JP7579495B2 - Cord end stopper - Google Patents

Description

The present invention relates to a fastener for forming a string into a loop by utilizing the elasticity of the string.

Many parts of accessories such as collars (chains) are made of metal, and there are quite a few people who avoid wearing them due to metal allergies. Due to the rising cost of metal, many new materials are being made to replace metal. Meanwhile, many devices have been made to secure the ends of strings together, but there are only a few types of devices that can adjust the length at the same time. A typical example is the numerous synthetic resin cord stoppers with built-in metal springs. These are convenient stoppers that can be slid to easily adjust the length. Another method is to tie the ends of strings together to create a loop using the familiar action of tying.

However, cord stoppers that are readily available in stores do not hold the cord tightly enough, and they move easily if you pull only one side of the cord, so they are likely to be considered temporary stoppers, and many of them are bulky and cylindrical, making them difficult to use as part of accessories that are used for a long time. On the other hand, when tying a knot using a cord, the knot tends to be extremely raised or unbalanced, and elaborate, beautiful knots such as flower knots are not suitable for accessories that are worn frequently on a daily basis.
In addition, the leash end fastener in Patent Document 1 has a complex structure, there is no need to secure the leash so strongly, and the device is designed to secure the end of the leash, so it does not allow the length of the collar to be adjusted to a desired length.

To solve these problems, the present invention provides a fastener that has a base in a flat plate shape that is less awkward, has three gourd-shaped holes, and threads a string through the holes in the correct order, taking advantage of the flexibility of the string and utilizing the tightening of the strings to form a loop that will not come off.

JP2006-250243

To provide a fastener which can easily and reliably hold both ends of a single string to make a loop, can freely adjust the size of the loop, and is also useful for fashioning the back.

The present invention is characterized by providing three gourd-shaped holes in the base, focusing on the fact that, unlike metal, strings have elasticity that deforms slightly when pinched with fingers, and are passed through the narrowed parts of the holes so that they tighten and rub against each other, increasing the frictional force that resists pulling, making it difficult to come off. Increasing the number of holes here makes it harder to come off when in use, but on the other hand, it makes the task of passing the string through the holes more complicated and makes it more time-consuming to remove the string from the base. The optimal number of holes is three.

The gourd-shaped hole was chosen to make it easier for the two passing strings to pass through, and crossing the strings at the point of the constriction has the advantage of ensuring a more secure fit.
Compared to gourd-shaped circular holes, one large circular hole leaves more gaps when the strings cross and pass through, making it more likely for there to be slack.
The location of the gourd-shaped holes may be three in a straight line, or three in a triangular arrangement, depending on the external shape of the base of the fastener.
The shape of the hole should be a gourd-shaped hole with two openings of the minimum size for the string to pass through and a constriction in the middle. It is important that the width of the constriction is smaller than the width of the opening for the string to pass through. In order to prevent the string from coming loose, it is important that the strings cross each other in three places and tighten together.

Next, I will explain how to remove the looped string. Push back the end of the string that is sticking out on one side, then grab the other side of the string with your fingers and remove it in the reverse order of how it was attached. Once it has been removed from the three holes, grab the other end of the string and pull somewhat firmly to easily remove the entire string.

In the process of making the loop using the product of the present invention, the characteristics of the string are utilized, and the two pieces of string tighten together to make it difficult to come off, while the length of the loop can be easily adjusted by returning part of the string, and the string can be removed and replaced with a new one. Furthermore, it also plays a role as a part of the ornament that accentuates the side of the back. Not only is it effective for metal-free, which is one of the purposes of the present invention, but it also makes it possible to reduce the proportion of metal used in ornaments that have traditionally mainly used metal parts.

FIG. 1 is a perspective view showing an overall view of a metal-free pendant made in Example 1 of the present invention. FIG. 13 is a diagram for explaining how the string passes through six passages consisting of three gourd-shaped holes provided at triangular positions on the base of the fastener used in Example 1. FIG. 13 is a diagram for explaining how the string passes through six passages consisting of gourd-shaped holes arranged in three straight lines on the base of the fastener used in Example 2. FIG. 7 is an enlarged cross-sectional view of the base of the fastener according to the second embodiment taken along line A-A.

1 fastener 2 pendant top 3 holding portion 4a string on collar side 4b string on string end side 5 In the first embodiment, the string passage hole is located at the bottom of the elongated gourd-shaped circle on the right side of the base side of the triangular fastener.
6 In Example 1, the string passage opening located at the top of the vertical gourd-shaped circle on the right side of the base side of the triangular plate fastener.
7 In Example 1, a string passage located at the bottom of the elongated gourd-shaped circle at the apex side of the triangular plate fastener.
8 In Example 1, a string passage located at the top of the elongated gourd-shaped circle at the apex side of the triangular plate fastener.
9 In Example 1, a string passage opening is located at the top of the elongated gourd-shaped circle on the left side of the base side of the triangular plate fastener. 10 In Example 1, a string passage opening is located at the bottom of the elongated gourd-shaped circle on the left side of the base side of the triangular plate fastener.
11 In Example 2, the leftmost string opening 12 in the rectangular fastener; In Example 2, the second string opening from the left in the rectangular fastener; In Example 2, the third string opening from the left in the rectangular fastener; In Example 2, the third string opening from the right in the rectangular fastener; In Example 2, the third string opening from the right in the rectangular fastener; In Example 2, the second string opening from the right in the rectangular fastener; In Example 2, the rightmost string opening in the rectangular fastener

A single elastic string is passed through multiple gourd-shaped holes in the base of the fastener so that the strings can be fastened together, creating a loop that will not come off.
The base material is selected appropriately from light and durable materials such as wood, resin, paper, ceramics, glass ceramics, glass, etc. Metal plates can also be used.
The shape of the base can be selected from a variety of shapes, including hearts, buttons, animals and plants, Mt. Fuji, dolls, characters, etc. One option is to use an arrangement of a playing card suit as the shape of the base's holder.
The material for the string can be natural fiber, leather, synthetic fiber, rubber, or even metal chain, depending on the shape. The thickness can be selected appropriately depending on the purpose.
To give it an even more luxurious feel, the base can also be decorated with traditional craftsmanship.
One of the most popular string materials at present is the latest invention, the dream fiber: spider silk, and if it is suitable for this invention, it is a material that we would like to incorporate.

