Patent Publication Number: US-2020288821-A1

Title: Low profile snap hook actuator for child seat latch

Description:
CROSS-REFERENCE TO RELATED APPLICATION 
     This application is a divisional of application Ser. No. 16/129,140, filed Sep. 12, 2018, which claims the benefit of U.S. Provisional Application No. 62/557,992, filed Sep. 13, 2017, which are hereby incorporated by reference. 
    
    
     BACKGROUND 
     It is required by law for children of certain ages and heights to ride in a car seat. Car seats improve safety and can help prevent injuries in the case of an accident. A car seat is secured to a vehicle using straps and several different anchor points positioned at different locations on a vehicle seat. Some of these anchors may be located in the crevice between the seat and the seat back. Often, these anchors may be difficult to access as this crevice may not offer a large amount of space for a person attempting to anchor the car seat. Therefore, an improvement in this field is needed. 
     SUMMARY 
     A snap hook assembly is designed to tether or otherwise secure an object, such as a car seat, a car seat base, or booster seat, to an anchoring system, such as a Lower Anchors and Tethers for Children (LATCH) system. The snap hook assembly has a unique low profile design that is easy to assemble as well as to engage and disengage from the LATCH system. To facilitate this, the assembly includes a base that is hook shaped. The hook of the base forms a basket in which the LATCH system anchor is secured, and the end of the hook forms a nose. A gate in the form of a spring is secured to the base. In one example, the gate is in the form of a metal strip that is biased to engage the nose of the hook so as to close the gate opening of the snap hook and prevent disengagement of the snap hook from the LATCH system. A gate actuator in the form of the lever has an actuation portion located on the side and end opposite the hook. In one example, the actuation portion is generally in the form of a button that can be pressed by a user. The gate actuator includes an actuation arm that is configured to contact and move the gate into an open position when the button is actuated. In one form, the gate actuator has a single actuation arm that extends in a parallel manner with the gate, and the actuation arm has a width that is narrower than the width of the base. In other words, the actuator arm is covered by the base such that the actuator arm does not longitudinally and laterally extend past the base so as to reduce the risk of the snap hook inadvertently catching on something during installation or removal. 
     With the gate being resilient or spring-like, the actuation portion is readily biased back without the need of another biasing spring. This in turn reduces the overall force needed by the user to actuate the button, and it further reduces the number of components needed for assembly. The actuation portion of the gate actuator can also have a lower profile because there is no need to have a space normally required for a separate button bias spring. Having the gate formed from a metallic spring also addresses a number of issues. The metallic spring gate provides sufficient strength to retain the LATCH anchor. As a result, the actuation arm does not need to be over-engineered to bear the load for retaining the anchor, and in turn, the gate actuator member can be made smaller so as to have a lower profile. Moreover, the gate actuator can be made from lower strength and/or lower weight materials, such as plastic. Normally, but not always, the LATCH anchor is positioned in hard to reach and/or tight spaces, such as between cushions or behind the head rest. As should be recognized the lower profile of this design makes it easier for the user to install and remove the snap hook assembly from these hard to reach and confined spaces. 
     In one example the snap hook assembly includes a base having a hook with a nose and a gate secured to the base. The gate has a nose end biased to contact the nose of the hook. A gate actuator has an actuator arm positioned to contact the gate and an actuator portion connected to the actuator arm. The actuator arm is moveable from a closed position where the gate is closed against the nose of the hook to an open position where the actuator arm opens the gate away from the nose. The actuator portion is configured to move the actuator arm from the closed position to the open position when actuated. The gate is made of resilient material that biases the nose end into contact with the nose of the hook in the closed position and biases the actuator portion. 
     In another example, the snap hook assembly includes a base assembly that has a top surface and a bottom surface and a hook at one end. A lever opening is defined through the base assembly. The snap hook assembly also includes a lever assembly that has an actuation mechanism including a pin and an arm assembly. The arm assembly extends through the lever opening in the base assembly. 
     A housing is attached to the top surface of the base assembly. A pin opening is defined in the housing and configured to receive the pin of the lever assembly. When the pin of the lever assembly is situated within the pin opening, the lever assembly is configured to pivot with respect to the housing about the pin. 
     A clasp is attached to the bottom surface of the base assembly, and the clasp is biased to contact the hook of the base assembly when the snap hook assembly is in a closed position. When the lever assembly pivots about the housing and moves the clasp to an open position, the arm assembly contacts the clasp, causing the clasp to pivot with the arm assembly. When the clasp pivots, a gap is formed between the clasp and the hook and an anchor for anchoring a car seat may be inserted through the gap. 
     Aspect 1 concerns a snap hook assembly, including a base having a hook with a nose; a gate secured to the base, the gate having a nose end biased to contact the nose of the hook; a gate actuator having an actuator arm positioned to contact the gate and an actuator portion connected to the actuator arm, wherein the actuator arm is moveable from a closed position where the gate is closed against the nose of the hook to an open position where the actuator arm opens the gate away from the nose, wherein the actuator portion is configured to move the actuator arm from the closed position to the open position when actuated; and wherein the gate is made of resilient material that biases the nose end into contact with the nose of the hook in the closed position and biases the actuator portion. 
     Aspect 2 concerns the assembly of any previous aspect, wherein the gate includes a metal strip; the base is metallic; and the gate actuator is plastic. 
