US3267541A - Safety pin - Google Patents

Description

Aug. 23, 1966 A. cHRoNEs 3,267,541

SAFETY PIN Filed July 17, 1964 INVENTOR ANTHONY CHRONES ATTORNEY United States Patent O 3,267,541 SAFETY PIN Anthony Chrones, Pawtucket, RJ., assigner to Reliance Molded Plastics Inc., Woonsocket, RJ., a corporation of Rhode Tfsllanwl Filed July 17, 1364, Ser. No. 383,347 2 Claims. (Cl. 24-158) The present invention relates to safety pins and more particularly to a lock type safety pin.

The principal object of the present invention is to provide a safety pin having simple and easily operated means for locking the pin in closed position.

Another object of the present invention is to provide a lock type safety pin in which the locking member is completely sealed so that there is no danger of opening.

A further `object of the present invention is to provide a lock type safety pin which is simple in construction and easy and economical to manufacture and assemble.

With the above and other objects and advantageous features in view my invention consists of a novel arrangement of parts more fully disclosed in the detailed description following in conjunction with the accompanying drawings, and more particularly defined in the appended claims.

In `the drawings,

FIG. 1 is a plan view of a lock type safety pin embodying my present invention in closed position.

FIG. 2 is a view similar to FIG. 1 with the locking hood removed.

FIG. 3 is a view similar to FIG. l with the pin in open position.

FIG. 4 is an enlarged section taken on line 4-4 on FIG. 3.

FIG. 5 is an enlarged section taken on line 5-5 on FIG. 3.

FIG. 6 is an enlarged section taken on line 6-6 on FIG. l.

The conventional safety pin is usually formed from a length of resilient wire bent to form a loop from which two lirnbs extend and which are spring biased at an angle apart from. each other so that a spring tension is required to draw them towards each other. The free end of one arm is provided with a fixed cap having an opening on one or both sides to receive the end of the other arm which is pointed. The cap forms a guard for the point. This is the usual safety pin. However, in practice it has been found that the pointed arm often accidently is removed from the cap. To this end, lock members have been provided which .are usually in the form of sheaths or auxiliarly caps which are slidable upon the main cap and are designed to close off the path of the pin after it is in place so that it cannot be accidently removed. The present invention is in this type of lock pin. In accordance with the present invention the lock hood is in a single piece without openings so that all danger of accidental removal is completely removed. Furthermore, the construction of the present invention is such that the cost of manufacture and assembly have been greatly reduced.

Referring more in detail `to the drawings illustrating my invention, the basic safety pin illustrated therein comprises a coil of spring wire 10 extending from each end of the coil to form arms 11 and 12. The arm 12 is pointed as shown in FIG. 3. Mounted on the end of the arm 11 is a conventional for-m of safety pin cap 13 which is of generally inverted U-shape with one leg 14 wrapped tightly around the upper end of the arm 11 and the other leg 15 forming a U-shaped channel for receiving the pointed arm 12 as shown in FIG. 4. The portion 14 which is wrapped around the arm 11, is also provided with an integral flat tongue portion 16 which extends towards the center of the U-shaped channel porr 3,267,541 Patented August 23, 1966 tion 15 to act as a guide and some safety means as illustrated in FIGS. 2 and 4.

I now provide a lock hood member 17 made in a generally inverted U-shape in the form of an inverted housing open at the bottom in a straight line and preferably made of drawn metal so that it is of a single unbroken piece without slots or side openings. The member 17 is provided with straight parallel sides as shown in FIGS. l, 2 and 3 and is designed to fit frictionally tightly over the cap 13 so that it is slidable thereon but frictionally retained in any given position. Adjacent the lower left hand corner, viewing FIG. l, the hood 17 is provided with a sharp inwardly extending detent 181 which has a gradual downward angle at the bottom end as can be more readily seen in FIG. 6, and a comparatively sharp upward angle at its upper end.

When the parts are assembled as shown in FIGS. l and 3, with the lock hood 17 mounted slidably over the cap 13, the detent 18 will bear downwardly on the tongue 16 adjacent the portion 14 wrapped around the arm 11. This forms a guide for the sliding movement of the cap upwardly and downwardly. Now referring rto FIG. 3, the lock hood 17 is pulled upwardly until the detent 18 engages the upper edge of the tongue 16 and the thickened U-shaped portion of the cap 13. This acts as a stopl and prevents the lock hood from moving upwardly any further. In this position, as can be seen in FIG. 3, the pointed portion 12 has suiiicient room to swing inwardly into the channel portion 15 into locking position shown in FIG. 2. Now the lock hood 17 is moved downwardly until the detent 18 snaps by the bottom edge of the tongue 16 into the position shown in FIG. 6. This snapping action locks the hood 17 into `downward position as shown in FIG. l. In this position there is now no room nor passageway which will enable the pointed end 12 to be released from the cap 13. The pin can therefore not be opened until the hood 17 is pulled upwardly against the frictional action of the detent 18 and snapped into the position shown in FIG. 3. The close frictional relation of the parts forms a drag which tends to retard the movement of the hood on the cap and thus retain the hood in either open or closed position as desired.

