Holder

Abstract

To provide a highly versatile holder capable of holding an article in a ring shape. [Solution] A holder 1 for connecting the first end and second end of an article having a first end and a second end to hold the article in a ring shape, comprising a first member 10 and a second member 20 that can be attached to the first member 10, the first member 10 having a wrapping portion 11 that can wrap at least a portion of the first end and at least a portion of the second end, and the second member 20, when attached to the first member 10, maintains a state in which at least a portion of the first end and at least a portion of the second end are wrapped around the wrapping portion 11, making it possible to hold the article in a ring shape.

Description

[Technical Field]

[0001] The present invention relates to a holder. [Background technology]

[0002] Conventionally, there are known articles that are used in a circular shape, such as wristbands, bracelets, etc. Generally, such articles have structures at both ends that allow them to be locked together, and these are connected to form the circular article.

[0003] In addition, there is also known a method of forming a ring-shaped article by providing a holding member that holds both ends of the article separately from the ring-shaped article. For example, Patent Document 1 discloses a wristband clip for winding a wristband that has a set hole and a plurality of band holes in a ring shape. [Prior art documents] [Patent documents]

[0004] [Patent Document 1] Japanese Patent Application Laid-Open No. 2003-289917 Summary of the Invention [Problem to be solved by the invention]

[0005] This wristband clip requires a predetermined hole to be formed in the wristband for looping around it, and the wristband clip must have a protrusion that can fit through the hole. In other words, the wristband and the wristband clip must have a compatible structure so that they can be used in combination with each other.

[0006] Even when using an item such as a wristband that does not have such holes, if there is a holder that can easily hold the item in a ring shape, the range of objects that can be held in a ring shape will be expanded, and its versatility will be increased, making it possible to use it in a variety of situations.

[0007] The primary objective of the present application is to provide a highly versatile holder that can hold an article having at least two ends in a circular shape. Other objects and novel features will become apparent from the description of this specification and the accompanying drawings. [Means for solving the problem]

[0008] A brief summary of a representative embodiment of the present invention will be given below.

[0009] A holder according to one embodiment of the present invention is a holder for connecting a first end and a second end of an article to hold the article in a ring shape, the holder comprising a first member and a second member attachable to the first member, the first member having a wrapping portion around which at least a portion of the first end and at least a portion of the second end can be wrapped, and the second member, when attached to the first member, maintains a state in which at least a portion of the first end and at least a portion of the second end are wrapped around the wrapping portion, thereby holding the article in a ring shape. Another embodiment of the present invention is a holder for holding an article, the holder comprising a wrapping portion around which at least a portion of the article can be wrapped. Another embodiment of the present invention provides a holder for connecting a first end and a second end of an item to hold the item in a ring shape, the holder comprising a winding portion extending in a first direction so that at least a portion of the item can be wrapped around the winding portion, the winding portion being configured to hold the item in a ring shape by winding the first end around one end side in the first direction and winding the second end around the other end side in the first direction, the first direction being a direction corresponding to the circumferential direction of the ring shape formed by the item being held.Another embodiment of the present invention provides a holder for connecting a first end and a second end of an item to hold the item in a ring shape, the holder comprising: a first member; a second member attachable to the first member; and a wrapping portion provided on the first member and extending in a first direction so as to be able to wrap at least a portion of the item around it, the wrapping portion being configured to hold the item in a ring shape by wrapping the first end around one end side in the first direction and wrapping the second end around the other end side in the first direction, the first direction corresponding to the circumferential direction of the ring shape formed by the item being held. The second member has a covering portion that covers at least a portion of the item wrapped around the wrapping portion. [Effects of the Invention]

[0010] According to one embodiment of the holder, it is possible to provide a highly versatile holder that can hold an article having at least two ends in a ring shape. [Brief explanation of the drawings]

[0011] [Figure 1] FIG. 2 is a perspective view showing a holder (front side) according to one embodiment. [Figure 2] FIG. 2 is a perspective view showing a holder (rear side) according to an embodiment. [Figure 3A] 3 is a cross-sectional view of the holder shown in FIG. 2 taken along the line AA. [Figure 3B] 3B is a cross-sectional view showing a state in which a second member is attached to a first member in the cross section shown in FIG. 3A. FIG. [Figure 4] FIG. 3C is a cross-sectional view of the holder in FIG. 3B as viewed from the front side. [Figure 5] 2 is a diagram illustrating a state in which an article is wrapped around the wrapping portion of the holder in FIG. 1. FIG. [Figure 6] FIG. 2 is a diagram showing a state in which an article is held by the holder of FIG. [Figure 7] FIG. 10 is a diagram showing a modified example in which an article is held. [Figure 8] FIG. 10 is a perspective view showing a holder (rear side) according to another embodiment. [Figure 9] FIG. 10 is a cross-sectional view of a holder according to another embodiment, as viewed from the front side. DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION

[0012] An embodiment of the present invention will be described in detail below with reference to the drawings. In all the drawings for explaining the embodiment, components having the same functions are designated by the same reference numerals, and repeated explanations thereof will be omitted. For the sake of convenience, the drawings may omit or simplify configurations and hatching.

