GB2130290A

GB2130290A - Cable clip

Info

Publication number: GB2130290A
Application number: GB08325833A
Authority: GB
Inventors: Heinrich Overhoff; Gian Carl Camenisch; Dietrich Junemann
Original assignee: A Raymond
Current assignee: A Raymond
Priority date: 1982-10-01
Filing date: 1983-09-27
Publication date: 1984-05-31
Also published as: IT1167219B; GB8325833D0; DE3236422C2; IT8323046A0; DE3236422A1; IT8323046A1; JPS6023611A

Abstract

A cable clip, made of hard resilient plastics material substantially comprises a base plate (1), provided with a fastening foot (4), and a flexible clamping stirrup (2) which rises from one edge of the base plate, extends round the cable receiving cavity (3) and reaches down to the other edge of the base plate. At its free end the clamping stirrup has a hook (5) which, when the receiving cavity is being closed, engage in a matching hook (6) on the base plate. Limiting webs (7, 8) are provided in the hooking region, to prevent any transverse movement of the hook ends once they are in engagement. To simplify the demoulding of the entire clip, the limiting webs are moulded onto the side surfaces of the hooks and offset from one another in the demoulding direction, in such a way that the webs at least partly overlap the outside surfaces of the associate hooks once they are hooked together. <IMAGE>

Description

SPECIFICATION Cable clip The invention relates to a cable clip made of hard resilient plastics and used for fixing elongated components, particularly cable leads or bundles of cables on supporting panels. The cable clip includes a base plate, provided with a fastening foot for the supporting panel, and a flexible clamping stirrup, which rises from the edge of the base plate, surrounds the receiving space and extends down to the other edge of the base plate. The free end of the clamping stirrup has hooked shoulders which can be engaged in matching hooked shoulders on the opposite end of the base plate. Locking elements are provided in the hooking region to prevent any transverse movement of the hooking ends once they are hooked together.

In a known cable clip of the above type, the locking elements are formed by a recess at the free end of the clamping stirrup and by a projection on the base plate, interacting with the recess. When the clip is being closed, the projection engages in the corresponding recess, so that the free end of the stirrup is secured against any transverse movement after the hooking operation (DE-OS 19 23 107).

In this known cable clip it is found to be a disadvantage that the recess is in the centre of the hooking shoulders. Whereas all the walls and ribs as well as the fastening foot can be demoulded longitudinally of the hooking shoulders, the recess can be formed only by an additional demoulding slide, which can move transversely to the general extracting direction. This extra constructional outlay considerably increases tooling costs, or alternatively not so many casting cavities can be provided in a tool of the same overall size, as could be provided when demoulding takes place in only two directions, so that in this case the productive capacity of the tool is reduced.

According to the invention, the locking elements are formed by limiting webs, which are moulded onto the outside surfaces of the hooking shoulders, offset from one another in the demoulding direction, and which at least partly overlap the outside surfaces of the associated hooking shoulders once they are hooked together. With these structural measures it is possible either to lower tooling costs or to increase the productive capacity of the tool. Both will result in the cable clips becoming cheaper to produce, while maintaining their good locking properties, and therefore easier to sell.

In practice the limiting webs take several different forms: In a preferred embodiment of the invention both limiting webs are moulded onto only one outside surface of the hooking shoulders, in such a way that the limiting web rising from the base plate and the web extending down from the free end of the stirrup are adjacent one another in the hooked state.

If entry walls are provided in this clip at the free ends of the base plate and clamping stirrup, the walls converging substantially in a V-shape and pointing into the receiving space, then according to a further feature of the invention it is desirable for the limiting web moulded onto the entry wall of the stirrup to have its front edge also extending obliquely in the pressing-in direction. This facilitates the automatic opening of the stirrup when a cable lead is being pressed in.

