U.S. patent number 3,784,046 [Application Number 05/245,429] was granted by the patent office on 1974-01-08 for prefected case.
Invention is credited to Nicolas G. Cata.
United States Patent |
3,784,046 |
Cata |
January 8, 1974 |
PREFECTED CASE
Abstract
A case or receptacle for cigarettes, change or as a purse
itself, for example, and having opposed casing parts freely pivoted
at a lower extremity without linking elements, but by eyelets
disposed in an aperture formed partially in one casing part and
partially in the other casing part, which parts are held together
by opposing pairs of pincer springs which also serve to establish
stable open and closed positions of the casing parts. The bottom of
the case is closed by an element which is removably secured in
notches along the outer edges of the casing parts and allows the
free opening and closing of the case while retaining its contents
securely.
Inventors: |
Cata; Nicolas G. (Barcelona,
ES) |
Family
ID: |
22926616 |
Appl.
No.: |
05/245,429 |
Filed: |
April 19, 1972 |
Current U.S.
Class: |
220/826;
206/261 |
Current CPC
Class: |
A45C
11/24 (20130101) |
Current International
Class: |
A45C
11/00 (20060101); A45C 11/24 (20060101); B65d
043/15 (); B65d 051/10 () |
Field of
Search: |
;206/41B,41A
;220/35 |
References Cited
[Referenced By]
U.S. Patent Documents
Foreign Patent Documents
Primary Examiner: Hall; George T.
Attorney, Agent or Firm: John W. Malley et al.
Claims
What is claimed is:
1. A case of generally parallelepiped shape for enclosing something
and bieng operable and closeable, comprising:
two opposing casing parts substantially of the same size,
each casing part having a main outside wall with opposed side walls
and a top wall,
the side and top walls of each casing part being disposed
substantially at right angles to the respective main wall and
having edges respectively directed toward the like opposing edges
of the side and top walls of the opposing casing part,
the said opposing edges of the side walls extending substantially
parallel to their respective main outside wall from their top
downward to a point relatively close to the bottom ends of said
side walls,
each of said opposing edges being angled outwardly from said point
downward toward the said bottom end of the respective side wall to
form angled edge stops,
means for pivoting said casing parts relative to each other about
the said points in the said opposing edges of both side walls with
the respective side and top walls of opposing casing parts in
alignment, and
means including at least one pair of opposed pincer springs each
having outer ends secured respectively to the casing parts adjacent
the level of said points, for biasingly determining for said casing
parts not only a closed stable position in which there is abutment
of said opposing edges of the side walls from said pivot points
upward to the top thereof, but also an open stable position in
which there is abutment of adjacent ones said angled edge
stops,
wherein said main outside wall of each of said casing parts extends
from said top wall downwardly to a level just above said pivot
points, and
wherein said case includes a lower closing element having a bottom
and connected thereto at opposite edges two resilient upright
walls,
there being means for removeably securing said upright walls to
said casing parts respectively so that said lower closing element
stays secured during the opening and closing of said casing parts
and said upright walls effectively operate as an extension of said
main outside walls to the bottom of said case.
2. A case as in claim 1 wherein each of said side and top wall
edges of each of said opposing casing parts includes a rim
extending continuously along said side and top walls, said rims of
the opposing casing parts being in abutment when the casing parts
are in said closed stable position.
3. A case as in claim 1 wherein said pivoting means includes at
each of said pivot points a respective eyelet disposed in an
aperture formed by a substantially semi-circular cutout in each of
said opposing edges at said pivot points.
4. A case as in claim 1 wherein each of said opposed pincer springs
is generally of vee-shape and one is inverted relative to the
other, said outer ends of said pincer springs being secured to
aligned side walls of the opposing casing parts by notch means in
said aligned side walls.
5. A case as in claim 1 wherein said means for removeably securing
said upright walls to said casing parts includes notch means in the
outer edges of said side walls adjacent the level of said pivot
points and inturned hooks in the upper edge at the outer ends of
each of said upright walls for receipt by said notch means.
