FASTENING CLIP

Abstract: A fastening clip, especially for securing a plate having a coil to release a burglar alarm, to an article of clothing, comprises a housing (1) having opposed side walls (5, 6) converging towards an opening (2) which is situated close to one (6) of the walls and through which a shank (3) of a pin member (4) is inserted. A roller (7) having a circumferential guide groove (8) is so mounted between said walls (5, 6) that when inserted the shank (3) presses the roller (7) away from the opening (2) against the bias of a pressure spring (9). On a subsequent pull outwards of the shank (3), the roller (7) will be wedged and by friction will prevent the shank (3) from being withdrawn. The wall (6) or a metal plate (10) strengthening said wall is preferably provided with a groove (11) forming a guiding for the shank (3) so that it will not tilt. The fastening clip is more simple and cheaper to produce than corresponding fastening clips wherein two or three balls are used, which are mounted in radial channels of a special spring-biased guiding body.

Description: Fastening Clip. . The present invention relates to a fastening clip for securing flat articles together, such as an article of clothing , and an identification tag, comprising a housing having inner walls converging towards an opening adapted to receive the shank of a pin member, one of said walls being located adjacent said opening, and in said housing a wedging member formed as a cylindrical roller being spring biased towards the opening and having its generatrix situated parallel to said walls, said roller allowirig in¬ sertion of the shank of the pin member when moved against the bias of the spring while by a subsequent outward pull of the shank being wedged between one of said walls and the shank and by frictional engagement preventing with¬ drawal of the shank. Fastening clips of this kind are used particularly to prevent articles of garment and similar articles from being removed from a shop before they are paid for resp. debited, an identification tag capable of releasing a burglar alarm at the exit from the shop being temporarily fastened to the said article. The fastening clip must be easily released and the identification tag easily removed by the shop assistant who receives payment for the article or enters the sale in the books. On the other hand, releas¬ ing of the fastening clip must be possible only by using of a special ' tool or device. From the specification of U.S. Patent No. 3,858,280 a fastening clip of the kind in question is known, in which the wedging member comprises a spring biased guide bod wherein two or three balls are so mounted. in radial channels that at attempts to pull but. the pin member, they are wedged in between the shank thereof which is inserted in an axial bore in the guide body, and the converging walls of the housing, thereby preventing by friction engagement a further pulling ut of the pin member. For releasing the fastening clip, when the tag is to be removed, a special OMFI tool is used which is capable of pulling the guide body in a direction away from the opening, thereby neutralizing the wedging effect of the balls on the shank of the pin member. This special tool may be adapted to mechanically engage a bore in the end of the guide body remote from the opening, or it may be a device comprising a magnet being capable of moving the retainer made of steel against tiie spring bias in such a way that the balls release their hold of the shank of the pin member. From the specification of the Published German Patent Specification No. 27 16 825 a sealing lock is furthermore known, comprising a housing having walls con¬ verging towards an opening for a wire and in the housing a wedging member in the shape of a cylindrical disc spring biased towards the opening. In this lock, the wire over the entire length, in the housing is wedged in a groove formed by an arched end wall of the housing, and it is secured in the groove by the disc which is thinner than the width, of the groove and by recesses provided in the housing after insertion of the wire. The lock is rather complic¬ ated and expensive and still made to be used only once, and it is not fit for safe guiding of a top member to be inserted, locked and released again several times. A corresponding safe guiding of the shank, however, is not obtainable in the relatively simple and cheap housings of the fastening clips referred to. It is the object of the invention to provide a fastening clip of the kind in question, which in addition to being easier to produce than corresponding known fasten¬ ing clips, offers a greater security against unwarranted release. The fastening clip according to the invention is characteristic in that the roller has a circumferential guide groove extending in a radial plane opposite the opening. The housing for such a fastening clip is easily made e.g. of plastic and, as the wedging member comprises O PI no guide body or ball retaining member but is a mere cylindrical roller comprising a circumferential groove, it is possible to produce the fastening clip in a consider¬ ably simplified and cheap manner, i.a. because the wall of the housing situated opposite the guide groove may be formed without or with only very simple guiding means. An unwarranted release of the fastening clip by mechanical withdrawal of the wedging member against the spring bias by means of a special tool or a copy thereof is unthink- able, as in practice the roller is imagined withdrawn only by means of a magnet. The roller according to the invention is prefer¬ ably made of hardened steel or a similar hard material and comprises a guide groove formed with sharp corner edges where joining the cylindrical surface of the roller. This permits the roller to engage a shank of softer material in a highly solid manner by pressing itself into said shank. If desired, the inner side wall situated nearest to the opening may according to the invention be covered by a hard metal plate, which" eliminates the risk of damaging the wall of a housing made of plastic. In a preferred embodiment of the fastening clip according to the invention, the housing forms an integral part of a plate which along its periphery is connected to a plate having a corresponding contour and comprising a part which forms a closure for the end of the housing remote from the opening. This permits, for example, the incorporation of an alarm release between the plates. According to the invention it is preferred that a groove is formed in the side wall of the housing lying neares the opening, or in a metal plate covering said opening, this groove forming a guiding for the shank of an inserted pin member. This prevents the shank from tilting which ensures that the sharp edges of the guide groove of said roller are permitted to catch a firm hold in the shank, when attempts are made to withdraw said shank. In the following the invention is explained in details with reference to the drawing, in which F -i_ gure 1 shows a longitudinal section through an embodiment of the fastening clip according to the invent- ion, and Figure 2 shows a cross-section through the fastening clip according to Figure 1. The fastening clip shown in the drawing comprises a housing 1 having an opening 2 through which a shank 3 of a pin member 4 to be secured to the housing, is inserted. The housing 1 comprises opposed side walls 5 and 6, .and the interior of the side wall 5 converges towards the side wall 6 in the direction towards the opening 2. A wedging member formed as a roller 7 is placed with the axis there- of lying parallel to the walls 5 and 6. Opposite the opening 2, the roller comprises a circumferential guide groove 8 extending in a radial plane, and the roller is so dimensioned that on insertion of a shank 3 against the bias of a pressure spring 9 it will be pressed in a direction away from the opening 2 in such a manner that when the shank 3 is subsequently pulled out¬ wards, the roller will function as a wedging member press¬ ing the shank against the wall 6 and preventing by friction that the pin member 4 is withdrawn from the housing 1. The roller 7 is preferably made of hardened steel, and the guide groove 8 has sharp edges where joining the cylindrical surface of the roller. The sharp edges and the hard material permit the roller during the wedging to catch a firm hold in the shank 3 which consists of a softer material. The housing 1 may also be made of a relatively hard material, but usually it consists of a cheap material, e.g. of plastic, and in this case it is preferred to place at the inner side of the wall 6 a hard metal plate 10 ab- sorbing the wedging pressure from the roller 7. Furthermore, it has proved to be expedient to provide a guiding for the shank 3 in the shape of a groove 11 in the wall 6 or in the metal plate 10 which ensures that the shank 3 will not tilt but will always remain in a position where the sharp edges of the guide groove 8 of the roller are permitted to penetrate into the shank and stamp it. Considering the diameter and the material of the shank, the optimum width of the guide groove 8 for the best possible stamping and retaining of the shank by a kind of three-point fixing is easily determined in practice. The fastening clip is especially intended for attaching to articles of clothing or similar flat articles, an identification tag or a plate which is adapted to re¬ lease an acoustic burglar alarm at the exit from a shop,' and the housing of the fastening clip is preferably formed on a plate which is connected along its periphery with a plate of a similar contour, closing the end of the housing remote from the opening and forming with the first entioned plate a capsule containing a coil adapted to activate a burglar alarm at the exit from the shop. When the article has been paid for or debited in the shop, the shop assistant places the housing 1 of the fastening clip in such correct position relative to the magnetic field of a specially form¬ ed magnet that the roller 7 is moved against the bias of the spring 9 in a direction away from the opening 2 so that the shank 3 is no longer wedged but is permitted to be withdrawn from the housing.

