Fastener for ornaments

Abstract

Simplify the shapes of the male and female engaging members of the fastener. 【Solution means】The fastener of the present invention has magnets that the male member and the female member attract to each other. One of the male engaging member or the female engaging member has a first convex island-shaped engaging member independently formed at a plurality of circumferential positions on the outer circumferential surface or the inner circumferential surface. The other of the male engaging member or the female engaging member has a second convex island-shaped engaging member independently formed at a plurality of circumferential positions on the inner circumferential surface or the outer circumferential surface. The second convex island-shaped engaging member has a base-end-side engaging member formed on the base-end side of the male member or the female member and a tip-end-side engaging member formed on the tip-end side of the male member or the female member. One tip-end-side engaging member is arranged on the tip-end side between at least two adjacent base-end-side engaging members in the circumferential direction. In the engaged state of the male engaging member and the female engaging member, the first convex island-shaped engaging member is received between the adjacent base-end-side engaging members in the circumferential direction, and the tip-end-side engaging member is located outside the first convex island-shaped engaging member.

Description

Technical Field

[0001] The present invention relates to a fastener used for ornaments such as necklaces and bracelets.

Background Art

[0002] Conventionally, as fasteners used for ornaments such as necklaces and bracelets, for example, the fasteners of Patent Document 1 (Japanese Patent No. 5981266) and Patent Document 2 (Japanese Patent No. 6236618) are known.

[0003] These fasteners have a male member and a female member that are attached to both ends of a necklace or a bracelet. Permanent magnets are disposed inside the male member and the female member, and when the two members are brought close to each other, the two members are attracted to each other by magnetic force and naturally connected.

[0004] When the male member and the female member are connected, the two members engage with each other while rotating and lock. As a result, even if a force acts in the direction of separating the two members, the structure is such that they do not easily separate (see FIG. 1 of Patent Document 1 and FIG. 5 of Patent Document 2). When the male member and the female member are slightly twisted, the lock is released and they can be separated.

Prior Art Documents

Patent Documents

[0005]

Patent Document 1

Patent Document 2

Summary of the Invention

Problems to be Solved by the Invention

[0006] The fasteners of Patent Documents 1 and 2 do not require alignment of the male member and the female member and can be easily connected and separated, but there is a problem that the shapes of the male engaging body and the female engaging body are complicated. That is, since the male engaging body and the female engaging body have a complicated hook shape, it has been found that it is difficult to process these members, and there are also problems with the strength and durability of the members. Although the fastener of Patent Document 2 secures the required strength by increasing the axial length of the male engaging body and the female engaging body (paragraph 0075), this increases the overall length of the fastener, resulting in an increase in weight and cost, and also imposing restrictions on the design.

[0007] The present invention was devised to solve such problems, and its object is to simplify the shapes of the male engaging body and the female engaging body, thereby enhancing the workability, strength, and durability of these engaging bodies, and achieving weight reduction, cost reduction, and design improvement by making the fastener more compact.

Means for Solving the Problems

[0008] The fastener of the present invention for achieving the above object is a fastener for an ornament that holds a cord-like body wound around the body by engaging a male engaging body formed on a shaft-like male member and a female engaging body formed on a cylindrical female member. The male member and the female member hold magnets that adsorb to each other. One of the male engaging body or the female engaging body has a first convex island-shaped engaging body independently formed at a plurality of locations in the circumferential direction on the outer peripheral surface or the inner peripheral surface. The other of the male engaging body or the female engaging body has a second convex island-shaped engaging body independently formed at a plurality of locations in the circumferential direction on the inner peripheral surface or the outer peripheral surface. The second convex island-shaped engaging body has a base-end-side engaging body formed on the base-end side of the male member or the female member and a tip-end-side engaging body formed on the tip-end side of the male member or the female member. One tip-end-side engaging body is arranged on the tip-end side between at least two adjacent base-end-side engaging bodies in the circumferential direction. In the engaged state of the male engaging body and the female engaging body, the first convex island-shaped engaging body is received between the adjacent base-end-side engaging bodies in the circumferential direction, and the tip-end-side engaging body is positioned outside the first convex island-shaped engaging body.

Effects of the Invention

[0009] According to the fastener of the present invention, by simplifying the shapes of the male engaging body and the female engaging body, the workability, strength, and durability of these engaging bodies are improved, and weight reduction, cost reduction, and design improvement due to the compactness of the fastener can be achieved.

Brief Description of the Drawings

[0010]

Figure 1

Figure 2A

Figure 2B

Figure 2C

Figure 3A

Figure 3B

Figure 4

Figure 5A

Figure 5B

Embodiments for Carrying Out the Invention

[0011] Hereinafter, the fastener according to the embodiment of the present invention will be described with reference to the drawings. The fastener of the present invention can be used, for example, in a magnetic necklace as an ornament.

