CN1196211A - rope lock - Google Patents

Abstract

A rope lock comprises a socket and a plug, the socket has a pair of outer rope insertion holes and a pair of converging opposite cam surfaces, the plug includes a rod with an inner rope insertion hole and a pair of elastic feet at the lower end of the rod. The lower part of the socket has a pair of engagement edges and a jumper. The foot has a pair of engagement portions slidable on the cam surface and engageable with the engagement edge. When the joint part is engaged with the joint edge, the inner and outer holes are aligned, and the rope can be passed through. When the joint is released, the plug moves upwards under the rebound force of the foot, which depresses and secures the cord.

Description

rope lock

The present invention relates to a fastening element for fastening a cord threaded into the lower edge, waist, collar or hood brim of a garment such as a ski suit, duck down jacket, car parka or the like. This type of fastener is commonly referred to as a "lock head" and is installed at the end of the cord.

Accompanying drawing 8 shows a kind of lock head disclosed as Japanese Utility Model Publication No. 1989-39449. This prior art lock head is made up of a plug 2' and a socket 1'. The plug 2' consists of a vertical rod 20' having a horizontal inner cord insertion hole 22' and a pair of elastic feet 21' extending from the lower end of the rod 20'. The socket 1' is a tube with a closed bottom and has a circular cross-section. The socket 1' includes a pair of diametrically opposed outer cord insertion holes 6' and an inner wall surface 10' inclined towards its closed bottom position. The resilient feet 21' of the plug 2' are slidably accommodated in the socket 1' and rest on the inclined surface 10', the resilient force of the feet 21' generally pushing the plug 2' upward.

Figure 9 shows another cord lock as disclosed in Japanese Patent Publication No. 1990-228814. This prior art cord lock comprises an upper socket 1a", a bottom closed lower socket 1b" fixed to the lower end of the upper socket 1a", and a slidably accommodated upper and lower sockets 1a", 1b". Plug 2". The upper socket 1a "has a pair of external cord insertion holes 6" and has one or more claws J" at its lower end, and the lower socket 1b" has an inclined inner wall surface 10" at its closed end. The plug 2" consists of a The vertical rod 20" of the horizontal inner rope insertion hole 22" is formed by a pair of elastic feet 21" at the lower end of the rod 20". Since the pins 21" of the plug 2" are in elastic contact with the inclined surface 10" of the lower socket 1b", the plug 2" is usually pushed up. The lower socket 1b" has one or more engaging portions 24" on its outer surface and a Or a plurality of engagement protrusions F" engageable with claws J" of the upper socket 1a".

The prior art cord lock of Fig. 8 suffers from the following problems. Owing to can't make plug 2 ' keep the state that inner and outer rope inserting holes are aligned with each other when necessary, so be difficult to make rope pass rope lock end easily, and clothes can't be produced conveniently and smoothly.

The prior art cord lock of Fig. 9 suffers from the following problems. Due to its three-piece structure, the manufacturing cost is high and the assembly process is complicated. Furthermore, although it includes means to keep the plug 2" in hole alignment as necessary, it is inconvenient to use because it is impossible to restore the plug 2" to the hole alignment once the lock is assembled for use.

Therefore, the first object of the present invention is to provide a cord lock, the plug of which can be held in the socket in the state of hole alignment, so that a rope can be passed through the cord lock, and the structure is simple, the manufacturing cost is low, and the After the lock head is assembled for use, the plug can restore the alignment of the holes, so that it is convenient to use.

A second object of the present invention is to provide a cord lock whose mechanism can easily align the plug holding holes and secure the cord fixation by simple means, thereby ensuring smooth securing and releasing operations for a long period of time.

A third object of the present invention is to provide a cord lock which avoids uneven elastic deformation of the feet when the plug thereof is released from the hole-aligned state, thereby achieving reliable and smooth operation.

A fourth object of the present invention is to provide a cord lock whose socket and plug can be positioned in a simple manner and can be easily assembled and which prevents the plug from being removed from the socket. Plus, there is no rattling of the plug in the receptacle, giving the cord lock a neat look.

A fifth object of the present invention is to provide a cord lock which maintains the alignment of the plug with respect to the aperture of the socket by simple means and which prevents improper operation of the plug retention mechanism in use.

