GB2330171A

GB2330171A - Releasable fixture with a pair of flexible elements and a pin

Info

Publication number: GB2330171A
Application number: GB9720344A
Authority: GB
Inventors: Colin Leslie Poynder
Original assignee: Individual
Current assignee: Individual
Priority date: 1997-09-24
Filing date: 1997-09-24
Publication date: 1999-04-14
Anticipated expiration: 2017-09-24
Also published as: GB2330171B; GB9720344D0

Abstract

A releasable fixture has a pair of similar flexible elements 17, 18 mounted on a common base 9, eg a suction cup, with aligned holes near their free ends, and a pin 25 fixed within the hole of the element 17, and protruding through the hole in the other element 18. To open the fixture 5, the elements are pulled in opposite directions so that the pin 25 becomes disengaged from the hole in the element 18. In this open condition an external member, eg a dog lead, can be introduced between the elements and secured by reinserting the pin 25 into the hole. A dog lead can thus be attached to a shop window by means of the suction cup. Alternatively the fixture may secure oars on boat, or join two halyards.

Description

A RELEASABLE FIXTURE, A COUPLING AND AN ANCHORING DEVICE This invention-relates to a releasable fixture which can be used as one-part of a two-part coupling, as a mounting or as a locking arrangement. This invention also relates to such a coupling and to an anchoring device for anchoring a flexible member, such as, for example, a lead for a dog or other animal.

An object of this invention is to provide a multipurpose releasable fixture which is easy to fasten and to unfasten but which remains fastened when subjected to a pull in any direction.

According to one aspect of this invention there is provided a releasable fixture comprising a pair of elements which are each mounted by one end on structure, each element and/or means by which it is mounted at said one end being arranged so that its other end is displaceable relative to the structure on which it is mounted, a pin which is anchored to one of the elements at a location spaced from said one end and which projects laterally from said one element, and a hole in the other element, the hole being positioned in said other element so as to receive the pin, the length and configuration of the pin and the size and shape of the hole being such that, when the pin is inserted into the hole to a certain extent from its free end it is not pulled out of the hole by a single pull applied to it whereas said other element can be disengaged from the pin by being deflected away from said one element so that the pin is withdrawn from the hole. A single force applied to either the pin or to one of the elements or to both the pin and either of the elements will not release the pin from the hole provided that whichever of the elements to which that single force is not applied is free to move with the pin relative to the structure. On the other hand, the pin is releasable from the hole by the application of two forces, each to the end remote from the structure of a respective one of the two elements, whereby those two ends are forced apart and the pin is withdrawn from the hole.

Preferably, the length of the pin is such that, when it is inserted into the hole, it protrudes to a certain extent from said other element when both the elements are in a relaxed unflexed state.

In a preferred embodiment, a releasable fixture has a pair of similar flexible elements mounted on a common base from which they extend side-by-side. They are set opposite and parallel with holes near their free ends, the holes being axially in line. One end of a semi-rigid pin is fixed within the hole of one of the elements, the pin protruding towards the other element so that it is passed through the hole in that other element in which it is a close fit. The length of the pin is such that it protrudes right through that other element to a certain extent when the two elements are parallel to one another and are in a relaxed non-flexed state. The resultant releasable fixture is thus in a closed or locked state. To open the fixture, said one element with the pin, is flexed by pulling it away from the other element, which, at the same time, is pulled in the opposite direction so that the pin becomes disengaged from the hole in the other element and the fixture is opened or unlocked. Both the fixed elements are then allowed to return to their natural state. In this open condition of the fixture, an external member can be introduced between the elements and the pin reinserted into the hole, thus trapping the external member in the confines of the fixture to form a coupling.

The elements may comprise flexible strips which are either fully elastic, so that they are deformable in reaction to any form of applied load, or bendable and/or twistable without extension in reaction to applied torque or bending loads. They may be formed of thin metal or plastic, braid, webbing, leather, machine belting or other similar material. Alternatively the elements may be rigid and pivoted at said one end, each pivot either being a hinge which provides for angular movement of the respective rigid element about an axis, or being a universal joint. In the case of such rigid elements, it is preferable for the pin to be bendable to a limited extent so as to be insertable into the hole and removable therefrom under no-load conditions. The fixture may comprise a combination of a flexible strip and a rigid pivot element. The effect of a single pull on the fixture is to deflect the fixture into the form of a distorted parallelogram which locks the pin in the hole and thereby retains anything which surrounds the pin between the elements. The applied load causes distortion or deflection of the elements so that the pin and the hole in the other element are out of line with one another such that the pin binds in the hole in which it is a close fit, becoming jammed therein, whereby withdrawal of the pin from the hole is resisted. The greater the applied load the greater the resistance to withdrawal of the pin from the hole, and hence, the greater the resistance to forces imparted to the fixture in any direction relative thereto by an external member which is trapped therein to form a coupling.

