GB2165744A

GB2165744A - A carrier for articles

Info

Publication number: GB2165744A
Application number: GB08522097A
Authority: GB
Inventors: Helmut Ripp
Original assignee: ERISMANN AG
Current assignee: ERISMANN AG
Priority date: 1984-10-24
Filing date: 1985-09-05
Publication date: 1986-04-23
Also published as: SE8504998L; CH665154A5; SE8504998D0; SE460104B; GB2165744B; FR2572158B1; FR2572158A1; GB8522097D0; DE3441653C2; DE3441653A1

Abstract

A carrier, b, for example for a tool 2, is mounted on rails 8, 10. The carrier has a snap member 16 in the form of a tongue 22 which has a projection 24 for engagement beneath a flange 26 of one, 8, of the rails to retain the carrier on the rails. The position of the carrier along the rails is maintained by a projection 34 which engages a recess 36 in the rail 8. Leaf spring 32 increases the resilience of snap member 16. The carrier also has a recess 12 engaging flange 14 of rail 10. Instead of projection 34 and recess 36, flange 26 may include stop recesses (66), with the snap member having a stop cam (68) engaging a recess. Alternatively, the tongue may have a stop pin (86) engaging a recess (88) in rail 8, projection 24 being omited. The carrier may also include a stop device engaging a recess on rail 10. <IMAGE>

Description

SPECIFICATION A carrier for articles This invention relates to a carrier for holding articles such as tools.

Carriersforthis purpose are well known. In one type ofcarrier, supporting bodies are mounted on rails and are secured by means of clamping devices which contain a screwwhich forces a clamping ring against the underside of the rail. Atool is required for releasing and securing the supporting bodies.

Moreover, the process of releasing and securing is comparatively complicated and time consuming.

Apart from this, mass-production of such a screwoperated clamping device is comparatively expensive. In anothertype of carrier, supporting bodies are again mounted on rails, and several ofthe supporting bodies are secured jointly by a common clamping strip which lies over their edges which face the rails and is clamped firmly againstthe rail by means of screws. Again, a tool is required for securing and releasing the supporting bodies, and, in order to exchange or adjust one of the supporting bodies, the clamping strip for several supporting bodies has to be removed. Consequently, even this device is comparatively expensive and time consuming to operate.

According to the present invention there is provided a carrier for mounting between two rails, the carrier having an opening for receiving an article, and a resilient manually operable snap memberfor releasably securing the carrier on the rails against displace menttransversely of the rails.

A carrier in accordance with the present invention can have a particularly simple construction and, more particularly, can be inserted into rails, or removed, quickly and without the aid of tools.

As a result ofthe resilient snap member, which may be operated by hand, it is possible, without the aid of a tool, to insert, orto remove, a holding body ofthis kind very quickly so that it is possible to position the carrier with a minimum amount oftime. As a resultofthe snap member, screws are no longer required eitherso that the construction ofthe carrier is also substantially simplified.

The snap member in itself can suffice to secure the carrier on the rails. Thus the carrier is not only retained transversely with respect to the rails, but also, on accountofthe holding power of the snap member, lengthwise of the rails. In orderto prevent any shifting along the rails, even underunfavourableconditions, stop means may be provided. Such stop means may be formed independently ofthe snap member. The device can, however, be simplified further in terms of construction and use ifthe stop means is afforded by the snap member.

Various forms of snap means are possible. It is particularly advantageousforthe snap means to comprise a tongue having a projection which can engage one ofthe rails. The tongue can be formed integrally with the rest on the carrier, particulrly if the carrier is made of synthetic material. An additional spring can, if necessary, then be provided to achieve the required resilience. It is, however, also possible for the snap memberto beformed as a structural part which is separate from the rest of th carrier and which is pressed againstthe rail by means of a spring.

The stop means, if present, can take many forms. If necessary, stop elements which engage into stop recesses on the carrier can be provided on the rail or rails. However, it is more advantageous and simpler for stop elements to be provided onthe carrier, particularly if the carrier is made of synthetic material.

Also, it is simpler, as a rule, to provide stop recesses in the rails.

For a better understanding of the present invention and to show how it may be carried into effect, reference will now be made, byway of example, to the accompanying drawings, in which: Figure lisa sectional view of a tool carrier mounted on rails; Figure 2 is a plan view ofthe rails and tool carrier of Figure 1; Figure 3 is a sectional view ofanotherform of rail and tool carrier; Figure 4 is a plan view ofthe rails and tool carrier of Figure3; and Figure 5 is a sectional view of a third form of rails and tool carrier.

In Figure 1, an article 2 is indicated by dot-dash lines.

The article 2 is a tool, more particularly a tool head of a machine tool. The article 2 is received in an opening 4, which is conical in the illustrated embodiment, of a carrier 6. The carrier 6 is supported between two rails 8,10. The carrier 6 comprises a body 20. At one side, the carrier 6 has a recess 12 into which extends a flange 1 4 of the rail 10, this flange 14 projecting towards the other rail 8. At the other side, the carrier 6 has a snap member 16, for retaining the carrier 6firmly on the other rail 8, and a stop device 18,forfixing the carrier 6 in the lengthwise direction of the rails 8,10.

