Abstract
Disclosed is a fastening device and a method of removably attaching an object to a surface of a material, the fastening device including a base, rotatable around an axis of rotation; a support frame mechanically supporting the base allowing the base to rotate with respect to the support frame, the axis of rotation of the base being transverse to a reference plane of the support frame; an open-ring shaped piercing member including secured and piercing ends, secured end attached to the base, and the piercing member configured so the piercing end follows a first curved trajectory when the base is rotated; and a first abutment, on the support frame and configured to cause the piercing end of the piercing member to follow a second curved trajectory; so the plane of the second trajectory is offset by a deviation angle from the plane of the first trajectory.
Claims
1. A fastening device for removably attaching an object to a surface of a material, said fastening device comprising: a base, rotatable in at least one direction around an axis of rotation; a support frame arranged to mechanically support said base wherein said base is configured to rotate with respect to said support frame and the axis of rotation of said base is transverse to a reference plane of said support frame; at least one open-ring shaped piercing member comprising a secured end and a piercing end, said secured end attached to the base, and said piercing member configured such that the piercing end of said piercing member follows a first curved trajectory when said base is rotated; and a first abutment, arranged on said support frame and configured to, when brought in contact with said piercing member, cause said piercing end of the piercing member to follow a second curved trajectory; such that the plane of said second trajectory is offset by a deviation angle from the plane of said first trajectory.
2. The fastening device according to claim 1 wherein when said base is rotated from an initial position to a first piercing position, the piercing end of said piercing member is caused to pierce and engage with said surface at a first piercing point; and wherein when said base is rotated to a final rotated position said piercing member is configured to reach a releasably locked position at the end of said second trajectory.
3. The fastening device according to claim 1 wherein said fastening device further comprises: a second abutment, arranged on said support frame and when in contact with said piercing member configured for keeping said piercing member under a mechanical stress such that a portion of said piercing member which is in contact with the second abutment is prevented from a translational movement in the vertical direction with respect to said reference plane of the support frame.
4. The fastening device according to claim 1, wherein said fastening device further comprises: a housing comprising said support frame, and said abutment(s), and encasing said base and said piercing member, said housing having a coupling side arranged to interface with said surface, said coupling side comprising a first opening disposed thereon such that when said base is rotated from said initial position to a first rotated position, the free piercing end of the piercing member is caused to protrude out of said first opening, and when said base is rotated from said first rotated position to a second rotated position the free piercing end of the piercing member is caused to reach a height peak with reference to the reference plane of said support frame and when said base is further rotated from the second rotated position to a third rotated position, the free piercing end of the piercing member is enabled to enter into a second opening arranged on said coupling side and disposed at a distance from said first opening, wherein said piercing member is configured to reach said releasably locked position when the free piercing end of the piercing member is inserted into said second opening.
5. The fastening device according to claim 1, wherein said deviation angle is determined by a vertical extension of said first abutment in relation to said reference plane of the support frame.
6. The fastening device according to claim 3, wherein said deviation angle is determined by a distance between the first and the second abutments.
7. The fastening device according to claim 2 wherein, when said base is further rotated from said first piercing position to a second piercing position, the piercing end of said piercing member is further caused to pierce and engage with said surface at a second piercing point before it has reached said releasably locked position.
8. The fastening device according to claim 2 wherein, when said base is rotated from said first piercing position to the initial position, said piercing end of the piercing member is retracted and disengaged from said first piercing point on said surface.
9. The fastening device according to claim 1, wherein said open-ring shaped piercing member has a circular shape with an open portion.
10. The fastening device according to claim 1, wherein said device further comprises: a power transmission device in mechanical connection with said base and connectable to an actuator device, said power transmission device configured to rotate said base by transmitting power from said actuator device to said base.
11. The fastening device according to claim 10, wherein said power transmission device comprises at least one of a rotating plate, a drive gear, a cogged rack, a belt drive, a chain drive, and a wire and cam.
12. The fastening device according to claim 10, wherein said actuator device comprises at least one of a lever, a tension spring, an electric servo motor, a stepper motor, a drill machine, and a petrol engine.
13. A method of removably attaching an object to a surface of a material, said method comprising: providing a base, rotatable in at least one direction around an axis of rotation; providing a support frame to mechanically support said rotatable base wherein the axis of rotation of said base is transverse to a reference plane of said support frame; providing at least one open-ring shaped piercing member comprising a secured end and a piercing end, said secured end attached to said base and said piercing member configured such that the piercing end of said piercing member follows a first curved trajectory when said base is rotated; and providing a first abutment, arranged on said support frame and configured to, when brought in contact with said piercing member, causing said piercing end of the piercing member to follow a second curved trajectory; such that the plane of said second trajectory is offset by a deviation angle from the plane of said first trajectory.
14. The method according to claim 13 wherein the method further comprises when said base is rotated from an initial position to a first rotated position, causing the piercing end of said piercing member to pierce and engage with said surface at a first piercing point; and wherein when said base is rotated to a final rotated position causing said piercing member to reach a releasably locked position at the end of said second trajectory.
