Note: Descriptions are shown in the official language in which they were submitted.
~8~49~i
This invention xelates t~ a binder ~or u~ in
binding articles together, such as, for example, a stem
of plant and its support, or a plurality of electric cables.
HeretDfore, when it is re~uired to bind for example
a number of cablesg or stems or branches of plant and its
support~ ox when it is desired to bind various other articles~
~ various con~tructions of binders h~ve been proposed and
-~ ~ome have ~ound practical use, including those made of
synt~etic resin or o metal material. Howev~r, all of such
binders aim at binding article~ in a fixed man~er, ~hat
is, in such a manner that once bound they could be un-
fastened only with difficulty.
Thus, e~pecially in the ca~e oP binders made of
s~nthetic resin, there has been no mean~ of unfastening
the bi.nders once bound other ~han cutting them. Accordingly7
such binders cannot be used more than once.
It i~ naturally required khat binders be fastened
tig~tly or 1008ely, or khat they can easily be unfa~tened
at will after they have been b~und. Moreover~ they may be
required to be bound or unfastened using only one hand, or
they may be required al~o to be suitable for repeaked use.
While the use of string as a binder can meet thes~ require-
ments~ it is oomm~n experience that binding and unfastening
using string is a complicated operation re~uiring both ha~ds,
and string has drawbacks in that a substantial time and
skillfulness ar~ requixed.
The present invention has been developed as a binder
for mitigating at least some of these pr~blem~.
M~re particularly~ the binder of this invention
1C~8t:~4~L6
comprises a strap fastener comprising an en~agement element
having two engagement openings intexconnected via a neck
portion and a strap portion attached to said element comprising
connecting parts spacing apart a plurality of engagement bodies
adapted for removable engagement with said openings; the
arrangement being such that to secure the fastener two of said
engagement bodies are pressed into frictional engagement one in
each of said two openings, with said neck portion accommodating
the connecting part intermediate the two engagement bodies.
The present invention will now be described in more
detail, by way of example only, with reference to the
accompanying drawings wherein~
Figure 1 is a side elevational view of a binder shown
in its un~olded state; ~:
Figure 2 is a bottom plan view of the binder;
Figure 3 is a top plan view of the binder shbwn in
.; .
` Figure 1 with a part thereof being cut away;
Figure 4 is a sectional view taken along the line A-A
in Figure 3;
Figure 5 is a side elevational view showing one
modification of the engaging body;
Figure 6 is a cross sectional view showing a further
modification of the engaging body;
Figure 7 is a side elevational view showing the binder
of Figure 1 in linked condition around a stem of plant and its
support;
Figure 8 is a sectional view taken along the line B-B
in Figure 7.
Figure ~ is a side elevational view showing another
example of the use of a binder of this invention;
Figure 10 is a perspective view showing a further
embodiment of the engaging body of the binder; and
-~ 2
~L~8~
Fi~ure 11 is a side eleYational vie~ o~ another
embodiment in ~he linked cDndition.
Referring to the drawings, a binder~ designated
generally at the reference numeral 1, cDmprises two elem~nts,
` namely, an engaging fixing portion 2 and an engaging body
: portion (3). The binder 1 is formed m one piece from
tough synthetic re.Qin material. The engaging ~ixing
portion 2 is~ as ~hown in ~igure~ 1 to 3, provided with
~; one or m~re engaging openings 5 and 6 wi~h a narrow s~ueezing
part 4. The ~ngaging fixing portion 2 having engaging openings
5, 6 i5~ as iæ apparent from the sectional vi~w in Figure 4
provided on the ~op with a circul r surace 7, the inner
edge of wh~ch forms an engaging edge 8 f~om which the openings
53 6 have an inner surface 9 flaring outwardly downwardly.
Also, each opening 5, 6 of the engaging fixing portion 2 i9
provided with a groove 10~ 11 respectively~ at itc
internal edge, cut perpendicular ~o the depth thereof, and
the grooves 10, 11 and the sque~zing part 4 are positioned
in alignment as viewed in the h~ri~ntal direction o~
20 Figures 2 and 3. Furthermore, adjacent to the opening 6 of
the engaging fixing portion 2 there is provided an auxiliary
engaging part 12, and a aonnecting part 13 having one or
m~re linking eIlgaging bodies 14 is a~nnected to the side
of the engaging fixing portion 2 having the opening 5. q~e
engaging kodies 14 are so de~;igned that a plurality of them
can engage removably with the engaging openings 5 or 6.
