GB2336180A - Restraining means - Google Patents

Abstract

A restraining member 4 comprises a hook 14 and strap 12 formed from hook and loop members. The restraining means 4 bridges a gap between two poles 6, 8 of a pallet. An arrangement of support members within the hook 4 ensures that no excess tension is felt by welded regions 34 of the strap 12. This provides the advantage that the strap 12 is unlikely to snap when a large tension is placed along the strap 12, working in such a way that the support members urge together the strap portions where the strap end is welded back on itself, or where the main strap is under tension the tension in the welded region is reduced by the support members.

Description

2336180 1 Restraining Means The present invention relates to a restraining

means and has particular, although not exclusive, relevance to a restraining means used to prevent goods carried within a pallet from falling out of an open face of such a pallet.

It is known to use pallets to transport heavy goods around warehouses, or the like. Goods may be loaded either onto the pallet or into the pallet (depending upon the type and construction of the pallet) and then transported around a warehouse on or in the pallet. Because each pallet is used to transport a number of different items, it is useful for the pallet to be of such dimensions as to be able to accommodate a wide range of goods. This means that some goods, when being carried on the pallet, may not fill the entire volume of the pallet and therefore somehow need to be restrained from fallincr out.

it is known to provide a form of restraint for goods within a pallet and an example of this is shown in figure 1. A polyester tape is tied to a pole and stretched across the open face of the pallet. The tape is tied to a hook which is placed around a second pole at the opposite end of the open face from the first pole. The tape is then tlehtened so that the hook is retained on the second pole. By using several of these t/hook restraints, goods within the pallet are prevented from falling out through the ape, open space.

With the known arrangement, problems can occur when the tension in the tape is increased in order to tightly hold the hook on the pole. When a user increases the tension in the tape, stress is created at that part of the hook to which the tape is fixed. Very often the polyester tape is melted, or welded into contact with the hook and this is achieved bv heating. Such heating may cause a plastic deformation of the tape to occur 2 which can result in a locally weakened region. This weakened region may be in the same position as the point of coupling between the hook and the tape, or it may be a separate position. In either event, there exists the potential for the coupling between the tape and the hook to break at this weakened region when the tape is put under tension. If this happens, then the goods may fall out of the pallet. Indeed, it may be the action of the goods moving around within the pallet which presses against the tape thereby causing stress in the tape and hence resulting in the tape breaking.

Whilst it may be considered desirable to avoid overheating the welded region of the tape, this means that the weld itself is often not particularly strong. In this event, whilst a weakened region of the tape no longer occurs, the efficiency of the weld is reduced as compared with welding undertaken at elevated temperatures.

This means that the prior art has a potential for a dichotomy to exist. On the one hand heating a tape to an elevated temperature has its drawbacks, whilst on the other hand heatine, the tape to a reduced temperature also has its own drawbacks.

It is an object of the present invention to at least alleviate the abovementioned shortcomings. Aspects of the invention are set forth in the accompanying claims 1 and Preferably each support member of the plurality is spaced from the other support members. This enables the tape to pass around each support member thereby enabling areater potential for an. increased number of support surfaces to be created.

Preferably each support member of the plurality is laterally offset relative to the other support members. This lateral displacement between support members provides for reaction surfaces of large surface areas to be created.

i Preferably the strap passes through the spaces between the plurality of support members. Additionally or alternatively a first portion of the strap is welded to a further portion of the strap thereby to couple the strap to the hook.

In a preferred embodiment the welded region of the strap is adjacent a support member when the strap is under tension. Advanta-geously the strap touches a support member when the strap is under tension.

Advantageously the strap engages with the second portion of the pallet and is held in place by further inter-engagable hook members and loop members.

The present invention will now be described, by way of example only, and with reference to the accompanying drawings of which.

Figure 1 shows a perspective view of a pallet incorporating the prior art device,

Figure 2(a) shows an end-on view of a hook in accordance with the present invention', Figure 2(b) shows a side view of the hook of figure 2(a).

Figure 2(c) shows a side view in section of the hook of figures 2(a) and 2(b) but includine, a strap.

Figure 2(d) shows an enlarged view of a part of figure 2(c)l- Figure 3 shows a part-sectioned view from above of a restraining means in accordance with the present invention coupled to a pallet.

Figure 4(a) shows an end on view of a hook in accordance with an alternative embodiment of the present invention; 4 Figure 4(b) shows a side view of the hook of figure 4(a); Figure 4(c) shows a side view in section of the hook of figure 4(a) and a strap, and., Figure 4(d) shows an enlarged view of part of Figure 4(c).

