edge clamp

Abstract

The present disclosure relates to an edge clip to attach an article to an edge, in particular for attaching a cable tie to an edge, comprising: a first part having a holding fixture for the article; and a second part having two side walls with a gap formed between the two side walls, wherein the edge is introduced into the gap in an insertion direction when the edge clip is inserted onto the edge; wherein the first part and the side walls are integrally formed with each other, at least a part of the side walls and the first part are formed by a hard component; at least two respective legs protruding into the gap are integrally formed with each of the side walls; the legs of the different side walls are offset relative to each other in the insertion direction; the legs are at least partially formed by a soft component compared to the hard component, in order to improve known solutions for attaching an article to an edge.

Description

TECHNICAL FIELD

[0001] The present disclosure relates to an edge clip for attaching an article to an edge, in particular for attaching a cable tie to an edge, the edge clip comprising a first part having a holding fixture for the article, such as an eyelet for a cable tie, and a second part having two side walls between which a gap is formed, wherein the edge is introduced into the gap in an insertion direction when the edge clip is inserted / mounted onto the edge, wherein the first part and the side walls are formed integrally with each other, and wherein at least a part of the side walls and the top are formed by a hard component. BACKGROUND

[0002] In order to attach one or more articles to an edge, several types of edge clips are known from the prior art. An exemplary solution is shown in US 9328 756 B2, which describes a fixture for cables having at least an edge clip part for mounting the fixture on an edge of a base. The edge clip part comprises an insertion gap into which the edge is introduced when the edge clip part is inserted onto the edge. There, a metal part is inserted into the edge clip part in order to reinforce the edge clip part. The metal part can comprise one or more holding tongues which protrude into the insertion gap and rest against the edge when the fixture is mounted. Similar solutions are shown in JP 6 546 699 B2, EP 3 091 977 B1 or US 7 819 365 B2 and US 7 725 991 B2.

[0003] EP 3 263 916 B1 shows a device for fastening elongated objects to a rib-like support, in which a substantially U-shaped bracket made of a mechanically stable material is used, which has two leg parts, wherein on the end of the leg parts of the bracket respectively a plate is arranged which is pivotable about a point of rotation, which two plates in the rest position extend at a substantially right angle to the direction of the leg parts and are connected to each other by a bendable connecting element. Then, when the bracket is pushed onto the support, the two plates can be pivoted about the point of rotation in such a way that in the end position they both rest against the support on one side of the support, thereby fastening the device on the support.

[0004] It can be considered an object of the present disclosure to improve the known solutions for attaching an article to an edge. SUMMARY

[0005] This object is solved by the subject matter of the aspects as described herein. Advantageous embodiments are apparent from the other aspects, the description and the drawings.

[0006] One aspect relates to an edge clip for attaching an article to an edge of an object, in particular for attaching a cable tie to an edge, the edge clip comprising a first part, which can also be referred to as a top part, having a holding fixture for the article, for example an eyelet for a cable tie, and a second part, which can be referred to as a bottom part, having two side walls between which a gap is formed. There, when the edge clip is inserted onto the edge, the edge is introduced into the gap in an insertion direction. The first part and the side walls are formed integrally with one another, and at least a portion of the side walls and the first part are formed from a hard component. The first part can thus be considered as a bridge between the two side walls of the second part, resulting in an edge clip having a U-shaped body with a hard component, which comprises a second part with two side walls and a first part with a holding fixture. This basic design corresponds to the design of known edge clips.

[0007] At least two respective legs, which can also be referred to as tongues, claws, tabs or fingers, are formed integrally with each of the side walls. These (at least four in total) legs protrude from the side walls into the gap in order to hold the edge within the gap once the edge has been introduced into the gap. The legs are thus flexible with respect to the side walls and can bend towards the side walls when the edge is introduced into the gap. Correspondingly, once the edge is held in the gap by the legs, a main extension of the respective leg in a plane perpendicular to the edge and parallel to the insertion direction (in short: main extension plane of the edge to be introduced into the gap) can be oriented at an angle of about 45° to the main extension plane of the edge, and the angle is greater than 45°, for example about 90°, when there is no edge in the gap.