q~he engaging bodies 14 m2ly, as shown in Figure 5, be irl ~he
form of a plurality of balls interconnected by the connecting
parts 13 or they may, a~ shown in Figure 6, be of a form ~uch
that the section thereo~ p~esents a square ~orm or they may
be of a rectangular form as ~hown in Figure 10. In s}~ort~
the form of the engaging body 14 may be of any form that
.~ can remDvably eng;~ge with the engaging openings 5 and 6~
The function of the binder thus constructed will
now be described with reference bo khe binder s~own in
~igures 1 t4 3. ,~
As s~Dwn in Figure 7, one example will be explained
w~erein a stem 15 o a garden plant and its support 16
~`~ 10 are to be fixed together by a binder. In such a case, it
~; is required to adju~t the fixing position of the binder:: :
alo~g with the growth of the plant and, acoo~dingly, the
binding musk be positive wlthout damaging the stem and/or
branches of the plant and it must also be simply removable
when required. In order to bind the ~tem 15 and its support
16 together using the binder 1 of this invention, the linking
engaging bodies }4 of the binder as showr~ in its unfolded
state in Figure 1 are wound ~ound the stem 1~ and its
support 16. Thus, the link 14a ormed by the engaging
~odies 14 is adjusted bo form a loop such as to suitably
surround the stem 15 with its support 16, and one of the en-
gaging bodies 14 at the position suitable to main~ain the
loop is forced into the engaging opening 5 or 6, whereby the
engaging body 14 is brought under the engaging edge 8 (refer
to Figure 8) and is retained against dislodgement thererom,
thus enabling the stem 15 and its support 16 to be surrounded
and fixed by the linking engaging bodies 1~. ~b re~3ve the
binder, ~he remaining portion 17 of the engaging b~dy pro-
jecting upwardly from the engaging paxt 6 is pulled right-
-- 4 --
L6
wardly as viewed in Figure 7, whereby the engaging kDdy 14is remDved from the engaging opening 5 or 6, leaving thereby
the stem 15 and its supp~rt 16 released fr~m the fixing,
Tb close, for example, the opening of a plastic
bag, paper bag or cloth bag, the engaging body portion 3 is
w~und round the opening o~ the bag and the free end of the
engaging body portion 3 is inserted into the opening of the
auxiliary engaging part 12 to thereby astQn it su~ficiently
and to insert the k~dy member 14 into the opening of the
engaging opening 5 or 6 in the similar manner as described
above.
The manner o~ fixing such as described above may
also be applied in the case of fa~tening for example a
water pipe 18 made o~ relatively flexible material such as
rubber. For example, as shown in Figure 9, when the en-
gaging body portion 3 having one or m~re engaging bodies 14
is wt~und and fastenea round the peripheral surface of the
~ pipe 18, the binder 1 would not easily oome of~ from the
; pipe even i a substantial internal pressure were applied
to the pipe 18, as the portio~ between the engaging bodies 14
adjacent to the auxiliary engaging part 12 engages firmly
with the opening of the latter. Alternatively, ~or binding
and fastening a plurality of cable~, the excess portion of
the engaging body portion 3 extending beyond the point in-
dicated at ~he reference symbol a in Figure 9 may be cut
awayO
W~en a binder having engaging bodies 14 shown in
Figures 5, 6 and 10 i~ used, the engaging openings 5, 6
should be ormed so as to be conformable to the shapes of
~ 5 ~
.
34~6
such engaging bodies.
- Furtherm~re~ as sh~wn in Figure 11 ~r example, i~
is possible with the binder as shown in the drawings to
insert the free end o~ the cDnnecting end portion of the
engaging b~dy portion into the opening of the auxiliary
~ngaging part 12 after the stern 15 and its support 16 have
been bound, w~ereby therP is grea~er re~istance to the
engaging bodies 14 dislodging rom the engaging opening~ 5 .:
and 6.
10As is apparent from the foregoing description, the
articles to be fastened are bound by means of the surround-
ing linking en~aging portio~ being rem~vably engaged with
the engaging opening of the engaging fixing portion so that
the binder as s~Dwn in the draw~ngs can be used repeatedly
as many times as are desired~ Furthermore~ the engaging
strength may be adjusted freely by optionally selecting and
engaging the linking bo~y or bodies with the appropriate :;.
engag~ng openings of -the engagi~g fixing portion.
Also, the binder as ~hown in the drawings has the
advantage that the binding and unfa~tening operations can
be effected ins~antaneou~ ince the engaging body por~ion
may ju~t si~ply be engaged with the engaging fixing portion.
Alt~ough preferred embodiment~ of the present
invention have been described herein with reerences to the
acco~panying drawings, ~he invention is not intended to be
limited to these preferr~d e~bodiments and it is apparent
that various changes and modifications may be possible with~
out departing from the scope and ~pirit of the appende~ claims.
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