GB2162237A

GB2162237A - Clip for use in cruciform fixation

Info

Publication number: GB2162237A
Application number: GB08512898A
Authority: GB
Inventors: Keizo Murai; Katsumi Shimazaki
Original assignee: MEIHO ENGINEERING KABUSHIKI KA
Current assignee: MEIHO ENGINEERING KABUSHIKI KA
Priority date: 1984-05-28
Filing date: 1985-05-22
Publication date: 1986-01-29
Also published as: GB8512898D0; GB2162237B; JPS60252812A

Abstract

Two members (16, 17) are interconnected by a clip (H) comprising a top portion (11) and two spaced recessed portions (12, 13) of different length which extend from the top portion (11). One (16) of the members is received in the recesses of the portions (12, 13), and the other member (17) extends between the two portions (12, 13). The longer portion (12) is then bent around the member (17) to secure the two members together. <IMAGE>

Description

SPECIFICATION Clip for use in cruciform fixation Background of the invention: Field of the invention: The present invention relates to a clip for cruciformly connecting and fixing elongated members such as reinforcing rods.

Description of the prior art: In connecting and fixing elongated members which intersect at right angles, the intersecting portions thereof have heretofore been manually bound or welded.

Manual binding of the intersecting portions of the elongated members diminishes work efficiency, suffers lack of uniformity in work and results in existence of the portions bound with insufficient binding force.

On the other hand, welding can solve the problem of binding strength, whereas it necessitates employing a skilled worker and purchasing an expensive welder.

Object and summary of the invention: In view of the various drawbacks suffered by the prior art described above, the present invention has been achieved.

The main object of the present invention is to provide a clip capable of connecting and fixing elongated members without either skill or use of any expensive welder, and also capable of increasing work efficiency, eliminating lack of uniformity in work and fixing the elongated members with uniform strength.

To attain the object described above according to the present invention, there is provided a clip which comprises a top portion and a pair of support pieces of different lengths vertically extending downwardly from the opposite sides of the top portion so as to be opposed to each other at a given interval and forming respectively therein windows which have their lower ends opened and their upper ends kept substantially flush with each other, the lower end of the long support piece, after one of elongated members has been set in position on the upper ends of the windows in the pair of support pieces and the other elongated member has been set in position within the interval between the pair of support pieces so that the elongated members are cruciformly disposed one on top of the other, being adapted to be bent toward the short support piece to thereby enfold the other elongated member and cruciformly fix the elongated members between the bent portion thereof and the upper ends of the windows in the pair of support pieces.

The aforementioned object and other objects, advantages and characteristic features of the present invention will become apparent to those skilled in the art as the disclosure is made in the following description of a preferred embodiment of the invention, as illustrated in the accompanying drawings.

Brief description of the drawings: Figure 1 is a perspective view illustrating one embodiment of the clip according to the present invention, as set in position relative to elongated members intersecting each other.

Figure 2 is a perspective view illustrating the clip.

Figure 3 is a perspective view illustrating the clip with which the elongated members have been connected and fixed to each other.

Figure 4 is a cross section illustrating the clip in Figure 3.

Figure 5 is a side view illustrating the principal part of a device for clipping the elongated members.

Figure 6 is a rear view illustrating a press member of the device in Figure 5.

Figure 7 is a front view illustrating an anvil of the device in Figure 5.

Detailed description of the preferred embodiment: The present invention will now be described in detail with reference to the illustrated embodiment.

In Figure 2, a clip body H has a top portion 11 and a pair of support pieces 12 and 13 of different lengths vertically extending downwardly from the opposite sides of the top portion 11 and being disposed face to face at a given interval.

The pair of support pieces 12 and 13 have windows 14 and 15 respectively. The lower ends of the windows 14 and 15 are opened to form open ends 14a and 15a, and the upper ends of the windows 14 and 15 are concaved to form concave portions 14b and 15b, respectively. The concave portions 14b and 15b have the same radius of curvature and have the centers of curvature on the same axis, thereby keeping the bottoms thereof substantially flush with each other.

As shown in Figure 1, one of elongated members 16 is passed through the concave portions 14b and 15b of the windows 14 and 15 of the clip body H and, under the elongated member 16, the other elongated member 17 is disposed along the support piece 12. Thus, the two elongated members 16 and 17 assume a cruciform configuration in conjunction with each other.

Then, the lower end of the support piece 12 is bent along the elongated member 17 to support thereon the elongated member 17 as shown in Figures 3 and 4, thereby pinching the two elongated members 16 and 17 between the support piece 12 and the concave portions 14b and 15b.