Referring now to figure 1 there is shown a pallet 2 employing a known type of restraining means 4. The pallet 2 includes a first pole 6 and a second pole 8. Each restrainina means 4 is stretched across the open face of the pallet 2 which is between each pole 6, 8. In this way, any goods within the pallet 2 are prevented from falling out of the open space 10 between the two poles 6, 8. Each restraining means 4 comprises a strap 12 coupled to a hook 14. The strap 12 is wrapped around the pole 6 and is coupled to the hook 14.

The length of the strap 12 is manually adjustable. In this way the restrain' 1 ing means 4 may bridge the gap 10 between the poles 6, 8. To effect this, the length of the strap 12 is adjusted to be greater than the distance between the two poles 6, 10. One end of the strap is tied to pole 6 (as shown in figure 1) and the hook 14 is then placed around the other pole 8. The user then manually tightens the strap 12 by pulling on the loose end 16- Eventually the tension in the strap 12 will become such as to tightly hold the hook 14 in place on the pole 8.

One of the problems associated with the known type of restraining means, is that C the strap 12 is coupled to the hook 14 generally at only one point. When the strap 12 is c - placed under tension, the stresses experienced at this point may be so great that the hook or strap, or both. may break.

The present Invention overcomes the above problems by providing a restraining means and a hook as shown in the following figures. In these figures, features 1 corresponding to those shown with respect to figure 1 have been correspondingly numbered.

Referring to figures 2(a) to (d), it can be seen that a hook 14 comprises an arcuate projection 18 which subtends a linear arm 20. The lower portion of the linear arm 220 includes a plurality of support members, here two support bars 22, 24. It can be seen that the support bars 22, 24 are spaced from each other. The bars 22, 24 are spacedin a direction along the axis 26 of the linear arm 20 ( as shown with respect to figures 2(a) and 2(b)). In this preferred embodiment the bars 22, 24 are also laterally displaced in a direction perpendicular to the axis 26.

Figures 2(c) and 2(d) show clearly the interaction between the hook 14 and the strap 12. The strap 12 has a plurality of constituent parts. These part are welded together, by way of heat treatment, in order to provide a unitary strap member. It can be seen that the strap 12 comprises a first portion 12(a) of plastics material including a plurality of deformable hook members 28. A portion 12(b) of the strap 12, also formed from plastics material, includes a plurality of deformable loop members 30. The two portions 12(a), 12(b) are welded together at region 32. The welding of the component portions of the strap 12 is undertaken in known manner and itself does not form part of the present invention. This welding process will therefore not be discussed.

It can be seen that the strap 12 passes around the support bar 22 and past support bar 24. At realon 34 the end of the strap 12 is welded to a part of the rest of the strap so as to permanently couple the strap 12 to the hook 14.

As has been discussed above, the welding regions 3 2, 3) 4 of the strap 12 can, durina manufacture become weakened relative to the rest of the strap 12. This may be W due to the high temperatures to which the regions 3)2, 34 are subjected. It can be seen particularly from figures 2(c) and (d) that the arrangement of the support bars 22, 24 W means that parts of the strap 12 other than the welded region 34 are in contact with parts of the bars 22, 24. Those parts of the bars 22, 24 which are in contact with the strap 12 6 provide reaction surfaces for the strap 12 when under tension. This means that the rC' '4 which may be weakene 1 1 1 1 Is ealon _) d is subject only to tension within the strap 12 and not subject to the additional stress associated with being in contact with a reaction surface. Therefore regions other than the welded regions 31-, 34 are in contact with a reaction surface. Also there is no force tending to peel apart the welded portions, and hence a lower temperature weld can be used.

The hook 28 and loop 30 members of the strap 12 enable the restraining means in accordance with the present invention to be placed across the face of a pallet and held between the two poles 6, 8 (see Figure 1). As can be seen from Figure 3, the free end 33 of the strap 12 is passed around the pole 6. The hook is held in contact with the pole 8. Because the hook 28 and loop 30 members are formed on the same side of the strap 12, after having been passed around the pole 6, the members 28, 30 face each other. When they contact each other, the members 28, 30 engage in region 35, in known manner so as to restrain the end 33. This means that the user may manually adjust the tension in the strap 12 and then simply press the end 33 into contact with the strap 12 in region 5 and thereby hold the restraining means in position between the poles 6, 8 at this desired tension. It is advantageous for the strap 12 to be formed of an elastic material. Also, it is possible for the hook members 28 to be formed from woven material or to be moulded (as is known in the art).

To release this tension and hence remove the restraining means from the poles 6, 8, the user simply rips the end 33 away from the recrion '35 'In the direction of the arrow X. This disengages the hook members 28 and loop members 30.

