AU2002100038A4

AU2002100038A4 - Cable fastener

Info

Publication number: AU2002100038A4
Application number: AU2002100038A
Authority: AU
Inventors: Teh-Tsung Chiu
Original assignee: AVC Industrial Corp
Current assignee: AVC Industrial Corp
Priority date: 2002-01-18
Filing date: 2002-01-18
Publication date: 2002-02-14
Anticipated expiration: 2010-01-18

Description

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AUSTRALIA

PATENTS ACT 1990 COMPLETE SPECIFICATION FOR AN INNOVATION PATENT

ORIGINAL

Name of Applicant: AVC Industrial Corp.

Actual Inventor: Teh-Tsung Chiu Address for Service: Baldwin Shelston Waters MARGARET STREET SYDNEY NSW 2000 Invention Title: 'CABLE FASTENER' The following statement is a full description of this invention, including the best method of performing it known to us File: 34315AUP00 1A CABLE FASTENER BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION 1. Field of the Invention: The present invention relates to a cable fastener for fastening a cable to a board member and, more particularly, to such a cable fastener, which achieves a satisfactory waterproof effect.

2. Description of the Related Art: Various fastening devices have been disclosed for use to fasten a cable or tubular member to a board member or support means of a machine. US Patent No. 5,927,892, entitled "DEVICE FOR FASTENING A CABLE TO A BOARD" shows an example.

According to this design, as shown in FIG. 1, the device comprises a base member 10' fastened to a board 30' by a lock nut 11' and a gasket ring 15', clamp means 12' provided at one end of the base member 10', the clamp means 12' having a plurality of clamping elements 121', a collar 13' sleeved onto the cable 20" passing through the clamp means 12' and the base member 10' and stopped at one end of the base member 10' within the clamping elements 121', and a chuck 14' threaded onto the base member 10' to compress the clamping elements 121' against the collar 13' and the periphery of the cable 20' and to fix the cable 20' in place. This design of cable fastening device is still not satisfactory in function.

Because the contact between each clamping element 121' of the 2 clamping means 12' and the periphery of the cable 20' is a contact of point, the cable 20' can easily be twisted or pulled by an external force, causing the collar 13' to be disengaged from the clamping elements 121'. Further, when pulling the cable 20', a gap A' may appear suddenly between the collar 13' and the clamping means 12', and outside water may pass through the gap A' to the inside of the fastening device and the other side of the board SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION The present invention has been accomplished to provide a cable fastener, which eliminates the aforesaid problems. It is the main object of the present invention to provide a cable fastener, which positively secures the cable in position against twisting and pulling force -and, provides a satisfactory waterproof effect. To achieve this and other objects of the present invention, the cable fastener comprises a flexible collar mounted in one end of a mounting base, which is fixedly fastened to the board member by a lock nut and a gasket ring, a flexible sleeve sleeved onto the cable and inserted into the flexible collar, and chuck threaded onto the mounting base to compress the flexible sleeve and the flexible collar against the periphery of the cable and to fix the cable in position. The flexible sleeve and the flexible collar are respectively made of elastic rubber or plastics. The flexible sleeve has grooves around the periphery. The flexible collar has an inside annular rib 3 forced into engagement with the grooves of the flexible sleeve to stop the flexible sleeve from axial displacement.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS FIG. 1 is an installed view in section of the prior art design.

FIG. 2 is a schematic drawing showing the cable twisted and pulled relative to the fastening device according to the prior art design.

FIG. 3 is an exploded view of a cable fastener according to the present invention.

FIG. 4 is a sectional view of the present invention showing the cable fastener fastened to the board member.

FIG. 5 is a sectional view of the present invention showing the cable fastener installed in the board member, the cable secured to the board member in position.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED

EMBODIMENT

Referring to FIGS. 3 and 4, a cable fastener is shown comprised of a mounting base 10, a lock nut 20, a chuck 30, a flexible collar 40, and a flexible sleeve 50. The mounting base 10 is shaped like a stepped tube comprising an axially extended through hole 11, a first outer thread 12 and a second outer thread 12' extended around the periphery at two sides, and a stop block 13 extended around the periphery on the middle between the outer threads 12 and 12'. The lock nut 20 has an inner thread 21 threaded 4 onto the second outer thread 12' of the mounting base 10. The chuck 30 has an axially extended center through hole 32 for the passing of the cable 70 to be fastened, an inner thread 31 extended around the center through hole 32 and threaded onto the first outer thread 12 of the mounting base 10, and a sloping guide face 33 disposed in one end of the center through hole 32. The flexible collar 40 is made of rubber or flexible plastics, comprising a collar body 42 fitted into the axially extended through hole 11 of the mounting base 10, a head 43 extended around one end of the collar body 42 and stopped outside one end of the mounting base 10, a center through hole 41 axially extended through the collar body 42 and the head 43 for the passing of the cable 70, an inside annular rib 44 disposed on the inside around the center through hole 41, a tapered face 431 disposed around the periphery of the head 43 and fitting the sloping guide face 33 of the chuck 30, and an inside stop flange 45 extended around one end of the inside wall of the collar body 42 remote from the head 43. The flexible sleeve 50 is made of rubber or the like, having grooves 51 around the periphery.

