Closure device for bags, suitcases, beauty cases and the like

Abstract: A closure device for bags, suitcases, beauty cases or the like comprises a hook (5, 6) mounted on a first half-shell (101), a corresponding catch (20) mounted on a second half-shell (102), means (24) for elastically urging the catch (20) into a condition suitable for engagement with the hook, and opening means (21) for disengaging the catch from the hook. The hook and the catch form a mutual snap releasable engagement by pushing the first and second half-shells towards each other.

Description: The present invention relates to a closure device for bags, suitcases, beauty cases and the like. For suitcases, especially those of the rigid type, there are known closure devices which comprise a hook formed at one end of a lever on whose other end a holding device is formed. The lever pivots about a spindle which in turn is located at one end of an arm hinged to an edge of one of the two half-shells forming the suitcase, for example to the base. Formed in a corresponding position on the edge of the other half-shell, for example the lid, is a catch. Closure devices of this type are used both for front closures and for closures on the two sides of the suitcases. With this type of closure device, after having closed the lid down onto the base, the user acts on the holding device of the pivoting lever to move the hook into the position of engagement with the catch and, with a rotation of the lever and arm, traction is applied to the lid until the lever is in a closed position, more or less in line with the outer wall of the base of the suitcase. To open the case the holding device of the lever must be operated again in order to raise it sufficiently to move it away from the closed position. From the European patent application EP-A-0036078 is known a locking device for a picnic-case, wherein a pivotally fixed catch is engaged with a hook by means of a spring. The rear end of the catch is shaped as a lever, which must be pressed against the picnic case in order to disengage the catch from the hook. An analogous closure device is also described in the document FR 566996. The European patent application EP-A-0464295 discloses a beauty case with a hook that is projecting from a cover part towards a catch device which is integrally shaped from a bottom part of the beauty case. In its natural position, the catch device is in engagement with the hook, when the cover part of the beauty case is pressed against the bottom part. An externally applied pressure on the catch device causes its deflection towards the inside of the beauty case and thus the opening of the latter. The patent GB278191 discloses a press button catch fastening, wherein a hooked shaped catch is adapted to be engaged and held by an overhanging portion of a slidable plunger. During the closing operation, the catch snaps into a fastened position, and for the opening operation the plunger has to be pushed in such a way that the catch is disengaged from the overhanging portion of the plunger. In view of the prior art described, it has been an object of the present invention to provide a novel closure device for bags, suitcases or the like. In accordance with the present invention it is proposed a closure device for bags, suitcases, beauty cases or the like of the type characterised by the features according to claim 1. The features and advantages of the present invention will be made clearer in the following detailed description of a practical embodiment thereof illustrated purely as a non-restrictive example in the attached drawings, in which: Figure 1 is a highly diagrammatic view of a suitcase fitted with closure devices in accordance with the present invention; Figure 2 is a plan view of a closure device according to the present invention, in the open position; Figures 3 and 4 are exploded axonometric views, in section on the plane marked A-A in Figure 2, showing the various components of the closure device of Figure 2; and Figures 5 to 8 are axonometric views in section on the plane marked A-A in Figure 2 of the closure device at various stages of operation. Referring to the drawings, Figure 1 shows diagrammatically a suitcase 100 comprising a first half-shell or base 101 and a second half-shell or lid 102. A closure device according to the present invention comprises a first part 1, mounted on an edge 2 of the first half-shell 101, and a second part 3 mounted on an edge 4 of the second half-shell 102, in a position corresponding to the first part 1. It can be seen more clearly in Figures 2, 3 and 4 that the first part 1 of the closure device comprises a protrusion 5 projecting from the edge 2 of the first half-shell 101 towards the edge 4 4 of the second half-shell 102 and possesses, in the vicinity of a free edge, a seat 6, which may be a rectangular opening with sloping walls. The protrusion 5 is inserted between the edge 2 and an external cap 7 that has a cylindrical projection 10 engaging in a through hole 11 in the protrusion 5. The cap 7 is housed between two shoulders 17 which are preferably in one piece with the edge 2 and extend at right angles to the outline of the edge 2 itself. The shoulders 17 each have ribs 170 running longitudinally with respect to the shoulders 17 and these fit into corresponding grooves 171 formed in side walls of the cap 7. The cap 7 is clamped to the edge 2, with the interposition of the protrusion 5, e.g. by a screw 8 screwed into a through hole 9 in the