Abstract:
A snap structure includes a post, arrowhead-shaped snap pieces, leg pieces, and disengaging pieces. The snap pieces are formed at a distal end of the post and elastically deformable in a radial direction. The leg peices are arranged to oppose the snap pieces. The disengaging pieces are connected each to one end of correcponding one of the snap pieces that are enlarged in diameter, and can reduce in diameter the snap pieces manually. The snap pieces deform elastically in the radial direction, upon insertion in a through hole formed in a chassis or the like, and are fitted in the through hole, so as to clamp the chassis or the like together with the leg pieces. The post includes a stopper portion for prohibiting the post from being inclined in the through hole at not less than a predetermined angle.

Description:
BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION  
         [0001]    The present invention relates to a mount component such as a cable clamp which is used to mount an electronic component, a cable, or the like on a board of an electronic device or the like and, more particularly, to a snap structure for attaching a mount component on a board.  
           [0002]    When assembling an electronic device, electronic components must be attached to an assembly board such as a panel, chassis, board, or the like (which will be referred to as a board hereinafter), and a coiring component such as a cable must be extended on the board. A mount component is used for this purpose. For example, when a cable is to be extended along the surface of a board, a cable clamp which holds a cable and attaches it to a chassis is used. Generally, a snap structure is employed as a structure for attaching a cable clamp to a chassis. FIG. 17 shows an example of the snap structure. A cable clamp  1 D is constituted by a clamp portion  60  for holding a plurality of cables C in the form of a bundle, and a snap portion  30 A formed integrally with the clamp portion  60  and to be fitted in a through hole  3  formed in a board  2 . The cable clamp  1 D is monolithically formed by resin molding or the like. In the clamp portion  60 , a cover piece  62  is coupled at its one end to an upward U-shaped base  61  with a hinge, and its other end is locked by a locking portion  63 . The cables C can be inserted or removed by opening or closing the cover piece  62 . The snap portion  30 A has a pair of snap pieces  52  extending like arrowheads on the two sides of a post  31  which projects downward. When the snap portion  30 A is inserted in a through hole  3  from the upper surface of the board  2 , the pair of snap pieces  52  are elastically reduced in diameter so they are inserted in the through hole  3 . After passing through the through hole  3 , the snap pieces  52  are elastically restored and enlarged in diameter, so that steps  521  formed at the distal ends of the snap pieces  52  engage with the inner edge of the through hole  3 . A pair of leg pieces  34  which form an inverted V shape and oppose the snap pieces  52  abut against the upper surface of the board  2 , so that engagement of the steps  521  and through hole  3  is held. This prevents the cable clamp  1 D attached to the board  2  from disengaging from the through hole  3 .  
           [0003]    In recent years, regarding home electrical appliances, OA devices, automobiles, and electronic devices as a whole, the sale of environment-friendly products is obliged as a solution to the environmental issues. Along with this demand, for example, a printed board or wiring lines built in an electronic device must be able to be disassembled from the chassis, panel, or the like of the electronic device. Particularly, to facilitate the disassembling operation, the printed board or wiring lines must be disassembled easily without using any tools. For this reason, in assembly of an electronic device, a mount component of this type must be able to be attached to a through hole of a board easily. In disassembly of the electronic device, the mount component must be able to be removed easily from the through hole manually. A snap portion  30 B shown in FIG. 18A as an example of such a snap structure is described in Japanese Patent Laid-Open No. 2001-278329 and is applied to a cable tie (to be described later). Arrowhead-shaped snap pieces  52  are formed on the two sides of the distal end of a straight plate-like post  51 . The snap pieces  52  and connecting pieces  53  connected to the distal ends of the snap pieces  52  form steps  521 . The connecting pieces  53  respectively integrally have disengaging pieces  55  that are directed outwardly and can be held with fingers. Leg pieces  54  project in the two sides from the disengaging pieces  55 . In this snap structure, to disassemble from a through hole  3  the snap portion  30 B fitted in the through hole  3 , the disengaging pieces  55  are held with fingers from the two sides and are deformed inwardly, as indicated by alternate long and two short dashed lines in FIG. 18A. Interlocked with this, the snap pieces  52  reduced in diameter. The snap structure facilitates this reduction in diameter, and the snap pieces  52  can be easily disengaged from the through hole  3 . This is effective as a solution to the environmental issues.  