Another embodiment of the invention has the features that the limiting webs are moulded onto both outside surfaces of the base plate, and that one web covers the groove formed by the hooking shoulders on the outside surface, while the other web is arranged on the outside surface, as close as possible in front of the opposed web in the direction in which the other hooking shoulders are slid in. In this embodiment the space on the base plate, which has to be kept free to hook in the shoulders of conductive cables, is used particularly advantageously to mount the limiting webs.

According to a further feature of the invention, however, it is also possible for both limiting webs to be moulded onto the two outside surfaces of one hooking groove, and for the webs, which are moulded on offset from one another in the demoulding direction, each approximately to half overlap the depth of the groove.

Various embodiments of the invention are illustrated in the accompanying drawings and will now be explained in detail. In the draw ings:- Figure 1 is a side view of a cable clip according to the invention, Figure 2 is a front view of the same clip, Figure 3 shows part of clip forming a different embodiment of the invention, Figure 4 is a section through Fig. 3, taken along line lV-lV, Figure 5 is a section through Fig. 3, taken along line V-V, Figure 6 shows the clip shown in Fig. 3 in the mounted and hooked state after a plurality of cable leads have been inserted, Figure 7 is a side view of a further embodiment of the invention, and Figure 8 is a larger scale perspective view of the hooking element of the clip shown in Fig. 7.

The function of the cable clip illustrated in the drawings is to fix elongated components, such as cable leads 16 or bundles of leads, on a supporting plate 17 (of Fig. 6). The clip is made of hard resilient plastics material in one piece and substantially comprises a base plate 1 and a clamping stirrup 2. The stirrup rises from one edge of the base plate 1 and is taken down back to the other edge of the base plate 1, forming a cavity 3 to receive the cable leads 16. A fastening foot 4 is provided at the underside of the base plate 1. This can be pressed into an aperture in a supporting plate 17 and anchored therein by means of straddling elements 4a.

The cross section of the clamping stirrup 2 is shaped so that it can be bent upwards at its free end and then forms an aperture for insertion of the cable leads 16 with the opposite end of the base plate 1. To ensure that the aperture can be closed when the cables have been inserted, the clamping stirrup 2 has hooked shoulders 5 at is free end. These interact with matching hooked shoulders 6 at the opposite end of the base plate 1, in such a way that when the cable leads 16 have been inserted, the shoulders engage with slight stirrup tension and cannot be reopened without external aid.

As in the prior art which is taken as a basis in the preliminary description, the hooking shoulders 5 and 6 may be moulded directly onto the two free ends of the clamping stirrup 2 and base plate 1. However, to facilitate the insertion of the bundles of cables 16, entry walls 9 and 10 are provided at the free ends of the base plate 1 and clamping stirrup 2 in the examples illustrated. The walls 9 and 10 converge in a V-shape and point into the receiving space 3. Their ends are fitted with the hooking shoulders 5 and 6 and lie close one above the other in the manufactured state, so that the shoulders engage with a slight pre-tension when hooked together. A spring arm 18, moulded onto the stirrup 2 and projecting into the receiving space 3, ensures that the bunch of cables will be held securely even when the space is filled to different degrees.

Since cable leads frequently have to be shifted in an axial direction when they are being laid, locking elements are provided in the hooking region, to avoid any transverse movement of the hooking shoulders 5 and 6 and thus prevent them from springing out of their hooked position. In accordance with the invention the locking elements are formed by limiting webs 7, 8 (Figs. 1, 2) and 1 3, 14, (Figs. 3, 4) which are moulded onto the outside surfaces 11 and/or 12 of the hooking shoulders 5, 6, offset from one another in the demoulding direction, and which at least partly overlap the opposed outside surfaces 11 and/or 12 of the associated hooking shoulders 5, 6 after the hooking operation.

Various ways of arranging and constructing the limiting webs, with the desired demoulding advantage, are shown in the accompanying drawings.