15. The fastening device according to claim 2, wherein said fastening device further comprises: a housing comprising said support frame, and said abutment(s), and encasing said base and said piercing member, said housing having a coupling side arranged to interface with said surface, said coupling side comprising a first opening disposed thereon such that when said base is rotated from said initial position to a first rotated position, the free piercing end of the piercing member is caused to protrude out of said first opening, and when said base is rotated from said first rotated position to a second rotated position the free piercing end of the piercing member is caused to reach a height peak with reference to the reference plane of said support frame and when said base is further rotated from the second rotated position to a third rotated position, the free piercing end of the piercing member is enabled to enter into a second opening arranged on said coupling side and disposed at a distance from said first opening, wherein said piercing member is configured to reach said releasably locked position when the free piercing end of the piercing member is inserted into said second opening.
16. The fastening device according to claim 3, wherein said fastening device further comprises: a housing comprising said support frame, and said abutment(s), and encasing said base and said piercing member, said housing having a coupling side arranged to interface with said surface, said coupling side comprising a first opening disposed thereon such that when said base is rotated from said initial position to a first rotated position, the free piercing end of the piercing member is caused to protrude out of said first opening, and when said base is rotated from said first rotated position to a second rotated position the free piercing end of the piercing member is caused to reach a height peak with reference to the reference plane of said support frame and when said base is further rotated from the second rotated position to a third rotated position, the free piercing end of the piercing member is enabled to enter into a second opening arranged on said coupling side and disposed at a distance from said first opening, wherein said piercing member is configured to reach said releasably locked position when the free piercing end of the piercing member is inserted into said second opening.
17. The fastening device according to claim 2, wherein said deviation angle is determined by a vertical extension of said first abutment in relation to said reference plane of the support frame.
18. The fastening device according to claim 3, wherein said deviation angle is determined by a vertical extension of said first abutment in relation to said reference plane of the support frame.
19. The fastening device according to claim 4, wherein said deviation angle is determined by a vertical extension of said first abutment in relation to said reference plane of the support frame.
20. The fastening device according to claim 15, wherein said deviation angle is determined by a vertical extension of said first abutment in relation to said reference plane of the support frame.
Description
BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS
[0067] The above objects, as well as additional objects, features and advantages of the present invention, will be more fully appreciated by reference to the following illustrative and non-limiting detailed description of embodiments of the present invention, when taken in conjunction with the accompanying drawings, wherein:
[0068] FIGS. 1a-1b show schematic perspective views of a fastening device in accordance with at least one embodiment of the present invention;
[0069] FIGS. 1c-1f show schematic side views of the fastening device of FIG. 1a in accordance with some embodiments of the present invention;
[0070] FIGS. 1g-1i show schematic side views of the fastening device of FIG. 1b in accordance with some embodiments of the present invention;
[0071] FIGS. 2a-2b show schematic perspective views of the fastening device in accordance with at least one other embodiment of the present invention;
[0072] FIGS. 2c-2d show schematic side views of the fastening device in accordance with some embodiments of the present invention;
[0073] FIGS. 3a-3c show schematic perspective views of the fastening device in different rotated positions of a rotatable base of the fastening device in accordance with at least one other embodiment of the present invention;
[0074] FIGS. 3d-3f show schematic side views of the fastening device in different rotated positions of the rotatable base in accordance with at least one embodiment of the present invention;
[0075] FIGS. 4a-4b show schematic and side views of the fastening device in use in accordance with one embodiment of the present invention;
[0076] FIGS. 5a-5b show schematic and side views of the fastening device in use in accordance with another embodiment of the present invention;
[0077] FIGS. 6a-6c show schematic perspective views of the fastening device in accordance with some embodiments of the present invention;
[0078] FIGS. 7a-7d show schematic views of the fastening device and a power transmission mechanism in accordance with some embodiments of the present invention;
[0079] FIGS. 8a-8b show schematic perspective views of the fastening device and the power transmission mechanism in accordance with yet another embodiment of the present invention;
[0080] FIGS. 9a-9b show schematic bottom and top views of the fastening device and the power transmission mechanism in accordance with a further embodiment of the present invention;
[0081] FIGS. 10a-10c show schematic views of the actuation mechanism in accordance with some embodiments of the present invention.
[0082] As illustrated in the figures, some features (including the piercing member, abutments, etc.) are or may be exaggerated for illustrative purposes and, thus, are provided to illustrate the general structures of embodiments of the present invention. Like reference numerals refer to like elements throughout.
DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE EMBODIMENTS
[0083] In the present detailed description, embodiments of the present invention will be discussed with the accompanying figures. It should be noted that this by no means limits the scope of the invention, which is also applicable in other circumstances for instance with other types or variants of the rotatable base and rotation mechanisms of the rotatable base or variants of the fastening device with various types of piercing members than the embodiments shown in the appended drawings.
[0084] The following description will use terms such as “top”, “bottom”, “inner”, “outer”, “side”, “edge”, “circumference”, etc. These terms generally refer to the views and orientations as shown in the drawings. The terms are used for the reader's convenience only and shall not be limiting.
