DRAWSTRING FASTENER
A drawstring fastener includes a female member, a male member movably fitted inside the female member, and an urging device urging the male member in a direction of protruding from the female member. An operating string is pulled out through a pass-through hole provided at a lower end of the female member. By a pulling force of the operating string, the male member can move in an inward entering direction in the female member against an urging force. The male member includes an inner space passing through the periphery, and a pass-through hole passing through the inner space and a lower end face, and disposed coaxially with the pass-through hole of the female member. A string upper end of the operating string is locked after passing pass-through holes of the female member and the male member and entering the inner space.
The present invention relates to a drawstring fastener suitable, for example, for locking both ends or one end of a string (including a rope, a code, and similar articles, and the same applies hereinafter) disposed around an opening edge of clothes or a bag-like member and the like in an arbitrary length, or for adjusting a pull-out amount or a tightening degree of the string.
BACKGROUND ARTPatent Document 1: Japanese Utility Model Publication No. H05-2090
Patent Document 2: US Patent Publication No. 2010/0257701
SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION Problems to be Solved by the InventionEach drawstring fastener described hereinabove has a small number of members, locks the tightening string disposed in the applied article such as the clothes and the like using a relative misalignment of each through hole, and moves the male member in the inward entering direction in the female member using the operating string so as to allow the pull-out amount of the tightening string to be adjusted. Accordingly, each drawstring fastener described hereinabove excels in simplicity and usability.
However, in a structure of each Patent Document 1 and 2, once the operating string is assembled, the operating string cannot be easily exchanged so as to lack versatility. In addition, the operating string in the Patent Document 1 turns around the engagement hole provided in the male member from the pass-through hole on the lower side of the female member by passing through from one side to the other side, so that the operating string becomes a double string and thickens so as to easily impair an external appearance property. The operating string in the Patent Document 2 has to be fixed relative to the lower end portion of the male member by a method of an adhesion, an insert, and the like so as to impair workability, and to be difficult to reduce a manufacturing cost.
There, an object of the present invention is to solve the aforementioned problems, and especially, and excels in a fashion ability by allowing the operating string to be easily incorporated, or by allowing the operating string to be easily exchanged. Other objects of the present invention will be clarified in the following explanation.
Means for Solving the ProblemsIn order to attain the aforementioned object, in the present invention, a drawstring fastener comprises a female member including a through hole at a periphery thereof; a male member including a through hole at a periphery thereof, and movably fitted inside the female member; an urging device urging the male member in a direction of protruding from the female member; and an operating string pulled out through a pass-through hole provided at a lower end portion of the female member in a state wherein a string upper end side is locked relative to the male member. By a pulling force of the operating string, the male member can move in an inward entering direction in the female member against an urging force. The male member includes an inner space provided at a lower side than the through hole, and passing therethrough; and a pass-through hole formed to pass through the aforementioned inner space and a lower end face, and disposed approximately on a coaxial line with the pass-through hole of the female member. A string upper end side of the operating string is locked in a state of passing through pass-through holes of the female member and the male member and of passing through the aforementioned inner space.
The aforementioned present invention is preferably embodied as follows.
(A) The male member includes an opening provided on a lower side periphery of the through hole, communicated with the inner space, and which is larger than the through hole. The male member is formed such that the operating string is pulled out from the inner space through the opening so as to allow a pull-out preventing enlarged portion such as a knot and the like to be formed. Incidentally, as for the pull-out preventing enlarged portion, the knot is preferred since it is simple; however, technically, a simple stopper and the like may be used. In the aspect (A), the male member includes the opening communicated with the inner space, and which is larger than the through hole, so that in a state wherein the operating string is once pulled out from the inner space through the opening, the pull-out preventing enlarged portion such as the knot and the like is formed, and then, by pulling the operating string, the operating string can be assembled or exchanged promptly.
(B) The male member includes a locking claw protruded on the lower side periphery of the through hole, and is formed to prevent coming out of the female member in a state wherein the locking claw is fitted in the through hole of the female member. In the aspect (B), in a state wherein the locking claw is fitted in the through hole of the female member, the male member is prevented from coming out of the female member, so that even in an aspect wherein the tightening string does not pass through the through holes as the drawstring fastener, the tightening string can be used as a unified article.
(C) The female member is formed to include a string insertion attachment groove provided on an upper side periphery. In the aspect (C), the drawstring fastener is attached to an applied article such that an attachment string is inserted into the attachment groove and forms a loop.
(D) The through hole of the female member is formed to be larger than the through hole of the male member and the aforementioned opening. In the aspect (D), the through hole of the female member is formed larger than the through hole of the male member and the opening, so that it is suitable for an operation for pulling out the operating string from the inner space through the opening, and the large through hole on a female member side; an operation for housing the operating string in the inner space again after the pull-out preventing enlarged portion such as the knot and the like is formed; and the like.
Effect of the InventionIn the present invention, in a case wherein the operating string is assembled or exchanged, for example, the operating string passes through the inner space of the male member by passing through the pass-through hole of the male member from the pass-through hole of the female member, and only by forming the enlarged portion such as the knot and the like at a passed-through end portion thereof, the operating string can be easily assembled. Also, as compared to the Patent Document 1, the operating string can be a single string so as to allow, for example, an outer diameter of the drawstring fastener to be easily controlled, or in a case wherein the drawstring fastener is disposed inside a bag-like portion, the operating string can be pulled out of a bag through a hole, an eyelet, and the like with an excellent external appearance. Thereby, the present invention can improve a fashion ability from the point of a built-in property, an exchanging property, a single string structure, and the like of the operating string so as to contribute to expand applications.
