GB2229491A

GB2229491A - Tie assembly

Info

Publication number: GB2229491A
Application number: GB9005668A
Authority: GB
Inventors: Roger Patrick Coupe
Original assignee: COBRA MARKETING Ltd
Current assignee: COBRA MARKETING Ltd
Priority date: 1989-03-15
Filing date: 1990-03-13
Publication date: 1990-09-26
Anticipated expiration: 2010-03-13
Also published as: GB9005668D0; GB2229491B; GB8905987D0

Abstract

The tie assembly for bundles of cables, pipes, or ropes includes a block and a strap 24 for anchoring by one end to the block, the block having a passage 12 therethrough for reception of the strap 24 and at least one knife-edge protrusion 22 projecting into the passage 12 and being directed towards a face 14 of the block to bite into a length of strap 24 located in passage 12. As shown, block has two parallel passages 12 and first end of strap 24 may be received in one passage and the strap is then looped around bundle and the free end of strap inserted in other passage 12. Block may be moulded from hard-fibre reinforced thermo-plastics material with integral knife edge protrusions or they may be formed by metal inserts. Figures 3, 4 illustrate modifications - with knife edges close to front face 14, and passages opening into opposite faces (26, 28). Strap may be moulded integrally with block, there then being only one passage. <IMAGE>

Description

IMPROMENTS IN OR RELATING TO TIES The present i nvent i rwr concerns improvements in or relating to ties, espec@@ll@ #J# hut not exclusively ties for clamping together bundles of cables, pipes or ropes.

There are presently available many different types of ties for cables, ranging from the simplest which takes the form of a piece of malleable metal, sometimes protectively coated with a plastics material which can be twisted round the bundle to a more ccimplicated form including n. flexible plastics material strap, having a saw-toot tnnfiguration moulded into one Or its faces and a locking block fixed or moulded to one of its ends, the locking block having a passage therethrough with a ratchet-like member projecting into the passage such thct as the strap is passed through the passage with the saw-tooth configuration facing the ratchet, movement of the strap is permitted in the insertion direction but removal is prevented in the opposite direction by inter-engagement of the ratchet with the substantially perpendicular faces of the saw-tooth configuration.

Such ties ar. relatively expensive to manufacture and in certain instances, difficult to fit due to the requirement of access to the opening into ihc passage through the block.

It is an object of the resent invention to obviate or mitigate these disadvantages.

According to the present invention there is provided a tie assembly having a fixing block and a flexible strap, one end of which is anchored relative to the block, the block having a passage therethrough for reception of a length of the strap intermediate its free and anchored ends and at least one inwardly directed projection presenting a knife-edge directed towards one end of the passage, whereby said edge penetrates into a strap located within he passage.

Preferably the bi #cfr .1 moulded from a fibre-reinforced plastics material for example a material sold under the Trade Mark IXEF.

Preferably the block has two parallel passages therethrough in one of which one end of the strap is anchored.

Preferably both passages have at least one knife edge protruding therein to.

Preferably the or each passage is open-topped with a restriction at the opening so that the strap can be introduced into the passage by passing it through said opening, the restriction causing compression of the strap as it enters the passage and preventing or hindering removal therefrom after it has entered into the passage.

Preferably a pair of knife edge protrusions are provided in the or each passage on opposed walls of the passage.

Preferably the open top of one of said passages is in one face of the block, the open top of the other passage being in the opposed face of the block.

Preferably tile knife edge is located at the said one end of the passage.

Preferably tie block is shaped so that a user can readily identify the said oii!: end.

Preferably ech wall of the passage has a plurality of knife-edge protrusions formed therein.

An embodiment of the present invention will now be described by way of example only with reference to the accompanying drawing, in which: Fig. 1 is a perspective diagrammatic view of a block for a tie, Fig. 2 is a sectional view along the line A-A of Fig.1 showing a strap anchored in one passage, the other passage being unoccuji ed, Fig. 3 is a view, similar to Fig 2, of a modified block; and Fig. 4 an end elevation of a further modified block.

A cable tie comprises a block and a resilient flexible plastics material strap. The block is shown diagrammatically in Fig. 1 and comprises a rectangular body 10 having two parallel substantially rectangular cross-section passages 12 passing from the front 14 to the rear 16 of the block. The block is injection mculded from a relatively hard fibre re-inforced thermo plastics material, an example of which is sold under the Trade Mark IXEF.

Each passage 12 is open-topped, the openings 18 being restricted by opposed inwardly directed protrusions 20 forming an inwardly converging opening terminating in a transversely outwardly directed retaining strip 21. Into each passage their projects a pair of knife edge protrusions 22 moulded intergrally with the body 10, the knife edges being directed towards the front face 14 of the block. The block operates in association with a strap 2, the outline of which is shown in chain lines in Fig. 1 and 2. The strap is parallel sided and has hemispherical upper and lower edges 26.

