Abstract:
A one piece fastener capable of being secured to a substrate member and having an uncoupled position and a coupled position. The fastener includes an outer member defining a cavity and an inner member integrally formed with said outer member. The inner member is disposed in the cavity of the outer member wherein the outer member is moved along a longitudinal axis from an uncoupled position to a coupled position relative to said inner member. The inner member includes living hinges permitting the outer and inner members to move relative to one another. The fastener also includes at least one locking mechanism for locking the fastener in a coupled position. The outer member includes a head and recess for receiving a portion of the inner member in the coupled position and permitting the fastener to be released from the coupled position and reused.

Description:
BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION  
       [0001]     The present invention is directed to a fastener and more particularly to a fastener for mounting items, such as panels and electrical or fluid lines to a substrate member, such as a vehicle body or vehicle door.  
         [0002]     Manufacturers use a variety of one-piece fasteners to secure items, such as door panels to vehicle doors, or electrical lines to a vehicle body. One-piece fasteners are generally easy to manufacture through molding. Typically these one-piece fasteners are secured to the substrate member with a plurality of ribs that fold inward during insertion and then extend to lock behind the substrate member. A mounting member, such as a door panel, may be secured between the fastener and substrate member. One problem with these one-piece fasteners is that in order to remove the one-piece fastener so that the mounting member may be removed, the ribs on the fastener must be deformed. If the ribs are deformed, the one-piece fastener generally cannot be reused and must be replaced with a new fastener to secure the mounting member to the substrate member.  
         [0003]     To overcome some of the problems associated with one-piece fasteners, some manufactures use two-piece fasteners. Two-piece fasteners generally include an outer member and an inner member. To secure a mounting member to a substrate member, the two-piece fastener is inserted into aligned holes defined by the substrate member and the mounting member. With the outer member stationary relative to the substrate member and mounting member, the inner member is inserted along a longitudinal axis of the fastener to expand the outer member to a diameter larger than the substrate hole in the substrate member. More specifically, the outer member generally includes a pair of opposing arms that are expanded by the inner member. While two-piece fasteners are typically reusable, they are expensive to manufacture and time consuming to assemble as compared to one-piece fasteners. Two piece fasteners can also be very difficult to package and transport in that the inner member can fall out of the outer member during shipment. Another problem with two piece fasteners is that the fastener may be difficult to remove once secured to the substrate member because the outer member must be retracted toward the longitudinal axis before the fastener may be removed. Two-piece fasteners are also generally only adaptable to securing flat panels to the substrate member and not vehicle lines such as electric or fluid lines to a substrate member.  
         [0004]     Therefore, a fastener that is cost effective, easy to assemble, capable of being reused, and capable of securing a variety of objects having varying sizes and shapes to a substrate member is needed.  
       SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION  
       [0005]     The present invention overcomes the problems of a one piece fastener by providing for a one piece reusable fastener including a notch for easily releasing the fastener from a substrate. According to the present invention, there is provided a fastener capable of being secured to a substrate member and having an uncoupled position and a coupled position. The fastener includes an outer member defining a cavity and an inner member integrally formed with said outer member. The inner member is disposed in the cavity of the outer member wherein the outer member is moved along a longitudinal axis from an uncoupled position to a coupled position relative to said inner member. The inner member includes living hinges permitting the outer and inner members to move relative to one another. The fastener also includes at least one locking mechanism for locking the fastener in a coupled position. The outer member includes a head and recess for receiving a portion of the inner member in the coupled position and permitting the fastener to be released from the coupled position and reused.  
         [0006]     Further scope of applicability of the present invention will become apparent from the following detailed description, claims, and drawings. However, it should be understood that the detailed description and specific examples, while indicating preferred embodiments of the invention, are given by way of illustration only, since various changes and modifications within the spirit and scope of the invention will become apparent to those skilled in the art. 
     
    
     BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS  
       [0007]     The present invention will become more fully understood from the detailed description given here below, the appended claims, and the accompanying drawings in which:  
         [0008]      FIG. 1  is a perspective view of the fastener in an uncoupled position;  
         [0009]      FIG. 2  is a section view of the fastener in an uncoupled position;  
         [0010]      FIG. 3  is a section view of the fastener in a coupled position;  
         [0011]      FIG. 4  is a side elevational view, partially in section, of the fastener coupling a panel member to the substrate member; and  
         [0012]      FIG. 5  illustrates an alternative fastener embodiment for coupling a tubular member to the substrate member. 
     
    
     DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENT  
       [0013]     A fastener  10  constructed in accordance with the illustrated embodiment is shown in  FIGS. 1-2  in an uncoupled position and in a coupled position in  FIGS. 3-4 . The fastener  10  is configured to attach an item  84  to a substrate member  80  ( FIG. 4 ). The fastener  10  has a variety of applications and is particularly suited for attaching door panels or other panels to a portion of a vehicle body or vehicle interior, or to attach a tubular member, such as an electrical line, vacuum line, or fluid line to a portion of a vehicle member.  