     Aspect 3 concerns the assembly of any previous aspect, wherein the base is wider than the actuator arm. 
     Aspect 4 concerns the assembly of any previous aspect, wherein the actuator portion is positioned on a side of the base opposite the hook. 
     Aspect 5 concerns the assembly of any previous aspect, wherein the base defines a lever opening; and the actuator arm extends from the actuation portion through the lever opening. 
     Aspect 6 concerns the assembly of any previous aspect, further comprising a housing secured to the base; and wherein the gate actuator is pivotally coupled to the base. 
     Aspect 7 concerns the assembly of any previous aspect, further comprising a rivet securing the housing and the gate to the base. 
     Aspect 8 concerns the assembly of any previous aspect, wherein the actuator arm includes a ridge configured to guide an anchor and open the gate during securing. 
     Aspect 9 concerns the assembly of any previous aspect, wherein the gate actuator has a stop flange; and the housing has a stop tab configured to engage the stop flange to limit movement of the gate actuator against a biasing force of the gate. 
     Aspect 10 concerns an assembly including a base assembly including a top surface and a bottom surface and a hook at one end of the base assembly, wherein the base assembly defines a lever opening; a lever assembly including an actuation mechanism including a pin, and an arm assembly extending through the lever opening in the base assembly; a housing attached to the top surface of the base assembly defining a pin opening configured to receive the pin of the lever assembly, wherein the lever assembly is configured to pivot with respect to the housing about the pin when the pin is in the pin opening; a clasp attached to the bottom surface of the base assembly; wherein the clasp is biased to contact the hook of the base assembly in a closed position; and, wherein the arm assembly is configured to contact the clasp when the lever assembly pivots about the housing and move the clasp to an open position, and wherein there is a gap between the clasp and the hook in the open position. 
     Aspect 11 concerns the assembly of any previous aspect, wherein the gap between the clasp and the hook is configured to receive an anchor. 
     Aspect 12 concerns the assembly of any previous aspect, wherein the lever assembly is configured to pivot about the housing when force is applied to the actuation mechanism. 
     Aspect 13 concerns the assembly of any previous aspect, wherein the clasp is made from a resilient material. 
     Aspect 14 concerns the assembly of any previous aspect, wherein the base assembly includes a rivet opening and the housing includes a rivet opening, and wherein the base assembly rivet opening aligns with the housing rivet opening when the housing is attached to the base assembly. 
     Aspect 15 concerns the assembly of any previous aspect, wherein the lever opening is pentagonal. 
     Aspect 16 concerns the assembly of any previous aspect, wherein the arm assembly includes a lower ridge and wherein the lower ridge is angled so that the lower ridge has a greater height at a portion of the arm assembly closer to the lever opening than at the end of the arm assembly further away from the lever opening. 
     Aspect 17 concerns the assembly of any previous aspect, wherein the hook includes a foot surface and wherein the clasp contacts the hook at the foot surface. 
     Aspect 18 concerns the assembly of any previous aspect, wherein the base assembly defines a strap opening configured to receive a strap from a child safety seat to secure the assembly to the child safety seat. 
     Aspect 19 concerns the assembly of any previous aspect, further comprising at least one tab extending from the housing, wherein the tab is configured to fit within the lever opening when the housing is attached to the base assembly; at least one flange extending from the arm assembly; and wherein the flange contacts the tab when the clasp contacts the hook of the base assembly in the closed position. 
     Aspect 20 concerns a method of installing and/or removing the assembly of any previous aspect. 
     Aspect 21 concerns a method of manufacturing the assembly of any previous aspect. 
     Aspect 22 generally concerns a snap hook assembly, including a base having a hook; a gate having a fixed end secured to the base and a free end extending from the fixed end towards the hook, wherein the gate is resiliently biased to a closed position where the free end of the gate closes against the hook; and a gate actuator having an actuator portion and an arm contacting the gate, wherein the arm is configured to move the gate from the closed position to an open position where the free end of the gate disengages from the hook. 
     Aspect 23 generally concerns the assembly of any preceding aspect, further including a housing secured to the base, wherein the housing defines one or more pivot pin openings; and wherein the gate actuator includes an actuator portion to manually actuate the gate actuator, one or more pivot pins pivotally secured in the pivot pin openings of the housing; and an arm contacting the gate to move the free end from the closed position to the open position. 
     Aspect 24 generally concerns the assembly of any preceding aspect, further including a single fastener securing the housing, the base, and the gate together. 
     Aspect 25 generally concerns the assembly of any preceding aspect, wherein the housing is secured to the base on a side that is opposite the hook; the actuator portion is located on the same side of the base as the housing; the base defines a base lever opening; and the arm extends through the base lever opening to engage the gate proximal to the hook. 
     Aspect 26 generally concerns the assembly of any preceding aspect, wherein the housing defines a housing lever opening; the arm extends through the housing lever opening. The housing has one or more tabs that extend through the base lever opening, and the arm has one or more stop flanges configured to engage the tabs to limit movement of the arm. 
     Aspect 27 generally concerns the assembly of any preceding aspect, wherein the arm has a gate facing flange and a support rib arranged in a T-shaped configuration. The support rib tapers towards the hook. 
     Aspect 28 generally concerns the assembly of any preceding aspect, wherein the lever opening has a pentagonal shape to receive the support rib. 
