MXPA93006962A - Resile strap assembly - Google Patents

Abstract

The present invention relates to a resilient fastener assembly, which includes a plurality of U-shaped fasteners, which are connected together by two elongate flexible members that are not made of metal, each fastener including a crown portion and portions of the fastener. paw spaced apart, and having a first opening formed in the outer surface of the crown portion thereof, and a second spaced aperture formed in the outer surface of the crown portion thereof, the fasteners being aligned in such a manner that the openings spaced apart from each fastener are aligned in a row, with the similar openings of the adjacent fasteners, and the pairs of openings in the row of fasteners aligning, to form two elongated gutters, an elongated flexible member being received which is not metal in each gutter, and therefore in each opening of each fastener, having pressed the side edges of the crown portion of each fastener toward each other to cause the metal of the crown portion to curl against elongate flexible members that are not metal, resulting in a resilient fastener assembly held together by the two elongate flexible members that are not of metal, which are securely and mechanically fastened between the metal on each side of each opening of the crown part of each fastener

Description

RESILIENT STRAP ASSEMBLY INVENTOR AND HOLDER: DONALD B. AYRES, American citizen residing at 8501 Laramie, Skokie, Illinois 60077, E. U. A.

EXTRACT OF THE INVENTION In accordance with the present invention, there is provided a resilient fastener assembly, which includes a plurality of U-shaped fasteners, which are connected together by two elongate flexible members that are not made of metal, such as wires of plastic. Each fastener has a first opening or slot formed in the crown portion thereof, and a second spaced opening or slot formed in the crown portion thereof. The fasteners are aligned in a row, such that the pairs of slots of each fastener are aligned with similar grooves of the adjacent fasteners. The fasteners are positioned adjacent to each other, with the pairs of slots aligned to form two long gutters, and an elongate flexible member that is not made of metal or plastic wire is received in each gutter, and by the same, in each gutter slot. each bra. Sequential pressure is applied to the side edges of the crown portion of each fastener, causing the metal of the crown part between each side edge and each groove to move inward to curl the plastic wire in each groove, giving as a result a resilient fastener assembly held together by two plastic wires, which are fastened securely and mechanically between the metal on each side of each slot of the crown portion of each fastener.

***** BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION 1. Field of Invention The present invention relates to a fastener assembly that includes fasteners having a U-shaped cross section, which are connected together by plastic wires, to provide a fastener stack to be mounted on a tool magazine, the which separates and rips the fasteners around metal wires, such as spring coils of a mattress or a car seat. 2. Description of the Prior Art. Heretofore, it has been proposed, in U.S. Patent No. 3,722,670, to provide a fastener stack, wherein the fasteners are held together by two plastic wires, and where the plastic wires are pressed into notches in the fasteners. side edges of a plurality of aligned U-shaped fasteners, to provide the fastener stack, which can be inserted into a magazine of a tool that is adapted to cut each fastener in the stack, and curl each U-shaped fastener around two or more wires or metal rods. Heretofore, a U-shaped fastener assembly has also been proposed in U.S. Patent No. 4,508,220. This patent discloses a U-shaped fastener assembly, and a method for producing the same, wherein the fasteners are held together in a set or stack by two metal wires, which are welded to the outer corona portion of the fasteners. U-shaped fasteners inverted. As will be described in more detail later herein, the resilient fastener assembly of the present invention provides a plurality of fasteners, which have generally parallel, transversely spaced spaced grooves in the fastener, through the outer inverted side of the crown portion. of each bra. Then, a plastic wire is inserted into each row of grooves, in an aligned row of U-shaped fasteners. Next, pressure is applied to the lateral edges of each fastener in the crown portion thereof, to curl the metal around each slot partially around the plastic wire received in it. The resilient fastener assembly of the present invention has the advantage that it is easier to form two grooves in the inverted crown of the fastener than to form four grooves in the side edges of a fastener, as described in U.S. Patent No. 3,722,670. Additionally, the plastic wire cord is not mechanically tightened or stopped in the notches of the fastener described in U.S. Patent No. 3,722,670, and is stopped therein merely by friction. Still further, due to the location of the notches in the side edges of the fastener, the fastener stack of US Pat. No. 3,722,670, does not readily conform to fasteners of different sizes, while the resilient fastener assembly of the present invention can be adapted to a fastener of any size. With respect to the U-shaped fastener assembly described in U.S. Patent No. 4,508,220, welding the wires to the outer read of the crown portion of each of the fastener assembly fasteners requires cleaning of steel, since welding requires clean surfaces. Additionally, the steel wire has no memory, and if the fastener strip of the assembly is twisted or deformed, it remains in that condition, which can result in a binding of the fasteners in the tool magazine. Also, the cutting of a metal wire will result in an eventual blunting of the cutting element, and a required replacement. Additionally, wire chips are formed in the wire cut, and contaminate the automated mattress assembly equipment, as described in United States Patent No. 4,829,643, resulting in equipment malfunctions. Still further, the edges of the cut wire can sometimes inadvertently crimp an operator, causing accidents. The resilient fastener assembly of the present invention eliminates these possible limitations of the U-shaped fastener assembly of the prior art described in U.S. Patent No. 4,508,220.

