U.S. patent application number 12/003091 was filed with the patent office on 2008-07-03 for strap fastening assembly.
Invention is credited to Tzong In Yeh.
Application Number | 20080155792 12/003091 |
Document ID | / |
Family ID | 39581921 |
Filed Date | 2008-07-03 |
United States Patent
Application |
20080155792 |
Kind Code |
A1 |
Yeh; Tzong In |
July 3, 2008 |
Strap fastening assembly
Abstract
A strap fastening assembly comprises a strap and at least one
fastener for fastening the strap to tie an article. The fastener
comprises a fastening portion and an adjustable portion. The
fastening portion is configured to secure a section of the strap
thereon in case the strap is loosened by pulling the strap in one
direction. The adjustable portion is configured to connect, adjust
and tighten another section of the strap to tie the article.
Inventors: |
Yeh; Tzong In; (Fremont,
CA) |
Correspondence
Address: |
ROSENBERG, KLEIN & LEE
3458 ELLICOTT CENTER DRIVE-SUITE 101
ELLICOTT CITY
MD
21043
US
|
Family ID: |
39581921 |
Appl. No.: |
12/003091 |
Filed: |
December 20, 2007 |
Current U.S.
Class: |
24/169 ;
24/307 |
Current CPC
Class: |
A44B 11/04 20130101;
Y10T 24/3401 20150115; Y10T 24/4014 20150115 |
Class at
Publication: |
24/169 ;
24/307 |
International
Class: |
A44B 11/06 20060101
A44B011/06 |
Foreign Application Data
Date |
Code |
Application Number |
Dec 29, 2006 |
TW |
095150095 |
Claims
1. A strap fastener for tying an article comprising: a fastening
portion configured to secure a section of a strap from being
loosened by pulling the strap in one direction; and an adjustable
portion configured to connect, adjust and tighten another section
of the strap so as to tie the article.
2. The strap fastener of claim 1 being formed in one-piece.
3. The strap fastener of claim 2 wherein the fastening portion
defines three apertures therein.
4. The strap fastener of claim 3 wherein the three apertures are
elongated and arranged in right triangle.
5. The strap fastener of claim 3 wherein the adjustable portion
defines a slot therein and a breach.
6. The strap fastener of claim 5 wherein the breach is elongated
and arranged in parallel with the slot.
7. The strap fastener of claim 5 wherein the adjustable portion is
formed with a plurality of teeth on opposite inner walls of the
breach.
8. The strap fastener of claim 7 wherein the teeth on one inner
wall and the teeth on the opposite inner wall are staggered.
9. The strap fastener of claim 7, wherein the fastening portion has
a first surface coplanar with a second surface of the adjustable
portion, the fastening portion defines at least one depression in
an area of the first surface where the strap lies, and the
adjustable portion defines at least one depression in an area of
the second surface where the strap lies.
10. A strap fastening assembly comprising: a strap; and at least
one fastener for fastening the strap to tie an article, comprising:
a fastening portion configured to secure a section of the strap
from being loosened by pulling the strap in one direction; and an
adjustable portion configured to connect, adjust and tighten
another section of the strap so as to tie the article.
11. The strap fastening assembly of claim 10 wherein the fastener
is formed in one-piece.
12. The strap fastening assembly of claim 11 wherein the adjustable
portion defines a slot therein and a breach.
13. The strap fastening assembly of claim 12 wherein the fastening
portion defines three apertures therein.
14. The strap fastening assembly of claim 13 wherein the three
apertures are elongated and arranged in right triangle.
15. The strap fastening assembly of claim 13 wherein the adjustable
portion defines a slot therein and a breach.
16. The strap fastening assembly of claim 15 wherein the breach is
elongated and arranged in parallel with the slot.
17. The strap fastening assembly of claim 15 wherein the adjustable
portion is formed with a plurality of teeth on inner walls of the
breach.
18. The strap fastening assembly of claim 17 wherein the teeth on
one inner wall and the teeth on the opposite inner wall are
staggered.
19. The strap fastener of claim 17, wherein the fastening portion
has a first surface coplanar with a second surface of the
adjustable portion, the fastening portion defines at least one
depression in an area of the first surface where the strap lies,
and the adjustable portion defines at least one depression in an
area of the second surface where the strap lies.
