A HOLDER

Abstract: A device for holding two elongate objects firmly together, parallel with one another in a readily detachable manner. The device includes a fixed centre piece (1) having non-rotatably connected thereto four stirrup-like holder means (2, 3) arranged in pairs, opposite to one another, on opposite sides of the centre piece (1). The openings of the stirrup-like holder means (2, 3) of each pair of such means face in the same direction, while the openings of the stirrup-like means (2, 3) of the different pairs of such means face in mutually opposite directions. The distance between the two pairs of stirrup-like holder means is such as to permit the objects (5) to be held to be passed in between the pairs of holder means, whereafter the objects can be caused to pass through the openings of the stirrup-like holder means, to be gripped and firmly held thereby, by relative rotation of about 90<o> in mutually the same direction, between said objects and said holder.

Description: A HOLDER **\ Technical Field The present invention relates to a holder for 5 securing two, elongate objects firmly together, parallel with one another, in a readily detachable manner. Background art There are many examples where it is necessary to 10 connect two elongate objects together in a manner such that the objects are parallel with one another and cannot be twisted or rotated relative to one another. The connection must be simple to achieve, and it must be possible to separate the objects, one from the other, 15 when desired by a simple hand movement. Ski-sticks are an example requiring the use of such a holder for connecting tubular objects temporarily together in pairs, when transporting the ski-sticks or when dis¬ playing the same for sale in sports shops. Corresponding 20 requirements are also found in many other fields, for example within the civil-engineering and electrical- installation fields. Fittings, and particularly pipe fittings, which include open, stirrup-like holding means and which are 25 arranged to be twisted or rotated relative to the pipe in order to grip and hold the same are known to ' the art, see DE-A1 2 334 913. This specification also proposes to join two such fittings together, for connecting two pipes in a manner such that they extend 30 parallel to one another. To this end " , these fittings must be rotatable relative to one another, so that they can be rotated in mutually opposite directions relative to the pipes. Consequently, such fittings cannot be used successfully to connect pairs of ski-sticks 35 rigidly together. Object of the invention An object of the present invention is to provide a holder of the kind described, which comprises stirrup¬ like holding means by means of which two elongate objects can be firmly gripped and rigidly held together in response to a relative rotation of the objects and the holder, in mutually the same direction. Summary of the invention This object is achieved in accordance with the invention by means of a holder which is characterized in that it includes a fixed centre piece having non- rotatably connected thereto four stirrup-like holder means; in that the stirrup-like holder means are arranged in pairs, opposite to one another, on opposite sides of the centre piece; in that the openings of the stirrup-like holder means of each pair of such means face in the same direction, while the openings of the stirrup-like means of the different pairs of such means face in mutually opposite directions; and in that the distance between the two pairs of stirrup-like holder means is such as to permit the objects to be held to be passed in between the pairs of holder means, whereafter the objects can be caused to pass through the openings of the stirrup-like holder means, to be gripped and firmly held thereby, by relative rotation of about 90 in mutually the same direction, between said objects and said holder. The stirrup-like holder means are preferably slightly flexible and formed integrally with the centre piece. As a result of this flexibility of the holder means, the cross-dimension of the openings presented thereby can be slightly smaller than the corresponding cross-dimensions of the objects they are intended to hold. On the other hand, the distance between the pairs of stirrup-like holder means is suitably slightly greater than the corresponding cross-dimensions of the objects to be held by said holder. In order to ensure reliable retention of the elongate objects in 5 the holder, the stirrup-like holder means should extend beyond the longitudinal, geometric axis of the objects to be held by the holder. When the holder is to be used for holding circular- cylindrical objects, the stirrup-like portion of 10 respective holder means suitably has the form of a claw of part-circular cross-section, where the radius of curvature is equal to, or slightly smaller than half the diameter of the objects to be held. The invention will now be described in more detail, 15 with reference to the accompanying drawing, in which Brief description of the drawings Figure 1 is a perspective view of a holder according to the invention, and 20 Figures 1 and 3 illustrate one field in which the holder shown in Figure 1 can be applied. Description of a preferred embodiment of the invention The holder illustrated in Figure 1 is fully symme- 25 trical, and includes a centre piece 1, which has arranged at both ends thereof a pair of claw-like holding stirrups 2 and 3, of which the stirrups of one pair face in a direction opposite to that of the stirrups of the other pair. The openings of the stirrups in one pair face in " 30 mutually " the same direction, while the " openings of- one pair of stirrups face in a direction opposite to the openings of the other pair of stirrups. The reference 4 identifies a hole through which a fastener can be passed, for attaching the holder to 35 a support surface, or by means of which the holder can be hung on, for example, a display frame-structure. The holder illustrated in Figure 1 is particularly intended for firmly connecting together two circular- cylindrical objects, such as pipes, electrical cables or the like, so that the objects lie parallel with one another. The illustrated holder is in the form of a one piece structure of plastics material, and the claw-shaped stirrups 2 and 3 have a certain degree of resiliency. Hence, the smallest cross-measurement A of the stirrup opening can " be somewhat smaller than the diameter of the object to be held. The distance B between the pairs of stirrups, however, is suitably somewhat greater than the diameter of the objects to be held, thereby, among other things, to facilitate insertion of the objects into said stirrups, and to permit some variation in the cross-dimensions of the objects. The diameter C of the part-cylindrical space defined by each stirrup is substantially equal to, or slightly smaller than the diameter of the objects to be held. The free ends of the stirrups suitably extend beyond the geometric centre line of the spaces embraced by said stirrups. Figures 2 and 3 illustrate how a holder according to the invention can be used to hold two ski-sticks 5 together. The ski-sticks are inserted into the space located between the two stirrup pairs 2, 3, this space being somewhat larger than the diameter of the ski-sticks 5, in accordance with the above. The ski-sticks are then rotated through " substantially 90°, in mutually the same direction relative to the holder, as indicated by the arrow D. When the sticks cannot be rotated together in this manner, the holder may be rotated relative to the sticks, this being the most suitable procedure in practice. The important factor, however, is that a relative rotation can be achieved between sticks and C FI » WIPO holder. When the claw-shaped stirrups 2 and 3 are slightly resilient, the opening through which the ski- sticks are intended to pass may narrow and have a smallest cross-dimension which is somewhat smaller 5 than the diameter of the ski-sticks, thereby to provide effective locking of the sticks once they have been snapped into the position shown in chain lines in Figure 2. Figure 3 illustrates how the ski-sticks are held 10 in the position desired relative to one another, sub¬ sequent to rotating the holder in the manner shown in Figure 2. The ski-sticks can be readily transported or stored when held in the illustrated manner, and the holder may also be used for placing ski-sticks on dis- 15 play in a sports shop, in which case a spear-shaped fastener is passed through the. hole 4. As will be understood, the described and illustra¬ ted holder may be used in connections other than that of holding two ski-sticks together. For example the 20 holder may be used in civil engineering fields, for holding pairs of pipes together, such as cold and hot water pipes, the holder being screwed to a supporting surface by means of a screw passed through -the hole 4. The holder may also be used for permanent or temporary ... 25 cable installations, as well, for example, as a cable lock, i.e. for locking two cables together, for example when using an extension cable, to obviate the need of tying the ends of cables together, so as to ensure that the male plug is not withdrawn from the female socket. _ . —_____ _3Q—-pj- f -e- frσlder- may-also-be αsed- ats-a-keeper, for securing—-- the end of a coiled cable, or a cable layed or held in some other way. In the case of cables, or other objects, which have flexible or compressible surfaces, the stirrups 2 and 3 may be totally rigid. 35 In addition to being used for holding circular- OMPI cylindrical objects together, the holder may also be used to hold objects of other cross-sectional shapes. In this case the curvature of the stirrups 2 and 3 is adapted to suit the object in question. For particular fields of application, the aforesaid symmetrical construction may be changed to an asymmetrical construc¬ tion, such that the curvature of the stirrups 2 and 3 on one side of the centre piece is different to that of the stirrups on the other side of said centre piece, so that the holder can be used to connect together two objects of mutually different cross-sections. In addition to connecting together two loose objects, the holder can also be used to connect an elongate object to a fixed support or the like. As will be understood, the holder may also be used to connect together bundles of objects. For the purpose of increasing the friction between the stirrups and the objects being held, the inner surfaces of the stirrups may be coated or lined with a friction-increasing substance, or may be provided with friction-increasing means. As will also be understood, the stirrups may have any desired shape, and may optionally be produced as separate elements and subse¬ quently attached to the centre piece, or directly to one another.

