WO2002041723A2

WO2002041723A2 - Closure

Info

Publication number: WO2002041723A2
Application number: PCT/EP2001/013444
Authority: WO
Inventors: Ingrid Zimmermann
Original assignee: Firma Emil Lorenz Und Sohn
Priority date: 2000-11-21
Filing date: 2001-11-20
Publication date: 2002-05-30
Also published as: AU2002229557A1; WO2002041723A3

Abstract

The invention relates to a closure comprising a locking element which can be engaged with an engaging element. The locking element can be pivoted in relation to the engaging element in order to become disengaged. The locking element comprises a displaceable locking part which cooperates with an engaging part of the engaging element. A stop is associated with the locking part enabling said locking part to be pre-tensed in the direction of the position of engagement thereof in a non-positive and positive fit.

Description

description

verschlug

The present invention relates to a closure, by means of which at least two elements can be connected and separated from one another. Such closures are preferably used in the jewelry and clothing industries.

In the following, closure should not only be understood to mean the device or the object for closing or closing, but also connection mechanisms and closure mechanisms for connecting elements which can be used both for fashion and for technical solutions.

A closure from the jewelry industry is known from European patent application EP 0843976. When an engagement element is inserted into a locking element, recesses on a sliding element provided on the engagement element engage with projections of the locking element. To release, the sliding element is depressed in order to release the engagement between the recesses and the projections.

A disadvantage of the closure according to EP-EP 0843976 _{/ is} that the sliding element must have a certain minimum size so that the operator's fingers can open the closure. Thus, the closure can not be reduced arbitrarily. Furthermore, it can occur with frequent actuation that due to the tension of the sliding element being too low, the projections no longer engage with the recesses. In this case, the closure can no longer perform its function. From DE 554189 a button for braces is known, in which two sharply offset shoulders are formed on a hook part, behind which a bow-shaped spring grips with its ends in such a way that the button parts in the event of excessive tensile stress due to the spring ends receding from one another can be solved. In this way, damage to the clothes should be avoided. Consequently, an opening of the closure is desired and the spring ends are designed to be very rounded.

From DE-PS 468 012 a sliding closure is known, in which an engagement projection on an engagement part in the locked state plunges into a recess of a resilient bending tab of a locking element. To release the engagement, the locking element and the engagement element are pivoted relative to one another, a shoulder of the engagement element running onto a rotary stop, so that the bending tab is levered against its spring force and the closure is opened. A disadvantage of this solution is that the maximum holding force is limited by the spring force of the bending tab, so that only low closing forces can be applied.

In contrast, the invention has for its object to provide a closure that closes reliably with simple device engineering effort even at comparatively high loads.

This object is achieved by a closure with the features of claim 1.

In the closure according to the invention, the locking element and the engagement element can first be brought into engagement with one another in a force-locking manner, preferably by spring action. Running when applying tensile forces a slidably mounted locking part of the locking element on a stop, via which the locking part is frictionally and / αder positively applied in the direction of its engagement position. With this closure, reliable closure is ensured even under high loads, the closure being able to be opened in a simple manner by at least partially lifting the locking part from the stop during the opening movement.

In a preferred embodiment of the invention, the stop is formed in a housing in which the

Locking part is slidably received. With the

The term "displacement" can be understood to mean an axial and / or rotational displacement.

In a particularly simple embodiment, the locking part is approximately U-shaped and has two engagement projections on its two U legs, which engage behind the locking projections of the engagement element in the closed position. Oblique surfaces are formed on the end faces of the two U-legs, which run up on wedge surfaces of the stop when tensile forces are applied or when the closure is closed, so that the engagement projections are positively biased into their locking position. Instead of the inclined or wedge surfaces, other geometries, for example curved surfaces, stop edges in etc. can also be provided.

The engagement projection of the engagement element is preferably provided on its flanks with at least one control surface on which at least one of the engagement projections of the engagement element slides during the opening process, so that the opening movement is determined by the geometry of the control surface. The assembly effort for the closure can be minimized if the engagement element is designed with a latching body which can be inserted into a receptacle of an engagement housing. This Ra ^'stkörper is carried out at a preferred exemplary example with at least one spring leg which is supported in an engaged condition on a latching projection of the engagement housing. The locking body can be formed with a single, asymmetrical spring leg or with two axially symmetrically arranged spring legs.

