"LOCKING DEVICE AND TOY PROVIDED WITH SUCH A DEVICE"
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Field of the invention
The subject of the present invention is a locking device of the type comprising a contrast member, a jamming member that can be displaced between a position of engagement and a position of disengagement of the contrast member, and a manual actuation toolof the jamming member. Typically, locking devices of this sort consist of a lock, for example a cylinder-type or lever-type lock, the manual actuation tool of which for bringing about its opening and re-locking is traditionally constituted by a key. The conformation of locks of this sort is generally complex, costly and relatively cumbersome, and their use is far from suitable for applications that involve low costs and call for limited overall dimensions and ease of installation. In addition, the part for introduction of the key of conventional locks is obviously accessible from outside and hence directly exposed to risks of forcing of the locking device aimed at fraudulent opening thereof. Summary of the invention
The purpose of the present invention is to provide an extremely simple and inexpensive locking device, as well as one without any external access that might jeopardize its inviolability. A further purpose of the invention is to provide a toy, typically in the form of a doll with a mobile part associated to the aforesaid locking device to obtain original and amusing effects.
According to a 'first aspect, the invention envisages a locking device of the type defined in the
preamble, basically characterized in that:
- the jamming member is normally held in the aforesaid position of engagement of the contrast member by the action of thrust means; - the jamming member includes a first permanent magnet; and
- the manual actuation tool is constituted by a second permanent magnet, designed to interact from outside with said first permanent magnet for moving the jamming member from the position of engagement to the position of disengagement of the contrast member against the action of the aforesaid thrust means.
The thrust means tending to keep the jamming member in the position of engagement of the contrast member can simply include a spring, whilst the magnetic interaction between the first magnet and the second magnet may be by magnetic attraction or else by magnetic repulsion.
The locking device according to the invention may be applied, in a particularly advantageous way, to containers, for example in the form of caskets or boxes, as well as bags, suitcases and the like.
According to another aspect of the invention, the locking device is applied to a toy, for example in the form of a doll, having a base bearing the jamming member with the first permanent magnet, and a body supported in an oscillating way by the base between a first angular position and a second angular position and bearing the contrast member. Said contrast member is engageable by the jamming member in said first angular position, against the action of an elastic contrast member, and can be elastically displaced into said second angular position, under the action of the elastic contrast member, as a result of the disengagement between the jamming member and the
contrast member following upon interaction with the second permanent magnet. In this way, by setting the oscillating body in the first angular position and by then approaching the second permanent magnet (for example, constituted by the first permanent magnet of a similar doll) to the base, the body of the doll rotates with a jerk into the second angular position, making the entire doll jump, with a particularly amusing effect . Brief description of the drawings . '•"
The invention will now be described in detail with reference to the annexed plate of drawings, which are provided purely by of way of non-limiting example and in which: - Figure 1 is a schematic perspective view that shows a container provided with a locking device according to the invention;
- Figure 2 is a schematic partially cross-sectional view of the container of Figure 1, in the closed condition of the locking device;
- Figure 3 is a view similar to that of Figure 2, which shows the locking ' device in the opening condition;
- Figure 4 shows a toy provided with a locking device according to the invention; and
- Figure 5 exemplifies the operation of a pair of toys according to Figure 4.
With initial reference to Figures 1 to 3, the reference number 1 designates a container, for example in the form of a casket, comprising a bottom part 2 and a lid 3 hinged in 4 to the bottom part 2.
The container 1 is provided with a locking device 5 according to the invention, comprising - in the case of the example illustrated - a contrast member 6 carried by the lid 3, and a jamming member 7 carried by the
bottom part 2 of the container 1.
The jamming member 7 consists - in the case of the example illustrated - of a hook carried by an arm 8 connected so that it can rotate in 9 within the front wall 10 of the bottom part 2 of the container 1.
The arm 8 of the jamming member 7 has a permanent magnet 11 facing the front wall 10, and a helical extension spring 12 tends to keep the arm 8 in the position represented in Figure 2, in which said jamming member 7 is engaged with the contrast member 6, thus keeping the lid 3 in the position of locking and preventing its opening.
