Fastening Device

This application is a continuation of U.S. application Ser. No. 18/361,935, filed on Jul. 31, 2023, which is a continuation of U.S. application Ser. No. 17/144,156, filed on Jan. 8, 2021, now U.S. Pat. No. 11,751,634 issued on Sep. 12, 2023, which is a continuation-in-part of U.S. application Ser. No. 16/095,940, filed on Oct. 23, 2018, now U.S. Pat. No. 10,918,165 issued on Feb. 16, 2021, which is a continuation of International application No. PCT/CN2016/105490, filed Nov. 11, 2016, the content of which are incorporated herein by reference.

The present disclosure relates to a fastening device and a lace assembling method thereof. More particularly, the present disclosure relates to a fastening device and a lace assembling method thereof for securing an article through loosening or tightening a lace.

In daily life, cords, such as a lace or a thread, are usually used to tighten articles. The most common tightening method is to use the cord to reciprocately pass through holes on the article, such as eyelets of a shoe, and then tie a knot to secure the article. But in this kind of tightening method, the knot is loosened easily because of an external force. Not only does the knot need to be tied again, but also lots of inconveniences come owning to the insecurity of the articles.

In order to solve such problems, some practitioners developed a simple fastening mechanism including a case, an engaging unit and a spring. The case includes holes to allow the lace to pass therethrough. Through the reaction force between the spring and the engaging unit, the lace can be clamped between the engaging unit and the case so as to be fastened. The length of the lace can be changed by pressing the spring to change the position of the engaging unit. However, in such fastening mechanism, the restoring force of the spring is served as the securing force; thus, the lace is easily to be released owing to vibrations or an external force. In addition, the fastening mechanism has no space to receive the lace, and the exposure of the lace may bring danger.

Therefore, some practitioners developed another kind of buckle which can be rotated to tighten the lace, and the lace can be received inside the buckle. Through the interference between components inside the buckle, the length of the lace as well as the tightness can be adjusted. However, the structure of the buckles is complex; as a result, the manufacturing cost is increased, and the buckle has assembly and repair difficulty.

Base on the above-mentioned problems, how to simplify the structure of the fastening device, reduce the manufacturing cost and maintain the securing capability becomes a pursuit target for practitioners.

According to one embodiment of the present disclosure, a fastening device which is for fastening and loosening a lace is provided. The fastening device includes a case, a spool, a knob and a locking unit. The case includes a housing including a receiving space, a base detachably connected to the housing and a mounted portion located on the housing. The spool is received in the receiving space and configured for the lace to be wound therearound. The knob includes an engaged portion for engaging with the mounted portion such that the knob is coupled to the housing. A relative position between the engaged portion and the mounted portion is fixed during an operation of the fastening device. The locking unit is received in the receiving space. When the knob is rotated relative to the case in a tightening direction, the spool is not affected by the locking unit and is allowed to rotate in the tightening direction for fastening the lace. When the knob is rotated relative to the case in a loosening direction, the spool is allowed to freely rotate in the loosening direction to release the lace. As the knob is engaged with the housing via an engagement between the mounted portion and the engaged portion, the housing, the locking unit, the knob and the spool are combined and restricted.

According to another embodiment of the present disclosure, a lace assembling method which is for connecting a lace to a fastening device is provided. The lace assembling method includes providing a fastening device and providing a lace coupling process. The fastening device includes a case, a spool, a knob and a locking unit. The case includes a housing and a base detachably connected to the housing. The knob includes an engaged portion for engaging a mounted portion on the housing. The spool is disposed inside the housing. The locking unit is disposed inside the housing. As the knob is engaged with the housing via an engagement between the mounted portion and the engaged portion, the housing, the locking unit, the knob and the spool are combined and restricted, and a relative position between the engaged portion and the mounted portion is fixed during an operation of the fastening device. A first end of the lace and a second end of the lace are exposed from a lower opening of the housing after passing through the housing and the spool, such that a user knot the first end and the second end to allow the lace to be coupled to the spool.

The embodiment will be described with the drawings. For clarity, some practical details will be described below. However, it should be noted that the present disclosure should not be limited by the practical details. That is, in some embodiment, the practical details are unnecessary. In addition, for simplifying the drawings, some conventional structures and elements will be simply illustrated, and repeated elements may be represented by the same labels.

Please refer to,and, whereinshows a three dimensional schematic view of a fastening deviceaccording to a 1st embodiment of the present disclosure,shows one exploded view of the fastening deviceof, andshows another exploded view of the fastening deviceof.