It is noted that a device shown in Figures 5 to 7 is used in binding the intersecting portions of the elongated members 16 and 17 with the clip body H of the present invention.

The device is composed preponderantly of an anvil 18 and a press member 19. The anvil 18 has connected thereto a magazine (not shown) charged with a plurality of clip bodies H, which are continuously supplied one by one between the anvil 18 and the press member 19.

The anvil 18 has arc surfaces 18a which have substantially the same radius of curvature as that of the elongated member 17 and form therebetween a length L1 substantially the same as the width j of the clip body H, and also has an empty space 18b formed in the center thereof so as to correspond to the windows 14 and 15 of the clip body H.

The press member 19 has a press portion 19a for pressing the top portion 11 of the clip body H down and a guide portion 19b vertically extending downwardly from the forward end of the press portion 19a. The width of the press member 19, particularly the width L2 of the press portion 19b, is slightly larger than the width t of the clip body H and the guide portion 19b has an empty space 18b formed in the center thereof so as to correspond to the empty space 18b of the anvil 18. The press portion 19a has surfaces x and y which are tapered sidewise from the center thereof as shown in Figure 6.

At first, the two elongated members 16 and 17 are disposed one on top of the other and allowed to inersect each other at right angles. The lower elongated member 17 is put on the arc surfaces 18a of the anvil 18, and the upper elongated member 16 is disposed within the empty space 18b of the anvil 18. Then, the clip body H is supplied under the press portion 19a of the press member 19 and caused to descend by forcibly lowering the press member 19.

As the result of the aforementioned descent of the press member 19, the long support piece 12 is pushed against the arc surfaces 18a of the anvil 18 and simultaneously bent along the arc surfaces 18a at the leading end thereof to enfold and support the lower elongated member 17. In this case, since the upper elongated member 16 is supported at points a and b as shown in Figure 4, the two elongated members 16 and 17 can be stably fixed to each other with uniform binding force. If one of the points a and b should fail to contact the surface of the upper elongated member 16 due to an error in dimension, since the other point comes into contact with the surface without fail, there is no fear of the binding force being weakened.

Further, since the press portion 19a of the press member 19 has the tapered surfaces x and y, when the press member 19 imparts an impact to the clip body H, the opposite edges of the top portion 11 of the clip body H are inwardly squeezed along the tapered surfaces x and y. As a result, the support pieces 12 and 13 are also squeezed inwardly. Therefore, the support pieces 12 and 13 are prevented from being bent outwardly and consequently from falling out of the arc surfaces 18a of the anvil 18, with the result that binding work can be carried out precisely.

In the embodiment described above, the concave portions 14b and 15b of the clip body H are formed in an arc shape because the elongated members 16 and 17 shown in the drawings is circular in cross section. Optionally, they may be formed in a rectangular shape if members to be connected and fixed to each other are rectangular in cross section.

In brief, it is preferable that the shape of the concave portions conforms to the shape of the members being fixed.

Further, in this embodiment, the bottoms of the concave portions 14b and 15b are closely contiguous to the upper portion 11. However, the distance between the upper portion and the bottoms of the concave portions may optionally be made longer to some extent. In this case, however, it will be necessary to make the clip body H of a material somewhat strong to avoid its permanent deformation resulting from the pressure applied by the press member 19.

As described above, according to the present invention, it is possible to fasten elongated members at their intersecting portions by means of a clip in spite of the fact that heretofore such fastening had to rely on manual binding or welding.

Compared with the conventional manual binding, the present invention can highly enhance work efficiency and exhibit uniform binding force. Further, in view of unnecessity of use of a welder etc., the present invention is considerably advantageous from an economical point of view.

Claims

1. A clip comprising: a top portion, and a pair of support pieces of different lengths vertically extending downwardly from the opposite sides of the top portion so as to be opposed to each other at a given interval and forming respectively therein windows which have the lower ends opened and have the upper ends thereof kept substantially flush with each other.

the lower end of the long support piece being adapted to be bent toward the short support piece, after one of elongated members has been set in position on the upper ends of the windows in the pair of support pieces and the other elongated member has been set in position within the interval between the pair of support pieces so that the elongated members are cruciformly disposed one on top of the other, to thereby enfold the other elongated member and cruciformly fix the elongated members between the bent portion thereof and the upper ends of the windows in the pair of support pieces.

2. A clip substantially as described herein with reference to, and as shown in, the accompanying drawings.

3. An assembly comprising two members disposed in a cruciform arrangement and interconnected by a clip in accordance with claim 1 or 2.