ADJUSTABLE LENGTH FOR THE CABLE BODY

Abstract

The invention relates to a length adjuster for the wire shank comprising a shank and a cover that is movable relative to the shank. The shank has a first opening, a second opening located on one side of the first opening, and a third opening located on the other side, and a first bar located between the first and second openings, and a second bar located between the first and third openings. The cover has a locking device of its construction for fitting into the first opening and of its construction for pressing the wire shank between the first and second bars.

Description

Wire length adjuster

[0001] The present invention relates to a wire length adjuster.

[0002] An example of a filament used in clothing is shoelaces, and the length of shoelaces has traditionally been adjusted using special tying techniques such as a bow. However, these special tying techniques have presented problems, such as being difficult for small children to perform, being unable to adjust with one hand, and being difficult to adjust while wearing gloves.

[0003] As a means for solving this problem, Patent Document 1 discloses a shoelace having a tubular shoelace body made of an elastic material with repeated spaced-apart knobs whose diameter changes depending on the axial tension applied to the shoelace. As a result, the knobs whose diameter changes engage with the eyelets of the shoe, allowing the user to adjust the length of the shoelace without having to use a special tying technique such as a bow.

[0004] Furthermore, Patent Document 2 discloses a spring-loaded cord stopper that can be attached to shoelaces, allowing users to adjust the length of the shoelaces without having to tie them in a special way, such as a bow.

[0005] Japanese Patent No. 5079926 Japanese Utility Model Application Laid-Open No. 5-34907

[0006] However, although the shoelace described in Patent Document 1, which has a tubular shoelace body made of an elastic material with variable-sized knobs, can be operated by a user with one hand, the shoelace length can only be adjusted by adjusting the spacing between the variable-sized knobs, and therefore does not have a function for locking and unlocking the shoelace at any position, making it difficult to fine-tune the shoelace to suit the user's preferences.

[0007] Furthermore, although the spring-loaded cord stopper described in Patent Document 2 has the function of locking and unlocking the shoelace at any position, the user must operate the cord stopper with one hand and adjust the length of the shoelace with the other. In other words, the user must basically use both hands to adjust the length of the shoelace, which increases the number of steps required for operation.

[0008] The present invention has been made in consideration of the above-mentioned problems, and aims to provide a wire length adjuster that requires fewer steps to adjust the length of a shoelace than conventional wire length adjusters, and that has a lock / unlock function at any position desired by the user.

[0009] In order to achieve the above-mentioned object, the invention of claim 1 of the present invention is a length adjuster for a wire comprising a body member and a cover member displaceable relative to the body member, wherein the body member has a first through hole, a second through hole arranged on one side of the first through hole, and a third through hole arranged on the other side, and also has a first bar arranged between the first through hole and the second through hole, and a second bar arranged between the first through hole and the third through hole, and the cover member is provided with a locking member that is inserted into the first through hole and holds the wire between the first bar and the second bar.

[0010] The invention of claim 2 has the same configuration as the invention of claim 1, and is characterized in that the portion of the upper surface of the body member where the cover member is located has a recessed portion in the vertical width that is recessed downward, the position where the second bar is provided is below the recessed portion and below the first bar, and when locked, the upper surfaces of the body member and the cover member are smoothly continuous.

[0011] The invention of claim 3 is characterized in that, in addition to the configuration of the invention of claim 1 or 2, the locking member is provided at one end of the cover member in the front-to-rear direction, an operation tab for operating the cover member is provided at the other end of the cover member in the front-to-rear direction, and the operation tab extends toward the other side in the front-to-rear direction.

[0012] The invention described in claim 4 is characterized in that, in addition to the configuration of the inventions described in claims 1 to 3, the width of the locking member in the left-right direction is narrower than the width of the first through-hole in the left-right direction.

[0013] The invention described in claim 5 is characterized in that, in addition to the configuration of the inventions described in claims 1 to 4, a convex portion for operating the length adjustment device is provided on one side end in the front-to-rear direction of the body member, and the convex portion extends toward one side in the front-to-rear direction.

[0014] The invention of claim 6 is characterized in that, in addition to the configuration of the invention of claim 1, the wire body is sandwiched between the locking member and the second bar when unlocked.

[0015] The invention of claim 7 has the same configuration as the invention of claim 1, and is characterized in that the body member has a third bar located approximately in the center in the left-right direction, extending in the front-rear direction and dividing the first through-hole, the second through-hole, and the third through-hole into two in the left-right direction, and the locking member has a locking member notch for inserting the third bar therethrough.

[0016] According to an eighth aspect of the present invention, in addition to the configuration of the first aspect, the cover member is displaceable in the up and down direction relative to the body member.

[0017] The connecting member of the present invention has the configuration as described above, and this configuration provides the following effects.