Optimal embodiments of the present invention will be explained with reference to the drawings.
(Structure) A drawstring fastener 4 of the embodiment comprises a male member 1, a female member 2, a coil spring 3 as an urging device, and an operating string 6. Among those, both the male member 1 and the female member 2 are resin formed articles; however, they may be formed by a material other than a resin. The coil spring 3 is made of metal; however, it may be formed by the resin. Although an overall size is enlarged for the sake of drawing the figures, an actual size is considerably smaller. Details are as follows.
First, as shown in
An outer circumference of the cylinder portion 10 continues with the same diameter except for each locking claw 13 and the lower end portion 14. Inside the cylinder portion 10, a hole diameter is approximately the same up to slightly an upper side of the lower end portion 14, i.e., an upper pass-through hole 15 and the inner space 12 are continuing holes with the same diameter, and the lower pass-through hole 16 has a slightly smaller diameter. The pass-through hole 16 is set in a hole diameter in which the operating string 6 can easily pass through.
As shown in
Although the opening 12a has a rectangular shape slightly larger than the through hole 11, the opening 12a may have a shape so that it can easily pass through the pull-out preventing enlarged portion such as the knot 6a provided in the operating string 6 and the like. Each locking claw 13 is a protrusion, and as shown in
As shown in
The inner space 25 has a size in which the male member 1 can be almost entirely housed. Each through hole 21 has approximately a long rectangular shape in a cylinder longitudinal direction, and is formed with a size almost the same as an opening area in which the through hole 11 on a male member side and the opening 12a are combined, or a slightly larger size than that. The attachment portion 22 passes through up and down, or in the longitudinal direction of the cylinder portion 20, and forms an attachment groove 23. In the attachment groove 23, as illustrated in
Also, as shown in
(Assembly) The aforementioned respective members are assembled as the drawstring fastener 4 in the following procedure. First, as shown in
Also, the aforementioned drawstring fastener 4 becomes the drawstring fastener 4 with a four-piece structure by detachably or exchangeably attaching the operating string 6 to the male member 1 as shown in
(Usage example) As in the case of Patent Document 1 or 2, the aforementioned drawstring fastener 4 with the four-piece structure is used for locking both ends or one end of the tightening string 5 disposed, for example, around an opening edge of the clothes or a bag-like member and the like in an arbitrary length, or for adjusting a pull-out amount or a tightening degree of the tightening string 5. Namely, in a relationship with the tightening string 5, as illustrated in
(1) In the drawstring fastener 4, the operating string 6 can be easily exchanged according to a preference of a user. Namely, in an exchange operation of the operating string 6, in the example in
(2) In the drawstring fastener 4, as described above, in addition to allowing the operating string 6 to be easily exchanged, compared to a double string structure such as Patent Document 1, the drawstring fastener 4 has a single string structure so as to easily control an entire outer diameter size to be small, and to allow a degree of freedom of design to increase. Moreover, as shown in the usage example shown in
In the bag-like portion 80, there is passed through the tightening string 5. In the tightening string 5, a corresponding end side is inserted into the bag-like portion 81 from the bag-like portion 80, and as shown in
(3)
Incidentally, the aforementioned embodiment does not limit the present invention. The details of the present invention can be variously modified or expanded as needed provided that they substantively include technical elements specified in the subject of the present invention. As one example, as for the urging device, in place of the coil spring, an elastic piece or an elastic portion similar to that is integrally formed in the male member or the female member.
Incidentally, all contents of the specification, claims, drawings, and abstract of Japanese Patent Application No. 2011-252222 filed on Nov. 18, 2011 are cited in their entireties herein and are incorporated as a disclosure of the specification of the present invention.
Claims
1. A drawstring fastener, comprising:
- a female member including a through hole at a periphery thereof;
- a male member including a through hole at a periphery thereof, and movably fitted inside the female member;
- an urging device urging the male member in a direction of protruding from the female member; and
- an operating string pulled out through a pass-through hole provided at a lower end portion of the female member in a state wherein a string upper end side is locked relative to the male member, and by a pulling force of the operating string, the male member can move in an inward entering direction in the female member against an urging force,
- wherein the male member includes an inner space provided at a lower side than the through hole, and passing through the periphery; and a pass-through hole formed to pass through the inner space and a lower end face, and disposed approximately on a coaxial line with the pass-through hole of the female member, and a string upper end side of the operating string is locked in a state of passing pass-through holes of the female member and the male member and of entering the inner space.
2. A drawstring fastener according to claim 1, wherein the male member includes an opening which is provided on a lower side periphery of the through hole and communicated with the inner space, and which is larger than the through hole, and the operating string is pulled out from the inner space through the opening so as to allow a pull-out preventing enlarged portion including a knot and the like to be formed.
3. A drawstring fastener according to claim 1, wherein the male member includes a locking claw protruded on a lower side periphery of the through hole, and in a state wherein the locking claw is fitted in the through hole of the female member, the male member is prevented from coming out of the female member.
4. A drawstring fastener according to claim 1, wherein the female member includes a string insertion attachment groove provided on an upper side periphery.
5. A drawstring fastener according to claim 1, wherein the through hole of the female member is formed to be larger than the through holes of the male member and the opening.
Type: Application
Filed: Nov 13, 2012
Publication Date: Oct 23, 2014
Inventor: Yumiko Kadoishi (Yokohama-shi)
Application Number: 14/358,931
International Classification: A44B 17/00 (20060101);