Abstract:
A latching system includes a hub with one or more openings defined in the hub. Each opening includes a latching feature to which a fastener is releasably coupled. The latching feature may be configured to couple to only a single fastener provided from one side of the hub. Alternately, the latching feature may be configured to couple to two fasteners, one from each side of the hub, at the same time. The fastener includes prongs that are configured to be sufficiently separated from one another, when a removal tool is inserted between them, to facilitate the release of the fastener from the latching feature and the removal of the fastener from the opening. A flange may be held in place between the hub and a portion of the coupled fastener.

Description:
CROSS REFERENCE TO RELATED APPLICATIONS 
     This application claims the benefit under 35 U.S.C. §119(e) of U.S. Provisional Patent Application No. 61/722,944, entitled “Latch to the Core Fastener,” filed on Nov. 6, 2012, which is herein incorporated by reference in its entirety for all purposes. 
     This application is a continuation-in-part under 35 U.S.C. §120 of U.S. Non-Provisional patent application Ser. No. 13/432,479, entitled “Fastener,” filed on Mar. 28, 2012, which application claims the benefit under 35 U.S.C. §119(e) of U.S. Provisional Patent Application No. 61/468,461, entitled “Fastener,” filed on Mar. 28, 2011, each of which is herein incorporated by reference in its entirety for all purposes. 
    
    
     BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION 
     In many component manufacturing disciplines components are manufactured and used in a continuous strip rather than as loose pieces. To facilitate the handling of those continuous strips they are put onto reels. The reels consist of a center core or hub with a flange on both sides of the core or hub. These reels are typically assembled with the two flanges and central core or hub using bolts, screws, staples or glue. There are occasions where it would be advantageous to be able to advantageous to disassemble the reel for recycling or for reuse of the reel&#39;s flanges and/or core/hub or for conserving space when shipping empty reels. 
     What is needed, therefore, is a reel that can withstand the forces exerted on it during the manufacturing process as well as one that can be easily disassembled. 
     BRIEF SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION 
     In one embodiment of the present invention, a coupling system includes a hub having a first latch opening with a first latching feature disposed in the first latch opening and a first fastener disposed in the first latch opening and releasably coupled to the first latching feature. The first latching feature. The first latching feature in the first latch opening may be configured to couple with a single fastener from one side or to two fasteners inserted from opposite sides. 
     In another embodiment, a coupling system includes a hub having first and second latch openings with first and second latching features disposed, respectively, in the first and second latch openings. First and second fasteners are disposed, respectively, in the first and second latch openings and releasably coupled to the first and second latching features. The first fastener is positioned in the first latch opening from a first side of the hub and the second fastener is positioned in the second latch opening from a second side of the hub opposite the first side of the hub. 
     In yet another embodiment of the present invention, a coupling system includes a latch opening disposed in a hub with a first pair of latching features disposed in the latch opening. The first pair of latching features are arranged in a first virtual plane and a second pair of latching features are also disposed in the latch opening with the second pair of latching features arranged in a second virtual plane where the first and second virtual planes intersect. 
    
    
     
       BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE SEVERAL VIEWS OF THE DRAWINGS 
       Various aspects of at least one embodiment of the present invention are discussed below with reference to the accompanying figures. It will be appreciated that for simplicity and clarity of illustration, elements shown in the drawings have not necessarily been drawn accurately or to scale. For example, the dimensions of some of the elements may be exaggerated relative to other elements for clarity or several physical components may be included in one functional block or element. Further, where considered appropriate, reference numerals may be repeated among the drawings to indicate corresponding or analogous elements. For purposes of clarity, not every component may be labeled in every drawing. The figures are provided for the purposes of illustration and explanation and are not intended as a definition of the limits of the invention. In the figures: 
         FIG. 1  is an exploded view of an assembly in accordance with an embodiment of the present invention; 
         FIGS. 2A and 2B  are exploded views of an embodiment of the present invention; 
         FIGS. 3A and 3B  are exploded views of an embodiment of the present invention; 
         FIGS. 4A-4C  are perspective views of a fastener in accordance with an embodiment of the present invention; 
         FIGS. 5A-5C  are perspective and cutaway views of a fastener in an assembly in accordance with an embodiment of the present invention; 
         FIGS. 6A and 6B  are perspective and cutaway views of a core in accordance with an embodiment of the present invention; 
         FIGS. 7A and 7B  are alternate perspective and cutaway views of a core in accordance with an embodiment of the present invention; 
         FIG. 8  is a cutaway view of a fastener coupled to a core in accordance with an embodiment of the present invention; 
         FIGS. 9A and 9B  are a top-view and cross-sectional view of a latching feature in accordance with an embodiment of the present invention; 
         FIG. 10  is a cross-sectional view of two fasteners coupled to a latching feature; 
         FIG. 11  is a perspective of a removal tool inserted in a fastener in accordance with an embodiment of the present invention; 
         FIG. 12  is a cutaway view of the removal tool inserted in the fastener shown in  FIG. 11 ; 
         FIG. 13  is a cutaway, perspective view of a core with a transverse latching feature in accordance with an embodiment of the present invention; 
         FIG. 14  is a top view of the core shown in  FIG. 13 ; 
         FIG. 15  is a cross-sectional view of two fasteners coupled to the transverse latching feature of  FIG. 13 ; and 
         FIG. 16  is a top view of the core with oriented fasteners installed therein. 
