CABLE TIE

Abstract

A cable tie may include a belt and a buckle to which a proximal end of the belt is connected. When the belt wrapped around a clamped article is inserted into an insertion hole of the buckle through an inlet end and is then tightened, the belt can be locked to the buckle while the belt is fastened around the clamped article. After the belt is locked to the buckle, an excess portion of the belt drawn from an outlet end of the insertion hole of the buckle is cut off while leaving a remaining portion. The buckle has a protecting portion that is configured to cover both sides of the remaining portion of the belt. The protecting portion is configured to cover all of four corners of a cut surface of the remaining portion of the belt.

Description

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION

Field of the Invention

The present invention relates to a cable tie (a clamping band). More particularly, the present invention relates to a cable tie for clamping or binding a clamped article (e.g., a wiring harness) in order to attach the same to an object member (e.g. a body panel of a vehicle).

Description of Related Art

A known cable tie is taught by, for example, JP 2012-137145A. As shown in FIGS. 36 to 38, the known cable tie 701 is intended to be used for clamping or binding a wiring harness (a clamped article W) that is used for vehicle wiring in order to attach the same to a body panel of a vehicle (an object member) (not shown). The cable tie 701 includes a desired length of flexible belt 710 (a holding member) that is configured to circumferentially hold the wiring harness W, a buckle 720 to which one longitudinal end of the belt 710 is connected, and an engagement leg or anchor 730 integrally connected to the buckle 720 and configured to be inserted into an attaching hole (not shown) formed in the body panel of the vehicle.

In order to clamp the wiring harness W, the belt 710 is looped and the wiring harness W. Thereafter, a leading end of the wrapped belt 710 is inserted into an insertion hole 722 formed in the buckle 720 and is then drawn from an outlet 722b of the insertion hole 722 of the buckle 720. Thereafter, the belt 710 is tightened or fastened by pulling the leading end thereof drawn from the buckle 720. At this time, an engagement claw 760a formed in an engagement strip 760 of the buckle 720 can selectively engage engagement teeth 710a of the belt 710, so that the belt 710 can be locked or secured to the buckle 720 while the belt 710 is fastened around the wiring harness W. Thus, the wiring harness W can be clamped by the fastened belt 710 and the buckle 720. Subsequently, the anchor 730 is inserted into the attaching hole of the body panel. As a result, the anchor 730 can be fixed to the body panel, so that the cable tie 701 can be connected to the body panel. Thus, the wiring harness W can be attached to the body panel via the cable tie 701.

Generally, an excess portion of the belt 710 drawn from the buckle 720 and tightened may preferably be cut off while leaving a required length of remaining portion S. The belt remaining portion S may generally have edges formed in a cut surface S1 thereof. However, the buckle 720 has a pair of protecting portions 724 formed therein. The protecting portions 724 are positioned across the outlet 722b of the insertion hole 722 so as to laterally cover the belt remaining portion S. The protecting portions 724 of the buckle 720 may prevent the fingers h (FIG. 38) of workers from contacting the edges of the belt remaining portion S. As a result, the fingers h of workers can be effectively prevented from being irritated or injured by the edges of the belt remaining portion S.

However, as shown in FIG. 38, in the known cable tie 701 taught by JP 2012-137145A, the remaining portion S of the belt 710 tends to warp in an end portion (a portion adjacent to the cut surface S1). When the belt remaining portion S of the belt 710 is warped, the warped end portion (the cut surface S1) of the belt remaining portion S may be displaced or deflected from the protecting portions 724 of the buckle 720. As a result, the protecting portions 724 cannot sufficiently cover the belt remaining portion S. That is, the protecting portions 724 cannot effectively prevent the fingers h of workers from contacting the edges of the belt remaining portion S. Therefore, the fingers h of workers cannot be effectively prevented from being irritated or injured by the edges of the remaining portion S.

Thus, there is a need in the art for improved cable ties.

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION

For example, in one aspect of the present invention, a cable tie may include a belt and a buckle to which a proximal end of the belt is connected. When the belt wrapped around a clamped article is inserted into an insertion hole of the buckle through an inlet end and is then tightened, the belt can be locked to the buckle while the belt is fastened around the clamped article. After the belt is locked to the buckle, an excess portion of the belt drawn from an outlet end of the insertion hole of the buckle is cut off while leaving a remaining portion, so that the clamped article can be clamped by the cable tie. The buckle has a protecting portion that is positioned adjacent to the outlet end of the insertion hole and is configured to cover both sides of the remaining portion of the belt. The remaining portion of the belt has a substantially rectangular cut surface. The protecting portion is configured to cover all of four corners of the substantially rectangular cut surface of the remaining portion of the belt.

According to this aspect, unlike the prior art, even if a tensional force is applied to the belt via the clamped article due to, for example, a complicated wiring route of the clamped article, the remaining portion of the belt may be prevented from being warped. Therefore, a distal end portion of the remaining portion may be prevented from being displaced or deflected from the protecting portion. As a result, the protecting portion may effectively prevent the fingers of workers from directly contacting edges formed in the cut surface of the remaining portion. Therefore, the fingers of workers can be effectively prevented from being irritated or injured by the edges.

In another aspect of the present invention, the protection portion is tapered from a proximal end connected to the buckle toward a distal end in a width direction of the belt.

According to this aspect, the protecting portion of the buckle can be easily fitted into a slot formed in a tool head of a specialized tool that is used for treating the excess portion of the belt.

In another aspect of the present invention, the protection portion has arcuate bulged portions formed in a distal end thereof. The arcuate bulged portions are configured such that in a pressed condition in which the protecting portion is pressed against a tool head of a specialized tool in order to cut the excess portion of the belt, only top portions thereof enter a slot formed in the tool head.

According to this aspect, in the pressed condition, upper and lower margins of the central top portions of the arcuate bulged portions may respectively contact upper and lower peripheries of the slot of the tool head. Therefore, in this condition, a relative position of the protecting portion to the tool head (the slot) may be determined in height direction. As a result, in such a condition, even when the protecting portion is inclined with respect to the tool head due to, for example, a fastening force that may be applied to the belt via the specialized tool, one of upper and lower peripheries of the protecting portion may be effectively prevented from entering the slot of the tool head. Therefore, even when the specialized tool is operated (even when a trigger is manipulated) in such a condition in which the protecting portion is inclined with respect to the tool head, one of the upper and lower peripheries of the protecting portion may be prevented from being unexpectedly partially cut or removed by an internal cutter at the same time as the excess portion of the belt may be cut off.