     Aspect 29 generally concerns the assembly of any preceding aspect, wherein the gate actuator extends through the base lever opening in a U-shaped curve from the pivot pins to the arm. 
     Aspect 30 generally concerns the assembly of any preceding aspect, wherein the pivot pins have beveled ends. 
     Aspect 31 generally concerns the assembly of any preceding aspect, wherein the base is wider than the arm. 
     Aspect 32 generally concerns a snap hook assembly, including a base having a web opening at one end and a hook at the opposite end. The web opening is configured to receive webbing of a restraint system, wherein the hook is configured to be secured to a vehicle anchor. A cantilevered spring has a fixed end secured to the base and a free end located opposite the fixed end. The free end of the cantilevered spring is resiliently biased to a closed position against the hook to retain the vehicle anchor in the hook. A lever is pivotally coupled to the base. The lever has an arm contacting the cantilevered spring proximal to the hook. The arm is configured to move the free end of the cantilevered spring from the closed position to an open position where the vehicle anchor is able to be received into the hook. The arm has an actuation portion positioned on a side of the base opposite the hook to allow a user to move the free end of the cantilevered spring from the closed position to the open position. 
     Aspect 33 generally concerns the assembly of any preceding aspect, wherein the hook has a foot portion with a foot surface located inside the hook. The cantilevered spring is a flat spring resiliently biased to contact the foot surface. 
     Aspect 34 generally concerns the assembly of any preceding aspect, wherein the cantilevered spring extends at an acute angle from the base to the foot portion of the hook. The arm has an end that engages the cantilevered spring between the free end and the fixed end. The arm is shorter than the hook and recessed from the from the hook to form a gap between the end of the arm and the foot portion of the hook. The cantilevered spring is exposed in the gap between the end of the arm and the foot portion of the hook to allow sliding engagement of the anchor to move the cantilevered spring to the open position. 
     Aspect 35 generally concerns the assembly of any preceding aspect, wherein the lever has a support rib that facilitates the lever acting as a class 3 lever type during the sliding engagement of the anchor. 
     Aspect 36 generally concerns the assembly of any preceding aspect, further including a housing pivotally coupling the lever to the base. The actuation portion is positioned relative to the housing and the arm to act as a class 1 lever type when the actuation portion is manually depressed. 
     Aspect 37 generally concerns the assembly of any preceding aspect, wherein the cantilevered spring biases the actuation portion to an undepressed position. 
     Aspect 38 generally concerns the assembly of any preceding aspect, wherein the arm is positioned to brace the cantilevered spring when in the closed position to reduce the risk of the free end of the cantilevered spring from being pried from the hook. 
     Aspect 39 generally concerns the assembly of any preceding aspect, wherein the housing has one or more tabs. The arm has one or more stop flanges configured to engage the tabs to limit movement of the arm. 
     Aspect 40 generally concerns the assembly of any preceding aspect, wherein the base defines a base lever opening; and the arm extends through the base lever opening. 
     Aspect 41 generally concerns the assembly of any preceding aspect, wherein the cantilevered spring has a clasp tab bent into the base lever opening. 
     Aspect 42 generally concerns a method, including opening a gate of a snap hook connector from a closed position against a hook to an open position by pressing an arm of a gate actuator against the gate that is resiliently biased to contact the hook. A vehicle anchor is inserted in a throat of the hook when the gate is in the open position. The anchor is retained in the hook by closing the throat of the hook with the gate through releasing force applied to the gate to move the gate to the closed position. 
     Aspect 43 generally concerns the method of any preceding aspect, wherein the gate is opened by manually actuating an actuator portion of the gate positioned in a side of the snap hook connector opposite of the gate. 
     Aspect 44 generally concerns the method of any preceding aspect, wherein the gate is opened by pressing the anchor against the arm of the gate actuator; and said inserting includes sliding the anchor along a portion of the arm and the gate. 
     Aspect 45 generally concerns a method, including securing a base, a cantilevered spring, and a housing together. The base includes a hook. The cantilevered spring is positioned to have a fixed end secured to the base and a free end resiliently biased to close the hook of the base. A lever is coupled to the housing in a pivotal manner. The lever has an arm and an actuation portion. The arm is positioned on a side of the base proximal the hook to engage the cantilevered spring, and the actuation portion is positioned on a side of the base that is opposite to the hook. 
     Aspect 46 generally concerns the method of any preceding aspect, wherein the base defines a base lever opening. The arm of the lever is inserted through the base lever opening. 
     Aspect 47 generally concerns the method of any preceding aspect, wherein the cantilevered spring has a clasp tab at the fixed end. The clasp tab is inserted into the base lever opening. 
     Aspect 48 generally concerns the method of any preceding aspect, wherein the cantilevered spring and housing is fastened to the base with a single fastener. 
    
    
     
       BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS 
         FIG. 1  is a perspective view of a snap hook assembly. 
         FIG. 2  is an exploded view of the snap hook assembly of  FIG. 1 . 
         FIG. 3  is an exploded view of the snap hook assembly of  FIG. 1 . 
         FIG. 4  is a top perspective view of a base assembly of the snap hook assembly of  FIG. 1 . 
         FIG. 5  is a bottom perspective view of the base assembly of  FIG. 4 . 
         FIG. 6  is a perspective view of a lever assembly of the snap hook assembly of  FIG. 1 . 