This section describes how to make a pendant by threading a string (4a) through a hole in the holder of a ceramic pendant head (2), and then fastening both ends of the string with the glass ceramic fasteners of the present invention to form a collar.
When making a pendant head, the clay is made 10% to 15% larger than the original size, taking into account shrinkage after firing. First, prepare two 4 mm thick ceramic plates cut into 4.8 x 3.5 cm squares. Next, cut a 1.5 mm thick wax sheet into 1.8 cm squares and place it between the clay plates to seal the edges and create the base before firing. After that, connect the clay formed into a heart shape that will become the holding part (3) to the top of the base. To prevent the clay from bursting during firing after it has hardened appropriately, a hole with a diameter of about 2 mm is drilled in part of the lower ceramic plate to a depth where the wax can be seen, and the base is made lighter by making it hollow after firing. In addition, a hole is drilled in the center of the side of the holding part to pass a string that can pass through it from left to right. After raku firing, the entire piece is glazed and fired, and then decorated with painting and other decorations, and then re-fired to finish.

On the other hand, when making the string end fastener, three gourd-shaped holes are made in triangular positions on the base of the fastener made of glass ceramics, which is a triangular plate with sides of 2.5 cm and a thickness of about 4 mm. The gourd-shaped holes are oriented vertically and drilled at right angles to the base so that the crossing provides additional tightening. In Figure 2, the thickness of the string passing through the left and right holes is shown to be different in order to make it easier to understand the flow of the string through the six string passages of the triangular gourd-shaped holes.
As shown in Figure 2, first, pass the end of the string through the gourd-shaped holes (5) and (10) in the base from the back, then pass the string through the holes (5) → (8) → (9), (10) → (7) → (6) in the order of back → front → back, and then the string threading is complete. If you pass the string through in this order, and then firmly tighten the two string ends (4a) and (4b), the strings will be twisted in three places and the diameter of the string will be reduced at the constricted part, providing strong resistance and making it difficult to come off. Furthermore, by wrapping the string ends (4b), which have about 6 cm of slack on both sides, around the strings passing between (5) and (8) and (10) and (7), respectively, you can further tighten the string, stabilize the direction of the string ends, and create the interesting effect of entangling them.

Next, to put the collar on the neck, use a string with a total length of about 78 cm, with about 6 cm of slack on each end (4b), and pass the resulting collar through the holes in the fastener and the pendant holder. Then, slip the collar over your head and adjust the size of the collar by moving both ends of the string.
By using the string end fastener of this invention, accessories with new designs can be made that utilize the metal-free feature without using any metal at all.

When the base serving as the fastener of the present invention has an elongated shape, three vertically elongated gourd-shaped holes are provided in a straight line.
As shown in Fig. 3, the ends of the string on both sides are passed through the front side of the gourd-shaped holes at the base of the fastener, holes (11) and (16), and the string is passed through in the order of holes (11) → (13) → (15), (16) → (14) → (12), from front to back to front. In Fig. 3, to make the string flow easier to understand, the string flow from holes (11) → (13) → (15) is shown with a thick line, and the string flow from holes (16) → (14) → (12) is shown with a thin line.
Figure 4 shows an enlarged cross-sectional view taken along the line A-A at the constricted position in the center of the three gourd-shaped holes in the rectangular fastener base in Example 2. At this constricted position, the string (4a) on the collar side and the string (4b) on the string end side cross and tighten together, reducing the thickness of the string as shown. This state also exists at the other two crossing points, creating a strong resistance to coming off and as a result, the loop made of the string is held in place.
The fastener in Example 2 can also be used to bundle objects together, regardless of size.

By using a loop-shaped string made from a single string using the fastener of the present invention, various kinds of accessories can be made using conventional accessory parts such as round rings. Furthermore, the string end fastener of the present invention can be used reversibly.
The above description is a specific example of the present invention, and does not limit the scope of the claims.

Claims (3)

This fastener for string ends is characterized in that gourd-shaped holes each having two openings with a central knot at three places on a base through which two crossing strings can pass, and both ends of one string are split into left and right, respectively, and three places are provided through which the strings can pass through the openings in a predetermined order and cross each other. The fastener for a string end according to claim 1 for making a loop is provided in a base with three gourd-shaped holes elongated vertically with respect to the base at positions forming a triangle, and a string is passed through two predetermined openings on the back in a predetermined order.
There are four possible combinations of string entry numbers from the left and right in the specified order:
▲1▼ Combinations of (5) → (8) → (9) and (10) → (7) → (6) ▲2▼ Combinations of (5) → (7) → (9) and (10) → (8) → (6) ▲3▼ Combinations of (6) → (8) → (9) and (10) → (7) → (5) ▲4▼ Combinations of (6) → (7) → (9) and (10) → (8) → (5) The fastener for a string end according to claim 1 for making a loop has three vertically elongated gourd-shaped holes provided in a straight line on a base, and one end of the string is passed through the left end opening (11) → (13) → (15), and the other end of the string is passed through the right end opening (16) → (14) → (12) in the order of front → back → front.