Nifco Inc.

Lion Office Products Corporation

Tatsuya Fujiwara

Kazumasa Kurihara

Hajime Taima

Kenji Ushirooka

A tube to be connected to a pipe is formed of a base portion, a wide portion and a narrow portion integrally molded together. The wide portion has an inner end extending to the base portion, and an opening formed at a side opposite to the inner end. An inner diameter of the wide portion is greater than that of the base portion. When the pipe is inserted, the base portion receives an insertion portion of the pipe, while the wide portion receives a projecting portion of the pipe therein. The narrow portion deformably projects inwardly from an inner circumference of the wide portion at a position away from the inner end. The narrower portion allows the projecting portion to pass therethrough in a pipe inserting direction by deformation thereof, and prevents the projecting portion from passing therethrough in a pipe removing direction opposite to the pipe inserting direction.

Tube connectable to pipe

In a binding assembly for binders for holding a number of sheets of paper detachably bound together, the clamping unit, which includes a pair of metallic clamping plates for holding the paper therebetween, is detachably latched to a holder base which is in turn permanently attached to the binding of a binder. The clamping unit is provided with a bar extending across a cutout provided in a lower edge of each clamping plate, and the bar latches onto a latching mechanism provided in the holder base. Either one of the clamping plates may be selectively latched onto or unlatched away from the holder base while the other clamping plate is kept hinged to the holder base. The latching mechanism includes a pair of latch members made of plastic material, and slidably retained by a metallic base plate of the holder base, and the load applied to the clamping unit is primarily supported by the metallic base plate for minimizing the load applied to the latch members. The load which tends to pull the clamping unit away from the holder base is supported by holding pieces which are lifted from the base plate, and bent over the latch members. The binding assembly is thus made highly simple in structure, and economical and easy to manufacture. By making the essential parts of the latching mechanism with plastic material, it is possible to ensure the accurate and reliable action of the latching mechanism.

Growing community of inventors

Kanagawa-ken, Japan

Tatsuya Fujiwara