         FIG. 7  is a top view of the lever assembly of  FIG. 6   
         FIG. 8  is a bottom perspective view of the lever assembly of  FIG. 6 . 
         FIG. 9  is a perspective view of a housing of the snap hook assembly of  FIG. 1 . 
         FIG. 10  is a top view of the housing of  FIG. 9 . 
         FIG. 11  is a bottom perspective view of the housing of  FIG. 9 . 
         FIG. 12  is a perspective view of the lever assembly of  FIG. 6  and the housing of  FIG. 9  without the base assembly. 
         FIG. 13  is a perspective view of a clasp of the snap hook assembly of  FIG. 1 . 
         FIG. 14  is a perspective view of a rivet of the snap hook assembly of  FIG. 1 . 
         FIG. 15  is a cross-sectional side view of the snap hook assembly of  FIG. 1 . 
         FIG. 16A  is a side view of the snap hook assembly of  FIG. 1  in a partially open position. 
         FIG. 16B  is a side view of the snap hook assembly of  FIG. 1  in an open position. 
         FIG. 16C  is a side view of the snap hook assembly of  FIG. 1  in a closed position. 
         FIG. 17  is a side view of the snap hook assembly of  FIG. 1  attached to an anchor of the seat of a vehicle. 
     
    
    
     DESCRIPTION OF THE SELECTED EMBODIMENTS 
     For the purpose of promoting an understanding of the principles of the invention, reference will now be made to the embodiments illustrated in the drawings and specific language will be used to describe the same. It will nevertheless be understood that no limitation of the scope of the invention is thereby intended. Any alterations and further modifications in the described embodiments, and any further applications of the principles of the invention as described herein are contemplated as would normally occur to one skilled in the art to which the invention relates. One embodiment of the invention is shown in great detail, although it will be apparent to those skilled in the relevant art that some features that are not relevant to the present invention may not be shown for the sake of clarity. 
     Child car seats are secured to the seat of a vehicle using a system of belts and hooks that attach to different anchor points on the vehicle seats. These anchor points may be hidden within the upholstery of the seats as they could be uncomfortable for a person sitting on the seat without a car seat. Because the anchor points may be hidden within the seats, it may become challenging to attach a hook to the anchor. Often, the anchor may not be able to be seen or may be difficult to reach. 
       FIG. 1  shows a perspective view of a snap hook assembly  100  for securing a child car seat to an anchor on the seat of a vehicle. The snap hook assembly  100  includes a base assembly  104  that attaches to the car seat by a strap or any other suitable attachment device. In some embodiments, the base assembly  104  may be made of a metal such as steel that provides enough strength to stay attached to the anchor on the vehicle seat without breaking in the event of a wreck or other sudden movements of the vehicle. 
     A lever assembly or gate actuator  108  fits through an opening in the base assembly  104  so that a portion of the lever assembly  108  is positioned on one side of the base assembly  104  and a portion of the lever assembly  108  is positioned on the other side of the base assembly  104 . A housing  112  sits on a top surface of the base assembly  104  and surrounds at least a portion of the lever assembly  108 . The housing  112  is attached to the base assembly  104  by a fastener  204  (see  FIGS. 2 and 3 ). In one example, the fastener  204  includes a rivet. The lever assembly  108  and the housing  112  may be made from any desired rigid material, such as plastic or a metal like steel or aluminum. 
     A clasp or gate  116  is attached to a surface of the base assembly  104  and extends between the base assembly  104  and the lever assembly  108 . The clasp  116  may be made from a resilient material, allowing the clasp to bend with respect to the base assembly  104 . In the illustrated example, the clasp  116  is in the form of a flat spring made of metal. More particularly, the flat spring forming the clasp  116  is a cantilever spring with one end fixed to the base assembly  104  and the other end being free to be biased in a closed position with the base assembly. As the clasp  116  bends, an opening is formed between the clasp  116  and the base assembly  104 , allowing the snap hook assembly  100  to be in an open position in which the snap hook assembly  100  may receive the anchor on the seat of the vehicle and secure the car seat to the vehicle seat. 
     As shown in  FIGS. 4 and 5 , the base assembly  104  includes a body portion  304 . The body portion  304  includes a top surface  305  and a bottom surface  307 . One end of the base assembly  104  includes a hook  308 . The hook  308  includes a curved portion  312  and a foot portion or nose  316  that extends from an end of the curved portion  312 . As shown in  FIG. 1 , the clasp or gate  116  has an end that contacts the inside of the foot portion  316 . The foot portion  316  includes a foot surface  317 . In some embodiments, the foot portion  316  may extend so that the foot portion  316  is substantially parallel to the body portion  304 . In the illustrated example, the rivet  204  fastens one end of the gate  116  to the body portion  304 . As can be seen, the free end of the gate  116  extends at an acute angle from the bottom surface  307  of the base assembly  104  towards the foot portion  316 , and the gate  116  is resiliently biased to a closed position against the hook  308 . When in the closed position, the free end of the gate  116  is biased against the foot surface  317 . 
