JP2001262917A - Opening/closing lock device - Google Patents

Abstract

PROBLEM TO BE SOLVED: To reduce the number of parts to facilitate assembling work and attain cost reduction of products. SOLUTION: In a device body, a hook 21 which a striker enters and an elastic support piece 30 which prevents looseness or play of the striker in cooporation with a lock pawl 40 are integrally formed. A cut-in part is formed at the rearward of the piece 30 so as to form an escape space for the piece 30 flexurally deformed by abutting of the striker. When the piece 30 is formed in a cantilever style, preferably, the thickness in the vicinity of support end is made thin to thereby enable the piece 30 to be smoothly flexurally deformed.

Description

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION

[0001]

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION 1. Field of the Invention The present invention relates to an opening and closing lock device for opening and closing a door such as a glove box provided in an automobile, and more particularly to an improvement for preventing rattling when the door is closed. is there.

[0002]

2. Description of the Related Art Conventionally, as a lock opening / closing device for the purpose of preventing rattling when a door is closed, for example, Japanese Utility Model Application Laid-Open No. 58-62.
No. 754 (conventional example 1) and Japanese Utility Model Laid-Open No. 63-78670 (conventional example 2). Although not specifically shown, these opening / closing lock devices are provided with a U-shaped metal fitting called a striker at an opening edge of a glove box (storage portion), and a hook and a lock are provided on a door for opening and closing the opening. A body having claws is provided. The striker enters the hook with the closing operation of the door, and the locking claw closes the front opening of the hook following the operation. As a result, the striker is held in the hook, and the door remains closed.

Further, in the prior art 1, a metal spring piece is arranged to extend inside the hook, and the spring piece and the lock claw cooperate with each other to hold the striker without a gap, thereby making it possible to close the door when the door is closed. It has a configuration to prevent rattling. on the other hand,
Conventional example 2 has a configuration in which a stopper made of an elastic body such as rubber is mounted in a hook, and the stopper and the lock claw cooperate to hold the striker without a gap, thereby preventing rattling when the door is closed. have.

[0004]

In any of the above-mentioned prior arts, the spring piece and the stopper for preventing the rattling when the door is closed are separate parts from the main body forming the hook, so that the main body is not connected to the main body. The assembling work is required, and the work becomes complicated due to the increase in the number of assembling steps. In particular, since the stopper of the conventional example 2 is press-fitted with the rear projection of the stopper into a small mounting hole formed in the wall surface of the hook, the operation is a fine manual operation, which greatly affects the reduction in productivity. Was. Moreover, the stopper made of an elastic body such as rubber has a complicated shape, and the molding operation is complicated, and the parts cost is high.

[0005] Further, since the spring piece of the prior art 1 is formed of a metal material, when the striker also made of a metal material comes into contact, a high-pitched sound is generated due to a collision between the metals, which causes discomfort to the user. I had to give. The present invention has been made to solve such a conventional problem,
It is an object of the present invention to facilitate assembly work by reducing the number of parts and to reduce product cost.

[0006]

In order to achieve the above object, according to the first aspect of the present invention, there is provided a striker provided at an opening edge of a storage portion, and a device provided at a door for opening and closing the opening of the storage portion. A main body, a hook-shaped hook portion integrally formed with the device main body, into which the striker enters when the door is closed, and a hook-shaped hook incorporated in the device main body and capable of appearing and retracting at a front opening of the hook portion; And a lock claw that holds the striker that has entered the hook portion, and the striker that extends into the hook portion and moves into the hook portion with the lock claw. The elastic support piece to be held cooperatively is formed integrally with the hook portion.

According to a second aspect of the present invention, based on the first aspect, the apparatus main body is a resin molded product obtained by integrally molding a hook portion and an elastic support piece.

According to a third aspect of the present invention, on the premise of the first or second aspect, a notch is formed in a wall portion of the hook portion facing the elastic supporting piece to receive the deformed elastic supporting piece. And

According to a fourth aspect of the present invention, based on the third aspect, the elastic support piece extends in a direction substantially perpendicular to the axis of the striker that enters the hook portion.

According to a fifth aspect of the present invention, based on any one of the first to fourth aspects, the elastic support piece is a cantilever piece which is supported at one end by a hook portion, and has a thickness near the support end. It is characterized by being formed thinner than other places.

