Abstract:
The invention relates to fasteners adapted for use in automobile air bag attachment systems. The fastener comprises a hook to engage a vehicle structure during installation and a pin to lock the fastener in place. Advantageously, the hook portion may be quickly installed and will support the air bag assembly while allowing any positional adjustments to be made prior to locking the fastener by depressing the pin until it is fully engaged in the vehicle structure. An embodiment of the invention incorporates both a locking method to prevent the fastener from being disengaged and a method of releasing this lock if needed for servicing. Another aspect of the invention provides a method for reducing the likelihood of improperly installed parts by preventing locking when the fastener is in a partially installed configuration.

Description:
CROSS REFERENCE TO RELATED APPLICATIONS 
     This Non-Provisional Application claims benefit to U.S. Provisional Application Ser. No. 60/748,057 filed Dec. 7, 2005. 
    
    
     FIELD OF THE INVENTION 
     The field of the invention generally relates to fasteners, and more particularly, to fasteners adapted for use in automobile air bag attachment systems. 
     BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION 
     It is known that air bags are used in vehicles to provide passenger safety in the event of an accident. It is further known that air bag attachment systems are used to secure the air bag to the vehicle structure. Typically, the known air bag attachment systems include fasteners that utilize metal inserts to provide the requisite high retention of the air bag to the vehicle structure. Some of the known designs incorporate a metal insert and utilize screws to attach the fastener to the vehicle structure. Drawbacks and disadvantages with such fasteners exist. For example, the employment of metal inserts and screws increase the tendency of the fastener components to buzz, squeak, and rattle while the vehicle is in use. Also, the design of the metal inserts may not be conducive to a visual inspection of the air bag fastener to ensure the complete and correct installation of the fastener. 
     The present invention addresses these and other drawbacks with known fasteners used with vehicle air bag systems by providing a unique plastic fastener assembly for use with the air bags that provides easy installation, advantageous locking features, and a large area of communication between the vehicle structure and the fastener. 
     SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION 
     In one aspect of the invention, a fastener for attaching air bags to a vehicle structure provides a secure attachment of the air bags to a vehicle structure and a releasable strap that allows the air bags to properly deploy. The invention results in a serviceable attachment that is easy to install, provides high retention features, and is resistant to the generation of rattles and other noises. In addition, the fastener of the invention reduces the likelihood of partially installed fasteners and improves the visual inspection of the fastener to ensure proper installation. 
     In another aspect, the method of attaching the air bag to the vehicle of the present invention eliminates the need for metal inserts by providing a large interference between the vehicle structure and a rigid portion of the plastic fastener. The invention also incorporates a technique of locking the fastener in this position to prevent it from being disengaged, and a technique for releasing this lock if needed for servicing. The attaching method of the invention simplifies assembly of the air bag system by using a hook portion that may be quickly installed to the vehicle and will support the system while allowing any positional adjustments to be made prior to locking the fastener to the vehicle. 
     Other features and advantages of the invention will become apparent to those skilled in the art upon review of the following detailed description, claims and drawings in which like numerals are used to designate like features. 
    
    
     
       BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS 
         FIG. 1  illustrates a side view of an exemplary embodiment of a fastener of the present invention. 
         FIG. 2  illustrates a perspective view of the fastener assembly of an embodiment of  FIG. 1 . 
         FIG. 3  illustrates a side view of features of the fastener assembly of an embodiment of the present invention. 
         FIG. 4  illustrates a perspective view of the hook and pin catch features of the fastener assembly of an exemplary embodiment of the present invention. 
         FIG. 5  illustrates a perspective view of the pin of an embodiment of the present invention. 
         FIG. 6  illustrates a side view of the pin of  FIG. 5 . 
         FIG. 7  illustrates a perspective view of an air bag assembly, including an embodiment of the present invention. 
         FIG. 8  illustrates a perspective view of an air bag assembly, including an embodiment of the present invention, prior to attachment to an automobile. 
         FIG. 9  illustrates a perspective view of an air bag assembly, the hook of an exemplary fastener inserted into an automobile structure. 
         FIG. 10  illustrates a perspective view of an air bag assembly, the hook of an exemplary fastener inserted into an automobile structure and slid into the engaged position. 
         FIG. 11  illustrates a perspective view of a fully installed air bag assembly according to an embodiment of the present invention. 
         FIG. 12  illustrates a perspective view of a service notch of an exemplary fastener on a fully installed air bag assembly according to an embodiment of the present invention. 
         FIG. 13  illustrates a perspective view of a fastener with a wide base and shows the attachment of an air bag tab according to an embodiment of the invention. 
         FIG. 14  illustrates a perspective view of a fastener with a wide base and shows the attachment of an air bag tab according to an alternative embodiment of the invention. 
     
