GB2225605A

GB2225605A - A fastening device and security storage system using the same

Info

Publication number: GB2225605A
Application number: GB8828161A
Authority: GB
Inventors: Roy Basil Walter Lowndes
Original assignee: Individual
Current assignee: Individual
Priority date: 1988-12-02
Filing date: 1988-12-02
Publication date: 1990-06-06
Anticipated expiration: 2008-12-02
Also published as: GB2225605B; GB8828161D0

Abstract

A ring 20, for example for a key, is carried on a first part 10 having a head 14 and neck 16. The first part 10 can be mounted on a second part 12 which can be releasably carried on a pocket, belt or the like of a wearer. The second part 12 has a keyhole comprising an aperture 24 through which the head 14 can be passed and a slot 22 to receive the neck 16. A leaf spring 26 closes the aperture 24 to prevent accidental disengagement of the first part 10 from the second part 12. When not in use, a plurality of the first parts 10 with attached keys are stored in a system including a support 50 in a lockable cabinet. The support 50 has apertures, slots and leaf springs to hold the bodies 10 in a similar way to that in which they are held individually by the second parts 12 and may also be provided with a locking bar 52 and pad lock 54 to block the action of the leaf springs. <IMAGE>

Description

"FASTENING DEVICE AND SECURITY STORAGE SYSTEM USING THE SAME" This invention relates to a fastening device and a security storage system using the same. The invention is more particularly concerned with devices for the fastening of keys, tools, identity cards and other items to be worn or carried by a user and to facilitate secure storage of same when not in use.

It is known to provide a storage system for keys in which keys are stored on hooks in a lockable cabinet. The hooks can be numbered or provided with some other form of identification and may be arranged in rows within the cabinet to provide quick identification and location of keys and control over their issue and use. In a previously known system, the keys are secured to tags bearing corresponding numbering or other identification, the tags being apertured to enable them to be stored on the hooks.

It is an object of one aspect of the present invention to provide an improved fastening device for items such as keys, tools, identity cards, and sensing devices e.g. gas sensors and radiation sensors.

It is an object of a second aspect of the present invention to provide a security storage system for enabling such items to be conveniently stored.

According to said one aspect of the present invention, there is provided a fastening device comprising first and second parts which are adapted to be detachably secured together, said first part including a first body having a head joined to the remainder of the first body via a neck, said first body being formed to enable an item to be carried thereby in use, and said second part including a second body having a slot therethrough which is of a width to receive said neck but prevent passage of said head, said second body also having an aperture therethrough of a size to receive said head, said slot communicating with said aperture so that, in use, the first part can be joined to the second part by inserting the head through the aperture and then sliding the first part relative to the second part to engage the neck in the slot, and a retaining device comprising a resilient element which is secured to said second part and which is biased into a position in which a part thereof obscures said aperture, said resilient element being movable against its resilient biasing into a position in which the aperture is sufficiently exposed to enable said head to be passed through the aperture.

In a convenient embodiment, said first body has a ring secured thereto, said ring receiving said item in use.

Said resilient element may be provided with a knob or other protuberance thereon to facilitate manual deflection thereof away from its aperture-obscuring position.

The second body may be formed so as to enable it to be secured to a pocket or the belt of the user, or it may formed so that it can be contained in a special wallet or attached to a chain around the neck of the user.

The second body may be provided with more than one slot and aperture therethrough so that more than one of said first parts can be secured to the second body.

According to said second aspect of the present invention, there is provided a security storage system comprising a multiplicity of first parts including first bodies, each first body having a head joined to the remainder of the first body via a neck, each said first body being adapted so that an item to be stored can be fastened thereto; and a second part including a second body having a multiplicity of slots therethrough which are of a size to receive said necks of the first parts, said second part also having apertures therethrough which communicate with the respective slots, said apertures being of a size to enable said heads of the first bodies to pass therethrough; and retaining means secured to said second body and resiliently biased into a position in which part of said retaining means obscures said apertures, said retaining means being moveable out of the aperture-obscuring position to enable a head of one of the first bodies to be passed through the respective aperture; and releasable securing means for preventing said retaining means from being moved out of said aperture-obscuring position, whereby when the securing means is operated with the first parts secured to the second part, the detachment of said first parts from second part is prevented until the securing means is released.

In a convenient embodiment, the securing means takes the form of a bar which can be secured in position by a padlock or the like, said bar overlying said retaining means to retain the latter in said aperture-obscuring position.

Conveniently, the retaining means includes a separate resilient element for each aperture.

Most conveniently each retaining element takes the form of a leaf spring which is anchored at a first location to said second body and which over lies the respective aperture at a second location spaced from the first.

