Abstract:
A ringpost is disclosed. The ringpost includes an outer member and an inner member secured within the outer member. The outer member has a rib along an interior surface, and the inner member has a groove along an exterior surface that receives the rib. The outer member rotates about the inner member after the inner member is secured within the outer member. A ringpost assembly is also disclosed.

Description:
CROSS-REFERENCE TO RELATED APPLICATIONS  
       [0001]    This application claims priority to U.S. Provisional Application Serial No. 60/449,238, filed on Feb. 21, 2003, the entirety of which is hereby incorporated by reference. 
     
    
     
       BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION  
         [0002]    The present invention is directed to a ringpost assembly and, more particularly, a ringpost assembly comprising a plurality of two-piece, stackable ringposts, each having a free-spinning hub.  
           [0003]    Ringposts have been utilized for wire bundle management in aircraft, marine, automotive and other electronic products. For example, Nylon Molding Corporation&#39;s RP series ringposts provide one to six levels of wiring on one rack or support structure, and can accommodate bundles up to 1¼ inch in diameter. The RP1700 ringpost comprises a single ringpost without a screw. The RP1703 and RP1704 ringposts comprise a standard size hex head screw insert molded into a single and double ringpost, respectively, along with a steel socket which is also insert molded. However, none of the prior ringposts, including the Nylon Molding Corporation ringposts, allow a hub to freely rotate about a fastener after the ringpost has been torqued down into a mounting structure. Moreover, none of the prior ringposts provide for self-alignment when multiple ringposts are vertically stacked.  
         SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION  
         [0004]    It would be desirable to provide a ringpost having a fastener snap-fitted within a hub, while still allowing the hub to rotate freely about the fastener after the ringpost has been torqued down into a mounting structure.  
           [0005]    It would also be desirable to provide a plurality of stackable ringposts that vertically self-align.  
           [0006]    A ringpost is disclosed. The ringpost includes an outer member and an inner member secured within the outer member. The outer member has a rib along an interior surface, and the inner member has a groove along an exterior surface that receives the rib. The outer member rotates about the inner member after the inner member is secured within the outer member.  
           [0007]    Preferably, the outer member is a hub and the inner member is a threaded fastener. The fastener is snap-fitted within the hub.  
           [0008]    Preferably, the inner member has a shoulder extending beyond a bottom end of the outer member when the inner member is secured within the outer member.  
           [0009]    Preferably, the outer member has a plurality of rungs equidistantly spaced thereabout.  
           [0010]    Preferably, the outer member has four notches adjacent a first end thereof, and four fingers adjacent a second end thereof. The fingers are vertically aligned with the notches.  
           [0011]    Preferably, a sleeve circumscribes the notches.  
           [0012]    A ringpost assembly is also disclosed. The ringpost assembly includes a first ringpost and a second ringpost secured to the first ringpost. The first ringpost has a first outer member and a first inner member secured therein. The first outer member has a plurality of notches adjacent a first end thereof. The second ringpost has a second outer member and a second inner member secured therein. The second outer member has a plurality of fingers adjacent a first end thereof. The first ringpost notches receive the second ringpost fingers to self-align the first ringpost and the second ringpost.  
           [0013]    Preferably, a third ringpost is secured to the second ringpost. 
       
    
    
     BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF FIGURES  
       [0014]    [0014]FIG. 1 is a top front perspective view of a ringpost assembly of the present invention, shown having two cable ties for securing various size wire bundles therein;  
         [0015]    [0015]FIG. 2 is a side elevational view of the ringpost assembly of FIG. 1;  
         [0016]    [0016]FIG. 3 is a top front perspective view of the first ringpost utilized in the ringpost assembly of FIG. 1;  
         [0017]    [0017]FIG. 4 is a bottom front perspective view of the first ringpost utilized in the ringpost assembly of FIG. 1;  
         [0018]    [0018]FIG. 5 is an exploded top perspective view of the ringpost of FIG. 3, shown positioned above a first ringpost secured to a mounting structure;  
         [0019]    [0019]FIG. 6 is a top view of the ringpost of FIG. 3;  
         [0020]    [0020]FIG. 7 is a cross-sectional view taken along lines  7 - 7  of FIG. 5;  
         [0021]    [0021]FIG. 8 is a partial cross-sectional view taken along lines  8 - 8  of FIG. 1;  
         [0022]    [0022]FIG. 9 is an enlarged view of a section of FIG. 5, showing the second ringpost aligned with the first ringpost;  
         [0023]    [0023]FIG. 10 is a cross-sectional view taken along lines  10 - 10  of FIG. 9;  
         [0024]    [0024]FIG. 11 is an enlarged view of a section of FIG. 5, showing the second ringpost before it is aligned with the first ringpost;  
         [0025]    [0025]FIG. 12 is a cross-sectional view taken along lines  12 - 12  of FIG. 11;  
         [0026]    [0026]FIG. 13 is a cross-sectional view taken along lines  13 - 13  of FIG. 6;  
         [0027]    [0027]FIG. 14 is a cross-sectional view taken along lines  14 - 14  of FIG. 6;  
         [0028]    [0028]FIG. 15 is an enlarged view of a section of FIG. 14;  
         [0029]    [0029]FIG. 16 is a top front perspective view of a ringpost assembly according to a second embodiment of the present invention;  
         [0030]    [0030]FIG. 17 is a top front perspective view of the first ringpost utilized in the ringpost assembly of FIG. 16;  
         [0031]    [0031]FIG. 18 is a bottom front perspective view of the first ringpost utilized in the ringpost assembly of FIG. 16; and  
         [0032]    [0032]FIG. 19 is a cross-sectional view taken along lines  19 - 19  of FIG. 16. 
     