           [0004]    With this snap structure, if the disengaging pieces  55  and leg pieces  54  are designed to have a large elastic force, when the snap portion  30 B is to be disengaged from the through hole  3 , the force of the fingers to be applied to the disengaging pieces  55  can be reduced. However, the inward force increases due to the elastic force of the disengaging pieces  55  and leg pieces  54 . Accordingly, the snap pieces  52  are biased in the diameter reducing direction, and the fitting force with respect to the through hole  3  decreases undesirably. If the disengaging pieces  55  and leg pieces  54  are designed to have a small elastic force, the support force of the leg pieces  54  decreases, and the post  51  can be inclined easily by an external force or the like. When the inclination of the post  51  becomes large as in FIG. 18B, one snap piece  52  deforms toward the post  51 , and the other snap piece  52  moves into the open edge of the through hole  3  and disengages from the through hole  3 . Then, the snap portion  30 B undesirably drops from the through hole  3 . As a result, the fitting force of the snap pieces is decreased by the diameter reduction of the snap pieces, making it difficult to obtain a stable, highly-reliable snap structure. This problem occurs not only in a cable clamp but also applies to all mount components that have similar snap structures.  
         SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION  
         [0005]    It is an object of the present invention to provide a snap structure which allows a mount component to be attached to or removed from a board easily while preventing the mount component from undesirably disengaging from the board.  
           [0006]    In order to achieve the above object, according to the present invention, there is provided a snap structure comprising a post, arrowhead-shaped snap pieces formed at a distal end of the post and elastically deformable in a radial direction, leg pieces arranged to oppose the snap pieces, and disengaging pieces which are connected each to one end of corresponding one of the snap pieces that are enlarged in diameter and which are capable of reducing in diameter the snap pieces manually, the snap pieces serving to deform elastically in the radial direction, upon insertion in a through hole formed in a chassis, to be fitted in the through hole, so as to clamp the chassis together with the leg pieces, wherein the post comprises a stopper portion for prohibiting the post from being inclined in the through hole at not less than a predetermined angle.  
       
    
    
     BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS  
       [0007]    [0007]FIG. 1 is a perspective view of the first embodiment in which the present invention is applied to a cable tie;  
         [0008]    [0008]FIGS. 2A and 2B are overall front views of the cable tie of FIG. 1;  
         [0009]    [0009]FIGS. 3A to  3 E are an enlarged front view, right-side view, bottom view, sectional view taken along the line A-A, and sectional view taken along the line B-B, respectively, of the main part of the cable tie of FIG. 1;  
         [0010]    [0010]FIGS. 4A and 4B are views for explaining the mounting operation of the first embodiment;  
         [0011]    [0011]FIG. 5 is a perspective view showing another mounting state;  
         [0012]    [0012]FIG. 6 is a view for explaining the operation of disengaging the cable tie;  
         [0013]    [0013]FIG. 7 is a perspective view showing a state in which the cable tie is inclined;  
         [0014]    [0014]FIGS. 8A and 8B are a front view and a sectional view taken along the line C-C, respectively, for explaining an effect of preventing disengagement caused by inclination;  
         [0015]    [0015]FIG. 9 is a front view showing the second embodiment of the present invention;  
         [0016]    [0016]FIG. 10 is a front view showing the third embodiment of the present invention;  
         [0017]    [0017]FIG. 11 is a front view showing the fourth embodiment of the present invention;  
         [0018]    [0018]FIG. 12 is a front view showing the fifth embodiment of the present invention;  
         [0019]    [0019]FIG. 13 is a front view showing the sixth embodiment of the present invention;  
         [0020]    [0020]FIG. 14 is a front view of the seventh embodiment in which the present invention is applied to a wire saddle;  
         [0021]    [0021]FIG. 15 is a front view of the eighth embodiment in which the present invention is applied to a board support;  
         [0022]    [0022]FIG. 16 is a front view of the ninth embodiment in which the present invention is applied to a board support;  
         [0023]    [0023]FIG. 17 is a front view of a conventional cable clamp; and  
         [0024]    [0024]FIGS. 18A and 18B are front views showing another conventional snap structure to explain its problem. 
