AU724057B2

AU724057B2 - A fastener

Info

Publication number: AU724057B2
Application number: AU33247/97A
Authority: AU
Inventors: Derek Boden
Original assignee: G James Australia Pty Ltd
Current assignee: G James Australia Pty Ltd
Priority date: 1996-09-03
Filing date: 1997-08-07
Publication date: 2000-09-14
Anticipated expiration: 2017-08-07
Also published as: AU3324797A

Description

AUSTRALIA

Patents Act 1990 COMPLETE SPECIFICATION FOR A STANDARD PATENT S. Name of Applicant(s): Actual Inventor(s): Address for Service: G JAMES AUSTRALIA PTY LTD DEREK BODEN CULLEN CO., Patent Trade Mark Attorneys, 240 Queen Street, Brisbane, Qld. 4000, Australia.

Invention Title: A FASTENER Details of Associated Provisional Applications: Nos. P02063 The following statement is a full description of this invention, including the best method of performing it known to us: THIS INVENTION relates to an improved fastener for anchoring a fabric to a support.

There are many instances where it is necessary to anchor a fabric or a web of material to a support.

For example, signs are often produced by providing advertising information or other printed material and then supporting the fabric in a taut condition between elongate frame members. The frame members may then subsequently be mounted to a support. The elongate frame members typically interlock and capture the material between them. Awnings or shade structures in addition to signs may also be produced in this manner.

Earlier Australian patent application 88485/82 discloses a method of securing flexible sheet cladding 15 material to a frame and employs a tubular member and a channel for this purpose. The flexible cladding material is draped over and supported by the tube and the tube is then snapped into the channel to thereby capture the material between the tube and the channel. With such an 20 arrangement, the natural resiliency of the channel which springs apart to allow the tube to be inserted within it necessarily results in an insufficient retaining force 6 being applied to the material.

In addition to this, the material is only 25 pinched at two locations between the tube and the channel where the tube tends to contact an interior surface of the channel.

Where the material is intended to be tensioned to hold it taut, there is a tendency with the arrangement of this earlier patent specification for the tube to become dislodged from the channel. The resiliency of the channel which allows the tube to be inserted into it also allows the tube to readily separate from the channel if undue tension is applied to the fabric. Where the tube and the channel are particularly long, it becomes difficult to snap fit the tube into the channel.

Earlier Australian patent specification 516037 discloses another device for releasably holding flexible sheet material. The device employs a channel and two tubular or cylindrical elongate locking members which are inserted one after the other into a channel through a narrow opening into the channel. Where the channel is particularly long it is difficult to snap fit the two locking members. In addition, two rather than one locking member are used.

Australian patent specification 590075 discloses a fastening assembly having a channel and an elongate mounting member with shoulders. The channel has return flanges and when the channel is snap fitted over the mounting member, the return flanges engage over the shoulders. This arrangement requires considerable effort i 1 to be expanded in snap fitting the channel over the mounting member.

It is an object of the present invention to .provide an improved fastener for anchoring a fabric or web which at least minimises some of the disadvantages referred to above.

20 According to one aspect, the invention provides a fastener for anchoring a fabric or web, the fastener including an elongate attachment member having a web and opposed inwardly directed flanges, one of the flanges having a plurality of spaced longitudinally extending 25 ribs, an elongate anchor member having a web and two spaced inwardly directed flanges, the attachment member being receivable between the flanges of the anchor member, one of the flanges of the anchor member having a plurality of longitudinally extending grooves on an inner face with the grooves corresponding in number to the number of said ribs on the one flange of the attachment member, the longitudinally extending grooves having a non-constant depth whereby as the members are secured to one another, the ribs move over the grooves and clamp the fabric between them and the grooves.

The anchor member preferably has a planar mounting extension projecting from one side thereof. The mounting extension may be co-planar with the web of the anchor member. The extension may have a longitudinally extending groove to assist in drilling holes through the extension.

At least an inner face or wall of one of the flanges of the anchor member has a plurality of longitudinally extending grooves. The ribs provided on an outer face of one of the flanges of the attachment portion may ride over the grooves on the inner wall of the anchor member as the two members are pivoted relative to one another to fit them together to capture a fabric between them to provide a plurality of locations at which the fabric is clamped between the members. The ribs on the attachment member engage against outer reduced depth portions of the grooves in the flange on the anchor 15 member. Preferably, one rib is present on the web of the *anchor member and a plurality of grooves are present on an inner wall of the adjacent flange. Preferably, three grooves are present on the inner wall of the flange.