An anchoring device for a dog lead which is commercially available, comprises a suction cup with an integral cylindrical projection which projects from an outwardly facing surface of the cup. The cylindrical projection is stepped comprising a larger diameter end portion which is joined to the cup by a smaller diameter medial portion. The anchoring device is coupled to the dog lead by a chain which is threaded through the usual loop handle portion of the dog lead and which is wound around the smaller diameter medial portion of the cylindrical projection where it is fastened by engagement of a clip at one of its ends with one of its links so that it is retained between the suction cup and the larger diameter end portion.

In use, the suction cup is secured by suction to a surface, for example, a window pane, so that the lead is anchored to the surface. The disadvantage of this anchoring device is that it is not universally usable because not all leads can be coupled to it. In addition, the device is bulky and heavy which makes it inconvenient to use and it is awkward to carry. Also when the device is fitted to the end of the lead and the lead is carried by the user, the weight of the device and the manner in which it is attached to the lead encourages it to swing out of phase with the walking action of the user so that it continuously hits against the leg of the user. This can be irritating.

Furthermore, it can be difficult for the elderly and the infirm to tie the lead to the device sufficiently tightly for the lead to be secured thereto.

Another object of the present invention is to provide a coupling which is easy to use and can be used for example in a device for anchoring a dog.

According to another aspect of the present invention there is provided a releasable coupling comprising a releasable fixture according to said one aspect of the invention, wherein the elements are flexible elements which are joined together at their one end by a common base so that they extend therefrom substantially side-by-side, and a tension member which is looped around the pin between the elements whereby the tension member is retained coupled to the fixture when the pin around which it is looped is engaged in the hole so that the pin is not pulled out of the hole by a pull applied to it by the tension member whereas the pin can be disengaged from the hole by deflecting the other element away from said one element so that the pin is withdrawn from the hole and the tension member is released.

Preferably the two flexible elements are formed of a resiliently deformable material. The elements may be integral projections from the base member.

According to a further aspect of the present invention, there is provided an anchoring device comprising suction means operable to be releasably secured to a surface by suction, the suction means being connected to a selectively releasable coupling for releasably retaining a member relative to the suction portion.

Preferably the suction means comprises a suction cup which is operable to be deformed and thereby fixed to a surface.

The coupling may comprise a coupling according to said other aspect of the present invention. The two flexible elements and the suction portion may be integral and may be formed of a deformable material such as rubber.

According to a further aspect of the present invention there is provided a dog lead comprising an anchoring device according to said further aspect of the present invention.

Forms of coupling and an anchoring device in which the present invention is embodied will now be described by way of example only with reference to the accompanying drawings, of which: Figure 1 is a plan view of the anchoring device; Figure 2 is a side elevation of a pin of the coupling; Figure 3 is a section on the line III-III of Figure 1; Figure 4 is a section on the line IV-IV of Figure 1; Figure 5A is a schematic representation of a coupling of this invention shown in the unloaded state; Figure 5B is a representation similar to Figure 5A showing the coupling deflected to one side; Figure 5C is a detail of Figure SB to a larger scale; Figure 6 is a representation similar to Figure 5A but showing the coupling deflected in the opposite direction; Figure 7A is a schematic view of the coupling shown in Figure 5A as seen from above and with the upstanding elements omitted; Figure 7B is a representation similar to Figure 7A but showing the coupling deflected angularly; and Figure 7C is a detail of Figure 7B to a larger scale.

Figure 1 shows an anchoring device (5) having a suction portion (7) with a generally annular base (9) from which extends a curved wall portion (11) having an inwardly facing concave surface (13) and an outwardly facing convex surface (15), as shown in Figure 3. An opposed pair of projections (17 and 18) extend outwardly from the convex surface (15). Each projection (17, 18) has a hole (19, 20) formed through it. A releasable retaining pin (21) is received by either end within a respective one of the holes (19 and 20).

The pin (21) is shown separately in Figure 2 and comprises a head (23) which is joined to a shank (25). The head (23) comprises a neck (27) which is sized to fit into the hole (19) of the projection (17), the neck (27) extending between a pair of annular flanges. An end portion (31) of the shank (25), remote from the neck (27), is sized so that it can be fitted into the hole (20) of the projection (18). The pin (21) is made of a rigid material such as metal. The suction portion (7) and the projections (17 and 18) are made of a flexible material, for example rubber, and may be formed in one piece as a moulding.