Claims: Patent Claims: 1. A fastening clip for securing flat articles together A such as an article of clothing and an identific- ation tag, said clip comprising a housing (1) having inner walls (5,6) converging towards an opening (2) adapted to receive the shank (3) of a pin member, one (6) of said walls being located adjacent said opening (2) , and in said housing a wedging member formed as a cylindrical roller (7) being spring biased towards the opening and having its generatrix situated parallel to said walls (5,6), said roller allowing insertion of the shank (3) of the pin member when moved against the bias of the spring while by a subsequent outward pull of the shank being wedged between one of said walls (5) and the shank (3) and by frictional engagement preventing withdrawal of the shank, c h a r ¬ a c t e r i z e d by said roller (7) having a circumferent¬ ial guide groove (8) extending in a radial plane opposite the opening (2) . 2. A fastening" clip according to claim 1, c h a r a c t e r i z e d by said roller (7) being made of hardened steel or a similar hard material, and the guide groove (8) having sharp corner edges where joining the cylindrical surface of the roller. 3. A fastening clip according to claim 1 or 2, c h a r a c t e r i z e d by the inner side wall (6) near¬ est to the opening (3) being covered by a hard metal plate (10) . 4. A fastening clip according to any of the preceding claims, c h a r a c t e r i z e d by said hous¬ ing (1) forming an integral part of. a plate which is connected along its periphery with a plate having a corresponding contour and comprising a part forming a closure for the end* of the housing remote from the opening (2) . 5. A fastening clip according to any of the pre¬ ceding claims, c h a r a c t e r i z e d in that a groove _ O PI (11) foaming a guide for the shank (3) of an inserted pin member (4) , is provided in the side wall (6) of the hous¬ ing, which is nearest to the opening (2) , or in a metal plate (10) covering said side wall.

Inventors: STENILD EDDIE LAI, STENILD, EDDIE, LAI
Applicants: MICROSCAN LTD, MICROSCAN LTD.
Application year: 1983
Main classification: G09F3
IPC codes: A44B9, E05B47, E05B73, G08B13, G09F3