GB2106174A

GB2106174A - A stay

Info

Publication number: GB2106174A
Application number: GB08226271A
Authority: GB
Inventors: Douglas Arthur James Oxley
Original assignee: PZ Products Ltd
Current assignee: PZ Products Ltd
Priority date: 1981-09-15
Filing date: 1982-09-15
Publication date: 1983-04-07

Abstract

The stay comprises a shank 1 made up from two tubes 2, 3 which are slidable one within the other to adjust the length of the shank and which are relatively rotatable. A fastening screw 5 is provided on one of the tubes for preventing relative movement of the tubes after adjustment. The tubes 2, 3 carry hooks 12, 15 in inserts 7, 14. The hooks and inserts cooperate to form respective clamps for clamping the stay to spaced apart members such as eye brackets 18, 20 on a boot floor 19 and a boot lid 22 of a vehicle. Operation of the clamps is effected by rotating the respective tubes. <IMAGE>

Description

SPECIFICATION A stay The invention relates to a stay and is particularly but not exclusively concerned with a stay for holding a motor vehicle boot lid in an open position.

According to the invention there is provided a stay comprising an elongate shank having spaced apart attachment means which enable it to be attached to a pair of members to prevent relative movement of the members, at least one of said attachment means being co-operable with a surface on the shank so as to form a clamp for clamping the shank to one of said members.

Said one attachment means may comprise a hook which hooks on to the associated member, the shank and said hook being movable relatively to effect clamping. Preferably the hook is screwthreaded and carried in a screw-threaded mounting, rotation of the mounting effecting operation of the clamp. Attachment means in the form of clamps are particularly advantageous where the stay is used for holding a vehicle boot lid open to clear a large size article in the boot as the clamped lid is less likely to rattle when the vehicle is travelling.

The shank preferably comprises two shank elements which are movable relative to each other axially so that the length of the shank can be adjusted. Fastening means may be provided for preventing such relative movement after adjustment. The shank elements may comprise a pair of tubes which can slide one within the other for adjustment purposes. One of the attachment means may be arranged at the outer end of one tube and the other attachment means arrangedsat the outer end of the other tube. The other attachment means may comprise a screwthreaded hook carried in a screw-threaded mounting so that rotation of the mounting will cause the hook and the mounting to operate as a clamp for clamping the other of the pair of members between them.In such a case the tubes may be relatively rotatable and rotation of said one tube rotates its associated screw-threaded mounting to effect operation of the first said clamp and rotation of the other tube rotates its associated screw-threaded mounting to effect operation of the other clamp. The tubes may be prevented from separating by means of a cord, wire, tape of the like extending between them.

A stay in accordance with the invention will now be described by way of example with reference to the accompanying drawings in which: Figure 1 is a longitudinal cross-section through one form of stay holding open the boot lid of a vehicle, Figure 2 is a view of part of the stay in Figure 1 looking in the direction of arrow II in Figure 1, and Figure 3 is a longitudinal cross-section through one end of an alternative stay in accordance with the invention.

A shank 1 comprises two cylindrical tubes 2, 3 which are slidable and rotatable one within the other. The tube 3 carries a screw-threaded member 4 which may be mounded from plastics material. A fastening screw 5 threadedly engages the member 4 and passes through an aperture 6 in the wall of tube 3 to frictionally engage the tube 2.

The screw 5 is arranged to hold the tubes frictionally in a desired axial position and to prevent relative rotation thereof.

The upper end of tube 2 is provided with an annular insert 7 having a head 8 and a reduced diameter internally screw-threaded section 9. The section 9 is formed with an eye 10. The insert 7 receives a screw threaded hook 1 2 which passes with working clearance through the head 8 and screws into the section 9. The end of the screwthreaded hook within the eye 10 is flattened at 1 3 to prevent the hook from being unscrewed completely from the insert 7.

