HK1243291B - Container, such as a bag or a leather article, comprising a clasp - Google Patents

Description

Containers such as bags or leather goods that include a clasp

Technical Field

The present invention relates to a container such as a bag or leather goods comprising a clasp.

Background Art

Different types of containers are known - for example bags or leather goods - which are provided with a clasp designed to keep two flaps or walls belonging to a container such as a bag or leather goods close to or overlapping each other.

For example, there are bags provided with a buckle that can be fixed to one of the flaps or walls and is designed so that a part of the buckle is introduced into a buckle hole provided on the other of the flaps or walls in order to allow the above-mentioned flaps or walls to be closed or in any case to be brought closer to each other.

A bag provided with a buckle of the above-mentioned type is disclosed in patent EP 0821894, for example.

However, bags provided with clasps known in the prior art suffer from different disadvantages.

Summary of the Invention

The object of the present invention is to provide a container, such as a bag or leather goods, provided with a snap fastener, which container is able to overcome the disadvantages of the prior art and at the same time can be manufactured in a simple and economical manner.

In particular, one of the technical problems solved by the present invention is to provide a container, such as a bag or leather goods, provided with a snap fastener that is reliable, easy to use and not too bulky.

According to the present invention, this and other problems are solved by means of a container, such as a bag or leather goods, comprising a clasp.

Other features and advantages of the present invention will be best understood from a perusal of the following detailed description, which is provided by way of example and particularly with reference to the accompanying drawings briefly described below, but not by way of limitation.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

1 is a perspective view of a buckle designed for use in a container such as a bag or leather goods, according to one embodiment of the present invention.

2a-2c are side views showing a series of operating states that the buckle shown in FIG. 1 can assume.

3 is a perspective view of a variation of a buckle designed for use in a container such as a bag or leather goods, according to another embodiment of the present invention.

4 is a perspective view of a container, such as a bag, made in accordance with one embodiment of the present invention and including a pair of clasps shown in FIGs. 1 and 2a-2c.

5a, 5b and 5c are schematic side cross-sectional views of the bag shown in FIG. 4, wherein the buckle and the bag can be seen in a series of operating states.

6 is a partial perspective view of a bag made according to another embodiment, wherein the bag includes a clasp of the type shown in FIG. 3 .

FIG. 7 is a partial perspective view of the bag shown in FIG. 6 , here shown in another operational state.

8 is a perspective view of a bag according to another embodiment of the present invention.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION

In particular, referring to Figures 1 and 2a-2c, reference numeral 1 generally designates a buckle (or closure device) for use with a container, such as a bag or leather goods, made according to an exemplary embodiment of the present invention.

In the embodiment shown, the container is a bag or leather goods. However, since the principle of the present invention can also be applied to other products that can hold objects or articles, this aspect should not be considered as limiting the scope of protection defined for the present invention.

The buckle 1 includes a fixing portion 10 for fixing to one flap or wall of a container. Furthermore, the buckle 1 includes a widened portion, such as, by way of example, a tab 12, which prevents the buckle 1 from being removed from a buckle hole provided in another flap or wall of the container. Furthermore, the buckle 1 includes an intermediate connecting portion, such as, by way of example, a rod 14, which is rotationally connected to the fixing portion 10 and the tab 12, respectively, via a first hinge 21 and a second hinge 22.

As can be seen in Figures 2a-2c, the fixing portion 10 and the buckle 12 are configured to rotate relative to the rod 14 under the action of the user, thereby moving the buckle 1 between a plurality of different operating states.

In particular, the buckle 1 can present:

a compact state ( FIG. 2 a ), in which the cleat 12 and the fixing portion 10 are close to each other and juxtaposed on opposite sides relative to the rod 14 ;

- extended state ( FIG. 2 b ), in which the tab 12 is substantially aligned with the rod 14 , thereby allowing the buckle 1 to move towards the buckle hole;

- Closed state (FIG. 2c), in which the fixing portion 10 and the locking piece 12 are arranged at a certain distance from each other, ie the locking piece 12 is arranged in a direction substantially perpendicular to the rod 14, thereby preventing the buckle 1 from being removed from the buckle hole.

Thus, the cleat 12 is conveniently a plate-like or substantially two-dimensional element.

At least one of the hinges 21 , 22 is a planar hinge forming a hinge constraint enabling the connected components to rotate about a hinge axis.

Preferably, both hinges 21 , 22 are planar hinges.

1 , the hinge axes of the planar hinges 21 and 22 are parallel to each other. Alternatively, the hinge axes of the planar hinges 21 and 22 may not be parallel to each other, for example, the hinge axes may be skewed.

