Manufacturing method for plug for hole created in plate and plug for hole created in plate

A plug with which the opening of a hole can be covered through a one-touch operation in which a plugging member is pressed against a plate is provided. A plugging member having a size sufficiently large enough to cover the hole created in the plate of which the opening is to be covered is provided with a protruding portion in bridge form that is formed by making a part of the member protrude from the rear surface of the plugging member, the support plate lies in the gap between the bottom surface of the protruding portion and the rear surface of the plugging member where the support plate is formed of an elastic material and extends in the direction from left to right so that the two ends protrude to the outside from the outer periphery of the plugging member so as to be able to be bent between fingers.

CROSS REFERENCE TO RELATED APPLICATIONS

This application claims priority to Application No. 2014-181540 filed in Japan on Sep. 5, 2014, under 35 U.S.C. §119, the entire contents of which are hereby incorporated by reference.

FIELD OF THE INVENTION

The present invention relates to a plug used for covering an unnecessary hole created in a plate in the case where the hole is created by mistake or in the case where the plate is to be reused as well as a manufacturing method for the plug.

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION

There are many cases where a hole that has been carelessly created in a plate causes a problem.

For example, each of the four walls (plates)2,2,2, and2that form a box for wiring in Patent Document 1 or a well-known outlet box1shown inFIGS. 1 and 6in the present application is provided with a number of holes3,3, . . .3of which the sizes are different for connecting a wire pipe, and all of the holes3for connecting a wire pipe are respectively provided with a blind cover in proximity to the inner periphery5in such a state that the blind cover is linked to inner periphery of each hole3, as shown inFIGS. 1 and 6, with microscopic linking portions6(points of attachment) so that detachment and separation are easy.

Thus, the holes3for connecting a wire pipe can be respectively covered by a blind cover so that bugs and the like can be prevented from entering the box1. Meanwhile, in the case where a wire pipe is connected to the box1, a blind cover4can be easily removed in a well-known manner so that a hole3afor connecting a wire pipe is opened, which makes it easy to connect a wire pipe through the hole3a.

PRIOR ART DOCUMENT

Patent Document

Patent Document 1: Japanese Unexamined Patent Publication 2001-78332

DISCLOSURE OF THE INVENTION

Problems to Be Solved by the Invention

The blind covers4are linked to the inner peripheries5of the holes3for connecting a wire pipe through microscopic linking portions6so that detachment and separation are easy, and therefore, an unexpected external pressure or a mistakenly applied external pressure may separate a blind cover4so as to create an unexpected hole3ain a plate2, which is a wall of the box1. In such a case, it may be technically difficult to cover the unexpected hole3a, and such a problem may arise that unnecessary time and effort are required for this work.

In the case where it is desired to reuse a plate that has become unnecessary in other places and there is an unnecessary hole that had been previously made in the plate, such a problem arises that the unnecessary hole makes it difficult to reuse the plate.

BRIEF SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION

An object of the present invention is to solve the above-described problems and to provide a plug with which the opening of a hole can be covered through a one-touch operation in which a plugging member is pressed against the plate.

Another object is to provide a plug of which the plugging member can be engaged with a hole in a plate through an operation only on the front side (one side of the plate).

Still another object is to provide a manufacturing method for a plug that can be formed of two plate materials at an extremely low cost.

Other problems to be solved, objects, and advantages of the invention will be easily clarified from the drawings and the following descriptions relating to them.

A manufacturing method for a plug for a hole created in a plate according to the present invention comprises:a preparation step of preparing a plugging member and a support plate together, whereinthe plugging member is formed of the plate of which size is sufficiently large enough to cover the hole created in the plate of which an opening is to be covered,a protruding portion in bridge form is formed on a rear side of the plugging member in approximately a center portion by making a part of a member protrude from the rear surface of the plugging member,the protruding portion in bridge form protrudes in such a state that a gap is created between a bottom surface of the protruding portion in bridge form and the rear surface of the plugging member,the support plate can be inserted through the gap in a direction from left to right in such a state that the support plate lies along the rear surface of the plugging member, andthe support plate is formed of an elastic material in a band plate form; andan insertion step of inserting said support plate into the gap between the bottom surface of the protruding portion in bridge form on said plugging member and the rear surface of the plugging member in such a state that said support plate lies along the rear surface of the plugging member and two ends of the support plate respectively protrude from an outer periphery of the plugging member.