The lower end of tube 3 is provided with an insert 14 similar to insert 7 and a hook 1 5 is mounted in the insert 14 in an identical manner to hook 12. A cord 1 6 extends between the eye 10 and a similar eye 17 in insert 14, the length of the cord being such as to prevent the tube 2 being completely withdrawn from tube 3.

In use and with the tubes 2, 3 free to move relative to each other, the hook 1 5 is hooked around an eye bracket 1 8 which is bolted to the floor 1 9 of a vehicle boot. The tube 3 is then rotated so as to screw the insert 1 4 along the hook 1 5 to clamp the bracket 1 8 therebetween the insert 14 and hook 1 5 acting as jaws of a clamp. Next, the hook 12 is hooked around an eye bracket 20 on a boot lid 22 and the tube 2 is rotated to clamp the bracket 20 between the insert 8 and hook 1 2. The boot lid is then moved to the desired position and the fastening screw 5 is tightened to lock the tubes 2, 3 together. The lid is thereby held firmly in the desired position.

In Figure 3 parts corresponding to parts shown in Figure 1 carry the same reference numerals followed by the suffix "a".

An insert 7a at one end of a tube 2a has a head 8a which serves as a clamp jaw co-operable with a hook 1 2a. The tube 2a slides within another tube (not shown) as in Fig. 1. The insert 7a has an internal bore 30 which has a screw-threaded section 31. The section 31 threadedly engages the hook 1 2 which fits within the upper end of the bore, as viewed in the drawings, with working clearance. The lower end of the hook 1 2a has a radial bore 32 which locates free ends of a triangular ring 33. A cord 1 6a extends between the ring 33 and a similar ring on a hook in an insert at the opposite end of the other tube, the hook and insert arrangement being substantially identical at both ends of the shank.

The inserts in both embodiments may be prevented from rotation relative to the associated tubes by means of radial pins (not shown) extending through the tube walls and into the inserts.

Whilst specific reference has been made to the stay being used to hold a boot lid open it could be used as a vehicle bonnet stay or a stay for a door.

Claims

1. A stay comprising an elongate shank having spaced apart attachment means at each end which enable it to be attached to a pair of members to prevent relative movement of the members, at least one of said attachment means being co-operable with a surface on the shank so as to form a clamp for clamping the shank to one of said members.

2. A stay according to claim 1 in which said one attachment means comprises a hook which hooks on to the associated member, the shank and the hook being movable relatively to effect clamping.

3. A stay according to claim 2 in which the hook is screw-threaded and is carried in a screwthreaded mounting, rotation of the mounting being arranged to effect operation of the clamp so as to clamp said one member between the hook and the mounting.

4. A stay according to any preceding claim in which the shank comprises two shank elements which are movable axially relative to each other so that the length of the shank can be adjusted.

5. A stay according to claim 4 in which fastening means is provided on one of the shank elements which is frictionally engageable with the other shank element to prevent the relative axial movement after adjustment.

6. A stay according to claim 4 or 5 in which the shank elements comprise a pair of tubes which can slide one within the other for adjustment purposes.

7. A stay according to claim 6 in which one of the attachment means is arranged at the outer end of one tube and the other attachment means is arranged at the outer end of the other tube.

8. A stay according to claim 7 in which the other attachment means comprises a screwthreaded hook carried in a screw-threaded mounting so that rotation of the mounting will cause the hook and the mounting to operate as a clamp for clamping the other of the pair of members between them.

9. A stay according to claim 8 in which the tubes are relatively rotatable and rotation of said one tube rotates its associated screw-threaded mounting to effect operation of the first said clamp and rotation of the other tube rotates its associated screw-threaded mounting to effect operation of the other clamp.

10. A stay according to claim 8 or 9 in which a flexible link extends between the tubes to prevent separation of the tubes.

1 A stay according to claim 9 in which the flexible link comprises a cord, wire, tape or the like which is secured at its ends to the hooks at the ends of the tubes.

12. A stay constructed and arranged substantially as described herein with reference to Figures 1 and 2 or Figure 3 of the accompanying drawings.