JP2019180801A - Fastener - Google Patents

Abstract

To provide a fastener which can reliably resist force in a direction to separate anchoring parts from each other in a connected state and never shifts from the connected state to a separated state when unexpected impact is applied unless an intentional shifting operation is conducted in the connected state.SOLUTION: A fastener is constituted of a pair of fastener pieces respectively having anchoring parts for anchoring, and the pair of the fastener pieces can select a connected state and a separated state. The fastener pieces keep the connected state against tension force in a first direction to separate the anchoring parts from each other through a retaining action by engagement of respective step parts in the connected state, and the fastener pieces keep the connected state against tension force in a second direction different from the first direction through magnetic attraction force in the second direction in the connected state.SELECTED DRAWING: Figure 3

Description

  The present invention relates to a fastener that is suitable for use in, for example, fastening a string-like body such as a necklace or a bracelet, and in particular, a fastener that uses both a magnetic attraction action and a retaining action by engagement of steps. About.

  2. Description of the Related Art A fastener that uses both a magnetic attraction action and a retaining action by engagement between steps is known (see Patent Document 1). This fastener (the fastener for jewelry 10) has a pair of fastener pieces (attachment members 11a and 11b) that can be in a combined state and a separated state. These fastener pieces are provided with tethers (connecting portions 22a and 22b) for tethering the ends of the string-like body (chain 30) constituting the accessory. When the force in the direction in which the anchoring portions are separated from each other acts in the coupled state, the fastener pieces are brought together by the retaining action by the engagement of the stepped portions (cuts 14a and 14b) formed on the respective fastener pieces. Separation is prevented. Further, the fastener pieces are held in a coupled state by the magnetic attractive force of the magnets (20a, 20b) embedded in the respective fastener pieces. Further, when the force in the direction in which the tethers approach each other acts in the coupled state, the fastener pieces are moved in the direction orthogonal to each other by the component force in the direction orthogonal to the direction due to the sliding of the opposing slopes. And can be shifted to a separated state.

JP 2007-117638 A

  However, in the fastener described in Patent Document 1 described above, the direction of the magnetic attraction force for holding the fastener pieces in a coupled state and the direction of pulling them apart to separate the fastener pieces are mutually angled. Because of the 90-degree relationship, it is assumed that the fastener can be easily removed when an impact is unexpectedly applied in a direction orthogonal to the magnetic attractive force during use of the accessory.

  The present invention has been made under the above-described technical background, and the object of the present invention is that the transition operation from the detached state to the coupled state is simple, and in the coupled state, the tethers are separated from each other. It is possible to reliably resist the force in the direction, and in the coupled state, even if an inadvertent impact is applied unless the intentional transition operation is performed, the coupled state is changed to the separated state. It is to provide a fastener that does not easily migrate.

  Other objects and operational effects of the present invention will be easily understood by those skilled in the art by referring to the following description of the specification.

  It is considered that the above technical problem can be solved by a fastener having the following configuration.

  That is, the fastener of the present invention is composed of a pair of fastener pieces each having a tether for fastening. The pair of fastener pieces can be selected between a coupled state and a detached state. With respect to the pulling force along the first direction in which the tethers are separated from each other in the coupled state, the coupled state is maintained through a retaining action by engagement between the steps. . In the coupled state, the coupled state is maintained through a magnetic attractive force along the second direction against a pulling force along a second direction different from the first direction.

  According to such a configuration, since the direction of the magnetic attractive force for holding the fastener pieces in a coupled state and the direction of separating them to separate the fastener pieces are aligned, the magnetic attractive force is fixed. It works efficiently to prevent the tools from being pulled apart, and there is an advantage that the fasteners are difficult to come off even if some impact is applied during use of the accessory. Therefore, according to the present invention, the transition operation from the disengaged state to the coupled state is simple, and in the coupled state, it is possible to reliably resist the force in the direction of separating the tethers. In the coupled state, it is possible to provide a fastener that does not shift from the coupled state to the separated state even if an impact is applied inadvertently unless an intentional transition operation is performed.

