Patent Publication Number: US-11019882-B2

Title: Fastening device

Description:
RELATED APPLICATIONS 
     This application is a continuation of International application No. PCT/CN2017/110362, filed Nov. 10, 2017, which claims the benefits of priority of CN application No. 201621261485.0 filed on Nov. 11, 2016, the content of which are incorporated herein by reference. 
     BACKGROUND 
     Technical Field 
     The present disclosure relates to a fastening device. More particularly, the present disclosure relates to a fastening device for securing an article through loosening or tightening a lace. 
     Description of Relative Art 
     In daily life, cords, such as a lace or a thread, are usually used to tighten articles. The most common tightening method is to use the cord to reciprocately pass through holes on the article, e.g., eyelets of a shoe, and then tie a knot to secure the article. But in this kind of tightening method, the knot is loosened easily due to an external force. Not only does the knot need to be tied again, but also lots of inconveniences come owing to the insecurity of the articles. 
     In order to solve such problems, some practitioners developed a simple fastening mechanism including a case, an engaging unit and a spring. The case includes holes to allow the lace to pass therethrough. Through the reaction force between the spring and the engaging unit, the lace can be clamped between the engaging unit and the case so as to be fastened. The length of the lace can be changed by pressing the spring to change the position of the engaging unit. However, in such fastening mechanism, the restoring force of the spring is served as the securing force; thus, the lace is easily to be released owing to vibrations or an external force. In addition, the fastening mechanism has no space for receiving the lace, and the exposure of the lace may bring danger. 
     Therefore, some practitioners developed another kind of buckle which can be rotated to tighten the lace, and the lace can be received inside the buckle. Through the interference between components inside the buckle, the length of the lace as well as the tightness can be adjusted. However, the structure of the buckle is complex; as a result, the manufacturing cost is increased, and the buckle has assembly and repair difficulty. 
     Base on the above-mentioned problems, how to simplify the structure of the fastening device, reduce the manufacturing cost and maintain the securing capability becomes a pursuit target for practitioners. 
     SUMMARY 
     Disclosure of Invention 
     The present disclosure provides a fastening device, through the structure of the locking unit, the structure of the fastening device is simplified, and the securing capability of the fastening device is remained. 
     According to one embodiment of the present disclosure, a fastening device which is for fastening and loosening a lace is provided. The fastening device includes a case, a spool, a locking unit and a knob. The case includes a receiving space and a plurality of side teeth. The spool is disposed within the case, and the lace is wound therearound. The locking unit includes a ring body and at least one pawl arm. The ring body is optionally coupled to the spool and includes a blocking portion. The at least one pawl arm includes a first terminal and a second terminal. The first terminal is connected to the ring body. The second terminal is opposite to the first terminal. The second terminal is engaged with the side teeth in a loosening direction and is disengaged from the side teeth in a tightening direction opposite to the loosening direction. The second terminal includes an abutting portion abutted against the blocking portion in the loosening direction. The knob is coupled to the locking unit. Rotating the knob relative to the case allows the locking unit to be driven to switch from a first position to a second position. The locking unit is coupled to the spool to prohibit the spool from rotating toward the loosening direction when the locking unit is at the first position, and the spool is allowed to be rotated toward the loosening direction when the locking unit is at the second position. 
     Therefore, through the abutting relation between the pawl arm and the blocking portion, broken of the pawl arm caused by pressure can be prevented, the lifetime can be increased and the securing capability of the fastening device is remained while the structure can be simplified. 
     According to the abovementioned fastening device, the ring body can have a radial direction, and the blocking portion can be protruded outwardly from the ring body along the radial direction. The fastening device can further include a first retaining portion and a second retaining portion disposed at the ring body and coupled to the knob, and each of the first retaining portion and the second retaining portion has restoring capability in the radial direction. The knob can include two protrusions coupled to the first retaining portion and the second retaining portion, respectively. When the locking unit is driven by the knob to switch from the first position to the second position, the two protrusions push the first retaining portion and the second retaining portion, respectively, to move along the radial direction. In addition, the knob can include a spiral track. The locking unit includes a guiding portion coupled to the spiral track. When the knob is rotated toward the loosening direction, the guiding portion guided by the spiral track is raised such that the locking unit is switched to the second position. 
