WO2005042212A1

WO2005042212A1 - Holder for objects

Info

Publication number: WO2005042212A1
Application number: PCT/SE2004/001587
Authority: WO
Inventors: Bengt Forsberg
Original assignee: Bengt Forsberg
Priority date: 2003-10-30
Filing date: 2004-11-01
Publication date: 2005-05-12
Also published as: SE525905C2; SE0302846D0; SE0302846L

Abstract

The present invention relates to a holder for objects comprising a carrying bracket (1) and a holder element (2) supported by the carrying bracket, consisting essentially of two gripping devices (16, 17) arranged with a mutual intermediate space between then. Each of these is pivotally mounted in the carrying bracket about its own pivoting axis (22, 23), and they are mutually attached to an elastic connecting device (18) which, together with gripping surfaces (19, 20), forms a continuous holder part (2') for the purpose of defining a holder space in the aforementioned intermediate space for the object. The holder element is capable, through the aforementioned pivoting of the gripping devices, of being adjusted between a position for receiving the object and a position for holding the object securely. The holder ensures that the holder element is held in the receiving position when the object is removed from the holder.

Description

HOLDER FOR OBJECTS

TECHNICAL FIELD The present invention relates to a holder for objects in accordance with the preamble to the following Patent Claim 1.

BACKGROUND ART

Previously disclosed through SE-B-439 270 is a holder developed by the same applicant with a carrying bracket and a holder element that is capable of adjustment between a receiving position and a holder position for objects.

The holder element is pivotable about two pivoting axes for its adjustment motion, although it remains in its holder position if it has been placed manually in that position by mistake. It is difficult to insert objects in this case, because of the high friction at the gripping surfaces of the holder element and the form of the holder element that makes it suitable for holding securely.

DISCLOSURE OF INVENTION The object of the invention is to make available a holder, in which the inconvenience described above is eliminated. The aforementioned object is achieved by means of a holder in accordance with the present invention, the characterizing features of which can be appreciated from the following Patent Claim 1.

With the holder in accordance with the invention, it is possible to ensure that the holder element is always in the receiving position when the object is removed, so that the holder is ready to receive objects for renewed secure holding. BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF DRAWINGS

The invention will be described below in greater detail as an illustrative embodiment with reference to the accompanying drawings, in which Fig. 1 shows an example of a holder in accordance with the invention partially as a sectioned view and observed from above, in conjunction with which a part of a carrying bracket included in the holder is cut away, Fig. 2 is a view of the holder from the front, Fig. 3 is a perspective view of a holder element included in the holder, Fig. 4 is a view of the holder element from above, Fig. 5 is a view corresponding to Fig. 1 , but with an object introduced into an intermediate position between the receiving position and the secure holding position, and Fig. 6 is a corresponding view of the holder in the secure holding position.

As can be appreciated from Figs. 1 and 2, for example, the holder essentially comprises a carrying bracket 1 and a holder element 2. The carrying bracket exhibits an attachment part 3 at the rear in the form of a rear wall, which, in the illustrated example, exhibits attachment holes 4, 5 for the purpose of enabling attachment elements, for example screws, to be screwed into a wall. The attachment part in the example exhibits attachment flanges 6, 7 in the form of upward-projecting and downward-projecting parts of the rear piece 3. These can be used for insertion, for example by pushing into an elongated attachment profile that can be attached to a wall and is able to support a plurality of brackets that can be displaced laterally to the appropriate lateral position. The attachment profile is with advantage a C- profile with component parts that are capable of gripping around the attachment flanges 6, 7. The carrying bracket 1 furthermore exhibits two forward-projecting parts 8, 9, which between them form a space 10 which provides space for the object that is to be held securely by the holder. The two forward-projecting parts 8, 9 may be regarded as two legs of a fork, which, in the illustrated example, are formed by two side walls 11 , 12 projecting forwards from the rear wall 3. Arranged between the rear wall 3 and the side walls 11, 12 is a lower wall 13, which is illustrated in Fig. 1 , and an upper wall 14 having the same design with an essentially u-shaped indentation 15 opening towards the front.