The hooded portion of the present invention can readily be drawn and formed in a single piece and the entire pin is easily assembled. Cost of manufacture and assembly have been greatly reduced and the resultant pin is provided with a positive locking action because of the closed nature -of the lock hood. Other advantages of the present invention will be readily apparent to a person skilled in the art.

I claim:

1. A lock safety pin comprising a spring wire bent into a loop having integral spring arms extending therefrom, an inverted U-shaped cap having one leg secured to one of said arms, the other of said arms being pointed, the other leg of said cap forming a U-shaped channel for receiving said pointed arm in closed position, an integral at tongue extending from said rst leg toward said channel leg but spaced therefrom to form a slot for the passage of said pointed arm, and a lock hood mounted on said cap, said hood comprising an inverted U-shaped housing having a solid unbroken wall portion and open at the bottom, said hood being frictionally slidably mounted on said cap whereby in raised position said pointed arm can be moved into and out of engagement with said cap, and said hood locking said arm in said cap in lowered position and means integral with said hood for releasably retaining said hood in raised or lowered position, said retaining means guiding said hood during its sliding movement, said retaining means forming a stop to prevent withdrawal of said hood from said cap, said retaining means engaging the bottom edge of said tongue to releasably lock said hood in lowermost locking Aposition on said cap.

2. A lock safety pin comprising a spring Wire bent into a loop having integral spring arms extending therefrom, an inverted U-shaped cap having one leg bent around and secured to one of said arms, ,the other of said arms being pointed, the other leg of said cap forming a U- shaped channel for receiving said pointed arm in closed position, an integral flat tongue extending from said rst leg toward said channel leg but spaced btherefrom to form a slot for the passage of said pointed arm, and a lock hood mounted on said cap, said hood comprising an inverted U-shaped housing having a solid unbroken Wall portion and open at the bottom, said hood being frictionally slidably mounted on said cap whereby in raised position said pointed arm can y.be moved into and out of engagement with said cap, and said hood locking said arm in said cap in lowered position and -means integral with said hood for releasably retaining said hood in raised or lowered position, said means including a detent in said References Cited by the Examiner UNITED STATES PATENTS 1,170,508 2/1916 Boye 24-161 1,546,697 7/1925 Young 24-158 2,668,996 2/1954 Ku-rnrnli 24-158 2,893,091 7/1959 Mitchell 24-158 OTHER REFERENCES German printed application H 19440, 10/1956.

WILLIAM FELDMAN, Primary Examiner.

D. GRIFFIN, Assistant Examiner.

Claims (1)

1. A LOCK SAFETY PIN COMPRISING A SPRING WIRE BENT INTO A LOOP HAVING INTEGRAL SPRING ARMS EXTENDING THEREFROM, AN INVERTED U-SHAPED CAP HAVING ONE LEG SECURED TO ONE OF SAID ARMS, THE OTHER OF SAID ARMS BEING POINTED, THE OTHER LEG OF SAID CAP FORMING A U-SHAPED CHANNEL FOR RECEIVING SAID POINTED ARM IN CLOSED POSITION, AN INTEGRAL FLAT TONGUE EXTENDING FROM SAID LEG TOWARD SAID CHANNEL LEG BUT SPACED THEREFROM TO FORM A SLOT FOR THE PASSAGE OF SAID POINTED ARM, AND A LOCK HOOD MOUNTED ON SAID CAP, SAID HOOD COMPRISING AN INVERTED U-SHAPED HOUSING HAVING A SOLID UNBROKEN WALL PORTION AND OPEN AT THE BOTTOM, SAID HOOD BEING FRICTIONALLY SLIDABLY MOUNTED ON SAID CAP WHEREBY IN RAISED POSITION SAID POINTED ARM CAN BE MOVED INTO AND OUT OF ENAGEMENT WITH SAID CAP, AND SAID HOOD LOCKING SAID ARM IN SAID CAP IN LOWERED POSITION AND MEANS INTEGRAL WITH SAID HOOD FOR RELEASABLY RETAINING SAID HOOD IN RAISED OR LOWERED POSITION, SAID RETAINING MEANS GUIDING SAID HOOD DURING ITS SLIDING MOVEMENT, SAID RETAINING MEANS FORMING A STOP TO PREVENT WITHDRAWAL OF SAID HOOD FROM SAID CAP, SAID RETAINING MEANS ENGAGING THE BOTTOM EDGE OF SAID TONGUE TO RELEASABLY LOCK SAID HOOD IN LOWERMOST LOCKING POSITION ON SAID CAP.

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