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION The resilient fastener assembly includes a plurality of U-shaped fasteners, which are held together by the two elongate flexible members, which are not metal, which are securely and mechanically fastened between the metal on each side of each opening in the crown part of each fastener. The method for making the resilient fastener assembly includes the steps of: punching the fastener materials from a sheet of metal, each material having two spaced apart openings punched through the metal in the area that will be formed in a part of crown of a U-shaped fastener; folding or forming each fastener material around a mandrel, to form a U-shaped fastener with one crown portion and two leg portions; placing a plurality of the U-shaped fasteners in a line or row, with the openings on one side of the fastener aligned with the adjacent openings of the adjacent fasteners, to form an elongated gutter, and with the slot on the other side of each. fastener aligned with the adjacent slots of the adjacent fasteners, to form a second elongated spout; placing an elongate flexible member that is not metal in each gutter; and sequentially pressing the side edges of the crown portion of each fastener toward each other, to crimp the plastic wires into the fastener openings, to form the resilient fastener assembly. Further, in accordance with the present invention, there is provided a method for making a resilient fastener assembly, which includes the steps of: punching fastener materials from a sheet of metal, each material including two separate perforated apertures or grooves. through the metal in the area that will be formed in a crown portion of a U-shaped fastener; forming each fastener material around a mandrel, to form the fastener with a U-shape, which includes a crown part and two leg parts; placing a plurality of these fasteners in a line or row with the groove on one side of each fastener aligned with the adjacent grooves of the adjacent fasteners, to form an elongated gutter, and with the groove on the other side of each fastener aligned with the grooves adjacent adjacent fasteners to form a second elongated gutter; placing an elongate flexible member, which is not made of metal, such as a plastic wire, in each gutter; and sequentially pressing the side edges of the crown portion of each fastener toward each other, to crimp the plastic wires into the slots of each fastener, to form the resilient fastener assembly.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS Figure 1 is a top plan view of a material from which a fastener is formed that has been punched out of a sheet of metal. Figure 2 is a side elevational view of the material, after it has been formed in a U-shape around a mandrel, to form a U-shaped fastener. Figure 3 is an end view of the U-shaped fastener. , and taken along line 3-3 of Figure 2. Figure 4 is a top plan view of three fasteners aligned side by side in a line or row, with an elongate flexible member that is not metal , or a plastic wire received in each of two elongated gutters formed by the openings or grooves aligned on the outer surface of the crown portion of each fastener, and showing one or two grinders that engage with the side edges of the part. of crown of a fastener, and at least one of the grinders is forced against the other to slightly shift the metal at the side edges of the crown portion, to curl the plastic wires into the grooves of the fastener. Figure 5 is a perspective view of the resilient fastener assembly of the present invention, formed by tightening each fastener shown in Figure 4, and showing in phantom a fastener separated from the assembly. Figure 6 is a perspective view of a part of a modified resilient fastener assembly of the present invention, and shows each fastener with an opening or slot therein, and a flexible member that is not metal, cross-sectional in size. T shape, received in each slot.

DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED MODE Referring now to the drawings in greater detail, there is illustrated, in Figure 1, a fastener material 10, from which a U-shaped fastener 12 is formed (Figure 2). As shown, the material 10 has two spaced-apart openings, preferably notches or grooves of elongated or rounded oval-shaped ends 14 and 16, each with two rounded ends 17. The openings or grooves 14 and 16 are spaced apart in a row. area of the material 10 which is formed in a crown portion 18 (Figure 3) of the U-shaped fastener 12. The slots 14 and 16 are each positioned adjacent an edge 20 or 22 of the material 10. Except for the grooves 14 and 16, the material 10 is generally in a conventional manner, to form a U-shaped fastener, by forming or bending the material 10 around a mandrel (not shown) to form the U-shaped fastener 12 shown in FIG. Figure 2. When the U-shaped fastener 12 is formed from the material 10, it includes the crown portion 18 and first and second leg portions 24 and 26. The crown portion 18 extends from the side edges 20 and 22 The crown part 18 and the p U-shaped fastener arts 24 and 26, 12, are best shown in Figure 3. A plurality of fasteners 12 are configured side by side in a line, such that the slots 14 of the fasteners 12 are aligned with others to form a gutter 28, and the slots 16 are aligned with each other to form a gutter 29. Then, an elongate flexible member other than metal, such as a wire or plastic cord 30, is inserted into the gutter 28 defined by the aligned grooves 14 and a similar member, of wire or plastic cord 32, is placed in the gutter 29 formed by the aligned grooves 16. Next, the U-shaped fasteners 12, with the plastic cords 20 and 32 received in slots 14 and 16, move to a compression station 34 defined by first and second blenders 30 and 38. At least one of the blenders, and preferably both blenders 36 and 38, move towards each other, to move a couple metal 40 between the side edge 20 and the slot 14, and a metal part 42 between the side edge 22 and the groove 16 of the crown portion 18 of the fastener 12 towards each other, for the purpose of crimping the cords of plastic 30 and 32 in the slots 14 and 16 in the compression station 34. In this way, each of the U-shaped fasteners 12 of the line or row 40 of fasteners 12, is secured connected to the wires or cords of plastic 30 and 32, to thereby form a resilient fastener assembly 50, resilience being provided by the flexibility of plastic cords or wires 30 and 32. Except for slots 14 and 16, each of the fasteners in shape of U 12 is generally of the configuration of the U-shaped fasteners described in U.S. Patent No. 4,508,220, the disclosure of which is incorporated herein by reference. It will be seen that the resilient fastener assembly 50 does not require the cutting of any metal wire, thereby reducing the maintenance of the tool with which it is used, such as the tool described in U.S. Patent No. 4,508,220 or the tool described in U.S. Patent No. 3,722,670, the disclosure of which is incorporated herein by reference. By using wires or plastic cords 30 and 32, any type of material can be used to make the fasteners 12, since nothing is welded to the fasteners. Additionally, it will be appreciated that since the plastic cords or wires 30 and 32 are located in the crown portion 18 of each of the fasteners 12, fasteners of different types and sizes can easily be attached using the method of the present invention to pass each fastener 12 passing through a compression station 34. In this respect, the width of each