Embodiments of the present invention will now be described, by way of example, with reference to the accompanying drawings, in which: Fig. 1 is a front elevation of a fastening device according to one embodiment of the present invention, Fig. 2 is a side elevation of the fastening device of Fig. 1, Figs. 3 and 4 are side elevations of second and third embodiments, respectively, of fastening device according to the present invention, Fig. 5 is a front elevation of a fourth embodiment of a fastening device according to the present invention, Fig. 6 is a side elevation of the fastening device of Fig. 5, Fig. 7 is a front elevation of a security storage system incorporating fastening devices according to the present invention, Fig. 8 is a side elevation of the storage system of Fig 7, and Fig. 9 is a rear elevation of the storage system of Figs. 7 and 8.

Referring now to Figs. 1 and 2, the fastening device illustrated therein comprises a first part 10 and a second part 12. The first part 10 includes a first body 13 including a head 14 which is integrally joined with the remainder of the body 13 via a neck 16. The remainder of the body 13 is of a sufficiently large diameter to facilitate manual gripping and is knurled. The body 13 further includes a flange 18 which is apertured to receive a ring 20, forming a portion of the first part 10, upon which a key or other item to be stored and carried by a user is mounted. Such an item is not shown in the drawings.

The second part 12 includes a second body 21 fabricated out of sheet metal so as to take the form of a loop (see Fig. 2) which is of a size so that a belt can be passed therethrough to enable the second part 12 to be carried on the belt of a user.

Adjacent its lower end, the second body 21 has a slot 22 therethrough. The slot 22 extending in the vertical direction to the lower end of the body 21 and communicating at its upper end with an aperture 24. The slot 22 is of a width to accommodate the neck 16 which is of circular section. The head 14 is larger than the slot 22 so that it cannot be passed through the slot, but is smaller than the aperture 24. Thus, the first body 13 can be engaged with the second body 21 by inserting the head 14 through the aperture 24 so that the neck 16 lies in the aperture 24. Following this, the first body 13 can be slid into the position illustrated in Fig. 2 relative to the second body 21, with the neck being engaged in the slot 22.

The second part 12 also includes a leaf or reed spring 26 secured at its top to the second body 21 internally thereof by means of a rivet 28. The lower end of the leaf spring 26 overlies the aperture 24 and is biased into a position in which it obscures the aperture 24 and lies against the internal surface of the body 21 (see particularly Fig. 2). The leaf spring 26 is provided with a manually-operable knob thereon which extends through a further aperture 32 provided in the second body 21. An identification label 34 is provided on the external surface of the second body 21 so as to hide the portion of the rivet 28 which would otherwise be visible on the external surface of the body 21.

Upon depression of the knob 32, the leaf spring 26 is urged inwardly against its inherent biasing by an amount sufficient to allow passage of the head 14 between the leaf spring 26 and the internal surface of the body 21. Thus, the first part 10 can be manoeuvred into a position in which the head 14 lies opposite the aperture 24 to allow detachment of the first part 10 from the second part 12. The knob 32 may also be used when securing the part 10 to the part 12. However, it is also possible merely to deflect the leaf spring 26 by depressing the portion thereof which is exposed in the aperture 24 using the head 14. This permits the first part 10 to be snapped into engagement with the second part 12 when desired. The label 34 is used to provide identification of the item attached to the ring 20 and/or identification of the user, as desired.

Referring now to Fig. 3, the fastening device illustrated therein is similar to that of Figs. 1 and 2 and similar parts are accorded the same reference numerals. However, in this embodiment, the second part 12, instead of being adapted -ta be attached to a belt of the user, is adapted to clip onto the material of a pocket on the clothing of a user. In this regard, the second body 21 has a portion 40 which extends downwardly and outwardly over an upwardly projecting portion 42 of the body 21. The upper edge of the pocket can be engaged between the portions 40 and 42, upon which downward movement of the second part 12 relative to the pocket causes the second part 12 to be securely attached thereto.

Thereafter, the first part 10 can be engaged and removed at will from the second part 12 without disturbing the connection between the second part 12 and the pocket.

In the embodiment of Fig. 4, the second body 21 is provided with an upper loop 44 to enable the second part 12 to be mounted on a chain (not shown) around the neck of the user.

In the embodiment illustrated in Figs. 5 and 6, the second body 21 is designed to accept more than one (three, in this embodiment) first body 13. The second part 12 includes individual leaf springs 26, each having their own knob 30. Thus, each first part 10 can be fastened to and disengaged from the second part 12 independently of the others. The second body 21 is provided with an upper loop 46 to enable the second body 12 to be engaged with a suitable mounting rod (not shown) in a wallet to be carried by the user.