The entire locking device '5 is contained within the container 1, and is thus inaccessible from the outside.
To enable opening of the lid 3, the locking device 5 is provided with an external manual-actuation tool constituted by a second permanent magnet 13.
By approaching the pole of the second permanent magnet 13 to the corresponding pole of the permanent magnet 11 (for instance, in the case of the example illustrated, the two positive poles) a field of magnetic repulsion is produced, as a result of which the arm 8 rotates within the container 1 into the position represented in Figure 3, against the action of the spring 12, in such a way as to disengage the jamming member 7 from the contrast member 6. In this way the lid 3 can be opened. In the case where the hinge 4 incorporates an elastic member tending to rotate the lid 3 upwards, opening thereof may be actuated automatically as a result of the mere approach of the magnet 13 to the magnet 11.
To restore the locking condition it is sufficient to rotate the lid 3 from the position represented in Figure 3 to the position represented in Figure 2,
causing automatic engagement with a jerk of the jamming member 7 with respect to the contrast member 6.
The locking device according to the invention is usable to advantage in all those applications that involve an extremely low cost, limited overall dimensions, and ease of installation. The absence of components directly accessible from outside the container to which the locking device is applied moreover ensures an effective inviolability against any attempt to force the lock.
The locking device according to the invention is thus applicable, in a particularly advantageous way, to boxes, caskets and containers in general, and also to bags, suitcases and the like. The locking device according to the invention can moreover be conveniently applied to small containers, for example in the form of a casket (such as precisely the one represented by way of example in the drawings) , that constitute components of toys that are designed to accompany packages of foodstuffs and the like for promotional purposes. In this case, the second magnet 13 may, for example, be incorporated in a doll or the like, approach of which to the container incorporating the locking device will cause it to open "by magic" . A specific application of the locking device to a toy is represented in Figure 4. The toy assumes, for example, the form of a doll 15 having a widened base 16, within which is set (in a way not illustrated but similar to what has been described previously) the jamming member 7 with the first permanent magnet 11, and a body 17 (for example, with stylized human or animal features) supported in an oscillating way by the base 16, for example by means of a fork 18 projecting from said base 16 and a horizontal pin, the axis of which is designated by 19. The body 17, which carries
the contrast member 6, can thus rotate between a first angular position and a second angular position, represented, respectively, with a dashed line and with a solid line in Figure 4. The contrast member 6 is engageable by the jamming member 7 in the first angular position, against the action of an elastic contrast member constituted, for example, by a pin-like spring
(not illustrated) carried by the pin 19, and is displaceable in the second angular position, under the action of said spring, as a result of the disengagement between the jamming member 7 and the contrast member 6 following upon interaction of the first permanent magnet 11 with a second external permanent magnet. In this way, by setting the oscillating body in the first angular position and by then approaching the second permanent magnet to the base 16, the body 17 of the doll 15 rotates with a jerk into the second angular position making the entire doll 15 jump, thus creating a particularly amusing effect. The second permanent magnet can to advantage be constituted by the first permanent magnet of a similar doll: in this way, as is illustrated in Figure 5, the toy or game will comprise a pair of dolls 15 designed to interact magnetically with one another when manipulated by the same player or else each by a different player.
Of course, the details of construction and the embodiments may vary widely with respect to what is described and illustrated herein, without thereby departing from the scope of the present invention, as defined in the ensuing claims. Thus, for example, the arrangement of the contrast member and of the jamming member may be reversed with respect to the one represented in the drawings, in the sense that the second may be carried by the lid or else by the body of
the doll, and moreover the thrust member tending to keep the jamming member normally in the position of engagement with the contrast member may be constituted by a compression spring instead of an extension spring. In a further simplified embodiment, the arm bearing the jamming member may be formed like an elastic lamina, itself thus constituting the thrust member tending to keep the jamming member engaged with the contrast member. In this case, the elastic lamina may also itself be magnetic or magnetized.
Finally the magnetic interaction between the first magnet incorporated in the locking device and the second magnet that constitutes the manual actuation tool may be one of attraction instead of one of repulsion.