Binding tool

Abstract

To provide a bundling tool that reduces the risk of bundling of objects to be bound coming undone and is unlikely to damage the objects to be bound.SOLUTION: A bundling tool 10 has: a flat, band-like wrapping part 40 that has flexibility or resilience and length capable of wrapping around an object to be bound; a locking part 50 that is provided at one end 44A of the length of the wrapping part 40 and has a large circular hole 52, a small circular hole 54 with a diameter smaller than that of the large circular hole 52, and a communicating part 56 that communicates the large circular hole 52 and the small circular hole 54 and has a groove width 56C smaller than the diameter of the small circular hole 54; and a locked part 60 having a plurality of bumps 64 that is formed at intervals 64P on the other end 44B side of the length of the wrapping part 40 and is large enough to pass through the large circular hole 52 but not the small circular hole 54, and having a flat, band-like part 62 that connects between adjacent bumps 64 and has a width 62w smaller than the diameter of the small circular hole 54 and a maximum thickness smaller than the groove width 56C of the communicating part 56.SELECTED DRAWING: Figure 1

Description

[Technical field]

[0001] The present disclosure relates to a fastener. [Background technology]

[0002] Patent Document 1 discloses a bundling device for bundling plant branches. [Prior art documents] [Patent documents]

[0003] [Patent Document 1] JP 2002-027839 A Summary of the Invention [Problem to be solved by the invention]

[0004] However, in Patent Document 1, the knobs that lock into the hole are provided at intervals on the string, which has a circular cross section. This means that there is a risk that an unintended force will act on the string, causing the hole to come loose, and there is also a risk that the knobs will cut into the branches if the binding tool in Patent Document 1 is wrapped around the branches of a plant and used to bind them tightly.

[0005] Thus, there is a demand for a binding device that is less likely to come undone and less likely to damage the bound items.

[0006] The present disclosure aims to provide a binding tool that is less likely to come undone and less likely to damage the bound objects. [Means for solving the problem]

[0007] The present disclosure comprises a string-like wrapping portion having flexibility or resilience and length to be wrapped around an object to be bound, a locking portion provided at one end in the longitudinal direction of the wrapping portion and having a large circular hole, a small circular hole having a diameter smaller than that of the large circular hole, and a connecting portion connecting the large circular hole and the small circular hole and having a groove width smaller than the diameter of the small circular hole, and a locked portion formed at the other end in the longitudinal direction of the wrapping portion and spaced apart in multiple portions, having bumps of a size that allows the large circular hole to pass through but the small circular holes to not pass through, and flat, band-like portions connecting adjacent bumps, having a width smaller than the diameter of the small circular hole and a maximum thickness smaller than the groove width of the connecting portion. Effect of the Invention

[0008] According to the binding device of the present disclosure, there is little risk of the binding coming undone when binding objects, and there is also little risk of damaging the objects when bound. [Brief description of the drawings]

[0009] [Figure 1] 13 is a diagram for explaining the binder according to the present disclosure, showing the binder formed into a ring shape and the locked portion locked to the locking portion; FIG. [Diagram 2] 1A and 1B are diagrams illustrating a binder according to the present disclosure, in which (A) is a front view of the binder, and (B) is a side view of the binder. [Diagram 3] 13 is an enlarged view of a locking portion in the binder according to the present disclosure. FIG. [Figure 4] 2A-2A in FIG. 2A is a cross-sectional view illustrating a locked portion in the binder according to the present disclosure. [Diagram 5] 13 is a diagram for explaining the binding tool according to the present disclosure, showing how a locked portion is inserted into a large circular hole of a locking portion. FIG. [Figure 6] FIG. 6 is a diagram for explaining the binder according to the present disclosure following FIG. 5, and shows how the locked part inserted into the large circular hole of the locking part is twisted. [Figure 7] 7 is a diagram for explaining the binder according to the present disclosure following FIG. 6, showing how the band-shaped portion of the locked portion inserted into the large circular hole of the locking portion is passed through the communicating portion. FIG. [Figure 8] 8 is a diagram for explaining the binder according to the present disclosure following FIG. 7, showing how the locked part that has been moved from the large circular hole to the small circular hole of the locking part is twisted back. FIG. [Figure 9] FIG. 9 is a diagram for explaining the binder according to the present disclosure following FIG. 8, showing how the bump of the locked part that has been moved to the small circular hole of the locking part is locked by the small circular hole. [Figure 10] 1 is a diagram illustrating an example of use of the binder in the present disclosure, and is a front view showing the binder coming into contact with the outer leaves of Chinese cabbage and the outer leaves of Chinese cabbage being bundled. FIG. [Figure 11] FIG. 13 is a diagram for explaining an example of use of the binder in the present disclosure, and is a front view showing the binder binding flower stems. DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS

[0010] Hereinafter, an example of an embodiment of the present disclosure will be described with reference to the drawings. In each drawing, the same or equivalent components and parts are given the same reference numerals. In addition, the dimensional ratios of the drawings are exaggerated for the convenience of explanation and may differ from the actual ratios.

[0011] In each drawing, arrow X indicates the width direction of binder 10. Arrow Y indicates the length direction of binder 10. Arrow Z indicates the thickness direction of binder 10. Arrow θ indicates the circumferential direction of binder 10 formed into annular body 30. Arrow R indicates the radial direction of binder 10 formed into annular body 30. Arrow H indicates the vertical direction on the ground.

[0012] (composition) 1 and 2 are diagrams showing a binder 10 according to this embodiment. The binder 10 according to this embodiment has a wrapping portion 40, a locking portion 50, and a locked portion 60. The binder 10 can be deformed from a linear state as shown in Fig. 2 to a ring-shaped body 30 as shown in Fig. 1, and from the ring-shaped body 30 to the original linear state.

[0013] The winding part 40 according to the present embodiment is a part that extends elongatedly in the length direction, as shown in Figs. 1 and 2. Also, as shown in Fig. 2, a locking part 50 is provided at one end 44A in the length direction of the winding part 40, and a locked part 60 is provided at the other end 44B in the length direction of the winding part 40. Also, as shown in Fig. 2, the winding part 40 according to the present embodiment is formed so that the width in the width direction is wider than the thickness in the thickness direction, which is a direction perpendicular to the length direction, and is wide and flat. Note that in the present disclosure, the shape of the winding part is not limited to this, and may be any shape, such as a circular, polygonal or irregular cross section, a partially hollow tube shape, a coil shape, etc., as long as it can be wound around the object to be bound.

[0014] As described below, the winding portion 40 according to this embodiment is a band-shaped portion in which the central portion 42 in the width direction is curved in a convex shape and both ends in the width direction are flattened with circular chamfers. More specifically, the cross-sectional shape of the winding portion 40 (cross-section viewed from the length direction) is the same as that of a band-shaped portion 62 described below. In the present disclosure, the cross-sectional shape of the winding portion is not limited to this, and may be any shape different from the cross-sectional shape of the band-shaped portion.

[0015] As shown in Fig. 3, the locking portion 50 according to this embodiment has a large circular hole 52, a small circular hole 54, and a communication portion 56. The large circular hole 52 is a circular hole that penetrates the locking portion 50 in the thickness direction (arrow Z direction) with a diameter of 52D and has a part in the circumferential direction (more specifically, a peripheral portion at a position where it intersects with one of the length directions) cut out by the communication portion 56. The small circular hole 54 is a circular hole that penetrates the locking portion 50 in the thickness direction (arrow Z direction) with a diameter of 54D and has a part in the circumferential direction (more specifically, a peripheral portion at a position where it intersects with the other of the length directions) cut out by the communication portion 56. The communication portion 56 is a gap portion that communicates the large circular hole 52 and the small circular hole 54 and penetrates the locking portion 50 in the thickness direction (arrow Z direction) with a groove width 56C.

[0016] In this embodiment, the large circular hole 52, the communicating portion 56, and the small circular hole 54 are formed in the locking portion 50 in a linear arrangement in this order from the winding portion 40 side toward the length direction (arrow Y direction). In this disclosure, the arrangement direction of the large circular hole, the communicating portion, and the small circular hole is not limited to this, and may be formed at any angle with respect to the length direction (arrow Y direction), such as the opposite arrangement direction to that in this embodiment, as long as the large circular hole and the small circular hole are arranged linearly with the communicating portion between them.