[0013] (Embodiment) The holder of this embodiment is intended to hold an article having a first end and a second end in a ring shape by connecting the first end and the second end.

[0014] 1 and 2 are perspective views showing a holder 1 according to this embodiment in a state before it holds an article, with FIG. 1 showing the front side of the holder and FIG. 2 showing the back side of the holder. Note that the terms "front side" and "back side" are used here for convenience. As shown in FIGS. 1 and 2, this holder 1 is configured to have a first member 10, a second member 20, and a connecting structure 30.

[0015] 3A is an AA cross-sectional view (side cross-sectional view) of the holder 1 shown in FIG. 2, showing the state before the second member 20 is attached to the first member 10, and FIG. 3B shows the state after the second member 20 has been attached to the first member 10 in the cross-section shown in FIG. 3A. FIG. 4 is a cross-sectional view of the holder 1 in FIG. 3B as seen from the front side. That is, FIGS. 1 to 3A show the state before attachment, and FIGS. 3B and 4 show the state after attachment. Each part constituting the holder 1 will be described in detail below.

[0016] The first member 10 has a winding portion 11 . The wrapping portion 11 is a member for wrapping at least a part of a first end and at least a part of a second end of an article to be held.

[0017] The article to be held here has a first end and a second end, and at least a portion of each of these ends can be wound around the winding portion 11. For example, the first end and the second end may each be shaped like a thin string or band, and the shape of the intermediate portions of the first end and the second end is not particularly limited. A typical example is an article that is shaped like a string or band as a whole.

[0018] Furthermore, the shape of the wrapping portion 11 is not particularly limited as long as it can wrap at least a part of the first end portion and at least a part of the second end portion of such an article. The shape of the wrapping portion 11 is preferably a columnar shape with a predetermined diameter so that the ends of the article can be easily wrapped around it, and examples of such shapes include a polygonal column such as a square column or a triangular column, and a cylindrical column.

[0019] From the viewpoint of wrapping and holding an article, a polygonal pillar with corners on the side is preferable because the corners increase friction and make it easier to catch, preventing the article from slipping off the wrapping portion 11.

[0020] When the winding portion 11 is made columnar, one end of the columnar shape can be used to wind a first end of an article, and the other end can be used to wind a second end of the article. In this case, the first end and the second end of the article may be in direct contact with each other at the center of the winding portion 11, or the first end and the second end of the article may be indirectly connected via the winding portion 11 without being in direct contact with each other.

[0021] Furthermore, when an article is held in a ring shape, it is preferable that the winding portion 11 is formed to extend in substantially the same direction (first direction) as the circumferential direction that forms the ring shape. In other words, this first direction can be said to be the tangential direction of the article holder 1 held in a ring shape, and this direction can be easily understood by referring to Figure 6, which will be described later. In other words, the first direction in Figure 6 is the left-right direction in this figure.

[0022] In this embodiment, the first direction can also be said to be the direction connecting the openings formed by the notches 13 and 14 of the first member 10 (see FIGS. 2 and 4). At this time, the first end and second end of the article are respectively wrapped around the wrapping portion 11 and held in a ring shape, so that the wrapping portion 11 also forms part of the ring shape. In this case, the ring shape can be formed without any unnecessary force being applied to the side of the article, so that the article can be stably held by the holder 1.

[0023] Furthermore, winding portion 11 may have protrusion 11a extending in a direction intersecting with the first direction on at least one of its ends in the first direction. The direction in which protrusion 11a extends may intersect with the first direction, and the intersecting angle is, for example, preferably 60 to 120 degrees, more preferably 80 to 100 degrees, even more preferably 85 to 95 degrees, and particularly preferably 90 degrees.

[0024] The protrusions 11a have the effect of restricting the movement of the article wound around the winding part 11. This particularly prevents the end of the article from shifting and coming off in the axial direction of the columnar winding part 11. Therefore, the protrusions 11a can hold the article more stably.