According to a sixth aspect of the present invention, on the premise of the fifth aspect, a rear support portion is formed at a position behind the free end of the elastic support piece, the free end having receded due to the bending deformation of the elastic support piece abutting. It is characterized by having done.

According to a seventh aspect of the present invention, based on any one of the first to third aspects, the elastic support piece is a double-supported piece supported at both ends by a hook portion, and is provided at a central portion of the elastic support piece. It is characterized in that a convex portion with which the striker abuts is formed.

According to the first aspect of the present invention, the striker that has entered the hook portion is elastically received by the elastic support piece, so that the impact when the door is closed is reduced. Then, since the elastic support piece and the lock claw cooperate with each other in the hook portion to hold the striker without a gap, it is possible to effectively prevent the striker and the rattle of the door. Since the elastic support piece is formed integrally with the hook portion, there is no need to assemble the elastic support piece. Therefore, the number of assembly steps is reduced, and workability is improved.

According to the second aspect of the present invention, since the elastic support piece is a resin molded product integral with the apparatus main body, even if the striker is formed of a metal material, the striking sound at the time of collision is extremely small.
Silence can be ensured.

According to the third aspect of the present invention, since the cut portion forms an escape space for the elastic supporting piece which is deformed and deformed due to the striker contact, only the bending deformation of the elastic supporting piece is allowed in the hook portion. It is not necessary to secure a space, and it is possible to reduce the size of the hook portion and, consequently, the size of the device body. In addition, when the elastic support piece moves to the notch during the bending deformation, the striker comes into contact with the wall surface of the hook portion present on the side of the notch, preventing further bending deformation of the elastic support piece. Piece breakage is prevented.

According to the fourth aspect of the present invention, the elastic support piece is extended in a direction substantially perpendicular to the axis of the striker entering the hook, so that the elastic support piece faces the elastic support piece and is formed on the wall of the hook. It is not necessary to extend the cut portion formed in the axial direction of the striker. This makes it possible to secure a large wall surface that is present on the side of the cut portion and contacts the striker, and increases the strength of the hook portion.

According to the fifth aspect of the present invention, the thickness of the elastic support piece (cantilever) near the support end is reduced, so that the elastic support piece is flexibly deformed around the support end. The elastic support piece flexes and deforms following the striker collision caused by the rapid closing operation, and damage to the elastic support piece can be prevented.

According to the sixth aspect of the present invention, when the elastic support piece is flexed and deformed with the striker abutting and its free end abuts on the rear support portion, the elastic support piece is thereafter supported at both ends. In addition, the amount of flexural deformation of the elastic support piece is reduced. By effectively absorbing the striker's pressing force by such stepwise bending deformation, not only the elastic support piece is not damaged, but also the impact force when the striker comes into contact with the wall surface of the hook part is reduced, so that the hook The durability of the part is also improved.

According to the seventh aspect of the present invention, since the elastic support piece is a two-sided support piece, it is possible to absorb more pressing force accompanying the striker contact with the elastic support piece,
The durability of the hook portion can be improved. In addition, the configuration in which the striker abuts on the convex portion formed at the center of the elastic support piece allows the elastic support piece to bend uniformly and disperse the bending stress, so that the durability of the elastic support piece is improved. Also improve.

[0020]

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS An embodiment in which the present invention is applied to a glove box in an automobile interior will be described below in detail with reference to the drawings. A glove box formed as a storage portion for small articles or the like in a vehicle interior has an opening on the front surface, and has a structure in which the opening can be opened and closed by a door that is rotatable around a support shaft. The opening and closing lock device according to the present embodiment includes a striker 10 attached to an opening edge 1a of a glove box (storage unit) 1 as shown in FIG.
As shown in FIG. 2, a lock claw 40, a coil spring (biasing member) 50, and an operation knob 60 that are assembled to the apparatus body 20.
Each component is provided.

Here, the apparatus main body 20 is a resin molded product integrally formed by injection molding using a synthetic resin as a material. In addition, the lock claw 40 and the operation knob 60 are also resin molded products that are separately molded.

The striker 10 is a rod-shaped metal part bent and formed in a U-shape as shown by imaginary lines in FIGS. 3 (a) and 3 (b), and has both ends at the opening edge of the glove box as shown in FIG. 1a, it is fixed substantially at the center, and an intermediate shaft portion between the bent portions can be freely engaged and disengaged in the hook portion 21 of the apparatus main body 20 as described later.