[0017] As described later, both ends in the width direction of the locking portion 50 according to this embodiment are chamfered in a circular shape. In the present disclosure, the shape of the chamfer at both ends in the width direction of the locking portion is not limited to this, and may be any shape, or may not be chamfered at all. The dimensional relationship between the diameter 52D of the large circular hole 52, the diameter 54D of the small circular hole 54, and the groove width 56C of the communication portion 56 in this embodiment will be described later.

[0018] 2A, the locking portion 50 is formed so as to be wider in the direction of the arrow X. In other words, the directions in which the locking portion 50 and the winding portion 40 are wider are the same. However, this is not limited to the case where a winding portion that is not flat is used in the present disclosure.

[0019] 2, the locked portion 60 according to this embodiment is a portion having a plurality of band-shaped portions 62 and a plurality of bumps 64. In addition, adjacent bumps 64 among the plurality of bumps 64 are connected in the longitudinal direction by the band-shaped portions 62.

[0020] The band-shaped portion 62 according to this embodiment is formed to extend in the length direction of the locked portion 60 as shown in Fig. 2, and is curved in the width direction so that the central portion 42 is convex, and both ends in the width direction are chamfered in a circular shape as shown in Fig. 4. In other words, the band-shaped portion 62 is flattened so that the thickness direction is the minor axis. The radius of curvature r1 of the thickest portion in the width direction is larger than the radius of curvature r2 of both left and right ends in the thickness direction. In other words, the curvature of the thickest portion in the width direction is smaller than the curvature of both left and right ends in the thickness direction.

[0021] In addition, the thickness 62t of the band-shaped portion 62 according to this embodiment is equivalent to the thickness of the winding portion 40, and the width 62w of the band-shaped portion 62 is equivalent to the thickness of the winding portion 40. However, this is not limited to the present disclosure, and the thickness of the band-shaped portion and the thickness of the winding portion do not have to be equivalent, and the width of the band-shaped portion and the width of the winding portion do not have to be equivalent, and the cross-sectional shape of the band-shaped portion may be any shape as long as it is a flat band-shaped portion whose width is smaller than the diameter of the small circular hole and whose maximum thickness is smaller than the groove width of the communicating portion. In this embodiment, since the cross-sections of the band-shaped portion 62 and the winding portion 40 are uniform, the thickness 62t is the maximum thickness of the band-shaped portion 62 and the winding portion 40, and the width 62w is the maximum width of the band-shaped portion 62 and the winding portion 40.

[0022] The bumps 64 according to this embodiment are spherical parts with the same diameters in the length direction, width direction, and thickness direction, as shown in Fig. 2 and Fig. 4. In addition, as shown in Fig. 2, the bumps 64 are formed in a plurality of intervals 64P that are equal to the length of the band-shaped part 62 plus the diameter 64D of the bumps 64 along the length direction of the engaged part 60. In addition, in this disclosure, the shape of the bumps is not limited to this, and may be any shape, such as an oblate ellipsoid shape with the length direction as the minor axis, a disk shape with the length direction as the central axis, or a spoke shape with the length direction as the central axis, as long as the maximum diameter of the outline when projected in the length direction is larger than the diameter of the small circular hole and cannot pass through the small circular hole. In addition, in this disclosure, the number of bumps and the intervals between adjacent bumps are not limited to those shown in this embodiment, and may be appropriately determined depending on the shape of the object to be wrapped around by the binder and the use of the binder 10.