[0025] Furthermore, the extending direction of the protrusion 11a is preferably a direction extending toward the second member 20 when the second member 20 is attached to the first member 10, and it is even more preferable that the protrusion 11a is provided so as to overlap with the pressing portion 22 described below in a side view as shown in FIG. 3B. This allows the article to be held more stably. Furthermore, it is preferable that the protrusion 11a and the pressing portion 22 are adjacent to each other when the second member 20 is attached to the first member 10.

[0026] Next, the second member 20 is a member that can be attached to the first member 10. By attaching this second member 20 to the first member 10, at least a part of the first end and at least a part of the second end of the article wound around the wrapping portion 11 can be maintained in a wound state. In other words, by attaching the second member 20 to the first member 10, the article can be held in a ring shape.

[0027] The second member 20 can be attached to the first member 10, and its shape is not particularly limited as long as it can achieve the above-mentioned function. For example, as shown in Figures 1 to 4, the second member 20 may have a locking portion 21 for attaching it to the first member 10. In this case, the first member 10 is provided with a locked portion 12 formed in a shape that allows the locking portion 21 to be locked.

[0028] In this way, it is preferable that the first member 10 and the second member 20 have the locking portion 21 and the locked portion 12 so that they can be locked to each other, as this allows them to be securely locked in a desired arrangement. In this case, the second member 20 covers at least a part of the end of the article wrapped around the wrapping portion 11, and can be locked to the first member 10 while still covered.

[0029] 1 and 2 show an example in which the locking portion 21 has a convex shape and the locked portion 12 has a concave shape that can fit into the convex shape, but these shapes may be reversed. Also, the shape is not particularly limited as long as it is lockable.

[0030] In this holder 1, an example is shown in which, when attaching the second member 20 to the first member 10, the first member 10 and the second member 20 are connected to each other by a connecting structure 30 to form an integrated unit. This connecting structure 30 is bent so that the second member 20 can be attached to the first member 10 at a fixed position, which is preferable as it simplifies the attachment operation and eliminates the risk of losing one of the first member 10 and the second member 20. In this embodiment, the connecting structure 30 is not an essential component, and the first member 10 and the second member 20 can also be independent members that do not connect them.

[0031] As described above, Fig. 3A shows the state before the second member 20 is attached to the first member 10, and Fig. 3B shows the state after the second member 20 has been attached to the first member 10. As shown here, the second member 20 can be attached to the first member 10 by bending the connection structure 30 that connects the first member 10 and the second member 20.

[0032] Moreover, by attaching the second member 20 to the first member 10, the end of the article is kept wrapped around the wrapping portion 11, making it possible to hold the article in a ring shape. Here, by providing the second member 20 with a pressing portion 22 (first pressing portion), this function can be stably achieved.

[0033] The retaining portion 22 is a protruding member provided on the second member 20, and is a member for restricting the movement of an article not wound around the wrapping portion 11 when the second member 20 is attached to the first member 10 (FIGS. 3B and 4). This retaining portion 22 is preferably provided so as to extend in a direction extending toward the first member 10 when the second member 20 is attached to the first member 10, and more preferably is provided so as to overlap the protrusion 11a in a side view as shown in FIG. 3B. This allows the article to be held more stably. Furthermore, when the second member 20 is attached to the first member 10, it is preferable that the protrusion 11a and the retaining portion 22 are adjacent to each other.

[0034] As shown in Figure 4, within the holder 1, if the area where the end of the article is wrapped around the wrapping portion 11 is called the wrapping area R1 and the area where it is not wrapped is called the non-wrapping area R2, the pressing portion 22 is arranged so as to be positioned in the non-wrapping area R2 (outside the wrapping portion 11 (protrusion portion 11a)).

[0035] The retaining portion 22 is designed to hold down from the side an article that is about to escape from the opening in the non-winding region R2, thereby restricting the movement of the article and holding the article more stably. Note that if the retaining portion 22 is too long, the article may be pressed down too hard, which may result in unstable holding. Therefore, it is preferable that the retaining portion 22 is arranged so that it does not overlap with the winding portion 11 in a side view as shown in FIG. 3B.

[0036] The retaining portion 22 can also prevent the end of the article wound around the winding portion 11 from slipping off in the axial direction of the winding portion 11. In this case, it is preferable to position the retaining portion 22 closer to the winding region R1 within the non-winding region R2, as this further restricts the movement of the article and makes it less likely to come off. By positioning the retaining portion 22 in this manner, the retaining portion 22 can exert the same effect without providing the protrusion 11a described above.

[0037] Furthermore, cutouts 13, 14, 23, and 24 can be provided in the first member 10 and the second member 20, respectively. These cutouts become openings through which articles pass when the second member 20 is attached to the first member 10. That is, in this embodiment, circular openings are formed by the cutouts 13 and 23, and by the cutouts 14 and 24. The shape of these openings is not limited to a circular shape, and is not particularly limited.

