Key holder

Abstract

To provide a key holder for holding a plurality of keys and for enabling the key to be rapidly detached from a holder body when used.SOLUTION: A holder body 20 of a key holder 10 includes a plurality of connection parts 22, 23 where a first magnetic body 41 is arranged inside. A plurality of support bodies 31, 32 each include: a base part 35 where a second magnetic body 42 is arranged inside; and a lower extension part 36 which is extended downward from the base part 35 and to which a key is attached. The first magnetic body 41 is exposed from an opening positioned at a lower end of each one of the connection parts 22, 23. The second magnetic body 42 is exposed from an opening positioned at an upper end of each one of the base parts 35 of the support bodies 31, 32. The first magnetic body 41 and the second magnetic body 42 are magnetically attached each other so as to allow the support bodies 31, 32 are separably connected to the connection parts 22, 23.SELECTED DRAWING: Figure 1

Description

[Technical Field]

[0001] The present invention relates to a key holder, and more particularly to a key holder that utilizes magnetic force. [Background technology]

[0002] Key holders that utilize magnetic force are well known. For example, Patent Document 1 discloses a key holder that includes a panel-shaped holder body with a magnetic pole surface on the inner surface and a support body to which the key holder is attached. [Prior art documents] [Patent documents]

[0003] [Patent Document 1] Japanese Utility Model Application Publication No. 4-81529 Summary of the Invention [Problem to be solved by the invention]

[0004] According to the key holder disclosed in Patent Document 1, the key holder can be detachably attached to the holder body by magnetically attaching a support made of a magnet to a magnetic pole surface located on the inner surface of the holder body.

[0005] Furthermore, by detaching the magnetic pole surface from the support, the key suspended on the support can be removed from the key holder and used, handed over to another person, or carried separately from the key holder.

[0006] However, since the entire support is covered and held by covers located on both sides of the magnetic pole face, it is not possible to quickly remove only the key attached to any one support from the holder body, and it is difficult and time-consuming to grasp only any one of the multiple supports lined up on the magnetic pole face.

[0007] The object of the present invention is to provide a key holder that is an improvement over conventional key holders and can hold multiple keys and can be quickly detached from the holder body for use. [Means for solving the problem]

[0008] The present invention relates to a key holder having a vertical direction and a width direction that intersect with each other, and including a holder body and a plurality of supports that are detachably connected to the holder body.

[0009] The key holder of the present invention is characterized in that the holder body has a plurality of connecting parts with a first magnetic body arranged inside, and the plurality of supports have a base with a second magnetic body arranged inside and a downward extension part extending downward from the base and to which a key is attached, the first magnetic body being exposed from an opening located at the lower end of the connecting parts, and the second magnetic body being exposed from an opening located at the upper end of the base of the support, and the support being detachably connected to the connecting parts by magnetically attracting the first magnetic body and the second magnetic body.

[0010] The key holder according to the present invention may include at least the following embodiments, which may be adopted separately or in combination with each other. (1) The connecting portion of the holder body and the base portion of the support body are cylindrical, and the diameter of the connecting portion of the holder body and the diameter of the base portion of the support body are approximately the same. (2) A decorative element for identifying the key is disposed on the outer surface of the support. (3) A locking mechanism is provided to maintain the connection between the support and the connecting portion. [Effects of the Invention]

[0011] In one or more embodiments of the key holder according to the present invention, the multiple connecting portions of the holder body and the multiple supports to which the keys are attached are releasably connected by the magnetic forces of the first and second magnetic bodies, so that multiple keys can be held in a hanging state on trousers, etc., and any key can be easily removed from the holder body and used. [Brief explanation of the drawings]

[0012] The drawings show particular embodiments of a key holder according to the present disclosure, including essential features of the invention as well as alternative and preferred embodiments.

[0013] [Figure 1] 1A and 1B are diagrams showing a state in which the key holder according to the present invention is used; [Figure 2] 10(a) and 10(b) are diagrams showing the state in which the holder body and the support body are removed. [Figure 3] 1A is a diagram showing a state in which the holder body and the support body are connected, and FIG. 1B is a diagram showing a state in which the holder body and the support body are separated. [Figure 4] FIG. 10 is a perspective view of a key holder according to another embodiment. [Figure 5] 2(a) is a view similar to FIG. 2(a) of a key holder according to yet another embodiment, (b) is a view showing how the locking mechanism is operated, and (c) is a view showing a state in which the support is locked by the locking mechanism. DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION

[0014] The key holder 10 according to the present invention will be described in detail below with reference to the accompanying drawings.

[0015] 1 to 3, a key holder 10 according to the present invention has a vertical direction Y and a width direction X that intersect with each other, and includes an annular hook 11, a holder body 20 attached to the hook 11 via a locking ring 12, a plurality of supports 31, 32 detachably connected to the holder body 20, and keys 15, 16 attached to the first and second supports 31, 32 via a key ring 14. In the illustrated example, the supports 31, 32 include a first support 31 and a second support 32 aligned in the width direction X.

[0016] The hook 11 is made of metal or hard plastic, and a portion of it can be opened and closed, allowing it to be hung from the belt loop 3 of trousers 2, the handle of a bag, etc. In the illustrated example, it is hung from the belt loop 3 of trousers 2.

