Container for small consumer items, such as handbag, pouch, purse, box or the like, provided with alarm

A container for small consumer items, such as a handbag, a pouch, a purse, a box etc, has a body part, a sound generating device arranged in said body part, an electric autonomous source for the sound generating device, and a switch actuatable by a user to activate the sound generating device.

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION 
The present invention deals with a container for small consumer items, such 
as a handbag, a purse, a pouch, a box and the like, which is generally 
held in hands or hangs on a shoulder etc. 
Such containers often become a target of burglars who try to pull them from 
the user. At the present there is no means in these containers to prevent 
such burglaries or to at least scare a potential burglar. With increasing 
number of burglaries the problem of providing such means is to be solved 
to improve safety of the users. 
SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION 
Accordingly, it is an object of the present invention to provide a 
container for small consumer items such as a handbag, a purse, a pouch, a 
box and the like which avoids the disadvantages of the prior art. 
More particularly, it is an object of the present invention to provide a 
container of the above mentioned general type, which scares a potential 
burglar and therefore increases safety of a container's user. 
In keeping with these objects and with others which will become apparent 
hereinafter, one feature of the present invention resides, briefly stated, 
in a container of the above mentioned type which, in addition to its 
conventional body part which forms a compartment for small consumer items, 
has a signalling device arranged to generate an alarming sound, for 
example resembling the sound of a police siren, an autonomous electric 
current generating source for supplying the sound generating device, and a 
switch actuatable by a user so as to activate the sound generating device. 
When the container is designed in accordance with these features, its user 
can activate a sound, for example resembling a police siren sound, in the 
event when a danger of burglary takes place, so that a potential burglar 
is scared away because of this sound or at least stopped, and also 
attention of passers-by is attracted. 
The novel features of the present invention are set forth in particular in 
the appended claims. The invention itself, however, both as to its 
construction and as to its manner of operation will be best understood 
from the following description of a preferred embodiment, which is 
accompanied by the following drawing.

DESCRIPTION OF A PREFERRED EMBODIMENT 
A container for small consumer items is illustrated in the drawing as a 
handbag. The handbag has a bottom identified with reference numeral 1 and 
a top identified with reference numeral 2. They are spaced from one 
another in a vertical direction. A peripheral wall 3 is located between 
the top 2 and the bottom 1 and connects them with one another. The 
peripheral wall 3 can have, for example, four wall portions of which two 
wall portions 3' and 3" are located at the left side and and the right 
side of a vertical axis of symmetry 4 of the handbag. 
Two sound generating devices 5 are further provided. They are located in 
the region of the bottom 1 at opposite sides of the vertical axis of 
symmetry 4 and symmetrically relative to the latter. The sound generating 
devices 5 are associated with the respective wall portions 3' and 3". A 
plurality of batteries are located in the region of the vertical axis of 
symmetry and symmetrically relative to the latter, as identified with 
reference numeral 6. The symmetrical location of the batteries 6 and the 
symmetrical location of the sound generating devices 5 provide for a 
weight balance of the handbag. 
As can be seen from the drawing, a partition 7 subdivides the interior of 
the handbag into an upper compartment 8 and a lower compartment 9. The 
upper compartment 8 serves for accommodating consumer items, whereas the 
lower compartment 9 serves for accommodating the sound generating devices 
5 and the batteries 6. The lower compartment 9 is filled with a material 
which tighly hold the above mentioned elements and also for insulating 
purposes. This material can be, for example, a foam plastic material. 
The sound generating devices can be of a conventional construction. They 
can generate a sound resembling for example a police siren. For improving 
sound propagation, the wall portions 3' and 3" can be provided in the 
regions of the outlets of the sound generating devices with a plurality of 
very small openings. The sound generating devices are connected by 
conductors with the batteries. 
The partition 7 is fixedly connected with its one end to the wall portion 
3". The other end of the partition 7 is not connected with the wall 
portion 3'. Thereby the patition can be deflected so that in one position 
it separates the compartments 8 and 9 from one another, and in the other 
position after deflection it communicates said compartments with one 
another. In the latter case the elements 5 and 6 become easily accessible 
for mounting and dismounting purposes. 
The handbag in accordance with the present invention is further provided 
with two switches identified with reference numeral 10. The switches 10 
are connected with the circuit of the sound generating devices 5. As can 
be seen from the electric diagram of FIG. 2 the switches 10 are arranged 
so that whenever at least one switch is actuated by the user, it activates 
the sound generating device. The swtches are located at opposite sides of 
the handbag. More particularly, they are located at opposite sides of a 
handle 11 provided on the handbag. Such a location of the switches is very 
convenient, since a respective one of the switches can be reached by a 
left-handed user or a right-handed user. Moreover, regardless of the 
position of the handband, either with a lock 12 outside or the lock 12 
inside, there will be always one switch located forwardly as considered in 
a walking direction, so that said one switch is reachable by the user. 
The attachment of the respective elements to the walls of the handbag can 
be by any conventional means, such as by glueing, welding, sewing, etc. It 
is also to be understood that there can be only one signal generating 
device in the inventive handbag. It is also possible to have lower or 
greater number of electric batteries. The switches can be located not on 
the handle, but also on the body part of the handbag. 
The invention is not limited to the details which are shown, since various 
modifications and structural changes can be possible without departing in 
any way from the spirit of the present invention. 
What is desired to be protected by Letters Patents is set forth in 
particular in the appended claims hereinbelow.