6. A case as in claim 1 wherein said lower closing element includes
opposing end walls secured to opposite ends of the bottom of said
closing element and upwardly extending in a separated manner from
said upright walls to allow said upright walls to move resiliently
inwardly and outwardly with the closing and opening of said casing
parts.
7. A case of generally parallelepiped shape for enclosing something
and being operable and closeable, comprising:
two opposing casing parts substantially of the same size,
each casing part having a main outside wall with opposed side walls
and a top wall,
the side and top walls of each casing part being disposed
substantially at right angles to the respective main wall and
having edges respectively directed toward the like opposing edges
of the side and top walls of the opposing casing part,
the said opposing edges of the side walls extending substantially
parallel to their respective main outside wall from their top
downward to a point relatively close to the bottom ends of said
side walls,
each of said opposing edges being angled outwardly from said point
downward toward the said bottom end of the respective side wall to
form angled edge stops,
means for pivoting said casing parts relative to each other about
the siad points in the said opposing edges of both side walls with
the respective side and top walls of opposing casing parts in
alignment,
said pivoting means including at each of said pivot points a
respective eyelet disposed in an aperture formed by a substantially
semi-circular cutout in each of said opposing edges at said pivot
points,
means including two pairs of opposed pincer springs for biasingly
determining for said casing parts not only a closed stable position
in which there is abutment of said opposing edges of the side walls
from said pivot points upward to the top thereof, but also an open
stable position in which there is abutment of adjacent ones said
angled edge stops,
each of said opposed pincer springs having outer ends and being
generally of vee-shape with one spring of each pair being inverted
relative to the other spring in the same pair, said pairs of
springs being disposed inside said casing parts adjacent the
aligned side walls respectively with the said outer ends of each
pair of said pincer springs being secured respectively to the
adjacent aligned side walls by notch means in the outer edges of
those adjacent aligned side walls,
said main outside wall of each of said casing parts extending from
said top wall downwardly to a level just above said pivot points,
and
a lower closing element having a bottom and connected thereto at
opposite edges two resilient upright walls, there being means for
removeably securing said upright walls to said casing parts
respectively so that said lower closing element stays secured
during the opening and closing of said casing parts and said
upright walls effectively operate as an extension of said main
outside walls to the bottom of said case.
8. A case as in claim 7 wherein each of said side and top wall
edges of each of said opposing casing parts includes a rim
extending continuously along said side and top walls, said rims of
the opposing casing parts being in abutment when the casing parts
are in said closed stable position.
9. A case as in claim 8 where:
said means for removeably securing said upright walls to said
casing parts includes notch means in the outer edges of said side
walls adjacent the level of said pivot points and inturned hooks in
the upper edge at the outer ends of each of said upright walls for
receipt by said notch means, and
said lower closing element includes opposing end walls secured to
opposite ends of the bottom of said closing element and upwardly
extend in a separated manner from said upright walls to allow said
upright walls to move resiliently inwardly and outwardly with the
closing and opening of said casing parts.
Description
This invention is directed to a perfected case which is generally
of parallelepiped shape, and which may be used for any number of
different applications such as a purse or change purse, cigarette
case and the like.
The case of the present invention presents many advantageous
characteristics compared with cases in the prior art. In the past,
such cases have generally not had the ability to be readily opened
to a stable position, while at the same time having parts readily
assembled without hinges or the like pivoting the parts between
open and closed positions. In addition, prior art cases have not
had the ability to retain their contents when opened without some
sort of bottom that is integral with the casing sides.
It is, therefore, an object of the present invention to overcome
the foregoing disadvantages or prior casings, and to provide a case
which has opposing casing parts that may be opened and closed in
stable positions by virtue of pincer springs. In addition, an
object of this invention is to provide those casing parts with
pivot point cutouts for eyelets so that the casing parts may be
freely joined by the simple supporting of both parts with an eyelet
and without necessity of linking elements other than the pincer
springs which hold the parts together as well as establish the
stable open and closed positions.
