Stem support clips

Abstract

The present invention provides a stem support clip with a simple structure that prevents bundled stems from unraveling, while also allowing for easy release of the bundled stems when needed. [Solution] The stem support clip of the present invention is characterized by comprising a main body that forms a loop when the ends of first and second binding pieces, whose bases are connected, are joined together, and a clamping part that holds the hanging string, wherein the end of the first binding piece has a convex part that is cylindrical or spherical with a part of it connected, and the end of the second binding piece has a concave part that fits over the convex part and is joined, with a tongue-shaped end with an acute angle in cross-section at the front of the end and another end with a wider angle in cross-section than the tongue-shaped end at the rear, and a projection at a position near the base of the convex or concave part that is the same size as or slightly less than the distance between the joined first and second binding pieces. By adopting this configuration, the clip is designed to be difficult to detach unintentionally and easy to detach when intended.

Description

Technical Field

[0001] The present invention relates to a stem attracting clip used for bundling a suspension string and a plant stem.

Background Art

[0002] Conventionally, a stem attracting clip has a C shape and forms a ring when closed, and is configured to bundle a suspension string and a plant stem. For example, as described in Patent Document 1, a resin molded product having a complicated configuration provided with a locking portion with a return is proposed so that the bundled stem does not come apart. Once the clip of this configuration is closed, it cannot be easily opened, and it has been troublesome on cold days or rainy days, for example.

Prior Art Documents

Patent Documents

[0003]

Patent Document 1

Summary of the Invention

Problems to be Solved by the Invention

[0004] The present invention has been made to solve the problems of the above conventional examples, and aims to provide a stem attracting clip having a simple configuration that does not require a locking portion with a return, in which the stem and the suspension string do not come apart, and on the other hand, can be easily opened when releasing the bundled stem.

Means for Solving the Problems

[0005] To achieve the above objective, the stem support clip of the present invention is configured to form a loop when the ends of a first and second binding piece, whose bases are connected, are joined together, and to bundle the stems of the plant, and to hold the hanging string, wherein the end of the first binding piece has a convex portion which is a cylindrical body with its sides connected or a spherical body with a part of its spherical surface connected, and the end of the second binding piece is joined in a manner that covers the convex portion. The concave portion is characterized in that it has a tongue-shaped end with an acute angle in cross-section at the front part of the end of the second binding piece, and another end with a wider angle in cross-section than the tongue-shaped end at the rear part of the end of the second binding piece, and has a projection at a position near the base of the convex part of the first binding piece, or at a position near the base of the concave part of the second binding piece, which is the same size as or slightly less than the distance between the first binding piece and the second binding piece when the concave portion is joined to the convex part.

[0006] Preferably, the base of the first binding piece and the vicinity of the base of the second binding piece have a clamping portion that narrows in distance in accordance with the operation of connecting the convex portion of the first binding piece and the concave portion of the second binding piece, and holds the suspension cord. [Effects of the Invention]

[0007] According to the present invention, when a force is applied from the inside of the bundled stems to disengage the interlocking joint, the tongue-shaped end is soft and cannot grip firmly, so no force is applied to the concave part away from the convex part using its tip as a fulcrum, or the force is weak, and the other end with a wider corner becomes more firmly engaged with the convex part, resulting in a locked state. On the other hand, when a force is applied from the outside in a direction that crushes the area near the interlocking joint, the protruding part acts as a fulcrum by the principle of leverage, causing the tongue-shaped end to move away from the convex part, and because it is soft, the fitting is released and it is easily freed. [Brief explanation of the drawing]

[0008] [Figure 1](a) is a perspective view showing the open state of a stem support clip according to one embodiment of the present invention, (b) shows the state in which the clamping part that holds the hanging string is closed, and (c) shows the state in which both ends are connected and closed in a loop shape. [Figure 2] (a) describes a structure in which the connecting part of the stem support clip closes tightly against an inward force attempting to open it, while (b) describes a structure in which it can be easily opened by pinching it from the outside. [Modes for carrying out the invention]

