US2756794A - Key holder - Google Patents

Description

July 31, 1956 A. c. w. BUCKETT KEY HOLDER Filed Feb. 21, 1955 INVENTOR. Ara bur C M Buake Arron/vars.

United States Patent KEY HOLDER Arthur C. W. Buckett, Evanston, Ill.

Application February 21, 1955, Serial No. 489,377

2 Claims. (Cl. 150-40) This invention relates to a new and improved key holder adapted to hold one or more extra keys so that they will be quickly available for use.

One principal object of the invention is to provide a new and improved key holder adapted to hold one or more spare keys so that they will be quickly and easily accessible for use in the event that the owners main set of keys is lost or misplaced.

Likewise it is an object of the invention to provide a key holder of the foregoing character arranged so that the keys may readily be replaced in the holder.

A further object is to provide a new and improved key holder adapted to be received conveniently in a mans hip pocket wallet, a ladies wallet or purse, or in a vest pocket.

One other object is to provide an improved key holder which is convenient and durable yet is extremely low in cost.

Further objects and advantages of the invention will appear from the following description taken with the following drawing in which:

Figure 1 is a plan view of an exemplary key holder constituting an illustrative embodiment of the invention.

Fig. 2 is an end elevational view of the key holder of Fig. 1.

Fig. 3 is a side elevational view of the key holder of Fig. 1.

Figs. 4 and 5 are elevational sectional views taken generally along lines 44 and 5-5 in Fig. 1.

Fig. 6 is a longitudinal cross-sectional view similar to Fig. 5, but with the holder shown in a flexed position,

such as it might assume in a mans hip pocket wallet.

Fig. 7 is a plan view of a slightly modified key holder adapted to hold three keys in a single opening.

Every person has a definite need for a device to hold one or more spare keys in such a manner that they will be easily and quickly accessible in the event that the persons main set of keys is lost or misplaced. The drawings, considered in greater detail, illustrate such a key holder, designated 8 in Fig. 1.

In order that the key holder 8 may readily be received in a wallet, purse or pocket, the holder is provided with a fiat plate-like body 9. It will be seen that the illus trated body 9 is of generally rectangular shape and is of such a size as to fit into one of the end pockets of the wallet. The thickness of the body 9 corresponds closely to that of conventional flat keys of the type adapted to operate cylinder locks.

In order to receive one or more keys, the body 9 is formed with one or more apertures, two such apertures 10 and 11 being shown in Fig. 1. It will be seen that the aperture 10 is of such a shape as to accommodate a small key 12, such as might be employed to operate the ignition switch of an automobile. The aperture 11 is of a larger size so as to accommodate a larger key 13 adapted to operate a door lock of a house or other building.

The keys 12 and 13 are suspended in the apertures 10 and 11 by means of one or more straps 14 adherent to the opposite sides of the plate-like body. It is preferred to provide two parallel straps arranged in spaced relation on each side of body 9 as shown. The straps 14 extend across the apertures 10 and 11 so as to retain the keys 12 and 13.

The straps 14 preferably take the form of strips of tough pliable tape made of resinous plastic sheet material. The tape is of the type provided with a layer or film of pressure sensitive adhesive bonded to its underside. The adhesive is of a highly tenacious type so that it will adhere firmly to the surfaces of the body 9 and the keys 12 and 13. Moreover, the tape is of high adhesive integrity. In other words, the adhesive is firmly affixed to the tape so that it will not separate from the tape, even when the tape is lifted and replaced repeatedly. The well known Scotch transparent cellophane pressure sensitive tape, or the equivalent thereof, is highly suitable for use in making up the strips 14.

The plate-like body 9 is made so as to be highly pliable and resilient. In this way, the body 9 will be freely bendable under pressure or stress and hence will accommodate itself to body curvatures when the key holder is carried in a hip pocket wallet. The body 9 is made so as to be highly resistant to breaking and cracking when subjected to the type of repeated bending it will encounter when kept in a pocket wallet. By virtue of its resilience the body 9 will spring back to its original position after being bent and released.

The plate-like body 9 is also made so as to be extremely strong, and thereby resistant to permanent deformation or breaking under unusual stress, such as might be caused by bending the body around any acute irregularity. The body 9 is made with high surface integrity so that it will resist repeated lifting and replacing of the tapes 14.

To secure these qualities, it is preferred to form the body 9 of a tough pliable resilient natural or synthetic resinous plastic, rubber or rubberlike material. Polyethylene is one highly suitable plastic material. Another suitable material is a plastic and rubber combination distributed by the United States Rubber Company as Royalite-2882. It will be apparent to those skilled in the art that various other resinous plastic materials may be employed.

Fig. 7 illustrates a modified key holder 18 which is identical with the key holder 8 of Fig. 1 except that it is provided with a plate-like body 19 having a single large aperture 20 of such a shape as to receive three keys 21, 22 and 23. Tapes 14 of the same type as employed in the key holder of Fig. 1 are utilized in the holder of Fig. 7.