     
    
     DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS  
       [0025]    The embodiments of the present invention will be described with reference to the accompanying drawings. FIGS.  1  to  3 E show the first embodiment in which the snap structure of the present invention is applied to a cable tie. Referring to FIGS.  1  to  3 E, a cable tie  1  according to this embodiment is constituted by a belt portion  10  for clamping cables (not shown) by winding and fastening, a locking portion  20  for locking the belt portion  10  in a state of winding and fastening the cables, and a snap portion  30  formed on the lower or side portion of the locking portion  20 . The belt portion  10 , locking portion  20 , and snap portion  30  are integrally formed by resin molding. The cable tie  1  is to be attached, by fitting, to a through hole  3  formed in a chassis  2 .  
         [0026]    The structures of the belt portion  10  and locking portion  20  are widely known, and will be described briefly. A proximal end  11  of the belt portion  10  forms a belt having a required width and length and connected to the locking portion  20 . A distal end  12  of the belt portion  10  has a gradually decreasing width so that it can be inserted in a locking portion (to be described later) easily. One side surface of an intermediate portion  14  in the longitudinal direction of the belt portion  10  has a saw-toothed portion  13  over a required region in the longitudinal direction. The locking portion  20  has a rectangular cylindrical portion  21 . An insertion groove  22  through which the distal end  12  and intermediate portion  14  of the belt portion  10  can be inserted is formed in the cylindrical portion  21 . A tongue-shaped locking piece  23  engageable with the saw-toothed portion  13  of the belt portion  10  is formed in and supported by the insertion groove  22 . Hence, when the belt portion  10  is inserted in the insertion groove  22  of the locking portion  20  from its distal end  12  while bending it around the outer surfaces of cables (not shown), so the locking piece  23  and saw-toothed portion  13  engage with each other, disengagement of the belt portion  10  from the insertion groove  22  is prevented, and the cables are held wounded and fastened.  
         [0027]    The snap portion  30  has the elongated plate-like post  31  projecting vertically downward from the lower surface of the locking portion  20 , a pair of arrowhead-shaped snap pieces  32  extending from the right and left surfaces of the distal end of the post  31  outwardly and obliquely upward and having horizontal sections that form arcs about the post  31  as the center, a pair of connecting pieces  33  for connecting the upper ends of the snap pieces  32  and the lower surface of the locking portion  20 , a pair of leg pieces  34  projecting straightly and outwardly downward from the outer surfaces of the connecting pieces  33 , and a pair of disengaging pieces  35  extending from the outer surfaces of the connecting pieces  33  to bulge outwardly up to the upper edge of the locking portion  20 .  
         [0028]    The post  31  has, in its region extending from a portion immediately under the locking portion  20  and portions slightly under the lower ends of the connecting pieces  33 , stopper portions  36  projecting in opposite directions along the two sides of the post  31 . Almost upper half of each stopper portion  36  is thick to form an abutting portion  37 , and its outer surface has a relief groove  371  to avoid sink marks in resin molding. The lower half of the stopper portion  36  forms an impact abutting portion  38  with a horizontal section that forms a semi-arcuate outer shape conforming to the circumference about the center position of the post  31  as the center. This semi-arc is close to a circumference almost concentric with the arc of the horizontal section of each snap piece  32 , as shown in FIG. 3D, and forms a circumference with a diameter slightly smaller than the diameter of the through hole  3  formed in the board  2 . The impact abutting portions  38  are formed in such a region that they will not interfere with the snap pieces  32  when the snap pieces  32  elastically deform toward the post  31  to reduce their outer diameter.  