[0017] The holder body 20 is made of metal or hard plastic and has an upper portion 21 that extends in a curved shape in the width direction X, and a pair of connecting portions 22, 23 located below the upper portion 21. The upper portion 21 is thin-plate shaped, and has a through-hole 21a, through which the locking ring 12 is inserted, located in the center in the width direction X. The connecting portions 22, 23 are hollow cylindrical with an opening at their lower ends, and a first magnetic body 41 is disposed inside. The first magnetic body 41 is exposed to the outside from the opening located at the lower ends of the connecting portions 22, 23.

[0018] The first and second supports 31, 32 have a hollow cylindrical base 35 with an opening at the top end, and a thin plate-like downward extension 36 extending downward from the base 35. A second magnetic body 42 is disposed inside the base 35 and is exposed to the outside through an opening located at the top end of the base 35. A through hole 36a into which the key ring 14 is engaged is located in the downward extension 36.

[0019] The first magnetic body 41 is attached to the opening edge of the connecting portions 22, 23 by known adhesive or pressure-sensitive adhesive means, and the second magnetic body 42 is attached to the opening edge of the base 35 by known adhesive or pressure-sensitive adhesive means. However, as long as they are stably fixed, the first and second magnetic bodies 41, 42 may be removably attached to the opening edge.

[0020] The first and second magnetic bodies 41, 42 can be thin, circular magnets, such as permanent magnets made of neodymium, samarium, cobalt, or the like. One of the first and second magnetic bodies 41, 42 may be a ferromagnetic material other than a magnet, such as iron or nickel. The components constituting the key holder 10 other than the first and second magnetic bodies 41, 42 can be made of known materials, such as metal, hard plastic, titanium, phosphorescent materials, fluorescent materials, and the like, without any restrictions.

[0021] As shown in Figure 1, when the hook 11 is engaged with the belt loop 3 of the trousers 2 to hang the key holder 10, the first and second supports 31, 32 are releasably attached to the connecting portions 22, 23 of the holder body 20, respectively.

[0022] Specifically, the first and second supports 31, 32 are connected to the connecting portions 22, 23 by magnetically attracting (adhering) the first magnetic body 41 located exposed from the lower end of the connecting portions 22, 23 to the second magnetic body 42 exposed from the upper end of the supports 31, 32.

[0023] The first and second supports 31, 32 are detachably connected to the connecting portions 22, 23 of the holder main body 20 by the magnetic forces of the first and second magnetic bodies 41, 42, so that the keys 15, 16 attached to the first and second supports 31, 32, respectively, can be held in a stably suspended state.

[0024] 3(b), when the user uses the key 15, the user grasps the first support 31 or the key 15 and moves the first support 31 downward, which separates the second magnetic body 42 from the first magnetic body 41, allowing the first support 31 to be easily removed from the holder body 20. This allows the user to use the key 15 to open or close a door or hand over the key 15 to someone else while the holder body 20 is hanging from their trousers 2.

[0025] As shown in Figure 3(a), after use, by bringing the first support 31 close to the connecting portion 22 of the holder main body 20 from below, the connecting portion 22 and the first support 31 are attracted to each other by the magnetic forces of the first and second magnetic bodies 41, 42, so that the user can connect them without visually checking.

[0026] In the key holder 10 of the present invention, the first and second supports 31, 32 are aligned in the width direction X and are detachably connected to the holder main body 20 by the magnetic forces of the first and second magnetic bodies 41, 42, so that multiple types of keys 15, 16 can be held compactly.

[0027] The first and second supports 31, 32 are arranged side by side at a given distance in the width direction X, so that the fingertips can be stably placed on the first and second supports 31, 32 when grasping them. For example, referring to Fig. 2(b), when the diameter of the bases 35 of the first and second supports 31, 32 is 1.5 to 2.5 cm, the distance R between the first and second supports 31, 32 in the width direction X is preferably about 3 to 8 mm.

[0028] Furthermore, the diameter of connecting portions 22, 23 of holder main body 20 and the diameter of base portions 35 of first and second supports 31, 32 are approximately the same size, and when they are connected to each other, they form a single cylindrical capsule shape, giving them a unified design. Furthermore, because holder main body 20 has a curved shape with no sharp edges overall, even if it comes into contact with clothing such as pants or a skirt, there is no risk of it getting caught on the fabric and fraying it, or of it coming into contact with the skin and causing irritation.

[0029] In the illustrated example, the key holder 10 has two supports 31, 32, but it may have three or more supports. Also, multiple keys may be hung from one support 31, 32, each support 31, 32 may have a key ring 14 with a different shape, or the multiple supports 31, 32 may each have a different shape.

[0030] Figure 4 shows an example of another embodiment of the key holder 10 of the present invention, and the key holder 10 of this embodiment has three connecting parts 22, 23, 24 and three first to third supports 31, 32, 33 that are detachably connected to the connecting parts 22, 23, 24 by the magnetic forces of the first and second magnetic bodies 41, 42.