The fastening devicewhich is for fastening and loosening a laceis composed of a case, a spool, a knoband a locking unit, wherein the caseincludes a mounted portion; the spoolis disposed at the caseand a laceis wound therearound; the knobincludes an engaged portionfor engaging with the mounted portion, such that the knobis coupled to the case; the locking unitis coupled to the knoband is driven by the knob, the locking unitis switched from a first position to a second position by rotating the knobrelative to the case, the locking unitis coupled to the spoolto prohibit the spoolfrom rotating toward a loosening direction Awhen the locking unitis at the first position, and the spoolis allowed to be rotated toward the loosening direction Awhen the locking unitis at the second position.

Therefore, since the fastening deviceis composed of the case, the spool, the knoband the locking unit, through the engaging relationship between the caseand the knob, the structure of the fastening devicecan be simplified while the securing capability of the fastening deviceis remained. The detail structure and operation of the fastening devicewill be described in the following paragraphs.

The casehas a hollow structure, and includes a housing, the housingincludes a receiving space, a plurality of inner teeth, two side holesand a lower opening. The inner teethface to the receiving space, the two side holesand the lower openingare communicated with the receiving space, and the mounted portionis protruded outwardly from the housingand is ring-shaped. In the 1st embodiment, a diameter of the lower openingis smaller than a diameter of the spool, and after the spoolis disposed inside the receiving spaceof the housing, it will not fall out from the lower opening.

The spoolis disc-shaped, and includes a spool cylinderand a bottom, the spool cylinderincludes a first openingand a second opening, the bottomis for disposing the spool cylinder, the bottomincludes a first knotting hole, a first through hole, a second knotting holeand a second through hole, the first knotting holeand the first through holeare communicated with the first opening, and the second knotting holeand the second through holeare communicated with the second opening. A first end and a second end of the lacecan pass through the first openingand the second opening, respectively, to couple with the spool, such that the lacecan be wound around the spool cylinder. In addition, the spoolcan further include a plurality of engaging teethfor engaging with the locking unit. The spoolincludes two sloped surfaces, one of the sloped surfaceis located in the first through hole, and the other one of the sloped surfaceis located in the second through hole. The first end of the lacepasses through the first openingtoward the sloped surfacein the first through hole, and the second end of the lacepasses through the second openingtoward the sloped surfacein the second through hole.

The locking unitincludes a ring body, a first retaining portion, a second retaining portion, three guiding portions, four stopping portions,,,, a communicated hole, a plurality of engaged teethand three pawl arms. The ring bodyhas a radial direction, the first retaining portionand the second retaining portionare disposed at the ring bodyand are coupled to the knob, the guiding portionshaving inclined block structure are protruded outwardly from the ring bodyalong the radial direction and are used for coupling to the knob, the pawl armsare disposed at the ring body, which are protruded outwardly from the ring bodyalong the radial direction and are for used coupling to the inner teeth, and the first retaining portionand the second retaining portionare protruded inwardly along the radial direction, that is, protruded toward a center of the ring body. The engaged teethare disposed at a distal end of a wall of the communicated hole, which is close to the spool, and the four stopping portions,,,are protruded toward the center from a proximal end of the wall of the communicated hole, which is close to the knob, the stopping portions,are corresponding to each other, and the stopping portions,are corresponding to each other.

Each of the first retaining portionand the second retaining portionhas restoring capability in the radial direction, precisely, the first retaining portionhas a first free end, the second retaining portionhas a second free end, when each of the first free endand the second free endbears a force applied thereon being larger than the force they can bear, they would be deformed in the radial direction, and when the external force is removed, the first free endand the second free endrestore.

In addition to the engaged portion, the knobfurther includes a protruding cylinder, two protrusions,(shown in) and a spiral track. The protruding cylinderis protruded toward the locking unit, the two protrusions,are positioned at the protruding cylinderand are corresponding to each other, the protruding cylinderand the protrusions,are protruded into the communicated holewhen assembling, such that when the locking unitis at the first position, the protrusionis abutted against the first retaining portion, and the protrusionis abutted against the second retaining portion. The spiral trackis disposed at an inner wall (not labeled) of the knobfor coupling to the guiding portions, the engaged portionis also disposed at the inner wall, and has a groove structure corresponding to the mounted portion.

Please refer to, whereinshow illustrations of a lace coupling process for the laceof the fastening deviceof. When assembling the fastening device, the spoolcan be disposed inside the casefirst, and after the knobis assembled with the locking unit, the knobcan be covered on the case, finally a force can be applied to engage the engaged portionof the knobwith the mounted portionof the case, such that assembly of the fastening devicecan be completed.