    
    
     DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE EMBODIMENTS 
     The present invention may be embodied in many forms. Referring to the Figures, there are depicted various aspects of the invention. An embodiment of the present invention includes a fastener  10  adapted for use in automobile air bag attachment systems, for example. Referring to  FIGS. 1 and 2 , the fastener  10  comprises a base  13  having a planar surface and a hook  11  and pin  12  to secure the base  13  to a vehicle. The hook  11  may be mounted to the base  13  such that the hook is disposed on the underside, or bottom surface, of the base  13 . The pin  12  may be disposed adjacent to the hook  11  and configured to slide through an aperture  28  ( FIG. 4 ) in the base  13  defined by inner walls configured to accommodate the outer dimensions of the pin  12 . The assembly and installation of the fastener  10  and its components to the vehicle is described below. It is noted that the fastener  10  may be made as an integral component or assembled from the individual elements described herein. For example, in an embodiment, the pin  12  may be made as an integral component with the hook  11  and the base  13  to provide a one-piece component. 
     The fastener  10  may include a strap  14  made of a woven material, or any other acceptable flexible material. The remaining elements of the fastener may be made of a resilient plastic or other suitable material having substantial structural integrity. The fastener  10  further defines a mating end  30  that aids in securing the air bag to the vehicle. 
     As exemplified by  FIG. 9 , the fastener  10  may be attached to an air bag  25  by wrapping the air bag within the strap  14  and snap-fitting the end  30  to a strap retainer  15  disposed on the top surface of fastener base  13 . In one embodiment, the strap retainer  15  is configured to form flexible fingers that form an opening to receive and retain the mating end  30  of the strap  14 . The strap retainer  15  may be made of a material that is sufficiently flexible to be displaced outwardly from the force applied to insert the mating end  30  during installation and to expel the mating end during air bag deployment, yet rigid enough to retain the mating end  30  during standard operation of the vehicle. In alternative embodiments, the strap retainer  15  and the mating end  30  of the strap may define various shapes and other configurations to tailor the releasing force required to release the end  30  from the retainer  15  to the particular application requirements. For example, the strap retainer  15  may comprise a shape that extends out substantially beyond the surface of the base  13 . In one aspect of the invention, two straps  14  may be attached to the fastener  10 , each strap wrapping around opposite sides of an air bag and connecting, for example, in the middle, with one strap ending in a strap retainer  15  and the other in a mating end  30 . 
     In an exemplary embodiment, the air bag  25  may also be attached to the fastener  10  in the manner depicted in  FIG. 13 . As shown in  FIG. 13 , when an air bag is rolled up or folded and ready for installation, it may include one or more tabs  31  each defining a hole  32  to provide attachment to the fastener  10 . In this embodiment, the tab  31  may slide through a slot  33  in the base  13  and then be placed over the hook  11 . Once the assembly is installed to the vehicle, the airbag tab  31  may be held between the main hook  11  and the vehicle structure, thereby providing a secure attachment. 
     In an alternative aspect, the air bag  25  may be attached to the fastener  10  in the manner depicted in  FIG. 14 , which is similar to the attachment shown in  FIG. 13 , with the additional use of one or more pegs  34  on the base  13  that will engage the tab  31 . The pegs  34  may hook and hold the tab  31  of the air bag  25  to the fastener  10  to further secure the tab  31  to the fastener. Similar to the embodiment of  FIG. 13 , the tab  31  may slide through the slot  33  in the base  13  and then may be placed over the hook  11 . Once the assembly is installed to the vehicle, the tab  31  may be held between the hook  11  and the vehicle structure and by the pegs  34 . 
     As described above, there may be two attachments between the airbag  25  and the fastener  10 . One may be the air bag tab attachment described above and shown in  FIGS. 13 and 14 , and the second may be the strap  14  and strap retainer  15  holding the airbag in place until the airbag deploys. Once attached to the air bag, the fastener  10  of the invention may then be shipped as part of the air bag assembly. Typically, an air bag assembly will contain several fasteners  10  to attach at different locations within the vehicle. 
     Referring to FIGS.  3  and  7 - 11 , to install the air bag fastener assembly of an embodiment of the invention to a vehicle, the hook  11  is inserted into an existing mounting area, or hole  42 , in the vehicle structure  40 . This is achieved by an engagement area  16  ( FIG. 3 ) that is formed between the surface  17  of the hook  11  and the bottom surface of the fastener base  13 . The engagement area  16  is the opening to receive the wall of the vehicle structure  40 . In other words, as installed, the wall of the vehicle structure  40  will be positioned between the surface  17  and the bottom surface of the fastener base  13 . The surface  17  may further include a lead-in ramp disposed at the end of the surface  17  to facilitate the insertion of the wall of the vehicle structure between the surface  17  and the bottom surface of the fastener base  13  by providing a larger area into which to initially engage the vehicle structure wall edge. 