[0018] The invention of claim 1 of the present invention has the above-mentioned configuration, and therefore it is possible to provide a wire length adjuster that requires fewer steps to adjust the length of a shoelace than conventional wire length adjusters, and further has a lock / unlock function at any position desired by the user.

[0019] The invention described in claim 2 of the present invention has the above-mentioned configuration, so that the body member can accommodate part of the vertical thickness of the cover member, thereby making it possible to reduce the vertical thickness of the length adjuster for the wire body.

[0020] The third aspect of the present invention has the above-mentioned configuration, and therefore it is possible to prevent the thickness of the wire length adjuster from increasing in the vertical direction.

[0021] The fourth aspect of the present invention has the above-described configuration, and therefore the wire can be passed through even after the body member and the cover member are connected.

[0022] The invention described in claim 5 of the present invention has the above-mentioned configuration, which makes it easier to grip the length adjuster for the wire body when lifting it, and also prevents the thickness of the length adjuster for the wire body from becoming too thick in the vertical direction.

[0023] The sixth aspect of the present invention has the above-described configuration, and therefore the wire length adjuster can be easily operated with one hand.

[0024] The seventh aspect of the present invention has the above-mentioned configuration, which makes it possible to fold the filament (to form a loop), thereby facilitating the adjustment of the length of the filament.

[0025] The eighth aspect of the present invention has the above-mentioned configuration, and therefore the force applied from the cover member to the umbilical member can be made uniform.

[0026] As described above, the present invention provides a wire length adjuster that requires fewer steps to adjust the length of a shoelace than conventional wire length adjusters, and that has a lock / unlock function at any position desired by the user.

[0027] 1. A front view of the length adjuster of the first embodiment. 2. A right side view of the length adjuster of the first embodiment. 3. A perspective view of the length adjuster of the first embodiment in a locked state. 4. A perspective view of the length adjuster of the first embodiment in an unlocked state. 5. A front view of the length adjuster of the first embodiment in use. 6. A front view of the body member of the first embodiment. 7. A right side view of the body member of the first embodiment. 8. A perspective view of the body member of the first embodiment. 9. A front view of the cover member of the first embodiment. 10. A right side view of the cover member of the first embodiment. 11. A perspective view of the cover member of the first embodiment. 12. A cross-sectional view of the cover member of FIG. 9 along line B-B. 13. A cross-sectional view of the length adjuster of FIG. 5 along line A-A. 14. A view of the length adjuster of FIG. 13 in an unlocked state. 15. A perspective view of the length adjuster of the second embodiment in a locked state. 16. A perspective view of the length adjuster of the second embodiment in an unlocked state. 17. A perspective view of the length adjuster of the third embodiment in a locked state. 18. A perspective view of the length adjuster of the third embodiment in an unlocked state. 19. A cross-sectional view of the length adjuster of the third embodiment in a locked state. 20. A cross-sectional view of the length adjuster of the third embodiment in a locked state. 21. A cross-sectional view of the length adjuster of the third embodiment in an unlocked state. 22. A cross-sectional view of the length adjuster of the third embodiment in a locked state. 23. A cross-sectional view of the length adjuster of the third embodiment in an unlocked state. 24. A perspective view of the length adjuster of the fourth embodiment in a locked state. 22. A front view of the length adjuster of the fourth embodiment when in use. A right side view of the length adjuster of the fourth embodiment when locked. A cross-sectional view of the length adjuster of FIG. 22 along line CC. A right side view of the length adjuster of the fourth embodiment when unlocked. A view showing the length adjuster of FIG. 24 when unlocked. A front view of a modified example in which a pair of locking members 22 are provided. A perspective view of a cover member 20 of a modified example in which a pair of locking members 22 are provided.

[0028] Hereinafter, embodiments of the present invention will be described with reference to the drawings. Each embodiment is not independent from the others, and those skilled in the art can appropriately combine them without needing to explain them in detail, and can also understand the synergistic effects of such combinations. In principle, overlapping explanations between embodiments will be omitted.

[0029] Each direction is defined as follows: The left-right direction is the direction along the axis of the first bar of the body member (described later), i.e., the short-side direction of the length adjuster. The front-rear direction is the longitudinal direction of the length adjuster, and is perpendicular to the left-right direction. The up-down direction is the direction perpendicular to the left-right direction and the front-rear direction. Note that each direction can be redefined using a different expression based on the entire disclosure of this application.

[0030] <First embodiment> A first embodiment of the present invention will be described with reference to Figures 1 to 14. The length adjuster 1 is composed of a body member 10 and a cover member 20 that can be connected or separated, and Figures 1 to 5 show a state in which the body member 10 and the cover member 20 are connected.

[0031] The size of the length adjuster 1 varies depending on the width of the filament S and the intended use, but when the intended use is to adjust flat shoelaces (strip-like laces), it is preferable that the length in the left-right direction is approximately 11 mm, the length in the front-to-back direction is approximately 22.5 mm, and the thickness in the up-down direction is approximately 5.3 mm.