When the laceis going to be coupled to the spool, as shown in, the second end (not labeled) of the lacecan be passed through one of the side holes, the second opening, the second knotting holeand the second through hole, such that the second end is exposed from the lower opening. As shown in, a user (not shown) can tie the second end into a knotand a tail (not labeled), and as shown in, the lacecan be pulled from the second openingby the user, such that the knotcan be moved into the second knotting holeso as to be limited in the second knotting hole, the tail is left in the second through hole, and will not be exposed from the lower opening.

Similarly, the first end of the lace(which is opposite to the second end) can be passed through the other one of the side holes, the first opening, the first knotting holeand the first through holesuch that the first end is exposed from the lower opening, the user can tie the first end into another knot and another tail (not shown), then the knot can be limited in the first knotting hole, and the tail can be left in the first through hole.

Please refer toand, and also refer totogether, whereinshows one cross-sectional view of the fastening deviceoftaken along Line-, andshows another cross-sectional view of the fastening deviceoftaken along Line-.

As shown in, the guiding portions(shown in) can be limitedly moved along the spiral track(shown in), that is, when the knobis rotated relative to the locking unit, the guiding portionsare moved along the spiral track, such that the locking unitis lifted or lowered relative to the knob. As shown in, when the locking unitis at the first position, the pawl arms(shown in) are coordinated with the inner teeth(shown in), and the engaged teeth(shown in) are engaged with the engaging teeth(shown in), the pawl armsare disengaged with the inner teethin the tightening direction A(shown in) while engaged with the inner teethin the loosening direction A(shown in) owing to the structure thereof; as a result, when the knobis rotated toward the tightening direction Ato drive the locking unit, the spoollinked up therewith can retract the lace, when the knobis stopped, the pawl armsare engaged with the inner teethto prohibit the spoolfrom rotating toward the loosening direction A, and a securing purpose can be achieved.

As shown in, the locking unitis at the second position when the knobis rotated toward the loosening direction Ato move the guiding portions, since the pawl armsare not engaged with the inner teeth, the spoolcan free rotate toward the loosening direction A, hence, the lacecan be pulled out to achieve a releasing purpose. In the 1st embodiment, the engaged teethare disengaged with the engaging teethto allow the locking unitto be disengaged with the spoolwhen the locking unitis at the second position, but in other embodiments, the engaged teethand the engaging teethcan be engaged at the second position, while the pawl armsare disengaged with the inner teeth, or the pawl armsare engaged with the inner teethat the second position, while the engaged teethare disengaged with the engaging teeth, and will not be limited thereto.

Please refer toand, whereinshows one cross-sectional view of the fastening deviceoftaken along Line-, andshows another cross-sectional view of the fastening deviceoftaken along Line-.

As shown in, the locking unitis at the first position, the protrusionis abutted against the first retaining portionand the stopping portion, the protrusionis abutted against the second retaining portionand the stopping portion, thus the knob(shown in) is engaged with the locking unit, and when the knobis rotated toward the tightening direction A, the protrusionpresses the stopping portion, the protrusionpresses the stopping portion, such that the locking unitis driven to rotate. On the other hand, when the knobis stopped, owning to the configuration of the first retaining portionand the second retaining portion, the protrusionand the protrusioncan be abutted for maintaining the relative position of the knoband the locking unit, such that it is favorable for preventing the position of the knoband the locking unitfrom being moved by the external force (which is a vibrating force in the environment during using, not the force applied by the user) to lead the laceto be released.

When the knobis rotated toward the loosening direction A, because of the engagement between the pawl armsand the inner teeth, the locking unitcannot be rotated, thus the protrusionpresses the first free endof the first retaining portionwhen forced, the protrusionpresses the second free endof the second retaining portionwhen forced, the first free endand the second free endare deformed to move along the radial direction because they can no bear the force, and as shown in, when the knobis rotated relative to the locking unit, the protrusionis abutted against the stopping portionand the protrusionis abutted against the stopping portion, the first free endand the second free endrestore after the force eliminated. Hence, when the knobis rotated relative to the locking unit, the guiding portionsare moved along the spiral track, and the locking unitis driven to change from the first position to the second position.

In addition, if the knobis rotated toward the tightening direction Aagain, the protrusionwill touch the first free endfirst and then press the first free end, the protrusionwill tough the second free endfirst and then press the second free end, because the locking unitis lowered to a position between the first position and the second position, the pawl armsare engaged with the inner teeth, and before the pawl armsare disengaged with the inner teethin the tightening direction A, the pawl armsmust be deformed in the radial direction. The first free endand the second free endhave to be deformed along the radial direction to allow the locking unitto be switched to the first position in the configuration.