  In a preferred embodiment of the present invention, the retaining step portion has an annular step portion or an annular locus so as to allow rotation of the fastener pieces in the coupled state. It may be arranged along, and consist of a plurality of steps.

  According to such a configuration, it is possible to arbitrarily change the angle formed by the tethers while rotating both of them while maintaining the combined state, and the string-like body (for example, chain or There is an advantage that it is easy to follow the curve formed by the pearl array.

  At this time, each of the pair of fastener pieces may have a substantially hemispherical to semi-elliptical outer shape so as to form a spherical body or an elliptical body in the combined state.

  According to such a configuration, since it has a spherical or elliptical outer shape in the coupled state, it becomes possible to roll on an arbitrary surface (for example, the surface of the skin) with a circular side section, Therefore, even if it is applied to a ring with a small curvature such as a bracelet that fits on a woman's wrist, there is an advantage that the user is not discomforted.

  At this time, each of the hemispherical fastener pieces may be provided with two tabs protruding outward in the radial direction.

  According to such a configuration, while holding the fasteners firmly by magnetic attraction, if necessary, the fastener pieces can be easily pulled apart by hooking their fingertips on the tabs and twisting them. There is an advantage that can be.

  At this time, the tab may protrude radially outward from a position opposite to the anchoring portion in the diameter direction.

  According to such a configuration, in a normal posture where the anchoring portions are arranged in a straight line, there is an advantage that each of the two tabs overlaps with the anchoring portion and the appearance appearance is good.

  In the above invention, if the second direction is a direction perpendicular to the first direction, the magnetic attractive force of the magnet is most effective in preventing the transition from the coupled state to the separated state. Works.

  The magnetic attraction force may be generated by a magnet disposed on one of the pair of fastener pieces and a magnet or magnetic piece disposed on the other of the pair of fastener pieces. .

  Furthermore, the present invention may be one used to tether both ends of a necklace or bracelet.

  According to the fastener of the present invention, since the direction of the magnetic attraction force for holding the fastener pieces in a coupled state and the direction of pulling them apart to separate the fastener pieces are aligned, the magnetic attraction force is It works efficiently to prevent the fasteners from being pulled apart, and there is an advantage that the fasteners are difficult to come off even if some impact is applied during use of the accessory. Therefore, according to the present invention, the transition operation from the disengaged state to the coupled state is simple, and in the coupled state, it is possible to reliably resist the force in the direction of separating the tethers. In the coupled state, it is possible to provide a fastener that does not shift from the coupled state to the separated state even if an inadvertent impact is applied unless an intentional transition operation is performed.

FIG. 1 is an external perspective view of the fastener according to the present invention in use. FIG. 2 is an exploded perspective view of the fastener according to the present invention. FIG. 3 is a cross-sectional view of the separated state of the fastener according to the present invention. FIG. 4 is a cross-sectional view of the coupling state of the fastener according to the present invention. FIG. 5 is an explanatory view showing a state of mutual rotation in the coupled state of the fastener according to the present invention. FIG. 6 is an explanatory view of a pulling action using the tab of the fastener according to the present invention. FIG. 7 is an explanatory diagram of the action when applied to a bracelet.

  Hereinafter, a preferred embodiment of a fastener according to the present invention will be described in detail with reference to the accompanying drawings.

<Basic configuration of the fastener of the present invention>
The fastener according to the present invention is generally used for connecting two objects that are string-like, and is usually used for a single string-like body (for example, a necklace or a bracelet that is an accessory). Often used to loop both ends together. Such a fastener is composed of a pair of fastener pieces each having a anchoring portion for fastening, and the pair of fastener pieces can be selected from a coupled state and a separated state. And, in the coupled state, for the pulling force along the first direction that tries to separate the tethers, the coupling is performed through a retaining action (details will be described later) by the engagement between the steps. In a coupled state, the tensile force along a second direction that is different from the first direction is via a magnetic attraction force (details will be described later) along the second direction. The combined state is maintained.

