Abstract:
A low profile locking tie head having a reduced wall thickness is provided for use in conjunction with a flexible strap. The low profile head comprises a wall, which circumferentially defines an opening, a reinforcement rib attached to the wall, and a pawl mechanism disposed at least partially inside the opening. A pair of clamping rails preferably provides a complete clamping surface, lowers the required tie head height, and assists in the transfer of force to the reinforcement rib. Further, a tie head retainer is provided to allow secure connection to a predetermined support structure.

Description:
RELATED APPLICATIONS  
       [0001]    This application claims the benefit of U.S. Design patent application Ser. No. 29/263,127, filed 17 Jul. 2006, which is a continuation of U.S. Design patent application Ser. No. 29/216,331, filed 1 Nov. 2004. 
     
    
     BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION  
       [0002]    This invention relates to flexible ties and, more particularly, to a normal entry low profile locking tie head having a reduced cross-section sidewall thickness for use with a flexible tie. 
         [0003]    Flexible ties for use in bundling elongated members such as wires, cables, etc. are well known. Typically, such ties include an elongated flexible strap made of suitable material. The tie usually has a free end (tail) and a locking head at the opposite end. The strap is flexible; the free end (tail) is capable of being looped 270 degrees around back toward itself and inserted into the locking head after which the diameter of the loop formed by the strap can be adjusted to fit in the desired manner over the intended bundle. 
         [0004]    A normal entry tie head is a tie head wherein the insertion of the strap into the locking head and then its extension through the locking head is generally normal, perpendicular, or oblique to the strap, while the strap is in an unfastened, or generally planar orientation. 
         [0005]    Various constructions of normal entry tie heads have been proposed. Primarily, such tie heads have been relatively bulky, thereby leading to at least three problems. First, processing cycle times of flexible straps having a locking head are driven by the cure time of the tie heads. That is, in any molded plastic product, the minimum cycle time is determined by the cure time of the most volumetric portion of the product. Therefore, it would be desirable to have a normal entry tie head having a reduced cure time, which would, in turn, decrease cycle time and increase the number of units produced in a given amount of time. 
         [0006]    Second, previous tie head bulk provided undesirable obstruction in a variety of applications. Such heads would not allow passage of bundled items through wire looms, frame rails and channels. Furthermore, due to their protrusion from a bundle, such heads could cause injury to persons installing bundles or maintaining equipment containing the bundles. Finally, obstruction of previous tie heads affected the wire density in a given routing location. That is, since prior tie heads were bulky, the obvious protrusion of the head from the bundle would consume valuable routing space, which would otherwise be filled with wires or cables. Thus, it would be desirable to have a tie head that does not generally provide undesirable obstruction. 
         [0007]    Third, previous tie heads comprised a significant amount of material. It would, therefore, be desirable to have a tie head that reduces the amount of material used, thereby leading to material cost savings. 
       SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION  
       [0008]    The invention herein described provides all of the desirable features indicated in the Background of the Invention. 
         [0009]    To achieve the desired characteristics, the low profile locking tie head of the present invention comprises a reduced amount of wall thickness while maintaining desired structural integrity. The reduction of the wall thickness allows for the shortening of production cycle time and further allows for material savings and desirable installation and maintenance characteristics. 
         [0010]    The reduction of wall thickness and material is achieved by using a reinforcement rib, which is integrally formed with the low profile locking tie head wall. The reinforcement rib can be used alone or in connection with clamping rails on the underside of the tie head. Clamping rails allow an even greater reduction in head height, thereby reducing even further the protrusion from the surface of a bundle of objects. 
     
    
     
       BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS  
         [0011]      FIG. 1A  is a perspective view of a prior art locking tie head. 
           [0012]      FIG. 1B  is a cross-section view of the prior art tie head taken along line  1 B- 1 B of  FIG. 1A . 
           [0013]      FIG. 2A  is a perspective view of a first embodiment of the present invention. 
           [0014]      FIG. 2B  is a first cross-section view taken along line  2 B- 2 B of  FIG. 2A . 
           [0015]      FIG. 2C  is a front elevation view of the embodiment of  FIG. 2A . 