[0085] In the context of the present invention the directions and orientations such as vertical, longitudinal, and lateral directions need to be interpreted broadly and generally refer to the geometrical extensions of objects in a coordinate system such as a three-dimensional Cartesian coordinate system or a cylindrical or spherical coordinate system. The spatial extensions and positions of objects e.g. quasi-stationary positions of the base or piercing end of the piercing member can therefore be defined in at least one plane of the coordinate system e.g. by using x, y, z coordinates. Additionally or alternatively, spatial extensions and positions of the piercing end of the piercing member or the base may be defined by a radial distance (r) from the origin of the coordinate system and polar and azimuthal angles of a spherical coordinate system.
[0086] In essence, the vertical direction or the z-direction is orthogonal or perpendicular to the reference plane of the support frame. The longitudinal direction or the y-direction may be partly parallel to an imaginary line extending from the circumference of the rotatable base toward the center of the rotatable base. The y-direction however, may also be transverse to the imaginary line extending from the circumference to the center of the rotatable base. In an example of a circular base the imaginary line may extend radially from the circumference of the base towards the center. The imaginary line may be a radius of e.g. a circular base, or a diagonal or side of e.g. a square or rectangular rotatable base. The lateral direction or the x-direction is orthogonal to both the y-direction and the z-direction. The x-direction may be partly transverse to the radial imaginary line extending from the circumference to the center of the rotatable base but it may also be a direction parallel to the imaginary line.
[0087] FIG. 1a illustrates the perspective view of the fastening device 1 in accordance with one embodiment wherein the fastening device comprises a support frame 2, a rotatable base 3, at least one first abutment 4a, and at least one piercing member 5. The support frame 2 in this embodiment may be a frame i.e. a rigid or semi-rigid structure made of e.g. plastic, metal, wood, etc. with various known technologies in the art such as injection molding, 3D printing, etc. The support frame provides a structure to mechanically support and carry/bear the rotatable base e.g. at only one side of the rotatable base e.g. a bottom side 15 or a top side 14 of the rotatable base. The support frame 2 may alternatively or additionally provide support on more than one side of the rotatable base 3 e.g. on two or three or four or all sides of the rotatable base 3. Additionally or alternatively, the support frame may entirely surround the rotatable base 3 i.e. enclose the rotatable base 3 completely e.g. as a housing, casing or similar.
[0088] In this embodiment, the base 3 is a circular or disc-shaped base which may be connected to a central axel 6′ at its central part 6 via a connector element such as a pin, rod, stud or the like which allows the base to stably rotate around the devised element. The connector element may be an insertable external component or an extrusion which is a part of the base. In other words, the base may have a female opening (receptacle) to receive male connector elements. Wherein male and female elements have complimentary cross sectional shapes. Additionally or alternatively, the base 3 may have male extrusions to be inserted into female fittings e.g. on the support frame 2 or optionally into a receptacle portion of a housing or casing when present. The fitting of male and female elements may include threaded or cogged portions to engage or to be screwed and fastened together or may fit with a snap action or the like. The base 3 may also be arranged and enabled to rotate without the need for an external element e.g. by being supported and suspended by the support frame 2 or a housing on at least two, three or all sides which allows for the base to be rotated freely. Additionally or alternatively, the base 3 may be encompassed by the support frame 2 or by a portion of the support frame 2 or optionally by a portion of a housing and thus enabled to rotate freely. The base 3 can be rotated around an axis of rotation 7 of the base, wherein the axis of rotation 7 may not change its orientation and thus the base may not experience any wobbling, precession or translational out-of-plane motion during its rotational motion. The base is enabled to rotate in clockwise 8 and/or counter clockwise 9 directions. In this embodiment, the first abutment 4a extends in the y-direction i.e. radially from the periphery or circumference 10 of the support frame 2 or optionally the periphery or circumference 11 of the base 3 toward the central part 6 of the base. Stated differently, the abutment 4a is arranged at a distal portion 10 of the support frame 2 and may extend toward the center of the base 6. Even though in this embodiment the abutment has its longest extension substantially in the y-direction, the inventors have also found that the abutment(s) 4a may be arranged at the periphery of the support frame 2 and have its longest extension in the x-direction i.e. the lateral extension of the abutment(s) 4a can be larger than the longitudinal extension of the abutment(s) 4a. The longitudinal extension of the abutment(s) 4a may be in the range of e.g. 1 to 10 times the lateral extension of the abutment(s) 4a. Alternatively, the lateral extension of the abutment(s) 4a may be in the range of e.g. 1 to 10 times the longitudinal extension of the abutment(s) 4a. The abutment 4a may also extend in any other orientation e.g. with various azimuthal angles in the x-y plane than the orientation shown in this embodiment. The abutment 4a in this embodiment is in form of a cylindrical rod with a circular (as shown in FIGS. 1c-1i) cross section. It should however be appreciated that the abutment 4a may have any suitable shape and geometrical extension suited to the design aspects of the fastening device e.g. it may be a cone shaped rod, or a square pillar with circular, oval or rectangular cross-sections. The piercing member 5 in this embodiment can be a resilient, flexible or semi-flexible needle capable of undergoing controlled deformations and regaining its original shape after deformations such as bending, twisting, curling, etc. The flexible piercing member 5 may have various amounts of tolerance for mechanical stress, tension and strain and accordingly undergo different degrees of reversible deformation when placed under mechanical stress. The piercing member be made of resilient wire or strip material. The piercing member 5 has a secured end 12 preferably attached to the rotatable base 3.
