AU2005229650A1 - A Fastener - Google Patents

Description

TITLE

SA Fastener.

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z FIELD OF INVENTION This invention relates to a fastener. A preferred form of the invention relates to a fastener suitable for use with wheel chairs.

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BACKGROUND

c' It is known to use drop hooks or similar to assist in retaining a seat or back rest to the frame of a wheel chair. It is an object of at least one form of the present invention to provide a fastener which assists in preventing drop hooks or similar from inadvertently coming free of a wheel chair frame.

The term "comprising" or derivatives thereof (eg "comprises"), if and when used herein, should be interpreted non-exclusively ie to convey "consisting of or including".

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION According to one aspect of the invention there is provided a fastener having a clamping portion (preferably but not necessarily looped) and a locking portion (preferably but not necessarily in the form of a plate), wherein the locking portion can move (eg swing) through the clamping portion to extend from either side of the clamping portion.

Preferably the locking portion comprises a plate attached to the clamping portion by way of a pivot pin or pins.

Preferably the plate is only able to substantially protrude from only one side of the fastener at any one time.

4 Preferably the plate is generally triangular.

Preferably the clamping portion is adjustable by way of a screw so that it can clamp to tubing of various sizes.

Preferably the locking portion has a pair of spaced recesses and a spring biased ball, arranged such that the ball can click into the recesses, in turn, to set the locking portion in place so that it protrudes from one or other side of the rest of the fastener.

Preferably the locking portion can be made to swing from one side of the rest of the fastener to the other by pushing on the locking portion by hand.

According to a further aspect of the invention there is provided a wheel chair having a seat base or back rest engaged with wheel chair framing by way of hooks, each hook substantially kept in place by way of a respective fastener, each fastener having a clamping portion (preferably but not necessarily looped) and a locking portion (preferably but not necessarily in the form of a plate), wherein the locking portion can move (eg swing) through the clamping portion to extend from either side of the clamping portion to lay over or adjacent the respective hook.

Brief Description of the Drawings Some preferred forms of the invention will now be described by way of example and with reference to the accompanying drawings, of which: Figure 1 is a perspective view of part of a wheel chair seat and frame, Figure 2 is a front elevation view of the arrangement of figure 1,

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0 Figure 3 is a perspective view of a fastener for use with a wheel chair, z Figure 4 is a side view of the fastener, Figure 5 is a reverse side view of the fastener, SFigure 6 is a top view of the fastener, Figure 7 is a bottom view of the fastener, kn Figure 8 is a front view of the fastener,

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Figure 9 is a rear end view of the fastener, and Figure 10 depicts a locking plate which forms part of the fastener.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION Referring to figures 1 and 2, it is known to fasten the seat base 1 of a wheel chair to the chair's tubular framing 2 by way of drop hooks 3. The drop hooks 3 are formed so that the seat base 1 sits slightly below the framing 2 so as to make room for padding to be added to the seat base. When it is time to collapse the wheel chair, for example to enable it to be more readily transported, the base 1 and the drop hooks 3 can be collectively pulled away from the framing 2.

It is desirable to have a fastener secured on the framing 2 adjacent each drop hook 3 so as to prevent the drop hooks 3 and the base 1 from inadvertently and undesirably coming away from the framing 2 for example when the wheel chair is in use. Figures 3-9 depict a fastener 4 suitable for this purpose. Referring to figure 1, the fastener 4 has a looped clamping portion 5 which can be adjusted by way of a screw 6 to allow it to clamp around larger or smaller tubing. To facilitate this the top part 7 of the clamping portion can pivot about a pin 8.

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Figure 3 shows a generally triangular locking plate 9 protruding from the clamping portion 5. The locking plate 9 can swing about a pivot pin 10 (see figure 9) so that it can protrude from either side of the clamping portion 5 as desired. It should be IC appreciated that the locking plate 9 only protrudes from one side of the clamping portion at any one time. The dotted lines 9a in figures 6-9 show where the locking C1 plate would be when moved from its current position with respect to the clamping portion

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Figure 10 shows the locking plate 9 as it would appear when isolated from the rest of the fastener 4. The plate 9 has an aperture 11 for receiving the pivot pin 10, and also has a pair of small hemispherical recesses 12. The recesses 12 are arranged to receive a stationary spring biased ball bearing (not shown) within the clamping portion so that the locking plate 9 clicks into place when moved into position at either side of the clamping portion. The ball bearing thus sits in one of the recesses 12 depending on from side of the clamping portion 5 the locking plate protrudes from. By applying a little force with one's fingers one can move the recess 12 concerned away from the ball bearing to release the plate 9 for swinging movement about the pivot pin When the fastener is in use its looped clamping portion 5 is fastened to the wheel chair framing 2 immediately adjacent one of the drop hooks 3. The arrangement is such that the clamping portion prevents the drop hook concerned from undesirably sliding along the framing. The locking plate 9 is clicked into place so that it lays over or otherwise immediately adjacent the drop hook to prevent it from coming away from the wheel chair framing 2. More specifically, the main planar part of the locking plate preferably lays in a plane which is substantially parallel to the plane of the seat base 1. The fastener thus assists in securing the wheel chair seat base to the wheel chair framing by presenting an obstruction to the drop hook. When it is 0 Z desired to remove the seat base 1 from the framing the locking plate 9 is simply pushed by hand so that it swings to the opposite side of its clamping portion 5, thus clearing the drop hook 3 from obstruction so that it, and the seat base 1, can be pulled away from the wheel chair framing.