In order to enable a dog lead for example, to be fitted to the anchoring device (5), the projection (18) is deflected away from the projection (17) so that the end portion (31) of the pin (21) is withdrawn from the hole (20). Part of the usual loop handle portion of the dog lead is then passed through the gap between the end portion (31) and the deflected projection (18) and positioned so that the loop handle portion extends around the shank (25). The deflected projection (18) is then released and the end portion (31) is reinserted into the hole (20) so that it extends through that hole (20) and projects therefrom on the side thereof remote from the shank (25) to a considerable extent as is shown in Figure 3. In this way the dog lead is retained between the projections (17 and 18) and the pin (21), and in close proximity to the suction portion (7).

The user of the dog lead can then attach the anchoring device to, for example, a shop window by merely pressing the suction portion (7) against the window. Hence, when the dog at the other end of the lead tries to pull against the action of the anchoring device (5), it is unable to escape because its lead is retained between the projections (17 and 18) and the pin (21).

Since the retaining projections (17 and 18) are made of a flexible material, each projection (17, 18) moves in the same direction when a force is applied to the pin (21) by the lead, say when the dog pulls on the lead. This adds to the retaining action of the device (5) as it makes it more difficult for the lead to be released from the device (5). Flexibility of the projection (17 and 18) enables the end portion (31) of the pin (21) to be readily removed from the hole (20) in the projection (18), merely by bending one projection (17, 18) away from the other projection (17, 18) so that the dog lead can be released. Hence the device can be easily used by elderly and infirm people.

Whilst the flexible projections (17 and 18) described above are integrally moulded to the suction portion, it will be understood that they could be attached to that portion (7) by some other means such as for example, by rivetting.

It is not essential for the portion of the pin that extends through the hole in the respective element to be a close fit in that hole providing the pin has an enlarged end which would be a close fit in the hole and which would be on the side of the hole remote from the element to which that pin is fixed. The enlarged end would inhibit withdrawal of the pin in reaction to a single applied load in much the same way as has been discussed.

The coupling in which the present invention is embodied is a quick-release coupling and it can be used in applications other than those discussed herein. For example, the coupling could be used to retain oars in place on a boat. Alternatively the coupling could be used as a cable retaining clip or to couple two marine halyards together end-to-end.

The latter could comprise a pair of strap elements which are rivetted together face-to-face at one end by which they are joined to one of the halyards, the pin being rivetted to one of the straps at its other end and being oriented so that it projects through a hole in the other strap. The other halyard has a loop at one end which extends around the pin between the straps to make the coupling. The coupling can be undone to separate the two halyards simply by pulling the other strap away from the pin and the strap on which the pin is riveted in much the same way as has been described above for releasing the dog lead.

Figures 5, 6 and 7 illustrate the principle of operation of a coupling in which this invention is embodied.

Figure 5A diagrammatically illustrates a coupling which embodies this invention. It comprises an external member 0 introduced between parallel elements AC and DF and retained therebetween by a pin BE. The elements AC and DF are hinged to structure by their ends C and F respectively.

The pin BE is fixed in the element AC at B and extends through a hole in the element DF at E so as to protrude therefrom to a certain extent.

Figure 5B shows the fixture deflected by a pull P to the right exerted on the external member 0. The pull P could be anywhere within the arcuate range GH shown in Figure SA.

Figure SC shows how the portion of the pin BD, that extends through the hole at E, is out of line with that hole and binds therein due to opposite edge portions of the hole digging into the pin BD.

Figure 6 shows the fixture deflected to the left by a pull P.

Figure 7 illustrates how a pull P applied to the pin BE can displace that pin BE angularly from the position shown in Figure 7A in which it is symmetrical with the base to the position shown in Figure 7B in which it is offset from that symmetrical position. It should be understood that such angular displacement of the pin BE would be accompanied by twisting of the thin sheet elements AC and DF that are not shown in Figure 7.

Figure 7C shows that the portion of the pin BE that extends through the hole at E in the respective element DF binds in that hole in substantially the same way as has been described with reference to Figure 5C.

Figure 8 illustrates another form of releasable fixture which embodies this invention.