A manufacturing method for the plug for the hole created in the plate according to claim1, characterized in that said plugging member is formed of a metal material, and a pressure applying step of applying pressure to the protruding portion in bridge form on the plugging member towards the support plate inside the protruding portion is carried out so that a degree of contact between the bottom surface of the protruding portion and the facing surface of the support plate is increased.

A manufacturing method for the plug for the hole created in the plate according to claim1, characterized in that said plugging member is formed of a synthetic resin material, and a pressure applying step of applying heat to the protruding portion in bridge form on the plugging member while simultaneously applying pressure towards the support plate inside the protruding portion is carried out so that the degree of contact between the bottom surface of the protruding portion and the facing surface of the support plate is increased.

A plug for a hole created in a plate, comprising a plugging member and a support plate, according to the present invention is thatthe plugging member is formed of the plate of which size is sufficiently large enough to cover the hole created in the plate of which an opening is to be covered,a protruding portion in bridge form is formed on a rear side of the plugging member in approximately a center portion by making a part of a member protrude from the rear surface of the plugging member,the protruding portion in bridge form protrudes in such a state that a gap is created between a bottom surface of the protruding portion in bridge form and the rear surface of the plugging member,a support plate is inserted through the gap in a direction from left to right in such a state that the support plate lies along the rear surface of the plugging member, andthe support plate that lies inside said protruding portion in bridge form is formed of an elastic material in a band plate form, is positioned in such a state that a portion that is approximately at a center of the support plate is supported inside the protruding portion, and extends in the direction from left to right so that two ends protrude to outside from an outer periphery of the plugging member so as to be able to be bent between fingers.

As described above, the present invention has such effects that the efficiency in the work of attaching a plugging member to a hole is high because the opening of the hole can be covered with the plugging member through a one-touch operation where the ends of a support plate that protrude from the two sides of the plugging member are pinched, and the ends are inserted into the hole from the front side of the plate so that the plugging member is pressed against the plate, and in this state, the plugging member is secured to the plate.

The entirety of the above-described attachment work can be carried out on the front side of the plate (one side of the plate), and therefore, the attachment work is characterized in that the worker can carry out the operation only on the front side of the plate, particularly in the case where the area of the plate is wide.

Thus, no work is necessary on the rear side of the plate, and therefore, there is such an advantage that the attachment work is possible irrelevant of the situation on the rear side, for example, the rear side of the plate is closed with other objects or there is an obstacle on the rear side.

Furthermore, in the state where the plugging member is engaged with the plate, the point at which the support plate having elasticity is engaged with the plugging member is in approximately the center portion, from which the support plate extends to the two sides so that the points through which the support plate makes contact are located on the free end sides, and therefore, the plugging member is always located at the point in the middle of the inner periphery of the hole of the plate due to the effects of the contact points on the two sides with appropriate balance, that is to say, the plugging member keeps the opening of the hole covered by staying at the center relative to the hole of the plate.

Namely, the points through which the support plate makes contact with the edge of a hole on the two sides, when the support plate extends in a reverse V shape on the rear side of a plate, are characterized by working through the elastic contact such that the center of the plugging member is located in the center portion of the hole (at the center location between two sides of the edge of the hole).

As a result, the center of the plugging member can always be located at the center of a hole even when the diameter of the hole is greatly smaller or barely larger than the diameter of the plugging member, and thus, there is such an advantage that it is possible to cover the opening of holes having different sizes with a plugging member of one size.

In addition, the structure of the plug having the above-described effects is simple. That is to say, the plug is formed of two members, one plate material and an elastic plate inserted through a protruding portion provided with the plate material, and therefore, there is such an effect that the plug can be provided at an extremely low cost.

Furthermore, the plug is formed of two members as described above, where a combination of the two is achieved by providing a protruding portion at the center of the plugging member formed of one plate and inserting one elastic plate through the protruding portion so that the elastic plate is parallel to the plugging member, and therefore, the number of manufacturing steps is small. From this point of view as well, the invention has such an effect that the plug can be provided at a low cost.

Moreover, the plug made of two members as described above is in such a state that the two members are layered on top of each other so as to be parallel to each other, and therefore, a great number of plugs can be layered on top of each other by keeping the volume extremely small, and thus, the plug is characterized by being portable in such a manner that a great number of plugs can be carried around in a small volume at a work site.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION

In the following, embodiments of the present invention are described in reference to the drawings.FIG. 1is a perspective diagram for illustrating the relationship between a hole3ain a plate2of which the opening is to be covered and a plug10. A wire box1having the hole3ato be covered is a well-known box (see Cited Document 1). This type of box is formed of iron plates or a synthetic resin material.2,2,2, and2are plates (walls) on the periphery that are linked to each other.3denotes a hole having a blind cover4inside. The blind cover4inside each hole3can prevent bugs and the like from entering into the inside of the box1. The blind covers4are linked to the inner periphery5of a hole through microscopic linking portions6(two points of attachment) so that detachment and separation are easy in the case where it is desired for the blind cover4to simply be removed in order for a wire pipe to be attached to the inside of the hole in a well-known manner.3adenotes a hole from which the blind cover4has been mistakenly removed from the inside of the hole3in the plate2.