     After the hook  11  is installed on the vehicle structure, the pin  12  may then be inserted through the aperture  28  in the base  13 . This is accomplished by depressing the pin  12  from a disengaged position ( FIGS. 9 and 10 ) above the base to an engaged position ( FIGS. 11 and 12 ) wherein the underside of pin head  19  is in substantial communication with the top surface of the base  13 . The pin head  19 , illustrated in  FIG. 5 , is defined by a planar element disposed on top of and normal to the pin shank  20 , having a lip portion extending outwardly from all sides beyond the outer diameter of the pin shank to prevent the pin  12  from sliding completely through the base  13 . 
     Referring to  FIGS. 5 and 6 , in aspects of the invention, the pin  12  may further define pre-install tabs  21 , tightening ramps  22 , a locking tab  23 , a service notch  24 , or a combination thereof. The pre-install tabs  21  may be disposed at the lower end of opposing sides of the pin shank  20 . When the pin  12  is in the disengaged position the tabs  21  are configured to be retained in pin catches  18  ( FIG. 4 ) formed in the base  13  and defined by the hook  11 . The pin catches  18  are configured to retain the tabs  21  and thus the pin  12  in a disengaged position to prevent obstruction by the pin  12  during certain installation steps. As the pin  12  is depressed or moved to an engaged position and enters the hole  42  in the vehicle structure  40  (as illustrated by  FIGS. 10 and 11 ), tightening ramps  22  ( FIG. 5 ), disposed primarily vertically along one face of the pin shank  20  and generally normal to the pin head  19 , may provide a slight interference with the hole  42  in the vehicle structure  40  to ensure a snug and rattle-free engagement. The tightening ramps  22  may be wedge shaped, for example, on the pin shank  20 , such that the width of the top of the shank is somewhat greater than the width of the bottom of the shank. The tightening ramps  22  may be flexible or elastic in an embodiment, or in an alternative embodiment, may be of a non-flexible construction. 
     As the pin  12  becomes fully seated, in an aspect of the invention, a locking tab  23 , parallel to and disposed between tightening ramps  22 , engages the hole  42  in the vehicle structure  40  to secure the fastener assembly to the vehicle (as illustrated by  FIG. 11 ). The locking tab  23  may be a flexible tab that moves inward upon assembly and then snap-back during final installation, or the tab can be slightly resilient or otherwise configured to allow insertion of the pin and yet grab or engage the underside of the vehicle structure  40  upon final installation. In an alternate aspect, the pin  12  catches in the base  13  via the pin catches  18  to secure the fastener assembly to the vehicle. 
     Should replacement of any part of the assembly be necessary, an embodiment of the invention includes the use of a service notch  24  ( FIGS. 5 and 12 ). The notch  24  may be formed in the pin head and may define an opening above the locking tab  23  to allow a tool, such as a small screwdriver or other similar tool, to be inserted therein to release the locking tab  23  and pry up the pin head  19 . In another aspect, the notch  24  is located in the base  13 , defining an opening such that a small tool may be inserted to release the pin locking tab  23  that is adjacent to the base when the pin is in a fully engaged position. When the pin  12  is returned to the disengaged position, the hook  11  can then be removed. For some applications, serviceability may not be required and the service notch could be eliminated. 
     It is important to note that if the hook  11  is only partially installed in the hole in the vehicle structure ( FIG. 9 ), the result will be interference between the pin shank  20  and the vehicle structure, preventing the pin  12  from being driven through the hole. Therefore, a simple visual check to insure that the pin  12  is fully seated ( FIG. 11 ) provides confidence that the part is properly installed. This verification feature is an exemplary advantage of the present invention. 
     When the air bag  25  deploys, the strap retainer  15  releases the end  30  at a predetermined force and the end  30  of the strap  14  is forced out of the way. The mounting configuration between the fastener assembly and the vehicle structure, described above, results in a secure attachment of the fastener to the vehicle that prevents the fastener from breaking free from the vehicle structure during air bag deployment. In an alternate embodiment, an air bag may be affixed to the fastener without the use of a strap. While the invention has been described in connection with an air bag system, it should be understood that the exemplary fastener  10  may be used to secure or capture any number of different structures and may be used in numerous other applications. 
     Variations and modifications of the foregoing are within the scope of the present invention. It should be understood that the invention disclosed and defined herein extends to all alternative combinations of two or more of the individual features mentioned or evident from the text and/or drawings. All of these different combinations constitute various alternative aspects of the present invention. The embodiments described herein explain the best modes known for practicing the invention and will enable others skilled in the art to utilize the invention. The claims are to be construed to include alternative embodiments to the extent permitted by the prior art. 
     Various features of the invention are set forth in the following claims.