         [0029]    The snap pieces  32  have arrowhead-like shapes in which their widths gradually increase toward their upper ends, in the same manner as in the snap pieces of a conventional snap portion. The upper ends of the snap pieces  32  are formed thicker than the connecting pieces  33  connected to them, thus forming steps  321 , corresponding to the thickness difference from the connecting pieces  33 , on the outer sides of the upper ends of the snap pieces  32 . The distal ends of the pair of leg pieces  34  are located at two outer sides of the snap pieces  32 . These distal ends have circular rod-like abutting ends  341  which are to abut against the upper surface of the chassis  2 . The disengaging pieces  35  moderately extend in the two outer directions such that they bulge gradually from their upper ends to lower ends on the two outer sides of the two side surfaces of the locking portion  20 . Particularly, the lower ends of the disengaging pieces  35  are connected almost perpendicularly to the outer side surfaces of the connecting pieces  33 .  
         [0030]    With the cable tie  1  having the above arrangement, when the cable tie  1  is to be attached to the through hole  3  in the chassis  2 , the operator holds the cable tie  1  with his fingers and inserts its snap pieces  32  in the through hole  3  from the upper surface of the chassis  2 , as shown in FIG. 4A. When the snap pieces  32  are inserted in this manner, they elastically deform to be reduced in diameter, so that they can be inserted in the through hole  3 . At this time, since the disengaging pieces  35  are deformed inwardly by the fingers, diameter reduction of the snap pieces  32  is aided through the connecting pieces  33 , so that the snap pieces  32  can be inserted easily. When the snap pieces  32  are reduced in diameter inwardly, they will not interfere with the stopper portions  36  formed on the post  31 . When the snap pieces  32  run through the through hole  3  as shown in FIG. 4B, they are restored by their elastic force and enlarge in diameter outwardly, and their steps  321  engage with the inner edge of the through hole  3  on the lower surface side of the chassis  2 . As the leg pieces  34  abut against the upper surface of the chassis  2  due to their elastic force, the entire snap portion  30  is held fitted in the through hole  3 , and is prevented from dropping by engagement of the steps  321  and the inner edge of the through hole  3 . When the cable tie  1  is attached, the impact abutting portions  38  at the lower halves of the stopper portions  36  formed on the post  31  have entered the through hole  3 , and the abutting portions  37  at the upper halves are in contact with or close to the upper surface of the chassis  2 .  
         [0031]    In this state, the belt portion  10  is wound around the cables which are to extend on the upper surface of the chassis  2 . The distal end  12  of the belt portion  10  is inserted in the insertion groove  22  of the locking portion  20 , and the locking piece  23  and saw-toothed portion  13  are engaged with each other. Thus, disengagement of the belt portion  10  in a direction opposite to the inserting direction is locked, and the belt portion  10  keeps winding and fastening the cables. Therefore, the cables are held on the upper surface of the chassis  2  by the cable tie  1 . As shown in FIG. 5, the operation of winding and fastening the cables C with the belt portion  10  may be performed before attaching the cable tie  1  to the chassis  2 . After that, the snap portion  30  may be inserted in the through hole  3  and be fitted and attached to it.  
         [0032]    To disengage from the chassis  2  the cable tie  1  attached to the chassis  2 , as shown in FIG. 6, the disengaging pieces  35  are held with the two fingers from the outer side, and are deformed inwardly by applying a force from the two sides. This deforming force is transmitted to the connecting pieces  33  to deform them inwardly. Hence, the snap pieces  32  integral with the connecting pieces  33  are also deformed inwardly and are reduced in diameter, and the steps  321  disengage from the inner edge of the through hole  3 . The snap portion  30  can be removed from the through hole  3  by pulling the cable tie  1  upward from the chassis  2 , so that the cable tie  1  can be attached and removed easily.  
