US3824655A

US3824655A - Snap hook

Info

Publication number: US3824655A
Application number: US00298714A
Authority: US
Inventors: M Hills
Original assignee: Individual
Current assignee: Individual
Priority date: 1972-10-13
Filing date: 1972-10-13
Publication date: 1974-07-23
Anticipated expiration: 1991-07-23

Abstract

There is provided a novel Snap Hook of the type commonly known as lanyard hooks having a suspending means readily adaptible for use in key cases.

Description

United States Patent [1 1 Hills July 23, 1974 SNAP HOOK [76] Inventor: Marvin S. Hills, 125 Springfield Rd.,

Elizabeth, NJ. 07208 [22] Filed: Oct. 13, 1972 [21] Appl. No.1 298,714

[52] US. Cl. 24/237, 70/456 B [51] Int. Cl A44b 13/02 [58] Field of Search "24/236, 237, 240;

[56] References Cited UNITED STATES PATENTS Clevenger 70/457 1,648,016 11/1927 Freysinger 24/237 2,019,691 11/1935 Morehouse 24/237 2,197,218 4/1940 Geller 70/459 2,198,092 4/1940 Schor et a1 24/236 2,574,579 11/1951 McCoy et a1. 70/457 Primary ExaminerBobby R. Gay

Assistant Examiner-Kenneth J. Dorner Attorney, Agent, or Firm-Omri M. Behr; Peter J. Gaylor [5 7] ABSTRACT There is provided a novel Snap Hook of the type commonly known as lanyard hooks having a suspending means readily adaptible for use in key cases.

l Claim, 7 Drawing Figures 1 SNAP HOO DESCRIPTION OF THE PRIOR ART Many types of hooks for vuse in key cases are known as are different methods for suspending such hooks. It has been found that hooks of the lanyard type are particularly favored by ladies for this purpose since keys may be readily inserted in and taken out of such hooks without the danger of breaking or cracking long fingernails. The characteristic of the lanyard hook is that the hook is maintained closed by the outward pressure of one portion of the hookupon the other. This is in contrast to many less expensive types of hooks which are undesirable for .the reason stated above and which are kept closed by inward pressure of one member upon the other. The conventional type of lanyard hook is illustrated in F reysinger US. Pat. No. 1,648,016 and another somewhatless conventional type of lanyard hook is illustrated in Morehouse US. Pat. No. 2,019,691. One of the principle production problems associated with hooks of the lanyard type has been the method of suspending such a hook particularly where it is desired to use it in a key carrying case. Of necessity the lanyard hook in all its variations comprises a substantially flat metal strip bent around upon itself. There is no way to provide it with an integral suspending arm. The suspending means must beseparate as is illustrated by the Freysinger and Morehouse hooks referred to above.

It is desirable that the suspending means utilized should make available as many degrees of rotatory freedom as possible. In hooks of the non-lanyard type, it has been found convenient to impact one end of the hook into a head of diameter greater than the wire utilized for the hook itself. Such hooks are illustrated in Zarowin US. Pat. Nos. 2,232,503, Reis 2,548,820 and Robinson 2,972,880. As will be clear from an inspection of these devices the solution is not adaptable for use with lanyard hooks since a lanyard hook does not have an available end. Furthermore, such a device may be rotated substantially only in one plane though about two axes.

A partial solution to the problems of fingernail breaking and rotation are offered by Geller US. Pat. No. 2,197,218 who utilizes adumbbell as a suspending means. The Geller solution however is somewhat cumbersome since in order to place a key on a key hook it isnecessary to disassemble the entire retaining device,

move one end of the dumbbellthrough a portion of the I hook and reverse the procedure'Furthermore, Geller is still limited to rotation in substantially one plane.

A partial solution to the rotation problem is offered by the double loops utilized in the Morehouse clasp,

however this necessitates the use of an additional portion in the device and is somewhat cumbersome.

