RELEASABLE TIE

Abstract

A releasable tie includes a locking element and a band. The band has first and second ends. The locking element includes a bottom plate, first walls, a second wall, and an operating rod. The bottom plate is formed with a window. A predefined gap is formed between the operating rod and the first walls. The operating rod has an arm extending therefrom and first meshing teeth thereon. An aperture is formed at such a position on the bottom plate that the projection of the arm lies at the position on the bottom plate. The band has a first top side and a bottom side with second meshing teeth thereon. The first and second meshing teeth are in mesh. The band is thinner than the bottom plate. The thickness of the band is larger than the distance between the top end of the first meshing teeth and the second wall.

Description

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION

1. Technical Field

The present invention relates to cable ties, and more particularly, to a releasable tie.

2. Description of Related Art

Normally, commercially available ties hold typical power lines or objects together or serve a tightening, fixing or tucking purpose. However, once tied up, the tie cannot be loosened. To add an object to tie, or to tuck objects tied up anew, it is necessary to sever the tie and use a new one. Thus, conventional ties are inconvenient to use, cost-inefficient, and a waste of resources.

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION

In order to overcome the aforesaid drawbacks of the prior art, the present invention provides a releasable tie. The releasable tie comprises a locking element and a band. The locking element is formed with a window. The band has a first end and a second end. The first end is connected to the locking element. The second end penetrates the window to fixedly engage the locking element.

Furthermore, the locking element comprises a bottom plate, paired first walls, a second wall, and an operating rod. The window of the locking element is positioned at the bottom plate. The paired first walls are disposed on the left and right sides of the bottom plate. The second wall is disposed at the front end of the bottom plate. The left and right sides of the second wall adjoin the paired first walls, respectively. The operating rod is disposed between the window and the rear end of the bottom plate. Predefine gaps are formed between the left side of the operating rod and the left one of the first walls and between the right side of the operating rod and the right one of the first walls, respectively. A plurality of first meshing teeth is disposed on the second wall-facing side of the operating rod. The operating rod has an arm extending therefrom in the direction of the band. An aperture is formed at such a position on the bottom plate that the projection of the arm of the operating rod falls onto the bottom plate and lies at the position thereof.

The band has a first top side and a bottom side. The first top side is closer to the arm of the operating rod than the bottom side is. A plurality of second meshing teeth is disposed on the bottom side. The first meshing teeth of the operating rod and the second meshing teeth of the bottom side are in mesh. The band is of a thickness less than the thickness of the bottom plate of the locking element. The thickness of the band is larger than the distance between the top portion of the first meshing teeth of the operating rod and the second wall.

Hence, it is a primary objective of the present invention to provide a releasable tie having an operating rod and an arm extending therefrom, such that a user can easily exert a force on the arm extending from the operating rod and thus enable first meshing teeth of the operating rod and second meshing teeth of a band to come out of mesh easily, thereby releasing the second end of the band from a window of the locking element. Accordingly, the releasable tie is reusable to thereby save the usage costs thereof.

Another objective of the present invention is to provide a releasable tie characterized in the second end of the band being allowed to penetrating the window of the locking element; the operating rod having a plurality of first meshing teeth; and the band having a plurality of second meshing teeth. Accordingly, the releasable tie is capable of bundling and tucking objects while the second meshing teeth of the band and the first meshing teeth of the operating rod are in mesh.

Yet another objective of the present invention is to provide a releasable tie characterized in that a second top side of the arm of the operating rod has a concave surface; and, optionally, the second top side of the arm has a corrugated surface. The concave surface and corrugated surface of the arm of the second top side maximize the friction between the arm and a user's finger. As a result, the user's finger can exert a force on the arm of the operating rod easily to thereby release the second end of the band from the window of the locking element easily. Accordingly, the releasable tie is easy to operate.