[0032] 6 to 8 , the body member 10 is formed using a thermoplastic resin such as polyamide, polyacetal, polypropylene, polyethylene terephthalate, polyethylene, or polyurethane, and is provided with a body member main body 11, a shaft portion 13 that connects to the bearing portion 24 of the cover member 20, a notch 14 for making it easier to pass the wire S through, a first bar 15 and a second bar 16 for holding the wire S, and a protrusion 17 for hooking a finger when moving the length adjuster 1. The body member main body 11 has three holes, a first through-hole H1, a second through-hole H2, and a third through-hole H3, formed by the first bar 15 and the second bar 16.

[0033] As shown in Fig. 8, the shaft portion 13 has a guide surface 13a formed on its upper side in the vertical direction for guiding the inside of a hanging portion 23 of the cover member 20, which will be described later. Although not shown, the shaft portion 13 may have a protrusion or the like on its outer peripheral surface or near the outer peripheral surface that engages with a groove or the like provided on the inner peripheral surface or near the inner peripheral surface of a bearing portion 24 of the cover member 20, which will be described later. This protrusion or the like makes it possible to restrict the rotation range of the cover member 20.

[0034] As shown in Figure 6, the area around the shaft 13 in the body member main body 11 is recessed inward in the left-right direction relative to the rest of the body member main body 11. This configuration allows the hanging portion 23 of the cover member 20, which will be described later, to fit into the recessed area. Therefore, when the body member 10 and the cover member 20 are connected, the end faces in the width direction can be made smoothly continuous (flush), as shown in Figure 1.

[0035] As shown in Figure 7, the portion of the top surface of the body member main body 11 where the cover member main body 21 is located forms a recessed portion 11a whose vertical width is recessed lower than the remaining portions of the body member main body 11. Furthermore, as shown in Figures 13 and 14, the position where the second bar 16 is provided is located below the recessed portion 11a and below the first bar 15. In other words, there is a height difference G between the upper end of the first bar 15 and the upper end of the second bar 16. This allows the top surfaces of the body member 10 and the cover member 20 to be smoothly continuous (flush) when locked.

[0036] As shown in Figures 6 and 13, the first bar 15 has an engaged portion 12 formed on the side facing the first through-hole H1 and at a position corresponding to the first locking portion 22a of the cover member 20 described later, with which the first locking portion 22a engages.

[0037] 6 , the second bar 16 has a notch 14 formed on its side facing the third through hole H3, at a position that does not correspond to the first locking portion 22a of the cover member 20 (described later). If the maximum width in the front-to-rear direction of the portion of the third through hole H3 that corresponds to the notch 14 is defined as D1, and the maximum width in the front-to-rear direction of the portion of the third through hole H3 that does not have the notch 14 is defined as D2, then D1 is slightly larger than D2. Considering the case where this length adjuster 1 is used to adjust the length of a shoelace, shoelaces typically have a rod-shaped fastening portion at their tip (a rod-shaped fastening portion that is provided for passing through a shoelace eyelet of a shoe). Without the notch 14 as in this embodiment, the upper limit of the diameter of the rod-shaped fastening portion that can pass through the third through hole H3 would be D2. However, by providing the notch 14 as in this embodiment, the upper limit of the allowable range of the diameter of the rod-shaped fastening portion that can be passed through the third through hole H3 increases from D2 to D1. In addition to this effect, by providing the cutouts 14 partially, it is not necessary to narrow the overall width of the second bar 16 (meaning that it is not necessary to narrow the entire second bar 16 to the width of the portion where the cutouts 14 are located), and the strength of the second bar 16 as a whole can be maintained. Furthermore, to maximize the width of the third through-hole H3 to D1 while maintaining the overall width of the second bar 16 (meaning that the entire second bar 16 is maintained at the width of the portion without the cutouts 14), the third through-hole H3 must be enlarged upward in FIG. 6 . However, doing so necessarily lengthens the portion indicated by R1 in FIG. 6 by (D1 - D2). Increasing R1 requires increasing the radius of rotation R2 of the cover member 20 shown in FIG. 10 (otherwise, the cover member 20 cannot rotate around the shaft 13 and cannot be opened as shown in FIG. 4 ). As a result, the overall thickness (vertical thickness) of the length adjuster 1 increases, compromising the compactness of the length adjuster 1. For convenience, R1 is referred to as the length of the limiting portion of the radius of rotation of the cover member 20.This notch 14 makes it easier to pass the second bar side wire body S2 through even if the gap formed between the cover member 20 and the second bar 16 when unlocked is small, and in particular, if the second bar side wire body S2 is a shoelace, it makes it easier to pass the rod-shaped fixing part provided at the tip of the shoelace through.