[0008] The legs are at least partially formed from a soft component, which means that they are partially formed from a soft component or completely formed from a soft component. The soft component is flexible compared to the hard component. The soft component and the hard component can be a soft plastic component and / or a hard plastic component, respectively. An exemplary hard plastic component can be a polyamide with glass fibers, for example PA66-GF15 (15% glass fibers), PA66-GF30 (30% glass fibers), PA6-GF15 or PA6-GF30, or a polyamide without glass fibers, for example PA6 or PA66; an exemplary soft plastic component can be a thermoplastic elastomer or a thermoplastic polyester-urethane. Best results are obtained when the legs of the different side walls are offset with respect to one another in the insertion direction. In particular, the legs of the different side walls can be arranged in an alternating order in the insertion direction, i.e. in the insertion direction, a leg of one side wall is followed by a leg of the other side wall, which in turn is followed by another leg on the first side wall, and so on. Thereby, the push force required to push the edge into the gap is reduced.

[0009] The present disclosure is based on the insight that a combination of soft and hard materials inspired by the shape and surface configuration of a human leg enables to provide sufficient friction between the edge and the edge clamp via the soft parts, as the legs provide sufficient spring force via the hard or soft parts to press the parts of the legs formed by the soft parts against the edge. The respective offset of the legs in the insertion direction reduces the required pushing force, as the legs unfold consecutively one after the other, while maintaining a high pulling force, as the different contributions of the different legs to the pulling force add up once the edge is inserted into the gap and comes into contact with two or more legs, ultimately resulting in an increased difference of the pushing force and the pulling force, even for hard metal plates which have a limited use for traditional metal claws. Thus, instead of sharp points or sharp edges of metal tongues in the surface of the edge to which the basic cut-in edge clamp is attached as known in prior edge clamps, which rely on deforming the edge and thus holding the traditional edge clamp in place in the end, the edge clamp in question is held in place on the edge by friction forces, which are maintained by using spring forces.

[0010] This results in the advantage that the edge clamp can be produced as one integral part without the need for metal clamps, which leads to a reduced assembly time of the edge clamp and results in a higher difference of the pushing force and the pulling force required to pull the edge clamp from the edge after the edge clamp has been attached to the edge, especially for edges made of hard metal plates. Furthermore, corrosion, which is typically caused by the contact of the metal clamps with the metal edge in traditional designs, and which ultimately leads to a long-term insecure attachment, is avoided. Thus, a more reliable attachment of the edge clamp to the edge is achieved.

[0011] In an advantageous embodiment, each of the respective legs protrudes further into the gap than a center plane of the gap, when the edge is not introduced into the gap, wherein the center plane is equidistant to both side walls. This provides the advantage that the size of the respective legs and thus the contact area of the legs, i.e. the friction for holding the edge within the gap, can become larger, thus resulting in a more reliable attachment of the edge clamp to the edge.

[0012] In another advantageous embodiment, the edge clamp is injection molded. Thus, it can form one single part, which can only be decomposed by destruction. This provides the advantage of reducing the production effort and increasing the stability of the edge clamp, resulting in an increased reliability of the attachment of the edge clamp to the edge.

[0013] In yet another advantageous embodiment, each of the respective leg portions has a flat surface portion, i.e. a contact area, which is configured to abut against a flat (or planar) edge, such as a metal sheet, which is introduced into the gap, wherein the flat surface portion partially or completely consists of the soft component. Therein, the flat surface portion is preferably an end surface of the leg portion. Such an end surface is a surface which comprises the end of the respective leg portion in the direction of the flat surface portion and / or a surface which is sufficiently close to said end so that the remainder between the end and the end surface corresponds to only a fraction, e.g. less than 20% or less than 10% or less than 5%, of the length of the flat surface portion in said direction. This provides the advantage of increasing the friction of the respective leg portion and thus improves the attachment reliability of the edge clip to the edge. For this purpose, the respective flat surface can have features of a surface texture for increasing the friction. Such a texture can be referred to as a micro texture since it is very small, e.g. by one order of magnitude, with respect to the dimensions of the respective leg portion.

[0014] In another advantageous embodiment, each of the respective leg portions is partially formed by a soft component, which forms a soft portion of the respective leg portion, and partially by a hard component, which forms a hard portion of the respective leg portion. This provides the advantage that, since the hard component is harder than the soft component, the available spring force for pressing the soft portion of the leg against the edge in the gap can be increased by the hard component, and thus the friction provided by the soft component is increased.