<An example of the usage state of this invention fastener>
An example of the use state of such a fastener is shown in FIG. As shown in the figure, the fastener 1 connects both ends of a string-like portion (eg, chain, belt, pearl row, etc.) 2 constituting an accessory (eg, necklace or bracelet). Used to make a loop. In addition, in the figure, the rings 21 and 22 show only an example of a connection structure for connecting the end of the string-like portion 2 and the anchoring portions 101 and 201 of the fastener 1.

<An example of the configuration of the fastener of the present invention>
An example of the structure of such a fastener 1 is shown in FIGS. As shown in these drawings, the fastener 1 is composed of a pair of fastener pieces 10 and 20 that can be connected and separated. Each of the fastener pieces 10 and 20 includes anchoring portions 101 and 201, tab portions 102 and 202, and magnet housing portions 103 and 203.

[Mounting section]
The tethers 101 and 201 are respectively connected to both ends of a string-like portion (for example, a chain, a belt, a pearl array, etc.) 2 constituting the accessory (for example, a necklace or a bracelet) and the fastener pieces 10 and 20. In the illustrated example, it is formed in a substantially bowl-shaped thin plate shape having the anchoring holes 101a and 201a, but this is only an example of the anchoring portion. As the anchoring portions 101 and 201, various configurations such as a hook-like one and a projection-like one that can be anchored can be adopted.

[tab]
As will be described in detail later with reference to FIG. 6, the tab portions 102, 202 are provided with fingers when the pair of fastener pieces 10, 20 in a coupled state are pulled apart against the attractive force of the magnets 104, 204. It functions as a hook member for hooking and twisting the tip (including claws), and in the illustrated example, it is formed so as to protrude to the side opposite to the anchoring portions 102 and 202 in the diametrical direction. This is merely an example of the tab portions 102 and 202. The tab portions 102 and 202 can be protruded at arbitrary positions on the circumference. However, if the tabs 102 and 202 are formed so as to protrude on the side opposite to the anchoring portions 102 and 202 as shown in the figure, the tab portions 102 and 202 overlap the anchoring portions 202 and 102 during normal use. There is an advantage that the portions 102 and 202 do not carelessly protrude from the outer periphery of the fastener pieces 10 and 20 to give an uncomfortable feeling to the user's skin, and the appearance is also attractive.

[Magnet housing part]
The magnet housing portions 103 and 203 house the magnets 104 and 204 therein, and also hold the tether portions 102 and 202 and the tab portions 102 and 202 integrally connected. It can be said that there are 20 central parts. In the illustrated example, the magnet housing portions 103 and 203 have a hemispherical or semi-elliptical outer shape, and by connecting the two magnet housing portions 103 and 203 face to face, as a whole, A sphere or ellipsoid is formed. This coupling is performed by a magnetic attractive force generated by the two magnets 104 and 204.

  That is, in the magnet housing portions 103 and 203, circular magnet housing holes 105 and 205 having openings in the reference surfaces 107 and 207 are opened, and disc-like or tablet-like magnets are formed in these holes 105 and 205. 104 and 204 are inserted and fixed. In order to fix the magnets 104 and 204 in the holes 105 and 205, a known fixing technique such as an adhesion technique or a press-fit technique can be employed. The magnets 104 and 204 are magnetized so that magnetic poles having different polarities are generated on the front surface and the back surface, and are disposed so that magnetic poles having different polarities are generated on the opposing end surfaces. Note that one of the two magnets 104 and 204 may be a magnetic piece such as an iron plate instead of the magnet.

