AU615570B2 - Fastening means - Google Patents

Description

AUS 1411 615570 PATENTS ACT 1952-1973 COMPLETE SPECIFICATION

(ORIGINAL)

FOR OFFICE ISE Form Class: Int. CI: Application Number: Lodged: Complete Specification-Lodged: S Accepted: Published: Priority: i *,Related Art: B'?a81~ TO BE COMPLETE BY APPLICANT Name of Applicant: ICI AUSTRALIA OPERATIONS PROPRIETARY LIMITED 9 Address of Applicant: Actual Inventor: Address for Service: 1 Nicholson Street, Melbourne 3001, Victoria Australia Gerard MUSSETT, Alfons VAN MAANAN Industrial Property Section ICI Australia Operations Proprietary Limited 1 Nicholson Street, P.O. Box 4311 Melbourne 3001, Victoria Australia Complete Specification for the invention entitled: "FASTENING MEANS" The following statement is a full description of this invention, including the best method of performing it known to me:-* 'Note: The description is to be typed in double spacing, pica type face, in an area not exceeding 250 mm in depth and 160 mm in width, on tough white paper of good quality and it is to be inserted inside this form.

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1 FASTENING MEANS So o This invention relates to a fastening means adapted to fasten an object on to a hanging elongate flexible member.

It is often desirable that an object be attached to a hanging elongate flexible member. A simple example of this is the need to attach a plumb bob to a line for the purposes of determining verticality. The simple way in this case is of course to tie the elongate flexible member to the object. This solution is not always practical. For example, the elongate flexible member may be difficult to tie and the object may not lend itself to being tied. An example of this is the attachment of an explosive primer for a main charge of explosives to a detonating cord. Knotting detonating cord is not practical for various reasons, and the primer is commonly secured only by passing the cord through holes in the primer and

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TO: The Commissioner of Patents -2- 0 0 00 00 6 0 0 @600 06 000 S 000 0 then inserting the loose end through the loop so formed. This fastening can be loosened with rough handling and this could be highly dangerous.

There has now been found a means of fastening an object to a hanging elongate flexible member which means is cheap and easy to produce and fasten, and which is highly efficacious in use. There is therefore provided, according to the present invention, a fastening means adapted permit the fastening of an object to an elongate flexible member suspended from one end thereof, the fastening means comprising attaching means adapted to permit the attachment of the fastening means to the object, and gripping means adapted to grip the elongate 15 member, the gripping means comprising a pair of opposed jaws at least one of which jaws is movable towards the other, which jaws comprise gripping surfaces which are so shaped as to deform the elongate member in the plane of closing motion of the jaws such that the elongate member may be gripped to any desired extent without impairment of any function that the elongate member may perform; and (ii) securing means for holding the jaws in 25 fastening contact with the elongate member.

This shaping of the jaws should be such that the jaws will offer sufficient grip to support the object yet will not impair any function that the elongate element might have. For example, if the object is an explosive primer and the elongate element is a shock tube, the jaws should not grip the shock tube such that the propagation of a shock wave is impaired.

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Provided that these criteria are adhered to, any convenient shape may be used and the skilled person will readily be able to devise suitable shapes for any given application. For example, the jaws may be sinusoidal or saw-toothed in profile and exactly mating. They may also be essentially planar but with this planarity disrupted by one or more protrusions in at least one jaw. These protrusions may have matching depressions in the opposing jaw.

Alternatively, each Jaw may have a set of protrusions and an elongate element will be held in a sinusoidal fashion between them.

The securing means may be any convenient means which holds the jaws in contact with the 15 elongate member. It may be, for example, a spring.

If the elongate material itself has some inherent resilience this may be utilised to secure the fastening means. For example, the securing means may be a collar which is concentric with the elongate member and a loose fit thereon, but which when placed over the jaws when they are initially compressed towards each other against the resilience of the elongate member, will hold the jaws closed against this resilience when the compression is 25 released.

When the elongate member has inhereit resilience, a particularly preferred securing means is a ratchet means. In this case, at least one jaw comprises a protruding member which bears ridges or splines. These ridges or splines are adapted to %nterlock with cooperating ridges or splines located on the other jaw. Thus, when the jaws are closed against the resilience, the ratchet means can be interlocked to any desirable extent. It is preferable that each jaw comprise both a protruding member and a series of ridges or splines for r a0 3 .1 'I 0900 Iv'i -1 7 -4- *.6 0 60 OO0 ttj oooo interlocking with the protruding member of the other jaw. The ratchet means has the advantage that it can be moulded in plastics as an integral unit with the jaws.