           [0016]      FIG. 2D  is a perspective view showing the embodiment of  FIG. 2A  in use. 
           [0017]      FIG. 2E  is a first alternate cross-section view taken along line  2 B- 2 B of  FIG. 2A . 
           [0018]      FIG. 2F  is a second alternate cross-section view taken along line  2 B- 2 B of  FIG. 2A . 
           [0019]      FIG. 3  is a front elevation view of an alternate first embodiment of the present invention showing an enhanced reinforcement rib. 
           [0020]      FIG. 4A  is a perspective view of a second embodiment of the present invention. 
           [0021]      FIG. 4B  is a front elevation view of the embodiment of  FIG. 4A . 
           [0022]      FIG. 4C  is a perspective view showing the embodiment of  FIG. 4A  in use. 
           [0023]      FIG. 4D  is a cross-section view taken along line  4 D- 4 D of  FIG. 4A . 
           [0024]      FIG. 5A  is a perspective view of a third embodiment of the present invention. 
           [0025]      FIG. 5B  is a front elevation view of the embodiment of  FIG. 5A . 
           [0026]      FIG. 5C  is a perspective view showing the embodiment of  FIG. 5A  in use. 
           [0027]      FIG. 5D  is a cross-section view taken along line  5 D- 5 D of  FIG. 5A . 
           [0028]      FIG. 6A  is a perspective view of a fourth embodiment of the present invention. 
           [0029]      FIG. 6B  is a front elevation view of the embodiment of  FIG. 6A . 
           [0030]      FIG. 6C  is a perspective view showing the embodiment of  FIG. 6A  in use. 
           [0031]      FIG. 6D  is a cross-section view taken along line  6 D- 6 D of  FIG. 6A . 
           [0032]      FIG. 7A  is a perspective view of a fifth embodiment of the present invention. 
           [0033]      FIG. 7B  is a front elevation view of the embodiment of  FIG. 7A . 
           [0034]      FIG. 7C  is a perspective view showing the embodiment of  FIG. 7A  in use. 
           [0035]      FIG. 7D  is a cross-section view taken along line  7 D- 7 D of  FIG. 7A . 
           [0036]      FIG. 8A  is a perspective view of a sixth embodiment of the present invention. 
           [0037]      FIG. 8B  is a front elevation view of the embodiment of  FIG. 8A . 
           [0038]      FIG. 8C  is a perspective view showing the embodiment of  FIG. 8A  in use. 
           [0039]      FIG. 8D  is a cross-section view taken along line  8 D- 8 D of  FIG. 8A . 
           [0040]      FIG. 9A  is a perspective view of a seventh embodiment of the present invention. 
           [0041]      FIG. 9B  is a front elevation view of the embodiment of  FIG. 9A . 
           [0042]      FIG. 9C  is a perspective view showing the embodiment of  FIG. 9A  in use. 
           [0043]      FIG. 9D  is a cross-section view taken along line  9 D- 9 D of  FIG. 9A . 
           [0044]      FIG. 10A  is a perspective view of an eighth embodiment of the present invention. 
           [0045]      FIG. 10B  is a front elevation view of the embodiment of  FIG. 10A . 
           [0046]      FIG. 10C  is a perspective view showing the embodiment of  FIG. 10A  in use. 
           [0047]      FIG. 10D  is a cross-section view taken along line  10 D- 10 D of  FIG. 10A . 
           [0048]      FIG. 10E  is a cross-section view of a first alternate tie element having a locking tie head for a head retainer, similar to that shown in  FIG. 10D . 
           [0049]      FIG. 10F  is a cross-section view of a second alternate tie element having a locking tie head for a head retainer, similar to that shown in  FIG. 10E . 
           [0050]      FIG. 11A  is the cross-section view of the prior art tie head of  FIG. 11B , further including an inserted strap at a first position. 
           [0051]      FIG. 11B  is the cross-section view of  FIG. 11A , wherein the strap is in a second position. 
           [0052]      FIG. 12A  is the cross-section view of  FIG. 2B , further including an inserted strap in a first position. 