As shown in FIG. 2, the apparatus main body 20 has a positioning projection 22a formed at an appropriate position on the front, and a mounting claw 22b extending from the rear end corner of the upper surface to the door. At the center of the upper end of the door 2, as shown in FIG.
0 is formed, and a positioning projection 22a of the apparatus main body 20 is engaged with a positioning hole (specifically, not shown) formed at an appropriate position in front of the concave 2a. The mounting claw 22b is engaged with the mounting plate 2b projecting downward from the upper edge of the concave portion 2a, and the mounting to the door 2 is performed.

A notch 2c is formed in the recess 2a of the door 2 in which the apparatus main body 20 is mounted (see FIG. 1) at a position facing a hook 21 of the apparatus main body 20, which will be described later. The striker 10 is hooked through the notch 2c
Engages.

As shown in FIG. 2, a hook portion 21 curved in a hook shape at the center of the upper surface of the apparatus body 20 has an opening 21 at the front.
The protrusion is formed as a. The space inside the hook portion 21 has a sufficient depth to allow the intermediate shaft portion of the striker 10 to enter as shown in FIG. With the closing operation of the door 2, the striker 10 moves the front opening 21 a of the hook 21.
From inside the hook part 21.

Also, the apparatus main body 20 has the structure shown in FIGS.
As shown in (c), the storage groove 23 of the lock claw 40 is formed in the vertical direction from the center of the upper surface toward the inside, and the guide groove 24 is formed in the left and right inner side surfaces of the storage groove 23 in the vertical direction. I have. On the other hand, on the left and right side surfaces of the lock claw 40, ridges 41 that engage with the guide grooves 24 are formed. In addition, a support protrusion 23a for the coil spring 50 is formed on the bottom surface of the storage groove 23 as shown in FIG.

The coil spring 50 is first inserted into the storage groove 23 from the opening on the upper surface, and then the lock claw 40 is fitted. At this time, the ridge 41 formed on the lock claw 40 engages with the guide groove 24, whereby the lock claw 40 can slide without rattling. The coil spring 50 includes the support protrusion 2.
The lower end is engaged with 3a and is positioned in the storage groove 23, and urges the lock claw 40 placed on the upper end upward (that is, the direction in which the lock claw projects from the storage groove 23).

The upper wall 21b of the hook 21 has a storage groove 2
The support groove 21c of the lock claw 40 is formed at a position corresponding to the third groove 3 and the guide groove 24. The lock claw 40 projecting upward by the urging force of the coil spring 50 closes the front opening 21a of the hook portion 21 and has the upper end formed in the support groove 2.
1c. The upper surface of the lock claw 40 is an inclined surface 40a as shown in FIG. 2, and when the striker 10 comes into contact with the inclined surface 40a with the closing operation of the door 2 (see FIG. 5B), the pressing force is applied. Acts on the inclined surface 40a to push the lock claw 40 downward. As a result, the front opening 21a of the hook 21 is opened, and the striker 1 is opened.
0 enters the hook portion 21. When the contact state of the striker 10 is released, the lock claw 40 is again set to the coil spring 5.
It projects with an urging force of 0 (see FIG. 5C), and closes the front opening 21a of the hook portion 21. As a result, the striker 10 is engaged and held in the hook portion 21, whereby the closed state of the door 2 is maintained.

A notch hole 25 extending in the vertical direction is formed in the rear wall surface of the storage groove 23 formed in the apparatus main body 20, as shown in FIGS. On the back surface of the lock claw 40, an engagement protrusion 42 is formed for engagement with a pressing claw 61 of an operation knob 60, which will be described later. 20 is exposed on the back side.

As shown in FIG. 2, a pair of bearing holes 62 are formed in the operation knob 60, and the bearing holes 62 are rotatably fitted into the support projections 26 formed on both side surfaces of the apparatus main body 20. . The operating knob 60 has a pressing claw 61 formed thereon. As described above, this pressing claw 61 is
It engages with the upper surface of the engagement projection 42 formed at zero. Therefore, the urging force of the coil spring 50 is transmitted to the pressing claw 61 via the engaging projection 42, and the operation knob 60 is thereby urged to rotate clockwise in FIG.