     
    
    
     DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION 
     This application is related to U.S. Provisional Patent Application No. 61/722,944, entitled “Latch to the Core Fastener,” filed on Nov. 6, 2012, and to U.S. Non-Provisional patent application Ser. No. 14/432,479, entitled “Fastener,” filed on Mar. 28, 2012, and U.S. Provisional Patent Application No. 61/468,461, entitled “Fastener,” filed on Mar. 28, 2011, each of which is herein incorporated by reference in its entirety for all purposes. 
     In the following detailed description, numerous specific details are set forth in order to provide a thorough understanding of the embodiments of the present invention. It will be understood by those of ordinary skill in the art that these embodiments of the present invention may be practiced without some of these specific details. In other instances, well-known methods, procedures, components and structures may not have been described in detail so as not to obscure the embodiments of the present invention. 
     Prior to explaining at least one embodiment of the present invention in detail, it is to be understood that the invention is not limited in its application to the details of construction and the arrangement of the components set forth in the following description or illustrated in the drawings. The invention is capable of other embodiments or of being practiced or carried out in various ways. Also, it is to be understood that the phraseology and terminology employed herein are for the purpose of description and should not be regarded as limiting. 
     It is appreciated that certain features of the invention, which are, for clarity, described in the context of separate embodiments, may also be provided in combination in a single embodiment. Conversely, various features of the invention, which are, for brevity, described in the context of a single embodiment, may also be provided separately or in any suitable sub-combination. 
     In one embodiment of the present invention, a parts reel  100 , as shown in  FIG. 1 , includes a hub  104 , an upper flange  108   a  and a lower flange  108   b . It should be noted that the hub may also be referred to as a core and the terms “hub,” “core” and hub/core, and the like, as used in this specification, are interchangeable. The hub  104  and the flanges  108  may be made of a plastic or other suitable material. Further, the flanges may be made from stiff cardboard or other material. While the description in the present disclosure is with regard to the reel  100 , this is only for explanatory purposes and not meant to be limiting in the application of the embodiments of the present invention as described and claimed herein. 
     The hub  104  includes a latch opening  112  extending therethrough with at least one latching feature  115  disposed within the latch opening  112 . It should be noted, however, that in an alternate embodiment, the latch opening  112  need not extend all of the way through the hub  104 . The upper and lower flanges  108   a  and  108   b  include at least one fastener opening  120  that is designed and located to be oriented coaxially with the latch opening  112  in the hub  104  as shown in  FIG. 1 . In one example, two fasteners  124  are provided, respectively, in the fastener openings  120  of each of the upper and lower flanges  108   a  and  108   b  in order to couple with the latching feature  115  such that the upper and lower flanges  108   a ,  108   b  are provided, i.e., sandwiched, in place about the hub  104 . 
     It should be noted, however, that in some instances, the reel  100  may include only one of the flanges  108   a  and  108   b . Of course, there may be a plurality of latch openings  112  in the hub  104  with corresponding fastener openings  120  in the upper and lower flanges  108   a  and  108   b  to accept a corresponding fastener  124  in order to provide multiple points of connection. 