When the engaging element is pivoted relative to the locking element, the spring travel of the spring leg, which is thereby subjected to bending, acts as a "dead travel" which determines the triggering kinematics together with the control surface mentioned above. This spring travel of the spring leg is limited, so that when the maximum spring travel is reached, the triggering process is essentially only controlled via the control surface.

During the elastic deformation of the spring leg, a base part of the latching body of the engagement element is supported on the front or on the side of the housing with a side edge.

The assembly of the closure according to the invention can be further simplified if mounting slots are provided in the housing on the side or on the front, through which the locking element and the engagement element can be inserted into the interior of the housing or of the engagement housing.

In a particularly simple embodiment, both housings are identical, so that either the locking element or the engagement element can be inserted into them. By playing between a breakthrough of the housing and the respective engagement or locking element, a certain relative mobility of the closure can be created transverse to the pivoting movement when opening. This mobility can also be made possible by appropriate concave design of the opposite housing. This function is always important when the clasp has to adapt to a curve on which it rests (e.g. with a belt or a bracelet).

A length adjustment can be made possible by several engagement projections lying axially one behind the other. The closure then also acts as a safety closure due to the multiple intervention taking place in series.

The locking part and the engagement part can be designed as an axially symmetrical body - for example as a stamped part - or as a rotationally symmetrical body - for example as a cast part. In the latter case, the spring action of the locking part can be formed by slots in the area surrounding the locking projection.

Other advantageous developments of the invention are the subject of the further subclaims.

Preferred exemplary embodiments of the invention are explained in more detail below with the aid of schematic drawings. Show it:

Figure 1 is a sectional view of a first embodiment of a closure according to the invention;

FIG. 2 shows different relative positions of a locking element and an engagement element of the closure from FIG. 1; Figure 3 shows an embodiment with identical housings for the locking element and the engaging element and

FIGS. 4, 5 two further variants of the exemplary embodiment from FIG. 3 with different housings.

1 shows a section through a closure 1 with a locking element 2 and an engagement element 4 in the open state.

The locking element 2 has a housing 6, which can be made, for example, as a stamped and bent part or by centrifugal casting. A fastening eyelet 8 is formed on the housing 6, by means of which the locking element 2 can be attached to a piece of clothing, a piece of jewelry or another element to be closed.

The housing 6 has a receiving space 10 in which a locking part 12 is received. This locking part 12 is designed as a U-shaped or V-shaped spring and has two U-legs 14, 16, at the end sections of which a locking projection 18 or 20 is formed. In the solution shown in Figure 1, the locking part 12 is made as a stamped part.

The two locking projections 18, 20 are set at an angle to the axis of symmetry 22 of the closure 1 and have two inclined surfaces 24 and 26 on the end faces, each of which merges into a curved sliding surface 28.

According to FIG. 1, the receiving space 10 is designed such that the locking part 12 is both displaceable in the axial direction by the distance s and also pivotable with respect to the axis of symmetry 22. An opening 32 is formed in an end wall 30 of the housing 6, through which the two locking projections 18, 20 extend in part in the basic position shown. In the basic position, the two inclined surfaces 24, 26 on the wedge surfaces 34, 36 of the housing 6 to, on the right in ^'of Figure 1 the end wall of the receiving space 10 is tapered towards the breakthrough 32nd

The engagement element 4 has an engagement housing 38 which, like the housing 6, can be designed, for example, as a stamped and bent part or as a centrifugal casting. An engagement part 40 is received in the engagement housing 38, which penetrates an end opening 44 in an end wall 46 of the engagement housing 38 with an engagement projection 42. The engaging part 40 has a latching body 48 received in a receiving space 50 of the engaging housing 38, which essentially consists of a base part 51 carrying the engaging projection 42 and a spring leg 52 which is approximately U-shaped to the base part 51.