[0015] Therein, the hard portion of the leg portion can be formed integrally with the respective side wall, and a thin film hinge can be formed between the respective leg portion and the wall, wherein the thickness of the hard component at the location of the thin film hinge is smaller than the thickness of the hard portion of the respective leg portion in other portions, in particular in any other portion of the hard portion of the leg portion. In other words, the thin film hinge can be the weakest point or portion of the hard portion of the leg portion. The thickness of the hard component can be measured in a given direction in a plane perpendicular to the edge and parallel to the insertion direction, in particular the thickness can be measured in the insertion direction. This provides the advantage that, when the edge is introduced into the gap, the leg portion deforms only in a very specific and well-defined region, i.e. at the thin film hinge. Thus, the soft portion of the leg portion, which provides the friction needed to hold the edge in the gap, can be precisely designed to maximize the friction and does not deform in an undefined manner. Thus, the attachment reliability of the edge clip to the edge is further increased.

[0016] The soft portion of the leg portion can be closer to the opening of the gap, into which the edge is inserted into the gap in the insertion direction, than the hard portion of the respective leg portion. Thus, when the edge is inserted into the gap, the edge will encounter the soft portion before it encounters the hard portion, if it encounters the hard portion at all. This ensures that the edge is actually in contact with the soft portion of the leg portion once the edge is inserted into the gap.

[0017] Preferably, the soft portion comprises an anchor in the portion of the side wall formed by the hard component. The anchor can be a thicker portion of the soft portion than the rest of the soft portion and can be back-injection molded into the portion of the side wall formed by the hard component. The anchor can be held in place by a narrowing in the hard component, behind which the thicker portion, i.e. the head, of the anchor is positioned. This provides the advantage that the soft portion cannot be torn off the hard portion of the leg, thereby further improving the reliability of the attachment of the edge clip to the edge.

[0018] In another advantageous embodiment, exactly three respective legs protruding into the gap are formed integrally with each of the side walls. While the edge clip works reliably also with two or four respective legs per side wall, the result is that the use of three respective legs per side wall leads to the best performance. Here, the respective legs are calculated in a plane parallel to the insertion direction and perpendicular to the edge to be inserted into the gap, so that exactly three respective legs per side wall also comprises more respective legs per side wall, which can be arranged along the edge in a series of legs perpendicular to the insertion direction.

[0019] In another advantageous embodiment, the respective legs of each of the respective side walls are arranged at least partially behind each other in the insertion direction, which means that they are arranged behind each other in the insertion direction, partially or completely. This ensures that the edge is held particularly firmly in place, again contributing to the reliability of the attachment of the edge clip to the edge.

[0020] In an advantageous embodiment, the legs have the same profile or cross-section in a plane parallel to the insertion direction and perpendicular to the edge. This provides the advantage of a particularly uniform distribution of frictional forces and spring forces, which in turn increases the reliability of the attachment of the edge clip to the edge.

[0021] In another advantageous embodiment, each of the legs has a maximum thickness in a middle region between a first end region at the end of the leg, which is spaced apart from the respective side wall, and a second end region at the base of the leg, which is adjacent to the respective side wall. The thickness is preferably measured in the insertion direction or in the other direction in a plane perpendicular to the edge and parallel to the insertion direction when the edge is not introduced into the gap. In particular, the first end region can be part of a flat surface portion of the respective leg, wherein the middle region with the maximum thickness reinforces the stability of the flat surface portion and thus the reliability of the frictional forces. The middle region corresponds to the heel of a human leg, similar to the leg of the edge clip of the present disclosure, the heel presses the soft component, i.e. the sole, which corresponds to the flat surface portion, onto the area, i.e. the ground, where the maximum friction will be achieved, using the hard component, i.e. the bones.