  The inner periphery of the hole 105 that opens on the reference surface 107 on the magnet housing portion 103 side is recessed by a distance d from the reference surface 107 so as to surround the hole 105 with a slight gap. An annular recess 106 is formed. On the inner side of the hole 205 that opens on the reference surface 207 on the magnet housing portion 203 side, the periphery of the hole 205 is surrounded by a slight gap so as to protrude from the reference surface 207 by a distance d. An annular ridge 206 is formed. At this time, as shown in FIG. 3, the bottom surface of the annular groove 106 and the end surface of the magnet 104 are at the same level (surface position), and the top surface of the annular protrusion 206 and the end surface of the magnet 204 are at the same level ( Surface position). Note that one of the annular groove 106 and the annular protrusion 206 may not be a continuous ring, but may be a plurality of intermittent arc-shaped recesses or arc-shaped protrusions.

  Therefore, in FIG. 3, when the upper fastener piece 10 and the lower fastener piece 20 are brought close to each other while facing each other, the upper fastener piece is generated by the magnetic attractive force generated between the magnets 104 and 204. 10 and the lower fastener piece 20 are attracted to each other, and the upper concave piece 106 and the lower fastener piece 20 are connected to each other by the engagement of the annular concave stripe 106 and the annular convex stripe 206. 107, the reference surface 207, the end surface of the magnet 104, and the end surface of the magnet 204 are completely adsorbed. At this time, the inner peripheral surface (hereinafter referred to as “step portion”) 106a of the annular groove 106 and the outer peripheral surface (hereinafter referred to as “step portion”) 206a of the annular protrusion 206 are engaged with each other. As a result, a retaining action occurs.

<Operation by an example of the structure of the fastener of the present invention>
According to an example of the configuration of the fastener of the present invention described above, 1) a retaining action by engaging the stepped portions, 2) a combined state holding action by the magnet's attractive force, and 3) the concave and convex strips are annular. An effect of changing the anchoring portion direction by performing 4), an effect of allowing rolling by making the outer shape spherical or elliptical, and 5) a simple releasing operation by projecting the tab portion are exhibited.

[Anti-locking action by engaging the steps]
As described with reference to FIG. 3, according to the above-described fastener 1, when the upper fastener piece 10 and the lower fastener piece 20 are brought close to each other while facing each other, The lower fastener piece 20 is completely adsorbed. At this time, the inner peripheral surface (hereinafter referred to as “step portion”) 106 a of the annular groove 106 and the outer peripheral surface (hereinafter referred to as “step portion”) 206 a of the annular protrusion 206 are engaged (contacted). Due to the retaining action, the detachment of the fastener due to the pulling force in the direction in which the tethers are separated from each other (first direction) is reliably prevented (see FIGS. 3 and 4).

[Coupled state retention action by magnet attractive force]
In the above-mentioned attracting state, the attractive force itself of the magnets 104 and 204 does not resist the pulling force in the first direction (see arrows A1 and A2 in FIG. 4). Regardless of the value of the pulling force in this direction, it is not necessary to increase the attractive force of the magnet. On the other hand, the magnet attracting force direction is a second direction perpendicular to the first direction, and the direction of the force for manually pulling the fastener pieces apart from each other is aligned in a straight line. Even without increasing the magnetic force of the magnets 104 and 204, the attractive force of the magnets 104 and 204 can sufficiently resist the pulling force in the second direction. The pieces are not easily separated from each other (see FIG. 4).

[Allowable change in the direction of the tether by making the concave and convex strips annular]
In the above-described suction state, the step-out preventing action between the step portions is caused by the engagement between the step portion 106 a of the upper fastening piece 10 and the lower fastening piece 20. If it is cyclic | annular, even if it changes the direction of the anchoring parts 101 and 201, the engagement state of the recessed part 106 and the convex part 206 will not remove | deviate (refer FIG. 3, FIG. 4). Therefore, according to such a structure, the string-like part 2 can be made smooth through the fastener 1 by changing the relative angle of the anchoring parts 101 and 201 so as to match the curvature of the string-like part 2 of the accessory. It is possible to connect them (see FIG. 7A). In the case of a bracelet in which the accessory is a loop with a small curvature, the effect is even greater (FIGS. 5 and 7 (a)).