A sixth object of the present invention is to provide a cord lock whose plug release function can be performed smoothly and whose release clip can be securely and easily clamped.

A seventh object of the present invention is to provide a cord lock whose plug retaining mechanism and clamping mechanism are protected by a simple cover, thereby improving durability and giving the lock a neat appearance.

According to a first aspect of the present invention, the above-mentioned first object is achieved by the following cord lock comprising a plug and a socket. In the cord lock, the plug has a vertical stem and a pair of diametrically opposed resilient feet protruding from the lower portion of the stem. The resilient foot has a pair of opposing joints on its outer surface. The vertical rod has a diametrically extending inner cord insertion hole. Meanwhile, the vertical socket movably accommodating the plug has a pair of opposite outer cord insertion holes in its pipe wall and a pair of downwardly converging opposite cam surfaces on the inner surface of the pipe wall. The cam surface is resiliently contactable with the opposing engagement portion of the pin of the plug. The socket also has a pair of opposing engagement edges at the lower end of the cam surface. The engagement lip is engageable with the engagement portion of the foot in such a manner that the foot is exposed from the socket. And when the two opposite joint parts resist the elastic force of the feet and approach each other, the joint parts can be released from the joint edge.

According to a second aspect of the present invention, the socket has a jumper between the engaging ends, and a pair of openings are provided on opposite sides of the jumper so that the legs can be exposed from the socket.

According to a third aspect of the present invention, the bridging member has a longitudinal ridge at the center of its inner surface which is contactable with a foot.

According to a fourth aspect of the present invention, the socket has a pair of plug movement limiting projections on the upper side of the cam surface, and the plug rod is slidable along the pipe wall at a portion above one of the plug movement limiting projections. Both the socket and the plug have an oval horizontal cross-section.

According to a fifth aspect of the present invention, the socket has a pair of diametrically opposed grooves above the outer cord insertion hole at the upper end of the tube wall.

According to a sixth aspect of the present invention, each foot has a release clip adjacent to the engaging portion.

According to a seventh aspect of the present invention, each foot has a horizontal groove between the engagement portion and the release clip.

According to an eighth aspect of the present invention, the cord lock further includes a cover mounted on the socket and covering the lower end of the pipe wall and the jumper, the cover being detachable.

According to the ninth aspect of the present invention, the cord lock further includes an elastic cover mounted on the socket and covering the lower end of the pipe wall and the jumper.

A brief description of the accompanying drawings:

Fig. 1 is an exploded perspective view of a rope lock according to a first embodiment of the present invention;

Fig. 2 is a longitudinal section front view showing a plug in a state where a plug is aligned with a hole (with a socket);

Figure 3 is a longitudinal sectional side view of the cord lock head of the plug showing a plug in alignment with the hole (with the receptacle);

Fig. 4 is a longitudinal section front view showing the rope lock head in the rope fastening state;

Fig. 5 is a longitudinal section front view showing the rope lock head in the rope adjustment state;

Fig. 6 is a top view showing the rope lock head in the rope fastening state;

7 is a partial longitudinal section front view of the rope lock head of the second embodiment of the present invention, showing that the rope lock head is covered by a cover at its lower end;

Fig. 8 is a longitudinal sectional front view showing a conventional rope lock in a rope tightening state;

Fig. 9 is a longitudinal sectional front view showing another conventional rope lock in a rope fastened state;

The rope lock end of the preferred embodiment of the present invention will now be described in detail with reference to the accompanying drawings.

As shown in Figure 1, the cord lock head of the first embodiment of the present invention has a two-element structure consisting of a substantially circular socket 1 and a plug 2 having a substantially cylindrical vertical A straight rod 20 and a pair of elastic feet 21 protrude from the lower end of the rod 20 and are movably accommodated in the socket 1 . The socket 1 and the plug 2 are formed by injection molding of thermoplastic resin such as polyamide, polyaldehyde or polypropylene.