Each groove on the flange may have an inner deeper 20 portion and an outer shallower portion. Where the flange of the anchor member has three grooves, it is preferred that a corresponding number of ribs be present on the other flange of the attachment member.

The attachment member may have a longitudinally 25 extending shoulder located between an outer face of the web and the one flange. This shoulder may receive an enlarged bead of one of the flanges of the anchor member when the two members are mounted to each other to clamp a fabric between them.

A double anchor member may be provided by having two ,anchor members arranged in mirror symmetry with a common mounting extension extending between them.

Such a double anchor member has two pairs of opposed flanges with each of the pairs of flanges being configured like the flanges of the single anchor member previously described. The common mounting extension may have a drilling groove extending along it.

The double anchor member receives two attachment members like that described and thus is able to capture end portions of two separate pieces of fabric between them.

Preferred embodiments of the invention will now be described with reference to the drawings in which:- Figure 1 is a perspective view of an elongate anchor member according to one embodiment of the invention and which forms part of fastener according to the invention; Figure 1A is an end view of the member of Figure 1 shown on an enlarged scale; Figure 2 is a perspective view of an elongate attachment member according to one embodiment of the invention and which another forms part of the fastener of o 15 the invention; Figure 2A is an end view of the member of Figure 2 shown on an enlarged scale; Figure 3 is a perspective view of the elongate anchor member of Figure 1 to which an elongate attachment 20 member of Figure 2 has been secured; Figure 4 is a perspective view of an alterative elongate anchor member to that shown in Figure 1; and Figure 5 shows a perspective view of the member of Figure 4 to which two attachment members like that of 25 Figure 2 have been secured.

As shown in Figures 1 and 1A, the elongate attachment member 10 has a channel portion 11 from which extends a planar mounting extension 12. The extension 12 has a groove 13 which allows holes to be readily drilled along the length of the member 10 without the drill bit wandering on the surface of extension 12. These holes (not shown) allow the member 10 to be attached to a support (not shown).

The channel portion 11 has a lower web 14 coplanar with extension 12 and two upwardly extending and inwardly directed side flanges 15, 16. Flanges 15 and 16 have enlarged beads 17, 18 extending along their free edges.

Flange 15 is provided with a rib 19 and grooves 21, 22. The grooves have an inner end of greater depth than an outer end.

The attachment member 25 of Figures 2 and 2A has a planar web 26 and two opposed flanges 27, 28.

Flange has an outer inwardly directed portion 29 and an inwardly directed bead receiving groove 30 located between portion 29 and the web 26.

A shoulder 31 defines the junction between web 26 and the flange 28. The flange 28 is substantially C shaped and has an inwardly facing free edge 32. Three outwardly directed ribs 33, 34, 35 extend along the length of the generally C shaped flange 28.

Figure 3 shows the way in which the elongate 15 anchor member 10 of Figure 1 is engaged by the elongate attachment member 25 of Figure 2 to capture fabric or web 40 between them. To achieve such inter-engagement, the fabric is first placed between the members 10 and The free end of the fabric may be located between the members and need not extend from between the members. In Figure 3, the fabric 40 has been shown extending completely through the members. The generally C shaped flange 28 is inserted into the space between flanges and 16 of member 10. At this stage, flange 27 of member 25 25 is still outside of the space between flanges 15 and 16 of member 10. The member 25 is rotated relative to member 10. This action causes some of the ribs 33, 34, of member 25 to travel over rib 19 and over the grooves 20, 21, 22 of member 10 until the ribs capture the fabric between them and the shallower portions of the grooves. At the same time, bead 17 locates substantially in the shoulder 31.

As a consequence of this rotation to cause the members 10 and 25 to engage, inwardly directed portion 29 progresses over bead 18 and the bead 18 locates within bead receiving groove 30. The natural resiliency of member 25 now acts to securely hold the members 10 and together and the fabric is clamped between them. The tendency for the fabric to tear is essentially eliminated by this action and the pivoting or rolling action employed to secure the members 10 and 25 to each other is particularly easy to achieve.

Figure 4 shows an alternative elongate anchor member 50 to that shown in Figure i. The member 50 may best be though of as consisting of two members like that shown in Figure 1 but arranged in an opposed configuration and sharing a common extension like extension 12 shown in Figure i. Planar web 51 may be considered as a common extension resulting by arranging two members 10 in such an opposed fashion. Web 51 has a groove 52 extending along it and this groove serves an identical purpose to that served by groove 13 present on 15 extension 12 of member 10 shown in Figure 1.