     According to another embodiment of the present disclosure, a fastening device which is for fastening and loosening a lace is provided. The fastening device includes a case, a spool, a locking unit and a knob. The case includes a receiving space and a plurality of side teeth. The spool is disposed within the case, and the lace is wound therearound. The locking unit includes a blocking portion and at least one pawl arm. The at least one pawl arm is engaged with the side teeth and abutted against the blocking portion in a loosening direction, and the at least one pawl arm is disengaged from the side teeth in a tightening direction opposite to the loosening direction. The knob is coupled to the locking unit. Rotating the knob relative to the case allows the locking unit to be driven to switch from a first position to a second position. The locking unit is coupled to the spool to prohibit the spool from rotating toward the loosening direction when the locking unit is at the first position, and the spool is allowed to be rotated toward the loosening direction when the locking unit is at the second position. 
     According to the abovementioned fastening device, the locking unit can include a ring body. The ring body has a radial direction, and the blocking portion can be protruded outwardly from the ring body along the radial direction. The ring body, the blocking portion and the at least one pawl arm are integrally formed. The fastening device can further include a first retaining portion and a second retaining portion disposed at the ring body and coupled to the knob, and each of the first retaining portion and the second retaining portion has restoring capability in the radial direction. The knob can include two protrusions coupled to the first retaining portion and the second retaining portion, respectively. When the locking unit is driven by the knob to switch from the first position to the second position, the two protrusions push the first retaining portion and the second retaining portion, respectively, to move along the radial direction. In addition, the knob can include a spiral track. The locking unit includes a guiding portion coupled to the spiral track. When the knob is rotated toward the loosening direction, the guiding portion guided by the spiral track is raised such that the locking unit is switched to the second position. 
     Through the structure configuration of the locking unit, the fastening device provided by the present disclosure, comparing to the prior arts, can remain the securing capability while the structure thereof is simplified. 
    
    
     
       BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS 
         FIG. 1  shows a three dimensional schematic view of a fastening device according to one embodiment of the present disclosure; 
         FIG. 2A  shows one exploded view of the fastening device of  FIG. 1 ; 
         FIG. 2B  shows another exploded view of the fastening device of  FIG. 1 ; 
         FIGS. 3A to 3C  show illustrations of a lace coupling process for the lace of the fastening device of  FIG. 1 ; 
         FIG. 4A  shows one cross-sectional view of the fastening device of  FIG. 1  taken along Line  4 - 4 ; 
         FIG. 4B  shows another cross-sectional view of the fastening device of  FIG. 1  taken along Line  4 - 4 ; 
         FIG. 5A  shows one cross-sectional view of the fastening device of  FIG. 1  taken along Line  5 - 5 ; 
         FIG. 5B  shows another cross-sectional view of the fastening device of  FIG. 1  taken along Line  5 - 5 ; 
         FIG. 6A  shows one cross-sectional view of the fastening device of  FIG. 4A  taken along Line  6 - 6 ; 
         FIG. 6B  shows another cross-sectional view of the fastening device of  FIG. 4A  taken along Line  6 - 6 ; 
         FIG. 7  shows a three dimensional schematic view of a fastening device according to another embodiment of the present disclosure; 
         FIG. 8A  shows one exploded view of the fastening device of  FIG. 7 ; and 
         FIG. 8B  shows another exploded view of the fastening device of  FIG. 7 . 
     
    
    
     DETAILED DESCRIPTION 
     The embodiment will be described with the drawings. For clarity, some practical details will be described below. However, it should be noted that the present disclosure should not be limited by the practical details. That is, in some embodiment, the practical details are unnecessary. In addition, for simplifying the drawings, some conventional structures and elements will be simply illustrated, and repeated elements may be represented by the same labels. 
     Please refer to  FIG. 1 ,  FIG. 2A  and  FIG. 2B , wherein  FIG. 1  shows a three dimensional schematic view of a fastening device  100  according to one embodiment of the present disclosure,  FIG. 2A  shows one exploded view of the fastening device  100  of  FIG. 1 , and  FIG. 2B  shows another exploded view of the fastening device  100  of  FIG. 1 . 