A B C D E F G is a strip of spring steel, bent to shape at B, C, D, E and F and twisted through 90 just after F so that the strip portion FG is able to pass through a slot at H in the elemental portion AB, the strip portion FG being a close fit in this slot. The strip is anchored to support structure by its portion BC which is screwed to that structure. It follows that the elemental portions AB and CD are equivalent to the elements of the fixtures described above and that the strip portion FG is equivalent to the pin. Hence the fixture shown in Figure 8 operates in a similar manner to the fixtures described above.

Claims

CLAIMS: 1. A releasable fixture comprising a pair of elements which are each mounted by one end on structure, each element and/or means by which it is mounted at said one end being arranged so that its other end is displaceable relative to the structure on which it is mounted, a pin which is anchored to one of the elements at a location spaced from said one end and which projects laterally from said one element, and a hole in the other element, the hole being positioned in said other element so as to receive the pin, the length and configuration of the pin and the size and shape of the hole being such that, when the pin is inserted into the hole to a certain extent from its free end it is not pulled out of the hole by a single pull applied to it whereas said other element can be disengaged from the pin by being deflected away from said one element so that the pin is withdrawn from the hole.
2. A releasable fixture according to claim 1, wherein the length of the pin is such that, when it is inserted into the hole, it protrudes to a certain extent from said other element when both the elements are in a relaxed unflexed state.
3. A releasable fixture according to claim 1 or claim 2 which has a pair of similar flexible elements mounted on a common base from which they extend side-by-side.
4. A releasable fixture according to claim 3, wherein the elements are set opposite and parallel with holes near their free ends, the holes being axially in line.
5. A releasable fixture according to claim 3 or claim 4, wherein one end of a semi-rigid pin is fixed within the hole of one of the elements, the pin protruding towards the other element so that it is passed through the hole in that other element in which it is a close fit.
6. A releasable fixture according to claim 5, wherein the length of the pin is such that it protrudes right through that other element to a certain extent when the two elements are parallel to one another and are in a relaxed non-flexed state.
7. A releasable fixture according to any one of claims 1 to 6, wherein the elements comprise flexible strips which are either fully elastic, so that they are deformable in reaction to any form of applied load, or bendable and/or twistable without extension in reaction to applied torque or bending loads.
8. A releasable fixture according to claim 7, wherein the elements are formed of thin metal or plastic, braid, webbing, leather, or machine belting
9. A releasable fixture according to any one of claims 1 to 6, wherein the elements are rigid and pivoted at said one end.
10. A releasable fixture according to claim 9, wherein each pivot is a hinge which provides for angular movement of the respective rigid element about an axis.
11. A releasable fixture according to claim 10, wherein the pin is bendable to a limited extent so as to be insertable into the hole and removable therefrom under no-load conditions
12. A releasable fixture according to claim 7 or claim 8, which comprises a combination of a flexible strip and a rigid pivot element.
13. A releasable fixture according to claim 9, wherein each pivot is a universal joint.
14. A releasable coupling comprising a releasable fixture according to any one of claims 1 to 13 wherein the elements are flexible elements which are joined together at their one end by a common base so that they extend therefrom substantially side-by-side, and a tension member which is looped around the pin between the elements whereby the tension member is retained coupled to the fixture when the pin around which it is looped is engaged in the hole so that the pin is no pulled out of the hole by a pull applied to it by the tension member whereas the pin can be disengaged from the hole by deflecting the other element away from said one element so that the pin is withdrawn from the hole and the tension member is released.
15. A releasable coupling according to claim 14, wherein the two flexible elements are formed of a resiliently deformable material.
16. A releasable coupling according to claim 15, wherein the elements are integral projections from the base member.
17. An anchoring device comprising suction means operable to be releasably secured to a surface by suction, the suction means being connected to a selectively releasable coupling for releasably retaining a member relative to the suction portion.
18. An anchoring device according to claim 17, wherein, the suction means comprises a suction cup which is operable to be deformed and thereby fixed to a surface.
19. An anchoring device according to claim 17 or claim 18, wherein the coupling comprises a coupling according to any one of claims 14 to 16.
20. An anchoring device according to claim 19, wherein the elements and the suction portion are integral and are formed of a deformable material such as rubber.
21. A dog lead comprising an anchoring device according to any one of claims 17 to 20.
22. A releasable fixture substantially as described hereinbefore with reference to and as illustrated inn the accompanying drawings.
23. A releasable coupling substantially as described hereinbefore with reference to and as illustrated in the accompanying drawings.
24. An anchoring device substantially as described hereinbefore with reference to and as illustrated in the accompanying drawings.
25. A dog lead comprising an anchoring device according to claim 23.