Embodiments of the present invention will be described below with reference to the drawings.
A cord stopper according to a first embodiment is illustrated in
As shown in
The main body 10 and the operating body 20 are connected by the elastic body 30. The main body 10, the operating body 20 and the elastic body 30 are integrally formed from resin or the like. For example, the main body 10, the operating body 20 and the elastic body 30 may be an integral molding formed by injection compression molding from a comparatively hard resin material such as polyacetal, polyamide, polypropylene, ABS (acrylonitrile butadiene styrene) resin, polycarbonate.
The main body 10 has a first cord insertion hole 11 penetrating inside the main body 10, so that the main body 10 has a cylindrical shape. The main body 10 has a substantially cylindrical rectangular shape through which the first cord insertion hole 11 in a substantially rectangular shape in cross section penetrates.
Facing walls of circumferential walls of the rectangular cylindrical shape i.e. an upper wall 12 and a lower wall 13 respectively have a first opening 16 and a second opening 17 which communicate with the first cord insertion hole 11.
The first opening 16 enables the operating body 20 to be accommodated in the main body 10, the first opening 16 formed in a rectangular shape extending from the center of the upper wall 12 of the main body 10 toward lateral walls 14. The second opening 17 enables the elastic body 30 to be accommodated, the second opening 17 formed substantially in a rectangular shape at a central portion of the lower wall 13 of the main body 10.
The operating body 20 includes: an accommodated portion 20A that has a size to be accommodated in the main body 10 (in the first cord insertion hole 11) from the first opening 16 of the main body 10, the accommodated portion 20A accommodated in the main body 10 (in the first cord insertion hole 11) from the first opening 16; and an operated portion 20B provided on a protruding end side of the accommodated portion 20A from the main body 10. Herein, the accommodated portion 20A is a portion to be accommodated in the main body 10 when the operating body 20 is inserted in the main body 10 against a biasing force of the elastic body 30. In the first embodiment, the accommodated portion 20A is the operating body 20 excluding an upper wall 22 but may be at least a portion of the operating body 20 or the whole of the operating body 20.
The accommodated portion 20A has a cylindrical shape in which a second cord insertion hole 21 penetrates, the second cord insertion hole 21 communicatable with the first cord insertion hole 11 of the main body 10. Specifically, the accommodated portion 20A is formed in a substantially rectangular shape through which the second cord insertion hole 21 in a substantially rectangular shape in cross section penetrates. An accommodated-portion-side elastically deformable portion 26 is formed in at least a portion of lateral walls 24 out of circumferential walls of the rectangular cylindrical shape, the lateral walls 24 extending in moving directions of the operating body 20. The accommodated-portion-side elastically deformable portion 26 can be elastically deformed at the same time when the elastic body 30 is elastically deformed.
The accommodated portion 20A is divided in a hole direction of the second cord insertion hole 21 into three divisions 28A, 28B and 28C. The accommodated portion 20A is divided in a manner that a lower wall 23 and the lateral walls 24 of the operating body 20 are divided by two slits 27 having a depth reaching the second cord insertion hole 21. The elastic body 30 is connected with the lower wall 23 with a predetermined angle. The accommodated-portion-side elastically deformable portion 26 is formed by the divisions 28A and 28C on both ends. Accordingly, the two divisions 28A and 28C can be elastically deformed in directions different from directions in which the elastic body 30 is elastically deformed. In other words, the divisions 28A and 28C can be elastically deformed in directions substantially orthogonal to the moving directions of the operating body 20. More specifically, the divisions 28A and 28C can be elastically deformed in the hole direction of the second cord insertion hole 21 i.e. in directions in which the slits 27 widen.
Two holding projections 29 that hold the cord are provided in the second cord insertion hole 21 and on the division 28A on an outer side out of the three divisions 28A, 28B and 28C. The holding projections 29 are aligned in a width direction in parallel to each other. In other words, the holding projections 29 are provided to the accommodated-portion-side elastically deformable portion 26 of the operating body 20. The holding projections 29 each have a conical shape of which diameter of the holding projection 29 becomes smaller as being closer to a tip end of the conical shape. The holding projections 29 each project in an outward oblique and upward direction of the second cord insertion hole 21 (an upward left direction in
The operated portion 20B is formed by the upper wall 22 of the operating body 20, the upper wall 22 protruding from the first opening 16 of the main body 10. Two finger placing bars 25 are integrally formed on a top surface of the upper wall 22 of the operating body 20 such that the two finger placing bars are orthogonal to the hole direction of the second cord insertion hole 21. The finger placing bars 25 are remote from each other in the hole direction of the second cord insertion hole 21.