         [0033]    With the cable tie  1 , while it is attached to the chassis  2  as shown in FIG. 7, when, e.g., an external force for moving the cables is applied to it, the entire cable tie  1  is to incline with respect to the chassis  2 . When the post  31  of the snap portion  30  is inclined along a vertical plane where the pair of snap pieces  32  are present, one snap piece  32  deforms largely toward the post  31 , and the other snap piece  32  may disengage from the through hole  3  and remove from it, in the same manner as that shown in FIG. 18B. With the cable tie  1  of this embodiment, however, after the snap portion  30  starts to incline, when it is inclined at only a small angle, the outer surfaces of the impact abutting portions  38  of the stopper portions  36  on the two sides of the post  31  inevitably abut with impact against the inner edge of the through hole  3  as indicated by the front view of FIG. 8A and the sectional view of FIG. 8B taken along the line C-C conforming to the chassis surface. Simultaneously, the abutting portions  37  immediately above the impact abutting portions  38  abut against the upper surface of the chassis  2  at the open edge of the through hole  3 . When the stopper portions  36  abut against the through hole  3  and chassis  2 , the post  31  is prohibited from inclining any further, and the snap pieces  32  are prevented from deforming inwardly. Therefore, the snap portion  30  will not be disengaged from the through hole  3 .  
         [0034]    From the above fact, with the cable tie  1  of this embodiment, the operation of attaching the cable tie  1  to the through hole  3  of the chassis  2  and the operation of disengaging this mount component can be performed easily. This facilitates the operation of disassembling the printed board or wiring lines of an electrical appliance from the chassis or panel as a solution to the environmental issues. The attached cable tie will not disengage from the chassis  2  easily. Thus, the reliability with which the cables are held by the cable tie can be improved.  
         [0035]    With this cable tie  1 , when the post  31  is inclined toward an elevation plane perpendicular to the elevation plane including the pair of snap pieces  32 , the snap pieces  32  will not be reduced in diameter, so that the snap portion  30  will not disengage from the through hole  3 . In this case, when the post  31  is inclined at an extremely large angle, a large force is applied to it to break it and furthermore the snap pieces  32 , thus impairing the function of the snap portion  30 . However, the outer surfaces of the impact abutting portions  38  as the lower half of the snap portion  30  abut with impact against the inner edge of the through hole  3 , and the abutting portions  37  as its upper half abut against the upper surface of the chassis  2 . Thus, any further inclination of the post  31  is prevented, and the post  31  and snap pieces  32  can be prevented from being broken.  
         [0036]    Embodiments in which the snap portion according to the present invention is modified will be described. In the embodiments, portions that are equivalent to those of the first embodiment are denoted by the same reference numerals. FIG. 9 shows the second embodiment. In the second embodiment, the upper ends of connecting pieces  33  are not connected to a locking portion  20  but are connected only to disengaging pieces  35 .  
         [0037]    In the second embodiment, as the connecting pieces  33  are not connected to the locking portion  20 , the force necessary for reducing the snap pieces  32  in diameter is smaller than that of the first embodiment. Hence, the operation of inserting a snap portion  30  into the through hole of the chassis can be performed with a smaller force. This is advantageous in improving the workability. When the snap portion  30  built in the through hole of the chassis is to be inclined, the inclination is suppressed by the operation of stopper portions  36  in the same manner as in the first embodiment, and disengagement of the snap portion  30  is prevented.  
         [0038]    [0038]FIG. 10 shows the third embodiment. The third embodiment is characterized in that taper pieces  39  are integrally formed on the two surfaces of stopper portions  36  within their upper regions at the upper end of a post  31  such that their diameter increases gradually upward from the lower portion. To match this, connecting pieces  33  are not connected to a locking portion  20 , and snap pieces  32  are connected to disengaging pieces  35  through the connecting pieces  33 . This is the same as in the second embodiment. Note that upper ends  331  of the connecting pieces  33  project slightly upward to oppose the taper pieces  39 .  
