Patent Application
20180317580
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The disclosure and prior art relates to tie fasteners and more particularly pertains to a new tie fastener for retaining a tie in a desired configuration without knotting.
An embodiment of the disclosure meets the needs presented above by generally comprising a housing that defines an interior space. Each of a pair of holes is positioned through a respective opposing side of the housing. An orifice is positioned through a bottom of the housing. A coupler is coupled to the housing and is positioned in the interior space. The orifice and the holes are positioned in the housing such that each hole is configured to insert a respective end of a tie such that the tie passes through the interior space. The orifice is configured to allow the two ends of the tie to be extended from the housing. The coupler is configured to couple to the tie to retain the tie in a desired configuration without requiring the tie to be knotted.
There has thus been outlined, rather broadly, the more important features of the disclosure in order that the detailed description thereof that follows may be better understood, and in order that the present contribution to the art may be better appreciated. There are additional features of the disclosure that will be described hereinafter and which will form the subject matter of the claims appended hereto.
The objects of the disclosure, along with the various features of novelty which characterize the disclosure, are pointed out with particularity in the claims annexed to and forming a part of this disclosure.
The disclosure will be better understood and objects other than those set forth above will become apparent when consideration is given to the following detailed description thereof. Such description makes reference to the annexed drawings wherein:
With reference now to the drawings, and in particular to
As best illustrated in
Each of a pair of holes 22 is positioned through a respective opposing side 24 of the housing 12. An orifice 26 is positioned through the bottom 20 of the housing 12. Each hole 22 is configured to insert a respective end of a tie so that the tie passes through the interior space 14. The orifice 26 is configured to allow the two ends of the tie to be extended from the housing 12. In one embodiment, the holes 22 are substantially circularly shaped. In another embodiment, the orifice 26 is shaped complementarily to the bottom 20.
A coupler 28 is coupled to the housing 12 and is positioned in the interior space 14. The coupler 28 is configured to selectively couple to the tie that is positioned in the interior space 14. The coupler 28 configured to couple to the tie to retain the tie in a desired configuration without requiring the tie to be knotted.
In one embodiment, the coupler 28 comprises a slot 30 that is positioned through a back 32 of the housing 12 proximate to the bottom 20 of the housing 12. A bracket 34 is coupled to the housing 12 and extends through the slot 30 into the interior space 14. The bracket 34 comprises of a pair of arms 36. Each arm 36 is positioned adjacent to a respective opposing edge 38 of the slot 30. A pin 40 is coupled to and extends between the pair of arms 36. A bar 42 is rotationally coupled to the pin 40 such that a first end 44 of the bar 42 extends through the slot 30. A second end 46 of the bar 42 is selectively rotatably positionable proximate to a front 48 of the housing 12 to couple to the tie. The tie is retained in the desired configuration without requiring the tie to be knotted.
A spring 50 is positioned around the axle. The spring 50 has a first endpoint 52 that is coupled to the bar 42 and a second endpoint 54 that is coupled to the housing 12. The second end 46 of the bar 42 is biased toward the front 48 of the housing 12. The user is positioned to rotate the bar 42 relative to the pin 40 so that the spring 50 is compressed and the second end 46 of the bar 42 is motivated distally from the front 48 of the housing 12. The tie is positionable between the front 48 of the housing 12 and the bar 42. The user is positioned to release the bar 42 so that the spring 50 is positioned to motivate the second end 46 of the bar 42 toward the front 48 of the housing 12. The bar 42 is coupled to the tie to retain the tie in the desired configuration without requiring the tie to be knotted.
In another embodiment, the first end 44 and the second end 46 of the bar 42 are arcuate. In yet another embodiment, the first end 44 is dimensionally larger than the second end 46. In still yet another embodiment, the first end 44 is textured. The first end 44 is configured to frictionally couple to a digit of the hand of the user so that the user is positioned to rotate the bar 42 relative to the pin 40. In still yet another embodiment, the second end 46 of the bar 42 is textured so that the second end 46 is configured to frictionally couple to the tie.
A penetration 56 is positioned through the back 32 of the housing 12 between the slot 30 and the top 18 of the housing 12. The penetration 56 is configured to allow insertion of a finger of the hand of the user to guide the tie through the interior space 14. In one embodiment, the penetration 56 is substantially ovally shaped.
In use, each hole 22 that is positioned in the housing 12 is configured to insert the respective end of the tie so that the tie passes through the interior space 14. The penetration 56 that is positioned in the housing 12 is configured to insert the finger of the hand of the user to guide the tie through the interior space 14. The orifice 26 that is positioned in the housing 12 is configured to allow the two ends of the tie to be extended from the housing 12. The user is positioned to rotate the bar 42 relative to the pin 40 so that the spring 50 is compressed and the second end 46 of the bar 42 is motivated distally from the front 48 of the housing 12. The tie is positionable between the front 48 of the housing 12 and the bar 42. The user is positioned to release the bar 42 so that the spring 50 is positioned to motivate the second end 46 of the bar 42 toward the front 48 of the housing 12. The bar 42 is coupled to the tie to retain the tie in the desired configuration without requiring the tie to be knotted.
With respect to the above description then, it is to be realized that the optimum dimensional relationships for the parts of an embodiment enabled by the disclosure, to include variations in size, materials, shape, form, function and manner of operation, assembly and use, are deemed readily apparent and obvious to one skilled in the art, and all equivalent relationships to those illustrated in the drawings and described in the specification are intended to be encompassed by an embodiment of the disclosure.
Therefore, the foregoing is considered as illustrative only of the principles of the disclosure. Further, since numerous modifications and changes will readily occur to those skilled in the art, it is not desired to limit the disclosure to the exact construction and operation shown and described, and accordingly, all suitable modifications and equivalents may be resorted to, falling within the scope of the disclosure. In this patent document, the word “comprising” is used in its non-limiting sense to mean that items following the word are included, but items not specifically mentioned are not excluded. A reference to an element by the indefinite article “a” does not exclude the possibility that more than one of the element is present, unless the context clearly requires that there be only one of the elements.