    
     DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS  
       [0033]    The illustrated embodiments of the invention are directed to a ringpost assembly comprising a plurality of two-piece, stackable ringposts, each having a free-spinning hub. FIGS. 1-15 are directed to a ringpost assembly  20 , and FIGS. 16-19 are directed to a ringpost assembly  120 .  
         [0034]    [0034]FIGS. 1 and 2 show a fully assembled ringpost assembly  20 . Ringpost assembly  20  includes a mounting structure  22  having a base  24 , a first ringpost  26 , a second ringpost  28 , a third ringpost  30 , a first cable tie  32 , a first wire bundle  34 , a second cable tie  36  and a second wire bundle  38 . Preferably, first ringpost  26 , second ringpost  28  and third ringpost  30  are substantially identical. Moreover, first cable tie  32  and second cable tie  36  are Panduit CONTOUR-TY® cable ties. It is likewise contemplated that ringpost assembly  20  may include any number of stackable ringposts.  
         [0035]    As best seen in FIG. 2, first cable tie  32  secures first wire bundle  34  to one rung of second ringpost  28 , and second cable tie  36  secures second wire bundle  38  to one rung of second ringpost  28  and one rung of third ringpost  30 . Preferably, when securing large wire bundles to ringpost assembly  20 , the cable tie should pass through one rung on each of two adjacent ringposts. Moreover, when securing small wire bundles to ringpost assembly  20 , the cable tie should only pass through one rung on one ringpost. Thus, as shown in FIGS. 1 and 2, first wire bundle  34  is an example of a small wire bundle, and second wire bundle  38  is an example of a large wire bundle. It is likewise contemplated that ringpost assembly  20  may include any number of cable ties and wire bundles.  
         [0036]    [0036]FIGS. 3 and 4 show first ringpost  26  prior to attachment to mounting structure  22 , and FIG. 5 shows first ringpost  26  after attachment to mounting structure  22 . First ringpost  26  includes a fastener  40  snap-fitted within a hub  42 . Preferably, fastener  40  is a threaded fastener made of titanium, and hub  42  is made of plastic. The titanium fastener  40  is lighter than a fastener having a steel socket and a titanium stud and, thus, provides a weight advantage over existing ringposts. Similarly, each of second ringpost  28  and third ringpost  30  includes a fastener snap-fitted within a hub.  
         [0037]    As shown in FIGS. 5-8, hub  42  includes four notches  44 , four rungs  46 , a rib  48  and four fingers  50 . Hub  42  has a helical geometry  43  between notches  44  to facilitate self-alignment of second ringpost  28  to first ringpost  26 , as shown in FIG. 5. Hub  42  also has a helical geometry  49  between fingers  50 , as shown in FIG. 4. Notches  44  and fingers  50  are separated from each other with helical geometry  43  and  49 , respectively, and the pitch of helical geometry  43 , 49  is greater than the pitch of the threads on fastener  40 . The mating helixes ensure engagement and alignment of the notches and fingers and, thus, automatically align the rungs of the stacked ringposts.  
         [0038]    As best seen in FIG. 12, notches  44  are vertically centered within rungs  46 , which allows a cable tie to shield the wire bundles from notches  44 . Moreover, hub  42  includes a sleeve  51  positioned around notches  44  to prevent exposing any sharp edges at the top side of hub  42 , as best seen in FIG. 3. Although hub  42  is shown in FIG. 6 having four rungs  46 , it is likewise contemplated that hub  42  may have any number of rungs  46 .  
         [0039]    As best seen in FIG. 7, fastener  40  has a head  52  which retains hub  42 , and head  52  has a hex pocket  54  for receiving an alien head tool (not shown) utilized to tighten first ringpost  26  to mounting structure  22 . Head  52  is positioned below sleeve  51 . An aperture  56  runs down the primary axis of fastener  40 , and fastener  40  has internal threads  58  to facilitate engagement with a stud  60  of a fastener  62  protruding from second ringpost  28 , as shown in FIG. 7.  
         [0040]    As best seen in FIGS. 13-15, rib  48  is molded into the inside diameter of hub  42 , and fastener  40  has a groove  64  for capturing rib  48 . Shoulder  66  of fastener  40  may extend just below the bottom of hub  42 , as best seen in FIG. 14, so as to allow rotation of hub  42  after fastener  40  is torqued down to mounting structure  22 . Alternatively, shoulder  66  may be even with the bottom of hub  42 , as best seen in FIG. 15, while still allowing rotation of hub  42  after fastener  40  is torqued down to mounting structure  22 .  