A corresponding indentation is arranged in the lower wall 13. The holder element can be appreciated from all the Figures and is executed in an elastic material, for example rubber. The holder element consists of two gripping devices 16, 17, which between them at the front exhibit a connecting device 18, which is appropriately strip-shaped and elastic and is appropriately made from the same material as the other parts of the holder element, for example rubber. The connecting device 18 together with the gripping devices forms a holder part 2' with a holder surface intended to be in contact with a part of an object in order to hold it securely. The forward-facing surfaces of the gripping devices are formed to some extent by the holder surface, which exhibits high friction, and are ribbed with advantage, as in the example in accordance with Figs. 2, 3 and 4, with a plurality of upright ribs 21 for the purpose of providing an additional good grip with the object. The forward-facing surface 18' of the connecting device 18 forms an intermediate part of the holder surface between the gripping devices 16, 17. Each of the gripping devices is pivotally mounted in the carrying bracket about its own pivoting axis 22, 23, and these are accordingly situated at a suitable distance from one another and are essentially parallel. In the illustrated example, the carrying bracket is so rigid that the pivoting axes will essentially not be subject to lateral displacement but will be retained in an unchanged position while they are being held securely and adjusted between their positions. In the illustrated example, the pivoting axes 22, 23 are physically arranged as two shaft journals 24, 25, which extend through coaxial holes in the lower and upper walls 13, 14 and corresponding elongated holes 24", 25' in the elastic holding element 2. The holes in the elastic element must be dimensioned in relation to the form and dimensions of the shaft journals so that the journals can be held firmly in the holder element without the need for locking on the opposite side. On the top side, the shaft journals exhibit heads 26, 27 which restrict the distance to which the shaft journals can be pushed in from above. The holes in the lower and upper wall, on the other hand, must be dimensioned so that it does not generate high friction with the shaft journals, which, during the pivoting movement in this example, is applied to the gripping devices 16, 17.

The holder element may alternatively be integrated with the carrying bracket so that the elastic material and the design of the holder element create folding guides which form the pivoting axes.

The gripping devices in the holder element are executed in the illustrated example with transcurrent cavities 26', 27', which create deformable walls 28 to 31 , which increase the resilient capacity of the gripping surfaces 19, 20 and in so doing increase their gripping capacity.

The holder in accordance with the invention is so arranged as to align itself with the receiving position when the object is removed, which is assured by sprung means 32, 33 which apply a spring force to the holder element 2, which creates a turning moment on the gripping devices 16, 17 about the respective pivoting axis 22, 23 in the opposite direction of pivoting to the direction of pivoting in conjunction with movement from the receiving position to the secure holding position. In the example, these means consist of separately sprung devices which act upon the holder element and cause it to adopt its receiving position in accordance with Fig. 1.

In the illustrated example, the sprung devices consist of elastic projections in the form of strip-like flaps, tongues or similar, which project rearwards and inwards into the holder from the respective gripping device 16, 17 in the area between the pivoting axes 22, 23. The sprung devices can be regarded as a kind of auxiliary device which assists the connecting element 18, which similarly has an effect and contributes to a turning moment about the pivoting axes, but is not normally sufficiently strong to ensure the spring-assisted return movement. It is conceivable in principle for the connecting device itself to be so dimensioned and resilient that it creates the necessary return force or turning moment.