20. The strap fastener of claim 15, wherein the fastening portion
has a first surface coplanar with a second surface of the
adjustable portion, the fastening portion defines at least one
depression in an area of the first surface where the strap lies,
and the adjustable portion defines at least one depression in an
area of the second surface where the strap lies.
Description
BACKGROUND OF INVENTION
[0001] 1. Field of Invention
[0002] The present invention is broadly concerned with a strap
fastening assembly and in particular to the strap fastening
assembly including a strap and at least one fastener for tying an
article.
[0003] 2. Related Prior Art
[0004] TW Design Patent No. 19201 discloses a book fastener.
According to the design patent, at least one book can be tied via
the book fastener with a strap in a crisscross manner.
[0005] However, the book fastener is elaborate but to a limited
extent, only for tying books in the crisscross manner. The complex
configuration and the tying method of the book fastener can easily
confuse a user. After tying, the user may further wonder if the
books have been tightly secured.
[0006] Compared with books, there are many other types of articles,
such as a yoga mat, which has a longer and huge volume and may need
a different way to be packed. The yoga mat is usually backpacked
and carried by a user. It is not easy to pack the huge yoga mat
into a space-limit backpack.
[0007] What is desired, therefore, is a simple, convenient and
variegated fastening assembly, which can clasp various types of
articles.
SUMMARY OF INVENTION
[0008] The primary object of this invention is therefore to provide
a fastening assembly capable of easy tying an article securely.
[0009] According to the present invention, a strap fastening
assembly comprises a strap and at least one fastener for fastening
the strap to tie an article. The at least one fastener comprises a
fastening portion and an adjustable portion. The fastening portion
is configured to secure a section of the strap thereon in case the
strap is loosened by pulling the strap in one direction. The
adjustable portion is configured to connect, adjust and tighten
another section of the strap to tie the article.
[0010] Preferably, the fastener is formed in one-piece from
plastic.
[0011] Preferably, the fastening portion of the fastener defines
three apertures therein and the adjustable portion defines a slot
and a breach.
[0012] More preferably, one strap and two fasteners are assembled
to define two loops for clasping the article tight in a perfect
appearance.
[0013] Further benefits and advantages of the present invention
will become clear as the description proceeds.
BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF DRAWINGS
[0014] The invention will now be elucidated with reference to the
following description and accompanying drawings where:
[0015] FIG. 1 is a perspective view of a fastener according to the
present invention;
[0016] FIG. 2 shows a first embodiment of a strap fastening
assembly including one fastener of FIG. 1;
[0017] FIG. 3 is another perspective view of the upright fastener
of FIG. 1, showing a bottom plane with depressions therein for
housing a strap.
[0018] FIG. 4 shows a second embodiment of a strap fastening
assembly including two fasteners of FIG. 1 for tying a yoga mat
(phantom line);
[0019] FIG. 5 illustrates another example of the present invention,
including one fastener and two straps.
DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF EMBODIMENTS
[0020] A strap fastening assembly in accordance with a first
embodiment of the present invention is illustrated in FIGS. 1-3 to
include a strap 1 and a fastener 2 for tying an article (not
shown).
[0021] Referring to FIG. 1, the fastener 2 is flat and made of any
solid material, such as metal or plastic. In the present
embodiment, the fastener 2 is formed in one piece by plastic
injection molding and exhibits advantages of easy production and a
low cost. The fastener 2 comprises a fastening portion 21 and an
adjustable portion 22.
[0022] As can be seen in FIG. 2, the fastening portion 21 is
configured to be joined with a section 11 of the strap 1. The
fastening portion 21 defines three elongated apertures 211, 212 and
213 served as an inlet 211 (side), an outlet 213 (side) and a shift
212 (hypotenuse), which are arranged in right triangle for the
strap 1 passing through. In such a fashion, the strap 1 can be easy
to be joined to the fastening portion 21. In use, first, let an end
of the strap 1 pass through the inlet 211, and then make a turn
passing into the shift 212, and finally passing through the outlet
213. Since the three apertures 211, 212, 213 are arranged in
different positions to form a multiple binding that the section 11
of the strap 1 can not be loosened from the fastening portion 21 by
pulling the strap 1 in one direction. Thus, the fastening portion
21 of the fastener 2 can secure the strap 1 tightly without needs
to suture, rivet or the like. Moreover, the fastening portion 21 of
the fastener 2 can be positioned in any desired section of the
strap 1 for flexible use.