In another aspect of the present invention, a curvature of the arcuate bulged portions is determined such that even when an inclination is produced between an axis line of the protecting portion and a line perpendicular to an opening surface of the slot of the tool head in the pressed condition in which the protecting portion is pressed against the tool head of the specialized tool in order to cut the excess portion of the belt, the arcuate bulged portions do not interfere with a traveling path of a blade of an internal cutter of the specialized tool.

According to this aspect, in the pressed condition, even when the protecting portion is inclined with respect to the tool head of the specialized tool, the arcuate bulged portions may be prevented from being unexpectedly partially cut or removed by the internal cutter at the same time as the excess portion of the belt may be cut off.

In another aspect of the present invention, the protection portion has projected portions formed in a distal end thereof. The projected portions are configured such that in a pressed condition in which the protecting portion is pressed against a tool head of a specialized tool in order to cut the excess portion of the belt, the projected portions enter a slot formed in the tool head.

According to this aspect, in the pressed condition, upper peripheries and lower peripheries of the projected portions may respectively contact upper and lower peripheries of the slot of the tool head. Thus, a relative position of the protecting portion to the tool head may be determined in height direction. In such a condition, even when the protecting portion is inclined with respect to the tool head due to, for example, a fastening force that may be applied to the belt via the specialized tool, one of upper and lower peripheries of the protecting portion may be prevented from entering the slot of the tool head. As a result, even when the specialized tool is operated (even when a trigger is manipulated) in a condition in which the protecting portion is inclined with respect to the tool head, one of the upper and lower peripheries of the protecting portion may be prevented from being unexpectedly partially cut or removed by an internal cutter at the same time as the excess portion of the belt may be cut off.

Additional objects, features and advantages of the present invention will be readily understood after reading the following detailed description together with the accompanying drawings and the claims.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

FIG. 1 is a perspective view of a cable tie according to a first representative embodiment of the present invention;

FIG. 2 is a partially enlarged view of FIG. 1, in which a belt is inserted into an insertion hole formed in a buckle and in which an excess portion of the belt drawn from the buckle is cut off while leaving a remaining portion;

FIG. 3 is an elevational view of FIG. 2;

FIG. 4 is a plan view of FIG. 2;

FIG. 5 is a view similar to FIG. 2, which illustrates a first modified form of the cable tie;

FIG. 6 is a view similar to FIG. 2, which illustrates a second modified form of the cable tie;

FIG. 7 is a view similar to FIG. 2, which illustrates a third modified form of the cable tie;

FIG. 8 is a view similar to FIG. 2, which illustrates a fourth modified form of the cable tie;

FIG. 9 is a perspective view of a cable tie according to a second representative embodiment of the present invention;

FIG. 10 is a partially enlarged view of FIG. 9;

FIG. 11 is an elevational view of FIG. 10;

FIG. 12 is a plan view of FIG. 10;

FIG. 13 is a side view of FIG. 10;

FIG. 14 is a perspective view of the cable tie of which a belt is wrapped around a wiring harness, which shows a condition before an excess portion of the belt is cut off using a specialized tool;

FIG. 15 is a perspective view of the cable tie and the specialized tool, which shows a condition in which the specialized tool is applied to the cable tie;

FIG. 16 is a partially cross-sectional side view of the cable tie and the specialized tool, which shows a pressed condition in which a protecting portion formed in a buckle is pressed against a tool head of the specialized tool;

FIG. 17 is a view similar to FIG. 16, which shows a condition in which the excess portion of the belt is being cut by an internal cutter of the specialized tool;

FIG. 18 is a view similar to FIG. 16, which shows a condition in which the excess portion of the belt is completely cut by the internal cutter of the specialized tool;

FIG. 19 is a partially cross-sectional side view of the cable tie and the specialized tool, which shows a pressed condition in which the protecting portion formed in the buckle is pressed against the tool head of the specialized tool while it is inclined with respect to the tool head;

FIG. 20 is a view similar to FIG. 19, which shows a condition in which the excess portion of the belt is being cut by the internal cutter of the specialized tool;

FIG. 21 is a view similar to FIG. 19, which shows a condition in which the excess portion of the belt is completely cut by the internal cutter of the specialized tool;

FIG. 22 is a partially cross-sectional side view of a cable tie in a comparative example and the specialized tool, which shows a pressed condition in which a protecting portion formed in a buckle is pressed against the tool head of the specialized tool in order to cut an excess portion of a belt wrapped around a wiring harness;

FIG. 23 is a view similar to FIG. 22, which shows a condition in which the excess portion of the belt is being cut by the internal cutter of the specialized tool;

FIG. 24 is a view similar to FIG. 22, which shows a condition in which the excess portion of the belt is completely cut by the internal cutter of the specialized tool;

FIG. 25 is a partially cross-sectional side view of the cable tie and the specialized tool, which shows a pressed condition in which the protecting portion formed in the buckle is pressed against the tool head of the specialized tool while it is inclined with respect to the tool head;

FIG. 26 is a view similar to FIG. 25, which shows a condition in which the excess portion of the belt is being cut by the internal cutter of the specialized tool;

FIG. 27 is a view similar to FIG. 25, which shows a condition in which the excess portion of the belt is completely cut by the internal cutter of the specialized tool;

FIG. 28 is a perspective view of a cable tie according to a third representative embodiment of the present invention;

FIG. 29 is a partially enlarged view of FIG. 28;

FIG. 30 is an elevational view of FIG. 29;

FIG. 31 is a plan view of FIG. 29;

FIG. 32 is a side view of FIG. 29;

FIG. 33 is a partially cross-sectional side view of the cable tie and the specialized tool, which shows a pressed condition in which a protecting portion formed in a buckle is pressed against the tool head of the specialized tool in order to cut an excess portion of a belt wrapped around a wiring harness;

FIG. 34 is a view similar to FIG. 33, which shows a condition in which the excess portion of the belt is being cut by the internal cutter of the specialized tool;

FIG. 35 is a view similar to FIG. 33, which shows a condition in which the excess portion of the belt is completely cut by the internal cutter of the specialized tool;

FIG. 36 is a perspective view of a conventional cable tie;

FIG. 37 is a partially enlarged view of FIG. 36, in which a belt is inserted into an insertion hole formed in a buckle and in which an excess portion of the belt drawn from the buckle is cut off while leaving a remaining portion; and

FIG. 38 is a view similar to FIG. 37, which illustrates disadvantages of the conventional cable tie.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION

Detailed representative embodiments of the present invention are shown in FIG. 1 to FIG. 35.