The socket 1 has an elliptical cross-section (see Figure 6), and has a pair of diametrically opposite circular rope insertion holes (hereinafter referred to as outer rope insertion holes) 6 in its tube wall 5, the insertion holes are on the short side of the ellipse. diametrically opposite; at its upper end above the outer rope insertion hole 6 there is a pair of opposing shallow grooves 7. The socket 1 also has a pair of vertical guide ridges 8 opposite in the long diameter direction of the ellipse on the inner surface of the pipe wall 5, and each ridge extends from the lower end of the socket 1 toward its upper end to not far from the upper end. As shown in Figure 2, the socket 1 also has a pair of opposite plug movement limiting projections 9 on the inner surface of the pipe wall 5, each projection is a small wedge-shaped projection and is below the corresponding external rope insertion hole 6; and A pair of downwardly converging cam surfaces 10 each having a width substantially the same as the width of a corresponding foot 21 . Camming surfaces 10 extend from corresponding plug movement limiting projections 9 to an inwardly projecting engagement edge 11 . The distance between the two opposing cam surfaces 10 is gradually shortened toward the lower end of the socket 1 . Therefore, the rod 20 of the plug 2 can be in frictional contact with the triangular-shaped plug movement limiting protrusion 9 so as not to tilt in the socket 1 .

As shown in Figures 2 and 3, the socket 1 has a U-shaped jumper 12 disposed on its lower end extending along the long diameter of the ellipse, which forms a pair of openings 14 on both sides of the socket, so that the plug 2 The pins 21 can be exposed outside the socket 1 . The jumper 12 has a longitudinal ridge 13 at the center of its inner surface. When the opposite pin 21 bends inwardly in the manner shown by the dotted line and the two-dot dash line in FIG. 2, the free end of the opposite pin 21 of the plug 1 That is, contact with the ridge. The two opposite bases of the jumper 12 protrude inward, but only within a limit of not hindering the bending of the pin 21 of the plug 2 , as shown in FIG. 3 . The hole 15 formed during the injection molding of the plug movement limiting protrusion 9 is arranged below the outer cord insertion hole 6 .

Meanwhile, as shown in FIG. 6, the plug 2 includes a rod 20 having an elliptical cross-section; and as shown in FIGS. inner rope insertion hole) 22, and a pair of vertical guide grooves 23 opposite in the long diameter direction of the ellipse are provided on the cylindrical surface of the rod, and the guide grooves extend from the lower end of the rod 20 to not far from the upper end, slidably Corresponding guide ridges 8 of the socket 1 are accommodated. The feet 21 are integrally formed with the plug 2 and face the short diameter of the ellipse of the plug 2. Each foot 21 has a uniform width and has an arcuate section formed radially inward from the cylindrical surface of the rod 20 in the horizontal direction. The foot 21 is thus elastically bendable.

Each foot 21 has an engaging portion 24 approximately at the center of its outer surface at a portion near its longitudinal center. The engaging portion 24 is elastically contactable with the corresponding cam surface 10 of the socket 1 , and is engageable with the corresponding engaging edge 11 of the socket 1 and the corresponding plug movement limiting protrusion 9 formed above the corresponding engaging edge 11 . The foot 21 has a release clip 25 formed below the joint 24 at its lower end. The release clip 25 has a horizontal groove 26 on its outer surface to prevent any slippage and facilitate the clamping operation. Reference numeral 27 denotes a pair of small protrusions arranged below the inner cord insertion hole 22 so that the bases of the opposite legs 21 can frictionally contact with the inner surface of the tube wall 5 of the socket 1 . Thus, the rod 20 of the plug 1 can slide along the inner surface of the tube wall 5 of the socket 1 .

When assembling, firstly, the socket 1 and the plug 2 are positioned in mutual axial alignment, and then the plug 2 is inserted into the socket 1 from the pin 21 . At this time, the ridge 8 on the tube wall 5 of the socket 1 slides in along the guide groove 23 of the rod 20 of the plug 2 . When the plug 2 is inserted into the socket 1, the joints 24 of the two opposite pins 21 are elastically bent inwardly by the pins 21 and climb uphill along the corresponding plug movement limiting protrusion 9, and then cross the top of the plug movement limiting protrusion 9. . Thus, the assembly of the socket 1 and the plug 2 is completed.