[0038] (Cover Member 20) Like the body member, the cover member 20 is formed of a thermoplastic resin such as polyamide, polyacetal, polypropylene, polyethylene terephthalate, polyethylene, or polyurethane. As shown in FIGS. 9 to 12 , the cover member 20 is composed of a cover member main body 21, a locking member 22 that fits into the first through-hole H1 of the body member main body 11, a hanging portion 23 that hangs down from the top surface of the cover member main body 21, a bearing portion 24 provided on the hanging portion 23 for receiving the shaft portion 13 of the body member 10, an operation tab 25 that allows a finger to hook when opening or closing the cover member 20 or moving the length adjuster 1, and a reinforcing portion 26 for increasing the strength of the hanging portion 23. The reinforcing portions 26 are thicker than the portion of the hanging portion 23 where the bearing portion 24 is provided, and a pair of reinforcing portions 26 are provided on both sides of the bearing portion 24 in the front-to-rear direction (only one side is numbered in FIG. 12 ). An appropriate opening may be provided in the center of the top surface of the cover member main body 21 so that the second bar-side umbilical cord S2 can be visually observed through the opening.

[0039] 10, the locking member 22 has a first locking portion 22a and a second locking portion 22b, and is configured such that, in the locked position shown in Fig. 13, the first bar side wire body S1 is sandwiched between the first locking portion 22a and the first bar 15 of the body member 10, and the second bar side wire body S2 is sandwiched between the second locking portion 22b and the second bar 16 of the body member 10. Note that, although only one locking member 22 is provided in this embodiment, multiple locking members 22 may be provided.

[0040] 1, the locking member 22 is formed with a width that is approximately half the width of the first through-hole H1 in the left-right direction. Therefore, when unlocking, the side where the locking member 22 is not provided can be used to thread the second-bar-side wire S2 through the second bar 16. That is, if the gap formed between the cover member 20 and the second bar 16 is small when unlocking, it may be difficult to thread the tip of the second-bar-side wire S2 through the second bar 16 (especially when a rod-shaped fixing portion is provided, such as the tip of a shoelace). However, even in such a case, the second-bar-side wire S2 can be threaded through.

[0041] Although not shown, the bearing portion 24 may be provided with a groove or the like on its inner peripheral surface or near the inner peripheral surface, which engages with a protrusion or the like provided on the outer peripheral surface or near the outer peripheral surface of the shaft portion 13 of the body member 10. This groove or the like makes it possible to restrict the rotation range of the cover member 20.

[0042] (Method of Assembling Length Adjuster 1) A method of assembling length adjuster 1 for wire body S will be described. The assembly method simply involves pushing cover member 20 downward relative to body member 10 in the vertical direction so that bearing portion 24 of cover member 20 fits into shaft portion 13 of body member 10. When cover member 20 is pushed downward in the vertical direction, the inner surface of hanging portion 23 is pushed open along guide surface 13a of shaft portion 13, and then bearing portion 24 fits into shaft portion 13, completing the connection between them.

[0043] (Method of Locking the Wire S) A method of using the length adjuster 1 for the wire S, particularly a method of locking the wire S, will now be described. First, the cover member 20 is moved to the unlocked position shown in FIG. 14 by pushing the operating tab 25 from top to bottom in the vertical direction. Thereafter, when setting the wire S in the length adjuster 1 for the first time, the distal ends (free ends) of the first bar-side wire S1 and the second bar-side wire S2 are passed through the length adjuster 1. Specifically, as shown in FIG. 14, the first bar-side wire S1 is passed from bottom to top in the vertical direction through the first through-hole H1, and then passed along the top surface of the first bar 15 and from top to bottom in the vertical direction through the second through-hole H2. In this way, the first-bar-side wire S1 is wound around the body member 10 so as to receive a frictional force between the upper surface of the first bar 15 and the lower surface of the body member main body 11. This advantageous effect is achieved in that, even if the tip (free end) of the first-bar-side wire S1 is pulled strongly by an external force during locking, the frictional force makes the wire S less likely to loosen. Furthermore, the frictional force also prevents the wire S from suddenly and inadvertently loosening during unlocking. As shown in FIG. 14 , the second-bar-side wire S2 is passed through the first through-hole H1 from bottom to top, then passes over the top surface of the second bar 16 and passes through the third through-hole H3 from top to bottom. In this way, the second bar side wire body S2 is wound around the body member 10 so as to be subjected to a frictional force between the upper surface of the second bar 16 and the lower surface of the body member main body 11, which has the advantageous effect that the wire body S2 is less likely to loosen, as in the case of the above-mentioned wire body S1. Note that the timing for passing the first bar side wire body S1 and the second bar side wire body S2 through the length adjuster 1 may be before assembling the length adjuster 1.