[0023] The binder 10 according to the present embodiment is integrally formed using polypropylene (PP) resin, which is a thermoplastic resin. That is, the wrapping portion 40, the locking portion 50, and the locked portion 60 are all flexible and can be twisted 90° or more from the locking portion 50 to the locked portion 60. In the present disclosure, the binder is not limited to being integrally formed using resin, and may be integrated by, for example, forming the wrapping portion, the locking portion, and the locked portion as separate members, and joining the members together using an appropriate joining means according to the material, such as sewing, riveting, adhesion, welding, etc. In addition, in the present disclosure, the resin material in the case of resin molding is not limited to the above, and may be any resin material as long as it has flexibility that allows it to be twisted 90° or more from the engaging portion to the engaged portion and has strength that is not easily broken, such as polyacetal (POM) resin, polyester (polyethylene terephthalate (PET) etc.), epoxy resin, phenoxy resin, polyarylene sulfide (polyphenylene sulfide etc.), (meth)acrylic resin, polyolefin (polyethylene etc.), polystyrene, acrylic resin, polyamide, polyimide, polyamideimide, polyethersulfone, polyetheretherketone, polycarbonate, biodegradable resin, etc., and further may be a resin material to which additives having, for example, oxidation inhibitory effects, deodorizing effects, insect repellent effects, weather resistance enhancing effects, antistatic effects, etc. have been added depending on the application.

[0024] Here, the dimensional relationship of each part of the binder 10 according to this embodiment is, in order of increasing size, the thickness 62t of the belt-shaped portion 62, the groove width 56C of the communicating portion 56, the width 62w of the belt-shaped portion 62, the diameter 54D of the small circular hole 54, the diameter 64D of the bump 64, and the diameter 52D of the large circular hole 52. That is, the maximum thickness of the belt-shaped portion 62 is smaller than the groove width 56C of the communicating portion 56. Moreover, the bump 64 can easily pass through the large circular hole 52, but is substantially unable to pass through the small circular hole 54. Moreover, the belt-shaped portion 62 can pass through the communicating portion 56 when the width direction is aligned with the length direction of the communicating portion 56.

[0025] In addition, in the binder 10 according to this embodiment, the width of the band-shaped portion 62 is larger than the groove width 56C of the communicating portion 56 and smaller than the diameter 54D of the small circular hole 54. For this reason, the band-shaped portion 62 cannot be passed through the communicating portion 56 unless the width direction of the band-shaped portion 62 coincides with the length direction of the communicating portion 56. In addition, when the band-shaped portion 62 is passed through the small circular hole 54 via the communicating portion 56, the width direction of the band-shaped portion 62 can be oriented in any direction. In other words, when the band-shaped portion 62 is passed through the small circular hole 54, it can be twisted with the length direction as the axis of rotation (see also FIGS. 6 to 8).

[0026] Next, a method for locking the locking portion 50 and the locked portion 60 in the binder 10 according to this embodiment will be described with reference to Fig. 5 to Fig. 10. In this embodiment, as shown in Fig. 10, the outer leaves of Chinese cabbage CC will be bundled as an example of an object to be bundled.

[0027] (Latching method) First, the worker W grasps the locking portion 50 and the locked portion 60 of the binder 10 with both hands, respectively, and deforms the entire binder 10 into a ring shape while surrounding the binding position of the Chinese cabbage CC. Then, as shown in Fig. 5, the locking portion 50 and the locked portion 60 are brought closer to each other. Next, the worker W passes the tip of the locked portion 60 through the large circular hole 52 and further pulls it out until the Chinese cabbage CC is appropriately bound.

[0028] When the locked portion 60 has been pulled out from the large circular hole 52 of the locking portion 50 to a position where the Chinese cabbage CC is appropriately bound, the worker W twists the locked portion 60 by 90° relative to the locking portion 50, as shown in Fig. 6. In other words, the worker W twists the locking portion 50 so that the thickness direction of the belt-shaped portion 62 and the width direction of the communicating portion 56 coincide with each other. Note that in the present disclosure, the angle at which the locked portion is twisted is not limited to this, and may be appropriately adjusted so that the side surface in the width direction of the belt-shaped portion faces the inlet opening of the communicating portion directly, depending on the angle formed between the belt-shaped portion and the groove of the communicating portion when the locked portion is pulled out from the large circular hole 52 of the locking portion.

[0029] Next, the worker W moves the locked portion 60 from the large circular hole 52 toward the small circular hole 54 through the communication portion 56, as shown in FIG.