The elastic body 30 includes a pair of elastic pieces 31 and 32 provided between the lower wall 13 of the main body 10 and an end surface opposite to a protruding end surface of the operating body 20, the protruding end surface of the operating body 20 protruding from the main body 10, the lower wall 13 facing the end surface. The pair of elastic pieces 31 and 32 extends from positions that are remote from each other and on the lower wall 13 of the main body 10. Specifically, the pair of elastic pieces 31 and 32 respectively extends from inner ends of lower wall connecting pieces 13A and 13B that are apart from each other with the second opening 17 therebetween. The pair of elastic pieces 31 and 32 extends toward the operating body 20 while becoming closer to each other and intersects. The pair of elastic pieces 31 and 32 further extends while becoming farther from each other. In other words, the pair of elastic pieces 31 and 32 is provided in a slant manner, forming an X shape. Tip ends of the pair of elastic pieces 31 and 32 are each connected in a nonlinear manner with a predetermined angle to the two divisions 28A and 28C out of the three divisions 28A, 28B and 28C which form the accommodated-portion-side elastically deformable portion 26, the two divisions 28A and 28C having a largest distance therebetween. Root portions of the pair of elastic pieces 31 and 32 are formed so as to have a larger thickness than that of the lower wall connecting pieces 13A and 13B.
In a state shown in
When the operating body 20 is in the main body 10, a downward force is applied on the pair of elastic pieces 31 and 32 of the elastic body 30 especially on the root portions of the pair of elastic pieces 31 and 32 (the connecting portions with the lower wall connecting pieces 13A and 13B). However, since the root portions of the pair of elastic pieces 31 and 32 are formed thick, stress will not concentrate on the root portions, so that damage during use can be prevented for a long time. On the contrary, since the root portions of the pair of elastic pieces 31 and 32 are formed thick and extend from lateral walls of the lower wall connecting pieces 13A and 13B i.e. extend from inner walls of the second opening 17, the force applied on the root portions of the pair of elastic pieces 31 and 32 may cause a torsion in the lower wall connecting pieces 13A and 13B, thereby facilitating elastic deformation of the pair of elastic pieces 31 and 32.
When the operating body 20 is inserted to a state shown in
In the state shown in
The second cord insertion hole 21 of the operating body 20 is substantially brought into coincidence with the first cord insertion hole 11 of the main body 10. A cord 101 is inserted through the first cord insertion hole 11 and the second cord insertion hole 21 and the cord stopper 1 is slid to a predetermined position of the cord 101. Then, the insertion of the operating body 20 is released. As shown in
Herein, the holding projections 29 provided in the second cord insertion hole 21 bite into the cord 101, so that the cord stopper 1 can be reliably secured to the cord 101. In addition, since the projecting direction of the holding projections 29 is inclined relative to the longitudinal direction of the cord 101, the biting force into the cord can have an orientation, thereby more reliably securing the cord 101. In the first embodiment, since the projecting direction of the holding projections 29 is left oblique and upward direction in
A second embodiment of the invention will be shown in
The cord stopper 2 of the second embodiment differs from the cord stopper 1 of the first embodiment in the following point.
Although the main body 10 of the first embodiment is provided with the second opening 17, the main body 10 of the second embodiment is provided with no second opening and the pair of elastic pieces 31 and 32 is integrally formed so as to extend from an inner surface of the lower wall 13 of the main body 10. Hence, the dimension of the operating body 20 in the operation direction is slightly larger than that of the first embodiment and strength of the main body 10 of the second embodiment is larger than that of the first embodiment (i.e. the main body 10 has a higher rigidity in the second embodiment).
A third embodiment of the invention will be shown in
The cord stopper 3 of the third embodiment differs from the cord stopper 1 and 2 of the first and second embodiments in points in which the elastic body 30 is formed only by one elastic piece and in which the accommodated-portion-side elastically deformable portion 26 of the operating body 20 is formed only by two divisions.
In the cord stopper 3 of the third embodiment, an elastic piece 33 of the elastic body 30 has a substantially common width to that of the operating body 20, the elastic piece 33 extending from one end of the lower wall 13 of the main body 10 (i.e. from one inner end of the second opening 17) toward the other end of the lower wall 23 of the operating body 20. The accommodated-portion-side elastically deformable portion 26 of the operating body 20 is divided by one slit 27 into two divisions 28AB and 28C. A tip end of the elastic piece 33 is connected to the division 28C. The division 28AB has a size equal to a combined size of the divisions 28A and 28B of the first embodiment.