edge 2 which extends into a corresponding hole 12 in the cylindrical projection 10. The second part 3 of the closure device comprises a seat 13 into which the protrusion 5 can be inserted. At the engaging end of the seat 13 there is a slot 14 defined by a transverse member 15 which is preferably in one piece with the edge 4. The sides of the seat 13 are defined by two shoulders 16, preferably in one piece with the edge 4, and these extend at right angles to the outline of the edge 4 itself. A cap 18 is housed between the shoulders 16; the shoulders 16 are each provided with ribs 160 extending longitudinally with respect to the shoulders and fitting into corresponding grooves formed in side walls on the cap 18. The cap 18 is fixed to the edge 4 e.g. by screwing, and not only closes the top of the seat 13 but also supports a spindle 19 on which swivels a catch 20 acted upon by elastic means, such as a spiral spring 24, in such a way that one end 28 of the catch 20 projects into the back of the seat 13. The spindle 19 also acts as an axis of rotation for an opening lever 21 that is housed in a concavity 22, formed above in the cap 18, and is urged by other elastic means, such as for example another spiral spring 25 or a pair of spiral springs 25, one on either side of the catch 20, towards a rest position (shown for example in Figures 5 and 6) in which the lever 21 is housed in the concavity 22. One end 26 of the catch 20, remote from the end 28 projecting into the back of the seat 13, is designed to abut against an edge 27 of the lever 21 in order to provide an end stop to the rotation of the catch 20 under the action of the spring 24. The opening lever 21 also contains a recess 30 in which is housed a sliding locking button 23 that slides between a first position, shown in Figures 2, 5 and 8, and a second position, shown in Figures 6 and 7. In the first position, one end 29 of the button 23, being wedged under the lever 21 between the latter's edge 27 and the end 26 of the catch 20, tends to turn the catch 20 about the spindle 19 so that the catch 20, at rest, adopts a first angular position with respect to the spindle 19. In the second position the button 23 is retracted and therefore the end 29 exerts no action on the catch 20 which, under the action of the spiral spring 24, assumes at rest a second angular position with respect to the spindle 19 and projects further into the back of the seat 13 than it does in its first angular position. Along the edge of at least one of the two half-shells 101, 102, e.g. along the edge 2 of half-shell 101, a rubber seal 250 is also provided. The closure device described above works in the following manner. Starting with an open suitcase or bag (Figure 5), its two half-shells 101, 102 are brought together. Leaving the opening lever 21 in the rest position, and without it mattering in which of its two possible operating positions the locking button 23 is placed, the protrusion 5 is pushed into the seat 13 through the slot 14. As it enters the seat 13, at a certain point the protrusion 5 encounters the end 28 of the catch 20 which is projecting into the back of the seat 13. The protrusion 5 pushes against the catch 20, turning it about the spindle 19 against the elastic force of the spiral spring 24 and lifting it. As can be seen in Figure 6, when the protrusion 5 is far enough into the seat 13 the catch 20 encounters the opening 6 6 in the protrusion 5 and, because of the action of the spiral spring 24, rotates about the spindle 19 and drops into the opening 6, preventing the protrusion 5 from being withdrawn from the seat 13 (Figure 6). The closure device thus produces a snap closure. After closure, if, as shown in Figure 7, the locking button 23 is moved into the retracted locking position, in which the end 29 of the button 23, being no longer wedged between the edges 27 of the lever 21, and 26 of the catch 20, allows the latter to project further into the back of the seat 13, the lifting of the opening lever 21 which produces the rotation of the catch 20 is insufficient to lift the catch 20 as far as is necessary for the end 28 of the catch 20 to disengage from the opening 6 of the protrusion 5. Consequently, with the locking button 23 in the retracted position shown in Figure 7, the closure device is in a securely locked condition which prevents it being opened even if the lever 21 is accidentally lifted. To open the closure device, the locking button 23 is first moved into the advanced position in which its end 29 is pushing the catch 20 into the first angular position (Figure 8), and all that is then required is to lift the opening lever 21: this produces the rotation about the spindle 19 and consequently lifts the catch 20, whose end 28 disengages from the opening 6 of the protrusion 5 and allows it to be withdrawn from the seat 13. By keeping the opening lever 21 raised, the suitcase can now be opened. The rubber seal 250, which when the suitcase is closed is compressed, helps in opening the suitcase because as it expands it pushes the two half-shells 101 and 102 apart. The closure device described above can be used as a closures device for both the front and sides of a suitcase of rigid or soft type, alone or in combination with closure devices of other kinds, or in beauty cases, or in bags. Variations and/or additions to what has been described above and illustrated can of course be made without thereby departing from the scope of protection defined in the following claims.