[0030] Next, as shown in FIG. 8, the worker W twists the locked portion 60 by −90° relative to the locking portion 50 while the locked portion 60 is inserted through the small circular hole 54. Note that “twisting by −90°” refers to twisting the locked portion 60 in the opposite direction to the direction in which the locked portion 60 was twisted while inserted through the large circular hole 52, as shown in FIG. 6 and FIG. 8. In other words, the worker W twists the locking portion 50 so that the thickness direction of the band-shaped portion 62 and the width direction of the communication portion 56 are perpendicular to each other. Note that in the present disclosure, the angle at which the locked portion inserted through the small circular hole is twisted is not limited to this, and may be any angle within a range in which the side surface in the width direction of the band-shaped portion does not directly face the inlet opening of the communication portion.

[0031] Even if the worker W releases his / her hands from the engaging portion 50 and the locked portion 60 in this state, as shown in Figure 9, the bump 64 of the locked portion 60 cannot pass through the small circular hole 54 of the engaging portion 50, so that the locked portion 60 and the engaging portion 50 remain locked together.

[0032] Through the above procedure, the worker W bundles the outer leaves of the Chinese cabbage CC as shown in Fig. 10. When untying the outer leaves of the bundled Chinese cabbage CC, the worker W performs the above procedure in reverse.

[0033] Next, the action and effect of the binder 10 according to this embodiment will be described.

[0034] (Action and Effects) According to the binder 10 of this embodiment, after wrapping the wrapping portion 40 around the Chinese cabbage CC, the binder 10 passes the tip of the engaged portion 60 through the large circular hole 52 of the engaging portion 50, and moves the band-shaped portion 62 connecting adjacent lump portions 64 in the engaged portion 60 from the large circular hole 52 to the small circular hole 54 of the engaging portion 50, thereby engaging both ends and bundling the Chinese cabbage CC.

[0035] At this time, the tip of the locked portion 60 is inserted into the large circular hole 52 provided in the locking portion 50, and after the bump portion 64 has passed through the large circular hole 52, the locked portion 60 is twisted to pass through the connecting portion 56 from the widthwise end of the band-shaped portion 62 and move to the small circular hole 54, and the twist of the locked portion 60 is returned to its original state.

[0036] As a result, the strip-like portion 62 between the knobs 64 is positioned within the small circular hole 54, and the knobs 64 do not pass through the small circular hole 54, so that the state in which the wrapping portion 40 binds the Chinese cabbage CC is maintained.

[0037] The sections between the bumps of the fastener shown in Patent Document 1 are approximately circular in cross section, and therefore, even when moved from the large circular hole to the small circular hole, there is a problem that even with a small amount of force, it may move back from the small circular hole to the large circular hole and fall off, causing the fastener to come undone. However, with the configuration of this embodiment, simple fastening can be obtained with one touch, as with the fastener of Patent Document 1, and because the width of the band-shaped portion 62 is greater than the groove width of the communicating portion 56, there is an extremely small risk of the fastener moving back from the small circular hole 54 to the large circular hole 52 due to an unintended force and falling off, causing the fastener to come undone, and a strong fastener can be obtained.

[0038] In addition, in the binder 10 according to this embodiment, the winding portion 40 is curved in the width direction so that the central portion 42 is convex.

[0039] According to the binder 10 of this embodiment, the binder 10 bundles the Chinese cabbage CC with the wrapping portion 40 curved in the width direction so that the central portion 42 is convex with a relatively small curvature. Therefore, compared to a conventional string member having a circular cross-sectional shape, the contact area with the Chinese cabbage CC is large and the contact is gentle, so that the Chinese cabbage CC is not damaged even when bundled tightly.

[0040] Furthermore, since the portion that serves as the wrapping portion 40 does not have the lumps 64, the lumps 64 do not dig into the Chinese cabbage CC and there is no risk of damaging it.

[0041] In the binder 10 according to this embodiment, both surfaces of the winding portion 40 are curved in a convex shape.

[0042] According to the bundling tool 10 of this embodiment, both sides of the wrapping portion 40 are curved in a convex shape, so that when bundling the Chinese cabbage CC, there is no need to check the curved surfaces, and the bundling operation proceeds smoothly.

[0043] In addition, in the binder 10 according to this embodiment, both ends in the width direction of the winding portion 40, the locking portion 50 and the locked portion 60 are circularly chamfered.