     One or more openings extend through the body portion  304  of the base assembly  104 . A strap or web opening  320  is defined near the opposite end of base assembly  104  that does not include the hook  308 . The strap opening  320  is sized to be able to receive a strap, web, band, buckle or other type of securement device for connecting the snap hook assembly  100  to a car seat or other object. A base lever opening  324  is defined through a central portion of the body portion  304 . The base lever opening  324  is dimensioned to receive at least a portion of the lever assembly  108 . The base lever opening  324  further has a cutout or relief section  326  configured to receive the rib that forms the connection and bend portions of the lever assembly  108 , as will be discussed below. In the illustrated example, the cutout section  326  gives the base lever opening  324  an overall pentagonal shape to provide sufficient clearance for the lever assembly  108 , but the base lever opening  324  can be shaped differently in other examples. The base lever opening  324  acts as a guide or brace for the lever assembly  108  to minimize lateral movement. In still yet other examples, the base lever opening  324  is eliminated, and part of the lever assembly  108  is designed to wrap around one or both exterior lateral sides of the base assembly  104  so that the lever assembly is able to engage the gate  116  on the other side. 
     A base rivet opening  328  is also defined through a central portion of the body portion  304 . In some embodiments, the base rivet opening  328  may be positioned near the base lever opening  324 , to the side of the base lever opening  324  that is closer to the hook  308 . 
     As illustrated in  FIGS. 6, 7, and 8 , the lever assembly  108  includes an actuation mechanism  404  and an arm assembly  408 . The actuation mechanism  404  includes at least one pin  412  at one end and an actuator section or portion  416  in the form of a button at the other end. In the illustrated example, the actuation mechanism  404  has a pair of pins  412  disposed on opposite sides of the lever assembly  108 . In the depicted example, the pins  412  have beveled ends that facilitate coupling of the lever assembly  108  to the housing  112 . Once attached to the housing  112 , the pins  412  form the fulcrum or pivot point about which the lever assembly  108  rotates. The button  416  may include a textured surface, such as ridges  418 , that assists a user in maintaining a grip or contact with button  416 . A linking piece  420  extending from the pin  412  connects the pin  412  to the arm assembly  408  of the lever assembly  108 , allowing the arm assembly  408  to pivot as the rest of the lever assembly  108  pivots with respect to the housing  112  and the base assembly  104 . 
     The arm assembly  408  includes a connection portion  424 , a bend portion  428 , and an arm  432 . The connection portion  424  is attached to the actuation mechanism  404  and extends from the actuation mechanism  404 . The arm  432  is attached to the connection portion  424  by the bend portion  428 . The bend portion  428  curves so that the arm  432  is nearly parallel to the actuation mechanism  404 . A stop flange  430  is positioned on each side arm assembly  408  near the point where the bend portion  428  connects to the connection portion  424 . 
     The arm  432  has an upper gate facing surface or flange  436  and a lower support ridge or rib  440  (see  FIG. 8 ). The gate facing surface  436  may be a generally flat, planar surface. As can be seen, the gate facing surface  436  and the support ridge  440  give the arm a T-shaped cross sectional shape. The lower ridge  440  in some embodiments may be angled so that the lower ridge  440  has a greater thickness near the bend portion  428  of the arm assembly  408  and a smaller thickness to almost no thickness near the end of the arm  432 . The angled lower ridge  440  forms a camming surface that may guide objects which contact the lever assembly toward the end of the arm  432 . With the relative location of the arm assembly  408 , pins  412 , and actuation section  416 , the lever assembly  108  forms a class 1 lever for transmitting the force applied when the actuator section  416  is depressed by the user to counteract the resilient biasing force of the clasp  108  to open the snap hook assembly  100 . The lever assembly  108  can also act as a class 3 lever to open the gate  116  without the user needing to depress the button  416 . In this case, the user can simply press the arm  432  against the anchor which in turn opens the gate  116 . As the user pulls the snap hook assembly  100  towards themselves, the lower ridge  440  of the arm  432  slides along the anchor. Upon reaching the gate  116 , the anchor continues to hold the gate  116  until the anchor clears the gate  116 . At this point, the gate  116  springs back to the closed position so as to retain the anchor in the hook  308 . 
     The housing  112  is shown in  FIGS. 9, 10, and 11 . The housing  112  includes a body  504  that may be made from plastic, metal, or any other suitable material. The body  504  defines a housing cavity  508  that is dimensioned to allow at least a portion of the actuation mechanism  404  of the lever assembly  108  to fit within the housing cavity  508 . One or more openings are defined within the body  504  within the housing cavity  508 . A pin opening  512  is defined on each side of the body  504  for receiving the pin  412  of the arm assembly  408 . A pin support surface  514  may extend from below the pin opening  512  to provide support for the pin  412 . 
     A housing lever opening  516  is also defined through housing  112 . The housing lever opening  516  is positioned on the housing  112  so that when the housing  112  is secured on the base assembly  104 , the housing lever opening  516  is aligned with the base lever opening  324 . One or more tabs  518  may extend from body  504  at the edges of the housing lever opening  516 . When the housing  112  is attached to the base assembly  104 , the tabs  518  may extend through the base lever opening  324  and provide a stop for arm assembly  408  by contacting the flanges  430  on the arm assembly  408  (see  FIG. 12 ) when the lever assembly  108  is inserted through the base lever opening  324  and the housing lever opening  516 . The tabs  518  prevent the arm assembly  408  from being pulled through the lever openings  324 ,  516  as the lever assembly  108  pivots about pins  412 . 
