FORM 2
THE PATENTS ACT, 1970
(39 of 1970)
&
THE PATENTS RULES, 2003
COMPLETE SPECIFICATION
[See section 10, Rule 13]
RELEASABLE BALL-TYPE LOCK TIE;
RAYCHEM RPG PRIVATE LIMITED, A COMPANY INCORPORATED UNDER THE INDIAN COMPANIES ACT, 1956, WHOSE ADDRESS IS RPG HOUSE, 463, DR. ANNIE BESANT ROAD, WORLI, MUMBAI - 400030, MAHARASHTRA, INDIA
THE FOLLOWING SPECIFICATION
PARTICULARLY DESCRIBES THE INVENTION AND THE MANNER IN WHICH IT IS TO BE PERFORMED.

FIELD OF THE INVENTION:
The invention relates to a ball-type lock tie, more particularly to a releasable ball-type lock tie.
BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION:
Ball-type lock ties have become increasingly popular for a variety of bundling or holding applications. The conventional ball-type lock tie essentially comprises of an elongated strap, and a locking head disposed at one end of the strap, wherein the locking head has a chamber and a roller means disposed inside the chamber. The locking head receives and retains the elongated strap forming a closed loop and thereby bundling or holding one or more objects. However these ball-type locking ties are single-use devices and have to be destroyed to open the closed loop. In some applications when object may have to be re-bundled, the conventional tie will have to be destroyed and an entire new tie will have to be used. Further these ball-type locking ties are made of metal or plastic in some cases, and to destroy these ties a special tool may have to be retrieved.
In view of the above there lies a need in the art for an improved releasable ball-type lock tie addressing the above mentioned shortcoming.
SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION
Accordingly the present invention in one aspect provides a releasable ball-type lock tie for bundling a plurality of articles, the lock tie comprising: an elongated strap; a locking head disposed on one end of the strap, the locking head extending from an anterior end to a posterior end, the anterior end and posterior end have an opening for allowing a free end of the strap to

enter the locking head through the posterior end and exit through the anterior end, the locking head comprising a dome shaped chamber having a tapering cross-section and having a functional area and a non-functional area; a sphere disposed inside the chamber for locking the said strap, the sphere being capable of moving between a first position and a second position in the functional area of the chamber, the first position being a generally free position allowing the strap to pass through the locking head, and the second position being a generally locking position, restricting the movement of the strap; and an aperture provided within the nonfunctional area, near the functional area, the aperture providing access to the sphere by an external device to displace the sphere from the locking position to the free position whereby the strap is allowed to move out from the locking head and thereby releasing from the posterior end of the locking head.
BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS:
Reference will be made to embodiments of the invention, examples of which may be illustrated in the accompanying figures. These figures are intended to be illustrative, not limiting. Although the invention is generally described in the context of these embodiments, it should be understood that it is not intended to limit the scope of the invention to these particular embodiments.
Figure 1 shows a releasable ball-type lock tie in accordance with an embodiment of the invention.
Figure 2 shows a sphere of the lock tie in a first position in accordance with an embodiment of the invention.

Figure 3 shows the sphere of the lock tie in a second position in accordance with an embodiment of the invention.
Figure 4 shows an external device displacing the sphere of the lock tie in accordance with an embodiment of the invention.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION:
The present invention provides a bail-type lock tie for bundling together a plurality of elongated objects, the tie being releasable and/or reusable.
Figure.1 shows the ball-type lock tie 100 of the present invention to bundle one or more object together. As shown in the figure, the lock tie comprises an elongated strap 102, and a locking head 104.
The strap 102 extends from one end to the other, and has the locking 104 head disposed at one end. The other end of the strap 102 is free and passes through the locking head 104. In this regard, the locking head 104 has an anterior end 104a and a posterior end 104b. The anterior end 104a and posterior end 104b have an opening to allow the free end of the strap to enter the locking head 104 through the posterior end 104b and exit through the anterior end 104a.
The locking head 104 comprises a dome-shaped chamber 106, a sphere 108 and an aperture 110. The chamber 106 has a tapering cross-section. Further, the chamber 106 has a functional area X and a non-functional area Y. The height of functional area X is more than and equal to diameter of the sphere 108. The height of non-functional area Y is less than the diameter of the sphere 108. The chamber 106 is not completely enclosed and is adjacent with the anterior and posterior end of the locking head 104.
The sphere 108 is disposed inside the chamber 106, and is capable of moving between a first position (as shown in figure 2) and a second position (as shown in figure 3) in the functional area of the chamber 106. In an embodiment, the first position is a generally free position and the second position is a generally locking position. The sphere 108 in the first position allows the strap 102 to pass through the locking head 104. The sphere 108 in the