First Embodiment

A first embodiment of the present invention will be described in detail with reference to FIGS. 1 to 4. As shown in FIG. 1, a cable tie 1 (a clamping band) is intended to be used for clamping or binding a wiring harness W (a clamped article) that is used for vehicle wiring in order to attach the same to a body panel of a vehicle (an object member) (not shown).

As shown in FIG. 1, the cable tie 1 may be integrally formed as a unit by integral molding of a rigid synthetic resin. The cable tie 1 may include a desired length of flexible belt 10 (a holding member), a buckle 20 and an anchor 30 (an engagement leg). The belt 10, the buckle 20 and the anchor 30 will be hereinafter described.

First, the belt 10 will be described (FIGS. 1 and 4). The belt 10 may have a substantially constant width over the entire length thereof and may be configured to circumferentially hold the wiring harness W. The belt 10 may have a proximal end 10a that is integrally connected to the buckle 20 (which will be hereinafter described). Further, the belt 10 may have a tapered distal end 10b that may function as a free end.

The belt 10 may have a plurality of engagement teeth or rack teeth 10c that are formed in an inner surface thereof. The rack teeth 10c may preferably be arranged at a constant pitch distance in a longitudinal direction of the belt 10. The belt 10 may have such a structure.

Next, the buckle 20 will be described (FIGS. 2 and 4). The buckle 20 may have a box-shaped member having an insertion hole 22 that is formed therethrough. The insertion hole 22 may be configured such that the belt 10 is inserted thereinto. The insertion hole 22 may have an inlet end 22a and an outlet end 22b that are communicated with each other. The buckle 20 may have a protecting portion 24 that is formed therein. The protecting portion 24 may be positioned adjacent to the outlet end 22b of the insertion hole 22. Further, the protecting portion 24 may be configured to cover both sides and an outer surface of a remaining portion S of the belt 10. In particular, the protecting portion 24 may preferably have a substantially C-shape in cross section so as to cover all of four corners S2 of a substantially rectangular cut surface S1 of the remaining portion S of the belt 10. In other words, the protecting portion 24 may preferably have an inner shape corresponding to the four corners S2 of the cut surface S1 of the remaining portion S of the belt 10 in cross section. Further, the remaining portion S of the belt 10 may be formed when an excess portion of the belt 10 inserted into and drawn from the insertion hole 22 of the buckle 20 is cut off, which will be hereinafter described.

The protecting portion 24 may preferably be tapered from a proximal end connected to the buckle 20 toward a distal end in a width direction of the belt 10 (FIG. 2). Further, the buckle 20 may have one transverse wall (a lower wall in FIG. 2) to which the proximal end 10a of the belt 10 is connected. Conversely, the buckle 20 may have the other transverse wall (an upper wall in FIG. 2) to which the anchor 30 (which will be hereinafter described) is connected.

As shown in FIG. 3, the buckle 20 may have an engagement strip 26 formed in one transverse wall of the buckle 20. The engagement strip 26 may be positioned in the insertion hole 22 of the buckle 20. The engagement strip 26 may be configured to be bent or deformed toward and away from the other transverse wall of the buckle 20 (i.e., in a vertical direction of the buckle 20) about a proximal end portion thereof due to elasticity of the synthetic resin. Further, the engagement strip 26 may have engagement claws 26a that are formed in a distal end portion thereof. The engagement claws 26a may be arranged and constructed to engage the rack teeth 10c formed in the belt 10 inserted into the insertion hole 22 of the buckle 20. The buckle 20 may have such a structure.

Finally, the anchor 30 will be described (FIGS. 2 and 3). The anchor 30 may be connected to the buckle 20 while a dish-shaped stabilizer 28 is interleaved therebetween. The anchor 30 may be configured to be inserted into and connected to an attaching hole (not shown) that is previously formed in the body panel (not shown) on a predetermined wiring route of the wiring harness W. In particular, the anchor 30 may includes a pillar 30a that is projected from a central portion of the stabilizer 28, and a pair of flexible strips 30b that are respectively connected to a distal end of the pillar 30a so as to be projected obliquely downward (toward the stabilizer 28) and outward therefrom. The anchor 30 may have such a structure.

Next, an attaching operation for attaching the wiring harness W to the body panel will be described. First, the belt 10 of the cable tie 1 may be looped and the wiring harness W in order to clamp the wiring harness W. Thereafter, the distal end 10b of the belt 10 wrapped around the wiring harness W may be inserted into the insertion hole 22 of the buckle 20 through the inlet end 22a and may then be drawn from the outlet end 22b of the insertion hole 22. Subsequently, the distal end 10b of the belt 10 drawn from the buckle 20 may be pulled in order to temporarily tighten or fasten the belt 10 around the wiring harness W. Due to the temporary tightening operation of the belt 10, the belt 10 may be pulled out of the insertion hole 22 of the buckle 20 while the rack teeth 10c formed therein successively contact the engagement claws 26a formed in the engagement strip 26 of the buckle 20. Thereafter, when the belt 10 reaches a desired temporarily fastened condition, the engagement claws 26a of the engagement strip 26 may temporarily selectively engage the rack teeth 10c of the belt 10. Thus, the belt 10 can be temporarily locked or secured to the buckle 20 so as to be temporarily tightened or fastened around the wiring harness W.

Thereafter, the belt 10 temporarily locked to the buckle 20 may be processed or treated using a (gun-type) specialized tool (not shown). In particular, the protecting portion 24 of the buckle 20 may be fitted into a recess or open-sided slot formed in a mouthpiece or tool head of the specialized tool while the excess portion of the belt 10 is inserted into the slot. Subsequently, an operating lever or trigger of the specialized tool may be manipulated. Upon manipulation of the trigger, the belt 10 temporarily fastened around the wiring harness W may be sufficiently tightened or fastened until the belt 10 reaches a desired fastened condition. When the belt 10 reaches the desired fastened condition, the engagement claws 26a formed in the engagement strip 26 of the buckle 20 may selectively engage the engagement teeth 10c of the belt 10. As a result, the belt 10 is ultimately locked or secured to the buckle 20 so as to be completely fastened around the wiring harness W.

