Flexible safety cap for elongated objects

Abstract

Flexible safety cap for clamped holding of elongated objects is disclosed. The safety cap includes an elastically deformable packaging that is open on at least one end and consists of two opposing side walls, a bottom wall, a cover wall and an end wall, wherein multiple slots spaced a distance apart from one another are arranged at least in the cover wall and/or in the bottom wall, forming upper and/or lower strap-shaped or belt-shaped spring elements between them, the spring elements thus forming a clamping channel to hold an elongated object.

Claims

1. A flexible safety cap for holding elongated objects, the flexible safety cap comprising: a first side wall having a front edge and a back edge; a second side wall having a front edge and a back edge, the second side wall being arranged oppositely from the first side wall; a first clamping wall having a front edge and a back edge, the first clamping wall defining a first array of spring elements with a slot between each of the spring elements, each spring element in the first clamping wall being elastically deformable and having a first end that is connected to the first side wall and a second end that is connected to the second side wall, each spring element also having a reduced cross-section adjacent to the first side wall that defines a first spring part and a reduced cross-section adjacent to the second side wall that defines a second spring part; a second clamping wall that has a front edge and a back edge, the second clamping wall being arranged oppositely from the first clamping wall, the second clamping wall being connected to the first side wall and also being connected to the second side wall, the second clamping wall cooperating with the first array of spring elements of the first clamping wall to define a clamping channel therebetween, the first and second spring parts of the spring element diminishing bending of the spring element between the first and second spring parts in response to insertion of an object into the clamping channel; and an end wall that is connected to the back edge of the first side wall and that is also connected to the back edge of the second side wall.

2. The flexible safety cap according to claim 1, wherein the flexible safety cap defines a longitudinal axis and wherein the spring elements have a shape that is an arc, an oval or a cone when viewed in a direction of the longitudinal axis such that the slots between said spring elements are crescent-shaped, conical or oval.

3. The flexible safety cap according to claim 1, wherein the second clamping wall further defines a front support element adjacent the front edge of the second clamping wall, the front support element being adapted to support objects that are clamped between the first clamping wall and the second clamping wall.

4. The flexible safety cap according to claim 1, wherein the second clamping wall further defines a support level adjacent the back edge of the second clamping wall, the support level being adapted to support objects that are clamped between the first clamping wall and the second clamping wall.

5. The flexible safety cap of claim 1, wherein the second clamping wall defines a second array of spring elements with a slot between each of the spring elements, each spring element in the second clamping wall being elastically deformable and having a first end that is connected to the first side wall and a second end that is connected to the second side wall.

6. The flexible safety cap according to claim 5, wherein the flexible safety cap defines a longitudinal axis, the spring elements of the second clamping wall being offset in a direction of the longitudinal axis from the spring elements of the first clamping wall.

7. The flexible safety cap according to claim 6, wherein the spring elements of the second clamping wall are parallel to the spring elements of the first clamping wall, wherein the spring elements of said first clamping wall and the spring elements of said second clamping wall form straight strap-shaped or belt-shaped spring elements.

8. The flexible safety cap of claim 7, wherein connections of the spring elements of the first clamping wall to the first and second side walls, and connections of the spring elements of the second clamping wall to the first and second side walls are formed by an integration of the spring elements with the first and second side walls.

9. The flexible safety cap of claim 6, wherein each of the spring elements of the second clamping wall has a reduced cross-section adjacent to the the first side wall to define a first spring part and a reduced cross-section adjacent to the second side wall to define a second spring part, the first and second spring parts of each spring element of the second clamping wall diminishing bending of the spring element between the first and second spring parts in response to the insertion of the object into the clamping channel.