[0012] ●First Embodiment Figures 1 - 3B show the first embodiment of the present invention. The magnetic necklace 1 shown in Figure 1 includes an elastic string - like body 2, a plurality of permanent magnets (not shown) embedded in the string - like body 2, and an axial male member 31 and a cylindrical female member 32 that constitute fasteners attached to both ends of the string - like body 2. A top 40 is connected to the outer peripheral surface of the female member 32.

[0013] The string - like body 2 can be composed of an elastic body such as an elastomer or silicone rubber. The plurality of permanent magnets embedded in the string - like body 2 can be composed of a magnetic material, and preferably can be composed of a hard magnetic material.

[0014] As shown in FIGS. 2A(a)(b) and 2B, triangular engaging bodies 31a as convex first convex - shaped island - like engaging bodies are independently formed at a plurality of circumferential positions (four positions) on the outer peripheral surface of the male member 31. Here, the "island - like" of the first convex - shaped island - like engaging body means a state of being scattered on the outer peripheral surface of the male member 31. The triangular engaging bodies 31a are formed at 90° intervals in the circumferential direction of the outer peripheral surface of the male member 31.

[0015] One side of the triangular engaging body 31a constitutes a sliding side 31a1, and the opposite side constitutes an inclined side 31a2. The remaining side constitutes a contact side 31a3.

[0016] The sliding side 31a1 is located on the tip side of the male member 31 and is inclined with respect to the axial direction Z1 of the male member 31. The inclined side 31a2 is located on the base end side of the male member 31 and is inclined in the opposite direction with respect to the axial direction Z1 of the male member 31. The contact side 31a3 is formed in the axial direction Z1 of the male member 31.

[0017] On one hand, as shown in FIGS. 2A(a)(b) and 2C, convex quadrilateral engaging members 32a and 32b as second convex island-shaped engaging members are independently formed at a plurality of circumferential positions (six positions) on the inner circumferential surface of the female member 32. Here, the "island-shaped" of the second convex island-shaped engaging member refers to a state of being scattered on the inner circumferential surface of the female member 32. Four positions on the proximal end side of the female member 32 are the first quadrilateral engaging member 32a as the proximal end side engaging member, and two positions on the distal end side of the female member 32 are the second quadrilateral engaging member 32b as the distal end side engaging member.

[0018] The first quadrilateral engaging member 32a is formed at intervals of 90° in the circumferential direction of the inner circumferential surface of the female member 32. The shape of the first quadrilateral engaging member 32a is, specifically, a parallelogram. The center line in the longitudinal direction of this parallelogram is inclined with respect to the axial direction Z2 of the female member 32.

[0019] The second quadrilateral engaging member 32b is formed at intervals of 180° in the circumferential direction of the inner circumferential surface of the female member 32. The second quadrilateral engaging member 32b is disposed at the distal end side between two adjacent first quadrilateral engaging members 32a in the circumferential direction of the female member 32.

[0020] The second quadrilateral engaging member 32b is smaller than the first quadrilateral engaging member 32a. This is to make the space between the second quadrilateral engaging members 32b as large as possible to facilitate the connection between the male member 31 and the female member 32. However, for the sake of simplifying the shape and structure of the female member 32, the first quadrilateral engaging member 32a and the second quadrilateral engaging member 32b may have exactly the same shape.

[0021] The long sides 32a1, 32a2, 32b1, and 32b2 of the quadrilateral engaging members 32a and 32b are formed at a predetermined same angle with respect to the axial direction Z2 of the female member 32. Also, the short sides 32a3, 32a4, 32b3, and 32b4 of the quadrilateral engaging members 32a and 32b are formed in the axial direction Z2 of the female member 32.

[0022] The triangular engaging body 31a and the quadrangular engaging bodies 32a and 32b are configured as described above. Hereinafter, with reference to FIGS. 3A and 3B, the positional relationship between the triangular engaging body 31a and the quadrangular engaging bodies 32a and 32b when the male member 31 is inserted into and connected to the female member 32 will be described. For the sake of convenience, in FIGS. 3A and 3B, it will be described that the male member 31 moves downward from top to bottom.

[0023] As shown in FIGS. 3A(a)-(c), due to the attracting force of the magnets M1 and M2 of the male member 31 and the female member 32, the triangular engaging body 31a of the male member 31 descends as indicated by the arrow. At this time, the user of the magnetic necklace 1 only needs to gently place a hand near the base of the male member 31 and the female member 32. When the triangular engaging body 31a descends, as shown in FIG. 3A(c), the triangular engaging body 31a and the second quadrangular engaging body 32b come into partial contact.

