FIELD OF THE INVENTION

The present invention relates to a mounting and fastening component, and in particular to a connector for attaching a cable to a support structure.

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION

Various mounting and fastening components are known which are used for laying and mounting cables, for example, for attaching cables or lines to support structures. Generally, such a connector, for example, a connector disclosed in EP 2236885, comprises a fastening section which is to be fastened to a support structure, one or two side sections perpendicularly extending from the fastening section, a closure section which is bent relative to the fastening section or the side sections for closing the connector, and an engagement section for engaging the closure section when the connector is closed.

Under certain operating conditions, it is necessary to use connectors in combination, which are connected to each other by a simple means to form a double connector used in combination. In order to connect a connector to a further same connector in a back- to-back manner, as shown in Fig. 1 , the two connectors are arranged in an offset manner with their back sides adjacent to each other, so that in each case, a bayonet contour portion of one connector engages with an insertion groove of the further connector. The two connectors positioned in this way are moved with respect to each other in advancing directions, as indicated by the arrows in Fig. 1 , such that the two connectors are positively connected to each other without the need for any additional connection component.

However, it is necessary to insert the bayonet contour portion of the connector into the insertion groove of the further connector corresponding thereto to form an engagement. Therefore, it is necessary for the bayonet contour portion to protrude from a mounting surface of the connector, so that when the connector is used alone, the protruding bayonet contour portion thereof will come into contact with the surface of the support structure, that is to say, there is a gap between the mounting surface of the connector and the mounting surface of the support structure. When the connector is fixed to the support structure by means of screws or bolts, this gap may cause the connector to rotate or shift relative to the support structure, affecting the effects of mounting and fastening.

The connectors may be used alone or in combination depending on operating conditions, since the connectors have snap-fit structures required for combined use, when each connector is used alone, the presence of the snap-fit structure may cause the connector to be insecurely fastened when it is mounted to the support structure.

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION

In order to solve the above-mentioned technical problem, the present invention provides a connector for attaching a cable to a support structure, which has a snap-fit structure required for combined use and can also be securely connected to the support structure when used alone.

A connector for attaching a cable to a support structure, the connector comprising a fastening section configured to be fastened to the support structure, the fastening section comprising a mounting surface facing the support structure and substantially perpendicular to a fastening direction, the mounting surface being provided with a snap- fit structure protruding from the mounting surface, and a plane parallel to the mounting surface being formed by a highest point of the snap-fit structure protruding from the mounting surface, wherein the connector further comprises an adapter portion for receiving a fastening component, the fastening section comprises a notch for receiving the adapter portion, and the adapter portion is movable from an initial position to a mounting position within the notch in the fastening direction.

According to an embodiment of the present invention, the adapter portion comprises at least one through hole for the fastening component to pass through, and an attachment face which is substantially parallel to the mounting surface, wherein the attachment face does not protrude from the mounting surface in the fastening direction when in the initial position and is flush with the plane formed by the highest point of the snap-fit structure in the fastening direction when in the mounting position.

According to a preferred embodiment of the present invention, the adapter portion further comprises a stop portion, wherein the stop portion is provided on the side opposite to the attachment face, and radially outwardly extends from the through hole, at least partly beyond the notch.

The fastening component is a screw which passes through the through hole and is connected to the support structure by means of a fastening tool, and the adapter portion further comprises a receiving portion for receiving a nose portion of the fastening tool.

The adapter portion is connected to the notch by means of at least one flexible strip. Preferably, the at least one flexible strip has a predetermined breaking point for material weakening. Alternatively, the at least one flexible strip is designed as a thin film hinge.

According to another preferred embodiment of the present invention, there is a guide structure between the notch and the adapter portion.

According to still another embodiment of the present invention, the guide structure comprises a guide rib provided at the adapter portion, and a guide groove provided at the notch and used for receiving the guide rib.

Preferably, the notch is provided in the middle of the snap-fit structure.