It is further an object of this invention to provide a lower cover
or closing element which has some resilient characteristic in its
side walls which are joined to the upper casing parts by grooves
and inturned edges disposed therein.
Still further objects and advantages of this invention will become
more apparent upon considering the following detailed descriptions
thereof, in conjunction with the illustrative drawings in
which:
FIG. 1 is a perspective view of a case shown in its closed
position;
FIG. 2 is a vertical section, approximately midway of the FIG. 1
case looking rightward therein, with the lower cover or closing
element detached;
FIG. 2A is a vertical section of the lower closing element
corresponding to the FIG. 2 section;
FIG. 3 is a right side elevational view of FIG. 2;
FIG. 3A is a side elevational view of the lower closing element of
FIG. 2A;
FIG. 4 is a transverse sectional view looking downward along the
line IV--IV of FIG. 2 with the upper pincer spring removed;
FIG. 5 is a side elevational view of the complete case in closed
position, partially cut away;
FIG. 6 is a vertical section view taken substantially along the
lines VI--VI of FIG. 5;
FIG. 7 is an elevational left end view of the closed case shown in
FIG. 5; and
FIG. 8 is a transverse sectional view of the FIG. 5 closed case
taken substantially along the lines VIII--VIII thereof.
DETAILED DESCRIPTION
As presented in the exemplary illustration shown in the drawings,
in which like numbers are employed in the different figures for the
same parts, a case according to the present invention includes two
opposing casing parts 1 and 2, which are substantially of the same
size and together with the lower closing element 11 form a case
which generally is of parallelepiped shape. The case is opened by
means of relatively pulling the two casing parts 1 and 2 in
opposite directions and closed by relatively pushing them back
together.
As shown, casing parts 1 and 2 have respective main front or
outside walls or faces 1' and 2' at right angles to which are
respective top walls or faces 3 and 4 and two opposite side walls 5
for casing 1, with casing 2 having similar opposite side walls 6.
Each set of side walls connects, preferably integrally to the main
outside walls 1' and 2' and also to respective top walls 3 and 4.
Casing parts 1 and 2 may be made of metal or plastic, for
example.
The two casing parts 1 and 2 are pivoted relative to one another by
means of an eyelet or rivet 7 on one side and 8 on the other side.
As is apparent from the drawings, eyelets 7 and 8 are at a
relatively low level considering the overall height of the case,
and form pivot points about which the casing parts 1 and 2 are
pivoted from a closed position such as shown in FIG. 1 to an open
position such as shown in FIG. 2. Eyelets 7 and 8 are respectively
disposed in semi-circular cutout portions 18 formed at the pivot
points in each pair of the inner edges of adjacent sides 5 and 6.
The casing parts 1 and 2 are held together on eyelets 7 and 8 by
two pairs of pincer springs 9 and 10. As noted in the drawings,
these springs are both of vee-shape, with the upper spring 9 being
an inverted vee so that the pair of springs 9 and 10 are opposed to
each other. There is a similar pair of pincer springs on each side
of the case with each pair being inside the case adjacent the
respective side walls 5 and 6. The outer ends of each of the pair
of pincer springs 9 and 10 are turned outwardly and back onto the
side walls to form hooks secured by notch means such as the
respective notches 21 and 22. That is, the adjacent outer ends of
one pair of springs 9 and 10 hook into one notch 21 in the outer
edge of a side wall 5, while the opposite pair of adjacent outer
ends of the same pair of springs hooks into notch 22 in the outer
edge of the opposing aligned side wall 6.
As will be noted in various figures of the drawing, for example
FIG. 2, the inner edges of side walls 5 and 6 extend from the top
walls 3 and 4 downward parallel to the outside main walls 1' and
2', but just to the pivot points for eyelets 7 and 8. From there
downward, the inner edges of side walls 5 and 6 are cut back in a
straight line forming angled edges 19 and 20. These edges 19 and 20
form an acute angel relative to the outside edges of side walls 5
and 6, and operate against each other to function as stops to limit
the amount the casings 1 and 2 may be pivoted open as shown in FIG.
2.
Besides holding the two casing parts 1 and 2 together, the two
pairs of pincer springs 9 and 10 serve an important function of
causing casing parts to be stable in either an open or closed
position. That is, as shown in FIGS. 1, 6 and 7 for example, the
case is closed and remains stable in a closed position because of
pincer springs 9 and 10. In the closed position, the inner edges of
top walls 3 and 4 are in abutment, as are the adjacent aligned
pairs of side walls 5 and 6. These inner edges of casings 1 and 2
preferably include respective rims 16 and 17. Rim 16 extends
continuously from the pivot point for eyelet 7 up the adjacent side
wall 5, across the top wall 3 and down the other side wall 5 to the
pivot point for the opposite eyelet 8. In like manner, rim 17 forms
the inner abutting edge for casing 2 by extending continuously from
the pivot point for eyelet 7 up the adjacent side wall 6, across
top wall 4 and down the opposite side wall 6 to the opposite pivot
point for eyelet 8. In the closed position of the case, rims 16 and
17 completely abut.
On the other hand, when casings 1 and 2 are relatively pulled apart
so that the lower angled edge stops 19 and 20 come into abutment,
pincer springs 9 and 10 hold the case in that open position such as
shown in FIG. 2. In other words, the case is stable in either of
its opened or closed positions by virtue of the action of springs 9
and 10, and the casing parts 1 and 2 are unstable in any
intermediate position. That is, once the casing parts are
relatively moved with a little manual pull from their closed stable
position, or a little manual push from their open stable position,
springs 9 and 10 tend to urge the casing parts to the opposite
stable position and then maintain the casing parts in that new
position.
As particularly shown in FIGS. 2 and 3, preferably the outside main
walls 1' and 2' extend downwardly only to a level just above the
pivot points for eyelets 7 and 8. However, the bottom of the case
is closed by a cover in the form of lower casing element 11 which
has two upright walls 12 and 12' with respective inturned hooks 14
and 15 at each corner in the upper edge of each wall. The lower
casing element 11 is removeably secured to the upper casings 1 and
2 by the insertion of hooks 14 and 15 into respective notches 23
and 24 in side walls 5 and 6. At right angles to the upright walls
12 and 12', and disposed at opposite ends of the bottom of closing
element 11, are end walls 13 and 13' shown in FIGS. 2A and 5-7. It
will be particularly noted that ends walls 13 and 13' are not
connected to but separated from upright walls 12 and 12', thereby
giving these upright walls the opportunity to move inward and
outward with notches 23 and 24 as the case is closed and opened. In
other words, the lower casing element 11 is made of material so
that upright walls 12 and 12' have some resiliency and can
consequently move outward when the casing parts are opened to their
FIG. 2 position and will spring back to their normal vertical
position shown therefor in FIG. 2A when the casing parts 1 and 2
are closed as in FIGS. 6 and 7, for example. The lower casing
element 11 may be attached to the case initially by either
spreading upright wals 12 and 12' manually and positioning them so
that their hooks 14 and 15 will drop into notches 23 and 24 of both
pairs of side walls 5 and 6, or alternatively, it may be possible
to slide the lower closing element 11 into those notches from
either end of the case.
From the foreging description, it becomes apparent that the objects
of this invention have been implemented, and in particular, that
the two casings 1 and 2 are joined free by the pivoting eyelets 7
and 8 without the necessity of any linking elements except pincer
springs 9 and 10 which supply the triple functions of not only
holding the casing parts together, but establishing stable open and
closed positions therefor.
While this invention has been described in detail in a given
embodiment, it is of course apparent that variations may be made
thereto within the scope of the appended claims, and hence,
limitation to the described embodiment is not intended except as
specified in the claims.
* * * * *