Patent Publication Number: US-2022220778-A1

Title: Zipper lock

Description:
CROSS-REFERENCE TO RELATED APPLICATIONS 
     The present application claims priority to and the benefit of U.S. Provisional Patent Application No. 63/137,391, filed Jan. 14, 2021, the contents of which are hereby incorporated in their entirety. 
    
    
     BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION 
     People who have (or once had) small children, such as from infants to children three years of age, will understand a need in the art for a means for preventing these children from accessing their personal belongings or other materials to which access prevention is desirable. All too frequently these small children will gain access to their parents&#39; handbags, briefcases, diaper bags or other accessories or luggage containing materials that are not appropriate for children to access. Some such accessories or luggage items may contain locking mechanisms, but in particular bags with zippers may not be equipped with a means to prevent children from accessing their contents. Thus, there is a long felt need in the art for a locking mechanism for bags with zippers that prevents small children from accessing the contents while enabling adults to easily lock and unlock the bags as needed, without, for example, using a key or combination lock. 
     SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION 
     The invention is that of a zipper lock as described throughout the disclosure, exemplary embodiments of which are illustrated in the accompanying drawings. It is one object of the present invention to keep small children out of diaper bags, which they have a tendency to open too frequently. However, the invention has more general applicability to most bags with zippers, and in particular zippers with two sliders that may be locked together using a device as described herein. 
     A zipper lock according to the present invention is suitable for locking one or two sliders in place such that small children may not move the sliders to access a bag having zippers as a means for opening and closing, while at the same time enabling easy opening by any adult with proper finger strength and dexterity to easily access and reseal. Unlike traditional zipper pulls, the present invention includes a locking mechanism that may be easily opened and closed by depressing a button to activate and deactivate a clasp for locking the system. Embodiments of the invention may be applicable to backpacks for public transit passengers, for example, helping to prevent theft or otherwise unauthorized access to personal items. The invention may be useful in deterring thieves inasmuch as a zipper lock as described herein may not have been encountered before and as such a thief may perceive that the amount of time to access the bag having the zipper lock would be unacceptably long and thus move on to another target not having such a lock. 
    
    
     
       BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS 
         FIG. 1  is a top front isometric view an illustrative embodiment of a zipper lock as described and claimed herein, configured with a single button, in its locked position. 
         FIG. 2  is a top rear isometric view of the embodiment of  FIG. 1  in its locked position. 
         FIG. 3  is a front view of the embodiment of  FIG. 1  in its locked position. 
         FIG. 4  is a rear view of the embodiment of  FIG. 1  in its locked position. 
         FIG. 5  is a left view of the embodiment of  FIG. 1 . 
         FIG. 6  is a right view of the embodiment of  FIG. 1 . 
         FIG. 7  is a top view of the embodiment of  FIG. 1  in its locked position. 
         FIG. 8  is a bottom view of the embodiment of  FIG. 1  in its locked position. 
         FIG. 9  is a top front isometric view of the embodiment of  FIG. 1  in its open position. 
         FIG. 10  is a top front isometric view an illustrative embodiment of a zipper lock as described and claimed herein, configured with two buttons, in its locked position. 
         FIG. 11  is a top rear isometric view of the embodiment of  FIG. 10  in its locked position. 
         FIG. 12  is a front view of the embodiment of  FIG. 10  in its locked position. 
         FIG. 13  is a rear view of the embodiment of  FIG. 10  in its locked position. 
         FIG. 14  is a left view of the embodiment of  FIG. 10 . 
         FIG. 15  is a right view of the embodiment of  FIG. 10 . 
         FIG. 16  is a top view of the embodiment of  FIG. 10  in its locked position. 
         FIG. 17  is a bottom view of the embodiment of  FIG. 10  in its locked position. 
         FIG. 18  is a top front isometric view of the embodiment of  FIG. 10  in its open position. 
     
    
    
     DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION 
     The invention of a zipper lock as described throughout the present disclosure is best described with reference to the exemplary embodiments illustrated in the accompanying drawings. An illustrative embodiment with a single button for actuating the locking and unlocking of a zipper lock as described herein is shown in the various views presented in  FIGS. 1-9 . An alternative embodiment having two buttons for actuating the locking and unlocking of a zipper lock as described herein is illustrated in the views shown as  FIGS. 10-18 . Other embodiments are plausible, as will be recognized by one of ordinary skill in the art, each having general applicability to most bags or similar articles figured with zipper closures, and in particular zippers with two sliders that may be locked together using a device as described herein. 
     Turning now to the illustrative embodiments presented herein,  FIG. 1  illustrates a top front isometric view of an embodiment A of a zipper lock as described and claimed herein in its locked position. As can be seen in  FIG. 1 , a zipper lock as described herein comprises two housings  101  that may be locked together and unlocked as described in further detail below. A carabiner  102  is attached to the top of each housing such that it is capable of rotating slightly inward (i.e., toward the opposite housing) when light pressure is applied to the outside of the carabiner  102  causing the carabiner  102  to rotate about an axis defined by a thin rod  103  spanning a thickness  110  of a housing  101  passing through a nut  104  into which the end of the carabiner  102  nearest the interface  111  between the two housings  102  is inserted. 
       FIG. 2  illustrates a top rear isometric view of the embodiment of  FIG. 1  in its locked position. A button  201  connected to a deadbolt  202  is configured such that when the button  201  is depressed, the deadbolt  202  is depressed to enable unlocking of the housings  101  from one another. 
     Front and rear views of the embodiment of  FIG. 1  in its locked position are illustrated in  FIGS. 3 and 4 , respectively, with the button  201  and deadbolt  202  set in the locked position as shown in  FIG. 4 . Left and right side views of the same are shown in  FIGS. 5 and 6 , respectively. Top and bottom views of the same are shown in  FIGS. 7 and 8 , respectively. 
     Turning to  FIG. 9 , a top front isometric view of the illustrative embodiment of  FIG. 1  is shown in its open position to illustrate in further detail the function of the zipper lock according to  FIG. 1 . The housing  101  on the left side of the drawing comprises a cavity  901  into which a deadbolt  202  may be inserted when button  201  is depressed and the housings  101  are moved together at interface  111 , then when button  201  is released, deadbolt  202  protrudes through a lock bore  902  on the rear face of the housing  101  on the left of the drawing. 
     An alternate embodiment of a zipper lock according to the present disclosure is illustrated in  FIGS. 10-18 , with  FIG. 10  illustrating a top front isometric view of the embodiment B and  FIG. 11  illustrating a top rear isometric view of the same, which is configured with two buttons, in its locked position. As can be seen in  FIGS. 10 and 11 , a zipper lock according to this embodiment comprises two housings  101  that may be locked together and unlocked as described in further detail below. A carabiner  102  is attached to the top of each housing such that it is capable of rotating slightly inward (i.e., toward the opposite housing) when light pressure is applied to the outside of the carabiner  102  causing the carabiner  102  to rotate about an axis defined by a thin rod  103  spanning a thickness  110  of a housing  101  passing through a nut  104  into which the end of the carabiner  102  nearest the interface  111  between the two housings  102  is inserted. In this embodiment, two buttons  201  each connected to a deadbolt  202  is configured such that when a button  201  is depressed, the corresponding deadbolt  202  is depressed to enable unlocking of the housings  101  from one another. 
     Front and rear views of embodiment B in its locked position are illustrated in  FIGS. 12 and 13 , respectively, with the button  201  and deadbolt  202  set in the locked position. Left and right side views of the same are shown in  FIGS. 14 and 15 , respectively. Top and bottom views of the same are shown in  FIGS. 16 and 17 , respectively. 
     Turning to  FIG. 18 , a top front isometric view of illustrative embodiment B is shown in its open position to illustrate in further detail the function of the zipper lock according to  FIGS. 10 and 11 . The housing  101  on the left side of the drawing comprises a cavity  901  into which a deadbolt  202  may be inserted when button  201  is depressed and the housings  101  are moved together at interface  111 , then when button  201  is released, deadbolt  202  protrudes through a lock bore  902  on the rear face of the housing  101  on the left of the drawing. The same features and functionality, although not shown, are present on the reverse side of the view, with the button and deadbolt being configured on opposite housings, as one of ordinary skill in the art will appreciate when considering  FIG. 18  in view of  FIGS. 10 and 11 . 
     It will be appreciated by one of ordinary skill in the art that while the illustrative embodiments of the drawings of the present disclosure show the faces of each housing being configured as a rectangle with a substantially semi-circular or rounded end, other configurations are possible. 
     For example, carabiners need not be used exclusively as the means for securing two zipper pulls together, or a single zipper pull to another part of a bag for locking. Not only that, but where carabiners are used, they need not be presented in a horseshoe shaped configuration as they are in the illustrative embodiments of the accompanying drawings, not do they need to rotate inward as described above. Rather, the nut described herein could be absent from alternative embodiments and each carabiner could rotate outward from a top surface of a housing to then be secured to a zipper pull and rotated back inward. 
     The housings illustrated in the drawings may take multiple shapes and need not be presented as rectangular with substantially rounded edges as they are in the illustrative embodiments of the drawings. Additionally, but buttons and deadbolts may be configured in different sizes and shapes, so long as they comprise a locking means securing the housings together once the one or more zipper pulls as described herein have been secured. Indeed, one of ordinary skill in the art could envision a configuration where a locking and unlocking means such as a button and deadbolt combination could appear on the side of each housing rather than the front or rear face. Additionally, the deadbolt could be replaced with a hook or clasp suitable for locking the housings together. These and other possible configurations will be readily appreciated by one of ordinary skill in the art.