Adjustable tie cord assembly

Abstract

An elastic tie cord is attached to a fastener to form an infinitely adjustable tie cord assembly. A finger aperture is provided on the fastener for applying tension to the cord in cooperation with a remote loop at the other end of the cord. A hook on the fastener adjacent the finger aperture includes a curved, tapered slot narrowing to an opening having a width less than the normal diameter of the cord. The cord is tensioned around an object to be secured and the reduced cord diameter is wedged into the slot opening at any desired point on the cord. Upon release of the finger aperture and the remote loop, the cord diameter beyond the fastener returns to normal, wedging the cord firmly in the slot to maintain tension on the portion of the cord around the secured object. The eyelet and the curved slot opening are aligned with the axis of tension of the cord so that the tensioned cord partially pivots the fastener about the cord axis of tension to project the finger aperture upward from the secured object, thereby facilitating access to the finger aperture. An alternate embodiment of the invention includes a fastener having a T-bar shaped appendage for gripping to apply tension. A wedge-shaped aperture is disposed at the base of the T-bar having a narrow vertex for securing the tensioned cord.

Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.