[0022] Another aspect relates to a method for injection molding an edge clip for attaching an article to an edge, the edge clip comprising a first portion having a holding fixture for the article and a second portion having two side walls with a gap formed between the two side walls, wherein the edge is introduced into the gap in an insertion direction when the edge clip is inserted onto the edge. The method comprises the following method steps: hard part injection molding of at least a portion of the first portion and of at least a portion of the side walls using a hard injection molding part; and soft part injection molding of at least a portion of at least two respective legs onto each of the side walls, the legs protruding into the gap. Here, the soft part is softer compared to the hard part.

[0023] The advantages and advantageous embodiments of the method correspond to the advantages and advantageous embodiments of the edge clip described above.

[0024] The above-mentioned features and feature combinations, including those of the general part of the description as well as those disclosed in the description of the figures and in the claims, can be used not only in the respectively indicated combinations, but also in other combinations or on their own, without departing from the scope of the present disclosure. Therefore, embodiments which do not include all of the features of the independently worded claims derived from the original claims, but which comprise a feature or a combination of features not expressly stated in the claims, are part of the present disclosure. Furthermore, embodiments and combinations of features which differ from or go beyond the combinations of features described by the dependent claims of the claims are to be considered disclosed. BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF DRAWINGS

[0025] The exemplary embodiments are described below by way of schematic drawings. Therein:

[0026] Figure 1 A cross-section of an exemplary embodiment of an edge clip is shown before an article is introduced into the gap of the edge clip;

[0027] Figure 2 An edge clip is shown with an article introduced into the gap of Figure 1

[0028] Figure 3 A cross-section through an exemplary leg of Figure 1

[0029] Figure 4 A cross-section through an exemplary leg of Figure 2

[0030] Figure 5 is a perspective view of another exemplary embodiment of an edge clip with an article introduced into the gap; and

[0031] ​​​Figure 6 This is a perspective view of yet another exemplary embodiment of the edge clamp.

[0032] In different drawings, the same or functionally identical elements have the same reference numerals. Detailed Implementation

[0033] Figure 1 An exemplary embodiment of an edge clip 1 for attaching an item (in this example, a cable tie) to an edge 7 of an object is shown. The edge clip 1 includes a first portion 2 having a retaining and fixing device 3 (here, an eyelet for a cable tie) and a second portion 4 having two sidewalls 5 and 5', with a gap 6 formed between the two sidewalls 5 and 5', wherein when the edge clip 1 is mounted onto the edge 7, the edge 7 is introduced into the gap 6 in the insertion direction I.

[0034] The first part 2 and the sidewalls 5, 5' are integrally formed together, and at least a portion of the sidewalls 5, 5' and the first part 2 are formed by a rigid component HC.

[0035] Furthermore, at least two (three in this example) corresponding legs 8a, 8b, 8c, 8a', 8b', 8c' protruding into gap 6 are integrally formed with the corresponding sidewalls 5 and 5'. Here, the legs 8a, 8b, 8c of the first sidewall 5 are offset relative to the legs 8a', 8b', 8c' of the second sidewall 5' and are arranged in an alternating order. The legs 8a-8c' are at least partially formed by a soft component SC that is softer than the hard component HC. In this example, each of the corresponding legs 8a to 8c' protrudes into gap 6 further than the center plane CP of gap 6, which is equidistant from the two sidewalls 5, 5'. Furthermore, in this example, the soft portion 8as of the leg, which is part of the corresponding legs 8a-8c' made of the soft component SC, is also included. Figure 3 ) compared to the corresponding leg hard part 8ah, which is part of the corresponding leg 8a-8c' made of hard part HC. Figure 3 Closer to the opening 9 of the gap, edge 7 is inserted into the gap 6 from this opening in the insertion direction I. When... Figure 2 As shown, when moving through the object, using the hard part HC for the legs 8a-8c' increases the chance of pushing the legs 8a-8c' back. Figure 1 The spring force at the intermediate position is shown. In this example, legs 8a-8c' have the same profile in the xy plane parallel to the insertion direction and perpendicular to the edge.

[0036] When the edge 7 is introduced into the gap 6 along the central plane CP in the insertion direction I, each of the legs 8a-8c' bends away from the central plane CP, thereby reducing the thrust used to insert the edge 7 into the gap 6.

