MULTI-PURPOSE TIE STRIP AND METHOD OF TYING ITEMS TOGETHER

Abstract

A tie strip includes an elongated resilient strip having two longitudinal side members and a plurality of slightly outwardly bent transverse rungs interconnecting the side members and defining a plurality of apertures. A first end of the strip is threaded and squeezed through a selected aperture at an opposite second end of the strip to form a loop. The first and second ends are pulled in opposite directions until a desired loop size is reached where a rung at the selected aperture stretches into a flattened rung, while another rung being squeezed in the selected aperture arches into an arched rung and interlocks with the flattened rung. The second end is pulled in a reversed direction to release the loop. A method of tying items together is also disclosed.

Description

FIELD OF TECHNOLOGY

The present application relates to a multi-purpose tie strip and a method of tying items together.

BACKGROUND

A tie strip is used to tie together items, such as cables, plants, etc. A conventional tie strip is usually in the form of a long strip of plastic material having an apertured head at one end of the strip and a tail at the other end of the strip. The tail can be inserted through an aperture of the head to form a closed loop for securing items together. Once the strip is used to secure the items together, the remaining tail portion is cut off, thrown away and cannot be reused. This creates unnecessary waste.

A conventional cable tie for tying cables into a bundle is very rigid and does not have room for the tied items to expand or deform. Conventional cable tie can only be used once and must be cut to release the tied items.

Due to the design and its functionality, all existing tie strips except for the conventional nylon ties cannot be slimmer than 6 mm in thickness. On top of that, conventional nylon ties generate unnecessary wastage because the cut-off portion cannot be reused.

Furthermore, the existing tie strips do not have quick and easy way to release the tied items once a closed loop is formed and its excess portion is cut-off. Existing tie strips can release the closed loop only if the excess portion is still intact.

Therefore, there is a need to produce an improved tie strip that is flexible and can conform to the shape of the tied items, quick and easy to release the tied items, allow the cut off portion to be reused, and low in manufacturing cost.

SUMMARY

According to one aspect, there is provided a tie strip including an elongated resilient strip having two longitudinal side members, and a plurality of transverse rungs interconnecting the side members and defining therebetween a plurality of apertures. The rungs are bent slightly outwards from one side of a plane of the strip on which the two side members disposed. A first end of the strip may be configured to thread and squeeze through a selected aperture at an opposite second end of the strip to form a loop around an item or items to be tied with the slightly bent rungs facing outwards. When the first and second ends of the strip are pulled in opposite loop-tightening directions until a desired loop size is reached, one of the rungs at the selected aperture at the second end of the strip stretches laterally into a flattened rung, while another one of the rungs being squeezed in the selected aperture arches outwards into an arched rung and interlocks with the flattened rung. When the second end of the strip is flipped and pulled in a reversed loop-loosening direction, the flattened rung presses down the arched rung thereby allowing retrieval of the first end from the selected aperture and hence loosening of the loop.

According to an embodiment, each slightly outwardly bent rung may be generally in the shape of an angle bracket “”. The flattened rung may generally lie on the plane of the strip, and the arched rung may be generally in the shape of an arch.

The elongated resilient strip may be made of an elastic material. The elongated resilient strip may be made of polyamide fiber. The elongated resilient strip may be made of knitted nylon having a weight of about 1,000 deniers. The elongated resilient strip may also be made of a semi-rigid polymer material. The elongated resilient strip may have a thickness of about 1.25 mm.

In one embodiment, the elongated resilient strip may be generally in the shape of a ladder. The longitudinal side members can be straight and parallel, and the transverse rungs can be equally spaced apart. Each aperture may be generally rectangular in shape. The first end can be a tapered end having a tapered portion formed by the ends of the two side members tapering towards each other and joining at a needle-shaped tip portion.

According to another aspect, there is provided a method of tying an item or items including the steps of (a) providing an elongated resilient strip having two longitudinal side members and a plurality of transverse rungs interconnecting the side members and defining therebetween a plurality of apertures, the rungs being bent slightly outwards from one side of a plane of the strip on which the two side members disposed; (b) threading and squeezing a first end of the strip through a selected aperture at an opposite second end of the strip to form a loop around the item or items to be tied with the slightly bent rungs facing outwards; (c) pulling the first and second ends of the strip in opposite loop-tightening directions until a desired loop size is reached, wherein one of the rungs around the selected aperture stretches laterally into a flattened rung, while another one of the rungs being squeezed in the selected aperture arches outwards into an arched rung and interlocks with the flattened rung; and (d) cutting off the portion of the tie strip that passed through the selected aperture, and producing a shortened tie strip, which is ready for tying of further item or items without the production of any wasted material.