The manner of use of the cord lock thus assembled is now described. If the plug 2 is pushed down until the top surface of the rod 20 is flush with the bottom of the groove 7 of the socket 1, the joints 24 of the two opposite feet 21 will bend toward each other through the feet 21 due to their elasticity, thereby moving along the socket 1. The ramp slides against the cam surface 10 and then over the engagement edge 11. At this moment, the feet 21 spring back outwards by virtue of their resilience force so that the engaging portion 24 engages with the corresponding engaging edge 11 of the socket 1 , as shown in FIG. 2 . Assuming the cord lock is in this state, the outer cord insertion hole 6 of the socket is aligned with the inner cord insertion hole 22 of the plug 2 to easily pass a cord C through the aligned outer and inner cord insertion holes 6,22.

To fix the thus inserted cord C at a predetermined position, the corresponding engaging edges 11 are released by pressing the release clips 25 of the two opposite legs 21 toward each other. The plug 2 then moves upwards along the cam surface 10 under the resilient force of the foot 21 to secure the cord C, as shown in FIG. 4 . To adjust the fixed position of the cord C, the plug 2 is pushed so that the top surface of the rod 20 is flush with the top surface of the socket 1 . The outer and inner cord insertion holes 6 , 22 are then aligned by holding the engagement portion 24 on the cam surface 10 , as shown in FIG. 5 . When the rope lock is held in this posture, the rope C can be moved in two directions for adjustment.

If the cord C is removed from the cord lock, the engaging portion 24 of the plug 2 will automatically move upward by its resilience to engage with the plug movement limiting projection 9 of the socket 1 to prevent the plug 2 from being removed from the socket 1 . To use the cord lock again, the rod 20 of the plug 2 is pushed down until the engagement portion 24 engages the corresponding engagement edge 11 to ensure that the holes are in the aligned position as shown in FIG. 2 . The cord C can then be inserted through the aligned outer and inner cord insertion holes 6 , 22 .

Figure 7 shows another cord lock according to the second embodiment. In this second embodiment the lower part of the cord lock is concealed and protected by a cover 30 . The cover 30 covers the jumper 12 of the socket 1 . The cover is made of thermoplastic resin and has an oval cross section. The socket 1 has one or more male and female tenon series arranged near the short diameter of the ellipse at the lower end of the pipe wall 5 . The cover 30 also has on its periphery one or more series of male and female tenons matching the shape and number of the male and female tenons of the socket 1 . Therefore, the cover 30 can be detachably mounted on the socket 1 . Alternatively, the cover 30 attached to the lower end of the socket 1 may be molded from soft thermoplastic resin so that the release clip 25 of the foot 21 can be pressed inwardly from the outer surface of the cover 30 . By making the color and shape of the cover 30 different from that of the socket 1, various decorative effects can be added to the cord lock.

With the cord lock of the present invention, the following beneficial effects can be obtained.

According to the first aspect of the present invention, partly because each opposite spring foot 21 of plug 2 has an engagement portion 24 at the substantially center of its outer surface, and partly because socket 1 has a pair of The opposite downwardly converging cam surface 10 is elastically contactable with the corresponding engagement portion 24 and a pair of engagement edges 11, which are disposed at the corresponding lower end of the cam surface 10, that is, the lower end of the socket 1, when the feet 21 When exposed to the outside of the socket 1, its engaging portion 24 is engaged with the engaging edge 11, so that the plug 2 can temporarily maintain the hole alignment state, that is, the outer and inner cords are inserted 6, 22 are aligned with each other, thereby facilitating the insertion of the cord C Rope lock and slide plug 2. And can make plug 2 charcoal complex holes align state after rope lock head is assembled and put into use. In addition, because the number of components of the rope lock is small and the structure is simple, the assembly process is simple and the cost is low.

According to the second aspect of the present invention, since the socket 1 has a jumper 12, and a pair of openings 14 are arranged on two opposite sides of the jumper 12, the pins 21 can be exposed from the socket 1, and the socket 1 can be exposed through a simple structure. The two opposing legs 21 of the plug 2 are protected and simply bent towards each other.

According to the third aspect of the present invention, since the bridge member 12 has a longitudinal ridge 13 that can contact the feet 21 at the center of its inner surface, it can prevent the two opposite feet 21 from producing unbalanced elastic deformation, thereby facilitating the precise positioning of the feet 21. And smooth bending.