[0023] The adjustable portion 22 of the fastener 2 defines a slot
221 and a breach 222 in parallel with the slot 221 so as to secure
another section 12 of the strap 1 which comes out from the outlet
213 of the fastening portion 21. In use, the section 12 of the
strap 1 is fed into the slot 221 and then is adjusted to a suitable
position so as to define a loop 13 in a suitable size. When the
loop 13 of the strap 1 clasps the article tight, the section 12 of
the strap 1 is then turned round and into the breach 222 to be
secured. Furthermore, the adjustable portion 22 is formed with a
plurality of teeth 223 on inner walls of the breach 222.
Preferably, the teeth 223 on one inner wall and the teeth 223 on
the opposite inner wall are staggered. In such a manner, once
entering and being confined in the breach 222, the strap 1 is not
easily loosened from the teeth 223.
[0024] To tight the article harmlessly, the strap fastener 2
defines depressions in a bottom surface, which is supposed to
contact with the article, to house the sections of the strap 1.
More specifically, referring to FIG. 3, the strap fastener 2 has a
first surface 210 on the fastening portion 21, and a second surface
220 which is coplanar with the first surface 210 and on the
adjustable portion 22. The first and second surfaces 210, 220 have
areas where the strap 1 may passes and lies. Hence, the fastening
portion 21 defines two depressions 214, 215 in the areas of the
first surface 210, and the adjustable portion 22 defines a
depression 224 in the area of the second surface 220 for receiving
the strap 1. Since the strap 1 secured on the fastener 1 has
exposed portions received in the depressions 214, 215, 224, the
strap 1 and the fastener 2 define a co-plane to safely contact with
surfaces of the article without impressions left in the surfaces of
the article.
[0025] As noted above, the fastener 2 secures the two sections 11,
12 of the strap 1 by the fastening portion 21 and the adjustable
portion 22 respectively so as to define the loop 13 which encircles
and ties an article. Besides, the strap 1 further has a free
section 14 which doesn't pass through the inlet 211. The free
section 14 can be extended perpendicular to a plane defined by the
loop 13. Thus, for some other applications, the strap fastening
assembly may be used as a dog chain. The loop 13, as a collar,
receives a dog's neck. The free section 14 of the strap 1, as a
chain, is provided for pulling by a dog's master. Since the force
exerting on the free section 14 won't change the size of the loop
13 that it is safer from strangling even if the master yanks on the
dog's neck suddenly.
[0026] FIG. 4 shows another strap fastening assembly according to a
second embodiment of the present invention. Compared with the first
embodiment, the second embodiment comprises one more fastener 2,
that is, two in total. With two fasteners 2 and one strap 1, the
strap fastening assembly of the second embodiment defines two loops
13 for tying a longer article, such as a roll of a yoga mat, or two
separate articles.
[0027] In particular, the two loops 13 of FIG. 4 are joined
together by the free end 14 of the strap 1 in a perfect manner
because the three apertures 211, 212, 213 of each of the fasteners
are arranged in a right triangle. In this manner, the strap
fastening assembly acts as a shoulder bag and is easy to carry.
[0028] Furthermore, the length of the free end 14 is adjustable
according to one's desire. Once the length of the free end 14 is
determined and the strap 1 has been secured on the fastening
portions 21 of the two fasteners 2, each adjustable portion 22 is
then adjusted flexibly to define the loop 13 for clasping the
article.
[0029] Alternatively, more than two fasters 2 can be linked
together for tying many articles in a series for further
purposes.
[0030] From the foregoing embodiments, the fastener 2 of the
present invention is provided to fasten the strap 1 to define the
loop 13 so as to tie an article. In another embodiment, as depicted
in FIG. 5, the single fastener 2 can also be used to joined "two"
straps, namely a first strap I a and a second strap 1b. In this
case, the fastening portion 21 of the fastener 2 is used to
securing an end of the first strap 1a. The adjustable portion 22
connects an end of the second strap 1b and allows the same to be
adjusted and secured. Therefore, the fastener 2 served as a linkage
between two straps 1a, 1b.
[0031] Numerous characteristics and advantages of the invention
have been set forth in the foregoing description. The disclosure,
however, is illustrative only, and changes may be made in detail
within the principle of the invention, to the full extent indicated
by the broad general meaning of the terms in which the appended
claims are expressed.
* * * * *