US2968176A - Key cases - Google Patents

Description

Jan. 17, 1961 D. B. coLLlNGs.

KEY CASES Filed DeG.

BY Wax/ I ATTORNEYJ United States Patent() he@ 2,968,176

KEY CASES Filed Dec. S, 1958, Ser. No. 778,465

1 Claim. (Cl. 70456) This invention relates to an improvement in key cases and the like, and more particularly to key cases of the type in which the keys are supported by loops, hooks or other types of hangers which are preferably removably connected to a support attached to and extending widthwise of the case.

f The principal object of this invention is to provide an improved case for keys by which a better distribution of the bulk of a plurality of keys may be achieved and the selection and use of a particular key facilitated.

A further o-bject of this invention is`to obtain the above advantages in a manner which minimizes manufacturing costs and departure from existing manufacturing procedures and which is adaptable for use with a wide variety of key loops and holders.

Other and further objects and advantages will be apparent from the disclosure of the accompanying drawings and in the following specication and claim.

In the drawings:

Fig. 1 is an elevation of a key case embodying the present invention with the case in a closed condition;

Fig. 2 shows the case in an open condition;

Fig. 3 shows the case open and turned 90 from its Fig. 2 position;

Fig. 4 is a section taken along line 4-4 of Fig. l;

Fig. 5 is a view similar to Fig. 4 showing an alternative form of the invention; and

Figs. 6, 7 and 8 are diagrammatic views indicating the nature of the bulk distribution of the keys.

Referring now in detail to the drawings, .a key case is shown embodying the present invention. The case comprises two opposed members indicated generally at 6 and 8. The members 6 and 8 are of generally equal dimensions and hinged together along one side edge thereof, which is indicated generally at 10. The members may thus be swung yfrom and toward each other for opening and closing the case. The members 6 and 8 are preferably tray shaped and include opposing ange or rim portions 12 which are adapted to be brought into edge-to-edge engagement when the case is closed. While the members 6 and 8 may be fabricated from many types of materials they are preferably made of relatively stiff or rigid material such as certain types of plastics or leather covered metal. When the tray members are swung to their closed position they form a chamber for housing a plurality of keys, such as indicated at 9.

Means for supporting the keys within the case comprise at least one key hanger or loop holder 14 secured to the inner surface of the tray member 8 and at least one other key hanger or loop holder 16 secured to the inner surface of the other tray member 6. The holders 14 and 16 each include a plate portion 15 by which the holders are attached to the tray members, such as by rivets as indicated at 17. The holders or supports 14 and 16 are of generally conventional construction and are adapted to removably receive key hangers or loops such as indicated at 18. The holders 14 and 16 are attached adjacent the upper edge portions of the tray memof a key usually represents its widest portion.

Patented Jan. 17, 1.9.61

bers, the holder 14 being positioned adjacent the inner or hinged side edge of the tray member 8, and the holder 16 being positioned adjacent the outer or free Vside edge of the tray member 6. The holder 14 is of such a length, transversely of the case, that it extends only partially across the width of the case, its outer end4 being spaced a given distance d from the outer edge of the member 8. The holder 16 is of a length slightly less than the distance d. Thus, as the case is closed, as shown in Figs. 1 and 4, the key loop holders 14 and 16 are brought into end-to-end relationship transversely of the case, as best seen in Fig. 4. The key receiving loops 18 and the keys 9 extend downwardly from the holders 14 and 16 and are housed within the chamber formed by the closed tray members 6 and 8. The holders 14 and 16 are positioned so that when the case is closed they are brought generally into alignment, forming, in effect,v an elongated key loop support which extends substantially across the width of the case and comprises la plurality of segments, that is the holders 14 and 16. Each of the segmentsincludes at least one slot 19 for receiving a key loop 18. Y

When the case is opened the keys 9 supported by the holders 14 and 16 are carried by the tray members 6 and 8 and separated into two or more spaced groups. A key may be readily selected from eitherV group since the keys of cach group have space to fan out and any tendency of the keys to become entangled with each other is minimized. Furthermore, the arrangement of .the invention permits a classied grouping of the keyswhich facilitates quick and accurate selectie-n of a desired key. For example, house keys may be carried on one holder and ofhce keys on the other, and since the number of `keys in the group is small, one key may be readily selected from this group in the darkness and without the necessity of fumbling through a large number of keys.