fastener 12 between the leg portions 26 and 28, can be of any desired size or width, and the dies for punching the fastener material 10 need not be altered when materials 10 are formed around mandrels of different sizes. sizes to form or bend U-shaped fasteners 12 of different sizes. Additionally, it will be appreciated that when the resilient fastener assembly 50 is twisted or bent, it will return to its original shape, due to the plastic memory of the plastic wires or cords 30 and 32. As a result, if the assembly is twisted, fastener assembly 50, will return to its original shape to be received in a magazine of a conventional fastener ripper and separation tool of the type used in the prior art, as described in the above-referenced US Patents. Additionally, when the plastic wires 30 and 32 are cut, there are few, if any, splinters to form contaminants in an assembly, such as a spring assembly for a mattress or an automotive car seat. Preferably, at least one or both plastic wires or cords 30 and 32 are color coded to indicate a type, style, or size of fastener 12. Additionally, it should be noted that a lighter 12-gauge fastener is provided. than the prior art fasteners, due to the reduced weight of the die-cut material of the grooves 14 and 16, without any resulting weakness in the fastener 12, whereby, more fastener rolls can be carried per truck load than with fasteners of the prior art. Also, when the resilient fastener assembly 50 is rolled onto a roll as is conventional in the art, a fastener roll is obtained that is denser than the fastener roll having metal wires welded to the crown of the fastener, as described in FIG. U.S. Patent No. 4,508,220. Further, it is believed that a resilient fastener assembly 50 constructed in the manner described above will result in a rolled fastener assembly having an indefinite shelf life of fasteners in the form of strips, as the fasteners stop in a secure manner and mechanically to the wires or cords 30 and 32, by crimping the metal adjacent the slots 14 and 16, around the plastic wires or cords 30 and 32. In other words, each plastic wire or cord 30 and 32 is tightens and is mechanically captured in each of the grooves 14 and 16, when the side edges 20 and 22 are compressed towards each other in the compression station 34. Still another advantage of the resilient fastener assembly 50 of the present invention, is that the rounded end 17 of each slot 14 or 16, when the material 10 is bent or formed around the mandrel, creates a sharp edge on an outer surface 52 of the crown portion 18, which assisted to cut the wires or plastic cords 30 and 32, by means of a cutting element, as is available in the conventional fastener dosing tools. From the above description, it will be seen that the resilient fastener assembly 50 and the method for doing so, of the present invention, have a number of advantages, a number of which have been described above, and others of which are inherent in the resilient fastener assembly 50. Also, modifications can be made to the fastener assembly 50 and the method for doing so, without departing from the teachings of the present invention. For example, as shown in Fig. 6, an assembly 60 can be formed from U-shaped fasteners 62, each having an opening or slot 64 in the crown portion thereof, and having the openings or apertures in it. aligned grooves 62, an elongate flexible member that is not metal, of T-shaped cross-section, 66 received therein. In accordance with the above, the scope of the present invention is limited only as necessary by the appended claims.