     Referring now to  FIGS. 2A and 2B , in one embodiment of the present invention, the latching feature  115  comprises latches  117  disposed within the latch opening  112  of the hub  104  to allow for insertion of two fasteners  124  in the opening  112 , i.e., a double-ended latch opening  112 -D. Each of the fasteners  124 , being inserted, respectively, from the upper flange  108   a  and the lower flange  108   b , couples with a portion of a respective latch  117  as shown in  FIG. 2B  in order to keep the upper and lower flanges  108   a  and  108   b  in a fixed relationship with the hub  104 . The structure of the cooperating parts of the fastener  124  and the latches  117  will be described in more detail below. 
     In another embodiment of the present invention, the latches  117  are provided within the latch opening  112  of the hub  104  to allow for insertion of one fastener  124  per latch opening  112 , i.e., a single-ended latch opening  112 -S. Thus, as shown in  FIG. 3A , only one fastener  124  is provided within the latch opening  112 -S to couple with a respective latch  117 . As a result, as shown in  FIG. 3B , twice as many single-ended latch openings  112 -S would be necessary in the hub  104  as compared to the number of double-ended latch openings  112 -D in a hub  104  as shown in  FIGS. 2A and 2B . 
     Advantageously, the single-ended latch opening  112 -S may be used for reels that require a hub  104  that is thinner than a certain amount, i.e., one where the fasteners  124  would otherwise interfere with each other and, therefore, would limit how thin the core can be. By placing a fastener  124  in one opening  112 -S from one side and a fastener  124  from the other side into a separate opening  112 -S, the hub  104  can be made with, for example, only half the thickness of what would be needed to have two fasteners  124  inserted into a double-ended opening  112 -D, i.e., one fastener  124  from each side. Of course, the thickness of the upper and/or lower flange  108   a ,  180   b , would have to be taken into consideration. 
     Referring now to  FIGS. 4A-4C , a fastener  124  includes a cap or rim  412 , connected to a hollow cylindrical body or base portion  402 . The cap  412  may be integral with the body  402  or a separate part that is attached to the body  402 . Two identical prongs or engaging structures  404   a ,  404   b  extend from the cylindrical body  402  and are in opposition to one another. An opening  406  runs through the cylindrical body  402  with a corresponding hole in the extension rim  412 . Each prong  404   a ,  404   b  includes teeth  408  disposed about a removal tool guide portion  409 . The fastener  124  may be made from a plastic or similar material that provides sufficient strength and deformation characteristics and that retains its flexibility. 
     As shown in  FIG. 4B , each prong  404   a ,  404   b , includes an inwardly slanted surface  430  that provides for a diameter that is less than a diameter of the hollow cylindrical body portion  402  (as represented by the dotted lines) of the fastener  124 . As will be discussed in more detail below, the slanted surfaces  430  provide the fastener  124  with the ability to be removed from an opening  112  in which the fastener  124  is placed with a close slide fit to the body portion  402 . 
     The cap  412  may include a cap index feature  420  such as the illustrated pointed portion in the cap  412 . The cap index portion  420  allows for discerning a visual and/or tactical orientation of the fastener  124  to aid in aligning the fastener  124  to the latching features  115  in the opening  112  in the hub/core. As will be described in more detail below, the fastener  124  aligns with the latch  117  in the opening  112 . To aid in alignment, the fastener  124  includes a surface to self-align the prongs if inserted with a slight misalignment. While it is not too difficult to pay attention to the orientation of the prongs  404   a ,  404   b  on the fastener  124  when inserting it, including the cap index portion  420  provides an easier and more efficient mechanism to do so. Thus, the cap index portion  420  allows an operator to more easily orient the fastener  124  without having to look at the prongs  404   a ,  404   b  before inserting it. As one of ordinary skill in the art knows, assembly time is part of the cost, so the cap index portion  420  can be used to reduce assembly time, errors and overall cost. 
     One of ordinary skill in the art will also understand that the cap index portion  420  implemented as a point on an otherwise round cap is just one example. It is considered that the cap index portion  420  could be a square tab, an arrow, a visual marking on the cap  412 , a notch, a hole and any other like marking or physical differentiation from the other part of the cap  412 . 