Still yet another objective of the present invention is to provide a releasable tie characterized in that the window of the locking element has a transverse opening in alignment with the first walls, wherein the transverse opening is larger than the width of the band; and the window has a vertical opening perpendicular to the transverse opening, wherein the vertical opening is larger than the thickness of the band. Accordingly it is easy to pass the band through the window of the locking element, and easy to pull the second end of the band, so as to bundle and tuck objects.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

FIG. 1 is a perspective view of a releasable tie in a preferred embodiment according to the present invention;

FIG. 1A is an enlarged partial cross-sectional view of portion A shown in FIG. 1;

FIG. 2 is a perspective view of the releasable tie in another preferred embodiment according to the present invention;

FIG. 3 is a cross-sectional view of the releasable tie in yet another preferred embodiment according to the present invention;

FIG. 4 is a cross-sectional view of the releasable tie in still yet another preferred embodiment according to the present invention;

FIG. 5 is a plan view of the releasable tie in a further preferred embodiment according to the present invention; and

FIG. 6 is a plan view of the releasable tie in a further preferred embodiment according to the present invention.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION

Referring to FIG. 1 and FIG. 1A, there are shown a perspective view of a releasable tie 100 in a preferred embodiment according to the present invention and an enlarged partial cross-sectional view of portion A shown in FIG. 1. As shown in the drawings, the releasable tie 100 comprises a locking element 10 and a band 20. The locking element 10 is formed with a window 11. The band 20 has a first end 21 and a second end 22. The first end 21 is connected to the locking element 10. The second end 22 penetrates the window 11 of the locking element 10 to fixedly engage the locking element 10, thereby bundling objects to be tied up.

Referring to FIG. 2, there is shown a perspective view of the releasable tie 100 in another preferred embodiment according to the present invention. The locking element 10 has a bottom plate 12, paired first walls 13, a second wall 14, and an operating rod 15. The bottom plate 12 has a front end 121 and a rear end 122. The first end 21 of the band 20 is connected to the rear end 122 of the bottom plate 12 of the locking element 10. The window 11 of the locking element 10 is formed on the bottom plate 12 thereof. The paired first walls 13 are disposed on the left and right sides of the bottom plate 12, respectively. The second wall 14 is disposed at the front end 121 of the bottom plate 12. The left and right sides of the bottom plate 12 are connected to the first walls 13, respectively. The operating rod 15 is disposed between the window 11 and the rear end 122 of the bottom plate 12. Referring to FIG. 3, there is shown a cross-sectional view of the releasable tie 100, wherein the cross-section transverses the first end 21 of the band 20. As shown in the drawing, a predefined gap S1 is formed between the left side of the operating rod 15 and the left one of the first walls 13 and between the right side of the operating rod 15 and the right one of the first walls 13, respectively, to thereby render the operating rod 15 flexible.

Referring to FIG. 4, there is shown a cross-sectional view of the releasable tie 100 in still yet another preferred embodiment according to the present invention. As shown in the drawing, the operating rod 15 has an arm 17 extending therefrom in the direction of the band 20, and a plurality of first meshing teeth 16 is disposed on the side of the operating rod 15 facing the second wall 14. The band 20 has a first top side 23 and a bottom side 24. The first top side 23 is closer to the arm 17 of the operating rod 15 than the bottom side 24 is. A plurality of second meshing teeth 25 is disposed on the bottom side 24. The first meshing teeth 16 of the operating rod 15 and the second meshing teeth 25 of the bottom side 24 are in mesh, as shown in FIG. 1A.

A commercially available releasable tie can only have its band loosened when a mesh-controlling element thereof is pressed hardly with a nail or a sharp object to allow its meshing elements to come out of mesh. By contrast, the releasable tie 100 of the present invention comprises the operating rod 15 having the arm 17 extending therefrom in the direction of the band 20, such that it is easy to release the second end 22 of the band 20 from the window 11 of the locking element 10; as a result, the releasable tie 100 is reusable and conducive to cost saving. The operating rod 15 has a top portion 151. Preferably, the arm 17 extends from the top portion 151 of the operating rod 15 in the direction of the band 20. Thus, it is easy for a user to manipulate the arm 17 extending from the operating rod 15 to thereby enable the first meshing teeth 16 of the operating rod 15 and the second meshing teeth 25 of the band 20 to come out of mesh, and eventually release the second end 22 of the band 20 from the window 11 of the locking element 10. Accordingly, the releasable tie 100 of the present invention is easy to operate.