     The housing  112  also includes a housing rivet opening  524  that is defined through body  504 . The housing rivet opening  524  is sized to allow a portion of the rivet  204  to fit through the housing rivet opening. The housing rivet opening  524  is positioned on the housing  112  so that when the housing  112  is secured on the base assembly  104 , the housing rivet opening  524  is aligned with the base rivet opening  328 . 
     An embodiment of the clasp  116  is shown in  FIG. 13 . In the illustrated example, the clasp  116  includes a fixed end  602  that is secured to the base  104  and a free end  603  that is biased to close the hook  308 . Between the fixed end  602  and the free end  603 , the clasp  116  includes a curved clasp body  604 ; however, the clasp body  604  may be straight or angular in other embodiments. The clasp body  604  is made from a resilient material such as steel or another similar type of material. The free end  603  of the clasp body  604  includes a clasp foot  608 . The fixed end  602  of the clasp  116  includes a clasp tab  612  which is almost perpendicular with respect to the clasp body  604 . The clasp tab  612  is sized to be able to fit within base lever opening  324  and the housing lever opening  516 . A clasp rivet opening  616  is defined through the clasp body  604 , near the end of the clasp body  604  that includes the clasp tab  612 . The clasp rivet opening  616  is positioned on clasp body  604  so that clasp rivet opening  616  aligns with the base rivet opening  328  and the housing rivet opening  524  when the clasp  116  is attached to the base assembly  104 . When the clasp rivet opening  616  is aligned with the base rivet opening  328 , the clasp tab  612  is configured to be positioned within the base lever opening  324  to help with alignment. Alternatively or additionally, the clasp tab  612  can act as a sliding surface to minimize arm wear on the gate  108  due to actuation. 
       FIG. 14  illustrates an embodiment of the rivet  204 . The rivet  204  includes a head  708 , a shank  712 , and a tail  716 . The head  708  and the tail  716  of the rivet  204  each have a larger diameter than the shank  712 . In the present embodiment, the head  708  also has a larger diameter than the tail  716 . The shank  712  is dimensioned so that the diameter of the shank  712  is small enough to fit through the rivet openings  328 ,  524 , and  616 . The diameters of the head  708  and the tail  716  are larger than the diameters of the rivet openings  328 ,  524 , and  616  to assist in preventing rivet  204  from being removed from the rivet openings  328 ,  524 , and  616 . In some embodiments, the head  708  of the rivet  204  may have portions  724 ,  726  that have varying diameters to improve the fit within housing rivet opening  524 . As shown in  FIG. 9 , housing rivet opening  524  may have similar varying diameters so that the head  708  of rivet  204  may be at least partially countersunk within housing rivet opening  524 , assisting in keeping the rivet  204  in place within the housing rivet opening  524  once inserted. 
     A cross-sectional side view of the snap hook assembly  100  in a closed position is shown in  FIG. 15 . The housing  112  is positioned on the top surface of the body portion  304  of the base assembly  104 , while one end of the clasp  116  is positioned on the bottom surface of the body portion  304  of the base assembly  104 . The housing  112  and the clasp  116  are held to the base assembly  104  by rivet  204 , which extends through the rivet openings  328 ,  524 , and  616 . The clasp tab  612  is fit within the base lever opening  324  when the clasp  116  is attached to the base assembly  104 . The curved shape of the clasp  116  allows the clasp  116  to extend from the bottom surface of the base assembly  104  at the end near rivet  204  to the hook  308  of the body portion  304  where the clasp foot  608  rests on the upper foot surface  317  when the snap hook assembly  100  is in a closed position. The resiliency of clasp  116  biases the clasp  116  to the closed position where clasp foot  608  is on or very near the upper foot surface  317 . 
     The lever assembly  108  is positioned with respect to the base assembly  104  and the housing  112  so that the arm  432  of the lever assembly  108  is inserted through the base lever opening  324  and the housing lever opening  516 . The pentagonal shapes of the base lever opening  324  and the housing lever opening  516  provide clearance for the lower ridge  440  of the lever assembly  108  to fit through each of the lever openings  324 ,  516 . The actuation mechanism  404  of the lever assembly  108  is positioned above the top surface of the body portion  304  of the base assembly  104  so that a portion of the actuation mechanism  404  is within the housing cavity  508 . The pins  412  are located within the pin openings  512 , allowing lever assembly  108  to pivot with respect to the housing  112  and the base assembly  104 . The arm  432  extends to contact the clasp  116 . As can be seen, the arm  432  is shorter than the clasp  116  such that the clasp  116  opens and closes the hook  308 . Without any outside force, the clasp  116  remains biased to the closed position. While the arm  432  does not directly engage to close the hook  308 , the end of the arm  432  contacts the clasp body  604  to brace the clasp  116  when contacting the foot surface  317  in the closed position. As shown, the hook  308  extends farther below the body portion  304  than the arm  432  of the lever assembly  108 , and the clasp body  604  extends at an acute angle from the body portion  304  such that the clasp  116  is biased to engage the foot portion  316  of the hook  308 . In the depicted example, the arm  432  is shorter than the hook  308  and recessed from the hook  308  to form a gap between the end of the arm  432  and the foot portion  316  of the hook  308 . The gate  116  is exposed in the gap between the end of the arm  432  and the foot portion  316  of the hook  308  to allow sliding engagement of the anchor to move the gate  116  to the open position. This configuration allows the snap hook assembly  100  to be clipped onto the anchor without the user needing to press the actuation portion  416  of the lever assembly  108 , though the user can do so if they wish. 