     The fastening device  100  which is for fastening and loosening a lace  600  includes a case  200 , a spool  300 , a knob  500  and a locking unit  400 , the case  200  includes a receiving space  210  and a plurality of side teeth  230 , the spool  300  is disposed at the case  200  and the lace  600  is wound therearound; the locking unit  400  includes a blocking portion  490  and at least one pawl arm  470 , the pawl arm  470  is engaged with the side teeth  230  and abutted against the blocking portion  490  in a loosening direction A 1 , and the pawl arm  470  is disengaged from the side teeth  230  in a tightening direction A 2  opposite to the loosening direction A 1 , the knob  500  is coupled to the locking unit  400 ; wherein rotating the knob  500  relative to the case  200  allows the locking unit  400  to be driven to switch from a first position to a second position, the locking unit  400  is coupled to the spool  300  to prohibit the spool  300  from rotating toward the loosening direction A 1  when the locking unit  400  is at the first position, and the spool  300  is allowed to be rotated toward the loosening direction A 1  when the locking unit  400  is at the second position. 
     Therefore, through the abutting relation between the pawl arm  470  and the blocking portion  490 , broken of the pawl arm  470  caused by pressure can be prevented, the lifetime can be increased and the securing capability of the fastening device  100  is remained. The detail structure and operation of the fastening device  100  will be described in the following paragraphs. 
     The case  200  has a hollow structure, and includes a housing  260  and a mounted portion  250 , the housing  260  includes the receiving space  210 , the side teeth  230 , two side holes  220  and a lower opening  240 . The side teeth  230  face to the receiving space  210 , the two side holes  220  and the lower opening  240  are communicated with the receiving space  210 , and the mounted portion  250  is protruded outwardly from the housing and is ring-shaped. In the embodiment, a diameter of the lower opening  240  is smaller than a diameter of the spool  300 , and after the spool  300  is disposed inside the receiving space  210  of the housing  260 , it will not fall out from the lower opening  240 . 
     The spool  300  is disc-shaped, and includes a spool cylinder  320  and a bottom  310 , the spool cylinder  320  includes a first opening  321  and a second opening  322 , the bottom  310  is for disposing the spool cylinder  320 , the bottom  310  includes a first knotting hole  311 , a first through hole  312 , a second knotting hole  313  and a second through hole  314 , the first knotting hole  311  and the first through hole  312  are communicated with the first opening  321 , and the second knotting hole  313  and the second through hole  314  are communicated with the second opening  322 . A first end and a second end of the lace  600  can pass through the first opening  321  and the second opening  322 , respectively, to couple with the spool  300 , such that the lace  600  can be wound around the spool cylinder  320 . In addition, the spool  300  can further include a plurality of engaging teeth  330  for engaging with the locking unit  400 . 
     The locking unit  400  includes, in addition to the pawl arm  470  and the blocking portion  490 , a ring body  480 , a first retaining portion  410 , a second retaining portion  420 , three guiding portions  430 , four stopping portions  441 ,  442 ,  443 ,  444 , a communicated hole  450  and a plurality of engaged teeth  460 , in the embodiment, a number of the pawl arm  470  is three, a number of the blocking portion  490  which is corresponding to the pawl arm  470  is three, but will not be limited thereto. 
     The ring body  480  has a radial direction, the first retaining portion  410  and the second retaining portion  420  are disposed at the ring body  480  and are coupled to the knob  500 , the guiding portions  430  having inclined block structure are protruded outwardly from the ring body  480  along the radial direction and are used for coupling to the knob  500 , each of the pawl arms  470  is disposed at the ring body  480  and include a first terminal  471  and a second terminal  472 , the first terminal  471  is connected to the ring body  480 , the second terminal  472  is opposite to the first terminal  471 , the second terminal  472  is engaged with the side teeth  230  in the loosening direction A 1  and is disengaged from the side teeth  230  in the tightening direction A 2 . The second terminal  472  includes the abutting portion  472  abutted against the blocking portion  490  in the loosening direction A 1 , and the abutting portion  472  is protruded from the pawl arm  470  toward the spool  300 . 