According to another embodiment of the invention (not shown), at least one hinge is a spherical hinge.The term "spherical hinge" refers to a hinge constraint that enables the connected components to rotate three-dimensionally in space around a point.

1 , the fixing portion 10 comprises a substantially two-dimensional plate 16. In particular, the plate 16 has a cross-section that is substantially similar to the cross-section of the cleat 12.

1 for reasons of simplicity, the plate 16 is associated with a plurality of sheets 18 connected to one another to form a polygonal structure. The plate 10 and the sheets 18 form an opening 19 for constraining the device 1 to the attachment of a cover.

In the embodiment shown, the first hinge 21 is arranged at one axial end of the rod 14 .

In the embodiment shown, the second hinge 22 is arranged at the (other) axial end of the rod 14 .

Preferably, the first hinge 21 is arranged, for example, in the middle or in the center of the fixed portion of the plate 16. In particular, in the closed state, the plate 16 extends transversely relative to the rod 14 on opposite sides.

Preferably, the second hinge 22 is arranged, for example, in the middle or center of the widened portion of the clasp 12. In particular, in the closed state, the clasp 12 extends transversely on opposite sides relative to the rod 14.

A description of the operation of the buckle 1 can be found below with reference to Figures 2a-2c.

In Figure 2a, buckle 1 is in a compact or resting state, wherein the distance between tab 12 and securing portion 10 is at its shortest. Tab 12 and plate 16 are parallel to each other and also to rod 14. This arrangement allows the device to be compact when not engaged with a buttonhole provided in a flap or wall of a bag.

As can be seen in the figures, the intermediate connecting part is preferably a rod 14 or, in any case, the intermediate connecting part extends longitudinally in particular in a rectilinear manner.

By rotating the rod 14 relative to the fixing part 10 (in this example, by 90°), the buckle 1 reaches the extended or inserted state shown in FIG2 b , in which the buckle 12 and the connecting element 14 are parallel to each other. In this position, the buckle 1 can be easily introduced into or removed from the buttonhole provided on the bag.

After the clasp 12—and a portion of the rod 14—has been inserted through the buttonhole, the user rotates the clasp 12 relative to the rod 14 (through 90° in this example) to bring the device into the closed position shown in Figure 2c. In this position, the clasp 12 is rotated relative to the rod 14 (in this example, they are substantially perpendicular) to prevent the buckle 1 from being removed from the buttonhole provided on the bag.

Preferably, at least one of the planar hinges 21 and/or 22 has a cam profile that is used to maintain a predetermined relative angular position between the rod 14 and at least one of the fixing portion 10 and the clasp 12. The cam is configured to provide greater resistance to rotation about the hinge 21, 22 when the elements connected by the hinge are in a predetermined relative angular position, thereby more securely holding the elements in the predetermined position. Furthermore, the cam can also be configured to provide greater resistance at different relative angular positions of the connected elements.

If a cam profile is obtained on the first hinge 21, the connected elements are the rod 14 and the fixed part 10. On the other hand, if a cam profile is obtained on the second hinge 22, the connected elements are the rod 14 and the cleat 12.

Conveniently, both hinges 21, 22 have a cam profile. Preferably, the cam profiles of the hinges 21, 22 are made to hold the buckle 1 more securely in the three operating states shown in Figures 2a-2c.

FIG3 shows another variant of the clip 1 , wherein the same reference numerals correspond to the same elements and components as those described in connection with the embodiment shown in the previous figures, since for these elements and components reference is made to the above description.

In this embodiment, the buckle 1 includes an additional widened portion, such as, by way of example, an additional tab 32, which is arranged on the opposite side of the widened portion described above. Thus, the additional tab 32 is designed to prevent the device from being removed from an additional buckle hole provided on the container. Furthermore, the buckle 1 includes an additional intermediate connecting portion, such as, by way of example, an additional rod 34, which is hingedly connected to the fixing portion 10 and the fixing portion 10 via a third hinge 23 and a fourth hinge 24, respectively.

The fixing portion 10 , the second cleat 32 and the second rod 34 are movable to the same operating state as that described above for the fixing portion 10 , the cleat 12 and the rod 14 (but on the opposite side).

Preferably, the elements arranged on opposite sides of the fixing portion 10 have identical features and identical shapes, but this is not essential; in this way, the device is thus substantially symmetrical with respect to the fixing portion 10 .

Preferably, hinges 23 and 24 are planar hinges. More preferably, all hinges 21, 22, 23, 24 are planar hinges. In particular, with specific reference to FIG3 , all rotation axes of planar hinges 21, 22, 23, 24 are parallel to each other.