[0089] The piercing member 5 may be attached to the base 3 at any desired part, portion or side of the base 3. The piercing member 5 may be attached to the base 3 permanently by molding/embedding in the base 3 or manufactured in a single whole piece together with the base 3. The piercing member 5 may also be attachable or removably attached to the base 3. By attachable or removably attached here it is to be understood that the secured end 12 of the piercing member 5 may be repeatedly attached to and detached from the base 3 e.g. by means of a snap-fit function. The piercing member 5 may also be screwed to the base 3 or be connected to the base 3 in any repeatedly detachable manner. Having the piercing member 5 as a separate component allows for facilitated customization of the fastening device e.g. the same base may be customized to be used with different kinds of needles with varying size, shape, length, curve, tension or mechanical stress durability, etc. This way also reparation or replacement of a damaged or broken needle becomes much easier, an action which may even be performed by the user itself and further reduce the costs on the user end while keeping the environmental footprint of the device production and material use low by reusing existing functional components.
[0090] The secured end 12 of the piercing member may also be attached to base 3 via a hinge or a pivot point (not shown) which may allow the piercing member 5 to pivot in a controlled manner around the pivot point. This could be advantageous when it is desirable to release the mechanical stress on the needle 5 e.g. when the needle 5 arrives at a locked position or penetrates a relatively rigid surface which imposes additional mechanical stress on the piercing member 5 and thus may lead to uncontrolled irreversible deformations or damage to the needle 5 and the device 1. The piercing member 5 may be a hook or needle with a piercing tip to penetrate the surface of the respective materials where the piercing member 5 engages with.
[0091] The needle 5 comprises a tip or piercing end 13 capable of penetrating and engaging with the target surface (see FIGS. 4a-4b).
[0092] In a different embodiment, the fastening device 1 shown in FIG. 1b comprises a second abutment 4b. The second abutment 4b may be similar to the first abutment 4a in shape and geometry or may alternatively be of a different shape, size, orientation, etc. compared to the first abutment 4a. The piercing end 13 comes in contact with the first abutment 4a prior to the second abutment 4b. Stated differently, the second abutment 4b is spatially arranged before or behind the first abutment 4a in the x-direction or along a part of the path of the piercing member 5 (see FIGS. 1g-1i), and it is indeed the first abutment 4a which comes in contact with the piercing end 13 when the base 3 is rotated. Further, it should be noted that both the first and second abutments 4a, 4b may be a single protrusion points e.g. a bump, bar, rod, pin, etc. projecting out of or transverse to the reference plane 16 of the support frame 2 or projecting from a lateral side or a distal portion 10 of the support frame 2, at least partly contained or parallel to the plane 16 of the support frame 2.
[0093] In an example where the fastening device is used to attach external objects to a piece of garment of a user, the base 3 may have a height or thickness e.g. in the range of 1 mm to 20 mm.
[0094] The base 3 may have a diameter e.g. in the range of 1 mm to 200 mm. The assembled fastening device 1 may have a height or thickness e.g. in the range of 1 mm to 30 mm.
[0095] The assembled fastening device 1 may have a diameter e.g. in the range of 1 mm to 200 mm.
[0096] The piercing member 5 may have a thickness e.g. in the range of 0.05 mm to 5 mm or preferably in the range of 0.2 mm to 1.5 mm.
[0097] The piercing member 5 may have a diameter e.g. in the range of 1 mm to 200 mm.
[0098] It should however be appreciated that the above-mentioned components such as the base 3 of the piercing member 5 and the fastening device 1 may also have dimensions outside the aforementioned ranges and the skilled person may simply contemplate those dimensions based on the intended design and other applications of the fastening device 1.
[0099] Returning back to FIG. 1a, the fastening device 1 has a coupling surface or coupling side 14 which can be arranged to interface with the target surface. In the context of present disclosure, “interface with” is to be construed as to become in physical contact, placed against, pushed on, fit onto or adjusted to the target surface such that in use the piercing member 5 of the fastening device 1 is enabled to penetrate and pierce the target surface upon rotational motion of the base 3. In other words, the coupling side 14 is the side of the fastening device 1 placed against and facing the target surface. The coupling side 14 may be e.g. a top side 14 of the fastening device 1 or it may be a bottom side 15 of the fastening device 1. By the “top” and “bottom” sides of the fastening device 1 it is meant that the top side 14 is a side that has a higher vertical elevation in the z direction than the bottom side 15. The top 14 and bottom side 15 of the fastening device 1 may also alternatively referred to as the top and bottom sides of the support frame 2. The bottom side 15 of the fastening device 1 may be used to couple the rotatable base 3 to a power transmission device (see FIG. 2c and FIG. 7c) arranged to rotate the base 3.