After the belt 10 is locked to the buckle 20, the excess portion of the belt 10 may be automatically cut off while leaving the remaining portion S. Thus, the wiring harness W can be clamped by the cable tie 1 (the belt 10 and the buckle 20). Thereafter, the anchor 30 of the cable tie 1 may be inserted into the attaching hole formed in the body panel. As a result, the anchor 30 can be fixed to the body panel, so that the cable tie 1 can be connected to the body panel. Thus, the wiring harness W can be attached to the body panel via the cable tie 1.

The cable tie 1 of the first embodiment of the present invention may have a structure described above. That is, the buckle 20 may have the protecting portion 24 that is configured to cover the both sides and the outer surface of the belt remaining portion S which may be formed when the excess portion of the belt 10 is cut off. In particular, the protecting portion 24 may have the substantially C-shape in cross section so as to cover all of four corners S2 of the substantially rectangular cut surface S1 of the remaining portion S of the belt 10. Therefore, even if a tensional force is applied to the belt 10 via the wiring harness W due to a complicated wiring route of the wiring harness W, unlike the prior art, the remaining portion S of the belt 10 may be prevented from being warped. Therefore, a distal end portion (the cut surface S1) of the remaining portion S may be prevented from being displaced or deflected from the protecting portion 24. That is, the protecting portion 24 can sufficiently cover the remaining portion S. As a result, the protecting portion 24 may effectively prevent the fingers of workers from directly contacting edges formed in the cut surface S1 of the remaining portion S. Therefore, the fingers of workers can be effectively prevented from being irritated or injured by the edges formed in the cut surface S1 of the remaining portion S.

Further, according to the structure, the protecting portion 24 of the buckle 20 may be tapered from the proximal end toward the distal end in the width direction of the belt 10. Therefore, the protecting portion 24 can be easily fitted into the slot formed in the tool head of the specialized tool.

Modified forms of the representative embodiment will now be described with reference to FIGS. 5 to 9. As shown in FIG. 5, in a cable tie 101 (a first modified form of the cable tie 1), a protecting portion 124 may have a semicircular removed portion 112 formed therein. The cable tie 101 thus modified may have additional effects, e.g., reduction in weight and material costs.

As shown in FIG. 6, in a cable tie 201 (a second modified form of the cable tie 1), a protecting portion 224 may have a semi-elliptical removed portion 212 formed therein. Similar to the first modified form, the cable tie 201 thus modified may have additional effects, e.g., reduction in weight and material costs.

As shown in FIG. 7, in a cable tie 301 (a third modified form of the cable tie 1), a protecting portion 324 may have a semi-oval removed portion 312 formed therein. Similar to the first modified form, the cable tie 301 thus modified may have additional effects, e.g., reduction in weight and material costs.

As shown in FIG. 8, in a cable tie 401 (a fourth modified form of the cable tie 1), a protecting portion 424 may be configured so as to completely surround the outlet end 22b of the insertion hole 22 of the buckle 20. That is, the protecting portion 424 may have a tubular shape. According to the cable tie 401 thus modified, a protecting portion 424 may function to cover the inner surface of the remaining portion S of the belt 10 as well as the both sides and the outer surface thereof. Further, in the cable tie 401 thus constructed, the protecting portion 424 may not be tapered from its proximal end toward its distal end in the width direction of the belt 10. Therefore, the belt 10 of the cable tie 401 may be treated (tightened and cut off) using a different type of specialized tool of which a tool head is modified.

Second Embodiment

A second detailed representative embodiment will now be described with reference to FIGS. 9 to 27. Further, because the second embodiment relates to the first embodiment, only the constructions and elements that are different from the first embodiment will be explained in detail. Elements that are the same in the first and second embodiments will be identified by the same reference numerals and a detailed description of such elements may be omitted.

Similar to the cable tie 1 of the first embodiment, a cable tie 501 of the second embodiment may be integrally formed as a unit by integral molding of a rigid synthetic resin. The cable tie 501 may include the flexible belt 10, the buckle 20 and the engagement leg or anchor 30 (FIGS. 9-13).

The buckle 20 may have a tubular member having the insertion hole 22 that is formed therethrough. In particular, the buckle 20 may have (right and left) side walls 20a and 20b, an upper wall 20c bridging or connecting upper peripheries of the side walls 20a and 20b, and a lower wall 20d bridging or connecting lower peripheries of the side walls 20a and 20b.

Similar to the first embodiment, the buckle 20 may have a protecting portion 524 that is formed therein. The protecting portion 524 may be positioned adjacent to the outlet end 22b of the insertion hole 22. Further, the protecting portion 524 may be configured to cover both sides and an outer surface of a remaining portion S of the belt 10. In particular, the protecting portion 524 may preferably have a substantially C-shape in cross section so as to cover all of four corners S2 of a substantially rectangular cut surface S1 of the remaining portion S of the belt 10. That is, the protecting portion 524 may have (right and left) side walls 524a and 524b each having a substantially L-shape in cross section, and an upper wall 524c bridging or connecting upper peripheries of the side walls 524a and 524b. Further, the remaining portion S may be formed when an excess portion of the belt 10 inserted into and drawn from the insertion hole 22 of the buckle 20 is cut off, which will be hereinafter described.

As will be apparent from FIG. 11, the side walls 524a and 524b of the protecting portion 524 may respectively be configured to be thinner than the side walls 20a and 20b of the buckle 20. Further, the upper wall 524c of the protecting portion 524 may preferably be configured so as to be flush with the upper wall 20c of the buckle 20.

As best shown in FIG. 13, forward or distal end surfaces of the side walls 524a and 524b of the protecting portion 524 may respectively be bulged in an arcuate or circular arc shape. In other words, the side walls 524a and 524b of the protecting portion 524 may respectively have curved or arcuate bulged portions 540 and 542 formed in the forward or distal end surfaces thereof. Further, the bulged portions 540 and 542 may respectively be specially shaped (which will be hereinafter described).

Next, an attaching operation for attaching the wiring harness W to the body panel using the cable tie 501 will be described. First, similar to the first embodiment, the belt 10 of the cable tie 501 may be looped and the wiring harness W in order to clamp the wiring harness W. Thereafter, the distal end 10b of the belt 10 wrapped around the wiring harness W may be inserted into the insertion hole 22 of the buckle 20 through the inlet end 22a and may then be drawn from the outlet end 22b of the insertion hole 22. Subsequently, the distal end 10b of the belt 10 drawn from the buckle 20 may be pulled in order to temporarily tighten or fasten (lock) the belt 10 (FIG. 14). Due to the temporary tightening operation of the belt 10, the belt 10 may be pulled out of the insertion hole 22 of the buckle 20 while the rack teeth 10c of the belt 10 successively contact the engagement claws 26a formed in the engagement strip 26 of the buckle 20. Thereafter, when the belt 10 reaches a desired temporarily fastened condition, the engagement claws 26a of the engagement strip 26 may temporarily selectively engage the rack teeth 10c of the belt 10. Thus, the belt 10 can be temporarily locked or secured to the buckle 20 so as to be temporarily fastened around the wiring harness W (FIG. 14).