With the operating rod 15 being of small volume, the contact area between a user's finger and the arm 17 of the operating rod 15 is small. Referring to FIG. 2, in an embodiment of the present invention, a frictional structure is formed on the arm 17 of the operating rod 15. The frictional structure is configured to increase the friction between the user's finger and the arm 17 of the operating rod 15 and therefore enable the user's finger to exert a force on the arm 17 easily. The arm 17 has a second top side 171. The second top side 171 of the arm 17 has a concave surface. Optionally, the second top side 171 of the arm 17 has a corrugated surface 172, wherein the corrugated surface 172 is characterized by a plurality of fine grooves that run perpendicular to the lengthwise dimension of the band 20. Accordingly, the user is able to release the second end 22 of the band 20 from the window 11 of the locking element 10 easily, so as to reuse the releasable tie 100.

Referring to FIG. 3 again, to reinforce the locking element 10, the thickness T1 of the band 20 is less than the thickness T2 of the bottom plate 12 of the locking element 10. Referring to FIG. 4, the thickness T1 of the band 20 is larger than the distance D1 between the top end of the first meshing teeth 16 of the operating rod 15 and the second wall 14. After the second end 22 of the band 20 has penetrated the window 11 of the locking element 10, the second meshing teeth 25 on the bottom side 24 of the band 20 and the first meshing teeth 16 of the locking element 10 are meshed and coupled together. Hence, the releasable tie 100 of the present invention is capable of bundling and tucking objects.

Preferably, the releasable tie 100 of the present invention is integrally formed as a unitary structure such that the releasable tie 100 thus formed incurs less manufacturing costs, has reinforced structural strength, and demonstrates ease of use. Referring to FIG. 5, there is shown a plan view of the bottom plate 12 of the locking element 10. To form the releasable tie 100 integrally as a unitary, reinforced structure, an aperture 18 is formed at such a position on the bottom plate 12 that the projection of the arm 17 of the operating rod 15 falls on the bottom plate 12 and lies at the position of the bottom plate 12 so as to facilitate die opening. Preferably, the area of the aperture 18 is slightly larger than the projected area of the arm 17 on the bottom plate 12. Referring to FIG. 2, the width W1 of the arm 17 of the operating rod 15 is slightly less than the width W2 of the operating rod 15. Referring to FIG. 4, the operating rod 15 has a top portion 151, and the height H1 of the top portion 151 of the operating rod 15 is essentially not larger than the height H2 of the second wall 14. Preferably, the height H1 of the top portion 151 of the operating rod 15 is less than the height H2 of the second wall 14. Also, the length L1 of extension of the arm 17 of the operating rod 15 approximates to the height H3 of the top portion 151 of the operating rod 15 from the top surface of the rear end 122 of the bottom plate 12. The extension of the arm 17, though limited, not only facilitates application of force, but also reinforces the arm 17 and the bottom plate 12 of the locking element 10.

Referring to FIG. 6, the window 11 of the locking element 10 has a transverse opening W01 in alignment with the first walls 13, and the transverse opening W01 is larger than the width W20 of the band 20. Also, the window 11 has a vertical opening W02 perpendicular to the transverse opening W01, and the vertical opening W02 is larger than the thickness T1 of the band 20 (see FIG. 3). Accordingly, it is easy to pass the band 20 through the window 11 of the locking element 10, and easy to pull the second end 22 of the band 20, so as to tie and tighten objects.

Referring to FIG. 5, in a further preferred embodiment of the present invention, the window 11 of the locking element 10 has a first transverse opening W11 and a second transverse opening W12. The first transverse opening W11 and the second transverse opening W12 are in alignment with the first walls 13. The first transverse opening W11 is larger than the width W20 of the band 20. The second transverse opening W12 is less than the width W20 of the band 20. Thus, after the second end 22 of the band 20 has penetrated the window 11 of the locking element 10, the band 20 is confined to the first transverse opening W11, because the second transverse opening W12 is less than the width W20 of the band 20. Furthermore, the window 11 has a first vertical opening W21 and a second vertical opening W22. The first vertical opening W21 and the second vertical opening W22 are perpendicular to the first transverse opening W11 and the second transverse opening W12. The first vertical opening W21 is larger than the thickness T1 of the band 20 (see FIG. 3). The second vertical opening W22 is larger than the first vertical opening W21.