In a particularly advantageous feature of the present invention, the bars 22, 24 may be laterally spaced relative to each other in a direction perpendicular to the axis 26 of the linear arm 20. This means that a gap shown as 36 may be formed. In this example, the gap 36 is the linear separation in the direction perpendicular to the axis 26 c between the same sides of the two bars 22, 24. This gap 36 assists in defining a region where the welded region 34 does not contact the bars 22, 24.

7 As can be seen from the figures, it is also advantageous for the lower bar 24 to c have a trapezoidal, rather than rectangular, shape. This means that an upper region of the right hand side of bar 24 right hand side of the bar 24.

only is in contact with the strap 12 rather than the entire An alternative embodiment to that of figures 2(a) to (d) is shown by reference to figures 4(a) to (d). In these figures, the same corresponding components have numbers as in figures 2(a) to (d).

With reference to figures 4(a) to (d) it can be seen that an additional support bar 38 is included below second support bar 24. As with figures 2, the support bars 22, 24, 3 38 are spaced from each other in a direction along axis 26. They are additionally relatively displaced from each other in a direction perpendicular to the axis 26. As with figures 2(a) to (d), a gap 36 exists as a result of the lateral displacement between support bars 22 and 24. Additionally a gap 40 exists between the laterally displaced support bars 24 and 38. It will be understood that it is possible for thereto be lateral displacement between the support bars 22 and '38, although in this example none is shown.

Particularly referring to figure 4(d) it can be seen that the arrangement of support bars 22, 24 and 38 provides for a plurality of reaction surfaces at which contact 1 _) IS between the support bars and the strap 12 occurs. Once again, the welded region 34 1 kept clear of contact with the support bars 22, 24 and 3 8 by virtue of the particular spacing of the bars.

It will understood from the foregoing that, when the strap 12 is placed under tension, the arrangement of support members 22, 24 or 22, 24, 38 is such that the welded portions of the strap 12 are urged into contact with each other at the region adjacent the top right hand portion of support member 24.

8 Par-ticularly in the case where the welded region 34 has been achieved at a relatively low temperature, then this urging of the welded portions together helps to reinforce the strength of the weld. Particularly, this arrangement of support members 2-'71 24 or 22, 24, 38 enables the re-lon of the weld 34 comprised of two individual portions of the strap 12 to be to a large extent linear or at least have the two individual portions parallel. This means that the hook members 28 and loop members 30 are less subject to being prised apart than if they were not held in a linear, or parallel, relationship. Such would be the case, for example, if the strap 12 were coupled to the hook 14 by being wrapped around one support member. An example of this possible type of arrangement can be seen from the right hand side of figure 3 wherein the free end 33) of the strap 12 approaches the region 3) 5 at an angle. This means that it would be the case for the end 33 to come away from the region 35 more easily than would be the case for the loop portions to come apart at the welded region 34 adjacent the support members 22, 24 or 22, 24, 38, as shown in figures 2 or 4, respectively- 9

Claims (9)

CLAIMS:

1. A restraining means comprising a hook and a strap, coupled to the hook, the strap comprising a hook and loop fastener; and wherein the hook includes a plurality of support members about which an end of the strap is arranged to pass, the end of the strap being, secured about the support members by being attached to itself at a first region, and arranged such that when the strap is under tension, the support members urcre tocrether the strap portions at the first region.

c c A restraining means comprising a hook and a strap, coupled to the hook, the strap comprising a hook and loop fastener; and wherein the hook includes a plurality of support members about which an end of the strap is arranged to pass, the end of the strap being secured about the support members by being attached to itself at a first region, and arranged such that such that when the main portion of the strap is under tension, the tension on the first region is reduced by the support members.

3. A restraining means according to claim 1 or 2, wherein each support member of the plurality is spaced from the other support members.

4. A restraining means according to claim 1, 2 or 3, wherein each support member of the plurality is laterally offset relative to the other support members.

5. A restraininc, means according to any one of the preceding claims wherein the strap passes through spaces between the plurality of support members.

6. A restraining means according to any one of the preceding claims wherein the strap is welded at the first portion.

7. A restrainina means according to claim 6 wherein the welded region of the strap 11.1 1 =1 is adjacent a support member when the strap is under tension.

8. A restraininúz means according to claim 7, wherein the welded region of the strap touches a support member when the strap is under tension.

9. A restraining means according to any one of the preceding claims wherein the strap comprises a loop fastener portion which is attached to the hook, and a hook fastener portion attached to the free end of the loop fastener portion.

to. A restraining means substantially as hereinbefore described and with reference to the accompanying drawings.