Thereafter, the belt 10 temporarily locked to the buckle 20 may be treated using a (gun-type) specialized tool 50 (FIG. 15). In particular, the protecting portion 524 of the buckle 20 may be pressed against a mouthpiece or tool head 52 of the specialized tool 50 while the excess portion (a substantial portion containing the distal end 10b) of the belt 10 is inserted into a recess or open-sided slot 54 formed in the tool head 52 of the specialized tool. As a result, as shown in FIG. 16, the arcuate bulged portions 540 and 542 formed in the protecting portion 524 of the buckle 20 may respectively be pressed against the slot 54 formed in the tool head 52 of the specialized tool 50. However, as previously described, the arcuate bulged portions 540 and 542 may respectively be specially shaped. In particular, the arcuate bulged portions 540 and 542 may preferably be arranged and constructed such that in a pressed condition in which the protecting portion 524 of the buckle 20 is pressed against the tool head 52 of the specialized tool 50 in order to cut the excess portion of the belt 10, only top portions 540a and 542a thereof may enter the slot 54 of the tool head 52. Therefore, at this time, only the top portions 540a and 542a of the arcuate bulged portions 540 and 542 may enter the slot 54 of the tool head 52.

As a result, as shown in FIG. 16, upper and lower margins of the top portions 540a and 542a of the arcuate bulged portions 540 and 542 may respectively contact upper and lower peripheries 54a and 54b of the slot 54 of the tool head 52. Thus, in the pressed condition in which the protecting portion 524 of the buckle 20 is pressed against the tool head 52 of the specialized tool 50, a relative position of the protecting portion 524 to the tool head 52 (the slot 54) may be determined in height direction.

Subsequently, the specialized tool 50 may be operated (i.e., an operating lever or trigger 50a of the specialized tool 50 may be manipulated). Upon manipulation of the trigger 50a, the belt 10 temporarily fastened around the wiring harness W may be sufficiently tightened or fastened until the belt 10 reaches a desired fastened condition. When the belt 10 reaches the desired fastened condition, the engagement claws 26a formed in the engagement strip 26 of the buckle 20 may selectively engage the engagement teeth 10c of the belt 10. As a result, the belt 10 is ultimately locked or secured to the buckle 20 so as to be completely fastened around the wiring harness W.

As shown in FIG. 17, after the belt 10 is locked to the buckle 20, an internal cutter 56 of the specialized tool 50 may be projected into the slot 54 of the tool head 52, so that a blade 56a of the internal cutter 56 may move along its traveling path L3. As a result, as shown in FIG. 18, the excess portion of the belt 10 drawn from the outlet end 22b of the insertion hole 22 of the buckle 20 may be cut off while leaving the remaining portion S.

Further, as will be apparent from FIGS. 17 and 18, upon completion of a cutting operation of the belt 10, the desired fastened condition of the belt 10 may be slightly released or loosened (i.e., a backlash may be produced). Therefore, the cut surface S1 (end portion) of the remaining portion S of the belt 10 may substantially be pulled back inside the protecting portion 524. As a result, the cut surface S1 may be prevented from projecting from the protecting portion 524 (the arcuate bulged portions 540 and 542).

Thus, similar to the first embodiment, the wiring harness W can be clamped by the cable tie 501 (the belt 10 and the buckle 20). Thereafter, the anchor 30 of the cable tie 501 may be inserted into the attaching hole formed in the body panel. As a result, the anchor 30 can be fixed to the body panel, so that the cable tie 501 can be connected to the body panel. Thus, the wiring harness W can be attached to the body panel via the cable tie 501.

Further, a curvature (degree of curve) of the arcuate bulged portions 540 and 542 may preferably be configured such that in the pressed condition in which the protecting portion 524 of the buckle 20 is pressed against the tool head 52 of the specialized tool 50 in order to cut the excess portion of the belt 10, the arcuate bulged portions 540 and 542 may not interfere with the traveling path L3 of the blade 56a of the internal cutter 56 of the specialized tool 50 (FIG. 18). In addition, the curvature of the arcuate bulged portions 540 and 542 may be determined such that even when a substantial inclination θ is produced between an axis line L1 of the protecting portion 524 and a line L2 perpendicular to an opening surface 54c of the slot 54 of the tool head 52 in such a pressed condition, the arcuate bulged portions 540 and 542 may not interfere with the traveling path L3 of the blade 56a of the internal cutter 56 of the specialized tool 50 (FIG. 21). As will be recognized, the inclination θ may sometimes be produced due to, for example, a fastening force that may be applied to the belt 10 via the specialized tool 50.

In particular, as shown in FIG. 16, the arcuate bulged portions 540 and 542 formed in the protecting portion 524 of the buckle 20 may be configured such that the curvature thereof is smaller than a curvature of a circle P passing through the upper and lower peripheries 54a and 54b of the slot 54 of the tool head 52 and contacting the traveling path L3. Therefore, in the pressed condition in which the protecting portion 524 of the buckle 20 is pressed against the tool head 52 of the specialized tool 50, the arcuate bulged portions 540 and 542 (the top portions 540a and 542a) may be prevented from entering the slot 54 of the tool head 52 beyond the traveling path L3 of the blade 56a of the internal cutter 56 of the specialized tool 50 (FIGS. 16 to 18). Further, even when the substantial inclination θ is produced between the axis line L1 of the protecting portion 524 and the line L2 perpendicular to the opening surface 54c of the slot 54 of the tool head 52 in the pressed condition in which the protecting portion 524 of the buckle 20 is pressed against the tool head 52 of the specialized tool 50, the arcuate bulged portions 540 and 542 (the top portions 540a and 542a) may be prevented from entering the slot 54 of the tool head 52 beyond the traveling path L3 of the blade 56a of the internal cutter 56 (FIGS. 19 to 21).