second position restricts the movement of the strap 102, thereby locking the strap 102 with the locking head 104.
According to the present invention, the aperture 110 is provided on the non-functional area of the sphere Y near the functional area X. The aperture 110 provides access to the sphere 108 by an external device 112 such as a pin as shown in figure 4. The external device 112 when inserted inside the chamber 106 through the aperture 110 displaces the sphere 108 from the locking position to the free position as shown in figure 4 whereby the strap is allowed to move out from the locking head and thereby releasing the strap 102 from the posterior end of the locking head 104. The aperture 110 is provided such that the external device 112 makes contact with the sphere 108 such that minimum effort is required to move the sphere 108. In this regard, the aperture is provided such that the external device 112 makes contact with the sphere at an angle "θ" with the surface of the locking head 104 as shown in the figure 4. Generally, the angle "θ" is between 20° to 30° from the surface of the locking head 104, and preferably at an angle of 25° from the surface. The aperture 110 has a dimension less than the width of the chamber 106, and the aperture 110 can be circular, triangular polygonal, etc.
Reference will now be made to figure 1 through figure 4 to illustrate working of the lock tie by way of an example." To bundle a plurality of objects such as rods, pipes, etc the elongated strap is wound around the objects and the free end of the strap is passed through and beyond the locking head to from a closed-loop and constrict the objects tightly. When the strap is inserted through the locking head, the sphere in the chamber is in the first position allowing the strap to pass, and as the strap passes through and beyond the chamber the sphere moves from the first position to the second position restricting the movement of the strap in either direction. These positions are relative to the tension caused by the objects on the strap when bundled. To release the strap the roller will have to be moved in to the first position, else the strap or the lock

tie will have to be destroyed as cited in the background art. The lock tie of the present invention overcomes this drawback by providing an aperture preferably in the non-functional area of the chamber such that the aperture allows an external device to contact with the sphere. The external device when introduced in the aperture moves the sphere from the second position to the first position thereby allowing the strap to be released. While releasing the strap, the external device remains inside the chamber so as to restrict movement of the sphere from the first position to the second position. Thus, the strap is released from the locking head without severing the strap or the locking head in any manner as the external device has to be moved/pushed relative to the chamber so as to push the sphere relative to the chamber.
The elongated strap, the locking means and the sphere are preferably made of metal including stainless steel, aluminum and the like but is not limited to the use of other material exhibiting strength and resistance to environmental degradation.
Advantageously the present invention provides a reusable ball-type tie by introducing an external device to move a sphere in a chamber of a lock tie through an aperture to release the tie. In this aspect, the present invention gets away from the tedious process of cutting and destroying the tie, and thereby providing a sustainable, cost-effective ball-type lock tie.
While the present invention has been described with respect to certain embodiments, it will be apparent to those skilled in the art that various changes and modification may be made without departing from the scope of the invention as defined in the following claims.

WE CLAIM:
1. A releasable ball-type lock tie for bundling a plurality of articles, the lock tie
comprising:
an elongated strap;
a locking head disposed on one end of the strap, the locking head extending from an anterior end to a posterior end, the anterior end and posterior end have an opening for allowing a free end of the strap to enter the locking head through the posterior end and exit through the anterior end, the locking head comprising:
a dome shaped chamber having a tapering cross-section and having a functional area and a non-functional area;
a sphere disposed inside the chamber for locking the said strap, the sphere being capable of moving between a first position and a second position in the functional area of the chamber, the first position being a generally free position allowing the strap to pass through the locking head, and the second position being a generally locking position, restricting the movement of the strap; and
an aperture provided within the non-functional area, the aperture providing access to the sphere by an external device to displace the sphere from the locking position to the free position whereby the strap is allowed to move out from the locking head and thereby releasing from the posterior end of the locking head.
2. The lock tie as claimed in claim 1, wherein the aperture is provided such that the
external device makes contact with the sphere at an angle of 25* such that minimum
effort is required to move the sphere.

3. The lock tie as claimed in claim 1, wherein height of the functional area is more than and equal to diameter of the sphere.
4. The lock tie as claimed in claim 1, wherein the height of the non-functional area is less than diameter of the sphere.
5. The lock tie as claimed in claim 1, wherein the aperture is provided within the nonfunctional area, close to the functional area.
6. The lock tie as claimed in claim 1, wherein the aperture has a dimension less than width of the chamber.
7. The lock tie as claimed in claim 1, wherein the lock tie is made of metal including stainless-steel, aluminium and the like.
8. The lock tie as claimed in claim 1 is reusable.