The snap member 16 is a tongue 22 which is formed integrally in the housing body 20 and which has a projection 24which engages underneath a flange 26 of the rail 8. A lower inclined cam surface 28 facilitates the process of insertion and snapping in ofthe snap member 1 with respect to the flange 26 ofthe rail 8. In orderto achieve the required resilience of the snap member 16, which, like the rest of the carrier 6, is made of synthetic material, a leaf spring 32 is provided which acts between the snap member 16 and awall 30 ofthe carrier 6.

The stop device 18 comprises a stop pin 34 which is formed integrally on the lower side ofthe carrier 6 and which engages a stop recess 36 in a lower supporting portion 38 ofthe rail 8. A series of these stop recesses 36 are distributed along the length ofthe rail 8and make it possible to insert and fix the carrier 6 atvarious positions along the rails 8,10 Figures 3 and 4show a different assembly in which a carrier6a is supported between rails8a and 10a.Afirst stop device 40 is providedforengagementwith stop recesses 42 provided on aflange 44 ofthe rail 1 Oa, this flange being directed towards the other rail 8a.The carrier 6a has slots 50,52 in its transverse walls 46,48, and these slots 50,52 engage the flange 44. These slots 50,52 are, however, not as deep as the transverse width of the flange 44 so that portions 54, 56-of thewalls 46,48serve as dogs and engage the stop recesses 42.

The carrier6a has, on its otherside, a snap member 58 which serves as a second stop device 60. The snap memer 58, which is constructed like a tongue, has a projection 62 which engages underneath a flange 64 ofthe rail 8a, this flange 64 being directed towards the other rail 1 Oa. This flange 64 is provided with stop recesses 66, similarto the stop recesses 42 ofthe rail 10a. The snap member 58 also has a stop cam 68 which engages one of the stop recesses 66, depending on the position of the carrier 6a along the rails 8a, 1 Oa.

Atthe side engaging the rail 8a, thetransversewalls 46,48 are set back far enough to preventthem from engaging beneath the flange 64, butthey can engage the top recesses66.AV-shaped leaf spring enhances the resilienceofthesnap member58.

Figure 5 shown a third assembly, in which a carrier 6b is supported between rails 8b and 1 Ob. The carrier 6b is similarto the carriers 6 and 6a described above, as are the rails 8b and 1 Ob. The carrier 6b has a first stop device 72 engaging the rail lOb. Forthis purpose, a flange 74 ofthe rail 10b is provided along its length with a series of stop recesses 76 which can receive stop pins 78 which are formed integrally on frontwalls 80 of the carrier 6b.

On the side lying opposite the first stop device 72, the ca rrier 6b has a tongue like snap member82which serves also as a second stop device 84. Forthis purpose, the snap member 82 has a stop pin 86, which projects laterally outwards and enages one of a series of stop recesses 88 which are distributed along the length of a flange 90 ofthe rail 8b.

Operation of the assembles is shown in Figures 1 to 5 is extremely simple. In orderto detach anyofthe carriers from the rails, the snap members need merely be pushed back by hand until their projections or stop pins are free of the rails. Bytiltingthecarriersabout the other rail, the stop devices are then released as well and the carriers can betaken offthe rails and be replaced at another position by following the above steps in the reverse order.

Claims

1. A carrier for mounting between two rails, the carrier having an opening for receiving an article, and a resilient manually operable snap memberfor releasably securing the carrier on the rails against displacement transversely ofthe rails.

2. A carrier as claimed in claim 1, in which stop means is provided for cooperation with at least one of the rails to prevent displacement ofthe carrier along the rails.

3. A carrier as claimed in claim 2, in which the snap member serves as the stop means.

4. A carrier as claimed in claim 2 or3, in which the stop means is engageable with any one of a plurality of stop recesses distributed along at least one ofthe rails.

5. A carrier as claimed in claim 4, in which the stop means comprises a stop element which is provided on a lower supporting portion of the carrier, which portion rests, in use, upon a supporting portion of at least one of the rails, the stop recesses being provided in the supporting portion ofthe rail.

6. A carrier as claimed in claim 4, in which the stop means comprises a stop elementwhich is provided on a side portion ofthe carrierfor cooperation, in use, with a lateral rail portion in which the stop recesses are provided.

7. A carrier as claimed in claim 4, in which the stop means comprises stop elements which are positioned for engagement with the recesses in respective flanges of the rails.

8. A carrier as claimed in any one of the preceding claims, in which the snap member comprises a tongue and has a projection which engages one ofthe rails.

9. A carrier as claimed in claim 8, in which the projection engages beneath a flange ofthe said one rail.

10. A carrier as claimed in claim 8, in which the projection engages a recessformed in the said one rail.

11. A carrier as claimed in any one of claims 8to 10, which is made from synthetic material, a spring being provided which acts between the tongue and a wall ofthe carrier.

12. A carrier as claimed in claim 11, in which the spring is a V-shaped leaf spring.

13. A carrier as claimed in any one ofthe preceding claims, in which a recess is provided on the side away from the snap memberforengagementwith aflange ofoneoftherails,theflangebeing directed towards the other rail.

14. A carrier substantially as described herein with reference to, and as shown in, Figures 1 and 2, Figures 3 and 4, or Figure 5 ofthe accompanying drawings.

15. Equipmentfor receiving articles, the equipment comprising two rails supporting at least one carrier in accordance with any one ofthe preceding claims.

16. Equipment for receiving articles substatially as described herein with reference to, and as shown in, Figures 1 and 2, Figures 3 and 4, or Figure 5 ofthe accompanying drawings.