[0031] Different keys 15, 16, 17 are suspended from the first to third supports 31, 32, 33, respectively, and decorative elements 71, 72, 73 serving as markers are arranged on the outer surfaces of the bases 35 of the first to third supports 31, 32, 33. In the illustrated example, the decorative elements 71, 72, 73 are each different numbers 1 to 3, and by arranging decorative elements 51, 52, 53 with different numbers on the bases 35 of the supports 31, 32, 33 in this way, the user can identify the keys 15, 16, 17 by the numbers rather than by their shapes.

[0032] As long as the user can visually identify the keys 15, 16, 17, the decorative elements 71, 72, 73 may be composed of symbols, letters, patterns, characters, etc., rather than numbers. Also, the supports 31, 32, 33 may have one or more different protrusions or recesses on the exterior thereof, allowing the user to identify the keys 15, 16, 17 suspended therefrom by touch.

[0033] Figures 5(a) to (c) show an example of yet another embodiment of the key holder 10 of the present invention, and the key holder 10 of this embodiment is equipped with a locking mechanism for locking each support body 31, 32 to the holder main body 20.

[0034] 5(a) and (b), the locking mechanism has a pair of locking portions 50 located on the outer surfaces of the connecting portions 22, 23 of the holder main body 20, and a pair of locked portions 60 located on the outer surfaces of the first and second supports 31, 32. The locking portion 50 has a fixing portion 51 that stands upright from the outer surfaces of the connecting portions 22, 23, a thin plate-shaped operating portion 52 that is attached to the fixing portion 51 and extends in the vertical direction, and a locking claw 53 located at the lower end of the operating portion 52.

[0035] The locked portions 60 are protrusions located on the outer surfaces of the first and second supports 31, 32, and have a shape that allows the locking claws 53 of the locking portion 50 to lock onto them. The locked portions 60 have an arc shape that extends in the circumferential direction of the first and second supports 31, 32, and specifically, have a length that is 30 to 50% of the outer circumferential dimensions of the first and second supports 31, 32. Because the locked portions 60 have such a length, the locking claws 53 of the locking portion 60 will not come off the locked portions 60 even if the first and second supports 31, 32 rotate slightly due to an external force while connected to the connecting portions 22, 23.

[0036] 5(b) and 5(c), when a user presses the upper portions of the operating portions 52 of the pair of locking portions 50, the locking claws 53 located at the lower ends move outward in the width direction X. In this state, the first and second supports 31 and 32 are connected to the connecting portions 22 and 23 by the magnetic forces of the first and second magnetic bodies 41 and 42, and when the user removes his or her fingers from the operating portions 52, the locking portions 50 return to their original state, and the locking claws 53 move inward in the width direction X and are locked to the locked portions 60.

[0037] The locking portion 50 is locked to the locked portion 60, and the first and second supports 31, 32 are completely locked to the connecting portions 22, 23 of the holder body 20. Therefore, even if an external force is suddenly applied to the first and second supports 31, 32 in an attempt to separate them from the holder body 20, the first and second supports 31, 32 will not come off, and the keys 15, 16 can be held more stably.

[0038] To unlock the locking mechanism, the user presses the operating part 52 to move the locking claw 53 outward in the width direction X, disengaging it from the locked part 60, and then pulls the first and second supports 31, 32 downward to separate them from the connecting parts 22, 23.

[0039] Although not shown, the locking portion 50 may be arranged to be slidable in the vertical direction Y. In such a case, by moving the locking portion 50 upward, the supports 31, 32 can be connected to the connecting portions 22, 23 without using the locking mechanism, and therefore the locking mechanism can be selectively used.

[0040] Unless otherwise specified, the constituent materials of the key holder 10 according to the present invention can be any of various known materials commonly used in this field without any restrictions. [Explanation of symbols]

[0041] 10 Keychains 15 keys 16 keys 17 keys 20 Holder body 22 Connecting part 23 Connecting part 24 Connecting part 31 First support 32 Second support 33 Third support 35 Base 36 Downward extension part 41 First magnetic body 42 Second magnetic body 71 Decorative Elements 72 decorative elements 73 Decorative Elements X Width direction Y vertical direction

Claims

1. A key holder having a vertical direction and a width direction that intersect each other, and comprising a holder body and a plurality of supports that are detachably connected to the holder body, the holder body has a plurality of connecting portions in which a first magnetic body is disposed, The plurality of supports each have a base portion in which a second magnetic body is disposed, and a downward extension portion that extends downward from the base portion and to which a key is attached, the first magnetic body is exposed from an opening located at a lower end of the connecting portion, the second magnetic body is exposed from an opening located at an upper end of the base of the support, The key holder is characterized in that the support body is detachably connected to the connecting portion by magnetically attracting the first magnetic body and the second magnetic body.

2. The key holder of claim 1, wherein the connecting portion of the holder body and the base of the support are cylindrical, and the diameter of the connecting portion of the holder body and the diameter of the base of the support are approximately the same.

3. 3. The key holder according to claim 1, wherein a decorative element for identifying the key is disposed on the outer surface of the support.

4. The key holder according to claim 1 or 2, further comprising a locking mechanism for maintaining the connection between the support and the connecting portion.

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