     Referring now to  FIG. 5A , in one embodiment of the present invention, the hub  104  is an open framework structure including a number of spokes with a plurality of single-ended latch openings  112 -S provided within the framework. Each latch opening  112 -S is a precision hole sized to provide a close slide fit to the hollow cylindrical body  402  of the fastener  124 . The open framework structure provides for a lightweight hub  104  as it requires less material as compared to a solid hub. As shown in  FIG. 5A , the hub  104  includes latches  117 , not shown, with the single-ended latch openings  112 -S arranged in pairs such that the fasteners  124  may be inserted from opposite sides in order to retain the upper and lower flanges  108   a  and  108   b , also not shown. The arrangements of the single-ended latch openings  112 -S in pairs is just one example and one of ordinary skill in the art would understand that the layout of the single-ended latch openings  112 -S is a design choice determined by the needs of the implementation. 
     It should be noted that the hub  104  could be made from a solid piece of material with the latch openings  112  provided therein. Generally, the hub  104  is the carrier for the latch openings  112  and the framework embodiment above is merely shown as one example. The hub material could be any material known to those of ordinary skill in the art. 
     Referring to  FIG. 5B , a close-up of the embodiment shown in  FIG. 5A , the coupling of the fasteners  124  to the respective latch  117  is presented. Further, the coupling of the fastener  124  to the latch  117  is shown in the cutaway view as presented in  FIG. 5C . 
     The latch  117  includes two portions disposed in a latch opening  112  of a hub  104 , as shown in  FIGS. 6A and 6B . Each of the spaced apart latches  117  is disposed on a latch opening wall  608  and extends into the latch opening  112 . Each of the latches  117  includes a pair of oppositely disposed latch flanges  604   a  and  604   b  that extend from a body  612  of the latch  117 . In one embodiment, the hub  104  is created by an injection molding process and, therefore, the latches  117  are integral with the hub  104 . Of course, there are other mechanisms for providing the latching features which is understood to one of ordinary skill in the art. 
     Further, each of the latches  117  includes a lead portion  616  as that is the end from which the fastener  124  will first come into contact with the latch  117 . Generally, each fastener  124  approaches along a direction identified by the large arrow E, as shown in  FIGS. 7A and 7B , which are perspective cutaway views of one of the latches  117  in accordance with an embodiment of the present invention. 
     Referring now to  FIG. 8 , when the fastener  124  is introduced into the latch opening  112 , the prongs  404   a ,  404   b  are guided along the lead portion  616  and along a ramp portion  605  of each of the latch flanges  604   a ,  604   b . The slanted surfaces  430  of the prongs  404   a ,  404   b , provide a space S from the wall of the opening  112  and, as the fastener  124  is made from a flexible material, the prongs  404   a  and  404   b  will spread apart by operation of the movement along the ramps  605  and, when pressed past the latch flanges  604   a  and  604   b , the corresponding teeth  408  will connect with the latch flanges  604   a ,  604   b  and the prongs  404   a  and  404   b  will snap back and the fastener  124  will be coupled to the latch  117 . The space S not only allows for insertion and connection of the fastener  124  into an opening  112  with almost the same diameter as the portion  402  but also allows for its removal, as discussed below. Advantageously, the slanted surfaces  430  allow for the prongs of the fastener  124  to be expanded without exceeding the diameter of the opening in which the fastener is placed, i.e., without exceeding the diameter of the body portion  402 . 
     The placement of the latches  117  to provide a double-ended latch opening  112 -D is shown in  FIGS. 9A ,  9 B and  10 . Here, the latches  117  are arranged to be releasably coupled to a respective fastener  124  inserted from each side of the opening  112 -D. The space B between the latches  117  allows for a removal tool to be used, as will be described below. One of ordinary skill in the art will understand that there are various forms that the latch  117  could take and the one shown is merely meant to be illustrative of the concepts of the invention. 
     Advantageously, the foregoing embodiments allow for using cores of any thickness with a single size fastener  124 . As described above, when the core  104  is below a certain thickness, the singled-ended openings  112 -S may be used as shown in  FIGS. 3A and 3B , for example. When a thicker core is being implemented, however, a longer fastener  124  is not needed as the latching feature  115 , for example, the latch  117 , need only be placed the correct distance from the outer surface for any core thickness. As mentioned above, the thickness of the flanges would also be taken into consideration for placement. 