The attaching means is used for the attaching of the object to the fastening means. It may be any convenient fastening means, depending entirely on the object. It may be, for example, a simple ring to which an object may be tied, or a perforated plate to which an object may be bolted. It is of course permissibile to fasten more than one object to the elongate member by means of a single fastening means and this is comprehended by the use of "an object". The attaching means may also be designed purposely with a particular object in mind. An example of this may be found in copending Australian patent application PJ 0589, wherein the attaching means may be a threaded cap for attaching to a vessel which forms part of an explosive primer.

The skilled person will be able to visualise many variations of this invention all of which lie within its scope. For example, the jaws may hinge about a line which is essentially parallel to the suspending elongate member or transverse thereto, this latter being used when the elongate member must pass through an orifice on either side of which are located the jaws of the gripping member. The fastening means may be made from any suitable material, plastics being especially favoured for their resilience and the ease with which suitable fastening means may be manufactured therefrom.

The invention is further described with reference to the drawing which depicts a perspective view of an embodiment useful for incorporation into a primer of the type described in copending Australian patent application PJ 0589.

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Sees 5555 5.55 A fastening means is a cap 1 which is adapted to be fitted to a primer charge by means of a series of wedge-shaped prongs 2 which fit into corresponding slots in the container holding the primer charge. The cap has the shape of the frustum of a cone from the smaller end of which extends a cylindrical neck 3, the larger end interfacing with the primer charge container. To the end of the neck are attached diametrically two planar arms 4 which extend away from the primer charge in the same general direction as the neck. These arms are grooved at those ends adjacent to the paints of contact with the neck to create flexible areas which permit the arms 4 to be bent towards each 15 other but which do not permit substantial movement in a plane transverse to the plane of that motion towards each other.

At the other end of each arm 4 is a jaw which comprises a series of sawtooth projections 6 which project towards a mating series of projections in a jaw in the other arm and whose lateral width is at least equal to the diameter of a shock tube or detonating cord which will be inserted into the primer charge.

On one side of each series of sawtooth projections is a planar ratchet member 7 which projects towards the opposing arm 4 at right angles to the plane of the arm to which it is attached.

The ratchet member bears on its surface a series of ridges 8 which are parallel to the arm 4 of which the ratchet member forms part. These ridges are designed to interlock with a cooperating series of ridges 9 which are located on the side of the series of sawtooth projections on the other arm 4. Thus, when the two arms 4 are pushed towards each other, the respective series of ridges interlock and prevent the two arms from moving apart.

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S S kM -6- In practice, a shock tube or detonating cord is fed through the aperture of the neck 3 and between the jaws. When the tube or cord is in the appropriate position, the two arms 4 are pushed together. The opposing series of sawtooth projections 6 deform the tube or cord such that it conforms with their shapes and the series of ridges 8 on the ratchet members 7 interlock with the cooperating series of ridges 9 on the opposing sawtooth projections thus locking the two arms together. The grip of the fastening means is such that the weight of the primer may be supported thereby.

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Claims (5)

1. A fastening means adapted to fasten an explosive primer to an elongate flexible member suspended from one end thereof, the fastening means comprising attaching means adapted to permit the attachment of the fastening means to the explosive primer, and gripping means adapted to grip the elongate member, the gripping means comprising a pair of opposed jaws at least one of which jaws is movable towards the other, which jaws A s 00 So: shaped as to deform the elongate member in0 the plane of closing motion of the jaws such f H 0@* that the elongate member may be gripped to 900 0.:any desired extent without impairment of any I function that the elongate member may perform; and 0 0.00. (ii) securing means for holding the jaws in II fastening contact with the elongate member. 1'2. A fastening means according to claim 1, wherein the jaws have a sinusoidal or saw-toothed proiile. 0P 0

3. A fastening means according to claim 1, wherein the jaws are essentially planar with the planarity disrupted by protrusions in at least one jaw which have matching depressions in at least one other jaw. Aa a I I -8

4. A fastening means according to claim 1, wherein the jaws are essentially planar with the planarity disrupted in each jaw by a set of protrusions which are so disposed as to hold an elongate element between them in a sinusoidal fashion when the jaws are closed. A fastening means according to any one of claims 1-4, wherein the securing means is a collar which may be placed over the jaws in their closed position to hold them together against resilience of an elongate member.

6. A fastening means according to any one of claims 1-4, wherein the securing means is a ratchet means, which is comprised of a protruding member on S. at least one jaw which member bears a series of ridges, which ridges interlock with a corresponding series of ridges on an opposing jaw such that the interlocked ridges prevent the moving apart of the jaws. .o

7. A fastening means substantially as described with reference to the drawing. DATED this 3/7 day of 1989. ICI AUSTRALIA OPERATIONS PROPRIETARY LIMITED BY ITS PATENT ATTOBNEY P11.4 JAMcS