In other embodiments, the structures of the first retaining portion and the second retaining portion can be changed, the retaining portion can couple to the knob, or coupled to the case, only when it has a capability to maintain the relative position of the knob and the locking unit to prohibit the locking unit from being lifted or lowered under a certain force, and the number of the retaining portion and the number of the mounted portion are no limited.

Please refer to,and, whereinshows a three dimensional schematic view of a fastening deviceaccording to a 2nd embodiment of the present disclosure,shows one exploded view of the fastening deviceof, andshows another exploded view of the fastening deviceof.

The fastening deviceis for loosening and tightening a lace (not shown) and is composed of a case, a spool, a knoband a locking unit, the structures and operations of the case, the spool, the knoband the locking unitare similar to the structures of the case, the spool, the knoband the locking unitof, but the difference is, the relationships between the first opening, the second opening, the first knotting hole, the first through hole, the second knotting holeand the second through holeof the spoolbeing different from the relationships between the first opening, the second opening, the first knotting hole, the first through hole, the second knotting holeand the second through hole. Precisely, the lace of the 2nd embodiment is coupled to the spoolwith an angle of 60 degrees, and the lace of the 1st embodiment ofis couple to the spoolwith an angle of 180 degrees.

Additionally, in the 2nd embodiment, the casecan further include a basein addition to the housing, after coupling the lace to the spoolas shown in, the basecan coupled to the housing, serving as a protection function.

Please refer toand, whereinshows a three dimensional schematic view of a spoolof a fastening device according to a 3rd embodiment of the present disclosure, andshows a cross-sectional view of the spoolof. In the 3rd embodiment, the basic structure of the fastening device is similar to the structure of the fastening device, but the structure of the spoolis different, thus only the spoolis shown, while the other elements of the fastening device are omitted.

The spoolis disc-shaped, and includes a spool cylinder (not labeled) and a bottom (not labeled), the spool cylinder includes a first openingand a second opening, the bottom is for disposing the spool cylinder, and the bottom includes a first passing holeand a second passing hole, the first passing holeis communicated with the first opening, and the second openingis communicated with the second passing hole

A first end (not shown) of the lace can be passed through one of the side holes, the first openingand the first passing holeso as to be exposed from the lower opening of the case, the user can tie the first end exposed from the lower opening into a knot and a tail, and then the knot and the tail can be limited in the first passing hole; similarly, a second end of the lace can be passed through the other one of the side holes, the second openingand the second passing holeso as to be exposed from the lower opening of the case, the user can tie the second end exposed from the lower opening into another knot and another tail, and then the knot and the tail can be limited in the second passing hole

Please refer to, and also refer to, whereinshows a flow chart of a lace assembling methodaccording to a 4th embodiment of the present disclosure. The lace assembling methodincludes Stepand Step.

In Step, a fastening deviceis provided, as shown in, the fastening deviceis composed of the case, the spool, the knoband the locking unit, the caseincludes the housing, the housingincludes the mounted portion, the knobincludes the engaged portionfor engaging with the mounted portion, the spoolis disposed inside the housing, and the locking unitis coupled to the spooland the knob.

In Step, a lace coupling process is provided. As shown in, the first end of the laceand a second end of the laceare exposed from the caseafter passing through the caseand the spool, such that a user can knot the laceto allow the laceto be coupled to the spool. Precisely, in the lace coupling process, the first end of the laceis exposed from the lowering openingafter passing through one of the side holes, the first opening, the first knotting holeand the first through holeto allow being knotted by the user, the second end of the laceis exposed from the lowering openingafter passing through the other one of the side holes, the second opening, the second knotting holeand the second through holeto allow being knotted by the user, and the lacecan be coupled to the fastening device.

Please refer to,,and.shows one exploded view of a fastening deviceaccording to a 5th embodiment of the present disclosure,shows another exploded view of the fastening deviceof,shows a partial top view of the fastening deviceof, andshows a cross-sectional view of the fastening deviceoftaken along Line-. In, the knobis omitted, and the first biasing protrusionsand the second biasing protrusionsare shown in dashed lines. The fastening deviceincludes a case, a spool, a locking unitand a knob; precisely, the fastening deviceis composed of the case, the spool, the locking unitand the knob. The knobcan include a protruding column, first biasing protrusionsand second biasing protrusions. The locking unitincludes an engaging discand an inner gear. The inner gearis located within a central hole of the engaging discand includes an inserting holefor receiving the protruding column, and a plurality of outer teethfor engaging with a plurality of transmission teethof the engaging discand the engaging teethof the spool

The engaging discfurther includes three first pawl armsand three second pawl armsextended therefrom. Each of the first biasing protrusionsis configured to displace each of the first pawl armsin the first direction Ato allow the spoolto incrementally fasten the lace, and each of the second biasing protrusionsis configured to displace each of the second pawl armsin the second direction Ato allow the spoolto incrementally release the lace. The fastening device can also be configured such that rotating the knob in the first direction can release the lace while rotating the knob in the second direction can fasten the lace.

