Releasable tie

Description

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION

[0001] A variety of methods of securing objects together exist, from simple methods involving cord and knots to more sophisticated methods involving a variety of devices that eliminate the problems associated with tying or taping objects together.

[0002] Many ties are single-use only. They are capable of being tightened but not loosened. If the objects need to be separated later on, such devices must be cut off. Alternatively, if further objects need to be added, a new device will also be necessary because the used device will be too small to accommodate the extra object(s).

[0003] There are also releasable ties, some of which make use of a locking head and function on the principle of a ratchet and pawl. These devices are capable of securing a set of objects together, but typically involve some moving part that can break off with repeated use. Likewise, manipulation of the gripping means can be difficult when the device is under tension. Others may be more easily manipulated but require a series of back and forth movements to tighten or loosen the strap. Furthermore, such releasable ties typically involve locking devices that hold at a single point or to a single projection or extension of the tie. Under sufficient tension, such ties may deform and slip, causing the bundle to loosen and may lead to the separation of its contents.

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION

[0004] What is needed is a releasable tie that can be easily adjusted with a minimum of manipulations, even under tension, with a locking device that holds at more than one point to reduce the likelihood that the tie will slip under tension.

[0005] There is therefore provided in accordance with an embodiment of the invention, a releasable tie comprising:

[0006] a shaft terminating in a locking head at one end and capable of being passed through the locking head at its other end;

[0007] the shaft having a plurality of a first locking element located along at least a portion of its length;

[0008] the locking head having an internal bore defined by an encircling wall, the encircling wall having at least a second locking element on the encircling wall;

[0009] one of the first locking element and the second locking element being a pocket having side walls for receiving the other of the first locking element and the second locking element;

[0010] the other of the first locking element and the second locking element being a barb to be received by the pocket;

[0011] the shaft being prevented from rotation by location of the barb in the pocket;

[0012] the pocket being oriented to prevent the shaft moving through the locking head under tensional forces on the shaft when the barb is received by the pocket; and

[0013] the shaft being releasable from the locking head by removing the barb from the pocket by pulling on the shaft, twisting the shaft and allowing the shaft to slide through the locking head.

[0014] The object of the present invention is to provide a one-piece adjustable and releasable tie that can be easily and precisely adjusted under tension.

[0015] A further object of the invention is to provide a tie that locks securely into place when under tension and is not prone to releasing prematurely.

[0016] A further object of the invention is to provide a handle that allows the tie to be grasped more easily in making adjustments.

[0017] A further object is to provide a tie that can be severed at its end to be left permanently in place if so desired.

[0018] These and other aspects of the invention are described in the detailed description of the invention and claimed in the claims that follow.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

[0019] There will now be described preferred embodiments of the invention, with reference to the drawings, by way of illustration only and not with the intention of limiting the scope of the invention, in which like numerals denote like elements and in which:

[0020]
FIG. 1 shows a schematic of the releasable tie;

[0021]
FIG. 2 shows a side-view cross section of the handle and shaft;

[0022]
FIG. 3 shows a side-view cross section of the shaft in the locking head;

[0023]
FIG. 4 shows a top plan view of the locking head;

[0024] FIGS. 5A-5D show a side view of various possible depression shapes of the pockets at 90° to the view in FIG. 3;

[0025]
FIG. 6 shows a transverse cross-section view of the shaft;

[0026]
FIG. 7 shows a side-view of the shaft with one possible shape of the barbs corresponding to the pocket shape in FIG. 5A; and

[0027]
FIG. 8 shows a side-view cross section of an alternative embodiment of the shaft in the locking head for a tie with compressible barbs.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS

[0028] In this patent document, the word “comprising” is used in its non-limiting sense to mean that items following the word in the sentence are included and that items not specifically mentioned are not excluded. The use of the indefinite article “a” in the claims before an element means that one of the elements is specified, but does not specifically exclude others of the elements being present, unless the context clearly requires that there be one and only one of the elements.

