Panduit Corporation

Earl J DeBerry

John J Bulanda

Scott K Benedict

Bernard J O'Grady

David P Newman

James R Ward

Lawrence A Hillegonds

Michael Mayo

Christopher W Hipple

Bernard J O'GRADY

The present invention is directed to a metal locking tie and a metal locking tie tool. The metal locking tie has a tie body, a tie head secured to the tie body, and a roller means disposed in the tie head. The tie head has a bottom, a ceiling, opposing sides, a strap entrance end and a strap exit end that define a strap receiving passageway therethrough. The tie head also includes an angled tool bearing surface at the strap exit end. The metal locking tie tool includes a cutter cap with a cutter and a ball setter. Once the metal locking tie tool has tensioned the metal locking tie, the cutter moves linearly with respect to the cutter cap to set the roller means in the tie head and to provide a flush cut off of the excess tie body from the metal locking tie.

Retained tension metal locking tie and pneumatic hand tool

A buckle for fastening opposing ends of an object encircling strap is provided. The buckle includes a deformable retainer and a bridge. The deformable retainer defines an entrance passageway for a free end of the strap and includes a retainer tab, an opening adjacent the retainer tab, and a pair of strapping supports spaced apart from the opening. The bridge defines an exit passageway for the free end of the strap. The free end of the strap is positionable around an object and consecutively through the entrance passageway and the exit passageway. The free end of the strap is bendable over the bridge and between the strapping supports and the opening such that the free end of the strap curls when the retainer is deformed.

Buckle with strapping supports

The metal locking tie includes a tie body and a bi-level head. The tie body includes a first end and a second end. The first end of the tie body is secured to the bi-level head. The bi-level head includes a roof, a bottom wall, a primary head floor and a secondary head floor. The bi-level head also includes a locking ball positioned within the head. The primary head floor includes a locking displacement hole for receiving the locking ball. When the second end of the tie body is tensioned, the locking ball moves toward the locking displacement hole to secure the tie body in the bi-level head.

Metal locking tie

A cable tie is disclosed. The cable tie includes a strap with an extended tab and a locking head secured to the strap. The locking head has a top and a bottom. The bottom of the locking head includes at least one relief slot that enables the locking head to deform when the cable tie is installed around a bundle of objects. The bottom of the locking head also includes at least one tab that extends away from the locking head. The extended tab of the strap, the at least one front tab of the locking head and the at least one relief slot in the bottom of the deforming locking head enable the cable tie to provide a 360 degree seal around the bundle of objects.

Retained tension metal locking tie with 360 degree seal

A buckle achieves improved strap tensile strength by providing a bridge portion, about which a free end of a buckle strap is wrapped in tension, with an inwardly projecting concave surface to create a greater deformation of the strap under tension. The buckle also includes at least one strengthening cross rib on the bridge portion and a strap receiving inset with a concave shaped pocket to improve the strap tensile strength. Furthermore, the buckle includes a bendable retainer element with an inwardly directed clamping tab near its free moving end to retain a portion of the strap within the buckle.

Growing community of inventors

Joliet, IL, United States of America

Earl J DeBerry