[0009] The stem support clip of the present invention is composed of a main body that bundles plant stems by forming a loop when the ends of a first and second binding piece, whose bases are connected, are joined together, and a clamping part that holds a hanging string. The end of the first binding piece has a convex part which is cylindrical with its sides connected or spherical with a part of its spherical surface connected, and the end of the second binding piece has a concave part which fits over the convex part and connects, and the front part of the end of the second binding piece has a tongue-shaped end with an acute angle in cross-section, and the rear part of the end of the second binding piece has a locking part which has another end with a wider angle in cross-section than the tongue-shaped end. Furthermore, the first binding piece has a projection near the base of the convex part, or the second binding piece has a projection near the base of the concave part, which is the same size as or slightly less than the distance between the first and second binding pieces when the concave part is joined to the convex part. With this configuration, if a force is applied from the inside of the bundled stems to separate the interlocking joint, the tongue-shaped end is soft and cannot grip firmly, so the force applied to the concave part away from the convex part does not act with the tip as a fulcrum, or the force is weak, and the other end with a wider corner locks more firmly into the convex part like a bottle opener, resulting in a locked state. On the other hand, if a force is applied from the outside in a direction that crushes the area near the interlocking joint, the protruding part acts as a fulcrum on the principle of leverage, causing the tongue-shaped end to move away from the convex part, and because it is soft, the fitting is released and it is easily freed.

[0010] The stem support clip 1 of this embodiment, with the above configuration, will be described with reference to the attached drawings.

[0011] Figure 1(a) shows a perspective view of the stem support clip 1 with both ends open. The stem support clip 1 consists of a main body 2 for bundling plant stems and a clamping part 10 for holding the hanging string A. It is made of a resin molded product such as PP or silicone resin and has a thickness of about 2-3 mm. The main body 2 consists of a first binding piece 3 and a second binding piece 4. The bases 3a and 4a of the first binding piece 3 and the second binding piece 4 are connected to each other, and the ends 3b and 4b are connected to each other, forming a loop. The bases 3a and 4a of the first binding piece 3 and the second binding piece 4 are connected by a thin sheet-like resin member 5.

[0012] Near the base 3a of the first binding piece 3 and the base 4a of the second binding piece 4, there is a clamping portion 10 that narrows in distance in response to the action of joining the convex portion 3c of the first binding piece 3 and the concave portion 4c of the second binding piece 4, and holds the hanging string A. Specifically, the clamping portion 10 has a pair of opposing flat portions 10a and 10b that narrow in distance in response to the action of joining the convex portion 3c of the first binding piece 3 and the concave portion 4c of the second binding piece 4, a cylindrical convex portion 10c on the first binding piece 3 side with its sides connected, and a concave portion 10d on the second binding piece 4 side that covers and fits onto the convex portion 10c. As shown in Figure 1(b), the convex portion 10c and the concave portion 10d are configured so that once they are closed to hold the hanging string A, they cannot be easily separated.

[0013] Furthermore, the end of the base 3a of the first binding piece 3 and the end of the base 4a of the second binding piece 4 are connected by a thin sheet-like resin member 5. By adopting this configuration, the two binding pieces do not separate, improving ease of handling. Alternatively, instead of providing the convex portion 10c and concave portion 10d, or in addition, a configuration may be adopted in which the flat portions 10a and 10b are bound together with rubber bands that bind the vicinity of the flat portions 10a and 10b, or with metal springs shaped to sandwich the flat portions 10a and 10b.

[0014] The end 3b of the first binding piece 3 is provided with a cylindrical convex portion 3c whose sides are connected, and the end 4b of the second binding piece 4 is provided with a concave portion 4c that covers and fits onto the convex portion 3c. As shown in Figure 1(c), the main body 2 becomes ring-shaped when the concave portion 4c fits onto the convex portion 3c, allowing plant stems to be bundled together.

[0015] Figures 2(a) and 2(b) show enlarged views of the configuration of the convex portion 3c of the first binding piece 3 and the concave portion 4c of the second binding piece 4 that fits therein. The end portion 3b of the first binding piece 3 has a cylindrical convex portion 3c connected to its side surface. The end portion 4b of the second binding piece 4 is a concave portion 4c that fits over the convex portion 3c and has a tongue-shaped end portion 4d with an acute angle (angle α) in cross-section at the front of the end portion 4b, and another end portion 4e with a wider angle (angle β>α) in cross-section than the tongue-shaped end portion 4d at the rear of the end portion 4b. In this specification, "cross-sectional view" means a cross-section in the direction along the plane of Figure 2(a). The first binding piece 3 has a projection 6 at a position near the base 3a of the convex portion 3c, or at a position near the base 4a of the concave portion 4c of the second binding piece 4, which is the same size as or slightly less than the distance L1 between the first binding piece 3 and the second binding piece 4 when the concave portion 4c is connected to the convex portion 3c.

