in a plurality of opposed corners of which are each provided the co-operating members of a catch or locking device operable by relative sliding movement, said devices being so located that their axes of movement are at right angles to a common pivot axis of the two parts of the box.

According to a particularly advantageous embodiment,

ice

each catch or locking device comprises, on one of the parts of this box, a stem with a projecting head, and on the other part, a bayonet slot or buttonhole bordered by at least one holding ramp co-operating with the abovementioned head.

The two parts of the box comprise internal circular rims defining a housing for the spool and normally interlocking in one another in order to constitute a centering element.

In addition, in order to ensure a positive locking of the box for the purpose of avoiding sudden openings, particularly during transport, at least one of the locking stems is coupled with a concealable locking pin cooperating with the enlarged opening of the corresponding bayonet slot or buttonhole.

Moreover, in order to prevent the spool from moving inside the box even only slightly, the base of at least one of the parts of this box is provided with a foam layer.

In order that the invention may be clearly understood, reference will now. be made to the accompanying drawings which show fine embodiment thereof by way of example and in which:

FIGURES l and"2 show plan views with parts broken away, showing thelassembly of the box in the locked and unlocked positions respectively,

FIGURES 3 and 4 show part sections to a larger scale, along the lines IIIIII and IVIV respectively of FIG-

URES

1 and 2,

FIGURE 5 shows a part section shown to a larger scale along the line VV of FIGURE 1 and showing the box in another position which is that which the two parts of this box are in before they are locked, and

FIGURES 6 and 7 show part sections shown along the lines VIVI and VII-VII respectively of FIGURES l and 2.

Referring now to the drawings, the two

parts

1 and 2 of the box will be hereinafter referred to as the body and the cover, although their average thickness is substantially the same in the example shown, because the spool of film or tape 3 to be stored is housed in the body 1.

The body 1 has a fiat base 4 to which is securely fixed an external rim 5 which is substantially square shaped but with rounded corners, and an internal circular rim 6. At each of its corners, the base 4 of the body 1 has a hollow boss 7 adjoining a thickening 8 of the rim 6. The external rim 5, the four boses 7 and the thickening 8 of the body 1 form a joint plane because, when the box is closed, they are applied respectively against an

external rim

9, 4 angle bosses 10 and an internal circular rim 11 situated thereopposite and which are securely fixed to the base 12 of the cover 2. The hollow bosses 10 adjoin the circular rim 11, which surrounds the circular rim 6 of the body 1, when the box is closed.

The bosses 7 of the body are securely fixed to stems 13 provided with a projecting head 14. The stems are parallel to the geometrical axis of the rim 6 and are equidistant from this axis.

These stems 13 co-operate with bayonet slots or buttonholes 15 made in the bosses 12 of the cover 2. The longitudinal axis of the slots 15 is concave and centered on the geometrical axis of the internal circular rim 11 of the cover. Moreover, the polar radius of the axis of said slots is equal to the distances between the stem 13 and the geometrical axis of the circular rim 6.

As FIGURES 1 to 5 show, an enlarged opening 15a of the bayonet slot or buttonhole 15 is slightly greater than the head 14 of the stems 13 whilst an elongated narrowing part 1512 of said slots or buttonholes has a width slightly greater than the diameter of said stems. Moreover, the part 15b is bordered on its periphery by a holding ramp 16 which rises from the enlarged opening 15a to the opposite end of the slots or buttonholes where it is substantially horizontal. The ramp 16 cooperates moreover with the projecting part of the corresponding head 14.

FIGURE 5 also shows that the height of the centering H of the internal rim 6 of the body 1 with respect to the above mentioned joint plane is greater than the height of projection h of the pins 13 in relation to said joint plane.

In order to close the box, the cover 2 is placed on the body 1 so that the

external rims

5 and 9 are situated opposite one another and so that the internal rim 11 is engaged over the internal rim 6. In this position, the bosses of the cover 2 rest on the heads 14 of the stem 13 of the body 1 (FIGURE 5) because these heads are situated opposite the narrow part b of the slots 15 of the cover.

It being understood that the cover 2 is centered with respect to the body 1, since the internal

circular rims

6 and 11 are engaged in one another over a height H-h, it is to turn the cover in the direction of the arrow F in relation to the body, which is assumed to be fixed, in order to guide the large openings 15a of the slots 15, opposite the head 14. When this position is reached, the cover is released and the heads 14 and the stem 13 engage in the enlarged openings 15a of the slots 15 at the same time as the internal rim 6 becomes completely engaged in the rim 11 until the cover is applied against the body by the elements which form the above-mentioned joint plane.

The cover 2 is then turned in the direction opposite to that of the arrow F in relation to the body 1, which is assumed to be fixed, this having for its effect to ensure the locking by contact of the projecting part of the heads 14 with the holding ramps 16 which border the narrowing parts 15b of the slots 15 in which the stems 13 are now situated.