CPreferably there is a fastener 4 arranged in similar fashion against each drop hook 3, and it is necessary to release all of the drop hooks from their respective locking plates 9 before the seat base 1 can be removed from the framing.

Those skilled in the art will appreciate that a wheel chair back rest can be retained on the chair's back rest tubular framing (not shown) by fasteners 4 and drop hooks 3 in much the same way as described above. The back rest framing may involve vertically disposed tubes and so in that case the locking plates 9 may be disposed in a vertical plane rather than in a horizontal plane.

While the fastener 1 has been described in the context of use with drop hooks, those skilled in the art will appreciate that it can be used with other types of wheel chair frame engaging hooks. Indeed the fastener 4 is not limited to use with wheel chairs and may have numerous other applications.

A useful aspect of the fastener 4 is that it does not have a protruding handle or the like (ie over and above the locking plate 9) for moving the locking plate from a locked position with respect to a drop hook to an unlocked position. This removes the potential for one to inadvertently contact such a handle and inadvertently release the drop hook for movement. A further useful aspect of the fastener 4 is that the locking plate 9 swings through a slit in the body of the looped clamping 1/7 Sportion 5. The body of the clamping portion 5 thus provides a measure of protection and stability to the locking plate 9. More specifically, the support offered 0 Z by the clamping portion means that the locking plate cannot be easily broken away from the clamping portion. A still further useful aspect of the fastener 4 is that it is capable of use on either side of a wheel chair frame. This is possible because the Slocking plate 9 can be swung to the appropriate side of the clamping portion Sdepending on which side of the wheel chair frame the fastener is to be used with.

Clt 1 0 Preferably the fastener 4 is substantially formed from a suitable metallic substance.

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Part or all of the fastener may or may not be anodised.

While some preferred forms of the invention have been described by way of example it should be appreciated that modifications and improvements can occur without departing from the scope of the appended claims.

Claims (22)

1. A fastener having a clamping portion and a locking portion wherein the 0 Z locking portion can move through the clamping portion to extend from either side of the clamping portion.

S2. A fastener according to claim 1, wherein the clamping portion is substantially looped. (I

3. A fastener according to claim 1, wherein the locking portion is in the form of a plate which can swing through the clamping portion.

4. A fastener according to claim 2 wherein the locking portion is in the form of a plate which can swing through the clamping portion.

A fastener according to any one of the preceding claims, wherein the locking portion comprises a plate attached to the clamping portion by way of a pivot pin or pins.

6. A fastener according to any one of the preceding claims wherein the locking portion, or if applicable the plate, is able to substantially protrude from only one side of the fastener at any one time.

7. A fastener according to any one of the preceding claims wherein the locking portion, or if applicable the plate, is generally triangular.

8. A fastener according to any one of the preceding claims, wherein the clamping portion is adjustable by way of a screw so that it can clamp to tubing of various sizes. o z

9. A fastener according to any one of the preceding claims, having a spring biased ball, and wherein the locking portion, or if applicable the plate, has a pair of spaced recesses, the fastener arranged such that the ball can click into the 0 recesses, in turn, to set the locking portion, or if applicable the plate, in place so that it protrudes from one or other side of the rest of the fastener.

C0 A fastener according to any one of the preceding claims, wherein the locking portion, or if applicable the plate, can be made to swing from one side of the rest of the fastener to the other by pushing on the locking portion, or if applicable the plate, by hand.

11. A wheel chair having a seat base or back rest engaged with wheel chair framing by way of hooks, each hook substantially kept in place by way of a respective fastener, each fastener having a clamping portion and a locking portion, wherein the locking portion can move through the clamping portion to extend from either side of the clamping portion to lay over or adjacent the respective hook.

12. A wheel chair according to claim 11, wherein the clamping portion is substantially looped.

13. A wheel chair to claim 11, wherein the locking portion is in the form of a plate which can swing through the clamping portion.

14. A wheel chair according to claim 12 wherein the locking portion is in the O form of a plate which can swing through the clamping portion. Z

15. A wheel chair according to any one of claims 11-14, wherein the locking portion comprises a plate attached to the clamping portion by way of a pivot pin or pins.

16. A wheel chair according to any one of claims 11-15, wherein the locking portion, or if applicable the plate, is able to substantially protrude from only one side of the fastener at any one time.

17. A wheel chair according to any one of claims 11-16, wherein the locking portion, or if applicable the plate, is generally triangular.

18. A wheel chair according to any one of claims 11-17, wherein the clamping portion is adjustable by way of a screw so that it can clamp to tubing of various sizes.

19. A wheel chair according to any one of claims 11-18, having a spring biased ball, and wherein the locking portion, or if applicable the plate, has a pair of spaced recesses, the fastener arranged such that the ball can click into the recesses, in turn, to set the locking portion, or if applicable the plate, in place so that it protrudes from one or other side of the rest of the fastener.

20. A wheel chair according to any one of claims 11-19, wherein the locking portion, or if applicable the plate, can be made to swing from one side of the rest of the fastener to the other by pushing on the locking portion, or if applicable the plate, by hand.

21. A fastener substantially as herein described with reference to the Cl' Saccompanying drawings. 0 z

22. A wheel chair having a seat base or back rest engaged with wheel chair framing by way of hooks, each hook substantially kept in place by way of a V respective fastener, each fastener substantially as herein described with reference to the accompanying drawings. I'9