The first parts 10 described and illustrated hereinabove in Figs. 1-6 are intended to be stored in a security storage system which is illustrated partly in Figs. 7-9. The security storage system includes a fabricated support 50 which is formed of sheet metal and which is an extended version of the second part 12 illustrated in Figs. 1 and 2 adapted to accept a multiplicity of first parts 10 in a similar way. The support 50 is adapted to be secured in a lockable cabinet (not shown) which may also contain one or more other similar supports 50. A locking bar 52 with padlock 54 can be passed longitudinally through the support 50 and secured in position to prevent inward deflection of the leaf springs 26. Thus, unauthorised removal of the first parts 10 and items secured thereto from the body 50 is made difficult even when the lockable cabinet is open or dispensed with completely.

It is envisaged that supports such as support 50 could be mounted at a convenient location on a wall in a hotel lobby and used for the easy storage of hotel room keys when not being carried by hotel guests.

The support 50 can be secured in any desired fashion for example using suitable screws which engage in keyhole slots 56 (see Fig. 9).

Instead of being used for the storage and secure release of keys to authorised persons, the device and system of the present invention can be used for other items e.g. identity cards, tools, x-ray dosimeters and other devices for sensing materials such as poisonous gases etc.

In a further embodiment (not shown), the second part 12 is adapted to be engaged with a belt worn by the user without having to unbuckle the belt. In such an embodiment, the second body 21 is formed of front and rear parts which are hinged together at the top via a horizontal pivot. The rear part can be passed around the back of the belt. The front and rear part of the body 21 at the bottom thereof can be so mutually configured as to be a snap-fit one with the other. Thus, after the body 21 has been engaged over the belt, the front and rear portions can be snap fitted together so that the second body 21 securely embraces the belt.

Claims

1. A fastening device comprising first and second parts which are adapted to be detachably secured together, said first part including a first body having a head joined to the remainder of the first body via a neck, said first body being formed to enable an item to be carried thereby in use, and said second part including a second body having a slot therethrough which is of a width to receive said neck but prevent passage of said head, said second body also having an aperture therethrough of a size to receive said head, said slot communicating with said aperture so that, in use, the first part can be joined to the second part by inserting the head through the aperture and then sliding the first part relative to the second part to engage the neck in the slot, and a retaining device comprising a resilient element which is secured to said second part and which is biased into a position in which a part thereof obscures said aperture, said resilient element being movable against its resilient biasing into a position in which the aperture is sufficiently exposed to enable said head to be passed through the aperture.

2. A device as claimed in claim 1, wherein said first body has a ring secured thereto, said ring receiving said item in use.

3. A device as claimed in claim 1 or 2, wherein said resilient element is provided with a knob or other protuberance thereon to facilitate manual deflection thereof away from its aperture-obscuring position.

4. A device as claimed in claim 1, 2 or 3, wherein the second body is provided with more than one slot and aperture therethrough so that more than one of said first parts can be secured to the second body.

5. A security storage system comprising a multiplicity of first parts including first bodies, each first body having a head joined to the remainder of the first body via a neck, each said first body being adapted so that an item to be stored can be fastened thereto; and a second part including a second body having a multiplicity of slots'therethrough which are of a size to receive said necks of the first parts, said second part also having apertures therethrough which communicate with the respective slots, said apertures being of a size to enable said heads of the first bodies to pass therethrough; and retaining means secured to said second body and resiliently biased into a position in which part of said retaining means obscures said apertures, said retaining means being movable out of the apertureobscuring position to enable a head of one of the first bodies to be passed through the respective aperture; and releasable securing means for preventing said retaining means from being moved out of said aperture-obscuring position, whereby when the securing means is operated with the first parts secured to the second part, the detachment of said first parts from second part is prevented until the securing means is released.

6. A system as claimed in claim 5, wherein the securing means takes the form of a bar which can be secured in position by a padlock or the like, said bar overlying said retaining means to retain the latter in said aperture-obscuring position.

7. A system as claimed in claim 5 or 6, wherein the retaining means includes a separate resilient element for each aperture.

8. A system as claimed in claim 5, 6 or 7 , wherein each retaining element takes the form of a leaf spring which is anchored at a first location to said second body and which overlies the respective aperture at a second location spaced from the first.

9. A device as claimed in claim 1, substantially as hereinbefore described with reference to Figs. 1 and 2, or Figs. 3 and 4, or Figs 5 and 6 of the accompanying drawings.

10. A system as claimed in claim 5, substantially as hereinbefore described with reference to Figs. 7 to 9 of the accompanying drawings.