In the illustrated embodiment, the receiving space 50 has a support edge 56 on which the base part 51 is supported with a correspondingly designed oblique side surface 56. In the state inserted into the engagement housing 38, the spring leg 52 bears against a latching projection 58 of the engagement housing 38.

The locking element 2 and the engagement element 4 are assembled in a very simple manner by the U-shaped locking part 12 passing through the opening 32 of the housing 6 and the hook-shaped locking body 48 through the front opening 44 of the locking housing 38 into the receiving space 10 or 50 is used. During this insertion, the two U-legs 14, 16 or the spring leg 52 snap from an insertion position into the basic position shown, in which the wedge surfaces 34, 36 an outward movement of the locking part 14 from the receiving space 10 and the latching projection 58 prevent displacement of the base part 51 in the receiving space 50. In this locking position, the latching body 51 is supported on the housing base 62 with a curved rear surface 60.

A fastening eye 8 is likewise formed on the locking housing 38.

The locking projection 42 has on its flanks control cams 64, 66 on which the sliding surfaces 28 slide or are supported when the lock is being opened and closed, so that the closing and opening process is determined by the interaction of the control cams 64, 66 and the sliding surfaces 28 is.

The function of the closure shown in FIG. 1 will be explained on the basis of the basic illustration according to FIG. 2. The illustration labeled a) shows the opened state of the closure according to FIG. 1. That is, the locking element 2 is separated from the engagement element 4.

To close the closure 1, the locking element 2 and the engaging element 4 are moved toward one another approximately in the direction of the axis of symmetry 22, so that the engaging projection 42 runs onto the sliding surfaces 28 with run-up surfaces 68, 70. As a result, the locking part 12 is lifted off the wedge surfaces 34, 36 and moved backwards in the axial direction until a base 72 runs onto the bottom 74 of the housing 6. During the further closing movement, the locking projections 18, 20 slide off on the control cams 64, 66, so that the two U-legs 14, 16 are first bent apart, so that the engagement projection 42 extends into the area between the two locking projections 18, 20 and thus can dive into the receiving space 10 of the housing 6. When inserted further, the locking projections 18, 20 snap into a tail lien-like taper 74 of the engagement projection 72, so that this engagement projection 42 is engaged behind by the locking projections 18, 20 according to the illustration c).

If you now try to pull the locking element 2 and the engagement element 4 apart in the direction of the axis of symmetry 22, the locking part 12 is moved to the right in the illustration according to FIG. 2, so that the base 72 lifts off the floor 73 and the two inclined surfaces 24, 26 the locking projections 18 and 20 run onto the associated wedge surfaces 34 and 36, respectively. The locking part 12 is acted upon in the closing direction via these wedge surfaces 34, 36 of the housing 6, so that the closure can only be released practically only by destroying the locking part 12 or the engagement part 40. In other words, in the case of systems on the wedge surfaces 34, 36, the closure is locked in a frictional and / or positive manner, so that very high closing forces can be applied.

To release the closure, the engagement element 4 must be pivoted relative to the locking element 2 according to the illustration d). During this pivoting, the engagement part 40 is first rotated about a pivot point 76, i.e. the contact area between the wedge surface 34 and the inclined surface of the locking projection 18 is pivoted so that the locking projection 20 lifts off the wedge surface 36 and the upper (illustration according to FIG. 2) U-leg 14 runs onto the adjacent side wall of the housing 6. During this pivoting movement, the engaging housing 38 touches with its end wall 46 the adjacent end wall 30 of the housing 6, this contact surface 78 forming a kind of fulcrum for the pivoting of the two housings 38, 6 during the further pivoting.

With the further pivoting movement, the lower U-leg 16 is deflected, so that the locking projection 20 with its sliding surface 28 on the control cam 66 of the Locking projection 42 slides, while the relative movement between the locking projection 18 of the U-leg 14 and the control curve 64 located at the top in FIG. 2 is minimal. The opening movement of the U-leg 16 is not impeded by the wedge surface 36, since the engagement projection 20 is lifted off from it. During this pivoting, the two U-legs 14, 16 of the engagement part 40 are bent apart until the engagement is released and the closure can be opened. This opening movement is controlled by a suitable design of the control cams 64, 66 of the engagement projection 42 and the design of the sliding surfaces 28 as well as the wedge surfaces 34, 36 and the inclined surfaces 24, 26, so that the kinematics can be changed by a suitable choice of the radii of curvature and angle of inclination.

