Abstract:
This disclosure relates to a key chain that includes a key ring and a key encircled by the key ring. The key tag is attached to the key ring via at least one attachment element.

Description:
CROSS-REFERENCE TO RELATED APPLICATION 
       [0001]    The present application claims priority to U.S. Provisional Application Ser. No. 61/977,093, filed on Apr. 9, 2014, the contents of which are hereby incorporated by reference in its entirety. 
     
    
     TECHNICAL FIELD 
       [0002]    The disclosure relates to a mechanical device that helps users manage and organize keys for one or multiple residential or commercial properties. 
       SUMMARY 
       [0003]    The present disclosure relates to key chains with integrated key tags that help users better organize keys to their properties. The present invention integrates key tags with the key rings, resulting in new key chains. The key ring and key tag become one object, instead of two objects. More specifically, the key tag is encircled by the key ring and is attached to the key ring via one or two rods. The key tag has the option to rotate freely along the rods. The key tag can be centered, or off centered inside the key ring. The key ring can have the shape of a circle, an oval or it can have other shapes. Optionally, another smaller ring (the attachment ring) may be attached to the main key ring on the outside. The attachment ring can be used to attach the main key ring to another object such as the belt loop, another key ring, etc . . . The benefit of such an invention is that the key rings and key tags occupy less space. Additionally, the key tags are better organized in relation to the keys, therefore it takes less time for users to find the keys. Optionally, there can be a bump on a ring segment. When the bump is pressed down, the tip of the ring segment rises, creating an opening for the key to enter. 
       INTRODUCTION 
       [0004]    The key rings and key tags on the market today typically are two separate objects. The key tags are used to mark the names for the keys so that the keys can be identified. The key rings and key tags are loosely attached to each other by putting the key tags through the loop and onto the rings. The drawback for this arrangement of key rings and key tags is that it occupies more space and it can be messy. 
         [0005]    A new key chain has been invented to integrate a key ring with a key tag. Several embodiments of this invention are illustrated in the accompanying drawings and will be described in more detail herein below. 
     
    
     
       DESCRIPTION OF DRAWINGS 
         [0006]      FIG. 1  shows some of the existing key rings and key tags on the market. 
           [0007]      FIG. 2  shows various views of a key chain where the key tag is off center and there are two bumps on the ring. 
           [0008]      FIG. 3  shows various views of another key chain where the key tag is off center and there is only one bump on the ring. 
           [0009]      FIG. 4  shows the key ring shape to be oval. 
           [0010]      FIG. 5  shows various views of how the key tag and the attachment ring fit onto the ring to allow rotation of the key tag and the attachment ring. 
           [0011]      FIG. 6  shows various views of another key chain where the key tag is centered and there are two bumps on the ring. 
           [0012]      FIG. 7  shows various views of the key chain where one of the ring bump is pressed down. 
           [0013]      FIG. 8  shows various views of another key chain where the key tag is centered and there is no attachment ring. 
           [0014]      FIG. 9  shows various views of another key chain where the key tag is centered and there is no attachment ring. 
           [0015]      FIG. 10  shows various views of another key chain where the key tag is centered and the ring segments have the shape of a cylinder. 
           [0016]      FIG. 11  shows an example of a key chain assembly where multiple keys, and key chains are attached to each other to form an assembly. 
       
    
    