10. The flexible safety cap according to claim 5, wherein the flexible safety cap defines a longitudinal axis, and a width of each slot between the spring elements of the first clamping wall, a width of each slot between the spring elements of the second clamping wall, a width of each spring element in the first clamping wall, and a width of each spring element in the second clamping wall is measured in a direction of the longitudinal axis of the flexible safety cap, and wherein the width of at least one slot between the spring elements of the first clamping wall is the same as the width of at least one other slot between the spring elements of the first clamping wall, the width of at least one slot between the spring elements of the second clamping wall is the same as the width of at least one other slot between the spring elements of the second clamping wall, and the spring elements of the first clamping wall and the spring elements of the second clamping wall all have the same width.

11. The flexible safety cap according to claim 5, wherein the flexible safety cap defines a longitudinal axis, and a width of each slot between the spring elements of the first clamping wall and a width of each slot between spring elements of the second clamping wall is measured in a direction of the longitudinal axis of the flexible safety cap, and wherein the width of the slots between the spring elements of the first clamping wall, and the width of the slots between the spring elements of the second clamping wall is altered progressively over an extent of the longitudinal axis of the flexible safety cap.

12. The flexible safety cap according to claim 5, wherein at least one of the spring elements in the first clamping wall further defines an insertion bevel that defines a surface that is inclined with respect to a longitudinal axis of the flexible safety cap, the incline of the surface being in a direction away from the front edge of the first clamping wall, and wherein at least one of the spring elements in the second clamping wall further defines an insertion bevel that defines a surface that is inclined with respect to the longitudinal axis of the flexible safety cap, the incline of the surface being in a direction away from the front edge of the second clamping wall.

13. The flexible safety cap according to claim 5, wherein the spring elements of the first clamping wall and the spring elements of the second clamping wall are elastically deformable upward and downward perpendicular to a longitudinal axis of an object inserted in the clamping channel of the flexible safety cap, and about an axis transverse to the longitudinal axis of the object in response to insertion of the object into the clamping channel.

14. The flexible safety cap according to claim 13, wherein the spring elements deform to develop a straight clamping surface against a surface of the object.

15. The flexible safety cap according to claim 5, wherein the flexible safety cap defines a longitudinal axis, and a width of each spring element in the first clamping wall and a width of each spring element in the second clamping wall is measured in a direction of the longitudinal axis of the flexible safety cap, wherein the width of at least one spring element of the first clamping wall is unequal to the width of other spring elements of the first clamping wall, and the width of at least one spring element in the second clamping wall is unequal to the width of other spring elements in the second clamping wall.

Description

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

(1) In the figures:

(2) FIG. 1: shows schematically in a top view one embodiment of a flexible safety cap.

(3) FIG. 2: shows the top view according to FIG. 1.

(4) FIG. 3: shows a longitudinal section through the flexible safety cap in a perspective side view.

(5) FIG. 4: shows the longitudinal section according to FIG. 3 in a side view.

(6) FIG. 5: shows a longitudinal section through the flexible safety cap with the object clamped in place in a perspective view.

(7) FIG. 6: shows a side view of the configuration according to FIG. 5.

(8) FIG. 7: shows schematically the geometric relationships of the spring elements of the upper and lower clamping levels forming inflection points.

(9) FIG. 8: shows the elastic deformation of the upper and lower spring elements on insertion of an object in a schematic diagram.

DESCRIPTION OF A PRESENTLY PREFERRED EMBODIMENT

(10) According to FIGS. 1 and 2, the flexible safety cap consists of an elastically bendable plastic element, in particular a thermoplastic material, and consists essentially of two opposing parallel side walls 2, 5 (i.e., first and second side walls) which are connected to one another by a bottom wall 3.

(11) The cover wall 35 (i.e., first clamping wall) arranged opposite the bottom wall 3 (i.e., second clamping wall) and directed parallel to the bottom wall 3 is present only in rudimentary form, because it is permeated by slots 37-41 over its entire length and width, forming between them, from the material of the cover wall 35, the spring elements 14-17 of the upper clamping level.

(12) However, the arrangement of parallel side walls is not necessary for solving this problem. They may also be designed to be conically diverging or converging relative to one another or may otherwise have any other shape.