         [0039]    In the third embodiment, as the connecting pieces  33  are not connected to the locking portion  20 , the force necessary for reducing the snap pieces  32  in diameter is decreased. This is the same as in the second embodiment. Hence, the operation of inserting a snap portion  30  into the through hole of the chassis can be performed with a smaller force. This is advantageous in improving the workability. When the snap portion  30  built in the through hole of the chassis is to be inclined, the inclination is suppressed by the operation of the stopper portions  36  in the same manner as in the first and second embodiments, and disengagement of the snap portion  30  is prevented. At this time, when the snap pieces  32  are reduced in diameter to a certain degree, the upper ends  331  of the connecting pieces  33  abut against the taper pieces  39 , to prohibit any further reduction in diameter of the snap pieces  32 . Disengagement of the snap portion  30  can be prevented in this respect as well.  
         [0040]    [0040]FIG. 11 shows the fourth embodiment. In the fourth embodiment, taper pieces  39  are integrally formed on the two surfaces of the upper end of a post  31  such that their diameter increases gradually upward from the lower portion. This is the same as in the third embodiment. In the fourth embodiment, the abutting portions  37  of the stopper portions  36  provided in the first embodiment are omitted. Connecting pieces  33  are not connected to a locking portion  20 . Snap pieces  32  are connected to disengaging pieces  35  through the connecting pieces  33 , and upper ends  331  of the connecting pieces  33  are arranged to oppose the taper pieces  39 . This arrangement is the same as that of the third embodiment.  
         [0041]    In the fourth embodiment, as the connecting pieces  33  are not connected to the locking portion  20 , the force necessary for reducing the snap pieces  32  in diameter is decreased, and the operation of inserting a snap portion  30  into the through hole of the chassis can be performed with a smaller force. This is advantageous in improving the workability, which is the same as in the second and third embodiments. When the snap portion  30  built in the through hole of the chassis is to be inclined, the inclination is suppressed by the operation of impact abutting portions  38  of stopper portions  36 , and disengagement of the snap portion  30  is prevented. As the stopper portions  36  have no abutting portions, the ability of inclination prevention is lower than those of the respective embodiments. Still, when the snap portion  30  is inclined at an angle larger than those of the respective embodiments, as the snap pieces  32  are reduced in diameter, the upper ends  331  of the connecting pieces  33  abut against the taper pieces  39 , to prohibit any further reduction in diameter of the snap pieces  32 . As a result, disengagement of the snap portion  30  from the through hole can be prevented.  
         [0042]    [0042]FIG. 12 shows the fifth embodiment. In the fifth embodiment, a post  31  has impact abutting portions  38  of stopper portions  36 , in the same manner as in the fourth embodiment, while it does not have any taper pieces particularly. Upper ends  331  of connecting pieces  33  project toward the inner post  31  to incline slightly. This is the characteristic feature of the fifth embodiment.  
         [0043]    In the fifth embodiment, as the connecting pieces  33  are not connected to a locking portion  20 , the force necessary for reducing the snap pieces  32  in diameter is decreased, and the operation of inserting a snap portion  30  into the through hole of the chassis can be performed with a smaller force. This is advantageous in improving the workability, which is the same as in the second to fourth embodiments. When the snap portion  30  built in the through hole of the chassis is to be inclined, the inclination is suppressed by the operation of the impact abutting portions  38  of the stopper portions  36 , and disengagement of the snap portion  30  is prevented. As the stopper portions  36  have no abutting portions, the ability of inclination prevention is lower than those of the first to fourth embodiments. Still, when the snap portion  30  is inclined at an angle larger than those of the first to fourth embodiments, as the snap pieces  32  are reduced in diameter, the upper ends  331  of the connecting pieces  33  respectively abut against the two outer surfaces of the post  31 , to prohibit any further reduction in diameter of the snap pieces  32 . As a result, disengagement of the snap portion  30  from the through hole can be prevented.  
         [0044]    [0044]FIG. 13 shows the sixth embodiment. The sixth embodiment is characterized in that upper ends  351  of disengaging pieces  35  are separated from a locking portion  20 . More specifically, the upper ends  351  of the disengaging pieces  35  are slightly bent inwardly, and are disposed below eaves  211  formed on the upper surface of a cylindrical portion  21  of the locking portion  20 . Except for this, the arrangement of the sixth embodiment is completely the same as that of the first embodiment.  
