Cable clip

A cable clip for retaining coaxial cables and the like against a mounting surface is provided which includes fastener retaining means for holding a fastening device in place prior to user installation. In one embodiment, the fastener retaining means includes a plurality of segmented arcuate-shaped wall portions which are tapered inwardly so as to resiliently grip the fastening device. In a second embodiment, the fastening retaining means includes a plurality of radially extending tabs disposed on the inner surface of a cylindrically-shaped fastener hole for frictional engagement with the fastener device with a retention fit.

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION 
1. Field of the Invention 
This invention relates generally to wire clamping clips and more 
particularly, it relates to an improved cable clip for retaining coaxial 
cables and the like against a mounting surface which includes fastener 
retainer means for holding a fastening device in place relative to the 
clip prior to installation. 
2. Description of the Prior Art 
As is generally well-known in the art, there are many types of clips for 
retaining wires, cables and the like against a mounting surface. 
Typically, such clips are used to hold an insulated electrical cable to a 
building structure such as a floor, wall or roof. The clip is generally 
installed by inserting a nail, screw or similar fastening device through a 
hole in the clip and then into the mounting surface. Further, it is known 
that the cables used are generally of different sizes in diameter which 
require different size clips. 
In order to improve the rapidity and the ease of installing the cable 
clips, it would be desirable to have the fastening device already retained 
in place in the clamping clip prior to user installation. In particular, 
this would facilitate the shipping and storage of the cable clips with the 
fasteners when not in use so as to prevent them from being lost. Also, it 
would be desirable to have a cable clip which is of a construction so as 
to accommodate different sizes of cables. 
A prior art search directed to the subject matter of this application in 
the U.S. Patent and Trademark Office revealed German Patent Nos. 1,077,284 
and 2,435,995, and the following U.S. Pat. Nos: 
2,570,957 
4,582,288 
2,681,196 
4,588,152 
3,430,903 
4,903,920 
3,951,367 
5,040,752 
4,127,250 
5,192,040 
In U.S. Pat. No. 2,570,957 to E. W. Lee issued on Oct. 9, 1951, there is 
disclosed a fastening device which includes an apron 28 which remote from 
its junction with a leg 20 which is equipped with a tapered tongue 30. 
When the apron 28 which is bent inwardly to lie adjacent the leg 20, the 
tongue 30 will enter the portion of the groove 16 which lies along the leg 
20 so as to engage the shank of the nail and hold the same in assembled 
position within the clip. 
In German Patent No. 2,435,995 published Feb. 12, 1976, there is disclosed 
a C-shaped portion 1 and a fixing lug portion 2. The lower part of the 
fixing lug portion includes a flexible tongue 7 having an oblique attitude 
so as to grip a screw 10 in the hole 9 and prevents it from being lost. 
In U.S. Pat. No. 3,951,367 to Anders Hagelberg issued on Apr. 20, 1976, 
there is taught a fastener which includes a portion 1 having an inner 
pleated surface (FIG. 1) so as to make possible the adaptation to 
different dimensions of a cable, tube or similar element. In another 
embodiment in FIGS. 7 and 8, there is shown a sheet metal clip which 
includes parts 35 and 36 connected together in a V-shaped arrangement for 
holding a screw 38. The threads of the screw are engageable with the edges 
of the stamped-out portions 37 formed on the parts 35 and 36. 
In U.S. Pat. No. 4,588,152 to William E. Ruehl et al. issued on May 13, 
1986, and assigned to the same assignee as the present invention, there is 
taught a wire clamping clip 10 comprised of a base member 12, a bushing 14 
and a hardened pin 16. The base member 12 is formed of a body 18 having a 
wire receiving recess 24 disposed between side walls 26 and 28. In order 
to accommodate slight variations in the diameter size of a cable, a rib 25 
is provided on the side wall 28 and a rib 27 is provided on the side wall 
26. As can best be seen from FIG. 5, the ribs 25 and 27 are tapered 
inwardly from adjacent the working surface 20 to the top of the 
bullet-shaped slot 34 so as to retain the cable C therein. However, as the 
cables of larger diameters are inserted into the recess 24, they tend to 
become more distorted so as to cause possible physical damage or 
destruction thereto. 
In U.S. Pat. No. 4,127,250 to Edwin G. Swick issued on Nov. 28, 1978, and 
assigned to the same assignee as in the present invention, there is 
disclosed a wire clamping device which includes a block member 12 having a 
pair of pins 34 preassembled therein and a recess 22 in its bottommost, 
workpiece engaging surface 16. Protrusions 24 form a restricted mouth 
region for the recess 22 so as to frictionally engage the wire. 