According to the fourth aspect of the present invention, partly because the socket 1 has a pair of plug movement limiting protrusions 9 on the upper side of the cam surface 10, and partly because the rod 20 of the plug 2 can be positioned at a part above the plug movement limiting protrusions 9 Sliding along the inner surface of the pipe wall 5, and in part due to the fact that both the socket 1 and the plug 2 have an oval horizontal section, facilitates the positioning of the plug 2 relative to the plug 1, assembling the cord lock in a simple manner, through a The simple structure prevents accidental removal of the plug 2 and allows the plug 2 to move smoothly without swinging in the socket 1 .

According to the fifth aspect of the present invention, since the socket 1 has a pair of diametrically opposite grooves 7 above the outer cord insertion hole 6 at the upper end of the pipe wall 5, it is possible to prevent the plug holding mechanism from being damaged during use by a simple structure. accidental action and simply and reliably hold plug 2 in hole alignment.

According to the sixth and seventh aspects of the present invention, since the pin 21 has a pair of clips 25 and a pair of horizontal grooves 26, the pin 21 can be easily clamped, so that the engaging portion 24 of the plug is smoothly connected to the engaging edge of the socket 1. 11 Release.

According to the eighth and ninth aspects of the present invention, because the rope lock head also includes a cover 30 that is detachably installed on the socket 1 and covers the lower part of the pipe wall 5 and the cross-over member 12, or because the rope lock head also includes An elastic cover 30 that is installed on the socket 1 and covers the lower part of the tube wall 5 and the jumper 12, so that the release clip 25 of the plug 2 can be concealed and protected reliably by simple covering, thereby improving the service life and Conveniently add decorative effect.

Claims (9)

1. A cord lock comprising a plug (2) and a vertical socket (1) slidably receiving said plug (2), said plug having a vertical rod (20) and a pair of diametrically opposite elastic feet (21) protruding from the lower end of the rod (20), the vertical socket (1) has a pair of opposite external rope insertion holes (6) in its tube wall (5), and A pair of downwardly converging opposing cam surfaces (10) are provided on an inner surface of said tube wall (5), It is characterized in that the plug (2) has an elastic foot (21), and the elastic foot has a pair of opposite joints (24) on its outer surface, and the vertical rod (20) has a diameter extending The internal rope insertion hole (22), the cam surface (10) can be elastically contacted with the opposite engagement portion (24) of the pin (21) of the plug (2), a pair of opposite engagement edges ( 11) Engageable with said engagement portion (24) of said foot (21) at the lower end of said cam surface (10) in such a way that said foot (21) is exposed from said socket (1), whereby The engaging portion (24) can be made to be released from the engaging edge (11) when the engaging portion (24) is moved against the elasticity of the foot (21). 2. The cord lock according to claim 1, characterized in that, the socket (1) has a bridge (12) between the joint edges (11), and a pair of openings (14) It is arranged on two opposite sides of the jumper (12), so that the feet (21) can be exposed from the socket (1). 3. The cord lock according to claim 2, characterized in that said bridging member (12) has a longitudinal ridge (13) in the center of its inner surface which can be in contact with said foot (21). 4. The cord lock according to claim 1, characterized in that, the socket (1) has a pair of plug motion limiting protrusions (9) on the upper side of the cam surface (10), and the plug (2) The part of the rod (20) above the plug movement limiting projection (9) can slide along the tube wall (5), and both the socket (1) and the plug (2) have a Oval horizontal cross section. 5. The cord lock according to claim 1, characterized in that, the socket (1) has a pair of diametrically above the outer cord insertion hole (6) at the upper end of the tube wall (5). opposite groove (7). 6. The cord lock according to claim 1, characterized in that both feet of said feet (21) have a release clip (25) adjoining said engagement portion (24). 7. The cord lock according to claim 6, characterized in that, both feet of the feet (21) have a joint between the joint (24) and the release clip (25) on their outer surfaces. The horizontal groove (26) between. 8. The rope lock according to claim 1, 2, 3, 4, 5 or 6, further comprising a detachably mounted on the socket (1) and covering the pipe wall ( 5) and the cover (30) of the jumper (12). 9. The rope lock as claimed in claim 1, 2, 3, 4, 5 or 6, characterized in that it also comprises a socket mounted on the socket (1) and covering the pipe wall (5) The lower end and the elastic cover of the bridge (12).

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