Keys may be inserted into the key holder of Fig. 1 by laying the plate-like body on a flat surface and placing the keys in the openings 11 and 12. It will be understood that the openings may be enlarged slightly with a file or sandpaper, if necessary to accommodate the keys. However, such enlargement will not ordinarily be necessary, since the openings are made large enough to accommodate the largest keys commonly employed for automobile and building locks. With the keys in place in the openings, adhesive straps are laid on the upper surface of the body so as to extend strategically across the openings approximately as shown on drawings. Then, the holder is inverted and straps are applied to the opposite surface, in aligned overlying relation to the first set of straps. It will be understood that the straps may be cut to the desired length from a roll of Scotch or other cellophane adhesive tape.

The key holder 8, with the keys held therein, is adapted to be inserted into one of the card pockets of a mans hip pocket wallet adjacent or among the cards in the pocket. It is also convenient to carry the key holder in a ladys purse or a pocket.

When the key holder 8 is carried in a mans hip pocket wallet, the holder is frequently subjected to bending, as shown in Fig. 6, for example. Because of the pliability of the body 9, the key holder conforms to body curvatures when the wallet is bent. It will be seen that the suspending tapes 14 permit the central portion of the key 13 to drop slightly beneath the curve of the platelike body 9 on the concave side thereof. Thus the ends of the key 13 project only slightly beyond the convex side of the body 9. Even though the adhesive tapes 14 may be pulled partially free under stress, they soon recover their previous contact with the body and the keys when the key holder is allowed to return to its original position. Such recovery of contact is effected by the normal pressure to which the key holder is subjected in a mans wallet, and is assisted by the body warmth of the owner.

Even if the key holder is bent around sharp cornered objects, which may be forcibly engaged by the wallet, the key holder will not be cracked, bent or otherwise permanently deformed. Instead, it will spring back to its original condition as soon as the stress is removed.

When carried in a wallet, purse or pocket, the key holder is always available when needed. A key may be removed from the holder by lifting the tapes. This may be easily done by pushing up gently on the desired key from beneath to free the tape.

This procedure is much easier than lifting the ends of the tapes from the body. With one set of tapes lifted, the key may be removed. It may be replaced by inserting the key in the opening and pressing the tapes back into place. Because of the surface integrity of the body 9 and the adhesive integrity of the tapes, this may be done repeatedly without affecting the ability of the tapes to hold the key securely in the body 9.

Various modifications, alternative constructions and equivalents may be employed without departing from the true spirit and scope of the invention, as exemplified in the foregoing description and defined in the following claims.

I claim:

1. A key holder for insertion into a wallet, purse, pocket, or the like to hold one or more spare keys, said holder comprising a pliable tough resilient plate-like body made of resinous plastic material, said body having an elongated aperture therethrough of a shape to receive at least one key in edgewise alignment with said body, said body being of a thickness corresponding to that of the key, and two pairs of adhesive carrying strips removably adherent to the opposite sides of said body and extending in spaced relation across said aperture transversely to the length thereof for retaining the key therein, said strips comprising tough pliable resinous plastic tape having a film of pressure sensitive adhesive affixed to its underside for removably securing said strips to said body and to the key when received in said aperture, said strips on each side of said body being of less total width than the length of said aperture and leaving at least one end portion of said aperture open to provide for flexing movement of said body relative to said key and easy removal of said key from said aperture, said body having surface integrity to resist damage due to repeated removal and replacement of said strips, said adhesive being separable from said body material while remaining adherent to said tape, whereby the key may be removed and replaced repeatedly.

2. A key holder for insertion into a wallet, purse, pocket or the like to hold one or more spare keys, said holder comprising a pliable tough resilient plate-like body having an elongated aperture therethrough of a shape to receive at least one key, said body being of a thickness corresponding to that of the key, first and second adhesive carrying strips removably adherent to the opposite sides of said body and extending across said aperture I transversely to the length thereof for suspending the key therein, said strips comprising tough pliable tape having pressure sensitive adhesive affixed to its underside for removably securing said strips to said body and to the one or more keys when received in said aperture, said strips being of less width than the length of said aperture and leaving at least one end portion of said aperture open to provide for flexing movement of said body relative to said key and easy removal of said key from said aperture, said body having surface integrity to resist repeated lifting and replacing of said strips, said adhesive being separable from said body while remaining adherent to said tape, whereby the one or more keys may be removed and replaced repeatedly.

References Cited in the file of this patent UNITED STATES PATENTS 467,428 Evans Dec/8, 1891 1,843,879 Love Feb. 2, 1932 1,929,167 Goldsmith Oct. 3, 1933 2,139,150 Curtis et a1. Dec. 6, 1938 2,616,559 Hyland Nov. 4, 1952 FOREIGN PATENTS 621,006 Great Britain Apr. 1, 1949

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