Claims

1. A releasable tie (100) comprising a locking element (10) and a band (20), the locking element (10) being formed with a window (11), the band (20) having a first end (21) and a second end (22), the first end (21) being connected to the locking element (10), the second end (22) penetrating the window (11) to fixedly engage the locking element (10), and the releasable tie (100) being characterized in that:

the locking element (10) comprises a bottom plate (12), pair first walls (13), a second wall (14), and an operating rod (15), the window (11) being disposed at the bottom plate (12), the bottom plate (12) having a front end (121) and a rear end (122), the first walls (13) being disposed on left and right sides of the bottom plate (12), respectively, the second wall (14) being disposed at the front end (121) of the bottom plate (12), wherein the left and right sides of the bottom plate (12) adjoin the first walls (13), respectively, the operating rod (15) being disposed between the window (11) and the rear end (122) of the bottom plate (12), wherein a predefined gap (S1) is formed between the left side of the operating rod (15) and the left one of the first walls (13) and between the right side of the operating rod (15) and the right one of the first walls (13), wherein a plurality of first meshing teeth (16) is disposed on a side of the operating rod (15) facing the second wall (14), the operating rod (15) having an arm (17) extending therefrom in the direction of the band (20), wherein an aperture (18) is formed at such a position on the bottom plate (12) that a projection of the arm (17) of the operating rod (15) falls on the bottom plate (12) and lies at the position of the bottom plates (12); and

the band (20) having a first top side (23) and a bottom side (24), the first top side (23) being closer to the arm (17) of the operating rod (15) than the bottom side (24) is, the bottom side (24) having a plurality of second meshing teeth (25) for meshing the first meshing teeth (16) of the operating rod (15), wherein the band (20) is of a thickness (T1) less than a thickness (T2) of the bottom plate (12) of the locking element (10), the thickness (T1) being larger than a distance (D1) between a top end of the first meshing teeth (16) of the operating rod (15) and the second wall (14).

2. The releasable tie (100) of claim 1, wherein the aperture (18) is of an area slightly larger than a projected area of the arm (17) on the bottom plate (12).

3. The releasable tie (100) of claim 1, wherein the operating rod (15) has a top portion (151), and the arm (17) of the operating rod (15) extends from the top portion (151) of the operating rod (15) toward the band (20).

4. The releasable tie (100) of claim 3, wherein the top portion (151) of the operating rod (15) is of a height (H1) not larger than a height (H2) of the second wall (14).

5. The releasable tie (100) of claim 4, wherein the height (H1) of the top portion (151) of the operating rod (15) is less than the height (H2) of the second wall (14).

6. The releasable tie (100) of claim 1, wherein a length (L1) of extension of the arm (17) of the operating rod (15) approximates to a height (H3) of the top portion (151) of the operating rod (15) from the top surface of the rear end (122) of the bottom plate (12).

7. The releasable tie (100) of claim 1, wherein the arm (17) of the operating rod (15) is of a width (W1) slightly less than a width (W2) of the operating rod (15).

8. The releasable tie (100) of claim 1, wherein the arm (17) of the operating rod (15) has a second top side (171), and the second top side (171) has a concave surface.

9. The releasable tie (100) of claim 8, wherein the second top side (171) of the arm (17) of the operating rod (15) has a corrugated surface (172).

10. The releasable tie (100) of claim 9, wherein the corrugated surface (172) is characterized by a plurality of fine grooves running perpendicular to a lengthwise dimension of the band (20).

11. The releasable tie (100) of claim 1, wherein the window (11) has a transverse opening (W01) in alignment with the paired first walls (13), the transverse opening (W01) being larger than a width (W20) of the band.

12. The releasable tie (100) of claim 11, wherein the window (11) has a vertical opening (W02) perpendicular to the transverse opening (W01), and the vertical opening (W02) is larger than the thickness (T1) of the band.

13. The releasable tie (100) of claim 1, wherein the window (11) has a first transverse opening (W11) and a second transverse opening (W12), the first and second transverse openings (W11), (W12) being in alignment with the paired first walls (13), the first transverse opening (W11) being larger than the width (W20) of the band (20), the second transverse opening (W12) being less than the width (W20) of the band (20), the window (11) further having a first vertical opening (W21) and a second vertical opening (W22), the first and second vertical openings (W21), (W22) being perpendicular to the first transverse opening (W11) and the second transverse opening (W12), the first transverse opening (W21) being larger than the thickness (T1) of the band (20), and the second transverse opening (W22) being larger than the first transverse opening (W21).