         [0014]     The fastener  10  includes a longitudinal axis  12 , an outer member  20  and an inner member  40 . The outer member  20  is configured to move along the longitudinal axis relative to the inner member  40  and includes a sleeve head  22 , an insertion tip  28 , and an intermediate member  30 . The sleeve head  22  may be configured depending on the application, and in the illustrated embodiment includes a sleeve head recess  24 , a pry notch  25 , and a sleeve seat  26 . The sleeve seat  26  is configured to engage the substrate member  80  or the mounting member  84  in the coupled position and the sleeve head recess  24  is configured to receive a portion of the inner member  40  in the coupled position as hereinafter described. Although not needed to secure an item to the substrate member  80 , the pry notch  25  assists in the release of the outer member  20  from the coupled position by allowing opposing forces to be applied to the outer member  20  and inner member  40  so that the outer member  20  may be moved, when desired, from the coupled position to the uncoupled position along the longitudinal axis and relative to the inner member  40  and substrate member  80 .  
         [0015]     The intermediate member  30  extends between the sleeve head  22  with the insertion tip  28  and is formed of a flexible material so that as the fastener  10  is moved from the uncoupled position to the coupled position. In the coupled position, the intermediate member  30  is displaced to a size greater than the substrate hole  82  in the substrate member  80  to securely retain the fastener  10  to the substrate member  80 . In the illustrated embodiment, the intermediate member  30  includes a pair of opposing arms  32  that define a cavity  34  therebetween. The fastener  10  may include any number of arms. As discussed in greater detail below, the intermediate member  30  also includes lower projections  72  and upper projections  64  that engage the inner member  40  to displace the intermediate member  30  of the outer member  20  away from the longitudinal axis  12  as the outer member is moved from the uncoupled position to the coupled position.  
         [0016]     The fastener  10  is integrally molded as a one-piece fastener and uses living hinges to allow the arms  32  to be displaced laterally relative to the longitudinal axis  12  as the fastener  10  is moved from the uncoupled position to the coupled position and, if desired, back to the uncoupled position. The arms  32  include a first section  90  extending from the head  22  and a second section  92  extending from the insertion tip  28 . A first living hinge  74  is located between the first section  90  and second section  92 . A second living hinge  76  joins the second section  92  to the insertion tip  28 . The living hinges  74  and  76  work in conjunction to allow the outer member  20  to move relative to the inner member  40 . The first living hinge  74  allows the first and second sections  90  and  92  to articulate relative to each other while the second living hinge  76  allows the arms  32  to articulate relative to the inner member  40 . It should be appreciated that while the above described arm configuration is suitable for many applications, various modifications may be made to design the fastener for a particular application. For example, the length of the first and second sections  90 ,  92  may be varied to adjust the location of the first living hinge  74 . Further the arms  32  may also be configured to allow deflection of the first section  90  against the substrate hole  82  to more securely engage the substrate member  80 .  
         [0017]     The inner member  40  is formed integrally with the outer member  20  and extends from the insertion tip  28  toward the sleeve head  22  within the cavity  34 . The inner member  40  includes a cam  50 , pockets  48  and a shank  42 . The shank  42  includes a shank head  44  ( FIG. 1 ) configured to be received within the sleeve head recess  24  and an angled surface  54 . The shank head  44  includes a shank seat  46  that is approximately co-planar with the sleeve head seat  26  in the coupled position. The cam  50  and angled surface  54  operatively engage portions of the outer member  20  as the outer member is moved from the uncoupled position to the coupled position so that the arms  32  of the outer member  20  are displaced away from the longitudinal axis  12 . More specifically, the cam  50  on the inner member  40  operatively engages the lower projections  72  on the intermediate member  30  and the opposed angled surfaces  54  operatively engage the upper projections  64  on the intermediate member to displace the intermediate member  30  away from the longitudinal axis  12 .  
         [0018]     The fastener  10  further includes a locking mechanism  60  to releasably secure the fastener in the coupled position. The locking mechanism  60  includes a first locking mechanism  62  and a second locking mechanism  70 . The first locking mechanism  62  includes at least one upper projection  64  located on either the intermediate member  30  or shank  42 , and at least one upper recess  66  located on the other of the intermediate member and shank. In the illustrated embodiment, the upper projections  64  are located on the opposing arms  32  and the upper recesses  66  are located on the shank  42 , near the shank head  44 . As illustrated in  FIG. 3 , the angled surface  54  operatively engages the upper projections  64  of the first locking mechanism  62  to displace the outer member  20  from the longitudinal axis  12 . The location, size and shape of the first locking mechanism  62  and angled surface  54  may be configured to expand the outer member  20  to engage the inner surface  83  of the substrate hole  84 , to more securely retain the fastener  10  to the substrate member  80 . The second locking mechanism  70  works in conjunction with the cam  50  and lower projections  72 , as described below.  