         [0045]    In the sixth embodiment, as the upper ends  351  of the disengaging pieces  35  are not connected to the locking portion  20 , the disengaging pieces  35  can deform inwardly more easily. Hence, when disengaging a snap portion  30  from the through hole, the force necessary for deforming the disengaging pieces  35  inwardly by holding them with the fingers can be decreased, so that the snap portion  30  can be disengaged more easily. When the snap portion  30  built in the through hole of the chassis is to be inclined, the inclination is suppressed by the operation of stopper portions  36 , and disengagement of the snap portion  30  is prevented. This is the same as in the first embodiment.  
         [0046]    The snap structures of the present invention, that is, the structures of the snap portions of the respective embodiments, are not limited to the cable ties applied to the respective embodiments, but can be similarly applied to any component as far as it is a mount component to be attached to an opening formed in a chassis. For example, FIG. 14 shows the seventh embodiment in which the snap structure of the present invention is applied to a wire saddle.. A wire saddle  1 A serves to extend and support a wire or cable along a chassis. A saddle portion  40  is formed of an upward U-shaped main body  41  having two side pieces  42 , and locking pieces  43  projecting slightly downwardly inward from the upper ends of the side pieces  42  of the main body  41  such that their distal ends overlap each other. When a wire is inserted in the main body  41  from between the locking pieces  43 , removal of the wire is prevented by the locking pieces  43 . In this embodiment, the two side pieces  42  of the main body  41  respectively have triangular ribs  44  for preventing inclination. A snap portion  30  similar to that of the first embodiment is formed on the bottom surface of the main body  41  of the wire saddle  1 A. Disengaging pieces  35  of the snap portion  30  extend in a bulging manner from the bottom surface of the main body  41  to the outer sides of the two side pieces  42 .  
         [0047]    In the seventh embodiment, the wire saddle  1 A can be attached to and disengaged from a through hole formed in the chassis in the same manner as in the first embodiment. In the seventh embodiment as well, as the wire saddle  1 A attached to the through hole of the chassis is to be inclined, when it is inclined at only a small angle, the outer surfaces of impact abutting portions  38  of stopper portions  36  of a post  31  inevitably abut with impact against the inner edge of the through hole. Simultaneously, abutting portions  37  immediately above the impact abutting portions  38  abut against the upper surface of the chassis at the open edge of the through hole. The post  31  is prohibited from inclining any further, and snap pieces  32  are prevented from being reduced in diameter, so that the snap portion  30  is prevented from disengaging from the through hole. When the disengaging pieces  35  are held from the two sides, the ribs  44  formed in the main body  41  prevent the two side pieces  42  from inclining inwardly.  
         [0048]    [0048]FIG. 15 shows the eighth embodiment in which the snap structure of the present invention is applied to a board support  1 B. The board support  1 B extends and supports a board such as a printed circuit board along the surface of a chassis. An upper end-side snap portion  30 A of the board support  1 B is fitted in a through hole formed in the board from the lower surface of the board, and a lower end-side snap portion  30  of the board support  1 B is fitted in the through hole of the chassis from the upper surface, so that the board is supported on the chassis. In this embodiment, the conventional snap structure shown in FIG. 17 is employed as the upper end-side snap portion  30 A, and the snap structure of the present invention is employed as the lower end-side snap portion  30 . More specifically, a post  51 , a pair of snap pieces  52 , projecting pieces  53  for forming steps  521  at the ends of the snap pieces  52 , and a pair of leg pieces  54  are formed at the upper end of a short cylindrical main shaft  50 , thus constituting the upper end-side snap portion  30 A. A post  31 , pair of snap pieces  32 , pair of connecting pieces  33 , pair of leg pieces  34 , and pair of disengaging pieces  35  are formed at the lower end of the main shaft  50 . Stopper portions  36  respectively including abutting portions  37  and impact abutting portions  38  are formed on the post  31  in the same manner as in the first embodiment. The snap structure of the present invention is thus constituted.  