Of course, the closure can also be released by pivoting in the opposite direction, i.e. by pivoting the engaging element 4 in the illustration according to FIG. 2 upwards.

With a suitable design of the locking body 48, the release movement can also be controlled by the spring action of the spring leg 52. That is, with the spring leg 52 appropriately dimensioned, the latching body 48 can be adjusted so that the base part 51 is lifted against the spring force against the spring force 54 against the spring force, so that the relative position between the engaging part 40 and the locking part 12 remains approximately unchanged until the base part 51 runs onto a swivel stop 82 with a projection 80 and thus the further relative movement of the base part 51 with respect to the spring leg 52 is prevented. The further opening movement then takes place in analogy to the trigger steps described above. Figure 3 shows an embodiment in which the housing 6 has the same structure as the engagement housing 38, so that a single centrifugal shape or punching die is sufficient to produce the housings 6, 38.

Both housings 6, 38 have wedge surfaces 34, 36 which, however, in contrast to the embodiment described above, merge into the adjacent circumferential walls 88, 90 of the housing 6 and 38 running in the axial direction via a vertical step 84 and 86, respectively.

Just as in the exemplary embodiment described above, the locking projections 18, 20 of the locking part 12 can be supported on the wedge surfaces 34, 36. The spring leg or legs 52 of the latching body 51 are then supported in a corresponding manner on the vertical steps 84, 86, so that both functions, i.e. the function of the engaging element 4 and the locking element 2 can be realized with a housing type.

In principle, an engaging part 40 according to FIG. 1 could be inserted into the housing 38, although the oblique side surface 56 would have to be replaced by an axially extending side surface.

FIG. 3 also shows an embodiment of a symmetrically constructed engagement part 40. This has a central base part 51 which merges into the engagement projection 42. The base part 51 carries two spring bars! 52a, 52b, which are supported in the latching position on the vertical surfaces 86 and 84, respectively. As in the exemplary embodiment described at the beginning, the rear surface 60 bears against the housing base 62. The base part 51 has two projections 80a, 80b which run onto the adjacent pivot stops 82a and 82b when the base part 51 is pivoted with respect to the spring legs 52a or 52b. Ie, with this variant, the opening kinematics of the closure in both swivel directions initially also determined by the spring action of the engaging part 40, while in the exemplary embodiment shown in FIG. 1 this was only the case when swiveling downward; when swiveling in the opposite direction, the spring leg 52 has the one shown in FIG. 1 Embodiment no effect.

In the illustration according to FIG. 4, this symmetrically constructed engagement part 40 with a base part 51 and two spring legs 52a, 52b and two projections 80a, 80b is inserted into an engagement housing 38, which does not have wedge surfaces, but rather has two pivot stops 82a, 82b and two that run parallel to the axis Snap projections 58a, 58b is formed. That is, the housing according to FIG. 4 is an axisymmetric configuration of the lower housing part of the engagement housing 38 in FIG. 1.

In this variant, two different housings 6, 38 are thus again required to implement the closure, so that, in terms of device technology, the outlay is greater than in the exemplary embodiment shown in FIG.

FIG. 5 finally shows a variant in which a tilting movement of the symmetrically constructed engagement part 40 during opening of the closure is limited to a minimum. For this purpose, the rear surface 60 is not provided with a radius as in the previously described exemplary embodiments, but with a flattened area 88 with which the engaging part .40 is supported on the housing base 62, so that the freedom of movement of the engaging part 40 when opening the closure solely by the Spring action of the spring legs and is not determined by a tilting of the entire component. Otherwise, this exemplary embodiment corresponds to the exemplary embodiment from FIG. 3, so that further explanations are unnecessary. To insert the U-shaped locking part 12, a lateral mounting slot 90 can be provided in the housing 6, as indicated in FIG. 5, so that the insertion of the locking part 12 is facilitated.

The closure according to the invention can be used for a large number of solutions and is in no way limited to uses in the jewelry industry or in the clothing industry.