As described above, in the pressed condition in which the protecting portion 524 of the buckle 20 is pressed against the tool head 52 of the specialized tool 50, the relative position of the protecting portion 524 to the tool head 52 (the slot 54) may be determined in height direction while the top portions 540a and 542a of the arcuate bulged portions 540 and 542 enter the slot 54 of the tool head 52. Therefore, as shown in FIG. 19, even when the protecting portion 524 is inclined with respect to the tool head 52 in this condition due to, for example, the fastening force that may be applied to the belt 10 via the specialized tool 50, one of upper and lower peripheries 524d of the protecting portion 524 may be prevented from entering the slot 54 of the tool head 52. As a result, as shown in FIGS. 20 and 21, even when the specialized tool 50 is operated (even when the trigger 50a is manipulated) in a condition in which the protecting portion 524 is inclined with respect to the tool head 52, one of the upper and lower peripheries 524d of the protecting portion 524 of the buckle 20 may be prevented from being unexpectedly partially cut or removed by the internal cutter 56 at the same time as the excess portion of the belt 10 may be cut off.

To the contrary, as shown in FIGS. 22 to 24, in a cable tie 401′ (a comparative example) in which forward or distal end surfaces of side walls of a protecting portion 424′ of the buckle 20 are respectively flattened (i.e., in which the side walls of the protecting portion 424′ are not respectively bulged in the forward or distal end surfaces thereof), similar to the cable tie 501 of the second embodiment, the belt 10 temporarily locked to the buckle 20 may be treated using the specialized tool 50. In particular, the protecting portion 424′ of the buckle 20 may be pressed against the tool head 52 of the specialized tool 50 while the excess portion of the belt 10 drawn from the outlet end 22b of the insertion hole 22 is inserted into the slot 54 formed in the tool head 52 of the specialized tool 50. Subsequently, the specialized tool 50 may be operated (i.e., the trigger 50a may be manipulated). As a result, the belt 10 is ultimately locked or secured to the buckle 20. After the belt 10 is locked to the buckle 20, the internal cutter 56 of the specialized tool 50 may be projected into the slot 54 of the tool head 52, so that the blade 56a of the internal cutter 56 may move along the traveling path L3. Thus, the excess portion of the belt 10 drawn from the outlet end 22b of the insertion hole 22 of the buckle 20 may be cut off while leaving the remaining portion S (FIG. 24).

However, in the cable tie 401′, in a pressed condition in which the protecting portion 424′ of the buckle 20 is pressed against the tool head 52 of the specialized tool 50, a relative position of the protecting portion 424′ to the tool head 52 (the slot 54) cannot be determined in height direction because unlike the cable tie 501 of the second embodiment, the distal end surfaces of side walls of the protecting portion 424′ are respectively flattened and not bulged.

Therefore, as shown in FIG. 25, in the pressed condition in which the protecting portion 424′ of the buckle 20 is pressed against the tool head 52 of the specialized tool 50, when the protecting portion 424′ of the buckle 20 is inclined with respect to the tool head 52 due to, for example, the fastening force that may be applied to the belt 10 via the specialized tool 50, one of upper and lower peripheries 424a′ of the protecting portion 424′ may enter the slot 54 of the tool head 52 to interfere with the traveling path L3 of the blade 56a of the internal cutter 56 of the specialized tool 50. As a result, as shown in FIGS. 26 and 27, when the specialized tool 50 is operated in a condition in which the protecting portion 424′ is inclined with respect to the tool head 52, one of the upper and lower peripheries 424a′ of the protecting portion 424′ may be partially cut or removed by the internal cutter 56 to form cut pieces C at the same time as the excess portion of the belt 10 may be cut off.

The cable tie 501 of the second embodiment may have a structure described above. That is, the side walls 524a and 524b of the protecting portion 524 may respectively have the curved or arcuate bulged portions 540 and 542 formed in the distal end surfaces thereof. The arcuate bulged portions 540 and 542 may preferably be arranged and constructed such that in the pressed condition in which the protecting portion 524 of the buckle 20 is pressed against the tool head 52 of the specialized tool 50 in order to cut the excess portion of the belt 10, only the top portions 540a and 542a thereof may enter the slot 54 of the tool head 52.

As a result, in the pressed condition in which the protecting portion 524 of the buckle 20 is pressed against the tool head 52 of the specialized tool 50, the upper and lower margins of the top portions 540a and 542a of the arcuate bulged portions 540 and 542 may respectively contact the upper and lower peripheries 54a and 54b of the slot 54 of the tool head 52. Therefore, in this condition, the relative position of the protecting portion 524 to the tool head 52 (the slot 54) may be determined in height direction.

Thus, in the pressed condition in which the protecting portion 524 of the buckle 20 is pressed against the tool head 52 of the specialized tool 50, the relative position of the protecting portion 524 to the tool head 52 may be determined. Therefore, even when the protecting portion 524 is inclined with respect to the tool head 52 in this condition due to, for example, the fastening force that may be applied to the belt 10 via the specialized tool 50, one of the upper and lower peripheries 524d of the protecting portion 524 may be effectively prevented from entering the slot 54 of the tool head 52. As a result, even when the specialized tool 50 is operated (even when the trigger 50a is manipulated) in a condition in which the protecting portion 524 is inclined with respect to the tool head 52, one of the upper and lower peripheries 524d of the protecting portion 524 may be prevented from being unexpectedly partially cut or removed by the internal cutter 56 at the same time as the excess portion of the belt 10 may be cut off.

Further, in the cable tie 501, the curvature of the arcuate bulged portions 540 and 542 formed in the protecting portion 524 of the buckle 20 may be determined such that even when the axis line L1 of the protecting portion 524 is inclined with respect to the line L2 perpendicular to the opening surface 54c of the slot 54 of the tool head 52 in the pressed condition in which the protecting portion 524 of the buckle 20 is pressed against the tool head 52 of the specialized tool 50 in order to cut the excess portion of the belt 10, the arcuate bulged portions 540 and 542 may not interfere with the traveling path L3 of the blade 56a of the internal cutter 56.

Therefore, even when the protecting portion 524 is inclined with respect to the tool head 52 in the pressed condition in which the protecting portion 524 of the buckle 20 is pressed against the tool head 52 of the specialized tool 50, the arcuate bulged portions 540 and 542 formed in the protecting portion 524 of the buckle 20 may be prevented from being unexpectedly partially cut or removed by the internal cutter 56 at the same time as the excess portion of the belt 10 may be cut off.

