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CABLE TIE HAVING A STUD MOUNTABLE
FASTENER
BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION
The present invention relates generally to cable ties, and
more specifically to a cable tie which includes a stud
mountable fastener for securing the cable tie to a threaded
stud welded on a mounting surface, the threaded stud often
being referred to as a weld stud.
Cable ties having a stud mountable fastener are well
& 10 known in the art and are commonly used, for example, for
securing a cable to a threaded stud welded onto a panel of
a vehicle. Such cables usually comprise one or more wires
inside a sheath. Cable ties of this type are also used to secure
objects such as wires together to form a bundle and then
secure the bundle to the threaded stud.
In U.S. Pat. No. 5,154,376 to H. O. Baum, there is
disclosed a cable-securing device of the kind comprising a
locking head having a flexible strap extending therefrom and
with which in use cables and the like are secured in a loop 2Q
formed by securing the free end of the strap in the locking
head. The locking head includes a short, tubular body which
is provided with internal projections. In operation, the
fastener of the invention is adapted to clip on to a mounting
projection such as the head of a stud by pressing the tubular 2J
body over the mounting projection where it is retained by the
projections.
In U.S. Pat. No. 4,728,064 to J. E. Caveney, there is disclosed a releasable cable tie for releasably securing discrete elongate objects together to form a bundle and for 30 securing the bundle to a mounting surface. The cable tie comprises a stud mount boss for securing the cable tie to a stud having a distal collar or to a threaded stud, bolt or the like. The stud mount boss includes a cylindrical socket having a formed stud mount bore. Three resilient fingers and 35 three guidance ribs are formed within the bore. The resilient fingers project upwardly from a stud entry face towards a stud exit face of the socket forming a 45 degree angle with the centerline of the socket.
One drawback of cable ties having stud mounting means 40 of the type described above is that such stud mounting means can only be secured onto studs of a particular diameter and of a particular length, which significantly narrows the range of potential applications of the cable tie. In particular, such a stud mounting means can only be used 45 in conjunction with studs of a diameter which can fit within the stud mount boss and studs of a length which will not project past the stud exit face of the socket.
Other references of interest include U.S. Pat. No. 5,333, 822 to J. C. Benoit et al; U.S. Pat. No. 4,860,979 to G. I. 50 Camenisch; U.S. Pat. No. 4,784,358 to J. K. Kohut; and U.S. Pat. No. 4,781,504 to K. Yuta.
SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION
It is an object of this invention to provide a new and 55 improved cable tie.
It is another object of this invention to provide a cable tie as described above for use in securing a cable to a mounting surface.
It is yet another object of this invention to provide a cable 60 tie of the type described above which includes a fastener adapted to engage a threaded stud which is secured to a mounting surface.
It is still another object of this invention to provide a cable tie of the type described above which includes a fastener 65 adapted to engage a wide range of different sized threaded studs.
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It is yet still another object of this invention to provide a cable tie of the type described above which enables the cable to sit securely against the mounting surface.
It is another object of this invention to provide a cable tie of the type described above in which the fastener is adapted to engage the threaded stud with a relatively low force of insertion and a relatively high force of extraction.
It is yet another object of this invention to provide a cable tie of the type described above which has a one-piece construction and is economical and simple to manufacture.
Accordingly, there is provided a cable tie for securing a cable to a mounting surface having a threaded stud attached thereto, said cable tie comprising an elongated strap having a first end and a second end, a locking head integrally formed to the first end of said elongated strap, said locking head being adapted to cooperate with said strap to form a loop around the cable, and a fastener coupled to said locking head for securing said cable to the threaded stud on the mounting surface, said fastener including a boss having a stud entry face, a stud exit face and a central bore, said central bore being sized and shaped so as to enable the threaded stud to extend therein.
As one feature of the present invention, said fastener further includes a plurality of flexible fingers formed to said boss, said fingers being disposed to project into said bore, each finger comprising an arm pivotally connected to said boss and an engagement head formed to said arm for engaging the threaded stud.
As another feature of the present invention, said fastener further includes a cover connected to the stud exit face of said boss, said cover being constructed so that at least a portion thereof will breakaway from said boss to accommodate threaded studs of a length longer than the length of the boss.
As yet another feature of the present invention, said locking head further comprises a first rib on the locking head for preventing movement of the cable relative to the strap when said strap is wrapped around a cable which is small in size (i.e. diameter) and a second rib on said boss for preventing movement of the cable relative to the strap when said strap is wrapped around a cable which is large in size.
Various other features and advantages will appear from the description to follow. In the description, reference is made to the accompanying drawings which form a part thereof, and in which is shown by way of illustration, a specific embodiment for practicing the invention. The embodiment will be described in sufficient detail to enable those skilled in the art to practice the invention, and it is to be understood that other embodiments may be utilized and that structural changes may be made without departing from the scope of the invention. The following detailed description is therefore, not to be taken in a limiting sense, and the scope of the present invention is best defined by the appended claims.
BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS
In the drawings wherein like reference numerals represent like parts:
FIG. 1 is a top view of a cable tie constructed according to the teachings of the present invention;
FIG. 2 is a side view of the cable tie shown in FIG. 1;
FIG. 3 is a bottom view of the cable tie shown in FIG. 1;
FIG. 4 is an enlarged, fragmentary perspective view of the cable tie shown in FIG. 1;
FIG. 5 is an enlarged, fragmentary top view of the cable tie shown in FIG. 1:
