JP2791905B2 - Fasteners for racket gut tensioning equipment - Google Patents

Description

Description: TECHNICAL FIELD The present invention relates to a toggle fastener. More particularly, the present invention relates to a toggle type gut fastener for retaining tension on a racquet gut during gutting of a racquet in a gut apparatus. In particular, the invention can be moved to different positions on the bar and subsequently clamped tightly on the bar and moved on the adjacent racket gut,
The present invention relates to a gut fastener used for supporting on a guide bar of a racket gut tensioning device, which retains a gut tension generated during a tensioning process when a racket is gutted.

Background of the Invention Gutted rackets are used in a wide range of sports, including the propulsion of game balls by the impact of a gutted surface of a racket. The natural flexibility of the racket gut advantageously dampens the impact forces on the user's arms and wrists, utilizes the forces, and largely controls the directional control imparted on the ball hit by the racket. . Due to such features, gutted rackets are always very popular and this is tennis, squash,
It is used in games such as badminton. Gutted rackets, on the other hand, fit brilliantly in such games, sometimes resulting from normal wear and tear, including the natural tendency of the gut to elongate due to occasional or repeated impacts on them. The gut must be reseated as a result of gut damage. The gut re-stretching process is usually performed in a racket gut tensioning device where the gut goes back and forth across the racket under tension. Tension is maintained during the gutting process by gut fasteners that tension the gut as it moves back and forth in the area of the racquet frame during the regutting process, thus preventing unwanted loosening of the gut.

In the past, various fasteners have been used for such purposes, including those in which the fastening of the fastener to the gut tensioning device and the gut itself is normally performed by a cam provided in the clamping mechanism. Unfortunately, however, the tightening action performed by the cam is relatively unsmooth and it is difficult to properly regulate the correct value of the pressing force on the part of the device to which the fastener is attached and the racket gut. Among other adverse effects caused by such a lack of regulation are the fact that wear on components of the gut tensioning device increases and undesired unstable tension of the gut occurs.

It is a first object of the present invention to provide an improved fastener for a racket gut tensioning device.

A second object of the present invention is to provide a fastener for a racket gut tensioning device which allows easy adjustment of the tightening force with a thumb screw.

An additional object of the present invention is to provide a partial opening of the guide bar clamping end of the fastener, wherein the finger or gut clamping end is simultaneously relaxed to allow free movement of the fastener on the guide bar during positioning. That is.

It is a further object of the present invention to provide a fastener for a racket gut tensioning device which compensates for the wear of the fastener and its manufacturing tolerances and to provide a means by which the gut gripping force can be equalized along the finger. .

Another object of the present invention is to enable easy removal or easy movement of the racket gut tensioning device to which they are attached when the fastener levers are disengaged. It is to provide a fastener for a racket gut tensioning device that opens automatically.

A still further object of the present invention is to provide a fastener for a racquet gut tensioning apparatus that is simple, includes mechanical components that resist heavy loads and prolonged wear, and provides a significantly reliable fastener mechanism. is there.

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION The preceding and additional objects of the present invention will become apparent from the following description of the preferred embodiment of the present invention, wherein a fastener for a racket gut tensioning device, ie, a racket, is provided. A toggle-type fastener for a gut tensioning device, comprising a finger-shaped protrusion extending from one end of a vice member along the longitudinal axis of the member, and a semicircular groove located at the other end perpendicular to the longitudinal axis. A parallel top vice member and a bottom vice member having: a handle member including a U-shaped portion and a grip lever portion; an adjustable U-shaped wedge block; two spacer nuts; and two link members. Wherein the link member is located in a slot of the vice member, and end portions of the link member are pivotally connected to the bottom vice member and the handle member by connecting pins, respectively. A connecting pin connecting the handle member passes through an elongated hole of a U-shaped portion of the handle member, and a connecting pin passing through the handle member also passes through the spacer nut, and one of the spacer nuts Is located on each side of the handle member, and the wedge block is connected to the handle member by an adjustment screw and is located between shoulders located on the handle member, and further wherein The top vice member has a locking pin located between the bottom vice member and the handle member and extending perpendicularly through a slot in the vise member, whereby the U-shaped portion of the handle member is When the fastener is in the closed position, the vise member can be biased to exert a force on the locking pin. Wherein it is solved by fasteners for racquet stringing apparatus.

The preceding and still further object of the present invention is achieved by a racket gut tensioning device with a toggle type gut fastener according to the preceding description.

(Operation) According to the present invention, the gripping and loosening of the gut and the guide bar of the vice member are optimally performed by opening and closing the vice member by the toggle action during the racket gut tensioning process.

FIG. 1 shows a tennis racket, generally indicated at 12, wherein a gut is tensioned on a racket by means of a fastener 10 for a racket gut tensioning device using a toggle type gut fastener 18. As shown, the racket gut tensioner includes a frame retainer 14 that securely secures a racket head or frame head 15 to the device. The fastener 18 is fastened at one end onto a slide bar or guide bar 20, while the other end of the fastener is fastened onto a racket gut 19. The tension head 16 is used to tension the gut during the gutting process. Got racket head 15
After passing through one end of the racket, one fastener is tightened on the gut adjacent the frame, and the free end of the gut is passed through the opposite end of the racket head relative to the tension head. The gut is then pulled to a predetermined tension, and other fasteners are clamped to the untightened end of the gut to maintain the gut tension. The racket is then swiveled 180 ° in the device and the second gut is tensioned by the tension head. The fastener is then loosened and moved to the opposite end of its slide bar adjacent the frame head. This process is repeated as described above until all guts have been threaded through the frame and properly tensioned. The original slide bar is removed and set at a right angle to its original position,
The gutting process is repeated until the racket is fully gutted to set the gut at right angles to the one originally set.

FIG. 2 shows the toggle gut fastener 18 in the open position. The illustrated fastener comprises a top vice member 22 and a bottom vise member 24, both vise members having fingers 26 for clamping the gut at the upper end of the vise member and having semicircular grooves facing the lower end. The groove is adapted to grip the slide bar 20 when the fastener is in its closed position. The fastener is operated by a handle member 28, and the handle member is held at one end of a link mechanism 34, and the other end of the link mechanism is fixed to a bottom connection pin 38. In the closed position of the fastener, the notch 47 of the handle member 28 engages and pivots with the locking pin 36. The width of the gap 17 between the vice members is regulated by a guide pin or gap pin 54 when the fastener is in its open position. The pressing force of the fastener when the vise member contacts the spacer nut 32 and the handle member 28 will be described in detail below with reference to the drawings.
It is adjusted by an adjusting screw 40 acting on the wedge block 30 between the shoulder located above. As can be seen in FIG. 2, when the fastener lever is in its fully open position,
Sufficient clearance is provided between the slide bar grooves 60 to allow complete removal of the fastener from the slide bar 20.

FIG. 3 shows a gut fastener 18 showing the relationship in detail.
1 shows an exploded view of the components of FIG. The figure shows a top vice member 22 and a bottom vise member 24, both of which are provided with a finger 49 at the upper end of the vise member and a slide bar groove 60 at the lower end. Advantageously, the opposing faces of the fingers have a rough surface to improve the friction on the racket gut. On the other hand, the slide bar groove 60 may have a rough surface. Usually, the slide bar itself has a surface which does not require the same treatment of the groove surface. A vice member spring 56 is provided to assist in opening the vise member when the fastener is not in its clamped state, and the guide pin 54 is adapted to allow the vise member to slide along the vise member when released. To maintain the alignment of the vice members and regulate the degree of opening. The handle member 28 comprises a grip lever portion 42 and a U-shaped portion 41 integrally connected thereto. U-shaped part 41 Slot 51, shoulder located on its side
45 and a notch 47 at the bottom of its legs. Wedge nut
62 is connected between the legs of the U-shaped section, while a handle sleeve 44, typically made of a relatively soft material such as rubber or plastic, is provided to facilitate cushioning and operation of the handle. It is designed to slide on the handle member 42. The handle member 28 is fixed to the top vice member 22 by a handle pin 46 and is prevented from falling off by a snap ring 48, and the pin passes through the elongated hole 51. The link member 34 preferably has a link shape whose end portions form an obtuse angle with each other, and connects the handle member 28 with the bottom vice member 24. One end of the link member 34 is fixed to the bottom vice member by a bottom connection pin 38, while the other end is positioned by a handle pin 46 passing therethrough. The adjusting mechanism of the handle member 28 is similarly a spacer nut 32 held by a handle pin 46.
And is attached to a wedge nut 62 by a wedge pin 50 with a knurled nut 52 at the end. The wedge spring 29 is located between the wedge block 30 and the wedge nut 62 and maintains a close relationship between the mechanical components.
In a similar manner, the pin spring 33 is located between the tip of the U-shaped portion and the handle pin 46. The locking pin 36 passes through the slot 27 in the top vice member 22 and engages a notch 47 in the handle member to serve as a support on which the handle is pivoted during the opening and closing functions.

Although the dimensions of the fasteners and thus their components can vary within a relatively wide range, the vise member is 5 to 6 inches long and 1 · 1 width wide.
It is 1/2 to 2 inches and has a thickness of approximately 3/8 to 3/4 inches.
In such a fastener, the handle member 28 typically has a U-shaped leg having a height of 1-11 / 2 inches that couples with the handle portion 42 at an angle of approximately 90 ° with a handle portion 42 of approximately 2-3 inches. Have. With reference to such fasteners, link member 34 has a length of approximately 1.3 / 4 to 2.1 / 4 inches and advantageously has an angle of 125 ° to 135 ° between the link ends. Connected as a unit. Wedge block 30 typically has an upper surface that is at an angle of approximately 15-30 degrees with respect to the lower surface, and has a maximum height of 1 / 2-3 / 4 inches. The wedge block is conveniently about 3/4 to 1.1 / 4 inches long and about 1/2 to
One inch. In such fasteners, the spacer nut is usually square, with approximately 1/2 inch sides, and approximately 3/4 inch holes located somewhat off-center. Normally the hole is about 1 inch from the nearest side 2 /
Located at 10. Referring to the vise member, the diameter of the slide bar groove 60 depends on the diameter of the slide bar, and the fastener usually has a groove having a diameter of approximately 9/16 inch. A groove separation space is provided, which is approximately 1/2 inch wide. The guide pin 54 positioned by the snap ring 58 is generally located approximately 3/4 to 1 inch from the tip of the finger 49, while the slide bar groove 60 is located 4 1/2 to
It is located at 5 1/2 inch.

For the actual forces acting on the vise members, the vise members need to be made of a relatively strong material, typically a metal, and preferably of an aluminum alloy for corrosion resistance and light weight. Although good, work hardened steel shells can also be used.

FIG. 4 is a top view of the gut fastener 18 according to the present invention. The figure shows the top vice member 22 with a slide bar groove 60 located at the lower end and including a groove separation area 61. The handle member 28 is located between the spacer nuts 32, and all components of the link member 34 are connected by handle pins 46. On the other hand, the vice member is not necessarily
And the provision of such an area allows a high compressive force per unit area to be placed on the slide bar groove 60 which helps to hold the fastener in the desired position on the slide bar. .

FIG. 5 shows a side view of the gut fastener 18 along the line 5-5 in FIG. The figure shows the top vice member 22 and the bottom vise member 24, and shows the relationship between the vice member spring 56 and the guide pin 54 with respect to the vise member. As shown, the fastener is secured to the racket gut 19 at the upper end of the fastener and to the slide bar 20 located between the slide bar grooves 60 at the lower end. The link member 34 is fixed to the bottom vice member 24 by a bottom vice member connection pin 38 and to the handle member 28 by a handle pin 46. The link member 34 extends through the outer slot 35 of the top vice member 22 and the vertex of the angle of the link member is adjacent to a locking pin 36 that passes through the inner slot 31 of the top vice member. As can be seen, the notch located at the bottom of the leg of the U-shaped portion 41 in its locked position is opposite the locking pin 36. The figure shows a wedge block 30 that includes a longitudinally extending adjustment screw 40 and a wedge spring 29. The wedge block is slidably positioned on the shoulder 45 by an inclined portion of the wedge block adjacent the spacer nut 32.
As is clear from the figure, the purpose of the slot is to
And to accommodate the U-shaped member 41. While the slot can be formed in other ways, the inner slot 31 of the top vice member is typically 1-3 / 8 inches away from the fastener finger end of the outer slot 35 of the top vice member, and Is usually about 1 inch long and 1 /
Has a width of 8 inches. The various pins used in the fastener are typically about 3/16 inch in diameter as described above. The other movable parts of such pins and fasteners, other than the vise member, are advantageously made of hardened steel, and if the material of the vise member is not aluminum, the vise member is made of hardened steel.

A wedge block is a simple and durable way to adjust the spacing between vice members required to maintain an inherent clearance, gripping force, etc. The operation of the wedge block is accomplished by turning the adjusting screw 40 acting on the inclined plane of the block with respect to the spacer nut 32 and, as clearly shown in FIG. Including pressing.

Because of the eccentricity of the hole in the spacer nut 32, the fastener absorbs unavoidable variations in fastener component manufacturing tolerances, as well as wear, and provides unique force adjustment from one side of the fastener finger to the other. I do. Such force absorption is achieved by pivoting the spacer nut 32 until the desired side of the nut is located on the sloped surface of the wedge block providing the required clearance.

The locking action of the fastener is achieved by the positioning of a notch 47 at the bottom of the leg of the U-shaped portion 41 of the handle member 28 relative to the locking pin 36. The grip lever portion 42 of the fastener is pivotally supported on the handle pin 46, and grips the vertex of the link member 34 with respect to the locking pin 36, and
42 to a position parallel to the vise member. The described toggle action ensures that the notch hits the locking pin and positions the fastener in its grip on the gut 19 and slide bar 20. In such a position, the fastener mechanism is advantageous due to the fact that it accommodates the four-point support by the clamping load at the point of contact between the locking pin 36 and the connecting pin 38 for the bottom vice member and the link member 34.

FIG. 6 is another view of the gut fastener 18 of FIG. 4 showing the details of the top and bottom vice members 22, 24, respectively, showing the alignment of the vice members and gap pins for maintaining the opening gap.
54 and a vise spring 56 are shown. The wedge block 30 is mounted on a shoulder 45 of a U-shaped part 41 of the handle member which is mounted on the side of the spacer nut 32. As shown, the pin spring 33 and the handle pin 46 are connected to the link member 34, the spacer nut 32 and the U-shaped portion 41.

On the other hand, preferred embodiments and optimal states are shown corresponding to the patent state, and the scope of the present invention is not limited to the above description, but should be construed according to the appended claims.

(Effects of the Invention) The racket gut tensioning operation according to the present invention enables the racket gut tensioning operation to be performed optimally while the gut tension is maintained at a desired value during the racket gut tensioning process.

[Brief description of the drawings]

FIG. 1 is a view of a tennis racket gutted by a racket gut stretching device using the fastener of the present invention,
FIG. 2 is a view of a toggle type gut fastener according to the present invention, FIG. 3 is an exploded view of constituent elements of the fastener according to the present invention, FIG.
The figure is a top view of the fastener according to the invention, FIG. 5 is a side view of the fastener according to FIG. 4, and FIG. 6 is an end view of the fastener according to FIG.

Claims (1)

(57) [Claims] 1. A toggle fastener for a racket gut tensioning device, comprising: a finger-like projection extending from one end of a vise member along the longitudinal axis of the member; and a perpendicular to a longitudinal axis located at the other end. A parallel top vice member and a bottom vise member having a semicircular groove oriented, a handle member including a U-shaped portion and a grip lever portion; an adjustable U-shaped wedge block; two spacer nuts; And two link members, wherein the link members are located in slots of the vice member, and end portions of the link members are pivotally supported by connection pins on the bottom vice member and the handle member, respectively. A connection pin for connecting the handle member passes through an elongated hole of a U-shaped portion of the handle member, and a connection pin passing through the handle member is connected to the space. Also through a nut, one of the spacer nuts is located on each side of the handle member, and the wedge block is connected to the handle member by an adjustment screw and is located on the handle member. Located between the shoulders, and the top vice member further includes a locking pin located between the bottom vice member and the handle member and extending perpendicularly through a slot in the vise member. And thereby the handle member U
A fastener for the racquet gut tensioner, wherein a character-shaped portion is capable of biasing the vice member to exert a force against the locking pin when the fastener is in a closed position.