[0044] Once the wire S is set in the length adjuster 1, the wire S is set to the desired length. Then, the cover member 20 is moved to the locked position shown in FIG. 13 by pressing downward from the top to the bottom at a position on the top surface of the cover member 20 where the locking member 22 is provided. The locking member 22 has at least one first locking portion 22a that protrudes from the second bar 16 toward the first bar 15. The tip of the first locking portion 22a protrudes toward the first bar 15 beyond the front-to-rear end 21A (see FIG. 10) of the cover member main body 21 that constitutes the top surface of the cover member 20 (see FIG. 9). Meanwhile, the first bar 15 has an engaged portion 12 consisting of a step at a portion facing the first locking portion 22a. Because of this configuration, when the cover member 20 is pushed in from the top to the bottom in the vertical direction, the first locking portion 22a moves down along the side of the first bar 15 and engages with the engaged portion 12 provided on the side of the first bar 15, thereby completing the movement of the cover member 20 to the locked position.

[0045] When the cover member 20 is moved to the locked position, as shown in FIG. 13 , the first-bar-side wire S1 is sandwiched between the step of the engaged portion 12 and the first locking portion 22a in an interlocking manner, preventing it from moving. Because the first-bar-side wire S1 employs a locking mechanism based on interlocking, the wire S is locked in a bent state between the first locking portion 22a and the step of the engaged portion 12, which advantageously increases frictional resistance and provides a clicking sensation when the cover member 20 is closed. Furthermore, the second-bar-side wire S2 is sandwiched between the second bar 16 and the second locking portion 22b, preventing it from moving. In this embodiment, the second-bar-side wire S2 is sandwiched between the surface of the second bar 16 and the surface of the second locking portion 22b by frictional forces generated between the surface of the second bar 16 and the surface of the second locking portion 22b. While the first-bar-side wire S1 has a locking mechanism that uses meshing, the second-bar-side wire S2 is not meshed but is instead held by friction. This prevents the cover member 20 from interfering with the second bar 16 when opened, resulting in advantageous effects such as a good unlocking feel. From the perspective of a good unlocking feel, it is more preferable to significantly chamfer the surface of the second locking portion 22b facing the surface of the second bar 16 so that it is recessed in the direction from the second bar 16 to the first bar 15. This not only prevents the cover member 20 from interfering with the second bar 16 but also reduces interference with the wire S, improving the unlocking feel. The angle formed by the curved surface extending from the vertical line formed by the front-rear end surface 21A of the cover member main body 21 shown in FIG. 10 to the tip of the first locking portion 22a is an obtuse angle or a right angle. Therefore, the surface of the wire is less likely to be damaged by scratches etc. when in the locked state. In addition, the tip of the first locking portion 22a is rounded and the surface facing the front-rear end 21A of the cover member main body 21 of the first bar 15 is an inclined surface, so the surface of the wire is less likely to be damaged by scratches etc. when the locking operation is performed.

[0046] (Method for Unlocking the Wire Body S) A method for unlocking the wire body S will be described. To unlock the wire body S, the operation tab 25 is pushed downward from the top to the bottom, disengaging the first locking portion 22a from the engaged portion 12 and completing the movement of the cover member 20 to the unlocked position. The unlocking method is not limited to the method of operating the operation tab 25, as long as a force is applied in the direction in which the first locking portion 22a and the engaged portion 12 are disengaged. For example, the cover member 20 can be moved to the unlocked position by pinching the left and right side portions of the cover member 20 with fingers and pulling them up in the opening direction, or by strongly and impulsively pulling the first bar-side wire body S1a that is distal to the first locking portion 22a when locked and / or the second bar-side wire body S2a that is distal to the second locking portion 22b when locked, as shown in FIG. 13 . The cover member 20 is set to be able to rotate approximately 90 degrees from the locked state shown in Fig. 3 to the state shown in Fig. 4. That is, up until the state shown in Fig. 4, the cover member 20 does not interfere with the body member 10 to prevent rotation, and it is only when the body member 10 reaches the state shown in Fig. 4 that it interferes in a position that prevents rotation of the cover member 20. In order to make it easier to pass the wire S, the cover member 20 can rotate up to an upper limit of 80 degrees from the locked state shown in Fig. 3 to the state shown in Fig. 4 (a value close to 80 degrees is preferable from the viewpoint of making it easier to pass the wire S).

[0047] When the cover member 20 is moved to the unlocked position, as shown in Figure 14, the first bar side wire body S1 and the second bar side wire body S2 are separated from the locking member 22 and can move freely.

[0048] Second Embodiment A second embodiment of the present invention will be described with reference to Figures 15 and 16. The length adjuster 1 of the second embodiment differs from the first embodiment in that, as shown in Figure 15, the width of the length adjuster 1 in the left-right direction is approximately twice that of the length adjuster 1 of the first embodiment, a third bar 18 extending across the entire front-rear direction is provided in the left-right central position of the body member 10, a locking member 22 is provided across the third bar 18 as shown in Figure 16, and a notch 22c into which the third bar 18 fits is provided in the left-right central position of the locking member 22. Note that a description of configurations that are the same as or similar to those of the first embodiment will be omitted.