The method may further include the steps of flipping and pulling the second end of the strip in a reversed loop-loosening direction such that the flattened rung presses down the arched rung thereby allowing retrieval of the first end from the selected aperture and hence loosening of the loop.

The method may further include the steps of using the shortened tie strip and repeating steps (b) to (d) to tie further item or items.

Although the tie strip disclosed in the present application is shown and described with respect to certain embodiments, it is obvious that equivalents and modifications will occur to others skilled in the art upon the reading and understanding of the specification. The present application includes all such equivalents and modifications, and is limited only by the scope of the claims.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

Specific embodiments of the tie strip disclosed in the present application will now be described by way of example with reference to the accompanying drawings wherein:

FIG. 1 is a plan view of a tie strip according to an embodiment disclosed in the present application.

FIG. 2(a) is a plan view of a portion of the tie strip of FIG. 1 in a normal condition.

FIG. 2(b) is a plan view of a portion of the tie strip of FIG. 1 in a stretched condition.

FIG. 2(c) is a plan view of a portion of the tie strip of FIG. 1 in a squeezed condition.

FIG. 2(d) is a plan view of a portion of the tie strip of FIG. 1 in a tied condition.

FIG. 3(a) is a cross sectional view of the tie strip of FIG. 2(a) in the normal condition.

FIG. 3(b) is a cross sectional view of the tie strip of FIG. 2(b) in the stretched condition.

FIG. 3(c) is a cross sectional view of the tie strip of FIG. 2(c) in the squeezed condition.

FIG. 4(a) is a perspective view of the tie strip in a tied condition.

FIG. 4(b) is an end view of the tie strip with its first and second opposite ends being pulled in opposite loop-tightening directions around an item.

FIG. 5(a) is an end view of the tie strip with its first and second opposite ends being pulled in reversed loop-loosening directions around an item.

FIG. 5(b) is a cross sectional view of the tie strip showing the rungs and apertures of the first and second opposite ends of FIG. 5(a).

FIG. 6(a) is an illustrative diagram showing the cutting of the tie strip.

FIG. 6(b) illustrates the cutting and shortening of the tie strip after a number of tying actions.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION

Reference will now be made in detail to a preferred embodiment of the tie strip disclosed in the present application, examples of which are also provided in the following description. Exemplary embodiments of the tie strip disclosed in the present application are described in detail, although it will be apparent to those skilled in the relevant art that some features that are not particularly important to an understanding of the tie strip may not be shown for the sake of clarity.

Furthermore, it should be understood that the tie strip disclosed in the present application is not limited to the precise embodiments described below and that various changes and modifications thereof may be effected by one skilled in the art without departing from the spirit or scope of the appended claims. For example, elements and/or features of different illustrative embodiments may be combined with each other and/or substituted for each other within the scope of this disclosure and appended claims.

FIG. 1 is a plan view of a tie strip 10 according to an embodiment disclosed in the present application. The tie strip 10 is a self-clinching one-piece multi-purpose tie strip for tying an item, or securing together a plurality of items, such as cables, plants, etc.

The tie strip 10 may be in the form of an elongated resilient strip having a pair of longitudinal stiles or side members 12 and a plurality of spaced apart transverse rungs 13 interconnecting the side members 12 and defining therebetween a plurality of cells or apertures 15. The rungs 13 may bend slightly outwards from one side of a plane of the tie strip 10 on which the two side members 12 disposed. The tie strip 10 may be made of an elastic material. For example, the tie strip 10 may be made from a knitted fabric. The knitted fabric may be polyamide fiber such as knitted nylon. The knitted nylon may have a weight of about 1,000 deniers and may have a thickness of about 1.25 mm. In longitudinally stretched condition, the stiles or side members 12 may elongate and reduce in width. The tie strip 10 may also be made of a semi-rigid polymer material, or any other suitable material.

According to the illustrated embodiment, the elongated strip 10 is substantially in the shape of a ladder having a pair of straight and parallel longitudinal side members 12 and a plurality of equally spaced transverse rungs. The plurality of apertures 15 is generally rectangular in shape and is also equally spaced apart.

The tie strip 10 has a first end 11 and an opposite second end 14. According to the illustrated embodiment, the first end 11 is a tapered end having a tapered portion formed by the pair of side members 12 tapering towards each other and joining at a needle-shaped tip portion.