       FIGS. 16A, 16B, and 16C  illustrate how the snap hook assembly  100  is attached to an anchor of a vehicle seat to secure a car seat to the vehicle seat.  FIG. 16A  shows the snap hook assembly  100  in the process of being hooked to an anchor  904 . To begin adjusting the snap hook assembly  100  from the closed position to an open position, a user presses down on the button  416 , causing the lever assembly  108  to pivot about the pin  412  (See  FIG. 15 ). When the lever assembly  108  pivots upon pressing the button  416 , the arm  432  begins to rotate toward the bottom surface of the body portion  304  of the base assembly  104  (counter-clockwise in the view shown in  FIG. 16A ). As long as enough force is applied to button  416  is enough to overcome the biasing force of clasp  116 , the arm  432  raises clasp  116  with respect to the hook  308  to create a gap or crevice  908  between the clasp  116  and the hook  308 . 
     In some embodiments, it may be unnecessary to apply force to the button  416  to overcome the biasing force of the clasp  116 . Instead, the force needed to overcome the biasing force may be supplied by the anchor  904  as the anchor  904  is pressed against the arm  432  of the lever assembly  108 . The lower ridge  440  of the arm  432  may act as a camming surface, guiding the anchor  904  toward the gap  908 . As the anchor  904  is slid along and pressed against the lower ridge  440  of the arm  432 , the force from the anchor causes the arm  432  to rotate toward the body portion  304  of the base assembly  104 , also rotating the clasp  116  to create the gap  908 . 
       FIG. 16B  shows the snap hook assembly  100  in a fully open position with button  416  completely depressed. In the fully open position, the clasp  116  is raised above the foot surface  317  of the hook  308  so that the gap  908  between the clasp  116  and the hook  308  is large enough to allow anchor  904  to pass between. Once the anchor  904  has been inserted through gap  908  so that the anchor  904  is within the hook  308 , the pressure applied to the button  416  may be released. The biasing force of the clasp  116  causes the clasp  116  and the arm  432  to rotate away from the bottom surface of the body portion  304  of the base assembly  104  so that the snap hook assembly  100  returns to a closed position. In the closed position, shown in  FIG. 16C , the anchor  904  is trapped within a pocket  912  formed between the hook  308  of the base assembly  104  and the clasp  116 . The removal of the gap  908  between the clasp  116  and the hook  308  keeps anchor  904  within the pocket  912  and prevents anchor  904  from being disengaged from the snap hook assembly  100 . 
     To remove the anchor  904  from snap hook assembly  100 , the process shown in  FIGS. 16A, 16B, and 16C  is repeated. A user presses on the button  416  to cause the arm  432  and clasp  116  to rotate toward the bottom surface of the body portion  304  of the base assembly  104  and create the gap  908  between the clasp  116  and the hook  308 . The user then moves snap hook assembly  100  while the clasp  116  is in an open position so that the anchor  904  moves out of the pocket  912  and through the gap  908  until the anchor  904  is clear of the foot portion  316  of the hook  308 . Once the anchor  904  is clear of the hook  308 , the user releases the force on the button  416  to return the snap hook assembly  100  to a closed position. 
     As seen in  FIG. 17 , the snap hook assembly  100  may be used as an attachment for a car seat, booster seat, or any other item that needs to be secured in the vehicle. Because the anchor  904  is typically located in the crevice  908  between the back and the chair of the seat, it can be difficult to reach the anchor  904  when attempting to attach an object to the anchor  904 . Instead of forcing a user to apply pressure to the clasp  116  which is positioned near the anchor  904 , and therefore deep within the crevice  908  formed in the seat when being installed, pressing on the button  416  allows a user to keep his or her hand out of the crevice  908  in the seat. Keeping a hand of the user out of the crevice  908  allows greater freedom of movement and allows the snap hook assembly  100  to be more easily attached to the anchor  904 . 
     Additionally, by using the resilient clasp  116  as the biasing force that keeps the snap hook assembly  100  in a closed position rather than having a separate biasing element such as a spring in the housing  112 , the snap hook assembly  100  can maintain a low profile. Because the crevice  908  between the back and the chair of the seat is generally small and maintains a tight fit, a hook with a higher or larger profile may be difficult to install on the anchor  904 . The low profile of the snap hook assembly  100  makes it easier to slide snap hook assembly  100  into the crevice  908  in the seat to attach the snap hook assembly  100  to the anchor  904 . 
     Glossary of Terms 
     The language used in the claims and specification is to only have its plain and ordinary meaning, except as explicitly defined below. The words in these definitions are to only have their plain and ordinary meaning. Such plain and ordinary meaning is inclusive of all consistent dictionary definitions from the most recently published Webster&#39;s dictionaries and Random House dictionaries. As used in the specification and claims, the following definitions apply to these terms and common variations thereof identified below. 
     “Acute Angle” generally refers to an angle smaller than a right angle or less than 90 degrees. 
     “Asymmetric” generally refers to an object not being identical on both sides of a central line. 
     “Cantilever Spring” generally refers to a spring fixed only at one end. In one non-limiting example, the cantilever spring is in the form of a flat spring that is anchored at one and the other end extends freely away from the anchored end. 
     “Fastener” generally refers to a hardware device that mechanically joins or otherwise affixes two or more objects together. By way of nonlimiting examples, the fastener can include bolts, dowels, nails, nuts, pegs, pins, rivets, screws, and snap fasteners, to just name a few. 
