Measuring Instrument With a Holder

The present invention pertains to a measuring instrument with a holder for detachable fastening to pieces of clothing.

Such measuring instruments are carried, e.g., as compact, mobile gas-measuring instruments with warning function by individual persons on the body or on the clothing. Persons who are exposed to a gaseous hazard carry corresponding instruments in order to be optically and/or acoustically warned when a certain, preset gas concentration is exceeded.

Depending on the clothing and the activity of the user, the measuring instrument must offer the possibility of being able to be fastened to various pieces of clothing simply and securely, but detachably.

A nonpositive fastening with spring clamps is usually performed, wherein the holding force depends on the spring force, the surface finish and the shape of the holder as well as the nature of the pieces of clothing. Depending on the design embodiment of the holder, a relatively strong operating force is needed to open the holder. The spring force of the spring and its reliability of operation may lessen due to aging.

The object of the present invention is to propose a measuring instrument with an improved holder compared with the state of the art, which holder has no spring and can be operated in a simple and reliable manner.

This object is accomplished with a fabric attachment device having a housing and a plate including two pins rotatably connected to the housing. The plate includes a recess and defines a slide cutout. A slide element with guide element means slidably connects to the plate though the cutout. The slide element includes two pins held slidably displaceable in the housing between a maximum and minimum distance from the pins on the plate depending on a path of displacement of the slide element. The fabric attachment device is has strength and attachment characteristics to securely hold a measuring instrument with a holder for detachable fastening to pieces of clothing. One essential advantage of the present invention arises from the fact that the holder of the measuring instrument comprises only two components, which cooperate with one another such that the holder is opened for fastening/removal by a first slide position, while it is closed, i.e., fixed, in the second position.

The various features of novelty which characterize the invention are pointed out with particularity in the claims annexed to and forming a part of this disclosure. For a better understanding of the invention, its operating advantages and specific objects attained by its uses, reference is made to the accompanying drawings and descriptive matter in which preferred embodiments of the invention are illustrated.

In the drawings:

FIG. 1 is a view of a three-dimensional arrangement of the holder 1 in the opened state when viewed from the measuring instrument 7; and

FIG. 2 is a view of the holder according to FIG. 1 at the measuring instrument 7 in the closed state from the outside.

Referring to the drawings, FIG. 1 shows a holder 1 according to the present invention, which is rotatably fastened by means of the pins 2, 3 in the housing 6 (FIG. 2) of a measuring instrument 7 and is held movably by means of each of the pins 4, 5 in each guide 17 in the housing 6. The holder 1 comprises two partial elements, namely, a first partial element, comprising an, e.g., rectangular first plate 8 with a recess 9 and a cutout 10 determining the length of the path of displacement, as well as an, e.g., likewise rectangular, flat slide element or second plate 11 with a guide element 12, via which the slide element 11 is connected to the rectangular plate 8 by means of the cutout 10. The guide element 12 may be designed, e.g., in the form of two knobs extending over or through the cutout 10.

One essential advantage of the present invention is due to the fact that the holder 1 comprises only the two parts, which are preferably made of glass fiber-reinforced polyamide according to the injection molding process and that no spring with time-dependent functional properties is needed.

The holder 1 may be moved or rotated with respect to the housing 6 by a displacement (in the direction of the arrow in FIG. 2 which is shown substantially parallel to the plate 8 and slid element 11) of the slide element 11 by a maximum and a minimum distance between the pins 2, 3 of the rectangular plate 8 and the pins 4, 5 of the slide element 11.

The slide element 11 can thus be opened and closed almost without force, and a stable, dimensionally stable locking is achieved due to the circular or arc-shaped contouring of the partial elements and guide 17.

The holder 1 is shaped such that the slide element 11 is bent toward the housing 6 on the side facing away from the rectangular plate 8 and the reinforcement 15 of the rectangular plate 8 is on the shorter side facing away from the slide element 11 by a thickness approximately corresponding to that of the plate 8 in the direction of the housing 6. Due to the bent slide element 11 and the reinforcement 15, sufficiently strong clamping and friction is achieved even in the case of smooth and thin fabrics, and, on the other hand, sufficient space is left between the housing 6 and the holder 1, e.g., for a solid leather belt. A knob strip made of foam rubber, which is buttoned into cutouts 13, 14 of the plate 8, increases the frictional force on smooth fabrics and may be removed to fasten the measuring instrument 7 to thicker fabrics or belts. The holder 1 is pushed together in the closed state, and the slide element 11 with its pins 4, 5 in the slot-like guides 17 is pushed away maximally from the plate 8 in the housing 6 on both sides in the opened position, in which it can be folded down from the housing 6 by a maximum of about 1.0 to 1.5 cm.

The upper part of the slide element 11 now extends with a clearance at a spaced location from the beveled housing 6 and permits the holder 1 to be folded down correspondingly.

The shape of the slide element 11 and the shape of the housing 6, together with the material of the holder 1 form a biasing means which biases the holder 1 into its closed position when the slide element 11 is moved toward the plate 8. The design is such that the far end of the slide element 11 contacts the housing in the close position of the slide element to the plate 8 and force the plate 8 against the housing 6. The housing 6 and the far end of the slide element 6 are spaced from each other when the slide element 11 is extended and the plate 8 is in the closed position to allow rotation of the plate 6 away from the housing 8.

When the slide element 11 in FIG. 2 is moved in the upwards direction of FIG. 2, plate 8 can be pivoted away from the housing 6, rotating on pins 2 and 3. In this position, clothing fits between the plate 8 and housing 6. To fasten the clothing between the plate 8 and the housing 6, slide element 11 in FIG. 2 has to be moved in the downward direction.

While specific embodiments of the invention have been shown and described in detail to illustrate the application of the principles of the invention, it will be understood that the invention may be embodied otherwise without departing from such principles.