On the other hand, the operating knob 60 has a flat portion 63 formed near the bearing hole 62 as shown in FIG.
The rotation in the clockwise direction is restricted by contacting the contact surface 27 of the first member. With this restriction, the lock claw 40 stops at a position where the upper end engages with the support groove 21c formed in the upper wall of the hook portion 21, and further protruding is prevented. When the operation knob 60 is rotated in the counterclockwise direction in FIG. 1, the pressing claw 61 pushes down the engagement protrusion 42, so that the locking claw 40 moves downward and the front opening of the hook portion 21 opens. Part 21
Release a. As a result, the striker 10 can be moved from inside the hook portion 21 and the door 2 can be opened.

The opening / closing lock device having the above-described structure further has an elastic support piece 30 at the hook portion 21 of the device main body 20 for preventing the striker 10 from rattling. That is, as shown in FIG.
A notch 31 is formed in the rear wall 21d facing 1a so as to divide the central portion in the vertical direction. The rear wall 21d divided left and right by the notch 31 is
The upper end is connected by a support wall 21e, and an elastic support piece 30 is formed to extend downward from the support wall 21e. Here, the support wall 21e supports the base end of the elastic support piece 30 and also has a function of a reinforcing wall for maintaining the rigidity of the rear wall 21d divided into right and left.

The elastic support piece 30 is a cantilever having the support wall 21e as a support end 30a (fixed end).
Are integrally formed with the hook portion 21. Therefore, the elastic support piece 30 is made of the same resin material as the apparatus main body 20, and can be flexibly deformed. In addition, the thickness of the elastic support piece 30 near the support end 30a is smaller than that of other places as shown in FIG. 4C, so that the elastic support piece 30 flexibly deforms around the support end as a fulcrum. I can do it. Further, the elastic support piece 30
Has a length substantially the same as the height in the hook portion 21 as shown in FIG. 4 (a), and is disposed slightly forward of the inner surface of the rear wall 21d as shown in FIG. 4 (c). Therefore, the striker 10 that has entered the hook portion 21 first contacts the elastic support piece 30 and flexes it elastically (see FIG. 5C).

The cut portion 31 forms an escape space behind the elastic support piece 30 at the time of bending deformation.
The elastic support piece 30 deformed by the abutment of the elastic support piece 30 is received. When the elastic support piece 30 enters the cut portion 31, the striker 10 comes into contact with the rear wall 21d. Therefore, the rear wall 21d needs to have strength enough to withstand the striker 10 collision. In the present embodiment, as shown in FIG. 4A, the elastic support piece 30 extends downward, that is, extends in a direction substantially perpendicular to the axis of the striker 10 that enters the hook portion 21. Piece 3
The notch 31 forming the escape space of 0
It is no longer necessary to expand in the axial direction. Accordingly, it is possible to ensure a large width of the rear wall 21d which is present on the side of the cut portion 31 and in which the striker 10 contacts, and the strength thereof is increased.

Next, the operation of each part of the opening / closing lock device when the door is closed will be described with reference to FIG. As shown in FIG. 5A, when the door 2 is rotated in a direction (arrow a direction) to close the opening of the glove box 1, the striker 10 attached to the opening edge 1 a of the glove box 1 The locking claw 40 is pressed down by the pressing force of the abutting surface 40a, and the front opening 21a of the hook portion 21 is opened (FIG. 5B). As a result, the striker 10 enters the hook portion 21 and abuts on the opposing elastic support piece 30. As shown in FIG. 5C, the elastic support piece 30 elastically bends and deforms when the striker 10 comes into contact and escapes into the cut portion 31, so that it is not damaged.

Subsequently, the striker 10 abuts on the rear wall 21d of the hook 21 to prevent the door 2 from moving. Thereafter, when the pushing force of the door 2 is released, the door 2 attempts to open due to its own weight.
1a is closed by the lock claw 40 (FIG. 5).
(D)), the striker 10 is held in the hook portion 21 and the closed state of the door 2 is maintained. At this time, the elastic support piece 30 is restored to the original state, and the striker 10
From behind. Thus, the striker 10 is sandwiched between the lock claw 40 and the elastic support piece 30 in the hook portion 21 to prevent rattling.