     The first retaining portion  410  and the second retaining portion  420  are protruded inwardly along the radial direction, that is, protruded toward a center of the ring body  480 . The engaged teeth  460  are disposed at a distal end of a wall of the communicated hole  450 , which is close to the spool  300 , and the four stopping portions  441 ,  442 ,  443 ,  444  are protruded toward the center from a proximal end of the wall of the communicated hole  450 , which is close to the knob  500 , the stopping portions  441 ,  443  are corresponding to each other, and the stopping portions  442 ,  444  are corresponding to each other. 
     Each of the first retaining portion  410  and the second retaining portion  420  has restoring capability in the radial direction, precisely, the first retaining portion  410  has a first free end  411 , the second retaining portion  420  has a second free end  421 , when each of the first free end  411  and the second free end  421  bears a force applied thereon being larger than the force they can bear, they would be deformed in the radial direction, and when the external force is removed, the first free end  411  and the second free end  421  restore. 
     The knob  500  includes an engaged portion  540 , a protruding cylinder  510 , two protrusions  521 ,  522  (shown in  FIG. 2A ) and a spiral track  530 . The protruding cylinder  510  is protruded toward the locking unit  400 , the two protrusions  521 ,  522  are positioned at the protruding cylinder  510  and are corresponding to each other, the protruding cylinder  510  and the protrusions  521 ,  522  are protruded into the communicated hole  450  when assembling, such that when the locking unit  400  is at the first position, the protrusion  521  is abutted against the first retaining portion  410 , and the second protrusion  522  is abutted against the second retaining portion  420 . The spiral track  530  is disposed at an inner wall (not labeled) of the knob  500  for coupling to the guiding portions  430 , the engaged portion  540  is also disposed at the inner wall, and has a groove structure corresponding to the mounted portion  250 . 
     Please refer to  FIGS. 3A to 3C , wherein  FIGS. 3A to 3C  show illustrations of a lace coupling process for the lace  600  of the fastening device  100  of  FIG. 1 . When assembling the fastening device  100 , the spool  300  can be disposed inside the case  200  first, and after the knob  500  is assembled with the locking unit  400 , the knob  500  can be covered on the case  200 , finally a force can be applied to engage the engaged portion  540  of the knob  500  with the mounted portion  250  of the case  200 , such that assembly of the fastening device  100  can be completed. 
     When the lase  600  is going to be coupled to the spool  300 , as shown in  FIG. 3A , the second end (not labeled) of the lase  600  can be passed through one of the side holes  220 , the second opening  322 , the second knotting hole  313  and the second through hole  314 , such that the second end is exposed from the lower opening  240 . As shown in  FIG. 3B , a user (not shown) can tie the second end into a knot  610  and a tail (not labeled), and as shown in  FIG. 3C , the lace  600  can be pulled from the second opening  322  by the user, such that the knot  610  can be moved into the second knotting hole  313  so as to be limited in the second knotting hole  313 , the tail is left in the second through hole  314 , and will not be exposed from the lower opening  240 . 
     Similarly, the first end of the lace  600  (which is opposite to the second end) can be passed through the other one of the side holes  220 , the first opening  321 , the first knotting hole  311  and the first through hole  312  such that the first end is exposed from the lower opening  240 , the user can tie the first end into another knot and another tail (not shown), then the knot can be limited in the first knotting hole  311 , and the tail can be left in the first through hole  312 . 
     Please refer to  FIG. 4A  and  FIG. 4B , and also refer to  FIGS. 2A and 2B  together, wherein  FIG. 4A  shows one cross-sectional view of the fastening device  100  of  FIG. 1  taken along Line  4 - 4 , and  FIG. 4B  shows another cross-sectional view of the fastening device  100  of  FIG. 1  taken along Line  4 - 4 . 
     As shown in  FIG. 4A , the guiding portions  430  (shown in  FIG. 2B ) can be limitedly moved along the spiral track  530  (shown in  FIG. 2A ), that is, when the knob  500  is rotated relative to the locking unit  400 , the guiding portions  430  are moved along the spiral track  530 , such that the locking unit  400  is raised or lowered relative to the knob  500 . As shown in  FIG. 3A , when the locking unit  400  is at the first position, the pawl arms  470  (shown in  FIG. 2B ) are coordinated with the side teeth  230  (shown in  FIG. 2B ), and the engaged teeth  460  (shown in  FIG. 2A ) are engaged with the engaging teeth  330  (shown in  FIG. 2B ), the pawl arms  470  are disengaged from the side teeth  230  in the tightening direction A 2  (shown in  FIG. 2B ) while engaged with the side teeth  230  in the loosening direction A 1  (shown in  FIG. 2B ) owing to the structure thereof; as a result, when the knob  500  is rotated toward the tightening direction A 2  to drive the locking unit  400 , the spool  300  linked up therewith can retract the lace  600 , when the knob  500  is stopped, the pawl arms  470  are engaged with the side teeth  230  to prohibit the spool  300  from rotating toward the loosening direction A 1 , and a securing purpose can be achieved. 
