1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to a vanity case of the type in which a receptacle member and a cover member are hinged together at respective rear ends and the cover member is maintained in a closed position with respect to the receptacle member by engagement of latch means formed on the front ends of both members.
2. Description of the Prior Art
Various attempts and efforts have hitherto been made in order to facilitate an opening operation of the cover member, and a push piece has been proposed and found effective. For example, U.S. Pat. No. 4,276,893 discloses such a push piece which is slidably arranged in a recess formed in a marginal portion of the receptacle member. The push piece includes an enlarged head to provide an inclined surface which, upon inward movement of the push piece, acts on a nose of the cover and forces the latter upwardly to thereby release the engagement of latch means. U.S. Pat. No. 4,366,829 also discloses a similar push piece having an elastic member for urging it outwardly. In these vanity cases, however, the force acting on the nose is in a direction perpendicular to the inclined surface and therefore includes a force component in a horizontal direction, which component tends to urge the nose toward the inner wall of the recess where one of the latch means is formed. It would be thus understood that a user has to press the push piece with a relatively large force in order to open the cover since the horizontal force component tends to strengthen the engagement between the latch means. This is not desirable in view of the nature of the vanity case.
U.S. Pat. No. 4,387,730, discloses another type of push piece in which one of the latch means is formed on the push piece so that the inward movement of the latter separates its latch from the other, stationary latch to release the engagement. Further inward movement of the push piece causes an inclined surface thereof to force up the cover. An enlarged head for providing the inclined surface renders the entire push piece thick and bulky.
Also, U.S. Pat. No. 4,399,826 teaches an L-shaped push piece which is pivotally secured to the receptacle in such a manner that one end of the push piece acts on the nose to force up the cover when the push piece is rotated. The rotation is caused only by pressing a lower portion remote from the pivot of the other end of the push piece, which requires a somewhat delicate operation.
Further, U.S. Pat. Nos. 4,679,576 and 4,683,899 disclose a push piece having a front wall and an arm integrally formed with the front wall through a thin flexible section which permits the arm to swing relative to the front wall. The arm, upon inward movement of the push piece, acts on the nose to force the cover in upward and forward directions. The recess, however, should have a dimension sufficiently large to permit the sliding movement of the front wall and the swinging motion of the arm.
Thus, all of the prior art, vanity cases are still unsatisfactory with regard to handling ability and/or the size for the push piece, and it is therefore an object of the invention to provide a vanity case having an improved operability with a reduced space for a push piece.
USPTO Backgrounds
USPTO Backgrounds