(13) The bottom wall 3 according to FIG. 2 has regular slots 7, 8, 9, 10 running in the transverse direction to the longitudinal axis of the flexible safety cap 1 so that lower strap-shaped spring elements 11, 12, 13 parallel to one another and arranged a distance apart to one another are formed by the division of the slots (see FIG. 3).

(14) Each spring element 11-13 is connected to the adjacent side walls 2, 5 in one piece at the factory and forms a continuous elastomeric part.

(15) Upper strap-shaped spring elements 14, 15, 16, 17 having the same design in profile as the lower spring elements 11-13 are formed in the cover wall 35 at a vertical distance and offset with a gap from the lower spring elements 11-13. This means that these are strap-shaped or belt-shaped upper spring elements 14-17 which are connected to the side walls 2, 5 in one piece at the factory and have a bending-diminished cross section in the area of the respective tie to the respective side wall 2, 5, this weakening being referred to as the spring part 28 for the upper spring elements 14-17 and as spring part 29 for the lower spring elements 11-13, each having a first spring part adjacent the first side wall 2 and a second spring part adjacent the second side wall 5.

(16) For clamping hold of an object 20 to be inserted in the insertion direction 25, the object is inserted into an clamping channel 36 (see FIG. 4), which is formed by the mutual vertical distance between the respective clamping surfaces of the lower spring elements 11-13 and the upper spring elements 14-17.

(17) It is preferable if the slots 7-10 in the bottom wall 3 and the slots 37-41 in the cover wall 35 are parallel to one another and therefore form the strap-shaped or belt-shaped spring elements 11-13; 14-17. This construction results in the fact that the spring elements split off from the slots of the upper and lower levels are of the same width and have approximately a rectangular or quadratic profile.

(18) However, if the slots 7-10 and 37-41 are designed to be crescent-shaped, conical or oval, then the spring elements 11-17 formed from them also have a crescent-shaped, oval or conical shape in the direction of the longitudinal extent.

(19) Furthermore, it is preferable if the mutual spacing of the slots in the bottom wall 3 and the cover wall 35 is the same so that all spring elements arranged following one another in the longitudinal direction of the safety cap 1 have the same width and thus also create the same clamping force.

(20) In another embodiment, however, it may be provided that the mutual spacing of the slots 7-10; 37-41 is to be altered progressively over the longitudinal extent of the safety cap 1. The spring elements 14, 15 and 11, 12 arranged closer to the insertion side may then assume a greater distance from one another than comparatively the spring elements 16, 17 and 12, 13 arranged next to the end wall 4. Therefore, the clamping force of the spring elements initially becomes less on insertion of an object 20 to be clamped into the clamping channel 36 and increases progressively with an increase in the insertion length.

(21) The reverse case is likewise possible, namely that the spring elements 14, 15 and 11, 12 arranged closer to the insertion side may then assume a smaller distance from one another than comparatively the spring elements 16, 17 and 12, 13 arranged next to the end wall 4. Therefore, the clamping force of the spring elements becomes weaker from the insertion side in the direction of the pointed side of the support element 18.

(22) To facilitate the insertion of the object 20 with its tip 21 it is provided that the foremost insertion bevel 30 at the forward end has a larger insertion angle than the insertion bevels 22, 23 of the other spring elements 11-17, which have less inclined insertion bevels 22 (top) and 23 (bottom).

(23) Essentially the object 20 to be held is supported with its rear surface on the support member or support level 24 of the bottom wall 3 and sits with its tip 21 on a front support element 18, which is a continuation of the bottom wall 3 and is connected to the end wall 4.

(24) In a preferred embodiment, it may be provided that friction-increasing ribs are also arranged on the clamping surfaces in addition. The clamping surfaces may also be roughened or provided with nubs or some other profiles.

(25) In a preferred embodiment of the invention, it is provided that the respective clamping surface of the upper and lower spring elements 11-17 forms an insertion bevel 22, 23, which, however, does not extend continuously over the total clamping length but instead develops into a straight surface 26, 27 over a short distance.

