Tightening And Securing Device For Strapping

Abstract

The invention relates to a lever device for tightening and securing together two end portions of strapping. The device comprises a pair of longitudinal side members interconnected in spaced parallel relationship. An arm arranged adjacent one end of the device is attached at its one end to one of the side members and has its other free end disposed adjacent the other side member so as to be engageable by a looped one end portion of the strapping passed thereover. A first cross-member interconnects the side members at that side of said arm adjacent said one end of the device, a pair of second cross-members interconnect said side members at that side of said arm remote from said one end of the device and are engageable by the other end portion of the strapping, and a pair of projections extend in opposed relationship from respective side members to define a gap at or adjacent the other end of the device. In use the device is engaged by the two end portions of the strapping and the position of the device is reversed so that the two end portions of the strapping are brought together and overlapped to tension the strapping and secure the two end portions together.

Description

The present invention relates to a device for tightening and securing strapping.

It is often impossible to firmly secure goods with strapping passed therearound merely by manually pulling the strapping tight, and the present invention seeks to provide a lever device with which adequate tightening can be achieved simply and quickly.

According to the present invention there is provided a device for tightening and securing together two end portions of strapping, comprising a pair of longitudinal side members interconnected in spaced parallel relationship, an arm adjacent one end of the device attached at its one end to one of the side members and having its other free end disposed adjacent the other side member so as to be engageable by a looped one end portion of the strapping, a first cross-member interconnecting said side members at that side of said arm adjacent said one end of the device, a pair of second cross-members interconnecting said side members at that side of said arm remote from said one end of the device and engageable by the other end portion of the strapping, and a pair of projections extending in opposed relationship from respective side members to define a gap at or adjacent the other end of the device, whereby in use, upon reversal of the position of the device and two end portions of the strapping are brought together and overlapped to tension the strapping and secure the two end portions together.

A reinforcing member is preferably provided and interconnects the side members at a position between the projections and the said pair of second cross-members.

The side members are preferably of L-shaped section.

Embodiments of the present invention will now be described, by way of example, with reference to the accompanying drawings, in which:-

FIG. 1 shows a first embodiment of the present invention;

FIGS. 2, 3 and 4 illustrate the use of the first embodiment; and

FIG. 5 shows the second embodiment of the present invention.

FIG. 1 shows a tightening and securinng device comprising two parallel L-section side members 1 and 2 linked adjacent their one ends by four cross-members 3, 4, 5 and 6 and having at their other ends two opposed projections 7 and 8 which define a gap 9. A reinforcing member 10 interconnnects the side members 1 and 2 intermediate their ends, and an arm 11 extends from side member 1 between cross-members 3 and 4 and terminates adjacent side member 2.

With reference to FIGS. 2, 3 and 4, in use one end 12 of a length of strapping is coiled around cross-members 5 and 6 so that it cannot slip therefrom when the strapping is tensioned. A plurality of suitable coiling methods are available, only one of which is illustrated. The strapping is then pulled hand-tight and its other end 13 is formed into a loop and slid sideways over arm 11 whilst the side members 1 and 2 lie substantially parallel to the ends of the strapping.

The strapping is tightened by reversing the direction of the device with respect to the ends 12 and 13 of the strapping. This is achieved by moving the end of the device provided with the projections 7 and 8 in a substantially semi-circular arc extending from strapping end 12 to strapping end 13. The direction of this movement is shown by the arrow in FIG. 4. After the movement is completed, the strapping end 13 is passed through the gap 9 and the device is thereby locked. The strapping can only be loosened by passing it back through the gap 9.

The tightening effect achieved is substantially equivalent to a shortening of the hand-tightened strapping by twice the distance between cross-members 5 and the outer edge of cross-member 3. This could be increased to twice the distance between the outer edges of cross-members 3 and 6 by reversing the way that the strapping end 12 is wrapped around cross-members 5 and 6.

The cross-member 4 serves to separate the two ends 12 and 13 of the strapping.

With reference to FIG. 5, a second tightening and securing device is shown which comprises two parallel L-section side members 21 and 22 linked by three cross-members 23, 24 and 25 and supporting two projections 26 and 27 which define a gap 28. A reinforcing member 29 links the side members 21 and 22 and an arm 30 arranged between the cross-members 23 and 24 extends from side member 21 towards side member 22. The cross-member 23 is bent over so as to form a rounded edge 31 which in use is less likely to cause damage to the strapping.

The ends of the side members 21 and 22 which support the projections 26 and 27 are tapered so that in use strapping does not have to be deflected from its naturally assumed straight position when it is locked by being passed through the gap 28.

There is no equivalent member to cross-member 4 of the first embodiment. The entanglement of the two ends of the strapping is avoided by providing a recessed edge 32 on cross-member 24. This recess prevents a loop of strapping which is being slid around arm 30 from catching on strapping looped around cross-member 24.

Claims

What is claimed is:

1. A device for tightening and securing together two end portions of strapping, comprising a pair of longitudinal side members interconnected in spaced parallel relationship, an arm adjacent one end of the device attached at its one end to one of the side members and having its other free end disposed adjacent the other side member so as to be engageable by a looped one end portion of the strapping, a first cross-member interconnecting said side members at that side of said arm adjacent said one end of the device, a pair of second cross-members interconnecting said side members at that side of said arm remote from said one end of the device and engageable by the other end portion of the strapping, and a pair of projections extending in opposed relationship from respective side members to define a gap at or adjacent the other end of the device, whereby in use, upon reversal of the position of the device the two end portions of the strapping are brought together and overlapped to tension the strapping and secure the two end portions together.

2. A device according to claim 1, comprising a reinforcing member interconnecting the side members at a position between the projections and the said pair of second cross-members.

3. A device according to claim 1, wherein each side member is of L-shaped section.

4. A device according to claim 1, formed from a single apertured planar member a pair of opposed parallel edges of which are bent over.

5. A device according to claim 4, wherein the arm is provided by forming a U-shaped aperture in the planar member so that the two limbs thereof extend perpendicular to the said parallel edges, and bending the planar member along a line parallel to said parallel edges which passes through the U-shaped aperture, whereby the portion of the planar arm the free end of which is freely accessible.

6. A device according to claim 3, wherein the side members are tapered adjacent the said other end, and the arm and the cross-members lie in a common plane, the projections extending from the tapered portions of the side members and being spaced from the said common plane.

7. A device according to claim 1, wherein the said one end thereof is rounded.

8. A device according to claim 1, comprising a further cross-member located adjacent and parallel to the said pair of second cross-members.

9. A device according to claim 1, wherein the one of the pair of second cross-members nearest to the arm is recessed, the recess facing the arm.