         [0019]     The operation of the fastener  10  will now be described in greater detail. The size, shape and head style of the fastener  10  is selected based on, for example, the size and shape of substrate hole  82 , the shape of the item to be secured and the retention force needed. The size of the fastener  10  may vary so that the fastener, specifically the outer member  20 , engages or approximately engages the mounting hole  86  and substrate hole  82  as it is inserted. In the illustrated embodiment, the fastener  10  is configured to retain a mounting member  84  having a flat portion which the sleeve seat  26  and shank seat  46  engage ( FIG. 4 ). An alternative embodiment is illustrated in  FIG. 5  where the sleeve head  22  is configured to receive a tubular member such as a vehicle electrical line or vacuum line. The method of coupling the fastener  10  to the substrate member  80  will first be described in connection with securing a mounting member  84  to the substrate member  82 , as illustrated in  FIG. 4 .  
         [0020]     With the proper fastener  10  selected, the mounting hole  86  is aligned with the substrate hole  82 . The fastener  10 , in the uncoupled position, is inserted into the mounting hole  86  and substrate hole  82  until the shank seat  46  engages the mounting member  84 . With the shank seat  46  engaging the mounting member  84  and the sleeve head  22  spaced from the mounting member  84 , a force is applied to the sleeve head  22  along the longitudinal axis  12  and toward the substrate member  80  to move the fastener  10  from the uncoupled position ( FIGS. 1-2 ) to the coupled position ( FIGS. 3-4 ). The applied force causes the outer member  20  to move along the longitudinal axis  12  relative to the inner member  40 , as well as the substrate member  80  and to expand laterally away from the longitudinal axis. More specifically, as the outer member  20  moves along the longitudinal axis  12  from the uncoupled position to the coupled position, the intermediate member  30  moves relative to the inner member  40  and the substrate member  80 . The inner member  40  and substrate member  80  are generally stationary relative to each other as the fastener  10  is moved from the coupled position to the uncoupled position.  
         [0021]     As the outer member moves to the coupled position illustrated in  FIG. 3 , the outer member  20 , specifically the intermediate member  30 , is displaced laterally from the longitudinal axis  12 . While in the uncoupled position, the lower projections  72  rest in the pockets  48  on the shank  42 . As the outer member  20  moves to the coupled position, the lower projections  72  engage the cam  50  to force the intermediate member  30 , specifically the arms  32 , away from the longitudinal axis  12 . It should be appreciated that the lower projections  72  are also acting on cam  50  as a cam. More specifically, the upper cam surface  52  on the cam  50  forces the arms  32  laterally away from the longitudinal axis  12 . As the fastener  10  approaches the coupled position, the lower projections  72  pass the maximum cam diameter  51  and are displaced slightly inward toward the longitudinal axis  12  to act as the second locking mechanism  70 , thereby assisting in preventing the fastener from accidentally moving from the coupled position to the uncoupled position. During the movement to the coupled position, the upper projections  64  also engage the angled surface  54 . As the fastener approaches the coupled position, the upper projections  64 , are displaced in the upper recesses  66  creating the first looking mechanism. As the first and second locking mechanisms  62 ,  70  are locked, the shank head  44  is also disposed within the sleeve head recess  24  and the sleeve seat  26  and shank seat  46  are approximately coplanar with the sleeve seat  26  and the shank seat  46 , preferably though not necessarily, engaging the mounting member  84 .  
         [0022]     An alternative configuration and application for the fastener  10  is illustrated in  FIG. 5 , except that the fastener  10  is directly secured to the substrate member  80  without the mounting member  84 . Therefore, the mounting hole  86  does not need to be aligned with the substrate hole  82  and the sleeve seat  26  and shank seat  46  directly engage the substrate member  80 . A tubular member, such as an electric line or conduit may be coupled within the coupling member  36  on the sleeve head  22  before or after the fastener  10  is secured to the substrate member  80 . Of course, the embodiment illustrated in  FIG. 5  may both couple a mounting member  84  as well as a tubular member to a substrate member  80 .  
         [0023]     As indicated above, the fastener  10  of the present invention provides a secure connection in its coupled position while permitting selective uncoupling when desired. To uncouple the fastener  10  from the coupled position, the outer member  20  is displaced along the longitudinal axis  12  relative to the substrate member  80  and inner member  40  thereby displacing the outer member  20  laterally inward relative to the longitudinal axis to reach a width that allows removal of the fastener. If provided with a pry notch  25 , opposing forces are applied to the shank head  44  and sleeve head  22 , such as with a flat bladed screwdriver. The fastener  10  may also be moved from the coupled position to the uncoupled position by inserting a flat member between the mounting member  84 , or substrate member  80  and the sleeve head  22 , specifically the sleeve seat  26  to apply a force along the longitudinal axis  12  that forces the outer member to move relative to the substrate member and inner member  40  and thereby move from the coupled position.  
         [0024]     The one-piece fastener  10  is generally formed by molding, and is movable between a coupled position and an uncoupled position. In the illustrated embodiment, the fastener  10  is formed from a nylon material such as nylon 6-6 by plastic injection molding.  
         [0025]     The foregoing discussion discloses and describes an exemplary embodiment of the present invention. One skilled in the art will readily recognize from such discussion, and from the accompanying drawings and claims that various changes, modifications and variations can be made therein without departing from the true spirit and fair scope of the invention as defined by the following claims.