In U.S. Pat. No. 4,582,288 to William E. Ruehl issued on Apr. 15, 1986, and 
assigned to the same assignee as in the present invention, there is 
disclosed a wire routing clip assembly which includes a block member 12 
having a pair of cylindroconical bores 14 with each being adapted to 
receive a pointed pin 16 therethrough. Each pin has a frustroconical end 
with an included angle which is less than the included angle of the 
frustroconical portion of the cylindroconical bores. Around the open end 
of each bore, there is provided an impact absorbing ring 36. 
The remaining patents uncovered from the search but not specifically 
discussed are merely cited to show generally the state of the art and are 
directed to wire or cable clamping devices. 
None of the prior art uncovered in the search disclosed a cable clip for 
retaining coaxial cables against a mounting surface like that of the 
present invention which includes fastening retainer means for holding a 
fastening device in place relative to the clip prior to installation. This 
is accomplished in the present invention by the fastener retaining means 
which is formed of a plurality of segmented arcuate-shaped wall portions. 
Each of the wall portions is tapered inwardly so as to resiliently grip a 
fastener device. 
OBJECTS OF THE INVENTION 
Accordingly, it is a general object of the present invention to provide an 
improved cable clip for retaining coaxial cables and the like against a 
mounting surface which is relatively simple and economical to manufacture 
and assemble. 
It is an object of the present invention to provide an improved cable clip 
for retaining coaxial cables and the like against a mounting surface which 
includes fastener retainer means for holding a fastening device in place 
relative to the clip prior to installation. 
It is another object of the present invention to provide an improved cable 
clip for retaining coaxial cables and the like against a mounting surface 
which is of a construction so as to accommodate different sizes of cables. 
SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION 
In accordance with these aims and objectives, the present invention is 
concerned with the provision of a cable clip for retaining cables against 
a mounting surface which includes a housing member having an upper 
surface, and a lower surface disposed substantially parallel to the upper 
surface. A fastening hole extends between the upper surface and the lower 
surface. Fastener retaining means is formed within the fastener hole for 
retaining a fastener device in place prior to user installation. The 
fastener retaining means includes a plurality of segmented arcuate-shaped 
wall portions. Each of the wall portions is tapered inwardly towards the 
lower surface so as to resiliently grip the fastener device. 
In another embodiment of the present invention, the fastener retaining 
means is formed of a plurality of radially extending tabs disposed on the 
interior surface of a cylindrically-shaped fastener hole. The plurality of 
tabs are adapted to frictionally engage with the fastener device with a 
retention fit.

DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS 
Referring now in detail to the drawings, there is shown in FIGS. 1 through 
9 an improved cable clip 10 for retaining coaxial cables and the like 
against a mounting surface. The cable clip is comprised of a substantially 
rectangular-shaped housing member 12 which is formed of a plastic material 
such as polycarbonate by a conventional injection molding process. The 
housing member 12 has an upper surface 14 and a lower surface 16 which is 
parallel to the upper surface 14. The housing member also has a depth 
dimension 18 and a height dimension 20. 
The upper surface 14 of the housing member 12 includes a fastener hole 22 
for receiving a fastening device such as a screw 24 and the like. The hole 
22 extends between the upper surface 14 and the lower surface 16 and is 
defined by a plurality of segmented arcuate-shaped wall portions 26 
separated by elongated slots 28. At just below the mid-point along the 
height dimension 20, each of the wall portions 26 is tapered inwardly 
towards the lower surface 16, as shown in FIG. 5. The diameter of the hole 
22 is somewhat smaller adjacent the lower surface 16 and larger at the 
upper surface 14. 
As a result, the screw 24 can be rapidly inserted into and removed from the 
fastener hole 22 by merely pushing in on the screw head or pulling on the 
same. This eliminates the need of rotating of the screw which is a slow, 
time-consuming process. The manner of insertion and removal of the screw 
24 can be performed a number of times without damaging the integrity of 
the fastening hole 22. Further, the plurality of segmented wall portions 
26 defining fastener retaining means serve to provide a spring-like action 
for resiliently gripping or holding the screw in place relative to the 
cable clip prior to user installation. Thus, this also facilitates the 
shipping and storage of the cable clips with the screws pre-inserted 
therein when not in-use so as to prevent them from being lost. 
In FIGS. 10 through 12, there is shown a second alternative embodiment of 
the cable clip 10a of the present invention. It will be noted that FIGS. 