The function of the sprung devices can best be appreciated from Figs. 1 , 5 and 6. Fig. 1 accordingly shows the receiving position that is adopted when no object is being held securely by the holder. The sprung devices in this case do not have any spring effect, but the connecting device holds the gripping devices in the desired position and in a mutually uniform position. When an object 34, for example the shaft of a cleaning appliance or some other implement, tool or similar, is offered up to the holder when it is in the receiving position in accordance with Fig. 1 , i.e. with its longitudinal axis 35 parallel with the pivoting axes 22, 23, and is pressed against the secure holding surface, the connecting device 18 will be caused to bend and will bring the gripping devices 16, 17 with it in an inward-pivoting motion about their axes 22, 23; see Fig. 5. A gripping space is formed in this way between the gripping surfaces 19, 20, which together with the connecting device 18 partially encloses the shaft 34, in conjunction with which the gripping space is so dimensioned that the distance between the gripping surfaces in the absence of an object is less than the transverse dimension or the diameter of the object. The gripping devices are deformed in this way and spring out of the way and in so doing produce a high gripping force around the object. It can also be seen from Fig. 5 that the spring devices 32, 33, when in the middle position, make contact with their ends 36, 37 with the carrying bracket 1 , and more specifically with the inside 38, 39 of the side walls 11 , 12. Continuing inward pressure by the object causes the gripping devices to rotate further about their respective pivoting axes, although under elastic deformation of the spring devices 32, 33, which applies a smaller spring force, which accordingly interacts with the turning moment on the gripping devices, which is overcome during the insertion motion. Through the elastic deformation of the gripping devices and the dimensioning of the connecting device 18 and, to a certain extent, the design of the gripping surfaces 19, 20, the holder element and the object 34 pass a dead-centre position or an over- centre position in which the turning moment on the gripping devices is transformed into the same direction as the turning moment which endeavours to cause the gripping device to pivot inwards into the holder. The gripping devices in this case accordingly endeavour to be caused to rotate inwards and to adopt the holder position in accordance with Fig. 6, which is a stable position in interaction with the connecting device 18, whereby a stable grip is accordingly adopted around the object 34, since the holder area assumes the same form and dimensions as the cross-sectional form and dimensions of the object. The space tapers strongly towards the front so that only a quite small opening 40 towards the front is created, with an intermediate space between the forward-projecting edges 41 , 42 of the gripping devices, so that the object is held securely in the holder position. In this case, the spring devices 32, 33 have been folded back in such a way as to produce a spring pre-tension, although this is still significantly less than the inward-acting turning moment on the gripping devices. Instead of the flaps being folded back, as shown in the Figure, it is conceivable for the flaps to possess greater rigidity and for them to be permitted to slide along the inside of the side walls 11 , 12 in order, in so doing, to create the required spring force.

It will be appreciated from the various Figures that if the holder element is moved inwards, on the other hand, without the presence of an object, into the position illustrated in Fig. 6, the spring devices 32, 33 will ensure that the holder device is returned to the receiving position illustrated in Fig. 1 in interaction with the elasticity of the connecting device, or in the event of limited elasticity in the connecting device, the intermediate position is adopted (see Fig. 5), in conjunction with which the holder is once again ready to receive an object to be held securely.

The invention is not restricted to the example illustrated and described here. The spring devices can be of a different design, for example in the form of a comb-shaped, elastic part of the gripping devices. The holder surface of the holder part can be a continuous contact surface or can be subdivided on the basis of strong raised parts. It is also conceivable for sprung characteristics, which cause the holder element to return to its receiving position, i.e. without the need for extra spring devices, to be imparted to the connecting device 18.

Claims

PATENT CLAIMS

1. Holder for objects (34) comprising a carrying bracket (1) and a holder element (2) supported by the carrying bracket, consisting essentially of two gripping devices (16, 17) arranged with a mutual space (40) between them, each of which is pivotally mounted in the carrying bracket about its own pivoting axis (22, 23), and which are mutually attached to an elastic connecting device (18) which is so arranged, together with gripping surfaces (19, 20), as to form a continuous holder part (2') for the purpose of defining a holder space in the aforementioned space for the object, in conjunction with which the holder element is capable, through the aforementioned pivoting of the gripping devices, of being adjusted between a position for receiving the object and a position for holding the object securely, characterized in that the holder comprises means to ensure that the holder element is held in the receiving position when the object is removed from the holder.

2. Holder in accordance with Patent Claim 1 , characterized in that the aforementioned means consist of devices (32, 33) with an adapted force which, with the object removed, generates a turning moment on the gripping devices (16, 17) about their pivoting axes (22, 23) opposite to the turning moment that is generated in conjunction with the application of the object in the holder element.

3. Holder in accordance with Patent Claim 2, characterized in that the aforementioned devices (32, 33) consist of elastic devices which generate a spring force through elastic deformation against the carrying bracket.

4. Holder in accordance with Patent Claim 3, characterized in that the elastic devices consist of formed projections from the gripping devices (16, 17).

5. Holder in accordance with Patent Claim 4, characterized in that the projections consist of tongue-like parts, each of which is deformed in the holder position towards its own fixed wall (11 , 12) of the carrying bracket (1).

6. Holder in accordance with Patent Claim 2, characterized in that the turning moment generated by the force is less than the turning moment required in order to cause the holder element to pivot from the holder position with the object inserted in the holder.