[0038] Here, an example is shown in which two cutouts are combined to form one opening, but at least one of the first member 10 and the second member 20 may have a cutout so that an opening is formed when they are attached.

[0039] The openings formed here are preferably formed, for example, on opposing side surfaces of holder 1, and further preferably formed in the axial direction of winding portion 11. By forming them in this manner, winding portion 11 becomes part of the ring along the circumferential direction of the ring of the annularly held item. This allows the item to be held stably without applying unnecessary external force to it.

[0040] Second member 20 may also have an attachment section 25 for removably attaching a decorative part. This attachment section 25 is provided on the outer surface of second member 20, and allows the decorative part to be attached to holder 1, which holds an article in a ring shape. The decorative part is detachable, and can be freely selected and replaced from a variety of types of decorative parts depending on the situation.

[0041] In the above description, the attachment part 25 is provided on the second member 20, but it may be provided on the outer surface of the first member 10. However, since the first member 10 has the winding part 11, and taking into consideration the ease of operation when winding an article, it is preferable to provide the attachment part 25 on the second member 20.

[0042] Furthermore, the attachment portion 25 is preferably, for example, a protruding portion formed in a convex shape. In this case, the decorative part can be made detachable by providing a recess that fits into this protruding portion. In this case, the attachment state can be stabilized by providing a convex or concave portion in the circumferential direction of the protruding portion and providing a concave portion that fits into the convex portion in the concave portion of the decorative part. Furthermore, it is preferable to form this protruding portion in a bifurcated shape using a material that bends inward, as this allows for easy attachment and detachment while further stabilizing the attachment state.

[0043] Next, the operation for holding an item in a ring shape using the holder 1 will be explained in more detail with reference to Figures 5 and 6. Here, an example is given in which a string-like item 100 that stretches into a spiral shape (coil shape) is used as the item.

[0044] The string-like article 100 used here can be exemplified by an article formed by making a spiral cut in a cylindrical material and cutting it; if two spiral cuts are made at the same time while cutting, two string-like articles that extend into a spiral shape are obtained. The string-like article 100 thus obtained has a spiral shape throughout, with both ends becoming a first end and a second end. The material forming the string-like article 100 may be any material that can be easily deformed so that the holder 1 can hold the string-like article 100 in a ring shape, and a flexible material is preferred.

[0045] First, Fig. 5 is a plan view of the first member 10 without the second member 20 attached (a view from the back side of the holder 1). A first end 100a and a second end 100b of the string-like article 100 are wound around a winding portion 11 of the first member 10. In Fig. 5, the string-like article 100 is indicated by a two-dot chain line.

[0046] At this time, as described above, the first end 100a and the second end 100b may be in contact with each other, or may not be in direct contact but may be indirectly connected via the winding portion 11. Figure 5 illustrates a case where they are not in direct contact.

[0047] In Figure 5, the first end 100a is wrapped around the left half of the winding portion 11 and is connected to the outside through an opening on one side (left side) of the holder 1, and the second end 100b is wrapped around the right half of the winding portion 11 and is connected to the outside through an opening on the other side (right side) of the holder 1.

[0048] At this time, when wrapping the end of the string-like article 100 around the wrapping portion 11, it is preferable to wrap it at least one turn (one pitch) or more, taking into consideration the holding force caused by the frictional force when wrapping.Furthermore, considering that if the wrapped portion is too long, it will spoil the aesthetic appearance of the article held in a ring shape by the holder 1 as an ornament, it is more preferable to wrap it one to two turns (one to two pitches), and even more preferable to wrap it one to 1.5 turns (one to 1.5 pitches).

[0049] Furthermore, it is preferable that the diameter of the opening of the holder 1 through which the string-like article 100 passes is smaller than the outer diameter of the spiral of the string-like article 100. In this way, the string-like article 100 is pressed by the opening of the holder 1, restricting its movement and allowing the holder 1 to stably hold the string-like article 100. The string-like article 100 is a string stretched into a spiral shape, and is easily deformed, particularly if it is made of a flexible material, so a small diameter opening does not pose a problem.

[0050] Next, as shown in Fig. 5, the second member 20 is attached to the first member 10 while the string-like article 100 is wound around it. By attaching the second member 20, the holder 1 can hold the string-like article 100 in a ring shape (Fig. 6).

[0051] An item held in a ring shape by the holder 1 in this way can be used for various purposes such as an ornament, such as a bracelet, necklace, hair tie, key holder, or wristband.