     As shown in  FIG. 4B , the locking unit  400  is at the second position when the knob  500  is rotated toward the loosening direction A 1  to move the guiding portions  430 , since the pawl arms  470  are not engaged with the side teeth  230 , the spool  300  can free rotate toward the loosening direction A 1 , hence, the lace  600  can be pulled out to achieve a releasing purpose. In the embodiment, the engaged teeth  460  are disengaged from the engaging teeth  330  to allow the locking unit  400  to be disengaged from the spool  300  when the locking unit  400  is at the second position, but in other embodiment, the engaged teeth  460  and the engaging teeth  330  can be engaged at the second position, while the pawl arms  470  are disengaged from the side teeth  230 , or the pawl arms  470  are engaged with the side teeth  230  at the second position, while the engaged teeth  460  are disengaged from the engaging teeth  330 , and will not be limited thereto. 
     Please refer to  FIG. 5A  and  FIG. 5B , wherein  FIG. 5A  shows one cross-sectional view of the fastening device  100  of  FIG. 1  taken along Line  5 - 5 , and  FIG. 5B  shows another cross-sectional view of the fastening device  100  of  FIG. 1  taken along Line  5 - 5 . 
     As shown in  FIG. 5A , the locking unit  400  is at the first position, the protrusion  521  is abutted against the first retaining portion  410  and the stopping portion  441 , the protrusion  522  is abutted against the second retaining portion  420  and the stopping portion  443 , thus the knob  500  (shown in  FIG. 2A ) is engaged with the locking unit  400 , and when the knob  500  is rotated toward the tightening direction A 2 , the protrusion  521  presses the stopping portion  441 , the protrusion  522  presses the stopping unit  443 , such that the locking unit  400  is driven to rotate. On the other hand, when the knob  500  is stopped, owing to the configuration of the first retaining portion  410  and the second retaining portion  420 , the protrusion  521  and the protrusion  522  can be abutted for maintaining the relative position of the knob  500  and the locking unit  400 , such that it is favorable for preventing the position of the knob  500  and the engaging unit  400  from being moved by the external force (which is a vibrating force in the environment during using, not the force applied by the user) to lead the lace  600  to be released. 
     When the knob  500  is rotated toward the loosening direction A 1 , because of the engagement between the pawl arms  470  and the side teeth  230 , the locking unit  400  cannot be rotated, thus the protrusion  521  presses the first free end  411  of the first retaining portion  410  when forced, the protrusion  522  presses the second free end  421  of the second retaining portion  420  when forced, the first free end  411  and the second free end  421  are deformed to move along the radial direction because they can no bear the force, and as shown in  FIG. 5B , when the knob  500  is rotated relative to the locking unit  400 , the protrusion  521  is abutted against the stopping portion  444  and the protrusion  522  is abutted against the topping portion  442 , the first free end  411  and the second free end  421  restore after the force eliminated. Hence, when the knob  500  is rotated relative to the locking unit  400 , the guiding portions  430  are moved along the spiral track  530 , and the locking unit  400  is driven to change from the first position to the second position. 
     In addition, if the knob  500  is rotated toward the tightening direction A 2  again, the protrusion  521  will touch the first free end  411  first and then press the first free end  411 , the protrusion  522  will touch the second free end  421  first and then press the second free end  421 , because the locking unit  400  is lowered to a position between the first position and the second position, the pawl arms  470  are engaged with the side teeth  230 , and before the pawl arms  470  are disengaged from the side teeth  230  in the tightening direction A 2 , the pawl arms  470  must be deformed in the radial direction. The first free end  411  and the second free end  421  have to be deformed along the radial direction to allow the locking unit  400  to be switched to the first position in the configuration. 