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION taining means, for example, of the type illustrated in Zarowin, Reis, and Robinson supra but provides a far greater number of degrees of freedom of rotation than are available to the devices of these patents. The device of the present invention is manufactured in a simple and inexpensive manner. The dimensions of the hook portion of the device are defined upon a flat metal blank. An opening is provided in the central portion of this blank substantially closer to one end than the other, the opening having a first and a second radial extension substantially parallel to the longitudinal axis of the blank. The dumbbell utilized as a suspending means isinserted into this opening which is then crimped to substantially close the radial extensions whereby the shaft portion of the dumbbell is slideably but irremovably retained therein. The rest of the hook is then formedin the conventional manner. Alternatively the hook may be bent in the conventional manner, the dumbbell inserted and the crimping executed as the final step.

DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS FIG. 1 shows a plan view of the metal blank utilized to manufacture the hook of the present invention hav-v ing the outlines of said hook portion delineated DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS The device of the present invention 50 comprises in essence two parts a hook portion and a suspending means. For reasons of convenience, although the hook portion is manufactured from a single piece of metal, it is convenient to refer to it as having three separate portions. The hook portion 20 consists of a central portion 11 having a shorter extension 17 and a longer extension 19 extending from the ends thereof. Central portion 1 l is bent into the form of a substantially closed loop with shorter extension 17 extending from point 53 divergently from extension 19 extending from point 52. The free end of extension 19 is bent into a U-shape so that end 18 thereof is located outwardly of end 16 of portion 17.

Extensions

17 and 19 are so mutually located that end 16 presses outwardly against end 18 and when pressed inwardly will open to provide a space for sliding keys or the like over end 18. When the pressure is released from portion 17 end 16 will again contact end 18, thus closing the gap. The suspending means for the device comprises a dumbbell 30 having

ends

32 and 34 connected by shank 36. The diameter of

ends

32 and 34 measured perpendicular to the axis of the dumbbell is greater than the diameter of shaft 36 similarly measured. The upper central portion of segment 11 of hook 20 has an opening therein. The diameter of said opening is greater than that of shaft 36 and less than that of

head portions

32 and 34 of dumbbell shaped suspending member 30. The shank portion 36 is located within opening 12 in such a manner that head 34 is located within the loop segment of portion 11 defined substantially by

points

52 and 53. Shaft 36 is free In the process of manufacturing the device of the present invention there is utilized a substantially flat metal blank 10. Upon this blank there is defined the outline of the hook portion 20 having an opening 12 withradial extensions 14 and lying parallelto the longitudinal axis of said blank. While it is possible to define the main portion 20, the openingl2 and the extensions14 and 15 in a single operation, it is generally preferred to utilize a separate defining operation, ,suitably a die stamping operation for each definition thus for example one stamping step for the outline of por- .tion 20, a second step for opening 12 and a third step for extensions 14 and. 15. The order in whichthese stepsare carried out in not critical. The dimensional relationships between openings 12. and

extensions

14 and 15 with the dimensions of

head portions

32 and 34 and shank portion 36 of the dumb'ell shape suspending member 30 are important. Opening 12 in the initial steps as shown in FIGS. 1 and 2 should be sufficient to permit

ends

32 or 34 to pass readily therethrough, however, the width of openings 13 and 15, measured perpendicular to the longitudinal axis shown in FIG. 1 should be chosen so that when the maximum width of 14 or 15 is subtracted from the width of 12 it shall exceed the width of shank 36 but shall be less than the width of

head portions

32 and 34. The devices of FIG.

4 may be assembled from the components shown in FIGS. 2 and 3 by one of two routes. In one mode, the hook portion 20 is bent into the general form shown in FIG. 4. The head 34 suspending member 30 is then inserted through opening 12 and a crimping force perpendicular to the longitudinal axis of member 20 is applied to central portion 11 whereby

radial extensions

14 and 15 are substantially closed and the width of opening 12 reduced in a manner sufficient to permit shank 30 to move slightably therethrough but heads 34 and 32 are restricted from so doing.

