US 6,145,170 A · Anchor bead fasteners and method of attaching same to cargo holder straps for hook-up to keyhole-slot anchoring supports

Abstract

A fastener bead removably affixed to a flexible tension element of a cargo holder and used by removably inserting the bead in the wider portion of a keyhole-type slot in a support structure. The bead in use is trapped and held by the margin of the narrow portion of the keyhole slot. The bead has a through-passageway with axially opposite loop-entrance and loop-exit ends thereof located respectively at first and second opposite end surfaces of the bead. In one bead embodiment an external groove in a bead first side surface is sized for retaining a portion of each two runs of a free-end loop of the tension element disposed in side-by-side contacting relationship after exiting the passageway and lead in the groove toward engagement with trailing portions of the runs that trail back out the entrance end of the passageway as they extend back toward cargo holder attachment. To achieve this bead-held knotting, the loop bight and runs are trained over a second side surface of the bead until the loop bight contacts and crosses over the trailing run portions on the side thereof remote from the bead first side surface and generally where the trailing runs are leading toward entry into the bead passageway. While the bight remains caught by crossing over the trailing portions of the tension element runs, the exited portions of the loop runs are straddle spread back over the bead until they are seated into the bead groove. In another bead embodiment, the bead has a neck-like protrusion lassoed by the tension element loop after it is passed through the bead passageway. Retrograde tension force is exerted on the trailing run portions while restraining the bead cause snug engagement with the bead groove(s) due to the loop bight being caught across the trailing runs or neck-like protrusion to thereby securely but detachably affix the bead to the flexible tension element.

Claims56

Dependent claims

A cargo retaining receptacle comprising in combination at least one flexible hanger tension element secured to said receptacle and extending therefrom and terminating at a free end in the form of a U-shaped loop made up of first and second runs interconnected by an end bight, and a hanger anchoring bead fastener releasably attached to said hanger element at said free end thereof, said bead fastener comprising a block of material defining a bead and having a through-passageway defining axially opposite loop-entrance and loop-exit ends thereof located respectively at first and second opposite end surfaces of said bead, said bead further having loop-bight-engagement means disposed on a first side surface of said bead and aligned at least partially between said passageway axially opposite ends and receiving said runs of said loop extending from said receptacle into said passageway entrance end and thence in side-by-side contacting relationship through said passageway and thence out said passageway exit end such that said loop and bight are releasably retained on said bead by snug engagement with said bead loop-bight-engagement means to thereby securely but detachably affix said bead to said hanger element of said receptacle.

A cargo holder comprising in combination at least one flexible hanger tension element secured to said holder and extending therefrom and terminating at a free end in the form of a U-shaped loop made up of first and second runs interconnected by an end bight, and a hanger bead releasably attached to said hanger element at said free end thereof, said bead comprising a block of material defining a bead having loop-bight engagement means disposed on a first side surface of said bead including a neck-like protrusion extending radially outwardly from the exterior of said first side surface of said bead, said loop end bight being hooked over and thereby trained around said protrusion, said protrusion being constructed and arranged such that said loop and bight are releasably retained on said bead by snug engagement with said protrusion bead loop-bight-engagement means to thereby securely but detachably affix said bead to said hanger element of said cargo holder, and wherein said tension element comprises a resiliently elongated plastic cord, and wherein said protrusion comprises a first shank portion integrally joined at a first end to said first side surface of said bead and extending generally radially outwardly therefrom to a second end, and a second hook-eye portion having a first end integrally joined to said shank portion second end and a second end in the form a free-end terminus of said hook-eye portion, said hook-eye portion between said first and second ends thereof having re-entrant curvature relative to said shank portion with a predetermined radius of curvature slightly smaller than the radius dimension of said elastic cord tension element when in an unstretched free state condition thereof, said free end terminus of said hook-eye portion defining a gap with said bead first side surface having an opening dimension at its narrowest region only slightly larger than the minimum diameter of said elastic cord tension element when stretched substantially to its working elastic stress limit.

A method of affixing a fastener bead to a flexible tension element to provide as a cargo holder hanger sub-assembly of the type used by removably inserting the bead in the wider portion of a keyhole-type slot in a support structure and then the bead moved so as to be trapped and held by the margin of the narrow portion of the slot with the tension element passing outwardly therethrough to a supporting attachment of the tension element to the cargo holder, said method comprising the steps of:

(a) providing a flexible hanger tension element adapted to be secured to the cargo holder so as to extend therefrom and terminate at a free end in the form of a U-shaped loop made up of first and second runs interconnected by an end bight,
(b) providing a hanger bead adapted for releasable attachment to the hanger flexible tension element at said free end thereof, said bead comprising a block of material having a through-passageway defining axially opposite loop-entrance and loop-exit ends thereof located respectively at first and second opposite end surfaces of said bead block, said bead further having loop-bight engagement means disposed on a first side surface of said bead block and aligned at least partially between said passageway axially opposite ends, said bead loop-bight-engagement means including an external groove in the first side surface of the bead sized for retaining a portion of each the first and second runs of the loop disposed exteriorly of the bead passageway and in side-by-side contacting relationship when they exit the passageway exit end and are lead to engagement with the loop-bight-engagement means,
(c) feeding said first and second runs with said loop bight leading such that said runs extend from said holder into said passageway entrance end and thence are fed in side-by-side contacting relationship through said passageway and thence exit out said passageway exit end, with the following trailing portions of the runs trailing back out the entrance end of the passageway as they extend back toward a cargo holder attachment region of the tension element,
(d) then training the exited loop bight and runs over a second side surface of said bead located diametrically opposite said bead first side surface until the loop bight contacts and crosses over the trailing portions of the tension element runs on the side thereof remote from the bead first side surface and generally where the trailing runs are leading toward entry into the entrance end of the bead passageway,
(e) then pulling and spreading apart the exited portions of the loop runs to straddle displace them around the bead exterior from the second side surface to the first side surface thereof while said bight remains caught by crossing over the trailing portions of the tension element runs,
(f) then inserting the exited portions of the loop runs as so disposed in step (e) into the bead groove, and
(g) exerting retrograde tension force on said trailing run portions while restraining said bead against such force to thereby cause said loop and bight to be releasably retained on said bead by snug engagement with said bead groove and by catching of the loop bight across the trailing runs as they enter the passageway to thereby securely but detachably affix the bead to the flexible tension element and thereby complete the cargo holder hanger sub-assembly.

4 more elements

An anchoring bead fastener for use with a cargo retaining receptacle of the type having a flexible hanger tension element secured to the receptacle and extending therefrom and terminating at a free end in the form of a U-shaped loop made up of first and second runs interconnected by an end bight, said anchoring bead fastener being adapted to be releasably attached to said hanger element at the free end thereof, said bead fastener comprising a block of material defining a bead and having a through-passageway defining axially opposite loop-entrance and loop-exit ends thereof located respectively at first and second opposite end surfaces of said bead, said bead further having loop-bight-engagement means disposed on a first side surface of said bead and aligned at least partially between said passageway axially opposite ends and adapted to receive the runs of the loop extending from said receptacle into said passageway entrance end and thence in side-by-side contacting relationship through said passageway and thence out said passageway exit end such that the loop and bight are releasably retained on said bead by snug engagement with said bead loop-bight-engagement means to thereby securely but detachably affix said bead to the hanger tension element of the receptacle.

(a) providing a flexible hanger tension element adapted to be secured to the cargo holder so as to extend therefrom and terminate at a free end in the form of a U-shaped loop made up of first and second runs interconnected by an end bight,
(b) providing a hanger bead adapted for releasable attachment to the hanger flexible tension element at said free end thereof, said bead comprising a block of material defining a bead having a through-passageway defining axially opposite loop entrance and loop-exit ends thereof located respectively at first and second opposite end surfaces of said bead, said bead further having loop-bight engagement means disposed on a first side surface of said bead block and aligned at least partially between said passageway axially opposite ends and including an external groove sized for retaining a portion of the loop disposed exteriorly of the bead passageway when they exit the passageway exit end and are lead to engagement with the loop-bight-engagement means,
(c) feeding said first and second runs with said loop bight leading such that said runs extend into said passageway entrance end and thence are fed in side-by-side contacting relationship through said passageway with a snug fit and thence exit out said passageway exit end, with the following trailing portions of the runs trailing back out the entrance end of the passageway as they extend back toward a cargo holder attachment region of the tension element,
(d) then training the exited loop bight and runs over said bead until the loop bight crosses over said bead loop-bight engagement means remote from said loop-exit end of said through-passageway,
(e) then orienting the exited portions of the loop runs to thereby insure that said bight remains caught by crossing over said bead loop-bight engagement means,
(f) inserting the exited portions of the loop runs as so disposed in step (e) into the bead loop-bight engagement means groove, and
(g) exerting retrograde tension force on said trailing run portions while restraining said bead against such force to thereby cause said loop and bight to be releasably retained on said bead by snug engagement with said groove to thereby securely but detachably affix the bead to the flexible tension element and thereby complete the cargo holder hanger sub-assembly.

4 more elements

Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.

Anchor bead fasteners and method of attaching same to cargo holder straps for hook-up to keyhole-slot anchoring supports

Life of this patent

Anchor bead fasteners and method of attaching same to cargo holder straps for hook-up to keyhole-slot anchoring supports

Life of this patent

Abstract

Claims56