     “Flat Spring” generally refers to a flat strip of material that, when deflected by an external load, stores and releases energy. In one non-limiting example, flat springs include small, stamped metal components that function like a spring by controlling deflection within small or restricted spaces. Flat springs can also function as spacers and/or electrical contacts. Flat springs usually, but not always, are manufactured from high carbon spring steel, nickel-silver, high-nickel alloys, stainless steel, phosphor-bronze, and/or beryllium-copper combinations. 
     “Hook” generally refers to a length of material that contains a portion that is curved and/or indented, such that it can be used to grab onto, connect, or otherwise attach itself onto another object. In one non-limiting example, the hook includes a piece of material, such as made of metal and/or plastic, that is curved or otherwise bent back at an angle, for catching hold of another object. 
     “Lateral” generally refers to being situated on, directed toward, or coming from the side. 
     “Lever” generally refers to a simple machine including a beam, rod, or other structure pivoted at a fulcrum, such as a hinge. In one form, the lever is a rigid body capable of rotating on a point on itself. Levers can be generally categorized into three types of classes based on the location of fulcrum, load, and/or effort. In a class 1 type of lever, the fulcrum is located in the middle such that the effort is applied on one side of the fulcrum and the resistance or load on the other side. For class 1 type levers, the mechanical advantage may be greater than, less than, or equal to 1. Some non-limiting examples of class 1 type levers include seesaws, crowbars, and a pair of scissors. In a class 2 type of lever, which is sometimes referred to as a force multiplier lever, the resistance or load is located generally near the middle of the lever such that the effort is applied on one side of the resistance and the fulcrum is located on the other side. For class 2 type levers, the load arm is smaller than the effort arm, and the mechanical advantage is typically greater than 1. Some non-limiting examples of class 2 type levers include wheelbarrows, nutcrackers, bottle openers, and automobile brake pedals. In a class 3 type lever, which is sometimes referred to as a speed multiplier lever, the effort is generally located near the middle of the lever such that the resistance or load is on one side of the effort and the fulcrum is located on the other side. For class 3 type levers, the effort arm is smaller than the load arm, and the mechanical advantage is typically less than 1. Some non-limiting examples of class 3 type levers include a pair of tweezers and the human mandible. 
     “Longitudinal” generally relates to length or lengthwise dimension of an object, rather than across. 
     “Seat Belt”, “Safety Belt”, or “Vehicle Belt” generally refers to an arrangement of webs and other devices designed to restrain or otherwise hold a person or other object steady such as in a boat, vehicle, aircraft, and/or spacecraft. For example, the seat belt is designed to secure an occupant of a vehicle against harmful movement that may result during a collision or a sudden stop. By way of non-limiting examples, the seat belt can include webbing, buckles, latch plates, and/or length-adjustment mechanisms, such as a retractor, installed in the vehicle that is used to restrain an occupant or a child restraint system. The seat belt for instance can include a lap belt only, a combination lap-shoulder belt, a separate lap belt, a separate shoulder belt, and/or a knee bolster. 
     “Spring” generally refers to an elastic object that stores mechanical energy. The spring can include a resilient device that can be pressed, pulled, and/or twisted but returns to its former shape when released. The spring can be made from resilient or elastic material such as metal and/or plastic The spring can counter or resist loads in many forms and apply force at constant or variable levels. For example, the spring can include a tension spring, compression spring, torsion spring, constant spring, and/or variable spring. The spring can take many forms such as by being a flat spring, a machined spring, and/or a serpentine spring. By way of nonlimiting examples, the springs can include various coil springs, pocket springs, Bonnell coils, offset coils, continuous coils, cantilever springs, volute springs, hairsprings, leaf springs, V-springs, gas springs, leaf springs, torsion springs, rubber bands, spring washers, and/or wave springs, to name just a few. 
     “Web” or “Webbing” generally refers to a strap made of a network of thread, strings, cords, wires, and/or other materials designed to restrain or otherwise hold a person or other object steady such as in a boat, vehicle, aircraft, and/or spacecraft. By way of non-limiting examples, the web can be incorporated into a seat belt, a child booster seat, and/or a car seat. 
     It should be noted that the singular forms “a,” “an,” “the,” and the like as used in the description and/or the claims include the plural forms unless expressly discussed otherwise. For example, if the specification and/or claims refer to “a device” or “the device”, it includes one or more of such devices. 
     It should be noted that directional terms, such as “up,” “down,” “top,” “bottom,” “lateral,” “longitudinal,” “radial,” “circumferential,” “horizontal,” “vertical,” etc., are used herein solely for the convenience of the reader in order to aid in the reader&#39;s understanding of the illustrated embodiments, and it is not the intent that the use of these directional terms in any manner limit the described, illustrated, and/or claimed features to a specific direction and/or orientation. 
     While the invention has been illustrated and described in detail in the drawings and foregoing description, the same is to be considered as illustrative and not restrictive in character, it being understood that only the preferred embodiment has been shown and described and that all changes, equivalents, and modifications that come within the spirit of the inventions defined by following claims are desired to be protected. All publications, patents, and patent applications cited in this specification are herein incorporated by reference as if each individual publication, patent, or patent application were specifically and individually indicated to be incorporated by reference and set forth in its entirety herein.