Note that one elastic piece may be provided like in the third embodiment but three or more elastic pieces may be alternatively provided.
A fourth embodiment of the invention will be shown in
The cord stopper 4 of the fourth embodiment is the cord stopper 1 of the first embodiment with the division 28B in the middle out of the three divisions 28A, 28B and 28C of the accommodated-portion-side elastically deformable portion 26 of the operating body 20 omitted. The accommodated-portion-side elastically deformable portion 26 is formed by two divisions 28A and 28C which are remote from each other, so that a length of the cord stopper in a direction in which the cord is inserted can be small.
A fifth embodiment of the invention will be shown in
The cord stopper 5 of the fifth embodiment is the cord stopper 1 of the first embodiment with the lower wall 13 of the divisions 28A and 28C on the outer sides out of the three divisions 28A, 28B and 28C of the accommodated-portion-side elastically deformable portion 26 of the operating body 20 omitted. Accordingly, the second cord insertion hole 21 is formed only in the division 28B in the middle. In the divisions 28A and 28C on the outer sides, spaces function as cord accommodating portions 21A and 21C for accommodating the cord. Accordingly, the cord accommodating portions 21A and 21C can guide the cord to the second cord insertion hole 21, thereby reliably holding the cord. The holding projection 29 is provided on an inner surface of the lower wall 23 of the division 28B in the middle.
A sixth embodiment of the invention will be shown in
The cord stopper 6 of the sixth embodiment differs from the cord stopper 1 of the first embodiment in points in which the accommodated portion 20A of the operating body 20 and the main body 10 is each provided with the elastically deformable portion and in which a pair of lateral walls 14 of the main body 10 is provided with a cord through bar 51.
Specifically, the main body 10 includes the upper wall 12 as a first wall on which the first opening 16 is formed, the lower wall 13 as a second wall on which the second opening 17 is formed and the lateral walls 14 as a pair of third walls which faces each other and connects the upper wall 12 with the lower wall 13. The main body 10 has a cylindrical shape having the first cord insertion hole 11 inside. The pair of facing lateral walls 14 is provided with a slit 47. The slit 47 has a length such that one end reaches the second opening 17 and the other end does not reach but is near the first opening 16. The slit 47 is formed so as to be displaced on the connecting portion side of the pair of elastic pieces 31 and 32 which is next to each other in the hole direction of the first cord insertion hole 11. In other words, the slit 47 is provided at substantially diagonal positions of the pair of facing lateral walls 14. Out of the lateral wall 14 divided by the slit 47, a division 48A on the connecting portion side of the pair of elastic pieces 31 and 32 is formed as a main-body-side elastically deformable portion 46.
The cord through bar 51 is provided on an outer surface of the lateral wall 14 of the main body 10 at a position near the upper wall 12 with a gap between the cord through bar 51 and the lateral wall 14. Strings 102 and 103 are inserted in the gap between the cord through bar 51 and the lateral wall 14 and the cords 102 and 103 are secured to an attached body such as a garment, thereby securing the cord stopper 6 to the attached body.
In the arrangement, when the operating body 20 is inserted in the main body 10, the pair of elastic pieces 31 and 32 is elastically deformed. Then, as shown in
Accordingly, since the pair of elastic pieces 31 and 32 is elastically deformed and the main-body-side elastically deformable portion 46 that is elastically deformable relative to the division 48B is provided, even the main body 10 can have elastic deformability. Hence, not only the accommodated-portion-side elastically deformable portion 26 but also the main-body-side elastically deformable portion 46 can be elastically deformed and have great elastic deformability. Thus, the dimension of the operating body 20 in the operation direction can be small while ensuring the holding force relative to the cord.
Since the division 48A on the connecting portion side of the pair of elastic pieces 31 and 32 (the main-body-side elastically deformable portion 46) is deformed, force concentrated on the connecting portion of the pair of elastic pieces 31 and 32 can be dispersed by the division 48A (the main-body-side elastically deformable portion 46) when the operating body 20 is inserted in the main body 10. Thereby, damage on the connecting portion of the pair of elastic pieces 31 and 32 can be avoided. This feature also functions as an advantage in manufacturing of the pair of elastic pieces 31 and 32 since it is not necessary to form the root portions of the pair of elastic pieces 31 and 32 (the connecting portions between the pair of elastic pieces 31 and 32 and the main body 10) to be thick.
