Key ring construction

Jan. 30, 1940.

2,188,367

G. A. LOERCHER

KEY RING CONSTRUCTION Filed Jan; 20, 1938

<img file="US2188367A_D0001.tif" />

Patented Jan. 30, 1940

2,188,367

UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE

2,188,367 KEY RING CONSTRUCTION

Gustav A. Loercher, Greenwood, R. I., assignor to Carl-Art, Inc., a corporation of'Rhode Island

Application January 20, 1938, Serial No. 185,873

Claims. (Cl. 70—459)

My present invention relates to the jewelry art, and has particular reference to a novel construction of key rings.

It is the principal object of my invention to 5 provide a key ring which will accommodate a large number of keys, and. Which locks the keys against accidental or inadvertent removal.

It is a further object of my invention to provide a novel key ring which is readily opened to per10 mit the insertion or removal of a key or keys, and is readily closed without exertion of substantial pressure or force.

Another object of my invention is to provide a - construction having a small number of readily 15 manufactured parts, easily assembled together, whereby the cost of manufacture is reduced.

With the above and other objects and advantageous features in. view, my invention consists of a novel arrangement of parts more fully dis20 closed in the detailed description following, in conjunction with the accompanying drawing, and more specifically defined in the claims appended thereto.

In the drawing :

Fig. 1 is a plan view of a novel keyring;

Fig. 2 is a side elevation thereof;

Fig. 3 is a view similar to Fig. 1, showing the key ring in open position;

Fig. 4 is an enlarged perspective view similar to 30 Fig. 3, showing the back of the key ring; and

Fig. 5 is an enlarged sectional detail on the line 5—5 of Fig. 2.

It has been found desirable to manufacture a key ring which may be easily locked to prevent 35 accidental and inadvertent opening, and thus prevent loss of a key or keys, and which requires very little effort or force to close the key ring and to maintain the parts against accidental opening. To this end, I have designed a key 40 ring having a swinging head, which may be swung so as to open a passageway for the insertion or removal of a key or keys, the head having a lock device pivoted thereto which may be swung with very slight effort, and which securely 46 locks the parts when in closed position, against accidental opening.

Referring to the drawing, the novel key ring S 9 includes an open ring ί I to one end of which a head 12 is hingedly secured by means of a rivet 60 IS, the ring I ί being preferably of spring material, and the head 12 being preferably of stamped sheet metal. As is clearly disclosed in Fig. 4, the free end of the ring II is milled or shaped to provide a depressed portion 14 and an upstanding 55 tooth 15, and the head 12, within which the free ring end is removably received, has a slotted portion 16 spaced from the free head end tb provide an overhang tip 17, so as to accommodate the tooth 15 and the depressed portion 14 of the ring end. The head portion 12 may therefore be 5 moved over so as to permit'relatively free engagement and nesting of the ring end therein, as shown in Fig. 5_S with the tooth portion 15 positioned in the slotted portion 16 and the recess 14 _:positioned underneath the tip 17 of the head, in 10 this position, the parts are in engaged relation, but can be readily separated by pressing inwardly on the ring and then lifting the head portion 12.

The lower side of the free end of the ring il has a notch 18 formed therein, and an arm 19 I® is pivotally secured to the head I I, as by means of a rivet 20, the arm 19 having a tooth end 21, and a movably engageable finger piece 22, whereby the arm 19 may be manually moved so as to . snap, the end 21 past, the edge 23 of the notch 18, 20 the head .having a slot 24 in one side thereof to permit the necessary inward movement of the finger 22. When the tooth 21 is so positioned, see Fig. 5,.it does not securely lock within the notch 18, but may be readily swung, outwardly to dis- '25 engage therefrom; since the arm 19 is retained in'the position shown in Fig. 5 because a slight effort is necessary to bring the end of. the tooth 2Ϊ past the edge 23, the head 12 cannot be swung away or detached from the free end of the ring 55 11, because, such separation requires a slight inward movement of the free ring end so as to bring the. tooth 15 below the end 17, which movement'is effectively prevented by engagement of the notch 18 with the tooth 21. 35

Aligned openings 24α are provided in the sides of the head 12 to provide a passageway for receiving the snap hook of a key chain, and the hinged end of the ring 11 is notched as indicated at 25 to abut against the end 26 of the head thus 45. provide a limiting stop for the separating swinging movement of the parts.

While I have described the novel arrangement of the parts as specific to a key ring construction, the same or similar arrangement of parts 45; may be applied to a padlock arrangement for general use, as the invention is applicable to any type of keyless padlock, and may obviously be used in connection with a hasp and staple such as is used for a gate, a trunk or the like to provide 50> an easily applied and easily removed padlock device. Desired changes in the shape of the parts, in the materials used, in the relative arrangement of the parts, and in their ornamentation, may be made to suit the requirements for 55,

2,188,367 different designs of key rings and for keyless locks, without departing from the spirit and the scope of the invention as defined in the appended claims.