Therefore, this second variant of buckle 1 proves to be particularly useful when it is necessary to bring three adjacent flaps or walls of a bag closer together. More specifically, when fastening portion 10 is secured to a central flap or wall, each of buckle tabs 12 and 32 can be passed through a corresponding buttonhole provided in the flap or wall located on the opposite side relative to the central flap or wall. In this way, buckle 1 ensures a double closure on opposite sides, thereby bringing the paired flaps or walls closer together.

Figure 4 shows an embodiment of a container such as a bag 40. As will be described in detail below, the bag 40 includes a pair of clasps manufactured according to Figures 1 and 2a-2c.

In this embodiment, the bag 40 has a rear flap or wall 42, a middle flap or wall 44 (also referred to as a "spacer"), and a front flap or wall 50. Specifically, the rear flap or wall 42 and the front flap or wall 50 are joined at the bottom by the bottom of the bag and at the sides by a pair of side walls (these details are not shown in the figures). In addition, a handle 56 is provided which, in the illustrated embodiment, is secured to the middle flap or wall 44.

Preferably, the middle flap or wall 44 divides the interior of the bag 40 into two compartments spaced apart from each other, the two compartments being bounded on one side by the rear flap or wall 42 and on the other side by the front flap or wall 50 .

In particular, the bag 40 is provided with a buckle 1r and a further buckle 1s, the buckle 1r being associated with the rear flap or wall 42 of the bag 40, while the further buckle 1s is associated with the intermediate flap or wall 44 (also called a divider or "partition"). The buckle 1r is adapted to engage with a first buttonhole 46 provided in the intermediate flap or wall 44, while the buckle 1s, on the other hand, is adapted to engage with a second buttonhole 48 obtained in the front wall or flap 50.

In other words, with specific reference to the example shown, the package 40 comprises:

- a pair of end flaps or end walls (42, 50);

- an intermediate sheet (44);

- a first clip (1r) in which the fixing portion (10) is fixed to an end flap or end wall (42) and the widened portion (12) faces the intermediate flap (44) so as to pass through a hole (46) provided in the intermediate flap (44); and

- A second clip (1s), wherein the fixing portion (10) is fixed to the intermediate flap (44) and the widened portion (12) faces the other end flap or end wall (50) so as to pass through a hole (48) provided on the other end flap or end wall (50).

FIG5 a shows a side cross-section of the bag 40 shown in FIG4 . In this figure, the buckles 1r and 1s are in a compacted or resting state, respectively. Thus, the two compartments defined on either side of the intermediate flap or wall 44 are open and accessible to the user, who can place items into or remove items from the bag 40.

Figure 5b shows a side section of the bag 40 shown in Figure 4. In this figure, the buckles 1r and 1s are in an extended or inserted state and, therefore, the buckles 1r, 1s are ready to be inserted into the corresponding buckle holes 46, 48.

FIG5 c shows a side cross-section of the bag 40 shown in FIG4 , wherein the buckles 1r and 1s are in a closed state after the corresponding buckle tabs 12 and rods 14 have been inserted into the corresponding buckle holes 46, 48. Thus, the compartments of the bag are drawn closer together and held closed or juxtaposed by means of the buckles 1r, 1s.

6 and 7 show another embodiment of a bag 40 , which includes a buckle 1 designed as shown in FIG. 3 .

However, in this embodiment, the structure of the bag 40 includes a front flap or wall 51 and a rear flap or wall (not shown) that terminates in wings 52 that can be folded over the front flap or wall 51 (Figure 6) or can be flipped up from the front flap or wall 51 (Figure 7).

In this embodiment, the handle is secured to a side wall of the bag 40 (details not shown).

Buckle 1 is associated with front flap or wall 51 so that clasp 12 and stem 14 face the exterior of bag 40 and clasp 32 and stem 34 face the rear flap or wall carrying wing 52. More specifically, when wing 52 is folded over front flap or wall 51, clasp 12 and stem 14 are adapted to engage with buttonholes 54 provided on wing 52. On the other hand, clasp 32 and stem 34 are adapted to engage with buttonholes (not shown) provided on a portion of the flap or wall located proximal to wing 52.

This embodiment is used to make a "double-sided" or reversible bag. In fact, if the user turns the inside of bag 40 to the outside, buckle 32 and rod 34 are suitable for inserting buttonhole 54 at this moment.

As will be clearly understood by those skilled in the art, for use with "double-sided" bags, the snap shown in Figure 3 can also be applied to bags without wings 52; for example, even bags with a middle flap or wall that can be removed from the bag when required (in which case the fixing portion is fixed to the middle flap or wall and the buttonhole is provided on the other flap or wall) or bags with only a front flap or wall and a rear flap or wall (in which case, depending on how the bag is turned over, one of the two flaps or walls carries the fixing portion and the other flap or wall carries a single buttonhole that is suitable for being snapped across from one side to the other).