           [0053]      FIG. 12B  is the cross-section view of  FIG. 12A , wherein the strap is in a second position. 
       
    
    
     DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENT  
       [0054]    Referring to  FIGS. 1A and 1B , a previous locking tie head  10  is shown. The relative mass of the tie head  10  is especially evident with reference to the solid molded sections  11 . As previously described, such bulk adds cost in both raw material and processing time. 
         [0055]    Referring to  FIGS. 2A-D , a first embodiment of the invention includes a tie head  100  having a wall  101 , a reinforcement rib  102 , and a pawl  103 . The wall  101  has a reduced cross section, an outer wall surface  109  and an inner wall surface  108 , which circumferentially forms an opening  105  having an entrance  106  and an exit  107 . Generally, the reinforcement rib  102  is attached to, or disposed on, the wall  101  outer surface  109 , and the pawl  103  is attached to the wall  101  inner surface  108  and is disposed at least partially in the opening  105  adapted to receive a free end  905  of a retaining strap  901 . More specifically referring to  FIG. 2B , the reinforcement rib  102  preferably encircles the wall  101 , is preferably molded integrally with the wall  101 , protruding from the wall outer surface  109  proximate the entrance  106  to the opening  105 . In addition to integral molding with the wall  101 , the reinforcement rib  102  further may be molded, merged and aligned with the tie strap  901 . In this case, aligning the reinforcement rib  102  with the tie strap  901  provides 360 degrees of structural rib reinforcement encircling the tie head  100  which provides increased hoop strength around the tie head  100 . This alignment also simplifies the mold cavity profile by eliminating the need for any cross slides in the molding process. 
         [0056]    The head  100  is also preferably provided with clamping rails  104  near the entrance  106  to the opening  105 . The rails  104  are adapted to interface to the bundled objects  900 . When the strap  901  is sufficiently pulled through and tensioned the curved surface of the clamping rails  104  are drawn onto the bundle surface, filling in the 90 degree transition between inserted strap  901  and tie head entrance  106  that creates a contact gap, and thereby providing substantially 360 degrees of clamping force around the bundle&#39;s surface. While providing a complete clamping surface, the use of clamping rails  104  also allows the pawl  103  to be positioned closer to the entrance  106  to the opening  105 , thereby allowing more material to be removed from the height of the walls  101  which subsequently lowers the overall profile of the entire tie head  100 . When clamping rails  104  are used, it is preferable that the reinforcement rib  102  be placed proximate the entrance  106  of the opening  105  formed by the wall  101  thereby providing reinforcement for the clamping stresses. 
         [0057]      FIG. 2E  depicts an alternate clamping bottom surface lacking the clamping rails  104  shown in  FIG. 2B . Rather, this embodiment includes only a ridge  115  directed towards the bundled object. 
         [0058]      FIG. 2F  shows a second alternate embodiment having neither a ridge  115  as in  FIG. 2E  nor clamping rails  104  as shown in  FIG. 2B . 
         [0059]    Where clamping forces are generally high, the reinforcement rib  102  may, itself, require additional support at rib locations expected to deflect under higher forces. Reinforcement may come by way of a shouldered or thickened rib  102 . That is, the rib  102  may be supplied with a reinforced rib section  116  to provide such additional support, as seen in  FIG. 3 . While the required thickness of the reinforced rib section  116  may depend upon a particular application, an increase of thickness by 25-50%, as compared to the thickness of the strap  901 , has proven to add significant strength to the reinforcement rib  102  and ultimately the tie head  100 . 
         [0060]    Turning now to  FIGS. 4A-4D , a second embodiment of the invention includes a locking tie head  100  having a similar wall  101  and reinforcement rib  102  structure to the first embodiment. This embodiment further includes a head retainer  110  in the form of a stud receiver  111 . The stud receiver  111  may be formed with at least one pawl, but preferably two opposing pawls  114  adapted to engage threads or other ridges on a support stud  902 . The head retainer  110  is preferably attached to, or formed integrally with, an extended portion  112  of the reinforcement rib  102  at a retainer attachment point  113 . 