         [0041]    In operation, fastener  40  is snap-fitted within hub  42 . As shown in FIG. 8, first ringpost  26  is torqued down until it is secured within mounting structure  22 . After first ringpost  26  has been secured to mounting structure  22 , hub  42  is free-spinning about fastener  40 . Subsequently, as shown in FIGS. 11 and 12, second ringpost  28  is positioned above first ringpost  26 , and second ringpost  28  is threaded into first ringpost  26 , as best seen in FIGS. 9 and 10. The allen head tool is inserted into hex pocket  68  of second ringpost  28  and, as second ringpost  28  is torqued down, self-alignment fingers  70  of second ringpost  28  are received within notches  44  of first ringpost  26 , as shown in FIGS. 9 and 10. After second ringpost  28  has been secured to first ringpost  26 , hub  72  is free-spinning about fastener  62 .  
         [0042]    The notch and finger configuration allows hub  72  to spin about fastener  62  in either the clockwise or counterclockwise direction, while retaining self-alignment between first ringpost  26  and second ringpost  28 . Finally, as shown in FIGS. 1 and 2, third ringpost  30  is secured to second ringpost  28 . After third ringpost  30  is secured to second ringpost  28 , hub  74  is free-spinning about fastener  76 . Additional ringposts can be stacked on the assembly. Regardless of the number of stackable ringposts utilized, their respective rungs will self-align upon assembly, and remain free-spinning as a unit.  
         [0043]    The second embodiment of the present invention is illustrated in FIGS. 16-19. The ringpost assembly  120  is similar to ringpost assembly  20 , except that ringpost assembly  120  does not possess the self-alignment feature of ringpost assembly  20 . First ringpost  126  is dimensionally similar to Nylon Molding Corporation&#39;s RP series ringposts, thus allowing first ringpost  126  to be interchangeable with the RP series ringposts.  
         [0044]    [0044]FIG. 16 shows a partially assembled ringpost assembly  120 . Ringpost assembly  120  includes a mounting structure  122  having a base  124 , a first ringpost  126  and a second ringpost  128 . Preferably, first ringpost  126  and second ringpost  128  are substantially identical. It is likewise contemplated that ringpost assembly  120  may include any number of stackable ringposts.  
         [0045]    As best seen in FIG. 19, first ringpost  126  includes a fastener  140  snap-fitted within a hub  142 . Preferably, fastener  140  is a threaded fastener made of titanium, and hub  142  is made of plastic. The titanium fastener  140  is lighter than a fastener having a steel socket and a titanium stud and, thus, provides a weight advantage over existing ringposts. Similarly, second ringpost  128  includes a fastener  162  snap-fitted within a hub  172 .  
         [0046]    As shown in FIGS. 15-19, hub  142  includes four rungs  146  and a rib  148 . As best seen in FIG. 19, rib  148  is molded into the inside diameter of hub  142 , and fastener  140  has a groove  164  for capturing rib  148 . Although hub  142  is shown in FIGS. 16-18 having four rungs  146 , it is likewise contemplated that hub  142  may have any number of rungs  146 .  
         [0047]    As best seen in FIG. 16, fastener  140  has a head  152  which retains hub  142 , and head  152  has a hex pocket  154  for receiving an alien head tool (not shown) utilized to tighten first ringpost  126  to mounting structure  122 . As shown in FIG. 19, fastener  140  extends just beyond the top end of hub  142 , to ensure second ringpost  128  engages fastener  140  instead of hub  142 .  
         [0048]    In operation, fastener  140  is snap-fitted within hub  142 . As shown in FIG. 16, first ringpost  126  is torqued down until it is secured within mounting structure  122 . After first ringpost  126  has been secured to mounting structure  122 , hub  142  is free-spinning about fastener  140 . Subsequently, second ringpost  128  is secured to first ringpost  126 . The alien head tool is inserted into hex pocket  168  of second ringpost  128 , and second ringpost  128  is torqued down until the bottom end of fastener  162  contacts the top end of fastener  140 , as shown in FIG. 19. After second ringpost  128  has been secured to first ringpost  126 , hub  142  and hub  172  are independently free-spinning. The ease of rotation allows for simple operator alignment of the rungs. Additional ringposts can be stacked on the assembly.  
         [0049]    The disclosed invention provides a ringpost assembly comprising a plurality of two-piece, stackable ringposts, each having a free-spinning hub. It should be noted that the above-described and illustrated embodiments and preferred embodiments of the invention are not an exhaustive listing of the forms such a ringpost assembly in accordance with the invention might take; rather, they serve as exemplary and illustrative of embodiments of the invention as presently understood. By way of example, and without limitation, a ringpost assembly having more than three stackable ringposts is contemplated to be within the scope of the invention. Many other forms of the invention are believed to exist.