Patent ID: 6916264

Claim:
A tensioner comprising a housing, a plunger protruding from the housing, the plunger being movable between a retracted position and a protruding condition and biased in the protruding direction, and a locking member, wherein said locking member comprises a wire spring comprising a locking portion engageable with said plunger when said plunger is in said retracted position for temporarily maintaining said plunger in said retracted position, and two arms extending from said locking portion, the respective arms having front ends pivotally attached to said housing whereby said wire spring is pivotable on the housing from a position in which said locking portion is engaged with the plunger to a position in which said locking portion is disengaged from said plunger, said front ends of the arms being pivoted on axes laterally displaced with respect to each other in a direction such that a stress is generated in said wire spring when the locking portion thereof is engaged with the plunger, said stress resiliently urging the wire spring in a direction to disengage said locking portion from said plunger.