         [0061]    The retainer attachment point  113  is generally either flexile or robust, depending upon the particular application. While the second embodiment of  FIGS. 4A-4D  provides a flexile connection  113 , a third embodiment pictured in  FIGS. 5A-5D  has a robust retainer attachment point  123  between the stud receiver  111  and the reinforcement rib  102 . While a flexile connection  113  could be formed of any desirable shape, the preferred connection  113  is a latitudinal groove formed on at least one surface of the extended portion  112 . The groove preferably has a substantially semi-rectangular cross-section. Such a cross-section provides many flex points, thereby eliminating the focus of flex stress from a single point as may occur if the groove had a semi-circular cross-section. A purpose of a flexile attachment point  113  is that the head retainer mechanism may be used in a greater variety of situations. For example, referring back to  FIG. 4C , if the retaining stud  902  did not have the lower standoff portion and the retainer  111  needed to be positioned nearer the support structure, the flexile connection  113  would allow placement of a large bundle close to the support structure, and would further allow slight movement in the head to allow insertion of the strap into the opening. 
         [0062]    A fourth embodiment of the present invention is shown in  FIGS. 6A-6D . This embodiment includes a locking tie head  100  having a similar wall  101  and reinforcement rib  102  structure to the first embodiment. This embodiment, like the second and third embodiments, has a head retainer  110 , in the form of a stud receiver  121 . This stud receiver  121 , however, lacks the pawls of the other embodiments, and instead has a bore  124  adapted to engage a smooth or welding stud  906 . Similar to the second embodiment, this embodiment has a flexile retainer attachment point  113 , which connects the head retainer  110  to the extended portion  112  of the reinforcement rib  102 . 
         [0063]    A fifth embodiment is depicted in  FIGS. 7A-7D . This embodiment includes a locking tie head  100  having a similar wall  101  and reinforcement rib  102  structure to the first embodiment. Further, this embodiment has a similar head retainer  110  to the fourth embodiment. However, this embodiment includes a robust retainer attachment point  123 . 
         [0064]    Now referring to  FIGS. 8A-8D , a sixth embodiment of the invention includes a locking tie head  100  having a similar wall  101  and reinforcement rib  102  structure to the first embodiment. Similar to the second and third embodiments, this embodiment includes a head retainer  110 . However, this embodiment provides retention by mounting into a hole or slot  903 , rather than on a support stud  902 . To provide retention into a hole or slot  903 , the head retainer  110  is in the form of a supporting snap structure or arrowhead  131  which is generally known in the art. 
         [0065]    A seventh embodiment of the present invention is depicted in  FIGS. 9A-9D . This embodiment includes a locking tie head  100  having a similar wall  101  and reinforcement rib  102  structure to the first embodiment. Similar to the sixth embodiment, the head retainer  110  allows support through a hole or slot  903 . However, this embodiment utilizes a fir tree structure  141  for the head retainer  110 . The fir tree structure  141  is generally known in the art. 
         [0066]    Another embodiment is disclosed in  FIGS. 10A-10D , which incorporates as a head retainer  110  a second locking tie head  151 . The second tie head  151  is preferably of the same general structural design as described herein, having a wall  201  circumferentially defining an opening  205 , a reinforcement rib  202  disposed on the wall  201  and a pawl  203  disposed at least partially within the opening  205 . Such a head retainer  110  allows a secured bundle  900  to be secured to an anchor or miscellaneous object (not shown) that does not provide a standard support stud  902  or slot  903 . The second tie head  151  is preferably inverted with respect to the first tie head  101 . In this manner, it is possible to utilize a single flexible tie to wrap around a first object  900 , through the first tie head  101 , around a second object  900 , and through the second tie head. This embodiment provides separation and spacing between parallel and nearly parallel bundles. 
         [0067]    A cross-section view of a first alternate embodiment having a second locking tie head  161  for a head retainer  110  is shown in  FIG. 10E . In this embodiment, the second tie head  161  is generally of a similar construction to the first tie head  100 . The second tie head  161  is provided with a reverse pawl  203  similar to that in  FIG. 10D , however, the reinforcement rib  202  of the second tie head  161  is positioned near the exit of the opening  205 . 
