US3479702A - Retainer for collapsible handle for a carrying case - Google Patents

Description

Nov. 25, 1969 M. szABo 3,479,702

RETAINER FOR COLLAPSIBLE HANDLE FOR A CARRYING CASE Filed March 20, 1968 INVENTOR MARTON SZABO ATTORNEY United States Patent 3,479,702 RETAINER FOR COLLAPSIBLE HANDLE FOR A CARRYING CASE Marton Szabo, Broomall, Pa., assignor to Philadelphia Handle Company, Inc., Camden, N.J., a corporation of New Jersey Filed Mar. 20, 1968, Ser. No. 714,710 Int. Cl. A45c 13/26 US. CI. 2473 Claims ABSTRACT OF THE DISCLOSURE Handle retainers each including a screw for attachment to a carrying case and having a shoulder adjacent its upper end, and a substantially L-shaped member having a horizontal portion which is secured to the upper end of the screw and bears against its shoulder, the vertical portion of the member being bent over the horizontal portion to form a curved female hinge member to rotatably receive the link associated with the end of a carrying handle.

This invention relates to a means to hingedly attach the ends of a handle to a carrying case such as a portable television set, radio, electronic test equipment, and the like. More particularly the invention relates to the retainer which attaches to the wall of the carrying case and journals or hingedly receives the links carried at the ends of the handle.

Heretofore, the links, rings or equivalent members carried at the ends of a collapsible elongated handle included generally horizontal transversely extending male members which were journaled for rotation inside the arcuate portion of a retainer, which retainer also included a laterally extending flat portion that was attached to the case wall by a suitable screw, rivet or the like. Such retainers had the disadvantage of being unattractive because the head of the attaching screw or rivet showed out in the raised position of the handle and frequently even in the collapsed position.

The primary object of this invention is to provide handle retainers each with an arcuate female hinge memher to rotatably receive the link carried by the handle which overcome the disadvantage noted above. The instant retainer eliminates the need for the laterally extending fiat portion and the screw or rivet to attach the lateral portion to the case wall.

Another object of the invention is to provide a handle retainer of the character described which includes an arcuate female hinge member and means attaching it to a case wherein the retainer serves as an effective load bearing member while the attaching means remains concealed both in the raised and collapsed position of the handle.

Another object is to provide an economical and efficient method of making handle retainers with concealed attachment means.

These and other objects of the invention will become more apparent as the following description proceeds in conjunction with the accompanying drawings, wherein:

FIG. 1 is a group perspective view of one form of the retainer illustrating the first step in the method of making the same;

FIG. 2 is a perspective view of the invention of FIG. 1 showing the second step in the method of making it;

FIG. 3 is a perspective view showing the third step in the making of the invention of FIG. 1 and the manner of captivating the link at the end of a collapsible handle;

FIG. 4 is a side elevation of a collapsible handle shown attached to a wall of a carrying case with the retainer of FIG. 1; and

3,479,702 Patented Nov. 25, 1969 FIG. 5 is a view similar to FIG. 1 of a modified form of the invention.

Specific reference is now made to the drawings in which similar reference characters are used for corresponding elements throughout.

Indicated generally at 10 is a conventional handgrip which may be made of any number of materials such as plastic, leather, leather or plastic-clad cores, metal, etc. Adjacent its ends, the undersurface of the handgrip may be provided with longitudinally extending slots 12 which open through the sides of the handgrip. While a handgrip of particular shape and style is shown it will be understood that any shape and style of handgrip may be employed and the slots 12 may be formed integrally therewith or in any other manner.

To be collapsible, links 14 are provided one end of each of which is slidably engaged in the slots 12 and the other end is rotatably attached to a retainer 16. The preferred links are rings each having an upper transverse portion 18 which extends laterally through the slot 12, a pair of longitudinal portions 20 and a lower transverse portion 22.

As seen in FIGS. 1-4, the retainer comprises a threaded member or screw 24 of predetermined diameter having a body portion 25 and an upper portion 26, preferably unthreaded or smooth and of lesser diameter than the body portion 25 and separated therefrom by a shoulder which extends inwardly or outwardly of the body portion 25. In this form of the invention the shoulder is in the form of an integral, preferably square or rectangular head 28 whose peripheral edge extends beyond the diameter of the body portion 25 of the member 24, the head including at least an upper bearing face 29 which extends diametrically of the axis of the member 24.