     DETAILED DESCRIPTION 
       [0017]    The preferred embodiments of the present disclosure will now be described with reference to the drawings. Identical elements in the various figures are identified, as much as possible, with the same reference numerals. Such embodiments are provided by way of explanation of the present invention, which is not intended to be limited thereto. In fact, those of ordinary skill in the art may appreciate upon reading the present specification and viewing the present drawings that various modifications and variations can be made thereto without deviating from the innovative concepts of the invention. 
         [0018]    For clarity purposes, some identical elements in the same figure are not all marked. Marking of one of the identical elements serves as an indication for the reference to the other elements. 
         [0019]      FIG. 1  shows the key rings and key tags sold on the market today. The key rings and key tags are separate objects. They are loosely attached to each other, therefore they takes up more space, and become messy when there are quite a few of them. 
         [0020]      FIG. 2  shows the top, bottom and side perspective views of a key chain where the key tag is off center. This embodiment comprises a key ring  100 , a key tag  200  and a ring attachment  700 . 
         [0021]    The key ring  100  comprises a head ring segment  120 , a tail ring segment  110 , two bump ring segments  140 , two no-bump ring segments  160 . The head and tail ring segments  120  and  110  are cylinder segments curved as part of a circle. The shape doesn&#39;t have to be a circle, it can be an oval or other shapes. Both bump ring segments  140 , and both no-bump ring segments  160  are half a cylinder where the cylinder is cut horizontally in half, they are also called horizontal cylindrical segments. These ring segments are also curved as part of the circle. Additionally, a bump ring segment  140  has a bump  141  and a bump tip  142 . When the bump  141  is pressed down, the bump tip  142  goes up. Additionally, a no-bump ring segment  160  has a no-bump tip  162 . The no-bump tip  162  allows the key to exit after traveling between the opposing ring segments. 
         [0022]    The key tag  200  comprises a tag disk  210  and a head attachment rod  240 . The tag disk  210  has an outer rim  211 . The tag disk  210  also has an inner disk  212 . An adhesive and removal label  213  where the names can be written can be placed on a face of the inner disk  212 . The name written on the label can be used to identify the key(s) hanging off the key chain with the label. Alternatively, if a set of key chains and/or keys are hanging off the key chain with the label, then the name on the label can be used to identify this set of key chains and/or keys. Optionally, an image, a text or a combination of various media can be placed on a face of the inner disk  212 . This multimedia content can be used for promotional or advertising purposes. For example, one face of the inner disk  212  can have a promotional logo (e.g., BMW logo), and the other face can have an adhesive and removable label. The outer rim  211  is slightly raised as compared to the inner disk  212  so that the outer rim  211  protects the label  213  from wear and tear on the label&#39;s edges. The head attachment rod  240  is an attachment element used to attach the tag disk  210  onto the head ring segment  120 . Optionally, it can be designed so that the head attachment rod  240  rotates freely while attached to the head ring segment  120 . Since the tag disk  210  are attached in a fix way to the attachment rod  240 , the tag disk  210  can rotate freely as well. 
         [0023]    The ring attachment  700  comprises an attachment ring  720  and a ring attachment rod  710 . The ring attachment rod  710  is an attachment element where it can freely rotate around the attached head ring segment  120 . Since the attachment ring  720  is attached to the ring attachment rod  710  in a fixed way, the attachment ring  720  can rotate freely as well. The ring attachment  700  is optional. It helps the key ring  100  to attach to another object such as a belt loop or another key ring. The rotation of the attachment ring  720  allows the key ring  100  to hang better off the belt loop, for example. And it facilitates finding the right keys quickly. 
         [0024]    To attach a key to the key ring  100 , a user can press down one of the two bumps  141  to raise the attached bump tip  142  so that it is easier for the key to enter the opening. Key rings on the market today require a user to dig in with his/her finger nails to open up the ring tip. Once the key enters the opening, it continues to travel between two opposing ring segments and comes out of the no-bump tip end  162 . Additionally a user can label the attached keys by writing on the label. Since the ring tag  200  is encircled by the key ring  100 , no extra space is taken by the ring tag  200 . 
         [0025]    To detach a key from the key ring  100 , a user can press down one of the two bumps  141  to raise the attached bump tip  142  so that it is easier for the key to enter the opening. Once the key enters the opening, it continues to travel between two opposing ring segments and comes out of the no-bump tip end  162 . This way, the key is detached from the key ring  100 . 
         [0026]      FIG. 3  shows the top, bottom and side perspective views of another key chain where the key tag is off center and there is only one bump on the ring. The main difference between  FIG. 3  and  FIG. 2  is that there is only one bump ring segment  140  in  FIG. 3  instead of two as shown in  FIG. 2 . As a result, there are three no-bump ring segments  160  in  FIG. 3 . Therefore, there is only one bump  141  and one bump tip  142  in  FIG. 3 . This is an alternate design that simplifies the key chain shown in  FIG. 2 . 
         [0027]      FIG. 4  shows the top, bottom and side perspective views of another key chain where the key tag is off center and there is only one bump on the ring. The difference between  FIG. 4  and  FIG. 3  is that the key ring has the oval shape in  FIG. 4  instead of the circle shape in  FIG. 3 . 
         [0028]      FIG. 5  shows the various views of a rotation mechanism that can be used in  FIG. 2  and  FIG. 3  where the key tag and the attachment ring fit onto the ring to allow rotation of the key tag and the attachment ring.  FIG. 5  View C shows that the key tag and the attachment ring are two separate objects. Both the head attachment rod  240  and the ring attachment rod  710  have a flat cap, namely  241  and  711  respectively.  FIG. 5  View B shows how the head attachment rod  240  and the ring attachment rod  710  fit into the supporting bottom ring segment  122 . Since the flat caps  241  and  711  have a larger radius than the rest of the respective rods  240  and  710 , the flat caps  241  and  711  can fixate the head attachment rod  240  and the ring attachment rod  710  respectively onto the bottom ring segment  122  which is part of the head ring segment  120 . Then the top ring segment  121  which is part of the head ring segment  120  is placed on top of the bottom ring segment  122 . The top and bottom ring segments  121  and  122  are welded together at the seams as shown in  FIG. 5  View A. This rotation mechanism is one way to allow rotation for both the tag disk  210  and the attachment ring  720  as shown in  FIG. 2  and  FIG. 3 . The rotation mechanism is not limited to this mechanism alone. There can be other rotation mechanisms. In this embodiment, the head attachment rod  240  is permanently fixated onto the key tag with no rotation. The rotation of the key tag takes place at the intersection of the head ring segment  120 , and the head attachment rod  240  and the flat cap  241 . In another embodiment, the head attachment rod  240  can be permanently fixated onto the head ring segment  120  without rotation. The rotation takes place at the opposite end of the attachment rod  240  where the head attachment rod  240  and the flat cap  241 , and the key tag are co-located. Similarly, the rotation of the attachment ring can take place at the opposite end of the ring attachment rod where the attachment ring, and the ring attachment rod and the flat cap are co-located. 
         [0029]      FIG. 6  shows the top, bottom and side perspective views of another key chain where the key tag is centered and there are two bumps on the ring. The difference between  FIG. 6  and  FIG. 2  is that the key tag is centered instead of being off centered. Additionally, there are two attachment elements, namely the head attachment rod  240  and the tail attachment rod  250  instead of just the head attachment rod  240 . Both the head and the tail attachment rods  240  and  250  can use the same rotation mechanism as shown in  FIG. 5 . Similarly, the attachment ring  700  also can use the same rotation mechanism as shown in  FIG. 5 . This embodiment in  FIG. 6  has two organizing compartments for keys, namely  310  and  320 . These two organizing compartments are separate from each other, therefore the keys that are attached to one compartment cannot enter the other compartment. Sometimes the two compartments may be preferred by users because the users may have two sets of keys to organize, one set for each compartment. Additionally, the labels  2131  and  2132  correspond to the two compartments, each identifying the corresponding compartment. The two labels  2131  and  2132  can be color coded for quicker identification of keys. Elements such as  210 ,  211 ,  212 ,  710 ,  720 , 141 ,  142 , and  140  are the same in both  FIG. 6  and  FIG. 2 . 
         [0030]      FIG. 7  shows the top, bottom and side perspective views of a key chain where one of the ring bump is pressed down.  FIG. 7  is similar to  FIG. 6  except that one of the bumps  141  is pressed down, resulting in the attached bump tip  142  to rise, thus creating an opening. This facilitates the key to enter the opening. Also the label  213  isn&#39;t divided in half. Optionally it can be divided in half as shown in  FIG. 6 . 
         [0031]      FIG. 8  shows the top, bottom and side perspective views of another key chain.  FIG. 8  is similar to  FIG. 6 , except that there is no bumps or bump tips. In  FIG. 8 , there are four no-bump ring segments  140 , each ending with a no-bump tip. Additionally, there is no attachment ring. As mentioned previously, the attachment ring is optional. 
         [0032]      FIG. 9  shows the top, bottom and side perspective views of another key chain where the key tag is centered and there is no attachment ring. The only difference between  FIG. 9  and  FIG. 8  is that the no-bump tips  162  in  FIG. 9  don&#39;t have a sloped edge instead they have a sharp edge. 
         [0033]      FIG. 10  shows the top, bottom and side perspective views of another key chain where the ring segments have the shape of a cylinder instead of half a cylinder.  FIG. 10  and  FIG. 6  are similar. The differences are the following:
       None of the four ring segments  170  have bumps in  FIG. 10 .   All ring segments  170  have the cylinder shape instead of half a cylinder.   All four no-bump tips  172  have a different shape in  FIG. 10 .   The head and tail attachment rods  190  and  180  have a different shape in  FIG. 10 . Both the head and tail attachment rods  190  and  180  are a curved cylinder as part of the key ring. Additionally, each attachment rod curves vertically to allow the ring segments around it to fit more compactly. This is shown in  FIG. 10  Side Perspective View where the attachment rod  180  is located.       
 