         [0068]      FIG. 10F  depicts a second alternate embodiment having a second locking tie head  171  for a head retainer  110 . In this embodiment, however, the reinforcement rib  202  of the second tie head  171  may extend into a second flexible strap  901   b  for placement around an anchor, supporting structure, or second bundle. 
         [0069]    The invention may be made from any methods and materials now known or developed hereafter. Standard methods for manufacture of such devices are generally known in the art and include, for example, resin molding. 
         [0070]    To use the tie head  100 , the head  100  is first supplied, or formed integrally, with a tie strap  901 . The strap  901  is placed around an elongate object  900  to be held by the strap  901 . The free end  905  of the strap  901  is inserted into the entrance  106  of the opening  105  and pulled through exit  107  of the tie head  100 . If the tie head  100  is provided with clamping rails  104 , and when the strap  901  is sufficiently pulled through and tensioned, the curved surface of the clamping rails  104  is drawn onto the bundle surface, filling in the  90  degree transition between inserted flexible strap  901  and tie head entrance  106  that creates a contact gap, thereby providing substantially 360 degrees of clamping force around the bundle&#39;s surface. When the rails  104  contact the elongate object  900  the force of the strapping action is distributed along the rails  104  and throughout the wall  101  and reinforcement rib  102 . Then, if a head retainer  110  is provided, the head retainer  110  can be placed into or over the proper support structure; however, the head retainer  110  does not have to be applied last—it can be the first step in the installation followed by the insertion of the strap  901  into the tie head  100 . 
         [0071]      FIGS. 11A and 11B  depict, in cross section, a performance issue with the prior art tie head  10  with strap  901  inserted. In  FIG. 11A , the strap  901  is engaged with the pawl  13  and an average load  20  is applied to bundle  900  resulting in the strap  901  attempting withdrawal from the tie head  10  while the wedged pawl  13  presses strap  901  against inner wall surface  108 . Note the positioning of the pawl  13  pressing against the strap  901  with the average load  20  applied to bundle  900  and strap  901  in  FIG. 11A . On the other hand, note the positioning of pawl  13  as shown in  FIG. 11B ; when an increased force  22  is applied to the strap  901 , the wall  11  fails by bowing outward  24 . This undesirable wall deformation  24  allows the withdrawing strap  901  to slide between the pawl  13  and the bowed wall  11 , thereby releasing a previously fastened bundle  900 . 
         [0072]    The aforementioned increased loading  22  of bundles  900  commonly occurs in but is not limited to bundles on heavy equipment and trucks bouncing in transit resulting in bundled harnesses jostling up and down applying shaking impact loads to all mounted and bundled flexible ties, bundles of large pulsating hydraulic lines, and bundles of expanding soft flexible pressurized hoses. 
         [0073]    If, in attempting to achieve a reduction in material usage and cure time with the prior art locking tie head  10 , the thickness of the wall  11  is reduced, deformation  24  is only exacerbated. 
         [0074]      FIGS. 12A and 12B  show operation of an embodiment of a tie head  100  according to the present invention in positions similar to those of  FIGS. 11A and 11B .  FIG. 12A  depicts a strap  901  engaged with a pawl  103  with moderate or average clamping force  20 .  FIG. 12B  shows the new tie head  100  under the same increased force  22  as that applied in  FIG. 11B  to a prior art head  10 . Note that wall deformation or bowing  24  is significantly reduced and may be eliminated by using the reinforcement rib  102 , which may be further aided by the clamping rails  104 . Not only does the new tie head  100  prevent the aforementioned problem with bowed walls, but the head  100  is formed with walls  101  having a decreased cross-section. Therefore, the new tie head  100  allows a reduction in tie head material, thereby decreasing cure time and lowering production cost while providing a tie head having increased strength over prior art heads. 
         [0075]    The foregoing is considered as illustrative only of the principles of the invention. Furthermore, since numerous modifications and changes will readily occur to those skilled in the art, it is not desired to limit the invention to the exact construction and operation shown and described. While the preferred embodiment has been described, the details may be changed without departing from the invention, which is defined by the claims.