Third Embodiment

A third detailed representative embodiment will now be described with reference to FIGS. 28 to 35. Further, because the third embodiment relates to the second embodiment, only the constructions and elements that are different from the second embodiment will be explained in detail. Elements that are the same in the second and third embodiments will be identified by the same reference numerals and a detailed description of such elements may be omitted.

Similar to the cable tie 501 of the second embodiment, a cable tie 601 may be integrally formed as a unit by integral molding of a rigid synthetic resin. The cable tie 601 may include the flexible belt 10, the buckle 20 and the engagement leg or anchor 30 (FIGS. 28-32).

Similar to the second embodiment, the buckle 20 may have a protecting portion 624 that is formed therein. The protecting portion 624 may have (right and left) side walls 624a and 624b each having a substantially L-shape in cross section, and an upper wall 624c bridging or connecting upper peripheries of the side walls 624a and 624b.

As best shown in FIG. 32, forward or distal end surfaces of the side walls 624a and 624b of the protecting portion 624 may respectively be partially protruded. In other words, the protecting portion 624 may have rounded projected portions 640 and 642 that are respectively formed in the forward or distal end surfaces of the side walls 624a and 624b thereof.

Next, an attaching operation for attaching the wiring harness W to the body panel using the cable tie 601 will be described. First, similar to the second embodiment, the belt 10 of the cable tie 601 may be looped and the wiring harness W in order to clamp the wiring harness W. Thereafter, the distal end 10b of the belt 10 wrapped around the wiring harness W may be inserted into the insertion hole 22 of the buckle 20 through the inlet end 22a and may then be drawn from the outlet end 22b of the insertion hole 22. Subsequently, the distal end 10b of the belt 10 drawn from the buckle 20 may be pulled in order to temporarily tighten or fasten (lock) the belt 10. Due to the temporary tightening operation of the belt 10, the belt 10 may be pulled out of the insertion hole 22 of the buckle 20 while the rack teeth 10c of the belt 10 successively contact the engagement claws 26a formed in the engagement strip 26 of the buckle 20. Thereafter, when the belt 10 reaches a desired temporarily fastened condition, the engagement claws 26a of the engagement strip 26 may temporarily selectively engage the rack teeth 10c of the belt 10. Thus, the belt 10 can be temporarily locked or secured to the buckle 20 so as to be temporarily fastened around the wiring harness W.

Thereafter, the belt 10 temporarily locked to the buckle 20 may be treated using the specialized tool 50. In particular, the protecting portion 624 of the buckle 20 may be pressed against the tool head 52 of the specialized tool 50 while the excess portion (a substantial portion containing the distal end 10b) of the belt 10 is inserted into a recess or slot 54 formed in the tool head 52 of the specialized tool 50. As a result, as shown in FIG. 33, the rounded projected portions 640 and 642 formed in the protecting portion 624 of the buckle 20 may respectively be pressed against the slot 54 formed in the tool head 52 of the specialized tool 50. However, the rounded projected portions 640 and 642 may respectively be specially shaped. In particular, the rounded projected portions 640 and 642 may preferably be arranged and constructed so as to enter or fit into the slot 54 of the tool head 52 when the protecting portion 624 of the buckle 20 is pressed against the tool head 52 of the specialized tool 50 in order to cut the excess portion of the belt 10. Therefore, at this time, the rounded projected portions 640 and 642 may enter or fit into the slot 54 of the tool head 52 (FIG. 33).

As a result, as shown in FIG. 33, upper and lower peripheries 640a and 642a of the rounded projected portions 640 and 642 may respectively contact the upper and lower peripheries 54a and 54b of the slot 54 of the tool head 52. Thus, in a pressed condition in which the protecting portion 624 of the buckle 20 is pressed against the tool head 52 of the specialized tool 50, a relative position of the protecting portion 624 to the tool head 52 (the slot 54) may be determined in height direction.

Subsequently, the specialized tool 50 may be operated (i.e., the trigger 50a of the specialized tool 50 may be manipulated). Upon manipulation of the trigger 50a, the belt 10 temporarily fastened around the wiring harness W may be sufficiently tightened or fastened until the belt 10 reaches a desired fastened condition. When the belt 10 reaches the desired fastened condition, the engagement claws 26a formed in the engagement strip 26 of the buckle 20 may selectively engage the engagement teeth 10c of the belt 10. As a result, the belt 10 is ultimately locked or secured to the buckle 20 so as to be completely fastened around the wiring harness W.

As shown in FIG. 34, after the belt 10 is locked to the buckle 20, the internal cutter 56 of the specialized tool 50 may be projected into the slot 54 of the tool head 52, so that the blade 56a of the internal cutter 56 may move along the traveling path L3. As a result, as shown in FIG. 35, the excess portion of the belt 10 drawn from the outlet end 22b of the insertion hole 22 of the buckle 20 may be cut off while leaving the remaining portion S.

Further, as will be apparent from FIGS. 34 and 35, upon completion of a cutting operation of the belt 10, the desired fastened condition of the belt 10 may be slightly released or loosened (i.e., a backlash may be produced). Therefore, the cut surface S1 (end portion) of the remaining portion S of the belt 10 may substantially be pulled back inside the protecting portion 624. As a result, the cut surface S1 may be prevented from projecting from the protecting portion 624 (the rounded projected portions 640 and 642).

Thus, similar to the second embodiment, the wiring harness W can be clamped by the cable tie 601 (the belt 10 and the buckle 20). Thereafter, the anchor 30 of the cable tie 601 may be inserted into the attaching hole formed in the body panel. As a result, the anchor 30 can be fixed to the body panel, so that the cable tie 601 can be connected to the body panel. Thus, the wiring harness W can be attached to the body panel via the cable tie 601.

Further, as shown in FIG. 33, the rounded projected portions 640 and 642 formed in the protecting portion 624 of the buckle 20 may be configured so as to not interfere with the traveling path L3 of the blade 56a of the internal cutter 56 when the rounded projected portions 640 and 642 are fitted into the slot 54 of the tool head 52. Further, the rounded projected portions 640 and 642 may respectively be arranged and constructed so as to not interfere with the traveling path L3 of the blade 56a of the internal cutter 56 even when the rounded projected portions 640 and 642 are fitted into the slot 54 of the tool head 52 while the protecting portion 624 is inclined with respect to the tool head 52.