[Rolling tolerance by making the outer shape spherical or elliptical]
When the overall shape formed by joining the fastener pieces is spherical or elliptical, the contact with the skin becomes soft and the skin around the axis connecting the tethers 101 and 201 is maintained while maintaining the joined state. It is also possible to rotate while being in contact with the external appearance, and the appearance is also made cute and good.

[Easy pulling action by protruding tabs]
When the tab portions 102 and 202 protrude from the outer peripheral edge portions of the respective fastener pieces 10 and 20, the tab pieces 102 and 202 are joined to each other by hooking the tab portions 102 and 202 on the fingertips and twisting them. Can be peeled off with a light force. Conversely, by increasing the magnetic strength of the magnets 104 and 204 correspondingly, the possibility of detachment due to an unexpected impact or the like can be further reduced (see FIGS. 6, 7B, and 7C). ).

[Aesthetic action by arranging the tab portion and the tether portion in the diameter direction]
As described above, when the tab portions 102 and 202 and the anchoring portions 202 and 102 are aligned in the diametrical direction, the tab portions 102 and 202 overlap with the anchoring portions 202 and 102 during normal use. Therefore, there is an advantage that the tab portions 102 and 202 do not carelessly protrude from the outer periphery of the fastener pieces 10 and 20 to give a sense of discomfort to the user's skin and the appearance is not impaired.

  The fastener according to the present invention can be used in related industries as a fastener for connecting both ends of a string-like accessory such as a bracelet or a necklace to form a loop.

DESCRIPTION OF SYMBOLS 1 Fastener 2 String-like part of jewelry 10,20 Fastener piece 101,201 Anchor part 101a, 201a Anchor hole 102,202 Tab 103,203 Magnet accommodating part 104,204 Magnet 105,205 Magnet accommodating hole 106 Circular recessed part 106a Inner peripheral surface (step)
206 Annular ridge 206a Outer peripheral surface (step)
107, 207 Joining reference planes A1, A2 Arrows indicating the direction of the pulling force A3, A4 Arrows indicating the direction of twisting the tabs with the fingertips A5, A6 Arrows indicating the directions in which the tabs rotate together A7, A8 The arrow indicating the direction of twisting with the fingertip X

Claims (8)

Consisting of a pair of fastener pieces each having a tether for securing,
The pair of fastener pieces can be selected between a combined state and a separated state,
With respect to the pulling force along the first direction in which the tethers are separated from each other in the coupled state, the coupled state is maintained through the retaining action by the engagement between the steps. ,
In the coupled state, with respect to a pulling force along a second direction different from the first direction, the coupled state is maintained via a magnetic attraction force along the second direction. Fasteners made.   The retaining step portion is formed of a plurality of step portions that are arranged along an annular step portion or an annular locus in cross section so as to allow rotation of the fastener pieces in the combined state. The fastener according to claim 1.   3. The fastener according to claim 2, wherein each of the pair of fastener pieces has a substantially hemispherical to hemispherical outer shape so as to form a sphere or an ellipsoid when in the coupled state.   The fastener according to claim 3, wherein each of the hemispherical fastener pieces is provided with a tab projecting radially outward.   The fastener according to claim 4, wherein the tab protrudes radially outward from a position opposite to the anchoring portion in a diametrical direction.   The fastener according to any one of claims 1 to 5, wherein the second direction is a direction perpendicular to the first direction.   The magnetic attraction force is generated by a magnet disposed on one of the pair of fastener pieces and a magnet or magnetic piece disposed on the other of the pair of fastener pieces. Fasteners as described in.   The fastener according to any one of claims 1 to 7, which is used for fastening both ends of a necklace or a bracelet.

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