The connector of the present invention, which has a snap-fit structure that can be matched with a further connector, further comprises an adapter portion that is movable from the initial position to the mounting position in the fastening direction, such that when the adapter portion is in the initial position, the connector of the present invention can be used in combination with the further connector, and when the adapter portion is in the mounting position, the connector of the present invention can be used alone, thereby securely and reliably attaching the cable to the support structure. The adapter portion comprises at least one through hole for the fastening component to pass through, and an attachment face which is substantially parallel to the mounting surface, wherein the attachment face does not protrude from the mounting surface in the fastening direction when in the initial position and is flush with the plane formed by the highest point of the snap-fit structure in the fastening direction when in the mounting position. In this way, when the connector is to be used in combination with the further connector, the engagement of the snap-fit structures is not interfered by the adapter portions. When the connector is used alone and directly connected to the support structure, the adapter portion is moved to the mounting position thereof, and the attachment face is flush with the plane where the highest point of the snap-fit structure is located and abuts against the support structure at the same time, thereby forming a secure and reliable connection.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

The present invention will be described in more detail by way of the following examples with reference to the accompanying drawings. The described embodiments are only possible configurations in which the individual features may however be implemented independently of each other or may be omitted.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE FIGURES:

Fig. 1 is a schematic view of connectors used in combination in the prior art;

Fig. 2 is a perspective view of a connector according to an embodiment of the present invention;

Fig. 3 is a front view of the connector shown in Fig. 2;

Fig. 4 is a front view of the connector shown in Fig. 2 in a state in which it is fastened to the support structure; and

Fig. 5 is a left view of the connector shown in Fig. 2.

EMBODIMENTS OF THE INVENTION

Figs. 2 to 5 show a connector 1 for attaching a cable (not shown), such as a line or an electrical cable, to a support structure (not shown), such as a wall, or a ceiling, or a steel beam. Preferably, the connector 1 is made of plastic.

The connector 1 comprises a fastening section 10 for mounting and fastening the connector 1 to the support structure in a fastening direction D by means of a fastening component. The connector 1 further comprises a middle section, a closure section and/or an engagement section that define a loop capable of receiving a cable together with the fastening section. The cable is inserted into the loop, and is thus securely held in the connector 1 and attached to the support structure by means of the connector 1 .

The fastening section 10 has a substantially flat shape, thereby defining an orientation plane in a space. The orientation plane of the fastening section 10 defines the fastening direction D perpendicular to the orientation plane of the fastening section 10. The fastening section 10 comprises a mounting surface 11 facing the support structure and substantially perpendicular to the fastening direction, that is to say, the mounting surface 11 is a plane of the orientation plane of the fastening section 10 that faces the support structure when the connector is mounted to the support structure. The mounting surface 11 is provided with a snap-fit structure 12 protruding from the mounting surface. The snap-fit structure 12 is used for mutual engagement with a snap-fit structure of a further connector, so that the two connectors form a back-to-back connection with the mounting surfaces.

According to a preferred embodiment of the present invention, the snap-fit structure 12 comprises two ribs provided in parallel and a positioning protrusion provided in the middle between the two ribs and on the opposite side to the two ribs. As shown in Figs. 1 and 5, each rib extends up to 1/2 of the width of the fastening section from the leftmost side of the mounting surface towards the centre as shown in the figures, and an insertion groove is correspondingly provided from the centre towards the rightmost side as shown in the figures. The shape and size of the rib are matched with those of the insertion groove. In this way, when the connector 1 is used in combination with the further connector (not shown), the ribs of the connector 1 are inserted into the insertion grooves of the further connector while the ribs of the further connector are inserted into the insertion grooves of the connector 1. The positioning protrusion, which, for example, may be a semi-circular protrusion outwardly protruding from the mounting surface, is provided between the two ribs, preferably at the rightmost side of the fastening section. Similarly, on the leftmost side of the fastening section, a positioning recess is provided opposite the positioning protrusion, and a positioning protrusion of the further connector can be engaged into the positioning recess. In this way, a three-point positioning is formed on the mounting surface, such that snap-fitting between the two connectors is very stable. It will be appreciated that the snap-fit structure of the present invention is not limited to only the structure including two ribs and a positioning protrusion, but includes other snap- fit structures enabling two connectors to be used in combination, for example, a combination of more parallel ribs or positioning projections. In addition, the arrangement of the snap-fit structure is not limited to the direction and the positions shown in the figures.