[0100] FIGS. 1c-1f illustrate side views of the fastening device 1 of FIG. 1a comprising the first abutment 4a. In FIG. 1c, the base 3 is in its initial position and thus the piercing member 5 is in retracted or resting position. In the resting position, a portion of the body of the piercing member 5 or e.g. the piercing end 13 may form an angle 17 with the reference plane 16 of the support frame 2. The piercing end 13 of the piercing member 5 has a vertical elevation (height) of e.g. zn1 in the resting position. the elevation height zn1 may for example be in the range of 0 to 30 mm with respect to the reference plane 16 of the support frame. The first abutment 4a may have a vertical elevation of za, which is for example in the range of 0 mm to 30 mm with respect to the reference plane 16. In the resting position the piercing end 13 may have an extension of for example x0 in the x direction. As shown in FIG. 1d when the base 3 is rotated the piercing end 13 of the piercing member 5 follows a first curved trajectory from the resting position x0 to arrive at the abutment 4a with e.g. a lateral extension of xa. The positions and extensions of the piercing end 13 may also be defined by the radial distance of the piercing end 13 from the central part of the base 6 e.g. r0 at x0 and ra at xa (not shown) with corresponding azimuthal angles e.g. ø0 at x0 and øa at xa (not shown). The first trajectory generally has a plane 18 which can be partly/substantially parallel to the reference plane 16. Upon the transition/movement of the piercing end 13 from x0 to xa and contact with the first abutment 4a the initial angle 17 of the piercing member 5 with the reference plane 16 increases. The angle between the piercing member 5 and the reference plane 16 when the piercing end 13 comes in contact with the first abutment 4a which may be referred to as contacting angle 19 increases compared to the initial angle 17 by at least 10 degrees or, at least 20 degrees, or at least 30 degrees, or at least 50 degrees or at least 80 degrees. Alternatively or additionally, the contacting angle 19 may increase by at most 10 degrees or, at most 20 degrees, or at most 30 degrees, or at most 50 degrees or at most 80 degrees.
[0101] The contacting angle 19 can also be defined as the angle of the plane 20 of a second trajectory of the piercing end 13 with the reference plane 16. It should be noted that when the piercing end 13 of the piercing member 5 comes in contact with the first abutment 4a, it follows a second trajectory which has plane 20 offset by a deviation angle from the plane 18 of the first trajectory. The deviation angle therefore can be defined as the difference between the contacting angle 19 and the initial angle 17 and when the initial angle 17 is substantially small to be neglected, the deviation angle may be approximately the same as the contacting angle 19.
[0102] As the base 3 continues to rotate, the contacting angle 19 may be kept constant or increase even further based on the resilience and the amount of deformation which the piercing member 5 would undergo. The piercing end 13 also undergoes a vertical elevation from the initial height zn1 to e.g. a second elevation, zn2 during the rotation of the base 3 e.g. after contacting the abutment 4a. For example, zn2 may be the height of the piercing end 13 when protruding out of the plane 21 of the coupling side 14 or a height peak of the piercing end 13 with respect to the reference plane 16. The amount of such elevation also depends on the angle of deviation of the first and second trajectories and the rigidity/resilience of the piercing member. After the piercing end 13 reaches the height peak, by further rotating the base 3, it descends in the vertical direction and by following its trajectory moves downwardly until it reaches a releasably locked position at the end of its final trajectory e.g. the second trajectory. This way an open ring-shaped or loop-shaped hook can be created which e.g. may extends from a first piercing point to a second piercing point on the target surface (see FIGS. 4a-4b).
[0103] FIG. 1e illustrates one embodiment where the first abutment is not necessarily fixed at a certain position with a specified height and rather is enabled to move between at least two different height elevations in the z direction. For instance, at the resting position of the piercing member 5, the first abutment 4a may be arranged at a height of za′ and upon rotation of the base 3 or contact with the piercing end 13 move upwardly to a second height za.
[0104] The first abutment 4a may be moved manually or automatically by a dial, a lever, slide, gear, etc. that adjust the vertical height of the first abutment 4a.
[0105] In another embodiment shown in FIG. 1f the piercing end 13 of the piercing member 5 may be bent slightly upward such that the piercing end 13 is enabled to simply engage the abutment 4a and undergo the change of trajectory. This can for instance be advantageous to use with more rigid piercing members 5 wherein the piercing member 5 may require to securely engage with the abutment 4a prior to undergoing deformation and change of trajectory.