[0049] As shown in Figures 15 and 16, the body member main body 11 has six holes formed by the first bar 15, the second bar 16, and the third bar 18: one first through hole H11, the other first through hole H12, one second through hole H21, the other second through hole H22, one third through hole (not shown), and the other third through hole (not shown).

[0050] As shown in FIG. 16 , the locking member 22 has a cutout 22 c, and thus has one first locking portion 22 a 1, the other first locking portion 22 a 2, one second locking portion 22 b 1, and the other second locking portion 22 b 2. In the locked position shown in FIG. 15 , the two first bar side wire bodies S 1 are sandwiched between the one first locking portion 22 a 1 and the other first locking portion 22 a 2 and the first bar 15 of the body member 10, and the two second bar side wire bodies S 2 are sandwiched between the one second locking portion 22 b 1 and the other second locking portion 22 b 2 and the second bar 16 of the body member 10.

[0051] 16, the first locking portion 22a1 and the second locking portion 22b1 are formed with a width approximately half the width of the first through-hole H11 in the left-right direction. Therefore, when unlocking, the side where the locking member 22 is not provided can be used to thread the second bar side wire S2 through the second bar 16. That is, if the gap formed between the cover member 20 and the second bar 16 is small during unlocking, it may be difficult to thread the tip of the second bar side wire S2 through the second bar 16 (especially when threading the tip of a shoelace). However, even in such a case, the tip of the second bar side wire S2 can be threaded through the second bar 16. The other first locking portion 22a2 and the other second locking portion 22b2 have the same configuration, and therefore a description thereof will be omitted.

[0052] (Method of Locking the Wire S) The method of using the length adjuster 1 of the second embodiment, particularly the method of locking the wire S, is basically the same as in the first embodiment, but the method of threading the wire S is different from that of the first embodiment, and this point will be explained in more detail below. First, the operating tab 25 is pushed from the top to the bottom in the vertical direction to move the cover member 20 to the unlocked position as shown in FIG.

[0053] Thereafter, when setting the wire S in the length adjuster 1 for the first time, the first bar-side wire S1 and the second bar-side wire S2 are passed through the length adjuster 1. Specifically, the first bar-side wire S1 is passed through the other first through-hole H12 from bottom to top in the vertical direction, and then, via the top surface of the first bar 15, is passed through the other second through-hole H22 from top to bottom in the vertical direction. Then, after giving the first bar-side wire S1 a certain amount of slack (so that a loop can be formed), the first bar-side wire S1 is folded back. Thereafter, the first bar-side wire S1 is passed through one second through-hole H21 from bottom to top in the vertical direction, and then, via the top surface of the first bar 15, is passed through one first through-hole H11 from top to bottom in the vertical direction. Although the example in which the first bar-side wire S1 is first passed through the other first through-hole H12 has been given, it may be passed through one of the first through-holes H11 first. The second bar-side wire S2 is passed through in the same manner as the first bar-side wire S1, and therefore a description thereof will be omitted.

[0054] As described above, in the length adjuster 1 of the second embodiment, the first bar side wire body S1 and the second bar side wire body S2 are passed through with a certain amount of slack (so that a loop is formed), so that the length of the wire body S can be adjusted depending on the amount of slack provided.

[0055] Third Embodiment A third embodiment of the present invention will be described with reference to Figures 17 to 20. The length adjuster 1 of the third embodiment differs from the first embodiment in that, as shown in Figure 17, a main body cutout 19a for receiving a cover member 30 is provided at the center of the body member 10 in the front-rear direction, as well as in that, as shown in Figures 19 and 20, the second locking portion 32b of the locking member 32 projects toward the second bar 16, as well as in that both left and right end portions of the length adjuster 1 are not flush (the thickness of the hanging portion 33 projects outward in the left and right direction), the top surface of the length adjuster 1 is not flush in the locked position, and a shaft portion 34 is provided on the cover member 30 side and a bearing portion (not shown) is provided on the body member 10 side. Note that a description of configurations that are the same as or similar to those of the first embodiment will be omitted.

[0056] 19 and 20 , in the third embodiment, the second locking portion 32b of the locking member 32 is configured to protrude toward the second bar 16, so that the distance from the shaft 34 of the cover member 30 to the second locking portion 32b is shorter than the distance from the shaft 13 to the second locking portion 22b in the first embodiment. With this configuration, in the third embodiment, the second-bar-side wire S2 is clamped between the second bar 16 and the second locking portion 32b, as shown in FIG. 20 , not only when locked but also when unlocked. Therefore, in the third embodiment, the second-bar-side wire S2 does not move regardless of the position of the cover member 30, so that the length of the wire S can be adjusted by operating the cover member 30 or the first-bar-side wire S1 with one hand without worrying about the movement of the second-bar-side wire S2.