In addition, since the lateral wall 14 of the main body 10 is divided by the slit 47 and the division 48A on the connecting portion side of the pair of elastic pieces 31 and 32 out of the divided lateral wall 14 is provided as the main-body-side elastically deformable portion 46, the main-body-side elastically deformable portion 46 can be provided on the main body 10 side with a simple arrangement. Further, since the slit 47 is provided so as to extend across the substantially diagonal positions on the pair of facing lateral walls 14, the elastic deformability can be ensured while ensuring the strength of the main body 10.
Note that, in the sixth embodiment, the slit 47 may not be positioned at the substantially diagonal positions on the pair of facing lateral walls 14, but the slit 47 may be provided on both sides of the pair of facing lateral walls.
A seventh embodiment of the invention will be shown in
The cord stopper 7 of the seventh embodiment differs from the cord stopper 6 of the sixth embodiment in that the accommodated-portion-side elastically deformable portion 26 provided to the operating body 20 is omitted. In other words, herein the operating body 20 does not include the accommodated-portion-side elastically deformable portion 26 and the main-body-side elastically deformable portion 46 is provided only to the main body 10.
With such an arrangement, an object of the invention can be obtained.
The invention is not limited to the above-described embodiments but also includes modification and improvements as long as an object of the invention can be achieved.
In the above-described embodiments, the main body 10, the operating body 20 and the elastic body 30 are formed as an integral molding from a common resin material. However, the arrangement is not limited thereto. For example, the main body 10 and the operating body 20 may be formed with resin and a tip end of a metal plate spring may be integrally embedded as an elastic body.
As another example, when the main body 10 and the operating body 20 are resin molded, a plate spring may be set in a die in advance and a resin material is filled and solidified therein, thereby integrally forming the main body 10 and the operating body 20 with the plate spring molded.
As another example, the main body 10, the operating body 20 and the elastic body 30 may be made as a separate component and subsequently combined to form the cord stopper 1, 2, 3 and 4.
In the above-described embodiments, the main body 10 and the operating body 20 are formed in a rectangular cylindrical shape. However, the shape is not limited thereto but may be any. For example, the shape may be circular cylindrical. Further, the shape may not be cylindrical. The shape may be any as long as the first cord insertion hole 11 and the second cord insertion hole 21 are provided.
In the above-described embodiments, the accommodated-portion-side elastically deformable portion 26 is formed on the connecting portions of the operating body 20 to which the tip ends of the elastic pieces 31, 32 and 33 of the elastic body 30 are connected. In other words, the accommodated-portion-side elastically deformable portion 26 is provided from the lower wall 23 to the lateral walls 24 of the operating body 20. However, the position of the accommodated-portion-side elastically deformable portion 26 may be on the lateral walls 24 of the operating body 20 or from the lateral walls 24 to the upper wall 22.
Specifically, in order to form the accommodated-portion-side elastically deformable portion 26, the depth of the slits 27 in the operating body 20 needs to be large enough for the accommodated-portion-side elastically deformable portion 26 to be elastically deformed, so that the slits 27 may be formed in a portion of the lateral walls 24 or formed so as to extend from the lateral walls 24 to the upper wall 22 depending on requirements.
In the above-described embodiments, the accommodated-portion-side elastically deformable portion 26 is formed by the plurality of divisions 28A, 28B, 28C and 28AB divided by one or two slits 27. However, the arrangement is not limited thereto. In the above-described embodiments, the main-body-side elastically deformable portion 46 is the division 48A that is formed by dividing the lateral walls 14 by the slit 47. However, the arrangement is not limited thereto. That is to say, any other arrangement may be employed as long as the main-body-side elastically deformable portion 46 can be deformed at the same time when the elastic body 30 is elastically deformed and the dimension of the operating body 20 in the operation direction can be small.
In the above-described embodiments, the elastic body 30 is formed by the elastic pieces 31, 32 and 33 obliquely extending along a penetration direction of the first cord insertion hole 11 and the second cord insertion hole 21. However, the elastic body 30 may be an elastic piece obliquely extending in a direction intersecting with (specifically orthogonal to) the penetration direction of the first cord insertion hole 11 and the second cord insertion hole 21.
In the above-described embodiments, one cord 101 is held but two cords or three or more cords may be held. Further, the shape of the cord 101 is not limited to a round shape but may be flat or any other shape.
The priority applications Number JP2006-138514 and Number JP2007-062044 upon which this patent application is based are hereby incorporated by reference.
Number | Date | Country | Kind |
---|---|---|---|
2006-138514 | May 2006 | JP | national |
2007-062044 | Mar 2007 | JP | national |