         [0049]    In the eighth embodiment, regarding the lower end-side snap portion  30  of the board support  1 B, the snap portion  30  can be attached to and disengaged from the through hole formed in the chassis in the same manner as in the first embodiment. In this case as well, as the board support  1 B attached to the through hole of the chassis is to be inclined, when it is inclined at only a small angle, the outer surfaces of the impact abutting portions  38  of the stopper portions  36  of the post  31  inevitably abut with impact against the inner edge of the through hole. Simultaneously, the abutting portions  37  immediately above the impact abutting portions  38  abut against the upper surface of the chassis at the open edge of the through hole. The board support  1 B is prohibited from inclining any further, and the snap pieces  32  are prevented from deforming inwardly, so that the snap portion  30  is prevented from disengaging from the through hole.  
         [0050]    [0050]FIG. 16 shows the ninth embodiment in which the snap structure of the present invention is applied to a board support  1 C. In the ninth embodiment, the snap structure of the present invention is applied to both an upper end-side snap portion  30   a  and lower end-side snap portion  30   b . More specifically, a post  31  extends straightly from its upper end to lower end, and a pair of snap pieces  32  are formed on each of the upper and lower ends. The two pairs of snap pieces  32  are connected to each other by a pair of connecting pieces  33 . A pair of leg pieces  34  are formed on the respective connecting pieces  33  at each of the upper and lower ends. The connecting pieces  33  of the upper and lower snap portions  30   a  and  30   b  are connected to each other by disengaging pieces  35 . The post  31  is formed as a stopper portion  36  almost throughout the entire length from its upper end to lower end. The intermediate region of the stopper portion  36  is formed as an abutting portion  37 , and its upper and lower end regions are formed as impact abutting portions  38 , respectively.  
         [0051]    In the ninth embodiment, the upper end-side snap portion  30   a  of the board support  1 C can be attached in a fitted state to and removed from a through hole formed in a board (not shown), and the lower end-side snap portion  30   b  of the board support  1 C can be attached in a fitted state to and removed from a through hole formed in a chassis (not shown). Thus, the board can be fixed to and supported on the chassis by the board support  1 C. In this embodiment as well, as the board support  1 C is to be inclined with respect to the chassis or board, when it is inclined at only a small angle, the outer surface of the abutting portion  37  of the stopper portion  36  of the post  31  inevitably abuts with impact against the inner edge of the through hole of the board or chassis. Simultaneously, the abutting portion  37  abuts against the surface of the board or chassis at the open edge of the through hole. The board support  1 C is prohibited from inclining any further, and the snap pieces  32  are prevented from deforming inwardly, so that the snap portions  30   a  and  30   b  are prevented from disengaging from the through hole.  
         [0052]    The present invention has been described on the basis of the various types of embodiments, but the snap structure according to the present invention is not limited to the arrangements described in the respective embodiments. Particularly, the connecting pieces of the respective embodiments can be formed integrally with and as part of the disengaging pieces, as is apparent from the eighth embodiment. The snap structure of the present invention can be applied to any arrangement which is to be attached to a through hole formed in a chassis or the like, by appropriately and partly changing it to match the arrangement. For example, the snap structure of the present invention can be apparently applied to the cable clamp shown in FIG. 17.  
         [0053]    As has been described above, according to the snap structure according to the present invention which has disengaging pieces for disengaging, from the surface of the board, snap pieces that are fitted in the through hole, a post having the snap pieces is provided with a stopper portion which prohibits the post from being inclined at a predetermined angle or more. While the snap structure is fitted in the through hole of the board, when the post is to be inclined, the stopper portion abuts with impact against the inner edge of the through hole or the upper surface of the board at the open edge of the through hole. As the stopper portion abuts against the through hole or chassis, the post is prohibited from inclining any further, and reduction in diameter of the snap pieces is prevented, so that disengagement of the snap portion can be prevented. Hence, the operation of attaching and disengaging a mount component to and from a through hole of a board can be performed easily. This facilitates the operation of disassembling the printed board or wiring lines of an electrical appliance from the chassis or panel as a solution to the environmental issues. The attached mount component will not disengage from the board easily. Thus, various types of electronic devices with improved parts mounting reliability can be obtained.