The snap-fit structure 12 protrudes from the mounting surface 11 in the fastening direction, and the highest point thereof protruding from the mounting surface 11 forms a plane A parallel to the mounting surface. For example, when the snap-fit structure 12 comprises two ribs and a positioning protrusion described above, the outermost side of the ribs and/or the apex of the semicircular positioning protrusion is the highest point of the snap-fit structure. Preferably, the outermost side of the ribs and the apex of the semicircular positioning protrusion have the same height, the height here means the distance from the outermost side of the ribs and the apex of the semicircular positioning protrusion have the same height to the mounting surface in the fastening direction. Thus, the highest point of the snap-fit structure 12 forms a plane A parallel to the mounting surface 11.

The fastening section 10 further comprises a notch 13 for receiving an adapter portion 20 (which will be described in detail below). Generally, the fastening section of the connector 1 in the prior art is fixedly connected to the support structure directly by means of a fastening component. Generally, the fastening section should have a through hole for the fastening component to pass through, etc. However, in the present invention, the fastening section is not fixedly connected to the support structure directly by means of the fastening component, but by means of an adapter portion. Therefore, it is necessary to provide the fastening section with a notch 13 for receiving the adapter portion, the shape and size of the notch 13 depending on those of the adapter portion. For example, when the adapter portion is in the shape of a cylinder, the notch 13 may be a through hole having an inner diameter slightly greater than the outer diameter of the cylinder. The connector 1 further comprises an adapter portion 20 for receiving the fastening component. The adapter portion 20 can move from an initial position to a mounting position within the notch 13 in the fastening direction such that the connector can be mounted and applied in different manners to provide a convenient and efficient cable attachment and fastening solution.

As shown in Figs. 2-5, the adapter portion 20 comprises at least one through hole 21 for the fastening component to pass through, and an attachment face 22 substantially parallel to the mounting surface. Preferably, the adapter portion further comprises a receiving portion 23 for receiving a nose portion of a fastening tool.

The fastening component is a screw, or a bolt, or a nail, or other fasteners. The shape and size of the through hole 21 should be adapted to the fastening component used herein. The through hole 21 is used for receiving the fastening component, and therefore, the axis of the through hole 21 should be parallel to the mounting direction D. When the fastening component is a bolt, it is suitable for a support structure having a pre-formed bore or threaded hole. In this case, the through hole 21 is preferably also a threaded hole, so that the bolt is screwed into the through hole 21 and the hole of the support structure, thereby fastening the connector to the support structure.

When the fastening component is a screw, it is necessary to usea fastening tool. The fastening tool may be a direct fastening tool which operates without the need for predrilling, such as an electric nailer or an electric screwdriver, for driving the screw into the support structure. A common fastening tool comprises a nose portion for installing a screw, and the adapter portion 20 thus has a receiving portion 23 for receiving the nose portion of the fastening tool in order to better match the fastening tool. The size of the receiving portion 23 is adapted to that of the nose portion. Therefore, the fastening section 10 is fitted onto the nose portion of the fastening tool such that the nose portion is received in the receiving portion 23 of the connector 1 . Next, the fastening tool is triggered to provide a fastening component (not shown) in the fastening direction D, which passes through the through hole 21 into the support structure and thus fastens the fastening section 10 to the support structure.

At the end of the through hole 21 , the adapter portion 20 has an attachment face 22 perpendicular to the fastening direction D. Since the adapter portion 20 is movable relative to the notch in the fastening direction D, as shown in Fig. 3, when the adapter portion 20 is in the initial position, the attachment face 22 of the adapter portion does not exceed the mounting surface 11 in the fastening direction. For example, as shown in Fig. 3, the attachment face 22 is on the right side of the mounting surface 11 with the fastening direction being from right to left. Such an arrangement provides an advantage in that when the connector 1 needs to be used in combination with the further connector, the engagement of the snap-fit structures is not affected by the attachment faces. Moreover, when the connector 1 is used alone and is directly connected to the support structure, the adapter portion 20 is subjected to a force exerted in the fastening direction. For example, the fastening tool installs the fastening component into the through hole 21 , and at this moment, the adapter portion 20 will be moved from an initial position to a mounting position. As shown in Fig. 4, the adapter portion 20 is moved to the left in the fastening direction until the attachment face 22 abuts against the support structure, and at this moment, the attachment face 22 is flush with the plane A where the outermost side of the snap-fit structure is located. In this way, the plane A formed by locating the highest point of the snap-fit structure as described above, the attachment face and the mounting surface of the support structure substantially coincide with one another, a reliable fixed connection is therefore formed between the connector and the support structure, and the connector does not rotate or vibrate relative to the support structure.