         [0038]      FIG. 11  shows an example of an assembly  800  of multiple keys, and key chains that are attached to each other in an organized manner. Keys  600  hang off the key chains  400 , which hang off another key chain  300 , forming a hierarchical structure. Additionally, the labels  2131  and  2132  denote two separate properties with different addresses. Label  213  denote a specific compartment at the address specified by Label  2132 . Even though  FIG. 11  only shows two tiers of key chains, it is not difficult to configure the assembly  800  so that multiple tiers are supported. The structure of the assembly  800  resembles a tree. The number of tiers of an assembly represents the depth. The breadth of the assembly refers to the number of key chains on the same tier. The more key chains there are on the same tier, the more breadth the assembly has. There is no limit as to the breadth and the depth an assembly can have. 
         [0039]    The assembly  800  can be easily configured by manipulating the breadth and depths to closely represent the tiered structure of the keys. Please note that a regular key chain with or without a conventional key tag can be attached to any key chain described by this invention. 
         [0040]    The labels that are attached to the key tags are very important to help a user organize a large set of keys. Each label of a key chain identifies a subset of keys and/or key chains that are hanging off the key chain with the label. 
         [0041]    Although the above embodiments have been described with a certain degree of particularity, it is to be understood that the present disclosure has been made only by way of illustration and that numerous changes in the details of construction and arrangement of parts may be resorted to without departing from the spirit and the scope of the invention.