As described above, in the pressed condition in which the protecting portion 624 of the buckle 20 are pressed against the tool head 52 of the specialized tool 50, the relative position of the protecting portion 624 to the tool head 52 (the slot 54) may be determined in height direction while the rounded projected portions 640 and 642 are introduced into the slot 54 of the tool head 52. Therefore, even when the protecting portion 624 is inclined with respect to the tool head 52 in this condition due to, for example, the fastening force that may be applied to the belt 10 via the specialized tool 50, one of upper and lower peripheries 624d of the protecting portion 624 may be prevented from entering the slot 54 of the tool head 52. As a result, even when the specialized tool 50 is operated (even when the trigger 50a is manipulated) in a condition in which the protecting portion 624 is inclined with respect to the tool head 52, one of the upper and lower peripheries 624d of the protecting portion 624 may be prevented from being unexpectedly partially cut or removed by the internal cutter 56 at the same time as the excess portion of the belt 10 may be cut off.

The cable tie 601 of the third embodiment may have a structure described above. That is, the rounded projected portions 640 and 642 may respectively be formed in the distal end surfaces of the side walls 624a and 624b of the protecting portion 624. The rounded projected portions 640 and 642 may preferably be arranged and constructed so as to enter or fit into the slot 54 of the tool head 52 in the pressed condition in which the protecting portion 624 of the buckle 20 is pressed against the tool head 52 of the specialized tool 50 in order to cut the excess portion of the belt 10.

Therefore, in the pressed condition in which the protecting portion 624 of the buckle 20 is pressed against the tool head 52 of the specialized tool 50, the rounded projected portions 640 and 642 may enter or fit into the slot 54 of the tool head 52, so that the upper and lower peripheries 640a and 642a of the rounded projected portions 640 and 642 may respectively contact the upper and lower peripheries 54a and 54b of the slot 54 of the tool head 52. Thus, the relative position of the protecting portion 624 to the tool head 52 (the slot 54) may be determined in height direction.

As described above, in the pressed condition in which the protecting portion 624 of the buckle 20 is pressed against the tool head 52 of the specialized tool 50, the relative position of the protecting portion 624 to the tool head 52 (the slot 54) may be determined in height direction. Therefore, in such a pressed condition, even when the protecting portion 624 is inclined with respect to the tool head 52 due to, for example, the fastening force that may be applied to the belt 10 via the specialized tool 50, one of upper and lower peripheries 624d of the protecting portion 624 may be prevented from entering the slot 54 of the tool head 52. As a result, even when the specialized tool 50 is operated (even when the trigger 50a is manipulated) in the condition in which the protecting portion 624 is inclined with respect to the tool head 52, one of the upper and lower peripheries 624d of the protecting portion 624 may be prevented from being unexpectedly partially cut or removed by the internal cutter 56 at the same time as the excess portion of the belt 10 may be cut off. That is, this embodiment may have the same effect as the second embodiment.

Naturally, various changes and modifications may be made to the present invention without departing from the scope of the invention. For example, in the embodiments, the wiring harness W is exemplified as the clamped article. However, the clamped article may be a single cable or other such cable-like members.

Further, in the second embodiment, the side walls 524a and 524b of the protecting portion 524 are respectively configured to be thinner than the side walls 20a and 20b of the buckle 20. In addition, the upper wall 524c of the protecting portion 524 is configured so as to be flush with the upper wall 20c of the buckle 20 (FIG. 11). However, each of the side walls 524a and 524b of the protecting portion 524 may be configured so as to be flush with each of the side walls 20a and 20b of the buckle 20. In addition, the upper wall 524c of the protecting portion 524 may be configured to be thinner than the upper wall 20c of the buckle 20. That is, the side walls 524a and 524b and/or the upper wall 524c of the protecting portion 524 may respectively be configured to be thinner than the side walls 20a and 20b and/or the upper wall 20c of the buckle 20. The same is true on the first and third embodiments.

Representative examples of the present invention have been described in detail with reference to the attached drawings. This detailed description is merely intended to teach a person of skill in the all further details for practicing preferred aspects of the present invention and is not intended to limit the scope of the invention. Only the claims define the scope of the claimed invention. Therefore, combinations of features and steps disclosed in the foregoing detail description may not be necessary to practice the invention in the broadest sense, and are instead taught merely to particularly describe detailed representative examples of the invention. Moreover, the various features taught in this specification may be combined in ways that are not specifically enumerated in order to obtain additional useful embodiments of the present invention.

Claims

1. A cable tie, comprising:

a belt, and

a buckle to which a proximal end of the belt is connected,

wherein when the belt wrapped around a clamped article is inserted into an insertion hole of the buckle through an inlet end and is then tightened, the belt can be locked to the buckle while the belt is fastened around the clamped article,

wherein after the belt is locked to the buckle, an excess portion of the belt drawn from an outlet end of the insertion hole of the buckle is cut off while leaving a remaining portion, so that the clamped article can be clamped by the cable tie,

wherein the buckle has a protecting portion that is positioned adjacent to the outlet end of the insertion hole and is configured to cover both sides of the remaining portion of the belt,

wherein the remaining portion of the belt has a substantially rectangular cut surface, and

wherein the protecting portion is configured to cover all of four corners of the substantially rectangular cut surface of the remaining portion of the belt.

2. The cable tie as defined in claim 1, wherein the protection portion is tapered from a proximal end connected to the buckle toward a distal end in a width direction of the belt.

3. The cable tie as defined in claim 1, wherein the protection portion has arcuate bulged portions formed in a distal end thereof, and wherein the arcuate bulged portions are configured such that in a pressed condition in which the protecting portion is pressed against a tool head of a specialized tool in order to cut the excess portion of the belt, only top portions thereof enter a slot formed in the tool head.

4. The cable tie as defined in claim 3, wherein a curvature of the arcuate bulged portions is determined such that even when an inclination is produced between an axis line of the protecting portion and a line perpendicular to an opening surface of the slot of the tool head in the pressed condition in which the protecting portion is pressed against the tool head of the specialized tool in order to cut the excess portion of the belt, the arcuate bulged portions do not interfere with a traveling path of a blade of an internal cutter of the specialized tool.

5. The cable tie as defined in claim 1, wherein the protection portion has projected portions formed in a distal end thereof, and wherein the projected portions are configured such that in a condition in which the protecting portion is pressed against a tool head of a specialized tool in order to cut the excess portion of the belt, the projected portions enter a slot formed in the tool head.

6. The cable tie as defined in claim 1, wherein the protection portion has a substantially C-shape in cross section.