In the exemplary embodiments described above, the locking and the engaging element are designed as axially symmetrical parts, for example by stamping. The protection area of the present application, however, also covers rotationally symmetrical components which are produced, for example, by casting.

What is disclosed is a closure with a locking element which can be brought into engagement with an engagement element. To release the engagement, the locking element can be pivoted with respect to the engagement element. The locking element has a displaceable locking part which interacts with an engagement part of the engagement element. A stop is assigned to the locking part, by means of which it can be pretensioned in a frictional and / or positive manner in the direction of its engagement position.

Closure 68 ramp surface

Locking element 70

Engagement element 72 base

Housing 73 bottom

Fastening eyelet 74 taper

Recording room 76 fulcrum

Interlocking hurry 78 contact surface

U-leg 80 lead

82 swing stop

Locking projection 84 vertical step

86

Axis of symmetry 88 flattening

Sloping surface 90 Mont slotted

-,

Sliding surface -.

end wall

breakthrough

wedge surface

»

engagement housing

engaging part

Entry iffs or

Forehead breakthrough

end wall

latching body

In ahmeraum

base

spring leg

supporting edge

side surface

catch projection

rear surface

caseback

^' Control curves

Claims

Expectations-

1. Closure with a locking element (2) which can be brought into engagement with an engagement element (4) and which can be pivoted relative to one another to release the engagement, the locking element (2) being a resilient locking part (12) with at least one, an engaging protrusion (42) of the engaging member

(4) engaging locking projection (18, 20), characterized in that the locking part

(12) is movably mounted relative to stops (34, 36, 72, 73, 88, 90) and can be brought into operative connection with the engagement projection (42) in a positive and / or non-positive manner when the engagement projection is inserted.

2. Closure according to claim 1, wherein the stop (34,

36) is formed on a housing (6) receiving the locking part (12).

3. Closure according to claim 1 or 2, wherein the locking part (12) is approximately U-shaped and on its two U-legs (14, 16) two the engagement projection (42) of the engagement element (4) engaging behind locking projections ( 18, 20), on the end faces of which there are contact surfaces, preferably inclined surfaces (24, 26), to which corresponding stop surfaces, in particular wedge surfaces (34, 36) of the stop are assigned.

4. Closure according to claim 3, wherein the engagement projection (18, 20) on its flanks at least one

Control surface (64, 66), via which an opening movement of the

Locking hurry (12) is controllable. Closure according to one of the preceding claims, wherein the engagement element (4) has a latching body (48) which is inserted into a receiving space (50) of an engagement housing (38).

Closure according to claim 5, wherein the latching body (48) has at least one spring leg (52) which is supported in the latched state on a latching projection (58) of the engagement housing (38).

Closure according to claim 6, wherein two axially symmetrically arranged spring legs (52a, 52b) are formed on the latching body (48), each of which is supported on a latching projection (58a, 58b).

8. Closure according to claim 6 or 7, wherein the spring travel of the spring leg (52) with respect to a the engagement projection (42) supporting base part (51) of the locking body (48) is limited by a pivot stop (82).

9. Closure according to claim 8, wherein the base part

(51) is supported with a side surface (56, 60, 88) on a support edge (54, 62) of the engagement housing (38).

10. Closure according to one of claims 5 to 9, wherein the engagement housing (38) and / or the housing (6) is each provided with mounting slots (32, 44, 90) through which an engagement part (40) of the engagement element (4) or the locking part (12) can be inserted into the housing (6, 38).

11. Closure according to claim 10, wherein both housings (6, 38) are identical.

12. Closure according to one of the preceding claims, wherein the locking part (12) and an engaging part (40) of the engaging element (4) each penetrate an end opening (32,44) of a housing (6,38), being between the peripheral edges of the openings (32.44) and the respective part (4.40) at least transversely to the closing direction, there is a game.

13. Closure according to one of the preceding claims, wherein a plurality of engagement projections (42) lying one behind the other in the closing direction are formed on the engagement element (4).

14. Closure according to one of the preceding claims, wherein the spring action of the locking part (12) is formed by slots