[0029] As shown in FIG. 1, the releasable tie comprises a handle 10, a shaft 12, and a locking head 14. The handle, as shown in FIG. 2, comprises a handle bar 16 on a pivot 18 set into the shaft 12. The handle bar 16 passes through the locking head 14 and is then flipped to an open position perpendicular to the shaft 12, allowing it to be grasped in order to manipulate the shaft 12 within the locking head 14 through pulling, pushing, and/or rotating the handle bar 16. The handle bar 16 also has the added benefit when left in the open position of providing a gripping means for carrying the secured object or objects The handle bar 16 can be any length but is preferably of a length sufficient to be grasped easily by the user of the tie. The handle 10 could also be separate from the tie and attached to it with any of a variety of attachment means. However, a tie of unitary construction is preferred to one requiring multiple parts.

[0030] When the shaft 12 enters the locking head 14 as in FIG. 3, the barbs 20 of the shaft 12 engage in the pockets 24 located on the encircling wall of the bore 22 of the locking head 14. FIG. 4 shows a top plan view of the locking head 14 with bore 22. The pocket 24 is preferably shaped sloping from its edges to a depression 25 in its center to receive the barb 20 between its two sides and the pockets 24 are distributed around the encircling wall 21 of the bore 22 complementarily to the barbs 20. A sharp edge 26 may be used to sever the shaft 12 if it is desired to leave the loop permanently secure. FIGS. 5A, 5B, 5C and 5D show the pockets 20 at a view 90° to the view in FIG. 3. While the preferred shape of the pocket is sloped towards the middle in a V-shaped or curved manner, other possible shapes are possible, such as trapezoidal as in FIG. 5C or even rectangular as in FIG. 5D. The important feature is that the pocket has sides to prevent rotation of the shaft in the locking head when the shaft is under tension. As such, even a hook and eye arrangement would work for the purposes of this invention.

[0031] Equally important in preventing slipping of the shaft 12 is the location of more than one locking element along the length of the encircling wall of the bore 22. While one locking element is sufficient for the purposes of this invention, it is preferable to have two or more sets of locking elements along the length of the encircling wall 21 of the bore 22. The additional locking elements will permit a greater number of points of contact between the shaft 12 and the locking head 14, thus reducing the possibility that slipping of the shaft 12 will occur when the shaft 12 is under tension.

[0032] The barbs 20 of the shaft 12 are preferably spaced evenly around its circumference. FIG. 6A shows a transverse cross-section of the shaft 12 with the barbs 20 protruding out from the sides. The shaft 12 can be any shape, but is preferably round. Two barbs 20 are shown, but there could be only one or three or more. If the barbs 20 are in sets of two evenly spaced around the circumference of the shaft 12, then the shaft 12 can move freely by being rotated roughly 90° from a locked position. Likewise, if the barbs 20 are in sets of three spaced evenly around the circumference of the shaft 12, then free movement can be achieved by rotating the shaft 12 roughly 60° from a locked position. The degree of rotation required will be dependent on the number of barbs 20 per set, and their manner of spacing around the circumference of the shaft 12. The barbs 20 extend along the length of the shaft 12 for at least a useful portion of the shaft. As shown in FIG. 7 the barb 20 can be any shape, but is preferably V-shaped or curved or otherwise tapered in such manner as to be wider at the top than at the bottom.

[0033] It should be noted that although the figures show and the description refers to barbs 20 on the shaft 12 and pockets 24 on the encircling wall 21 of the bore 22 of the locking head 14, it is just as possible to have the barbs occur on the encircling wall of the bore of the locking head and to have the pockets occur on the shaft. The shape and arrangement of the two locking elements and their location on the shaft 12 or on the encircling wall 21 of the bore 22 of the locking head 14 is less important than that the two locking elements are complementary to each other so that whichever type happens to be on the shaft 12 will be complemented by its counterpart on the encircling wall 21 of the bore 22 of the locking head 14.

[0034] The tie can be made out of any suitable, flexible material, such as plastic or metal, that will allow for the tie to loop around the objects to be secured. Likewise, it can be made in a variety of lengths and sizes to respond to different securing requirements.

[0035] The tie works as follows. The loop of the shaft 12 is placed around an object or objects 15 to be secured and the handle 10 is inserted through the locking head 14 with the barbs 20 moving through the bore 22 in the areas between the pockets 24, Once through the locking head 14, the handle 10 is rotated sufficiently (90° if there are two barbs/pockets per circumference, 60° if there are three barbs/pockets per circumference, etc.) so that the barbs 20 may fall back and settle into the pockets 24, thus being locked securely into place by the tensional forces acting on the shaft 12 and prevented from rotating by the sides of the pocket 24. The shaft 12 may be released by pulling up on the handle 10, rotating the required amount, and pushing or pulling the shaft 12 through the bore 22.

[0036] In an alternative embodiment, the barbs 20 are made in such a way that they can be squeezed between the pockets 24, as in FIG. 8. If the barbs 20 have squeezed through the bore 22 between the pockets 24, then the locking mechanism will engage upon release of the pulling force as the barbs 20 no longer being compressed by the pockets 24 ease back into the pockets 24, thus being locked securely into place by the tensional forces acting on the shaft 12 and prevented from rotating by the sides of the pocket 24. The shaft 12 may be released by pulling up on the handle 10, rotating the required amount, and pushing or pulling the shaft 12 through the bore 22.

[0037] A person skilled in the art could make immaterial modifications to the invention described in this patent document without departing from the essence of the invention that is intended to be covered by the scope of the claims that follow.

Claims

1. A tie, comprising; a shaft terminating in a locking head at one end and capable of being passed through the locking head at its other end; the shaft having a plurality of a first locking element located along at least a portion of its length; the locking head having an internal bore defined by an encircling wall, the encircling wall having at least a second locking element on the encircling wall; one of the first locking element and the second locking element being a pocket having side walls for receiving the other of the first locking element and the second locking element; the other of the first locking element and the second locking element being a barb to be received by the pocket; the shaft being prevented from rotation by location of the barb in the pocket; the pocket being oriented to prevent the shaft moving through the locking head under tensional forces on the shaft when the barb is received by the pocket; and the shaft being releasable from the locking head by removing the barb from the pocket by pulling on the shaft, twisting the shaft and allowing the shaft to slide through the locking head.
2. The tie of claim 1, wherein the barbs on the shaft are capable of being compressed by a non-engaging surface of the pockets as the barbs pass through the bore, said barbs then capable of returning to their original shape to be held securely by the pocket when the shaft is under tensional forces.
3. The tie of claim 1, wherein the pocket is depressed towards its center, said depression having the shape of a V; and the barb is V-shaped in a corresponding manner along its bottom surface to be received by the pocket and held securely in place in a non-rotating position.
4. The tie of claim 1, wherein the pocket is depressed towards its center, said depression having the shape of a curve; and the barb is curved in a corresponding manner along its bottom surface to be received by the pocket and held securely in place in a non-rotating position.
5. The tie of claim 1, wherein the pocket is tapered towards its center; and the barb is tapered in a corresponding manner along its bottom surface to be received by the pocket and held securely in place in a non-rotating position.
6. The tie of claim 1, wherein the pocket is an eye; and the barb is a hook to be received by the pocket and held securely in place in a non-rotating position.
7. The tie of claim 1, wherein the number of pockets spaced within the circumference of the encircling wall of the bore is equal to the number of barbs spaced around the circumference of the shaft, said pockets being spaced in a complementary fashion to the barbs.
8. The tie of claim 7, wherein the number of barbs per circumference of the shaft is 2, said barbs being evenly spaced; the number of pockets per circumference of the encircling wall of the bore is 2; and the barbs are releasable from the pockets by pulling on the shaft, rotating the shaft roughly 90°, and pulling or pushing the shaft through the bore of the locking head.
9. The tie of claim 7, wherein the number of barbs per circumference of the shaft is 3, said barbs being evenly spaced; the number of pockets per circumference of the encircling wall of the bore is 3; and the barbs are releasable from the pockets by pulling on the shaft, rotating the shaft roughly 60°, and pulling or pushing the shaft through the bore of the locking head.
10. The tie of claim 1, wherein the shaft comprises a handle integrated into the second end of the shaft; the handle comprising a pivot and a handle bar; and the handle capable of passing through the locking head in closed position and pivoting open to be grasped in an open position, said open position being perpendicular to the shaft, in order to manipulate the shaft within the locking head through pulling, pushing, and/or rotating the handle bar.
11. The tie of claim 10, wherein the handle bar is capable of being left in an open position to provide a carrying means for at least one object secured by the tie.
12. The tie of claim 1, wherein a handle bar can be attached or detached from the end of the shaft opposite the locking head in order to manipulate the shaft within the locking head through pulling, pushing, and/or rotating the handle bar, the handle bar and said end of the shaft having attaching means complementary to each other.
13. The tie of claim 12, wherein the handle bar is capable of being left attached to provide a carrying means for at least one object secured by the tie.
14. The tie of claim 1, wherein the exit of the locking head has a sharp cutting edge, said cutting edge capable of severing the shaft exiting from the bore of the locking head.
15. A tie, comprising; a shaft terminating in a locking head at one end and capable of being passed through the locking head at its other end; the shaft having a plurality of a first locking element located along at least a portion of its length; the locking head having an internal bore defined by an encircling wall, the encircling wall having at least a second locking element on the encircling wall; one of the first locking element and the second locking element being a pocket having side walls for receiving the other of the first locking element and the second locking element; the other of the first locking element and the second locking element being a barb to be received by the pocket; the barb being capable of being compressed by a non-engaging surface of the pocket as the barb passes through the bore, said barb returning to its original shape once being clear of the pocket to be held securely by the pocket when the shaft is under tensional forces; the shaft being prevented from rotation by location of the barb in the pocket; the pocket being oriented to prevent the shaft moving through the locking head under tensional forces on the shaft when the barb is received by the pocket; and the shaft being releasable from the locking head by removing the barb from the pocket by pulling on the shaft, twisting the shaft and allowing the shaft to slide through the locking head.
16. The tie of claim 15, wherein the exit of the locking head has a sharp cutting edge, said cutting edge capable of severing the shaft exiting from the bore of the locking head.
17. A tie, comprising; a shaft terminating in a locking head at one end and comprising a handle integrated into a second end of the shaft; the handle comprising a pivot and a handlebar; the handle capable of passing through the locking head in closed position and pivoting open to be grasped in an open position, said open position being perpendicular to the shaft, in order to manipulate the shaft within the locking head through pulling, pushing, and/or rotating the handle bar; the shaft having a plurality of a first locking element located along at least a portion of its length; the locking head having an internal bore defined by an encircling wall, the encircling wall having at least a second locking element on the encircling wall; one of the first locking element and the second locking element being a pocket having side walls for receiving the other of the first locking element and the second locking element; the other of the first locking element and the second locking element being a barb to be received by the pocket; the shaft being prevented from rotation by location of the barb in the pocket; the pocket being oriented to prevent the shaft moving through the locking head under tensional forces on the shaft when the barb is received by the pocket; and the shaft being releasable from the locking head by removing the barb from the pocket by pulling on the shaft, twisting the shaft and allowing the shaft to slide through the locking head.
18. The tie of claim 17, wherein the handle bar is capable of being left in an open position to provide a carrying means for at least one object secured by the tie.
19. The tie of claim 1, wherein the exit of the locking head has a sharp cutting edge, said cutting edge capable of severing the shaft exiting from the bore of the locking head.

Releasable tie

Information

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Date Filed

Date Published

Inventors

CPC

US Classifications

International Classifications

Abstract

Description

Claims