Please refer to.shows a cross-sectional view of a fastening deviceaccording to a 6th embodiment of the present disclosure. The fastening deviceincludes a case, a spool, a locking unit (not labeled) and a knob; precisely, the fastening deviceis composed of the case, the spool, the locking unit and the knob. The structure of the fastening deviceis similar to the structure of the fastening device. The locking unit can also include an engaging discand an inner gear, and the details will not be repeated.

Please refer to,and,shows one exploded view of a fastening deviceaccording to a 7th embodiment of the present disclosure,shows another exploded view of the fastening deviceof,shows a cross-sectional view of the fastening deviceof, and the baseis omitted infor clear illustration. The fastening deviceincludes a case, a spool, a locking unit, a knob, a ratchet ringand a spring

The caseincludes a baseand a housing. The housingincludes three tabs,andcorrespondent to the holes,and, respectively. The housingcan further include a continuous wall

The ratchet ringis disposed in the housing. The ratchet ringincludes a plurality of lower sloped teethcorresponding to the inner teethon the housing, a plurality of upper sloped groovesand a plurality of ratchet teeth. The locking unitincludes an engaging disc, an inner gearand three pawl armscorresponding to the ratchet teeth. The knobincludes a rotary coverand an inner plate. The inner plateis coupled to the rotary coverand is selectively engaged with the engaging disc. A springsurrounds the inner plateand is disposed above the ratchet ring

When the rotary coveris rotated in the tightening direction, the pawl armsis disengaged from the ratchet teethto allow the spoolto fasten the lace. On the contrary, when the rotary coveris not pressed and is rotated in the loosening direction, the inner gearis lifted by the inner plateto allow the spoolto freely rotate in the loosening direction, which can fully release the lace. Moreover, when the rotary coveris pressed and rotated in the loosening direction simultaneously, the upper sloped grooveis guided by the guiding blockon the rotary cover, and the ratchet ringis lifted to disengage from the inner teeth, which allows an incremental release of the lace

The spoolcan include a first opening, a second opening (not shown) and one sloped surface. The sloped surfacefaces the first openingand the second opening. The first end of the lacecan be inserted form one of the side holeof the housingand the first openingtoward the sloped surfaceto go into the inner region of the spool cylinder, and then can go out from the bottom openingof the spooland the lower openingon the housingto allow a user to tie the lace. The second end of the laceis also coupled to the spoolby the same method but is inserted into the inner region from the other one of the side holeand the second opening of the spool

Please refer to,and,shows one exploded view of a fastening deviceaccording to an 8th embodiment of the present disclosure,shows another exploded view of the fastening deviceof, andshows a cross-sectional view of the fastening deviceof. The fastening deviceincludes a case, a spool, a knob, a ratchet ringand a spring

When the knobis rotated in the tightening direction, the ratchet ringis continually lifted to disengage from the inner teeth. When the knobis pressed and rotated in the loosening direction simultaneously, the lace can be incrementally released. Hence, it is clear that the ratchet ringfunctions as a locking unit which can stop or release the spool

Please refer to,and,shows one exploded view of a fastening deviceaccording to a 9th embodiment of the present disclosure,shows another exploded view of the fastening deviceof, andshows a cross-sectional view of the fastening deviceof. The fastening deviceincludes a case, a spool, a locking unit (not labeled), a knoband a ratchet ring

The locking unit includes an engaging discand an inner gearmovable within the engaging disc. The knobincludes a plurality of top teethand a screw postengaged with the screw holeof the inner gear. The ratchet ringincludes three first arms, three second armsand a plurality of ratchet teeth. The first armis correspondent to the inner teethon the housing, and the second armis correspondent to both the inner teethand the top teeth. The pawl armis selectively engaged with the ratchet teeth

When the knobis forced in the tightening direction, the second armis disengaged from the top teethto allow the knobto be rotated in the tightening direction such that the engaging discis driven by the knobto cause the pawl armsto disengage from the ratchet teeth