[0024] That is, in the illustrated example, the right end portion of the sliding side 31a1 of the triangular engaging body 31a contacts the left end portion of the long side 32b1 of the second quadrangular engaging body 32b. Since the sliding side 31a1 and the long side 32b1 are inclined, the triangular engaging body 31a moves leftward as shown in FIG. 3A(d). Depending on the relative rotational position of the male member 31 and the female member 32, there may be a case where the triangular engaging body 31a directly contacts the first quadrangular engaging body 32a as shown in FIG. 3B(e) without contacting the second quadrangular engaging body 32b.

[0025] Next, as shown in FIG. 3B(e), the left end portion of the sliding side 31a1 of the triangular engaging body 31a contacts the right end portion of the long side 32b2 of the first quadrangular engaging body 32a. Thereafter, the triangular engaging body 31a descends along the inclination of the sliding side 31a1 and the long side 32b2 as shown in FIG. 3B(f). Between FIGS. 3B(e) and 3B(f), since the triangular engaging body 31a and the first quadrangular engaging body 32a slide in surface contact, the strength and durability of both engaging bodies can be enhanced.

[0026] Finally, the lower end of the triangular engaging body 31a abuts against the bottom (magnet M1) of the female member 32 as shown in Fig. 3B(f). At this time, the two triangular engaging bodies 31a pass between the first square engaging body 32a and the second square engaging body 32b. In the state of Fig. 3B(f), when a force acts on the male member 31 and the female member 32 in the direction of separating the two members, as shown in Fig. 3B(g), the triangular engaging body 31a of the male member 31 rises, and its inclined side 31a2 abuts against the lower end corner of the second square engaging body 32b.

[0027] Since the inclined side 31a2 is inclined downward to the right in Fig. 3B(g), the triangular engaging body 31a moves to the left as shown in Fig. 3B(h). Then, the abutting side 31a3 on the left side of the triangular engaging body 31a abuts against the short side 32a4 on the right side of the first square engaging body 32a and stops.

[0028] Since the contact between the abutting side 31a3 and the short side 32a4 is surface contact, the strength and durability of the engaging bodies 31a and 32a can be enhanced. Also, the certainty of locking of the triangular engaging body 31a can be enhanced.

[0029] In the state of Fig. 3B(h), since the triangular engaging body 31a is locked by the first square engaging body 32a and the second square engaging body 32b, the male member 31 and the female member 32 cannot be separated. Therefore, it is possible to prevent the male member 31 and the female member 32 from being accidentally separated and the magnetic necklace 1 from falling off when the magnetic necklace 1 is worn around the neck.

[0030] When removing the magnetic necklace 1 from around the neck, twist the male member 31 and the female member 32 slightly from the state of Fig. 3B(f) to move the triangular engaging body 31a of the male member 31 to the right as shown in Fig. 3B(e). In this state, the male member 31 and the female member 32 can be separated.

[0031] As described above, since the male member 31 and the female member 32 that constitute the fastener of the present embodiment have their shapes simplified by the triangular engaging body 31a, the quadrangular engaging bodies 32a and 32b, etc., the workability, strength, and durability of these engaging bodies can be improved, and at the same time, weight reduction, cost reduction, and design improvement can be achieved by making the fastener more compact. Furthermore, the conventional fasteners in Patent Documents 1 and 2 had a problem that dust was likely to get entangled in the male engaging body and the female engaging body due to their complex shapes. However, since the shape of the fastener of the present embodiment is simplified, dust is less likely to get entangled, and there is no problem such as a malfunction occurring in the attachment and detachment of the fastener due to dust clogging.

[0032] ●Second Embodiment FIG. 4 shows a second embodiment of the present invention. The magnetic necklace 1 in FIG. 4 includes an elastic string-like body 2, a plurality of permanent magnets (not shown) embedded in the string-like body 2, and axial male members 31, 31 that constitute fasteners attached to both ends of the string-like body 2, and an intermediate cylindrical female member 33. Since this fastener is symmetric about the left and right, the design can be enhanced.

[0033] A top 40 is connected to the outer peripheral surface of the female member 33. Also, as shown in FIG. 5B, a magnet M1 is disposed at the longitudinal center inside the female member 33. By inserting and connecting the male members 31, 31 from the left and right to the both-end openings of the cylindrical female member 33, the string-like body 2 can be held in a state of being wound around the neck.

[0034] As shown in FIG. 5A, the left and right male members 31, 31 are the same as the male member 31 of the first embodiment. In the intermediate cylindrical female member 33, a first quadrangular engaging body 33a similar to the first quadrangular engaging body 32a of the first embodiment and a second quadrangular engaging body 33b similar to the second quadrangular engaging body 32b of the first embodiment are respectively formed on the inner peripheral surfaces of both left and right ends. Note that magnets M1 and M2 are omitted in FIG. 5A.

[0035] When the male members 31, 31 are brought close to both sides of the female member 33, the female member 33 and the male members 31, 31 are aligned in a straight line by the attracting action of the magnets M1, M2 of both, and then the male members 31, 31 are inserted and connected to the openings at both ends of the female member 33.

[0036] As described above, the present invention has been specifically described based on the embodiments. However, it goes without saying that the present invention is not limited to the above embodiments and can be variously modified within the scope of the technical idea described in the claims. For example, the triangular engaging body 31a as the first convex island-shaped engaging body and the quadrangular engaging bodies 32a, 32b as the second convex island-shaped engaging bodies can be configured in various polygons without being limited to triangles and quadrilaterals. For example, the triangular engaging body 31a can be configured as a trapezoid. Further, the present invention can also be used as a fastener for bracelets and pendants in addition to the fastener for necklaces. Further, in the above embodiment, the triangular engaging body 31a is used for the male engaging body and the quadrangular engaging bodies 32a, 32b are used for the female engaging body. However, conversely, it is also possible to use a quadrangular engaging body for the male engaging body and a triangular engaging body for the female engaging body.

Explanation of Reference Numerals

[0037] 1: Magnetic necklace 2: String-like body 31: Male member 31a: Triangular engaging body (first convex island-shaped engaging body) 31a1: Sliding side 31a2: Inclined side 31a3: Contact side 32: Female member 32a: First quadrangular engaging body (base-end side engaging body of the second convex island-shaped engaging body) 32a1, 32a2: Long sides 32a3, 32a4: Short sides 32b: Second quadrangular engaging body (tip-side engaging body of the second convex island-shaped engaging body) 32b1, 32b2: Long sides 32b3, 32b4: Short sides 33: Female member 33a: First quadrangular engaging body (base-end side engaging body of the second convex island-shaped engaging body) 33b: Second quadrangular engaging body (tip-side engaging body of the second convex island-shaped engaging body) 40: Top

Claims

1. In a fastener for an ornament that holds a cord-like body in a state of being wound around the body by engaging a male engaging body formed on a shaft-shaped male member and a female engaging body formed on a cylindrical female member, the male member and the female member hold magnets that attract each other, one of the male engaging body or the female engaging body has a first convex island-shaped engaging body independently formed at a plurality of circumferential locations on the outer peripheral surface or the inner peripheral surface, the other of the male engaging body or the female engaging body has a second convex island-shaped engaging body independently formed at a plurality of circumferential locations on the inner peripheral surface or the outer peripheral surface, the second convex island-shaped engaging body has a base-end-side engaging body formed on the base-end side of the male member or the female member and a tip-end-side engaging body formed on the tip-end side of the male member or the female member, and one tip-end-side engaging body is disposed on the tip-end side between at least two adjacent base-end-side engaging bodies in the circumferential direction, In the engaged state of the male engaging body and the female engaging body, the first convex island-shaped engaging body is received between the circumferentially adjacent base-end-side engaging bodies, and the tip-end-side engaging body is positioned outside the first convex island-shaped engaging body. A fastener characterized by this.

2. The first convex island-shaped engaging body has a triangular engaging body, and the second convex island-shaped engaging body has a quadrangular engaging body. The quadrangular engaging body has a first quadrangular engaging body formed on the base-end side of the male member or the female member and a second quadrangular engaging body formed on the tip-end side of the male member or the female member, and one second quadrangular engaging body is disposed on the tip-end side between at least two adjacent first quadrangular engaging bodies in the circumferential direction, In the engaged state of the male engaging body and the female engaging body, the triangular engaging body is received between the circumferentially adjacent first quadrangular engaging bodies, and the second quadrangular engaging body is positioned outside the triangular engaging body. The fastener according to Claim 1, characterized by this.

3. The fastener according to Claim 1 or 2, characterized in that the male member is attached to one end of the cord-like body, and the female member is attached to the other end of the cord-like body.

4. The fastener according to Claim 1 or 2, characterized in that the male member is attached to both ends of the cord-like body, and the female engaging body is formed at both ends of the female member.

5. The first quadrilateral engaging body and the second quadrilateral engaging body are parallelograms with the center line in the longitudinal direction inclined with respect to the axial direction of the male engaging body or the female engaging body, and one side of the parallelogram and one side of the triangular engaging body are sliding sides that slide against each other when the male engaging body and the female engaging body are engaged. The fastener according to claim 2, characterized in that.

6. The fastener according to claim 5, characterized in that the other side of the triangular engaging body is an inclined side inclined in a direction opposite to the inclination direction of the sliding side with respect to the circumferential direction of the male engaging body or the female engaging body.

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