In the opening / closing lock device having the above-described structure, the device body 20 is a resin molded product, and the hook portion 21 and the elastic support piece 30 are also formed integrally with the device body 20. And assembly work is easy.

FIGS. 6 and 7 show another embodiment of the present invention. The same or corresponding parts as those in FIGS. 1 to 5 described above are denoted by the same reference numerals, and detailed description of those parts will be omitted. In this embodiment, a configuration is employed in which a rear support portion 70 is formed at a position behind the free end of the elastic support piece 30, and the free end 30b of the elastic support piece 30 that has receded due to bending deformation is supported by the rear support portion 70. are doing.

More specifically, in this embodiment, since the pressing claw 61 of the operating knob 60 is located at the rear end of the free end of the elastic supporting piece 30 as shown in FIG. Is formed to protrude. The rear support portion 70 is a free end 3 of the elastic support piece 30 as shown in an enlarged view in FIG.
0b, and is located slightly behind it.

As shown in FIG. 7B, when the striker 10 comes into contact with the elastic support piece 30, the elastic support piece 30 is firstly cantilevered, but the absorption of the pressing force due to the bending deformation at that time is small. Subsequently, as shown in FIG. 7C, when the free end 30b of the elastic support piece 30 contacts the rear support portion 70,
The elastic support piece 30 is in a state where both ends are supported, the amount of flexural deformation is reduced, and a large amount of pressing force received from the striker 10 is absorbed. Thereby, the pressing force when the striker 10 subsequently collides with the rear wall 21d is reduced, and the durability of the rear wall 21d can be improved. FIG. 7D shows a state in which the elastic support piece 30 has been restored to the original state.

The present invention is not limited to the above-described embodiment. For example, the following modifications or applications are also included in the technical scope of the present invention. (1) An opening / closing lock device applied to uses other than a glove box in an automobile interior. (2) As shown in FIG. 8 or FIG. 9, an opening / closing lock device in which the elastic support piece 30 extends laterally from the rear wall 21 d of the hook portion 21, that is, substantially parallel to the axis of the striker 10 entering the hook portion 21. In this case, since the cut portion 31 formed behind the elastic support piece 30 also extends in the lateral direction, FIG.
If the width of the hook portion 21 is the same as that of the embodiment shown in FIG. 1, it is undeniable that the width of the rear wall 21d becomes narrow and the strength is reduced. Therefore, when the elastic support piece 30 is extended in the lateral direction as described above, the thickness of the rear wall 21d and the hook portion 2
It is preferable to increase the strength of the rear wall 21d, for example, by increasing the overall width of the rear wall 1d. 8 shows a configuration in which one cantilevered elastic support piece 30 is formed, and FIG. 9 shows a configuration in which a pair of elastic support pieces 30 are formed to extend symmetrically from the left and right rear walls 21d. ing.

(3) As shown in FIG. 10, an opening / closing lock device in which both ends of the elastic support piece 30 are supported by the rear wall 21d of the hook portion 21 and the elastic support piece 30 is a two-sided cantilever. By making the elastic support piece 30 a two-sided piece in this way, it becomes possible to absorb more pressing force due to the contact of the striker 10 with the elastic support piece 30 and improve the durability of the hook portion 21. Can be. The elastic support piece 30 supported at both ends in this manner is elastically deformed mainly by expansion and contraction of the same piece 30. Therefore, when this configuration is applied, it is preferable to form the elastic support piece 30 (that is, the apparatus main body 20) using a relatively soft elastic synthetic resin. Further, it is preferable that a convex portion 30c is formed at the center of the elastic support piece 30 so that the striker 10 comes into contact with the convex portion 30c. Thereby, the bending stress can be dispersed by uniformly bending and deforming the elastic support piece 30,
The durability of the elastic support piece 30 is improved. In FIG. 10, the elastic support pieces 30 are extended in the horizontal direction of the hook portions 21. However, the present invention is not limited to this, and the elastic support pieces 30 having both ends can be formed in the vertical direction.

(4) An opening / closing lock device in which the rear wall 21d of the hook portion 21 is connected to the back side of the cut portion 31. That is, in the above-described embodiment, the rear wall 21d is divided right and left by the cut portion 31, but the cut portion 3 is provided on the condition that a sufficient clearance space can be secured behind the elastic support piece 30.
1 may be formed in a concave portion having a closed back surface, and this configuration can increase the rigidity of the rear wall 21d.

[0044]

As described above, according to the opening / closing lock device of the present invention, since the elastic supporting piece for preventing rattling of the striker is formed integrally with the hook, the supporting piece is connected to the hook. Therefore, it is not necessary to assemble them, so that the number of assembling steps is reduced, so that workability can be improved and product cost can be reduced.

[Brief description of the drawings]

FIG. 1 is a side view showing the appearance of an opening / closing lock device according to an embodiment of the present invention.

FIG. 2 is an exploded perspective view of the opening / closing lock device according to the embodiment of the present invention.

3A and 3B are views showing an opening / closing lock device according to an embodiment of the present invention, wherein FIG. 3A is a plan view, FIG. 3B is a front view, and FIG.

FIGS. 4A and 4B are views showing an apparatus main body, wherein FIG. 4A is a front view and FIG.
Is a rear view, and (c) is a sectional view taken along line AA.

FIG. 5 is a side sectional view for explaining a closing operation of a door by an opening / closing lock device according to an embodiment of the present invention.

6A and 6B are views showing an opening / closing lock device according to another embodiment of the present invention, wherein FIG. 6A is a side sectional view, and FIG. 6B is a perspective view of an operation knob.

FIG. 7 is a side sectional view for explaining the operation of the opening / closing lock device according to another embodiment shown in FIG. 6;

8A and 8B are diagrams showing a modification of the opening / closing lock device according to the present invention, wherein FIG. 8A is a front view of the device main body, and FIG. 8B is a sectional view taken along line BB.

9A and 9B are diagrams showing another modification of the opening / closing lock device according to the present invention, wherein FIG. 9A is a front view of the device main body, and FIG. 9B is a cross-sectional view taken along line CC.

10A and 10B are diagrams showing still another modified example of the opening / closing lock device according to the present invention, wherein FIG. 10A is a front view of the device main body, and FIG.
FIG. 4 is a sectional view taken along line D.

[Explanation of symbols]

 1: Glove box 1a: Opening edge 2: Door 10: Strike 20: Device main body 21: Hook 21a: Front opening 21b: Upper wall 21c: Support groove 21d: Rear wall 21e: Support wall 23: Storage groove 24: Guide groove 25: Notch hole 30: Elastic support piece 31: Cut portion 40: Locking claw 41: Ridge 42: Engagement protrusion 50: Coil spring 60: Operation knob 61: Pressing claw 70: Rear support

Claims (7)

[Claims] 1. A striker provided at an edge of an opening of a storage portion, a device body provided at a door for opening and closing the opening of the storage portion, and a hook formed integrally with the device body and into which the striker enters when the door is closed. A lock which is incorporated in the main body of the apparatus, and which is capable of moving in and out of a front opening of the hook, allowing the striker to enter the hook, and holding the striker which has entered the hook. An opening and closing lock device having a hook, wherein an elastic support piece extending into the hook portion and holding the striker having entered the hook portion in cooperation with the lock hook is formed integrally with the hook portion. And opening and closing lock device. 2. The opening and closing lock device according to claim 1, wherein the device main body is a resin molded product obtained by integrally molding a hook portion and an elastic support piece. 3. The opening / closing lock device according to claim 1, wherein a notch portion for receiving the deformed elastic support piece is formed in a wall of the hook portion facing the elastic support piece. Locking device. 4. The opening and closing lock device according to claim 3, wherein the elastic support piece extends in a direction substantially perpendicular to an axis of a striker that enters the hook portion. 5. The opening and closing lock device according to claim 1, wherein the elastic support piece is a cantilever piece that is supported at one end by a hook portion, and has a thickness near the support end. An opening and closing lock device characterized by being formed thinner than other places. 6. The opening / closing lock device according to claim 5, wherein a rear support portion is formed at a position behind the free end of the elastic support piece, the free end having receded due to the bending deformation of the elastic support piece abutting thereon. Open / close lock device. 7. The opening / closing lock device according to claim 1, wherein the elastic support piece is a double-supported piece supported at both ends by a hook portion, and is provided at a central portion of the elastic support piece. An opening / closing lock device, wherein a convex portion with which a striker comes into contact is formed.