As is apparent in Figs. 2 and 3 the bow portion h Commonly and as shown the spacing of the points of attachment of the key hangers to the support is much less than the bow widths so that the side portions of the bows of adjacent keys must overlap each other and those keys located adjacent the sides of the case are crowded toward the center of the case by the engagement of their bows with the sides of the case.

In conventional key cases where the key hangers are carried by a single support extending the full width of the case, the crowding of the keys toward the center from both sides cause the bows engaging at the center to tend to twist or turn the keys into planes making substantially large angles with the planes of the cover members. This not only causes entanglement of the keys, making selection of a key difficult, but places a distorting strain on the covers as well as on any catch or spring hinge employed to normally hold the case closed and frequently makes closure of the case diflicult when it is loaded to capacity.

The arrangement o-f the present invention provides space for the key groups to fan freely over the surface of the cover member to which they are attached. This, as previously pointed out facilitates selection of a key, It also makes for an orderly and better bulk distribution of the keys in the case when closed. The keys lie closer to the case wall to which they are attached than to the opposite wall. Thus the overlapping of the bows of the keys supported by holder 14 takes place when the case is open in a plane close to cover 8 and without opposition to their fanning naturally and freely toward the free space afforded at the inner end of the holder. Similarly, the overlapping of the keys supported by holder 16 can take place freely and without opposition over the free space provided on cover 6. Whatever the relation 4of thekeys in `the-groupsA the` freedom of movement afforded the keys assures a flat overlapping of the bows and without undue local bulking. This free and advantageous bulk distribution of the keys of each group which can take placewhen the case is .open `is diagrammatically shown in'Fig. 6 wherewthe .distribution of the keys attached to holder 14 is indicated at 14 and .that of thekeysiattached to holder-16 is indicated at 16. This general distribution of the keys in the group is not materially altered as the case is closed, such rearrangement as occurs taking place by a at sliding movement of the keys in the overlapping portions :of the group without substantial edgewise engagement tending to twist the keys out of their planeof repose. The result is a generally uniform bulk distribution in the closed case as indicated in Fig. 7.

It will beunderstood that the hanger supporting means may include more than the two segments above described. For example,'and as shown in'Fig. 5, `two holders 20 may be carried by one cover'member 22 in spaced endto-end relation and cover member 24 may carry a single holder 21 positioned and dimensioned'to be received between holders 20 and in substantially contiguous end-toend relation therewith. `When the key case of Fig. 5 is open, as will be apparent, the keys of the groups carried by the holders 20 and 21 respectively have adjacent free space on the covers to which they are attached cornmensurate with the fanning out needs of the number of keys in each group. The bulk distribution of the key bows in the closed case of Fig. 5 is diagrammatically shown in Fig. 8, the distribution of the individual groups carried by holders 20 and 21 being indicated at 20 and 21 respectively.

It will be understood that` if desired the two holders 20can be provided with Yseparate-attaching plates such a common attaching plate.

Since most key case manufacturers make key cases having capacities of two, three, four, six or more keys, and stock holders of these capacities the advantages of the present invention can be secured by various combinations of presently stocked holders without the necessity of stocking specially constructed holders for the purpose. Having thus described-my invention, what is claimed A key case comprising first and second substantially rigid tray members hinged together along one side edge for swinging movement toward and away from each other to provideakey confining chamber therebetween when in case closing relation, elongated key hanger supports secured transversely of each of said members perpendicular to the hinge of said case, said supports extending co-linearly across the top of said case when said members are disposed in case closing relation, each of said supports includingv means for removably receiving and supporting key hangers in downwardly depending relation therefrom, fsaid supports being secured to the respective walls of said tray members so that when the case is closed the supports are disposed in contiguous endto-end `relation providing hanger supporting means extending substantially the'full width of the case.

References Cited in the'ile` of this patent UNITED STATES PATENTS 1,101,310 Mandelson et al. June 23, 1914 1,581,547 Rowe Apr. 20, 1926 2,228,726 Loesch Jan. 14, 1941 2,330,162 Trollen Sept. 21, 1943 2,330,546 `Berger Sept 28, 1943 2,651,407 Blackman Sept. 8, 1953

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