10denotes a plug that is provided with a plugging member11and a support plate24.

As shown in the figures, the plugging member11is formed to have a size that is sufficiently large to cover the hole3ain the plate2of which the opening is to be covered. In the case where the diameter of the hole3ais 20 mm, for example, the diameter of the plugging member11is set to approximately 30 mm so that the plugging member11has a large enough size to prevent the opening5of the hole3afrom being exposed to the outside even in the case where the plugging member11slightly shifts to the side relative to the hole3aas shown inFIG. 5. The plugging member11is made of a hard material, such as iron or a synthetic resin, and may be a disc of which the shape as viewed from the top may be any form that can easily cover the opening3a, such as a perfect circle, an ellipse, or a polygon. The thickness may be such that the state where pressure is applied to the contact, as inFIGS. 5 and 7, can be maintained, and is 0.4 mm to 0.5 mm, for example.

As shown inFIGS. 3 and 7B, the plugging member11is provided with a protruding portion15in a bridge form on the rear side in approximately the center portion. The protruding portion15is a portion of the plugging member11protruding from the rear surface14.

As can be seen fromFIGS. 7C and 7D, the protruding portion15in bridge form protrudes in such a state that a support plate24can be inserted through a gap19between the bottom surface18of the protruding portion15in bridge form and the rear surface14of the plugging member11in the direction from left to right so that the support plate24lays along the rear surface14of the plugging member11(seeFIG. 2B). Here,15adenotes a portion through which the protruding portion15and the member11are connected to each other, and15bdenotes a portion through which the protruding portion15and the member11are separated from each other (slit).

Next, as can be seen fromFIGS. 1, 4, 5, and 9A to 9C, the support plate24is formed of an elastic material in a band shape so as to be freely bent or straightened between the position24adenoted by a single-dotted chain line and the position24denoted by a solid line. The support plate24can be of any width or any thickness, but usually the width is 4 mm to 12 mm and the thickness is 0.2 mm to 0.3 mm corresponding to the size of the plugging member11. In addition, the support plate24is positioned in a gap19inside the protruding portion15in such a state that the portion25that is approximately at the center of the support plate24is supported inside the protruding portion15. The support plate24extends in the direction from left to right (20a,20b) as shown in the figures so that the two ends26,26protrude to the outside from the outer periphery12of the plugging member11, and thus, the two ends26,26can be bent between fingers31,31(the length of the protrusion is approximately the same length of the radius of the plugging member11as shown in the figures, for example).

Next, a manufacturing method for a plug10having a plugging member11and a support plate24is described. First, a plugging member11shown inFIG. 7Bis formed. In the case where the plugging member11is formed of a synthetic resin material, a product in a state as shown inFIG. 7Bmay be formed by means of a molding using well-known dies.

In the case where the plugging member11is formed of a metal material, a well-known press processing means (also referred to as sheet metal working means) is applied to a base material (iron plate)33in band form, as shown in FIG.7A, so that plugging materials11are efficiently formed from a plate.

That is to say, a number of plugging members11aare punched out from the iron plate33one after another, as shown inFIG. 7A, using well-known pressing dies (detached along cut lines34), and thus, a great number of plugging members11are efficiently and successively made. At this time, such an operation is simultaneously carried out using the above-described press dies so that slits15bon the two sides of the protruding portion15are created and the portion between the two slits is protruded through plastic deformation (or a recess16is created).

Next, an insertion step of engaging a support plate24(seeFIG. 7B) that has been formed of an elastic material in band plate form in advance with the above-described protruding portion15in bridge form that has been provided on the rear side14of the plugging member11in approximately the center portion is described.

The support plate24in band form is inserted through the gap19between the bottom surface18of the protruding portion15in bridge form on the above-described plugging member11and the rear surface14of the plugging member11so that the center portion25of the support plate24is situated in such a manner that the support plate24lies along the rear surface14of the plugging member11and the two ends26,26of the support plate24protrude from the outer periphery12of the plugging member11, as shown inFIGS. 2 and 3.

