Metal tie
AssigneeRowthorpe P.L.C.
InventorSteven J. Blanks
Life of this patent
Estimating the term…
Abstract
A metal cable tie includes a locking head formed at one end of an elongate strap. A metal locking ball is contained within the locking head and serves to secure the strap against withdrawing movement when the strap is inserted through the locking head. The ball is inserted into the locking head through a hole. After the ball is inserted, the strap is folded around the locking head to secure the strap to the locking head while blocking the hole to confine the ball within the head. A pair of interengageable barbs formed on the strap engage each other through the hole to secure the strap adjacent the locking head and occlude the hole to keep the ball from falling out. Preferably, the tie is economically and conveniently formed through a stamping and folding operation.
Claims16
A tie comprising:
- a locking head having a top wall, a bottom wall, an aperture in the bottom wall and a cavity defined between the top wall and the bottom wall;
- a locking member in the cavity;
- and
- an elongate strap secured to the locking head by means of first and second barbs on the strap interengaging with each other through the aperture.
A tie comprising:
- a locking head having a top wall, a bottom wall, an aperture in the bottom wall and a cavity defined between the top wall and the bottom wall, the cavity having an entrance opening and an exit opening;
- a locking ball inserted into the cavity through the aperture;
- and
- an elongate strap folded around the aperture after the locking ball has been inserted into the cavity to secure the elongate strap to the locking head and to block the aperture and thereby confine the locking ball in the cavity.
A method of manufacturing a metal tie comprising the steps of:
- forming from a sheet of metal a locking head blank having a pair of opposed tabs, each including a cut-out portion;
- forming from a sheet of metal an elongate strap;
- shaping the locking head blank into a hollow cavity-defining structure by, in part, folding the tabs of the locking head blank inwardly toward each other so that the tabs define one wall of the cavity and so that the cut-out portions of the tabs cooperate to form an aperture opening into the cavity;
- inserting a locking member into the cavity through the aperture;
- and
- folding one end of the elongate strap over the folded tabs so as to block the aperture and thereby confine the locking member within the cavity.
A tie comprising:
- a locking head having a top wall, a bottom wall, an aperture in the bottom wall and a cavity defined between the top wall and the bottom wall, the cavity having an entrance opening and an exit opening;
- a locking ball inserted into the cavity through the aperture;
- and
- an elongate strap folded around the aperture after the locking ball has been inserted into the cavity to secure the elongate strap to the locking head and to block the aperture and thereby confine the locking ball in the cavity, the elongate strap being folded around the bottom wall over the aperture and including interengaging members that join through the aperture to secure the elongate strap to the locking head.
A method of manufacturing a metal tie comprising the steps of:
- forming from a sheet of metal a locking head blank having a pair of opposed tabs, each including a cut-out portion;
- forming from a sheet of metal an elongate strap;
- shaping the locking head blank into a hollow cavity-defining structure by, in part, folding the tabs of the locking head blank inwardly toward each other so that the tabs define one wall of the cavity and so that the cut-out portions of the tabs cooperate to form an aperture opening into the cavity;
- inserting a locking member into the cavity through the aperture;
- and
- folding one end of the elongate strap over the folded tabs so as to block the aperture and thereby confine the locking member within the cavity;
- forming a pair of longitudinally spaced interengagable barbs on the elongate strap;
- and
- folding the elongate strap around the folded tabs so as to interengage the barbs with each other through the aperture.
Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.