(26) The spring capacity of spring elements 11-17 is improved in this way, as will be show later with reference to FIG. 8.

(27) FIG. 6 shows that the clamping surfaces of the spring elements 11-17 are designed, so thatexcept for the foremost insertion bevel 30they lie in contact against the side of the object 20 to be held over practically the entire surface.

(28) FIG. 7 shows the geometric ratios where it is apparent that the lower spring elements are represented only schematically by (support) arrows (spring elements 12, 11) and spring elements 11, 12 which are the lower elements to the former, the upper spring elements 14, 15 are offset relative to the lower spring elements 11, 12 with a gap. The gap spacing is referred to as the offset distance 31.

(29) The mutual spacing 32 between the upper and lower spring elements 11-17 should be the same in this embodiment.

(30) FIG. 8 shows that elastic deformation of the spring elements 11-17 occurs in various directions when the object 20 is inserted in the insertion direction 25. It runs first onto the respective insertion bevels 22, 23 of the respective upper and lower spring elements, the insertion bevels each being inclined in the same direction, thereby creating a contact pressure in the direction of the arrow 34, 34. At the same time the respective spring element 11-17 is bent in an arc in the direction of the arrow 34, 34 as shown and because of the insertion movement in the insertion direction 25, tilt the respective spring element 11-17 in the direction of the arrow 33, 33 away from a transverse axis to thereby bring the respective insertion bevel 22, 23 into contact with the surface of the object 20.

(31) It is thus clear that the spring elements 11-17 have a spring capacity such that they can undergo elastomeric shaping, on the one hand, with their clamping surfaces on the surface of the object 20, but at the same time, because of their three-dimensional spring capacity and the tilting, the previous insertion bevels 22, 23 can also be in contact with the top side of the object while the object is being held now also as straight surfaces and thereby form a practically continuous clamping surface (i.e., straight clamping surface).

(32) A high holding power, such as that not known previously, is thus created in an extremely small space.

(33) The insertion movement of the object 20 in the insertion direction 25 is limited by the fact that the tip 21 is in contact with the stop wall 6 in the inserted state and the stop wall 6 is connected to the end wall 4.

(34) It is apparent from FIG. 4 that the clamping channel 36 is positive, i.e., the straight surfaces 26, 27 of the upper and lower spring elements opposing one another form a mutually positive distance from one another.

(35) In another embodiment however it may also be provided that the two surfaces 26, 27 are aligned in a longitudinal axis to one another so that the clamping channel 36 is returned back to the value zero.

(36) Likewise, the straight surfaces 26, 27 may overlap so that there is even a negatively dimensioned clamping channel 36.

(37) In a refinement of the invention, it may be provided that the flexible safety cap has side walls 2, 5, bottom wall 3, and end wall 4 that are elastically compressible, so that the clamping bond to the object held between the spring elements 11-17 can be loosened by finger pressure on the two opposing side walls 2, 5. By finger pressure the upper and lower spring elements 11-17 bulge upward, so that the object to be held can even be pulled out of the clamping gap, which has now opened, without resistance.

LEGEND TO THE DRAWINGS

(38) 1 flexible safety cap 2 side wall 3 bottom wall 4 end wall 5 side wall 6 stop wall 7 slot (lower) 8 slot (lower) 9 slot (lower) 10 slot (lower) 11 lower spring element 12 lower spring element 13 lower spring element 14 upper spring element 15 upper spring element 16 upper spring element 17 upper spring element 18 support element 20 object 21 tip 22 insertion bevel (upper) 23 insertion bevel (lower) 24 support level 25 insertion direction 26 straight surface (upper) 27 straight surface (lower) 28 spring part (upper) 29 spring part (lower) 30 insertion bevel (on 14) 31 offset distance 32 distance (upper) 33 direction of arrow 33 34 direction of arrow 34 35 cover wall 36 clamping channel 37 slot (upper) 38 slot (upper) 39 slot (upper) 40 slot (upper) 41 slot (upper)