[0106] FIGS. 1g-1i illustrate side views of some embodiments of the fastening device 1 of FIG. 1b comprising the second abutment 4b in addition to the first abutment 4a in use. The present inventor has realized that by providing a second abutment 4b in the path of the piercing member 5a substantial control over the movement of the piercing member 5 can be achieved. After the trajectory of the piercing end 13 is changed by the first abutment 4a, it reaches a quasi-stationary positon where a portion 22 of the piercing member 5 comes in contact with the second abutment 4b. At this stage the piercing member 5 is kept under a controllable amount of mechanical stress due to the rotational force exerted by the rotating base 3 at one end i.e. the secured end 12 and the force exerted on the portion 23 positioned between the first 4a and second 4b abutments. The amount of mechanical stress may be controlled by amount of exerted force, or by varying vertical extensions, lateral or longitudinal extensions, and/or vertical or lateral distances between the abutments, etc. The second abutment 4b is arranged e.g. at a lateral extension xb. After reaching the first abutment 4a at xa and change of trajectory of the piercing end 13 and vertical elevation of the piercing member 5, the portion 22 of the piercing member 5 comes in contact with the second abutment 4b. In addition to keeping the piercing member 5 under controlled mechanical stress and ensuring the smooth movement of the piercing member 5 during the rotational movement of the base 3, the second abutment 4b is also configured to prevent the vertical elevation of the portion 22 of the piercing member 5 to exceed a certain height, for example height of zb where the second abutment 4b is arrange. In this embodiment the first abutment 4a is arranged at a higher vertical elevation than the second abutment 4b (za>zb). This is advantageous, since by tailoring the height difference, Δzab, between the first 4a and second 4b abutments the trajectory of the piercing end 13 and thus the deviation angle can be simply controlled. In other words, by increasing Δzab steeper or larger angles of deviation and accordingly sharper penetration angles to the target surface can be achieved. Additionally or alternatively, by changing and controlling the distance or lateral extension difference, Δxab, between the first 4a and second 4b abutments the deviation angle can also be modified. For instance, by decreasing the distance Δxab, steeper angles of deviation and thus steeper penetration angles to the target surface may be achieved. Combination of height and lateral distance variations may be used to customize the angle of deviation.
[0107] FIG. 1h, illustrates an embodiment where the first abutment 4a is allowed to move vertically between at least two height positions za′ and za. This embodiment differs from the embodiment of FIG. 1e in that there is a second abutment 4b arranged in addition to the first abutment 4a.
[0108] FIG. 1i, illustrates an embodiment wherein the piercing end 13 of the piercing member 5 has been bent slightly upward to ensure a secured engagement of the piercing member 5 with the first abutment 4a. This embodiment differs from the embodiment of FIG. 1f in that there is a second abutment 4b is arranged in addition to the first abutment 4a. all advantages achieved in the embodiments of FIGS. 1e and 1f are also correspondingly achieved in embodiments of FIGS. 1h and 1i together with advantages provided by the second abutment 4b.
[0109] FIGS. 2a and 2b illustrate schematic perspective views of the fastening device 100 in yet another embodiment of the present invention wherein the support frame 2 may comprise two interconnected part. For example, an inner part 24a and an outer part 24b at least partly encompassing the inner part 24a. In case of a circular base 3 as shown in FIGS. 2a-2b, the rotatable base 3 may be enclosed by the inner part 24a of the support frame and thus the support frame 24a, 24b may also have a circular or ring-shaped geometry extending at least partly along the circumference of the rotatable base 3. The inner part 24a and outer part 24b of the support frame are enabled to rotate with respect to each other and with respect to the base 3. An advantage of this arrangement is that by arranging the first 4a and second 4b abutments on one of the inner part 24a or outer part 24b of the support frame 2 and by rotating the inner 24a and outer 24b parts with respect to each other the distance between the first 4a and second 4b abutments can be conveniently adjusted. for instance, the user of the fastening device 100 can adjust the distances during the operation of the device. This allows the user to achieve different deviation angles and accordingly different penetration angles to the target surface.
[0110] In this embodiment as shown in FIGS. 2c and 2d the first abutment 4a is arranged on the inner part 24a and the second abutment 4b is arranged on the outer part 24b of the support frame 2. The first abutment 4a has a rising sloped portion 4a′ forming a bump-shaped projection 4a″ at its uppermost altitude. The sloped portion 4a′ can simply guide the piercing end 13 of the piercing member 5 towards the bump projection 4a″ of the first abutment 4a which is arranged to change the trajectory of the piercing end 13. In a resting position, the piercing member 5 may also partly rest on the sloped portion 4a′. The second abutment 4b may have a bumped projection 4b″ with a portion 4b′ extending radially toward the central part 6 of the base 3. The central part 6 of the base 3 may be arranged to be connected to an external axel 6′. The base 3 may alternatively be arranged to rotate without the need for a central axel 6′. The inner part 24a of the support frame 2 may have an opening for the bottom part 25 of the base 3 to protrude and enabled to couple to a power transmission device (see FIG. 7b-7d). The bottom part 25 of the base 3 may comprise cogs or teeth 26 to be coupled to the power transmission device.
[0111] In FIG. 2c the first 4a and second 4b abutments are arranged at a distance of Δxab and the deviation angle 19 is determined by this distance. In this example the abutments 4a, 4b are arranged at the same height and the initial angle 17 is negligible. By rotating the inner 24a and outer 24b parts as shown in FIG. 2d the first 4a and second 4b abutments approach each other and thus the distance between the abutments 4a, 4b decreases to Δx′ab (Δx′ab<Δxab). This in turn causes the deviation angle 19′ to increase and become sharper. The inner part 24a and outer part 24b may be coupled together by means of cogs or teeth or rotationally slide in relation to each other within respective grooves made on each part. The outer part 24b may also be provided with a plurality of teeth/cogs 27 facilitating the coupling of the outer part 24b of the support frame to a power transmission device (not shown) to drive and rotate the outer part 24b. As it should be appreciated the above-discussed inner and outer parts may all be moving parts or only some of the parts be moving parts, e.g. the inner part 24a may be a stationary component and only the outer part 24b rotate to adjust the distance between the first 4a and second 4b abutments or vice versa.