Claims: 1. A device for holding two, elongate objects firmly together, parallel with one another in a readily detachable manner, characterized in that said device includes a fixed centre piece (1) having non-rotatably 5 connected thereto four stirrup-like holder means (2, 3); in that the stirrup-like holder means are arranged in pairs, opposite to one another, on opposite sides of the centre piece (1 ) ; that the openings of the stirrup¬ like holder means (2; 3) of each pair of such means face 10 in the same direction, while the openings of the stirrup-like means (2, 3) of the different pairs of such means face in mutually opposite directions; and in that the distance between the two pairs of stirrup¬ like holder means is such as to permit the objects (5) 15 to be held to be passed in between the pairs of holder means, whereafter the objects can be caused to pass through the openings of the stirrup-like holder means, to be gripped and firmly held thereby, by relative rotation of about 90° in mutually the same direction, 20 between said objects and said holder. 2. A device according to Claim 1, characterized in that the stirrup-like holder means (2, 3) are formed in one piece with the centre piece (1) . 3. A device .according to Claim 1, characterized in 25 that the stirrup-like holder means (2, 3) are slightly flexible. 4. A " device according " to ' Clai " 3^ " ^ha ^ acte i " zed ~ ϊn "" "~ that the smallest cross-measurement of the openings of the stirrup-like holder means (2, 3) is slightly smaller 30 than the corresponding cross-measurement of the objects (5) to be held. 5. A device according to any one of Claims 1-4, characterized in that the distance between the pairs of OMPI stirrup-like holder means (2, 3) is slightly greater than the corresponding cross-measurement of the objects (5) to be held. 6. A device according to any one of Claims 1-5, characterized in that the stirrup-like holder means (2, 3) extend beyond the longitudinal centre line of the spaces enclosed by said holder means. 7. A device according to any one of Claims 1-6, intended for securing circular-cylindrical objects, characterized in that the stirrup-like holder means have the form of claws (2, 3) which are part-circular in cross-section and which have a radius of curvature which is equal to or slightly smaller than half the diameter of the objects (5) to be held.

Inventors: FRANZEN PER-OLOV, KARNHAG LARS OWE, FRANZEN, PER-OLOV, KARNHAG, LARS, OWE
Applicants: FRANZEN PER OLOV, KARNHAG LARS OWE, FRANZEN, PER-OLOV, KARNHAG, LARS, OWE
Application year: 1983
Main classification: F16B2
IPC codes: A63C11, F16B2, F16B7, F16L3