     In other embodiment, the structures of the first retaining portion  410  and the second retaining portion  420  can be changed, the retaining portion can couple to the knob, or coupled to the case, only when it has a capability to maintain the relative position of the knob and the locking unit to prohibit the locking unit from being lifted or lowered under a certain force, and the number of the retaining portion and the number of the mounted portion are no limited. 
     Please refer to  FIG. 6A  and  FIG. 6B , wherein  FIG. 6A  shows one cross-sectional view of the fastening device  100  of  FIG. 4A  taken along Line  6 - 6 ,  FIG. 6B  shows another cross-sectional view of the fastening device  100  of  FIG. 4A  taken along Line  6 - 6 . As shown in  FIG. 6A , when the knob  500  is rotated toward the tightening direction A 2 , the pawl arm  470  will disengage from the side teeth  230 , and will not be affected by the blocking portion  490 ; on the other hand, as shown in  FIG. 6B , a tension force in the loosening direction A 1  will occur when the lace  600  is tensioned, the pawl arm  470  will engage with the side teeth because of the structure, the abutting portion  473  will abutted against the blocking portion  490  at the same time, such that when the tension force is too large, over bending of the pawl arm  470  can be prevented by the blocking portion  490  and an effect for preventing the pawl arm  470  from breaking can be achieved. 
     Please refer to  FIG. 7 ,  FIG. 8A  and  FIG. 8B , wherein  FIG. 7  shows a three dimensional schematic view of a fastening device  100   a  according to another embodiment of the present disclosure,  FIG. 8A  shows one exploded view of the fastening device  100   a  of  FIG. 7 , and  FIG. 8B  shows another exploded view of the fastening device  100   a  of  FIG. 7 . 
     The fastening device  100   a  is for loosening and tightening a lace (not shown) and is composed of a case  200   a , a spool  300   a , a knob  500   a  and a locking unit  400   a , the structures and operations of the case  200   a , the spool  300   a , the knob  500   a  and the locking unit  400   a  are similar to the structures of the case  200 , the spool  300 , the knob  500  and the locking unit  400  of  FIGS. 1 to 5B , but the difference is, the relationships between the first opening  321   a , the second opening  322   a , the first knotting hole  311   a , the first though hole  312   a , the second knotting hole  313   a  and the second through hole  314   a  of the spool  300   a  being different from the relationships between the first opening  321 , the second opening  322 , the first knotting hole  311 , the first though hole  312 , the second knotting hole  313  and the second through hole  314 . Precisely, the lace of the embodiment is coupled to the spool  300   a  with an angle of 60 degrees, and the lace of the embodiment of  FIG. 1  is couple to the spool  300  with an angle of 180 degrees. 
     Additionally, in the embodiment, the case  200   a  can further include a base  270   a  in addition to the housing  260   a , after coupling the lace to the spool  300   a  as shown in  FIGS. 3A to 3C , the base  270   a  can coupled to the housing  260   a , serving as a protection function. 
     Through the abovementioned embodiment, the present disclosure has advantages as follows. 
     1. Through the structure configuration of the blocking portion and the pawl arm, broken of the pawl arm due to over loading can be prevented, in addition to increasing the securing capability, the lifetime of the fastening device can be increased. 
     2. Through the structure configuration of the lower opening and the spool, the lace can be coupled to the spool after the fastening device is assembled, the manufacturing process is simplified, and the user can couple the lace to the fastening device after threading the lace through the holes of the articles, such that the using convenience is increased. 
     3. Through the configuration of the guiding portion and the spiral track, the locking unit can change position when the knob is rotated; thus the tension state or loose state can be changed. 
     4. Through the configuration of the first retaining portion and the second retaining portion, the relative position of the knob and the locking unit at the first position or the second position can be maintained, and loose of the lace owing to the environment force can be prevented. 
     Although the present disclosure has been described in considerable detail with reference to certain embodiments thereof, other embodiments are possible. Therefore, the spirit and scope of the appended claims should not be limited to the description of the embodiments contained herein. It will be apparent to those skilled in the art that various modifications and variations can be made to the structure of the present disclosure without departing from the scope or spirit of the disclosure. In view of the foregoing, it is intended that the present disclosure cover modifications and variations of this disclosure provided they fall within the scope of the following claims.