Furthermore, as can be seen fromFIG. 8, the shape of the protruding portion15in bridge form may be changed by such a means that pressure is applied in the direction of arrow30so that the degree of contact between the bottom surface18of the protruding portion and the facing surface of the support plate28can be increased if necessary, that is to say, in the case where the support plate24is loosely inserted through the gap19(in the case where the engagement is too loose and it is possible for the support plate24to shift in the direction from left to right20a,20brelative to the gap19). As for the means for increasing the degree of contact, a pressure applying step of increasing the degree of contact between the bottom surface18of the protruding portion and the facing surface of the support plate24using a small press or a hammer may be carried out.

In the case where the plugging member11is formed of a synthetic resin material, an adhesive may be injected into the protruding portion in bridge form on the plugging member or a pressure applying step of increasing the degree of contact between the bottom surface of the protruding portion and the facing surface of the support plate may be carried out by applying heat while simultaneously applying pressure towards the support plate inside the protruding portion.

The state in which the above-described structure is used is described below. In the case where it is desired to cover the hole3ain the plate2inFIG. 1, a plug10having a plugging member11of which the diameter is slightly greater than that of the hole3ato be covered is prepared (for example, plug10shown inFIGS. 2 and 9A to 9C). Here, it is convenient to prepare plugging members11of a number of sizes (for example, plugging members11of which the diameters are 20 mm, 25 mm, 40 mm, and 80 mm) in order to deal with various types of cases, such as cases where the hole3ato be covered has a different diameter or the thickness of the plate with the hole3ato be covered is different.

Next, the two ends26,26of the support plate24in the state inFIG. 2are pressed and bent by fingers31,31through pressure greater than the elasticity of the support plate24so that the distance between the two ends26,26is shortened so as to be inserted into the hole3a, as shown inFIG. 1. That is to say, the state inFIG. 4is achieved. Then, the fingers31,31are moved away from the two ends26,26while making the plugging member11approach the plate2so that the two ends26,26of the support plate24move away from each other due to the elasticity of the support plate24, and thus, the state inFIG. 5is achieved. Namely, the periphery of the plugging member11makes close contact with the plate2due to the elasticity of the support plate24, and thus, the opening of the hole3ais covered. In addition, the portions that make contact through elasticity27,27located between the engagement portion25of the support plate24and the two ends26,26are pressed against the inner periphery5,5of the hole3aso that the state in which the periphery of the plugging member11is pressed against the plate2is maintained. Even in the case where force is applied to the plugging member11in such a direction as to move the plugging member11to the side, a counterforce works so that the plugging member11is always maintained between the two portions on the inner periphery5,5.

Thus, the plug10in the figures can cover the hole3ain a plate2in such a state that the plugging member11is pressed against the plate2in such a state that the surface13is exposed through a one-touch operation (seeFIG. 6).

In the above, a case where the opening of a hole3ain a plate2of a wire box1is covered with a plugging member11is described. However, the plug10according to the present invention may be used for the plate2of other types, and for example, the plug may be used to cover the opening of a hole (knothole) in a wooden plate wall or cover unnecessary holes in a plate of a frame for concrete when the frame is reused.

A case where a hole in a plate of a frame is to be covered as described above is described in reference toFIGS. 9A to 9C. The plates2a,2b, and2care respectively part of a plate of a metal frame where the surface on which a plugging member11is engaged is used as the surface that makes contact with concrete.

The hole3cinFIG. 9Bis smaller than the hole3binFIG. 9A. The thickness of the plate2cinFIG. 9Cis thinner than the thickness of the plate2binFIG. 9B. As can be seen from these figures, the degree of bending of the support plate24having elasticity changes in response to the size of the hole or the thickness of the plate so that the hole3b,3c, or3din the plate2a,2b, or2cis covered by the above-described plugging member11of which the state can be maintained by means elasticity even in the case where the size of the hole or the thickness of the plate of the frame is slightly different. In these cases, the working effects or the functions are not substantially inferior to the above-described case. In the case where the size of the hole or the thickness of the plate is different to a great extent, the size of the plug10may be changed in order to deal with the situation.

Here, the same symbols as inFIGS. 1 to 8are attached to the components inFIGS. 9A to 9Cthat are considered to have the same or equal functions, properties, means, or features as the components inFIGS. 1 to 8, and therefore, the same explanations are not repeated.

As many apparently widely different embodiments of this invention may be made without departing from the spirit and scope thereof, it is to be understood that the invention is not limited to the specific embodiments thereof except as defined in the appended claims.