In an alternate mode of proceeding the suspending member is inserted through hole 12 the aforesaid crimping force applied to segment 11 and thereafter the hook portion 20 is bent into the general form shown in FIG. 4. Of these two modes the first is to be pre ferred.

Two minor modifications of the device are to be considered as within the scope of the present invention.

On one modification, shown in FIG. 7 the hook 120 comprises portion 117 having end 116 thereof slightly off-set at point 121.

In another modification, illustrated by the blank shown in FIG. 6, the

radial extensions

214 and 215 of opening 212 are tapered in the manner shown. In this modification the dimensions are selected so that the diameterof 212 less the width of

extensions

214 and 215 where they meet opening 212 yields a dimension which is greater thanthe axial diameter of shaft 34 and less than the diameter of

dumbell end

32 or 34.

I claim:' i

1. A suspendable snap hook, comprising: a pivotal, swivel anchor means having a shank portion, a first head portion, and a second head portion; I

said first head portion being affixed to one end of said shank portion and said second head portion being affixed to the other end of said shank portion, both of said head members having a maximum thickness when measured perpendicular to the principal axis of'said. shank member exceeding the thickness of said shank member; and

a hook means comprising a continuous bent strip of resilient metal having a front surface and a rear surface and a pair of parallel sides, said hook means including; I I V I a short segment having a first end and a second end;

a long segment having a first end and a generally J- shaped second end; and

a crimped eyelet section, said crimped eyelet section dividing said first end of said short segment from the first end of said long segment;

said hook means further having a substantially pinched," closed loop, figure 8 configuration in which the second end of the short segment and the I second generally J-shaped end of the long segment overlap one another and are urged together by the resilience of said metal strip in a substantially faceto-face, opposing relationship;

said crimped eyelet section further including a generally circular opening and a pair of longitudinally disposed radial extensions extending from opposite sides of said opening in a direction substantially parallel to the sides of said continuous, bent strip of resilient metal, the diameter of the opening of said crimped eyelet being greater than the diameter of the shank portion of said anchor means and less than the maximum diameter of either of the head portions of said anchor means; and

said anchor means is slideably and swivelably engaged within said crimped eyelet section, whereinsaid hook member is suspended from one head member of said anchor means and said retached to suitable small objects.

Claims

1. A suspendable snap hook, comprising: a pivotal, swivel anchor means having a shank portion, a first head portion, and a second head portion; said first head portion being affixed to one end of said shank portion and said second head portion being affixed to the other end of said shank portion, both of said head members having a maximum thickness when measured perpendicular to the principal axis of said shank member exceeding the thickness of said shank member; and a hook means comprising a continuous bent strip of resilient metal having a front surface and a rear surface and a pair of parallel sides, said hook means including; a short segment having a first end and a second end; a long segment having a first end and a generally J-shaped second end; and a crimped eyelet section, said crimped eyelet section dividing said first end of said short segment from the first end of said long segment; said hook means further having a substantially pinched, closed loop, figure 8 configuration in which the second end of the short segment and the second generally J-shaped end of the long segment overlap one another and are urged together by the resilience of said metal strip in a substantially face-to-face, opposing relationship; said crimped eyelet section further including a generally circular opening and a pair of longitudinally disposed radial extensions extending from opposite sides of said opening in a direction substantially paralleL to the sides of said continuous, bent strip of resilient metal, the diameter of the opening of said crimped eyelet being greater than the diameter of the shank portion of said anchor means and less than the maximum diameter of either of the head portions of said anchor means; and said anchor means is slideably and swivelably engaged within said crimped eyelet section, wherein said hook member is suspended from one head member of said anchor means and said remaining head member of said anchor means is anchorable in a suitable external retaining means, and further wherein pressure may be applied to force the smaller section inwardly to open the loop thereby permitting said hook to be releasably attached to suitable small objects.