FIG. 8 shows another embodiment, a bag 40 comprising the buckle 1 designed according to FIG. 1 and FIG. 2 a - 2 c .

In this embodiment, bag 40 includes a rear flap or wall 42 carrying a strap 58 having one or more buckle holes 60 adapted to engage buckle 1. Specifically, buckle 1 is secured to front flap or wall 50 of bag 40, with buckle 1 projecting toward the exterior of bag 40 with stem 14 and tab 12. Strap 58 is conveniently sewn to the exterior or interior surface of rear flap or wall 42. Optionally, strap 58 may be passed through an opening 66 in the front flap or wall before being able to engage buckle 1.

Naturally, the principles, embodiments and implementation details of the invention set forth may vary widely with respect to what has been described above and shown in the drawings, as merely non-limiting examples, without exceeding the scope of protection offered by the appended claims.

Claims (11)

1. A container (40), comprising: - A pair of sheets or walls (42, 44, 50, 51, 52) that are close to each other, wherein one of the sheets or walls has a snap-fit hole (46, 48, 54, 60); and - A buckle (1), the buckle being designed to pass through the buckle holes (46, 48, 54, 60), and the buckle (1) further comprising: A fixing plate (10) is fixed to another of the sheet or wall (42, 44, 50, 51, 52) of the container; Fastener (12), the fastener being used to prevent the buckle (1) from being dislodged from the fastening holes (46, 48, 54, 60); and A single intermediate connecting rod (14) having a pair of hinges at opposite ends and rotatably connected to the fixing plate (10) and the fastener (12), respectively. The fastener (12) and the fixing plate (10) are configured to rotate relative to the single intermediate connecting rod (14), so that the buckle (1) can be presented as follows: - In a compact configuration, wherein the fastener (12) and the fixing plate (10) are close to each other and juxtaposed on opposite sides relative to the single intermediate connecting rod (14). -In the extended state, wherein the fastener (12) is substantially aligned with the single intermediate connecting rod (14), and - In the closed state, the fastener (12) and the fixing plate (10) are arranged at a certain distance from each other, and the fastener (12) is arranged along a direction substantially perpendicular to the single intermediate connecting rod (14). The snap holes (46, 48, 54, 60) are designed to allow the buckle (1) to pass through the snap holes, thereby allowing the sheets or walls (42, 44, 50, 51, 52) to approach each other when the buckle (1) is in the extended state. The buckle holes (46, 48, 54, 60) are also designed to hold the buckle (1) in order to prevent the sheet or wall (42, 44, 50, 51, 52) from moving away from each other when the buckle (1) is in the closed state. 2. The container according to claim 1, the container comprising a plurality of the latches (1), each latch being configured to hold a corresponding pair of sheets or walls (42, 44, 50, 51, 52) close to each other when the latch is in a closed state. 3. The container according to claim 1 or 2, wherein the container comprises: - A pair of end plates or end walls (42, 50); -Intermediate sheet-like material (44); - First buckle (1r), wherein the fixing plate (10) is fixed to an end piece or end wall (42), and the buckle tab (12) faces the intermediate piece (44) to pass through a buckle hole (46) provided on the intermediate piece or wall (44); and - Second buckle, wherein the fixing plate (10) is fixed to the intermediate sheet (44), and the buckle (12) faces the other end sheet or end wall (50) so as to pass through the buckle hole (48) provided on the other end sheet or end wall (50). 4. The container according to claim 1 or 2, wherein at least one of the hinges (21, 22) is a planar hinge. 5. The container according to claim 4, wherein the hinges (21, 22) are all planar hinges. 6. The container according to claim 5, wherein the hinge axes of the planar hinges (21, 22) are parallel to each other. 7. The container according to claim 4, wherein the planar hinges (21, 22) have a cam profile for maintaining a predetermined angular position between the single intermediate connecting rod (14) and at least one of the fixing plate (10) and the fastener (12). 8. The container according to claim 1 or 2, wherein the latch (1) further comprises: - An additional fastener (32), the additional fastener being arranged on the opposite side of the fastener (12) and used to prevent the buckle (1) from being removed from an additional fastening hole provided on the container; and - An additional single intermediate connecting rod (34), which is hinged to the fixing plate (10) and the additional fastener (32) respectively by a pair of additional hinges (23, 24). 9. The container according to claim 8, wherein the additional hinges (23, 24) are planar hinges. 10. The container according to claim 1 or 2, wherein the container is a package. 11. The container according to claim 1 or 2, wherein the container is made of leather.