When it is desired to open the box, the cover 2 is turned in the direction of the arrow F in order to bring the enlarged part 15a of the slots 15 opposite the heads 14 and said cover is moved in order to disengage said heads.

In addition, it is advantageous to fix the spool in the body 1 in order to avoid shocks being produced between the flanges of said latter and the internal rim 6 if handled roughly. To this end, a thin foam disc 17 is applied to the base 4 of the body 1 in order to be in contact with the corresponding flange of the spool.

It will be apparent that each locking device may be of a type other than that shown and described.

In fact, each stem with projecting head and the cooperating bayonet slot or buttonhole may be replaced by cambered square fingers, securely fixed to the body and the cover respectively, one of these fingers carrying an inclined holding ramp, or by a different kind of bayonet device or a spile and tapered socket device. The essential thing is that four devices of the chosen type are arranged in the four corners of the box between the internal and external framework and that each of these locking devices works by sliding in a direction at right angles to the axis of the internal framework which enables a rotary guiding to be obtained facilitating the simultaneous operation of all the catch devices in order to open or close the box.

In order to avoid a sudden opening of the box, particularly when it is knocked, it may be advantageous to combine with the four rotary catch devices, a manually controlled locking member which can oppose said rotation.

In the embodiment shown in the drawing, one of the locking stems 13 is coupled to a concealable locking pin 18 which may cooperate with the enlarged opening 15a of one of the bayonet slots or buttonholes 15 (FIGURES l, 2, 6 and 7). This locking pin comprises a dowel split at 1% so as to be resiliently deformable radially. It as mounted to slide in a sleeve 20 formed to project inside the hollow boss 7 which carries the associated stem 13. The sleeve is open at its two ends so that the dowel pin 18 is accessible from the outside, either through the above-mentioned boss 7 of the body 1 or through the boss 10 situated opposite the cover 2. In the first case, the dowel pin 18 may be pushed in the direction of the arrow F 1 in order to engage it in the enlarged opening 15a of the slot 15 and thus lock the cover with respect to the body (FIG. 6). In the second case, the dowel pin 18 may be pushed in the direction opposite the arrow F1 in order to disengage it from the slot 15 and thus unlock the cover relatively to the body, the only reason being that it can be opened by rotation (FIG. 7), In order substantially to determine the projecting locking position (FIG. 6) and the covered rest position (FIG. 7) of the sliding pin 18, this latter has two grooves 21 and Z2 separated by annular projections and in which may be located a flange 23 of the sleeve 20. In the locked position illustrated in FIG. 6, the flange 23 of the sleeve 20 is housed in the groove 22 while in the rest position, shown in FIG. 7, it is situated in the groove 21. On passing from one of these positions to the other, the thrust exerted on the pin 18 has for its eifect to deform it radially and, therefore, makes it easier for the flange 23 to clear the intermediate projection which separates the two

grooves

21 and 22.

When the box is closed in the manner prescribed previously, it is suflicient, to lock it, to push on the pin 18 in the direction of arrow F1 so that it occupies the position of FIG. 6 in the slot 15 situated thereopposite. On the other hand, when it is desired to open the box, as indicated above, it is necessary previously to disengage the pin by pushing it in the direction opposite the arrow F1 until it occupies the rest position as shown in FIG. 7.

I claim:

1. A box to contain a spool of cinematographic film or magnetic film or tape, comprising two parts, and a plurality of locking devices each disposed in a respective one of a plurality of opposed corners of said box and each composed of cooperating members one of which members is disposed on one of the parts of said box and comprises a stem with a projecting head and the other of which members is disposed on the other part of said box and comprises a bayonet slot bordered by at least one holding ramp arranged to cooperate with said head, said devices being simultaneously operable by relative sliding movement of said two parts, said devices being so located that their axes of movement are at right angles to a common pivot axis of the two parts of the box, and said two parts having internal circular rims defining a housing for the spool and normally interlocking in one another in order to act as a centering element for said devices.

2. A box as claimed in claim 1, wherein the height of centering of the internal circular rims is greater than the height of projection of the stems in relation to the plane of the joint between the two parts of the box.

3. A box as claimed in claim 1, wherein at least one of said stems is coupled with a concealable locking pin cooperating with the enlarged opening of the corresponding bayonet slot.

4. A box as claimed in claim 3, wherein the locking pin is a split dowel mounted to slide in a sleeve of the part of this box carrying the said stem coupled with the pin, annular projections being formed in the fixed sleeve and the sliding dowel in order to determine the projecting locking position and the covered rest position of said latter.

5. A box as claimed in claim 1, wherein the base or at least one of its parts is provided with a foam layer in order to fix the spool housed in this box.

6. A box as claimed in claim 1, wherein each corner thereof is provided with a locking device.

References Cited UNITED STATES PATENTS 6 2/1963 Craig 22040 2/ 1965 Hollingsworth 206-52 X 1/ 1967 Fattori 206-52 MARTHA L. RICE, Primary Examiner US. Cl. X.R.