10-12 correspond closely to FIGS. 2, 4 and 5 of the first embodiment. The 
only differences reside in the fastener retaining means wherein they are 
now formed of three equally-spaced and radially extending projections or 
tabs 30 disposed on the lower part of the interior wall surface of the 
fastener hole 22a. As can be seen from FIG. 12, the hole 22a is defined by 
a cylindrically-shaped continuous wall 32 extending between the upper 
surface 14a and the lower surface 16a. The interior wall 32 is made of a 
continuous annular ring rather than being segmented and does include a 
taper. In use, the tabs are adapted to be frictionally engageable with the 
threads of the screw with a retention fit so as to retain the same in 
position prior to installation by the user. 
Referring back to FIG. 3, in the lower surface 16 there is provided a 
tunnel-shaped cable receiving opening 34 which is formed with side walls 
36 and 38. In order to accommodate different diameter-size cables, a pair 
of spaced-apart first and second ribs 40a and 40b are formed on the side 
wall 36 and a third rib 40c is disposed at the mid-point on the opposite 
side wall 38, as shown in FIGS. 4 and 6. The ribs 40a-40c define cable 
retention means which serve to contain two different types of coaxial 
cables, such as RG-59/U type and RG-6/U type without placing an excessive 
amount of pressure upon the jacketing or outer shielding of either type of 
cable. This is accomplished by forming each of the ribs with an upper 
region 42 and a lower region 44. 
As illustrated in FIG. 7, a lower region 44 includes a wall surface 46 
disposed at an angle .alpha. which is a relatively small number of degrees 
from being perpendicular to the mounting surface 48 so as to provide an 
angular lead-in. In a preferred embodiment, the angle .alpha. is 
approximately 8.degree. so as to permit the easy placement of the cable 
within the opening 34. The upper surface 42 includes a wall surface 50 
which is disposed relatively perpendicular to the mounting surface 48. As 
shown in FIG. 8, a cable clip is used for retaining a relatively small 
coaxial cable 53a (RG-59/U) as the screw 24 is inserted through the 
mounting surface 48 and into the wall support 52. It will be noted that 
the smaller cable 53a is held essentially within the opening 34 by the 
lower regions 44 of the ribs 40a through 40c in order to avoid excessive 
deformation or distortion of the cable 53. 
In FIG. 9, the cable clip 10 is used for retaining a relatively large 
coaxial cable 53b (RG-6/U) as the screw 24 is inserted into the mounting 
surface 48. As will be appreciated, the larger cable 53b is held within 
the opening 34 by both the upper and lower regions 42 and 44 of the ribs 
40a-40c. The lower regions 44 allow the opening 34 to accommodate the 
larger diameter size cables without causing any deformation on its lower 
side. The upper regions 42 are used to frictionally grip the smaller 
cables and prevents distortion on its top side caused by contact with the 
top inner surface of the tunnel-shaped opening 34. 
It should be understood that the ribs 40a-40c are also provided on the 
second embodiment of the cable clip 10a shown in FIGS. 10 through 12. 
Therefore, the description of these ribs with respect to FIGS. 10-12 will 
not be repeated again. 
In use, the cable installer takes the cable clip 10 or 10a which already 
has in place the screw 24 and places the cable 53a or 53b into the cable 
opening 34 in the cable clip 10 or 10a. Then, the lower surface 16 of the 
cable clip is positioned firmly against the mounting surface 48 and the 
pre-inserted screw 24 is threaded into the wall support 52 until its head 
is flush against the upper surface 14 of the clip. 
From the foregoing detailed description, it can thus be seen that the 
present invention provides an improved cable clip for retaining coaxial 
cables and the like against a mounting surface which includes fastener 
retainer means for holding a fastening device in place relative to the 
clip prior to installation. In one embodiment, the fastener retainer means 
is formed of a plurality of segmented arcuate-shaped wall portions, each 
being tapered inwardly so as to resiliently grip the fastening device. In 
an alternate embodiment, the fastener retaining means is formed of a 
plurality of radially extending tabs disposed on the inner surface of a 
cylindrically-shaped fastening hole so as to frictionally engage the 
fastening device with a retention fit. 
While there has been illustrated and described what are at present 
considered to be preferred embodiments of the present invention, it will 
be understood by those skilled in the art that various changes and 
modifications may be made, and equivalents may be substituted for elements 
thereof without departing from the true scope of the invention. In 
addition, many modifications may be made to adapt a particular situation 
or material to the teachings of the invention without departing from the 
central scope thereof. Therefore, it is intended that this invention not 
be limited to the particular embodiments disclosed as the best modes 
contemplated for carrying out the invention, but that the invention will 
include all embodiments falling within the scope of the appended claims.