The two channel shaped anchor portions 53 and 54 are identical in configuration to the anchor portion provided by flanges 15 and 16 and web 14 of the member shown in Figure 1 and each portion 53, 54 has identical 20 features to that previously described for flanges 15, 16 and web 14. Anchor member 50 has mirror symmetry about groove 52 and for simplicity only one side or anchor *9*9 portion of member 50 will be described.

Anchor portion 54 has opposed side flanges 25 61 and a web 62 extending between them. Flanges 60 and 61 are inwardly directed and terminate in enlarged beads 63, 64. Flange 61 is provided an inner surface having rib 65, a groove 66, a groove 67, an outer groove 68.

Figure 5 shows how the anchor member 50 of Figure 4 receives two attachment members 25 like that shown in Figure 2. Anchor member 50 may be secured to a support by drilling spaced holes in the web 51 at locations along groove 52 and fasteners (not shown) may then be employed to secure the anchor member in place.

Separate end portions of a fabric or web 70, 71 are captured between the attachment members 25 and the anchor portions 53, 54 of anchor member 50. The fabric need not extend completely through portions 53 and 54. Rather, the fabric need only extend between flange 61 and flange 28. The attachment members 25 are fitted to the anchor portions 53, 54 in the same manner as that described with reference to Figure 3. Thus, each fabric 70, 71 is securely fixed and clamped at a plurality of locations between the attachment member and the anchor portions provided by the ribs 33, 34, 35 and the corresponding grooves of 66, 67, 68 of portions 53 and 4.

The attachment portions 25 are easily pivoted to engage within the anchor portions 53 and 54 and the inherent resiliency of the attachment portions also assist in retaining the members in an engaged position relative to each other.

Any tension applied to the fabric in the .i 15 direction which would normally withdraw the fabric from the members causes a greater clamping action to be imparted to the members.

o *°ooo* o•

Claims

2. The fastener of claim 1 wherein the anchor member has a planar mounting extension projecting from one side thereof. 20 3. The fastener of claim 2 wherein the mounting extension is co-planar with the web of the anchor member.
4. The fastener of any one of claims 1 to 3 wherein the grooves in the anchor member have an outer reduced depth portion against which the fabric is clamped oIo 25 by the ribs on the attachment member. The fastener of any one of Claims 1 to 4 wherein the anchor member has three said grooves and the attachment member has three said ribs.
6. The fastener of any one of claims 1 to wherein the attachment member has a longitudinally extending shoulder located between an outer face of the web and the one flange.
7. The fastener of claim 6 wherein the other flange of the attachment member has a bead receiving groove.
8. The fastener of claim 7 wherein free ends of the flanges of the anchor member have enlarged beads for locating in respective ones of the shoulder and the bead receiving groove of the attachment member.
9. A fastener for anchoring a fabric or web, the fastener including two said attachment members according to any one of claims 1 to 8 and an anchor member having two pairs of flanges extending along the anchor member with a respective web between each said pair of flanges, a common mounting extension extending between the webs and an outermost flange of each said pair having a plurality of longitudinally extending grooves on an inner face with the grooves in each said outermost flange corresponding in number to the number of ribs on each said attachment member, the grooves having a non constant depth, a respective said attachment member being receivable between each respective pair of said flanges 15 of the anchor member whereby, as the members are secured C. to one another, the ribs on the attachment members move over the grooves in the outermost flanges of the anchor member and clamp the fabric between them and the grooves. The fastener of claim 9 wherein the common 20 mounting extension is co-planar with the respective webs of the anchor member. 11ii. The fastener of claim 9 or 10 wherein the grooves in the anchor member have an outer reduced depth portion against which the fabric is clamped by the ribs 25 on the attachment members.
12. The fastener of any one of claims 9 to 11 wherein the outer flanges of the anchor member each have three said grooves and each said attachment member has three said ribs.
13. The fastener of any one of claims 9 to 12 wherein the free ends of the flanges of the anchor member have enlarged beads.
14. A fastener substantially as herein described with reference to Figure 3 or Figure 5 of the drawings. DATED this 7th day of August 1997 G JAMES AUSTRALIA PTY LTD By their Patent Attorneys CULLEN CO.