     Referring now to  FIGS. 11 and 12 , in order to disengage a fastener  124  from a latching feature  115 , a removal tool  904  is pushed through the opening in the fastener  124 . As above, when in a connected position, the prongs  404   a ,  404   b  have a diameter between them that is less than the diameter of the opening, as represented by the dotted lines. A distal tool tip portion  908  of the removal tool  904 , when inserted through the hole in the extension rim  412  of the fastener  124 , will cause the prongs  404   a ,  404   b  to spread apart and disengage from the latching feature  115 . The space S is large enough to allow for the disengaging of the fastener  124  from the latching feature  115  and the fastener  124  can then be removed from the opening  112 . The tool tip portion  908  is curved and sized to slide along the portions of the prongs  404   a ,  404   b  and causes them to expand or widen from one another as shown in  FIG. 10 . As the prongs  404   a ,  404   b  widen, they disengage from the latching feature  115 . 
     In another embodiment of the present invention, a transverse latch arrangement  950 , as shown in  FIG. 13 , includes two pairs  954 ,  956  of latches  117  that are provided in the double-ended opening  112 -D in the core  104 . Each of the latches  117  in each pair  954 ,  956  of latches are aligned in a respective virtual plane  958 ,  960 . The pairs  954 ,  956  of latches  117  are transverse, i.e., substantially perpendicular, to each other in that the respective virtual planes  958 ,  960  are perpendicular to one another. It should be noted that the virtual planes  958 ,  960  are only used to aid in describing embodiments of the present invention and do not represent structural features. Advantageously, the transverse latch arrangement  950  allows for using a fastener  124  from each side of the core  104  and in the same opening  112 -D. Further, this transverse latch arrangement  950  can be molded into the opening  112 -D of the core  104  in a straightforward manner. 
     The transverse aspect of the arrangement  950  can be seen in  FIG. 14 , which is a view down through the opening  112 -D along the arrow F in  FIG. 13 . As can be seen, a space  954  created by the latches  117  can be used to receive the removal tool  904  and operate as has been described above. 
     The connection of the fasteners  124  to the transverse latch  950 , as shown in  FIG. 15 , is similar to that which has been described above. Generally, a properly sized fastener  124  is inserted from each side of the core  104  to couple with a respective pair of latches  117 . Operation of the removal tool  904  is also, therefore, the same. 
     As shown in  FIG. 16 , the orientations of the latches  117  in the latch opening  112  in the hub  104  may be standardized such that, for example, the cap index portion  420  of an inserted fastener  124  is always oriented toward the center of the hub  104  in order to engage with the latch. Of course, as the fastener  124  is symmetrical, i.e., there are two orientations that will couple to the latch, the cap index portion  420  would have two directions in which it could point, in this case, toward or away from the hub. Thus, as shown in  FIG. 16 , the core  104  includes a plurality of latch openings  112 -D with, for example, latches  117  oriented such that the cap index portion  420  of the fastener  124  points either towards or away from a center of the core  104  along a radius R. One of ordinary skill in the art will understand that the latches  117  or the two pairs  954 ,  956  of latches  117  could each be oriented in a similar manner to provide the same results. Thus, any one of two directions for the orientation of the cap index portion  420  could be chosen and the example given is meant only for explanation. Advantageously, having two orientations for the cap index portion  420  provides opportunities for more efficient assembly as the fastener  124  could be inserted by feel without needing to look to correctly orient it. 
     The combination of a precision opening in the core that allows for a close slide fit of the fastener, as different from a “press-fit” which generally requires some resistance to insertion. The close fit of the cylindrical portions of the fasteners to the matching cylindrical opening in the hub/core and holes in the hub/core provides a robust reel assembly. Specifically, the connection of the fastener  124  within the opening  112  by operation of the close slide fit into the opening of the core/hub, and close fit holes for the fasteners in the flange, prevents the flange from having excessive freedom of movement in any direction of the plane of the flange. 
     Having thus described several features of at least one embodiment of the present invention, it is to be appreciated that various alterations, modifications, and improvements will readily occur to those skilled in the art. Such alterations, modifications, and improvements are intended to be part of this disclosure and are intended to be within the scope of the invention. Accordingly, the foregoing description and drawings are by way of example only, and the scope of the invention should be determined from proper construction of the appended claims, and their equivalents.