FIGS. 2(a)-2(d) show the tie strip 10 in different conditions. FIG. 2(a) shows a portion of the tie strip 10 in a normal condition. In this normal condition, each rung 13 bends slightly outwards from one side of the plane of the tie strip 10. According to the illustrated embodiment, the slightly outwardly bent rungs 13 are generally in the shape of an angle bracket “”, as depicted in FIG. 3(a). FIG. 2(b) shows a portion of the tie strip 10 in a laterally stretched condition, as illustrated by the arrows. In this stretched condition, the slightly outwardly bent rung 13 stretches into a substantially flattened rung 131 and lies substantially on a plane of the tie strip 10, as depicted in FIG. 3(b). FIG. 2(c) shows a portion of the tie strip 10 in a squeezed condition, as illustrated by the arrows. In this squeezed condition, the slightly outwardly bent rung 13 may arch outwards to form an arched rung 132 generally in the shape of an arch, as depicted in FIG. 3(c). FIG. 2(d) shows a portion of the tie strip 10 in a tied condition.

To tighten the tie strip 10, the first end 11 of the tie strip 10 can be threaded and squeezed through a selected one 151 of the apertures 15 at the opposite second end 14 of the tie strip 10 to form a loop. The loop can loop around an item 18 or around a plurality of items to be tied together.

The first and second ends 11, 14 of the tie strip 10 can be pulled in opposite loop-tightening directions, as illustrated by the two arrows in FIG. 4(b), until a desired loop size is reached. At this position, one of the rungs 13 at the selected aperture 151 stretches into a flattened rung 131 while another one of the rungs 13 being squeezed in the selected aperture 151 arches outwards from the plane of the tie strip 10 into an arched rung 132 and interlocks with the flattened rung 131, as best illustrated in FIG. 4(a).

To release the tie strip 10, the second end 14 of the tie strip 10 can be flipped and pulled in a reversed loop-loosening direction, as illustrated by the arrow in FIG. 5(a). When the second end 14 is pulled, the flattened rung 131 can press down the arched rung 132, as shown by the arrow in FIG. 5(a). This allows the retrieval of the first end 11 from the selected aperture 151 and loosening of the loop. The flattened rung 131 can act as a rudder for a quick and smooth release of the tie strip 10. Hence, it is not necessary to cut the strip tie 10 to release the secured items.

Although it has been shown and described that the tie strip 10 is substantially in the shape of a ladder having two straight longitudinal side members 12 and equally spaced apertures 15. It is understood by one skilled in the art that the two longitudinal side members 12 may not necessary be straight, and that the plurality of apertures 15 may not be equally spaced apart. Furthermore, the plurality of apertures 15 can also be in any other possible shape, such as circular and oval.

Although it has been shown and described that the slightly outwardly bent rungs 13 are generally in the shape of an angle bracket “”, it is understood by one skilled in the art that the slightly outwardly bent rungs 13 may be in any other possible shape, such as a round bracket.

The tie strip 10 disclosed in the present application is a multi-purpose tie strip which can be used to secure an item 18, or tie a number of items 18 into a bundle. The tie strip 10 of the present application can be used in various fields and industries.

For example, the tie strip 10 of the present application can be used to secure LAN cables in structured cabling in telecommunication industry. Since the tie strip 10 can be made of an elastic material, the tie strip 10 is flexible and can readily conform to the shape of the tied items. This flexibility and conformity capacity of the tie strip 10 of the present application is crucial for LAN cables because they may lose bandwidth when pinched. This loss of bandwidth can happen when the LAN cables are secured too tightly in a rigid closed loop with no room to expand.

The tie strip 10 disclosed in the present application can also be used in horticulture. Small plants can be tied into a stack in order to guide the plants to grow in an orderly manner. When secured by the tie strip 10 of the present application, maturing plants have more room for growth than with any traditional plant tie strip because the tie strip 10 disclosed in the present application is more flexible, versatile and elastic, and can conform to the shape of the plants as they grow.

The tie strip 10 can provide several ties, pull to the required size and expand as the plants grow. The tie strip 10 is suitable for plant cultivation. The tie strip 10 can provide long term professional plant growing solution.

FIG. 6(a) is an illustrative diagram showing the cutting of the tie strip 10; and FIG. 6(b) illustrates the cutting and shortening of the tie strip 10 after a number of tying actions. After the first tying, the tie strip 10 can be cut to produce a shortened tie strip 20. The shortened tie strip 20 can be used to tie a further item or items, and can be cut to produce a more shortened tie strip 30. This more shortened tie strip 30 may further be used to tie a further item or items. Only the required length of the tie strip 10 is used each time. The tie strip 10 can be fitted and cut to size. All the rest can be saved for later use. Each tie strip 10 may have a length sufficient to allow 2-4 rounds of tying of items.