In the example in Figs. 1 and 2 the limiting webs 7 and 8 are moulded only onto an outside surface 11 of the hooking shoulders 5 and 6. One web 7 is seated on the base plate 1 near the shoulder 6 and projects upwards an appropriate distance so as not to detract from the receiving space 3. The other limiting web 8 is moulded onto the outside surface 11 of the entry wall 9 and, in the manufactured state, extends to close above the lower entry wall 10. In the hooking state both webs 7 and 8 then lie adjacent one another, each overlapping part of the opposed shoulders 5 and 6. The limiting web 8 moulded onto the upper entry wall 9 has its front edge 19 also extending obliquely in the pressing-in direction, so that when a cable 16 is pressed in the stirrup 2 can more easily be bent open upwards.

In the example of a lateral lock shown in Figs. 3 to 6, limiting webs 13 and 14 are moulded onto both outside surfaces 11 and 12 of the base plate 1, while the stirrup 2 and entry wall 9 are free of such webs.

In this case one limiting web 14 is moulded onto the side 12 of the shoulders 6 in such a way that it externally covers the groove formed by the shoulders 6. The other web 13, on the other hand, is seated somewhat further towards the centre of the space, but without restricting the useful holding space 3, that is to say, the web 13 begins as close as possible to the opposed web 14, so that the demoulding slide for the web 13 in the tool can be constructed with adequate stability. In the present case, to improve contact with the hooking shoulders 5, the upper entry wall 9 is provided with a lug 15 which is directed towards the space 3 and has a pointed tip. In the hooked state the lug substantially covers the surface of the web 13.

If the hooking shoulders 5 and 6 are made somewhat longer than those shown in Figs. 1 to 6, the locking elements made take the form shown in Figs. 7 and 8. In this example a slightly stronger hook 21 is moulded onto the shoulder 5 and engages into a correspondingly deep groove 20 in the shoulder 6. The limiting webs 13 and 14 are located at both ends of the hooking channel 20, and are offset from one another in the demoulding direction, as indicated by the arrows P, and P2, so that each web 13 and 14 approximately half covers the groove 20.

Claims

1. A cable clip made of hard resilient plastics material, comprising a base plate provided with a fastening foot, and a flexible clamping stirrup rising from one edge of the base plate, surrounding the receiving space and extending down to the other edge of the base plate, the clamping stirrup having a hooked shoulder at its free end which shoulder can engage in a matching hooked shoulder at the opposite end of the base plate, locking elements being provided in the hooking region to prevent any transverse relative movement of the hooking ends once they are hooked together, and wherein the locking elements are formed by limiting webs, which are moulded onto the surface of the hooking shoulders, offset from one another in the demoulding direction, and which at least partly overlap the surfaces of the respective associated shoulders once the shoulders are hooked together.

2. A cable clip according to claim 1, wherein both limiting webs are moulded onto only one outside surface common to both hooking shoulders, in such a way that the limiting web rising from the base plate shoulder and the web extending down from the free end of the stirrup shoulder are adjacent one another in the hooked state.

3. A cable clip according to claim 2, wherein entry walls converging substantially in a V-shape and pointing into the receiving space are provided at the free ends of the base plate and clamping stirrup, and the limited web on the entry wall of the stirrup, has its front edge also extending obliquely to the pressing-in direction.

4. A cable clip according to claim 1, wherein the limiting webs are moulded onto both surfaces of the base plate and that one web overlies one end of the groove formed by the base plate hooking shoulder, while the other web is arranged as close as possible in front of the first-mentioned web in the direction in which the other hooking shoulder is slid in.

5. A cable clip according to claim 1 with a hooking groove in the hooking shoulder and a hook engaging the groove in the other hooking shoulder, wherein both limiting webs are moulded onto the two outside surfaces of the hooking groove, and are offset from one another in the demoulding direction, each approximately half overlapping the depth of the groove.

6. A cable clip constructed and arranged substantially as hereinbefore described and shown in Figs. 1 and 2, or 3-6, or 7 and 8 of the accompanying drawings.