[0112] FIGS. 3a-3f illustrate another embodiment of the invention. FIGS. 3a-3c show perspective views of the fastening device 200 and FIGS. 3d-3f show corresponding side views of the fastening device 200 of FIGS. 3a-3c. In this embodiment the fastening device 200 comprises, a housing 110 alternatively referred to as a casing, or enclosure, which encompasses the piercing member 120, the rotating base 130, and the support frame 140. This embodiment differs from the previously described embodiments in that the support frame 140 is integrated as a part of the housing 110. It should however be readily understandable to the reader that the housing need not be provided with an integrated support frame 140 and alternatively the fastening device with a self-contained support frame as described earlier may be enclosed in a housing 110. The housing comprises portions e.g. sloped portions 111 and 111′ which serve to facilitate the change of trajectory of the piercing member 120 during the rotational motion of the base 130. In this embodiment the first abutment 141a is provided by the sloped portion 111 and the second abutment 141b is provided by the sloped portion 111′ of the integrated support frame 140 of the housing 110. This way advantage is taken from the geometry of the support frame 140 and the need to arrange protruding elements such as bumps, rods, pins, etc. is thus alleviated. As explained in the previous embodiments with two abutments, controlled mechanical stress is applied to the piercing member in this embodiment as well.
[0113] In the retracted position (FIGS. 3a and 3d), the piercing end 122 and generally the entire body of the piercing member 120 are sitting inside the housing 110. The piercing end 122 in this position is thus not being projected out of the plane 21 of the coupling side 14 of the fastening device 200. Optionally at least part of the body of the piercing member 120 e.g. the piercing end 122 may rest on the sloped portion 111 in the retracted position.
[0114] In the intermediate position (FIGS. 3b and 3e), as the rotating base 130 is rotated in the first direction 9, around its axis of rotation 7, and the piercing member 120 comes in contact with the abutments 141a, 141b the piercing end 122 of the piercing member 120 is pushed out of the first opening 112 arranged on the coupling side 14 of the housing 110.
[0115] As the rotating base 130 is rotated further in the first direction 9, the piercing end 122 reaches the height peak with a vertical elevation of zn3 with respect to the reference plane 16 of the support frame. The height peak zn3 may alternatively be defined as the vertical elevation of the body of the piercing member 5 with respect to the reference plane 16. In continuation of the second curved trajectory, the piercing end 122 is enabled to submerge into the second opening 112′ and arrive at a releasably locked position wherein the piercing member 5 forms an open-ring shaped hook extending e.g. from the point of emergence 50a out of the first opening 112 to the point of submergence 50b into the second opening 112′.
[0116] FIGS. 4a-4b show schematic perspective and side views of the fastening device in accordance with some embodiments. FIG. 4a demonstrates the fastening device 200 engaged and locked to a sheet of material 210 e.g. cloth. (only the piercing member 5 extending from the first piercing point 220a to the second piercing point 220b forming a loop-shaped hook is visible in this view) FIG. 4b (side view) shows the fastening device 200 with the piercing member 5, penetrated the sheet of material 210 and the piercing end (not visible) sitting at the designated releasably locked position. Therefore, the fastening device 200 is remaining attached to the sheet of material 210 unless a retraction process (detachment of the fastening device by rotating the base in an opposite direction to the primary rotational direction used for the fastening function) is e.g. triggered by the user and thus the piercing member is caused to be retracted from the first 220a and second 220b piercing points.
[0117] The sheet of material may also be a grid or mesh of other material such as metal, wood, or organic materials such as plants or animal skin.
[0118] FIG. 5a-5b illustrate the fastening device 200 engaged and locked to a metallic fence 230 from the top perspective (FIG. 5a) and the side (FIG. 5b) view. In FIG. 5a the piercing member 5 is demonstrated to be protruded from the first designated opening 112 on the housing 110, engaged with the metallic fence 230, and submerged in the second designated opening 112′.
[0119] FIGS. 6a-6c demonstrate other embodiments of the present invention with the housing 110 arranged such that more than one individual fastening device 1, 100, 200 comprising at least the rotatable base 3, 130 and the piercing member 5 (in some embodiments the individual devices 1, 100, 200 may optionally comprise a self-contained support frame and/or a self-contained housing) can be installed in a common housing 240. Thus a scalable variety of the fastening device 300 with a plurality of individual fastening devices can be realized. Further, an advantage of producing modular devices can be achieved this way by providing fastening devices 300 with individual fastening devices (modules) which can be added to and/or removed from the common housing 240 of the scaled fastening device 300 by the user e.g. by a snap action, etc. The size and geometry of the common housing 240 may be modified to the size, geometry and number of individual fastening devices. For example, the scalable fastening device 300 (common housing 240) may have a shape of a disc (FIGS. 6a and 6b) or e.g. a square shape (FIG. 6c) comprising 2, or 3, or 4, or 6 or more individual fastening devices.