Finally, the tie strip 10 of the present application is a cost effective replacement for Velcro® (hook & loop) that is currently used for structured cabling.

While the tie strip disclosed in the present application has been shown and described with particular references to a number of preferred embodiments thereof, it should be noted that various other changes or modifications may be made without departing from the scope of the appending claims.

Claims

1. A tie strip comprising:

an elongated resilient strip having two longitudinal side members and a plurality of transverse rungs interconnecting the side members and defining therebetween a plurality of apertures, the rungs being bent slightly outwards from one side of a plane of the strip on which the two side members disposed;

wherein a first end of the strip is configured to thread and squeeze through a selected aperture at an opposite second end of the strip to form a loop around an item or items to be tied with the slightly bent rungs facing outwards;

wherein when the first and second ends of the strip are pulled in opposite loop-tightening directions until a desired loop size is reached, one of the rungs at the selected aperture at the second end of the strip stretches laterally into a flattened rung, while another one of the rungs being squeezed in the selected aperture arches outwards into an arched rung and interlocks with the flattened rung, and

wherein when the second end of the strip is flipped and pulled in a reversed loop-loosening direction, the flattened rung presses down the arched rung thereby allowing retrieval of the first end from the selected aperture and hence loosening of the loop.

2. The tie strip as claimed in claim 1, wherein each slightly outwardly bent rung is generally in the shape of an angle bracket “”.

3. The tie strip as claimed in claim 1, wherein the flattened rung generally lies on the plane of the strip.

4. The tie strip as claimed in claim 1, wherein the arched rung is generally in the shape of an arch.

5. The tie strip as claimed in claim 1, wherein the elongated resilient strip is made of an elastic material.

6. The tie strip as claimed in claim 1, wherein the elongated resilient strip is made of polyamide fiber.

7. The tie strip as claimed in claim 1, wherein the elongated resilient strip is made of knitted nylon having a weight of about 1,000 deniers.

8. The tie strip as claimed in claim 1, wherein the elongated resilient strip is made of a semi-rigid polymer material.

9. The tie strip as claimed in claim 1, wherein the elongated resilient strip has a thickness of about 1.25 mm.

10. The tie strip as claimed in claim 1, wherein the elongated resilient strip is generally in the shape of a ladder, the longitudinal side members are straight and parallel, and the transverse rungs are equally spaced apart.

11. The tie strip as claimed in claim 1, wherein each aperture is generally rectangular in shape.

12. The tie strip as claimed in claim 1, wherein the first end is a tapered end comprises a tapered portion formed by the ends of the two side members tapering towards each other and joining at a needle-shaped tip portion.

13. A method of tying an item or items comprising the steps of:

providing an elongated resilient strip having two longitudinal side members and a plurality of transverse rungs interconnecting the side members and defining therebetween a plurality of apertures, the rungs being bent slightly outwards from one side of a plane of the strip on which the two side members disposed;

threading and squeezing a first end of the strip through a selected aperture at an opposite second end of the strip to form a loop around the item or items to be tied with the slightly bent rungs facing outwards;

pulling the first and second ends of the strip in opposite loop-tightening directions until a desired loop size is reached, wherein one of the rungs around the selected aperture stretches laterally into a flattened rung, while another one of the rungs being squeezed in the selected aperture arches outwards into an arched rung and interlocks with the flattened rung; and

cutting off the portion of the tie strip that passed through the selected aperture, and producing a shortened tie strip, which is ready for tying of further item or items without the production of any wasted material.

14. The method as claimed in claim 13, further comprising the steps of flipping and pulling the second end of the strip in a reversed loop-loosening direction such that the flattened rung presses down the arched rung thereby allowing retrieval of the first end from the selected aperture and hence loosening of the loop.

15. The method as claimed in claim 13, further comprising the steps of using the shortened tie strip and repeating steps (b) to (d) to tie further item or items.

16. The method as claimed in claim 13, wherein the elongated resilient strip is made of an elastic material.

17. The method as claimed in claim 13, wherein the elongated resilient strip is made of polyamide fiber.

18. The method as claimed in claim 13, wherein the elongated resilient strip is made of knitted nylon having a weight of about 1,000 deniers.

19. The method as claimed in claim 13, wherein the elongated resilient strip is made of a semi-rigid polymer material.

20. The method as claimed in claim 13, wherein the elongated resilient strip has a thickness of about 1.25 mm.