According to a preferred embodiment of the present invention, when the adapter portion 20 is a cylinder having a hollow through hole 21 , the bottom face of the cylinder facing the support structure is the attachment face 22. Of course, when the adapter portion 23 has other shapes, such as a square or oval shape, the attachment face 22 correspondingly has a corresponding shape. Alternatively, the attachment face 22 is not a continuous plane, but has discrete areas or points having the same height in the fastening direction.

Preferably, the adapter portion 20 further comprises a stop portion 24. The stop portion 24 is provided on the side opposite to the attachment face 22 and radially outwardly extends from the through hole 21 or the receiving portion 23, at least partially beyond the notch 13. Therefore, when the adapter portion 20 is moved from the initial position to the mounting position in the fastening direction, the stop portion 24, which radially extends beyond the area of the notch 13, will abut against the fastening section outside the notch 13 to prevent further movement of the adapter portion in the fastening direction, avoiding the possibility of the attachment face 22 exceeding the plane A formed by the highest point of the snap-fit structure in the fastening direction, and the stop portion 24 also ensures the fixed connection between the adapter portion 20 and the fastening section 10 after the fastening component is driven into the through hole 21 . Alternatively, the stop portion 24 may also be of another structure. For example, the stop portion is in the shape of a cone extending with an increasing diameter from the through hole 21 , the maximum diameter of the cone is greater than the diameter of the notch, such that when the stop portion is moved to the mounting position, the conical stop portion will be limited at the notch. The stop portion herein may also have other structures that can be retained by the notch.

According to another preferred embodiment of the present invention, the adapter portion 20 is connected to the notch 13 by means of at least one flexible strip 25. Preferably, the at least one flexible strip has a predetermined breaking point for material weakening. The adapter portion 20 is connected to the notch 13 by means of the flexible strip 25 such that the adapter portion 20 is movably connected to the notch 13. When the adapter portion 20 is subjected to a force, for example, when the fastening tool installs the fastening component, the flexible strip 25 is broken at its predetermined breaking point, so that the adapter portion can be moved from the initial position to the mounting position. Alternatively, the at least one flexible strip is designed as a thin film hinge such that the adapter portion can be moved between the initial position and the mounting position. Preferably, there are provided two, or three, or four flexible strips, which are uniformly or symmetrically arranged at the circumferential edge of the notch.

According to a further preferred embodiment of the present invention, a guide structure is further provided between the notch 13 and the adapter portion 20. Preferably, the guide structure comprises a guide groove 26 provided in an inner peripheral face of the notch, and a guide rib 27 provided on the outer peripheral face of the through hole of the adapter portion. The guide rib 27 is matched with the guide groove 26, and when the adapter portion 20 is moved within the notch in the fastening direction, the guide rib 27 enters the guide groove 26, such that the adapter portion 20 engages into the notch 13 and moves in the fastening direction without deviation. Preferably, there are provided two, or three, or four guide grooves 26, which are uniformly or symmetrically formed in the inner peripheral face of the notch. Similarly, the guide ribs 27 are correspondingly arranged on the outer peripheral face of the adapter portion. Alternatively, the adapter portion is a separate element, namely, the adapter portion 20 is separated from the notch 13 when the connector 1 has not been mounted for use. When the connector 1 is to be mounted for use, the adapter portion 20 is placed in the notch 13, and a fastening and mounting operation is then performed by using the fastening tool, the guide rib 27 of the adapter portion 20 cooperates with the guide groove of the notch 13, and the adapter portion 20 is moved from its initial position to the mounting position.

Preferably, the notch 13 is located in the middle of the snap-fit structure 12, such that the mounting position of the adapter portion is also located in the middle of the snap-fit structure, connecting stress points between the connector and the support structure are relatively centralized and balanced, and accordingly the fastening connection is more stable.

While the invention has been described with reference to its preferred embodiments, it will be understood by those skilled in the art that various changes may be made and equivalents may be substituted for components thereof without departing from the true spirit and scope of the present invention. In addition, many modifications may be made to adapt a particular situation or material to the teachings of the present invention without departing from the essential teachings of the present invention.