[0057] Furthermore, in the third embodiment, because the distance from the shaft 34 of the cover member 30 to the second locking portion 32b is short, when the cover member 30 is moved to the locked position, there is a possibility that the cover member 30 will interfere with the center position in the fore-and-aft direction of the body member 10. However, in the third embodiment, because the main body cutout 19a is provided, it is possible to avoid interference between the two, as shown in FIG.

[0058] Although not shown, in the third embodiment, as in the second embodiment, the body member main body 11 may be configured so that six holes, namely, one first through hole H11, the other first through hole H12, one second through hole H21, the other second through hole H22, one third through hole, and the other third through hole, are formed by the first bar 15, the second bar 16, and the third bar 18. In such a configuration, as in the second embodiment, it is preferable to provide a locking member notch at the center in the left-right direction of the locking member 32, into which the third bar 18 fits.

[0059] <Fourth Embodiment> A fourth embodiment of the present invention will be described with reference to Figures 21 to 26. The length adjuster 1 of the fourth embodiment differs from the first embodiment in that, as shown in Figure 25, a groove 19b for receiving a guide protrusion (not shown) provided on the cover member 40 is provided at the center of the body member 10 in the front-rear direction, as shown in Figure 25; the vertical height of the second bar 16 is the same as the height of the first bar 15 as shown in Figure 24; and the cover member 40 moves in the vertical direction relative to the body member 10 as shown in Figures 23 to 26. Note that a description of configurations that are the same as or similar to those of the first embodiment will be omitted.

[0060] 25 , hanging portion 43 of cover member 40 has a guide protrusion (not shown) that is guided by groove 19b provided in body member 10, allowing cover member 40 to move up and down relative to body member 10. Also, a restricting member (not shown) that restricts the guide protrusion of hanging portion 43 is provided near the upper end of groove 19b to prevent cover member 40 from slipping out of body member 10.

[0061] As shown in Figures 24 and 26, the locking member 42 has a first locking portion 42a, a second locking portion 42b, a third locking portion 42c, and a fourth locking portion 42d. When the cover member 40 is moved to the locked position shown in Figure 24, the first bar side wire S1 and the second bar side wire S2 are clamped between the first bar 15, the second bar 16, the first locking portion 42a, and the second locking portion 42b, and are therefore unable to move. In addition, because the cover member 40 has the third locking portion 42c and the fourth locking portion 42d, the cover member 40 is prevented from being pushed downward excessively, which would release the clamped state of the wire S.

[0062] Because the present invention has the configuration described above, it is possible to provide a wire length adjuster that requires fewer steps to adjust the length of a shoelace than conventional wire length adjusters, and that has a lock / unlock function at any position desired by the user.

[0063] The use of the length adjuster of the present invention is not particularly limited, but it can be used for, for example, safety shoes, children's shoes, sports shoes, high-top shoes, etc. In addition to shoes, it can also be used for shoulder straps for bags, camera straps, waist strings for clothing, etc.

[0064] It should be noted that the present invention is not limited to the above-described embodiments, and it is also possible to appropriately utilize, use as an alternative technology, or add in addition, technologies that are substantially the same as or that are recognized by those skilled in the art as technologies that have similar effects to the technical matters described in the embodiments of the present invention.

[0065] For example, as a modification, in the above embodiment, as shown in Fig. 9, the locking member 22 is provided only on one left-right side of the cover member 20, and the other side does not have the locking member 22 in order to expose the notch 14 for passing the wire therethrough, but as shown in Fig. 27 and Fig. 28, a pair of locking members 22-1, 22-2 may be provided on both left-right end portions of the cover member 20, and the notch 14 for passing the wire therethrough may be located at a position corresponding to the position between the pair of locking members 22-1, 22-2. In this case, the position of the notch 14 shown in Fig. 6 is the left-right center of the third through-hole H3.

[0066] As another modification, when using the length adjuster 1 as a shoelace adjuster, it can be used upside down (upside down in the vertical direction). Using the length adjuster 1 upside down has the advantage that the cover member 20 is less likely to be accidentally unlocked due to interference with the foot.

[0067] Furthermore, by focusing on only a portion of the length adjuster 1 of this embodiment, it can be understood as a separate invention. Specifically, the locking member constituting a portion of the length adjuster 1 can be said to have a novel structure not previously seen. More specifically, this will be explained with reference to FIG. 6 . The body member 10 of the length adjuster 1 shown in FIG. 6 constitutes a so-called locking member, which serves as a length adjustment component for the filament S2, with the first through-hole H1, the third through-hole H3, and the second bar 16 disposed therebetween. This locking member is particularly advantageous when used to adjust the length of a flat lace (strip-shaped lace) that is widely used as a shoelace and has a rod-shaped fixing portion (a rod-shaped fixing portion provided for passing through a shoelace eyelet) at its tip. Describing this as the concept of the invention, it is "a handrail used for a flat cord, which has two or more through holes (the first through hole H1 and the third through hole H3 in the above embodiment) whose long sides have a length corresponding to the width direction of the flat cord when the flat cord is passed through and whose short sides have a length corresponding to the thickness direction of the flat cord, and of these, one or more through holes (the third through hole H3 in the above embodiment) have short sides whose lengths differ at two or more points in the long side direction." This means that even if the handrail is made smaller, not only the flat cord can be passed through it, but also the rod-shaped fixing part at the tip of the flat cord can be passed through it.

[0068] DESCRIPTION OF SYMBOLS 1: Length adjuster 10: Body member 11: Body member main body 11a: Recessed portion 12: Engaged portion 13: Shaft portion 13a: Guide surface 14: Notch portion 15: First bar 16: Second bar 17: Convex portion 18: Third bar 19a: Main body notch portion 19b: Groove portion 20: Cover member 21: Cover member main body 21A: End portion 22: Lock member 22a: First lock portion 22a1: One first lock portion 22a2: Other first lock portion 22b: Second lock portion 22b1: One first lock portion 22b2: Other second lock portion 22c: Lock member notch portion 23: Hanging portion 24: Bearing portion 25: Operation tab 26: Reinforcement portion 30 : Cover member 32 : Locking member 32a : First locking portion 32b : Second locking portion 33 : Hanging portion 34 : Shaft portion 40 : Cover member 42 : Locking member 42a : First locking portion 42b : Second locking portion 42c : Third locking portion 42d : Fourth locking portion 43 : Hanging portion D1 : Maximum width in the front-to-rear direction of the portion of the third through hole H3 corresponding to the notch 14 D2 : Maximum width in the front-to-rear direction of the portion of the third through hole H3 corresponding to the notch 14 free G : Height difference between the upper end of the first bar and the upper end of the second bar H1 : First through hole H11 : One of the first through holes H12 : The other of the first through holes H2 : Second through hole H21 : One of the second through holes H22 : The other second through-hole H3: The third through-hole R1: The length of the limiting portion of the turning radius of the cover member 20 R2: The turning radius of the cover member 20 S: Wire S1: The first bar side wire S1a: The first bar side wire on the tip side of the first locking portion when locked S2: The second bar side wire S2a: The second bar side wire on the tip side of the second locking portion when locked

Claims

1. A length adjuster (1) for a wire (S) comprising a body member (10) and a cover member (20) displaceable relative to the body member (10), wherein the body member (10) has a first through hole (H1), a second through hole (H2) disposed on one side of the first through hole (H1), and a third through hole (H3) disposed on the other side, and also has a first bar (15) disposed between the first through hole (H1) and the second through hole (H2), and a second bar (16) disposed between the first through hole (H1) and the third through hole (H3), and the cover member (20) is provided with a lock member (22) that is inserted into the first through hole (H1) and holds the wire (S) between the first bar (15) and the second bar (16).

2. The length adjuster for a wire as described in claim 1, characterized in that the body member (10) has a recessed portion (11a) recessed downward in the vertical width of a portion of the upper surface of the body member (10) where the cover member (20) is located, the position at which the second bar (16) is provided is located below the recessed portion (11a) and below the first bar (15), and the upper surfaces of the body member (10) and the cover member (20) in the locked state are smoothly continuous.

3. A length adjuster for a wire as described in claim 1 or 2, characterized in that the locking member (22) is provided at one end of the cover member (20) in the front-to-rear direction, an operating tab (25) for operating the cover member (20) is provided at the other end of the cover member (20) in the front-to-rear direction, and the operating tab (25) extends toward the other side in the front-to-rear direction.

4. The wire length adjuster according to any one of claims 1 to 3, characterized in that the left-right width of the locking member (22) is narrower than the left-right width of the first through-hole (H1).

5. A length adjuster for a wire as described in any one of claims 1 to 4, characterized in that a protrusion (17) for operating the length adjuster (1) is provided on one end of the body member (10) in the fore-and-aft direction, and the protrusion (17) extends toward one side in the fore-and-aft direction.

6. The length adjuster for a wire as described in claim 1, characterized in that, when unlocked, the wire (S) is clamped between the locking member (22) and the second bar (16).

7. The length adjuster for a wire as described in claim 1, characterized in that the body member (1) has a third bar (18) located approximately in the center in the left-right direction, extending in the front-rear direction and dividing the first through hole (H1), the second through hole (H2), and the third through hole (H3) into two in the left-right direction, and the locking member (22) has a locking member cutout portion (22c) for inserting the third bar (18).

8. The wire length adjuster according to claim 1, wherein the cover member (20) is displaceable in the vertical direction relative to the body member (10).

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