[0016] As shown in Figure 2(a), when a force B is applied from the inside of the main body 2 to disengage the interlocking joint, the tongue-shaped end 4d is soft and cannot grip firmly, so no force is applied to the concave part 4c in the direction away from the convex part 3c, or the force is weak, and the other end 4e with a wider corner is more firmly locked to the convex part 3c like a bottle opener, resulting in a locked state.

[0017] On the other hand, as shown in Figure 2(b), when a force C is applied from the outside in a direction that crushes the area near the joint of the convex and concave parts, the protruding part 6 acts as a fulcrum by the principle of leverage, and a force D is applied in a direction that causes the tongue-shaped end 4d to move away from the convex part 3c. Since the tongue-shaped end 4d is soft, the connection between the end 3b of the first binding piece 3 and the end 4b of the second binding piece 4 is easily released.

[0018] As described above, in the concave portion 4c of the present invention, since the portion 4d near the tip of the second binding portion 4 is made soft and tongue-shaped, even if a force acts to separate the convex portions from the inside, it is difficult to separate. On the other hand, when a force is applied to crush the main body 2, the force acts with the specially provided protrusion 6 as a fulcrum, and the connection can be easily released.

[0019] When a trial production was carried out and verified, it was difficult to come off against the action of force B, and it came off easily with a relatively light force against the action of force C.

[0020] In addition, the present invention is not limited to the configurations of the above various embodiments, and various modifications are possible without changing the gist of the invention. For example, the convex portion 3c provided at the end portion 3b of the first binding piece 3 is not limited to a cylindrical shape, and may be a spherical shape. Even in this case, if the concave portion 4c of the second binding piece 4 has a tongue-shaped end portion 4d with an acute angle in a cross-sectional view in a portion closer to the front of the end portion 4b of the second binding piece 4, and another end portion 4e with a wider angle than the tongue-shaped end portion 4d in a portion closer to the rear of the end portion 4b of the second binding piece 4, the same operational effects can be obtained.

[0021] The cross-sectional shape of the portions between the base portions 3a, 4a and the end portions 3b, 4b of the first and second binding pieces 3, 4 is not limited to a rectangle, and may be an ellipse, a circle, or the like.

[0022] Further, the concave portion 4c of the second binding piece 4 is not limited to a cylindrical notch shape corresponding to the cylindrical shape of the convex portion 3c as shown in Fig. 1(a). As long as the action due to the softness of the tongue-shaped end portion 4d and the action effect like unplugging due to the hardness of the end portion 4e with a wide angle are exhibited, for example, it may be a thick structure having wall surfaces at both ends thereof.

Industrial Applicability

[0023] The present invention relates to a stem attracting clip used for bundling the stems of plants while sandwiching and positioning a hanging string, and it can also be diverted for use in similar situations. For example, it can be used for bundling cord cables while sandwiching and positioning a hanging string or a thin rod-shaped object.

Explanation of Signs

[0024] 1 Stem attracting clip 2 Body 3 First bundling piece 4 Second bundling piece 3a, 4a Base 3b, 4b End 3c Convex part 4c Concave part 6 Protrusion 10 Holding part

Claims

1. In a stem support clip, the ends of a first and second binding piece, whose bases are connected, are linked to form a loop, and the clip consists of a main body for bundling plant stems and a clamping part for holding a hanging string. The end of the first binding piece has a convex portion which is a cylindrical body with its sides connected or a spherical body with a part of its spherical surface connected, and the end of the second binding piece has a concave portion which fits over the convex portion and has a tongue-shaped end which is acute in cross-section at the front of the end of the second binding piece and has another end which is wider in cross-section than the tongue-shaped end at the rear of the end of the second binding piece. A stem support clip characterized in that it has a projection at a position near the base of the convex portion of the first binding piece, or at a position near the base of the concave portion of the second binding piece, which is the same size as or slightly less than the distance between the first binding piece and the second binding piece when the concave portion is connected to the convex portion.

2. The stem support clip according to claim 1, characterized in that the base of the first binding piece and the vicinity of the base of the second binding piece have a clamping portion that narrows in distance in accordance with the action of joining the convex portion of the first binding piece and the concave portion of the second binding piece, and holds the hanging string.

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