Claims (18)

1. NOVELTY OF THE INVENTION Having described the foregoing invention, it is considered as a novelty, and therefore, property is claimed as contained in the following: CLAIMS 1. A resilient fastener assembly, which includes a plurality of shaped fasteners of U, which are connected together by two elongate flexible members which are not of metal, each fastener including a portion of crown and spaced apart leg portions, and having a first opening formed in the outer surface of the crown portion of the crown. same, and a second spaced opening formed in the outer surface of the crown portion thereof, the fasteners being aligned in such a manner that the openings spaced apart from each fastener are aligned in a row, with the similar openings of the adjacent fasteners, and the pairs of openings of the row of fasteners being aligned to form two elongated gutters, an elongate flexible member being received which it is not metal in each channel, and therefore in each opening of each fastener, the side edges of the crown portion of each fastener having been pressed towards each other to cause the metal of the crown part to be bent against elongate flexible members that are not made of metal, resulting in a resilient fastener assembly held together by the two elongate flexible members that are not made of metal, which are fastened securely and mechanically between the metal on each side of the metal. each opening of the crown part of each fastener. The resilient fastener assembly according to claim 1, characterized in that each opening is an elongated opening having rounded ends. 3. The resilient fastener assembly according to claim 1, characterized in that the elongate flexible members that are not made of metal are plastic wires or cords. The resilient fastener assembly according to claim 1, characterized in that at least one of the elongate flexible members that are not made of metal is color coded to indicate a type, style, or size of the fastener. A method for making a resilient fastener assembly, which includes the steps of: punching fastener materials from a sheet of metal, each material having two spaced apart openings punched through the metal in the area that will be formed in a crown portion of a U-shaped fastener; forming each fastener material around a mandrel to form a U-shaped fastener, with one crown portion and two leg portions; placing a plurality of the U-shaped fasteners in a line or row, with the openings on one side of the fastener aligned with the adjacent openings of the adjacent fasteners, to form an elongated gutter, and with the opening on the other side of each fastener aligned with the adjacent openings of the adjacent fasteners, to form a second elongated gutter; placing an elongate flexible member that is not metal in each gutter; sequentially pressing the side edges of the crown portion of each fastener toward each other, to curl the flexible elongate non-metal members of each opening of each fastener, to form the resilient fastener assembly. 6. The method according to claim 5, characterized in that it includes the step of: forming each opening with rounded ends. The method according to claim 5, characterized in that it includes the step of: making each of the elongate flexible members that are not made of metal from plastic, thereby providing a plastic wire or cord. The method according to claim 5, characterized in that it includes the step of: coloring at least one of the elongate flexible members that are not made of metal, to provide a color-coded member to indicate a type, style, or size of fastener. 9. A resilient assembly, which includes a plurality of U-shaped fasteners, which are connected together by at least one elongate flexible member that is not metal, each fastener including a crown portion and spaced apart leg portions, and having at least one opening formed in the outer surface of the crown portion thereof, the fasteners being aligned in such a way that the opening of each fastener is aligned in a row with a similar opening of the adjacent fasteners, to form each elongated gutter , the at least one elongate flexible member being not metal received in the gutter, and therefore in each opening, the side edges of the crown portion of each fastener having been pressed towards each other, to cause the metal of the crown portion is curled against the elongate flexible member that is not metal, resulting in a resilient fastener assembly held together by at least one flexible member that is not metal fastened in a secure and mechanical manner between the metal on each side of the opening of the crown portion of each fastener. 10. The assembly according to claim 1, characterized in that the elongate flexible member that is not made of metal, has a T-shaped cross section. 11. The assembly according to claim 9, characterized because each opening is an elongated slot that has rounded ends. The assembly according to claim 9, characterized in that the elongate flexible members that are not made of metal are plastic wires or cords. The assembly according to claim 9, characterized in that at least one of the elongate flexible members that are not made of metal is color coded to indicate a type, style, or size of fastener. A method for making a resilient fastener assembly, which includes the steps of: punching fastener materials from a sheet of metal, each material having a punched opening through the metal in the area that will be formed in a part of a U-shaped bra; forming each fastener material around a mandrel to form a U-shaped fastener, with one crown portion and two leg portions; placing a plurality of U-shaped fasteners in a line or row, aligning the opening of each fastener with the adjacent openings of the adjacent fasteners, to form an elongated gutter; placing an elongate flexible member that is not metal in the gutter; and sequentially pressing the side edges of the crown portion of each fastener toward each other, to crimp the flexible non-metal member into the opening of each fastener, to form the resilient fastener assembly. 15. The method according to claim 14, characterized in that it includes the step of: forming the elongate flexible member that is not made of metal with a T-shaped cross-section. 16. The method of conformity with that claimed in Claim 14, characterized in that it includes the step of: forming each opening with rounded ends. The method according to claim 14, characterized in that it includes the step of: making each of the elongate flexible members that are not made of metal, from plastic wires, thereby providing a wire or cord of plastic. 18. The method according to claim 14, characterized in that it includes the step of: coloring at least one of the elongate flexible members that are not made of metal, to provide a color-coded member to indicate a type, style, or size of bra. In testimony of which I sign the above in this city of Mexico, D.F., on the 8th day of the month of November of 1993. BY DONALD B. AYRES APPOINED ING. JAVIER SAUCEDO C.