[0120] FIGS. 7a-7d schematically illustrate the coupling of a power transmission device 520 to the rotatable base 130. Top view (FIG. 7a) shows the inside of the common housing 240 and perspective views (FIG. 7b-7d) in this embodiment show that the fastening device 300 comprises three individual fastening devices 200 each provided with coupling teeth (cogs) 531 arranged on a cogwheel 510 as a part of the rotatable base 130. The three individual devices 200 are arranged in the common housing 240 and are configured to be coupled to the cogs 532 of a central cogwheel 520 operating as the power transmission device 520. The power transmission device 520 is also arranged in the common housing 240. In this embodiment the power transmission device 520 is connected to the actuator device (see FIG. 10c) at the central part 530 of the central cogwheel 520. Additionally or alternatively, the actuator device may be connected to at least one of the cogwheels 510 of the individual devices 200 and transfer the driving power to the other individual devices 200 via the central cogwheel 520.
[0121] FIGS. 8a-8b illustrate another embodiment of the present invention from a perspective (FIG. 8a), and a zoomed-in perspective (FIG. 8b) view of the fastening device 400. In this embodiment the rotation of the rotating base is transferred to the piercing members 5 through a wire 610/cam 620 or timing belt mechanism imparting a reciprocal and/or variable (different direction, speed, rpm, etc.) rotational motion of the main cam 620 via the sliding contact with the wire 610 to the individual devices 200. FIG. 8a shows the fastening device 400 with four individual devices 200 encompassed within the common housing 240. In this embodiment the devices 200 include a self-contained housing 110 with the first 112 and second 112′ openings. The housing 110 has been slightly modified such that the wire 610 is coupled to the rotating base 130 via a groove 630 extending at least partly around the circumference of the housing 110 and at least partly around the circumference of the rotating base 130. The housing 110 may be provided with an opening (not shown) at on its periphery which provides access to the groove 630 on the periphery of the rotating base to couple to the wire 610.
[0122] In other variations where there is no housing 110 present, the groove 630 may be arranged merely on the circumference of the rotating base. The common housing 240 may also be provided with openings (not shown) corresponding to the position of the piercing member 5 of the individual devices for facilitating the emergence and submergence of the piercing member 5. When the main cam 620, connected to the actuator device, is rotated, the rotational movement is transferred to each of the individual devices 200 via the wire 610. The individual devices can be arranged and coupled to the wire/cam arrangement in a customizable manner allowing to rotate them in either clockwise or counter clockwise directions depending on which side of the wire e.g. inner side 650 or outer side 660 of the wire they are arranged. For instance, in FIG. 8a, when the main cam 620 undergoes a clockwise rotation, device 200a rotates in the clockwise direction but device 200b rotates in the counter clockwise direction. Notwithstanding the above mentioned examples other variations in the size, number, rotational direction, of the individual devices with respect to the size, geometry or rotational direction of the wire/cam mechanism is readily conceivable to the skilled person. Further, similar to the embodiment of FIGS. 7a-7d, any one of the individual devices 200 may optionally be coupled to an actuator device instead of the main cam 620.
[0123] FIGS. 9a-9b show another embodiment of the present invention. In the fastening device 500 of this embodiment, rotation of the rotating base (not shown) is achieved by a transitional movement of a cogged rack 710. The teeth 740 on the rack 710 engage with the cut or inserted teeth 731 of the cogwheels 730 coupled to the rotating bases. Through this mechanism, the cogwheels 730 rotate, leading to the rotation of the bases and accordingly the movement of the piercing members. A lever 720 is used to move the straight rack 710 back and forth. If combined with a spring at the end of the rack 710, this embodiment may enable a faster functioning device for attaching/detaching items.
[0124] FIGS. 10a-10c demonstrate various power sources or actuator devices for providing the rotational movement to rotatable base according to the above-described embodiments of the inventive concept. Three different actuator devices illustrated here are exemplified for the embodiment of FIGS. 7a-7d with a central cogwheel 520 however similar actuator devices can be readily coupled to the fastening devices of the other embodiments of the invention. In FIG. 10a the fastening device 300 is driven by a lever 810. The lever 810 can e.g. be rotated manually or automatically, rotating the central cogwheel 520. As the central cogwheel 520 is rotated, the rotary movement is transferred to the smaller cogwheels 510 of the individual fastening devices 200.
[0125] FIG. 10b demonstrates an example wherein the actuator device is a tension spring 820 utilized for driving the central cogwheel 520 and correspondingly the individual cogwheels 510 of the individual devices 200.
[0126] In a different example shown in FIG. 10c an electric stepper motor 830 is coupled to the central part 530 of the central cogwheel 520 to provide the rotational motion to the individual fastening devices 200.
[0127] The invention has now been described with reference to specific embodiments. It should be noted that the above-mentioned embodiments illustrate rather than limit the invention, and that those skilled in the art will be able to design many alternative embodiments without departing from the scope of the appended claims. In the claims, any reference signs placed between parentheses shall not be construed as limiting to the claim. The word “comprising” does not exclude the presence of other elements or steps than those listed in the claim. The word “a” or “an” preceding an element does not exclude the presence of a plurality of such elements. Further, other components of the fastening device such as the rotatable base, the piercing member, the support frame, or the housing may for example be of any other size, curvature or orientation than the ones shown and explained according to the accompanying figures.