[0037] exist Figure 2 middle, Figure 1 An exemplary embodiment is shown with edge 7 introduced into gap 6. Due to the spring force associated with the rigid member HC, in this example, the sidewalls 5, 5' and portions of the legs 8a-8c are formed by soft members SC, which press against edge 7, resulting in increased friction between the soft members SC and edge 7. Accordingly, as the number of legs 8a-8c increases, the tension gradually increases, resulting in a higher difference between thrust and tension for the illustrated edge clamp 1.

[0038] Figure 3 It shows Figure 1 An exemplary leg 8a. Here, each of the corresponding legs is partially formed by a soft component SC (the soft portion 8as of leg 8a is made of the soft component SC) and partially formed by a hard component HC (the hard portion 8ah of leg 8a is made of the hard component HC). In the example shown, the hard portion 8ah of leg 8a is integrally formed with the corresponding sidewall 5, and a thin-film hinge 10a is formed between leg 8a and wall 5. In this example, the thickness of the hard component HC, measured along the insertion direction I at the location of the thin-film hinge, is less than the thickness of the hard portion 8ah of the corresponding leg in the other part. When the edge 7 is inserted into the gap 6, the thin-film hinge 10a provides flexibility to arm 8a and allows leg 8a to bend without bending the flat surface portion 11a, where the soft portion 8as is formed and configured to abut against the flat edge 7 introduced into the gap 6, thereby maintaining the flat shape of the flat surface portion 11a and obtaining maximum friction. Furthermore, in this example, the soft portion 8as includes an anchor 12a located in the portion formed by the rigid component HC in the sidewall 5. To optimize the reliability of edge clamping to the edge, the leg 8a has a maximum thickness hm in an intermediate region 13a between a first end region 13at located at the end of the leg 8a and a second end region 13ab located at the base of the leg 8a. Similar to a human leg or foot, the intermediate region corresponds to the heel, the first end region 13at corresponds to the toes of a human foot, and the second end region 13ab with hinge 10a corresponds to the knee of the leg.

[0039] Figure 4 It shows the use of Figure 2 The example shown is with Figure 3 The details correspond to the details. The flat surface portion 11a, constructed to abut against the flat edge 7 introduced into the gap 6, maximizes friction due to the characteristics of the soft part SC. Note that the leg 8a deforms only in the area of ​​the hinge 10a.

[0040] Figure 5A further similar embodiment of the edge clip 1 is shown, which is characterized in that instead of three there are four leg portions 8a, 8b, 8c, 8d on each side wall 5, 5'. As is likewise apparent, the flat surfaces 11a of the respective leg portions 8a-8d are preferably arranged parallel to one another, as Figure 2 is shown, the flat surfaces being in contact with the edge 7, or as Figure 1 is shown, the flat surfaces not being in contact with the edge 7.

[0041] Figure 6 A further exemplary embodiment of the edge clip 1 is shown, in which three leg portions 8a-8c, 8a'-8c' are provided at the respective side wall 5, 5'. In the example shown, the leg portions 8a-8c' are made entirely from soft components and, in the present example, are also connected to one another via an insert 14 which extends through a channel which allows all of the leg portions 8a-8c, 8a'-8c' to be injection molded in one single step.

Claims

1. An edge clip (1) for attaching an article to an edge (7) of an object, the edge clip comprising: - a first portion (2) having holding means (3) for the article; and - a second portion (4) having two side walls (5, 5') between which a gap (6) is formed, wherein the edge (7) is introduced into the gap (6) in an insertion direction (I) when the edge clip (1) is mounted onto the edge (7); - wherein the first portion (2) and the side walls (5, 5') are integrally formed with each other, and - wherein at least a part of the side walls (5, 5') and the first portion (2) are formed by a hard component (HC); wherein - at least two respective legs (8a-8d, 8a'-8c') protruding into the gap (6) are integrally formed with each of the side walls (5, 5'), resulting in a total of at least four legs (8a-8d, 8a'-8c') which are flexible with respect to the side walls (5, 5') and are configured to bend towards the side walls (5, 5') when the edge (7) is introduced into the gap (6); - wherein the legs (8a-8d, 8a'-8c') of different side walls (5, 5') are offset with respect to each other in the insertion direction (I); wherein the legs (8a-8d, 8a'-8c') are at least partially formed by a soft component (SC) which is softer than the hard component (HC); and wherein the soft component (SC) forms a soft part (8as) of the legs (8a-8d, 8a'-8c'), characterized in that the soft part (8as) comprises an anchor (12a) in a part of the side wall (5, 5') which is formed by the hard component (HC). When the edge (7) is not introduced into the gap (6), each of the respective legs (8a-8d, 8a'-8c') protrudes further into the gap (6) than a central plane (CP) of the gap (6), which is equidistant from both side walls (5, 5').