[0052] Furthermore, it is preferable that the inside of holder 1 cannot be seen from the outside by attaching second member 20 to first member 10 as described above. In this way, the internal structure of holder 1 and the state in which the end of the article is wrapped around it cannot be seen, resulting in an aesthetically pleasing appearance. In order to make it invisible from the outside, an opaque material can be used to form first member 10 and second member 20.

[0053] 5 and 6 show an example in which one string-like article 100 is held, but two string-like articles stretched in a spiral shape can also be combined and held in a ring shape. For example, Fig. 7 shows a modified example of an article being held, in which string-like articles 101 and 102 stretched in a spiral shape are combined to form a cylindrical string-like article. Here, it is preferable that the string-like articles 101 and 102 are made of different materials, or the same material but with different colors, to provide a different feel and improve design.

[0054] Furthermore, Figure 7 shows an example in which a decorative part 110 is attached to the holder 1. In this case, the holder 1 is hidden behind the decorative part 110 and is not shown in the figure. Also, Figure 7 adds a strap 120, which makes it possible to attach the holder to various objects without using a loop formed by the object.

[0055] (Variation) Next, an example of the above-described embodiment that can hold an article more stably will be described. Figures 8 and 9 show holder 1 in the perspective view shown in Figure 2 and the cross-sectional view shown in Figure 4, respectively, and have the same configuration as holder 1 shown in Figures 2 and 4 except for the addition of pressing portion 26 (second pressing portion). Below, a description of the same configuration will be omitted, and only pressing portion 26, which has a different configuration, will be described.

[0056] The retaining portion 26 is a protruding member provided on the second member 20, and is provided so as to protrude toward the winding portion 11 when the second member 20 is attached to the first member 10 (FIG. 4). This serves to restrict the movement of the article wound around the winding portion 11.

[0057] To achieve the above-mentioned effect, the pressing portion 26 is configured to pinch and press the end of the article wound around the winding portion 11 between the winding portion 11 and the pressing portion 26. This restricts the movement of the end of the article wound around the winding portion 11, and the end is securely held by the winding portion 11. Therefore, the holder 1 configured in this way can hold the article more stably.

[0058] When the second member 20 is attached to the first member 10, the pressing portion 26 is preferably provided in a direction extending toward the first member 10, and more preferably provided so as to overlap the protrusion 11a in a side view (seen from the same direction as in FIG. 3B). This allows the article to be held more stably.

[0059] The invention made by the present inventors has been specifically described above based on an embodiment, but it goes without saying that the present invention is not limited to the above embodiment and can be modified in various ways without departing from the gist of the invention. [Explanation of symbols]

[0060] 1 Holder 10 First member 11 Winding section 11a Protrusion 12 Locked part 13, 14, 23, 24 Notch 20 Second member 21 Locking portion 22,26 Holding part 25 Mounting part 30 Connection structure 100 String-like articles 100a First end 100b Second end

Claims

1. A holder for connecting an article having a first end and a second end to hold the article in a ring shape, the holder comprising: A first member; a second member attachable to the first member; a wrapping portion provided on the first member and extending in a first direction so that at least a portion of the article can be wrapped around the wrapping portion; Equipped with the wrapping portion is configured to hold the article in a ring shape by wrapping the first end portion around one end side in the first direction and wrapping the second end portion around the other end side in the first direction, the first direction corresponds to a circumferential direction of an annular shape formed by holding the article, the second member has a covering portion that covers at least a portion of the article wrapped around the wrapping portion; Retainer.

2. The holder according to claim 1, The second member is capable of being engaged with the first member in a state in which the covering portion covers a portion of the article wrapped around the wrapping portion.

3. The holder according to claim 1 or 2, The second member has a first pressing portion for restricting movement of the item not wrapped around the wrapping portion when attached to the first member.

4. The holder according to any one of claims 1 to 3, The second member has a second pressing portion that, when attached to the first member, clamps at least a portion of the item wrapped around the wrapping portion between the second member and the wrapping portion to restrict movement.

5. The holder according to any one of claims 1 to 4, A holder in which the first member and the second member are connected by a flexible connection structure.

6. The holder according to any one of claims 1 to 5, The holder has an attachment portion on the outer surface thereof for detachably attaching a decorative component.

7. The holder according to claim 6, The mounting portion is provided on the second member.

8. The holder according to any one of claims 1 to 7, The holding tool, wherein the winding portion has a protrusion extending in a direction intersecting the first direction.

9. The holder according to any one of claims 1 to 8, A holder, wherein the article is a string-like article extending in a spiral shape.

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