An L-shaped lug or member 30 is provided having a horizontally extending portion 32 with a hole 34 therethrough and a vertically extending portion 36. The upper portion 26 is passed through the hole 34, which is slightly larger in diameter than the upper portion 26, and when held in an appropriate jig, the free end of the upper portion 26 is peened or spread to form a head 38, the free end of the portion 26 being countersunk as at to assist the peening or heading operation. In this manner the horizontal portion 32 of the member 30 is made captive and fixed between the head 38 and bearing face 29 of the shoulder 28.

Thereafter the lower transverse portion 22 of the link 14 is placed over the head 38 and across the horizontally extending portion 32 and then the vertically extending portion 36 is bent around until its transverse free edge 42 lies adjacent the transverse free edge 44 of the horizontal portion 32 to thereby form an arcuate portion 46. Thus what is formed in effect is the arcuate female member of a hinge which captivates the male member 22 of the link 14 and rotatably journals it to complete the hinge connection.

In the final assembly, the threaded body portions 25 of the retainers 16 with the portions 22 of the links 24 received in the female hinge 46, are extended through appropriate square or rectangular holes in a wall 48 of a carrying case until the portions 32 bear against the outer face of the wall and then lock nuts 50 are threaded on the body portions 25 to secure the retainers tightly in place, the engagement of the shoulders 28 in the square holes acting to resist rotation while the lock nuts are screwed home. Thus it will be seen that in its final form each retainer is a relatively small, attractive member with concealed attaching means.

The form of retainer shown in FIG. 5 differs from that shown in FIGS. 1-4 in that the threaded body portion 52 is separated from the upper portion 54 by a shoulder 56 which extends inwardly of the body portion 52 rather than beyond the diameter of the threaded body portion 52. Thus the shoulder 56 is in effect a single bearing face which extends diametrically of the axis of the member 52 and when the horizontal portion 32 of the member 30 is secured on the member 52 it is captivated between the shoulder 56 and the head formed at the free end of the upper portion 54. Thus in final assembly on the case, the horizontal members 32 will again bear against the outer face of the case wall.

While preferred embodiments of the invention have been here shown and described, it will be understood that skilled artisans may make minor variations without departing from the spirit of the invention.

I claim:

1. Retainers for hingedly attaching a collapsible handle to a carrying case, each including a threaded member having a body portion and an upper portion separated by a shoulder, said body portion of said threaded member adapted to extend through a carrying case wall and be secured thereto by a nut, a female hinge member having a horizontal portion with a hole therein through which said upper portion extends, said upper portion having a head coacting with said shoulder of said threaded member to captivate and secure said horizontal portion, said female hinge member further including a generally vertical arcuate portion bent around said head and over said horizontal portion and adapted to rotatably receive a link carried by a handle.

2. The combination of claim 1 wherein said shoulder extends inwardly of said threaded member.

3. The combination of claim 1 wherein said shoulder extends outwardly of said threaded member.

4. The combination of claim 1 wherein said upper portion is unthreaded and of reduced diameter.

5. A method of making a retainer for hingedly attaching a collapsible handle to a carrying case comprised of providing a threaded member with an upper portion separated from its body portion by a shoulder, providing a substantially L-shaped member whose horizontal portion includes a hole, extending the upper portion of the threaded member through the hole until the shoulder abuts the horizontal portion, applying a force to the free end of the upper portion of the threaded member sufficient to form a head so that the horizontal portion is captivated and secured between the shoulder and the head thus formed, and bending the vertical portion of the L-shaped member over the head and around the horizontal portion to form the female portion of the hinge adapted to rotatably receive the male portion of a link carried by a handle.

References Cited FOREIGN PATENTS 536,978 4/ 1955 Belgium. 566,979 11/ 1923 France. 812,919 2/1937 France.

DONALD A. GRIFFIN, Primary Examiner US. Cl. X.R. 58

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