[0044] According to the binding tool 10 of this embodiment, the edges in the width direction of the wrapping portion 40, the engaging portion 50 and the engaged portion 60 do not injure the worker or the bound object.

[0045] Next, modified examples of the binder 10 according to this embodiment will be described.

[0046] (Modification) In the above description of this embodiment, the object to be bound is, for example, Chinese cabbage CC, but the object to be bound to which the binding tool 10 of this embodiment is applicable is not limited to this. For example, as shown in Fig. 11, the binding tool can be used in the horticulture and vegetable gardening field to tie the stems of eggplants, tomatoes, etc. to a support, to bundle harvested green onions, etc., in the electrical construction field to bundle wiring cords, in the home as a hanging cord to hang a clothesline pole from the eaves, to fix a clothesline pole to a clothesline rack, and in any other application for bundling, connecting, or fixing objects. In particular, bundling the stems at the wrapping part 40, which is the part where the knob 64 is not formed, prevents the stems from being damaged.

[0047] In the above description, the large circular hole 52, the communicating portion 56, and the small circular hole 54 are arranged in this order from the winding portion 40 side toward the length direction (arrow Y direction), but the binder 10 according to the present embodiment is not limited to this. For example, the large circular hole 52, the communicating portion 56, and the small circular hole 54 may be arranged toward the width direction (arrow X direction). In this case, it is preferable that the winding portion 40 and the band-shaped portion 62 are formed so as to be wider in the thickness direction, which is a direction perpendicular to the direction in which the locking portion 50 becomes wider.

[0048] In the above description, both ends in the width direction of the winding portion 40, the locking portion 50, and the locked portion 60 are chamfered in a circular shape, but the binder 10 according to this embodiment is not limited to this. For example, one or both of both ends in the width direction of the winding portion 40, the locking portion 50, and the locked portion 60 may not be chamfered.

[0049] In the above description, the center portions of both sides of the winding portion 40 are curved in the width direction so as to be convex, but the binder 10 according to the present embodiment is not limited to this. For example, the winding portion 40 may be curved in a convex shape only on the inner surface when it is made into the annular body 30.

[0050] In the above description, the central portion 42 of the wrapping portion 40 is curved in the width direction so as to be convex, but the binder 10 according to the present embodiment is not limited to this. For example, it does not have to be curved in the width direction.

[0051] In these modified examples of the present embodiment, like the binder 10 of the present embodiment, the bundled objects are prevented from coming undone.

[0052] The above describes an embodiment of the present disclosure with reference to the attached drawings. However, it is clear that a person with ordinary knowledge in the technical field to which the present disclosure pertains can conceive of various modifications or applications within the scope of the technical ideas described in the claims, and it is understood that these also naturally fall within the technical scope of the present disclosure. [Explanation of symbols]

[0053] 10 Binding Tool 30 Circular bodies 40 Winding section 42 Central part 50 Locking part 52 Large hole 54 Small circular hole 56 Communication part 60 Locked part 62 Belt 64 Aneurysm CC Chinese cabbage (an example of a bundle) W Worker

Claims

1. A string-like wrapping portion having flexibility or pliability and length that can be wrapped around an object to be bound; a locking portion provided at one end of the winding portion in the longitudinal direction, the locking portion including a large circular hole, a small circular hole having a diameter smaller than that of the large circular hole, and a communication portion having a groove width smaller than the diameter of the small circular hole, the communication portion communicating the large circular hole with the small circular hole; a locking portion including a plurality of bumps formed at intervals on the other end side in the longitudinal direction of the winding portion, the bumps being large enough to pass through the large circular hole but not the small circular hole, and a flat band-like portion connecting adjacent bumps, the width of which is smaller than the diameter of the small circular hole and the maximum thickness of which is smaller than the groove width of the communicating portion; A binding device having the above structure.

2. The binding tool according to claim 1 , wherein the wrapping portion is curved in the width direction so that a central portion thereof is convex.

3. 2. The binding tool according to claim 1, wherein the wrapping portion is curved in the width direction so that a central portion of the wrapping portion is convex on both sides.

4. 2. The binding tool according to claim 1, wherein both widthwise ends of the wrapping portion, the locking portion and the locked portion are circularly chamfered.

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