In operation a suitable length of strap is cut from an elongate supply and the First end thereof, for example the end shown in the left hand passage of the bloc in Fig. 2 is inserted into the block, either by pushing lic free end 28 of the strap into the passage 12 from the rear face 16 towards the front face 14 of th# block, or alternatively by pushing it downwardly through the restricted upper opening 18 into the passage.It can be readily observed from Fig. 2 that the width of the strap relative to the width of the passage is such that it forms only a sliding fit therein, consequently, the inwardly projecting knife edges 22, bite into the relatively soft material of the strap and, in view of the fact that the knife edges are directed towards the front face 14 of the block, the strap can be pulled through the block in the direction of this front face but cannot be pulled out of the block in the direction of the rear face 16 owing to the knife edges penetrating into the sides of the strap. Consequently, the first end of the strap 3f anchored in the block against removal in the direction of thc rear face. The length of strap projecting out of the rear face can then be looped around the bundle of members to be tied together, for example, wires, pipes or cables nd a support structure etc for the bundle and the free end of the strap can then be inserted into the second unoccupied passage either from the rear face towards the front or alteratively through the upper constricted opening 18. To pull the bundle hound by the strap and block assembly tight it is simply necessary to pull the free end of the strap through the second passage until the bulldle is compacted.It will then be held in this compact condition as the strap cannot be pulled out the passage in the direction of l.he rear face 16 due to the knife edge protrusions 22 biting inLo Liic material of the strap.

In the modified block shown in Fig. 3 the knife edges 22 are moulded very close to the front face 14 so that they are easily visible to the user who is then more able to ensure that he inserts the strap into the block in the correct direction. To assist in this orientation the block may have differently sized or shaped front and rear faces.

Fig. 4 shows a further modification where one passage has its open top in one face 26 of the block, the other passage opening into Lhe opposite Face 28, with this arrangement when the second length of strap is being pushed down into the unoccupied passage the tendancy is for the strap 24 already positioned in the other passage to be urged into further engagement in the passage, rather than out of it, as would be the case with the block shown in Fig. 1.

Various other modifications can be made without departing from the scope of the invention. For example, the block need not be moulded from a fibre-reinforced plastic material but could be mould from a plastics material with the knife edge protrusions being formed by metal inserts integrally moulded into the block. In a further modification only one knife edge 22 is provided protruding into each passage from one side thereof. In other embodiments a plurality of knife edge protrusions, each directed towards tie front face 14 of the block, are provided from each side of each passage 12. The protrusions from one side of the passage may be staggered or correspond with the protrusions from the other side. They r.lay present a face perpendicular to the passage side rather than forwardly angled.

In a further modification the strap is moulded intergrally with the block and the block comprises only one passage as there iis then no need to provide a passage into which the fixed end of the strap is anchored.

Claims

1. A tie assembly having a fixing block and a flexible strap, one end of which is anchored relative to the block, the block having a passage therethrough for reception of a length of the strap intermediate its free and anchored ends and at least one inwardly directed projection presenting a knife-edge directed towards one end of the passage, whereby said edge penetrates into a strap located within the passage.

2. An assembly as claimed in claim 1, in which the block is moulded from a fibre-reinforced plastics material.

3. An assembly as claimed in claim 1 or claim 2, in which the block has two parallel passages therethrough in one## of which one end of tile strap is anchored.

4. An assembly as claimed in claim 3, in which both passages have at least one knife edge protruding therein to.

5. An assembly as claimed in any one of the preceding claims, in which the or each passage is open-topped with a restriction at the opening so that the stro can be introduced into the passage by passing it through said opening, the restriction causing compression of the strap as it enters the passage and preventing or hindering removal therefrom after it has entered into the passage.

6. As assembly as claimed in any one of the preceding claims, in which a pair of knife edge protrusions are provided in the or each passage on opposed walls of the passage.

7. An assembly as claimed in claim 5 or claim 6, in which the open top of one of the said passages is in one face of the block, the open top of the other passage being in the opposed face of the block.

8. An assembly as claimed in any one of the preceding claims, in which the knife edge is located at the said one end of the passage.

9. As assembly as claimed in any one of the preceding claims, in which the block is shaped so -that a user can readily identify the said one end.

10. An assembly as claimed in any one of claims 1 to 9, in which each wall of the passage has a plurality of knife-edge protrusions formed therein.

11. An assembly as claimed in claim 10, in which the protrusions frame one wall re staggered with respect to the protrusions from the oppositc wall of the passage.

12. An assembly as claimed in any one of the preceding claims, in which the or each knife-edge projection is integrally formed with the block.

13. An assembly as claimed in any one of the claims 1 to 11, in which the knife-edge projection is formed separately of the block and moulded into it.

14. An assembly as claimed in claim 1 or claim 2, in which the strap is permanently fixed to the block.

15. A tie assembly substantially as hereinbefore described with reference to the accompanying drawings.

16. Any novel subject matter or combination including novel subject matter disclosed in the foregoing specification or claims and/or shown in the drawings, whether or not within the scope of or relating to the same invention as any of the preceding claims.