Referring to FIG. 5 and FIG. 4 again, the second outer thread 12' of the mounting base 10 is inserted through a hole (not shown) in a board member 60, and then the lock nut 20 is threaded onto the second outer thread 12' to fix the mounting base 10 to the board member 60. A gasket ring 80 may be mounted on the mounting base 10 and sandwiched in between the stop block 13 of the mounting base 10 and the board member 60, preventing water from passing through the gap between the mounting base 10 and the board member 60. After installation of the mounting base 10 in the board member 60, the collar body 42 of the flexible collar 40 is sleeved onto the flexible sleeve 50 and inserted with the flexible sleeve 50 into the axially extended through hole 11 of the mounting base 10, keeping the head 43 stopped at one end of the first outer thread 12 of the mounting base 10 and the inside stop flange stopped at one end of the flexible sleeve 50, and then the cable is inserted through the center through hole 32 of the chuck 30 and the flexible sleeve 50, and then the chuck 30 is threaded onto the first outer thread 12 of the mounting base 10 to fix the cable 70 in position. When fastened up the chuck 30, the sloping guide face 33 of the chuck 30 is forced against the tapered face 431 of the flexible collar 40 to deform the flexible collar 40 and to compress the flexible collar 40 against the flexible sleeve 50 and the periphery of the cable 70. At this time, the inside annular rib 44 of the flexible collar 40 is engaged into one groove 51 of the flexible sleeve 50 to stop the flexible sleeve 50 from axial displacement, and the inside wall of the flexible sleeve 50 is maintained in friction engagement with the periphery of the cable 70, holding the cable 70 in position. After installation, the flexible sleeve 50 and the flexible collar 40 prohibit water from passing through the gap between the cable 70 and the chuck 30, and the gasket ring prohibits water from passing through the gap between the mounting base 10 and the board member A prototype of cable fastener has been constructed with the features of FIGS. 3~5. The cable fastener functions smoothly to provide all of the features discussed earlier.

Although a particular embodiment of the invention has been described in detail for purposes of illustration, various modifications and enhancements may be made without departing from the spirit and scope of the invention. Accordingly, the invention is not to be limited except as by the appended claims.

Claims

1. A cable fastener mounted in a hole of a board member to secure a cable to said board member, comprising: a mounting base, said mounting base comprising an axially extended through hole, a first outer thread, a second outer thread, and a stop block extended around the periphery thereof between said first outer thread and said second outer thread and stopped at one side of said board member; a lock nut threaded onto the second thread of said mounting base and stopped at an opposite side of said board member to fixedly secure said mounting base to said board member; a gasket ring mounted on said mounting base and sandwiched in between the stop block of said mounting base and said board member; a flexible collar mounted in one end of said mounting base, said flexible collar comprising a collar body fitted into the axially extended through hole of said mounting base, a head extended around one end of said collar body and stopped at one end of the second outer thread of said mounting base, a center through hole axially extended through said collar body and said head, an inside annular rib disposed on the inside around the center through hole thereof, and a tapered face disposed around the periphery of said head; -8- a flexible sleeve sleeved onto said cable and inserted into said flexible collar, said flexible sleeve having grooves around the periphery thereof for engagement with the inside annular rib of said flexible collar; and a chuck fastened to said mounting base to compress said flexible sleeve and said flexible collar and to fix said cable in position, said chuck comprising an axially extended center through hole, which receives said flexible sleeve, said flexible collar, and said cable, an inner thread threaded onto the first outer thread of said mounting base, and a sloping guide face disposed in one end of the center through hole thereof and stopped against the sloping guide face of said flexible collar.

2. The cable fastener as claimed in claim 1, wherein said flexible collar comprises an inside stop flange extended around one end of an inside wall of said collar body remote from said head and stopped at one end of said flexible sleeve.

3. The cable fastener as claimed in claim 1, wherein said flexible collar is made of elastic rubber.

4. The cable fastener as claimed in claim 1, wherein said flexible collar is made of elastic plastics.

5. A cable fastener substantially as herein described with reference to any one of the embodiments of the invention shown in the accompanying drawings. DATED this 18th day of January 2002 AVC INDUSTRIAL CORP. Attorney: RUSSELL J. DAVIES Fellow Institute of Patent Attorneys of Australia of Baldwin Shelston Waters