Patent ID: 6691767
Filing Date: 2004-02-17
Classification: B60K,F28F

Abstract:
In a heat exchanger having at least one side header tank with a length arrayed along a central longitudinal axis and which is intended to be attached to a vehicle body structure, an attachment system, comprising,a planar attachment flange on said header tank arrayed parallel to said longitudinal axis and substantially perpendicular to said tank and having a front face extending upwardly from said tank and an opposed back face, said attachment flange further having at least one open notch extending through said upper edge and at least one discrete indentation formed in one face and spaced away from said notch, and, a plastic attachment bracket having an outboard ear adapted to be joined to said vehicle body structure and an inboard pocket defined by a back wall slidably engageable with said attachment flange back face and a front wall slidably engageable with said attachment flange front face and abuttable with said tank, said pocket further including a cross beam closely insertable in said attachment flange notch, said bracket also having a resilient finger formed on one of said walls that extends into said pocket in a free state and which is registrable with said attachment flange indentation when said flange pocket front wall and tank are abutted, whereby said bracket may be fixed to said header tank by pushing said attachment flange into said pocket in a direction generally normal to said tank axis as said flange back and front faces slide along said pocket front and back walls respectively and said cross beam slides concurrently into said notch until said pocket front wall and tank abut, said resilient finger concurrently flexing out of its free state until registering with and entering said indentation, after which said bracket is prevented from pulling away said tank by the engagement of said resilient finger and indentation and is prevent from pushing farther toward said tank by the abutment of pocket front wall and tank, and is prevented from twisting relative to said tank by the engagement of said flange front and back faces with said pocket front and back walls respectively.