2. The edge clamp (1) according to claim 1, characterized in that The edge clip (1) is injection molded.

3. The edge clamp (1) according to claim 1, characterized in that Each of the respective legs (8a-8d, 8a'-8c') has a flat surface part (11a) which is configured to abut against a flat edge (7) which is introduced into the gap (6), wherein the flat surface part (11a) is partially or completely composed of the soft component (SC).

4. The edge clamp (1) according to any one of claims 1 to 3, characterized in that Each of the respective legs (8a-8d, 8a'-8c') is partially formed by the soft component (SC) forming the soft part (8as) of the leg (8a) and partially by the hard component (HC) forming a hard part (8ah) of the leg (8a).

5. The edge clamp (1) according to claim 1, characterized in that ​ 6. The edge clamp (1) according to claim 5, characterized in that The hard portion (8ah) of the leg (8a-8d, 8a'-8c') is formed integrally with the respective side wall (5, 5') and a thin film hinge (10a) is formed between the leg (8a-8d, 8a'-8c') and the respective side wall (5, 5'), wherein the thickness (h) of the hard component (HC) measured in the insertion direction (I) at the location of the thin film hinge (10a) is smaller than the thickness of the hard portion (8ah) of the respective leg (8a) in any other portion of the hard portion (8ah) of the leg (8a).

7. The edge clamp (1) according to claim 5 or 6, characterized in that The soft portion (8as) of the leg (8a-8d, 8a'-8c') is closer to the opening (9) of the gap (6) than the hard portion (8ah) of the respective leg (8a-8d, 8a'-8c'), the edge (7) being inserted into the gap (6) from the opening in the insertion direction (I).

8. The edge clamp (1) according to any one of claims 1 to 3, characterized in that The three respective legs (8a-8d, 8a'-8c') protruding into the gap (6) from each of the side walls (5, 5') are formed integrally with the each of the side walls (5, 5').

9. The edge clamp (1) according to any one of claims 1 to 3, characterized in that The respective legs (8a-8d, 8a'-8c') of each of the respective side walls (5, 5') are arranged at least partially behind each other in the insertion direction (I).

10. The edge clamp (1) according to any one of claims 1 to 3, characterized in that The legs (8a-8d, 8a'-8c') have the same profile in a plane parallel to the insertion direction (I) and perpendicular to the edge (7).

11. The edge clamp (1) according to any one of claims 1 to 3, characterized in that Each of the legs (8a-8d, 8a'-8c') has a maximum thickness (hm) measured in the insertion direction (I) in an intermediate region (13a) between a first end region (13at) at a distal end of the leg and a second end region (13ab) at a base of the leg.

12. A method for injection moulding an edge clip (1) for attaching an article to an edge (7), the edge clip (1) comprising a first portion (2) having a holding fixture for the article and a second portion (4) having two side walls (5, 5') between which a gap (6) is formed, wherein When the edge clip (1) is mounted to the edge (7), the edge (7) is introduced into the gap (6) in an insertion direction (I), the method comprising the steps of: - hard component injection molding at least a portion of the side wall (5, 5') and the first portion (2) using a hard injection molded component; - soft component injection molding at least a portion of at least two respective legs (8a-8d, 8a'-8c') onto each of the side walls (5, 5') using a soft injection molded component, resulting in a total of at least four legs (8a-8d, 8a'-8c') which are flexible with respect to the side wall (5, 5'), protrude into the gap (6) and are configured to bend towards the side wall (5, 5') when the edge (7) is introduced into the gap (6); wherein the soft component (SC) is softer compared to the hard component (HC) and wherein the soft component (SC) forms a soft portion (8as) of the leg (8a-8d, 8a'-8c'), characterized in that said soft portion (8as) comprises anchoring elements (12a) located in the portion of the side wall (5, 5') formed by the hard component (HC).

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