Claims: Closure device for bags, suitcases, beauty cases or the like, comprising a first half-shell (101) and a second half-shell (102), the said device being provided with: a hook (5,6) mountable on the first half-shell (101), a corresponding catch (20) mountable on the second half-shell (102) and rotatable about an axis (19), the catch (20) and the hook (5,6) forming a mutual snap releasable engagement by pushing the first and second half-shells towards each other, means (24) for elastically urging the catch (20) into a condition suitable for engagement with the hook (5, 6), and a rotatable opening lever (21) mountable to the second half-shell (102) and comprising a first edge (27) operatively associated to the catch (20) and a second edge opposite to the first edge, said opening lever (21) being suitable to rotate the catch about said axis (19) for disengaging it from said hook, characterised in that said opening lever (21), said means (24) and said catch (20) are mounted on a cap (18) mountable to the second half-sheld (102) and are operatively associated in such a way that, when said hook (5, 6) and said cap (18) are mounted respectively on the first and second half-shell, the second edge of the opening lever (21) can be raised with respect to the second half-shell (102) for producing the rotation of the catch (20) so disengaging it from the hook (5,6). Closure device according to Claim 1, wherein said opening lever (21) is rotatable about said axis (19). Closure device according to Claim 1, wherein the catch (20) is distinct from said opening lever (21). Closure device according to Claim 3, wherein said catch (20) comprises a first end (26) suitable to abut against the first edge (27) under the action of said means (24). Closure device according to Claim 1, comprising further, means (25) for elastically urging the rotatable opening lever (21) in a rest position. Closure device according to Claim 1, wherein said hook (5, 6) comprises a protrusion (5) projecting from one edge (2) of the first half-shell (101) towards the second half-shell (102), the said protrusion (5) having a seat (6) designed to receive the catch (20), and wherein said catch (20) is housed in a cavity (13,14) on an edge (4) of the second half-shell (102) into which the said protrusion (5) can be inserted. Closure device according to Claim 6, wherein said seat (6) is a through opening formed in the vicinity of a free end of the said protrusion (5). Closure device according to Claim 1, comprising a spindle (19) forming said axis (19), about which said opening lever (21) and said catch (20) rotate. Closure device according to Claim 1, comprising means for inhibiting (23) said opening lever (21), wherein said means (23) for inhibiting (23) can be activated to prevent disengagement of the catch (20) from the hook (5, 6) even when the opening lever (21) is raised. Closure device according to Claims 6 and 9, wherein the said inhibiting means comprises a locking button (23) that can be moved from a first functional or unlocked position in which it keeps the catch (20) partly away from the back of the cavity (13, 14) in opposition to the action of the said elastic urging means (24), in such a way that the opening lever (21) can be lifted to disengage the catch from the said seat (6) in the protrusion (5), to a second functional or locked position in which the said locking button (23) does not act on the catch (20), so that the catch (20), under the action of the elastic urging means (24), projects into the back of the said cavity (13, 14) further than it can be withdrawn therefrom by the opening lever (21), and thus still remains engaged in the seat (6) of the protrusion (5). Suitcase comprising a first half-shell (101) and a second half-shell (102), characterized in that it includes a closure device in accordance with any one of the preceding claims. Suitcase according to Claim 11, comprising elastic means (250) for pushing the first and the second half-shells (101, 102) away from each other. Suitcase according to Claim 12, wherein said means (250) for pushing the first and second half-shell (101, 102) away from each other comprise at least one rubber seal (250) mounted on the edge (2, 4) of one of the two half shells (101, 102). Suitcase, beauty cases or the like, comprising a first half-shell (101), a second half-shell (102) and a closure devise, the said closure device being provided with: a hook (5,6) mounted on the first half-shell (101), a corresponding catch (20) mounted on the second half-shell (102) and rotatable about an axis (19), the catch (20) and the hook (5,6) forming a mutual snap releasable engagement by pushing the first and second half-shells towards each other, means (24) for elastically urging the catch (20) into a condition suitable for engagement with the hook (5, 6), and a rotatable opening lever (21) mounted to the second half-shell (102) and comprising a first edge (27) operatively associated to the catch (20) and a second edge opposite to the first edge, said opening lever (21) being suitable to rotate the catch about said axis (19) for disengaging it from said hook, characterised in that said opening lever (21) is operatively associated to said catch (20) in such a way that the second edge of the opening lever (21) can be raised with respect to the second half-shell (102) for producing the rotation of the catch (20) so disengaging it from the hook (5,6).

Inventors: RONCATO ENRICO, RONCATO, ENRICO
Applicants: VALIGERIA RONCATO SPA, VALIGERIA RONCATO S.P.A.
Application year: 1999
Main classification: A45C13
IPC codes: E05B65, A45C13