Patent Abstract:
In one embodiment, a pivot assembly includes a component including a top surface and a post that extends upward from the top surface, a pivot member that can be pivoted about a pivot axis defined by the post, the pivot member having a top surface, and a retaining collar that secures the pivot member to the component, the retaining collar being positioned between the post and the pivot member.

Full Description:
CROSS-REFERENCE TO RELATED APPLICATION 
     This application claims priority to copending U.S. provisional application entitled, “Collar for Attaching a Rotating Device to Sheetmetal When Thickness Constrains are Extreme,” Ser. No. 60/941,877, filed Jun. 4, 2007, which is entirely incorporated herein by reference. 
    
    
     BACKGROUND 
     It is occasionally necessary to attach a pivot member, such as a pull handle, to a piece of sheet metal. There are various methods for achieving such attachment. In one such method, a handle can be secured to a piece of sheet metal using separate attachment hardware, such as a threaded fastener that threads into a nut that has been press fit into or otherwise attached to the sheet metal. 
     Although the use of such attachment hardware is acceptable in some applications, it may not be in others. For example, in a limited clearance application, in which the handle must be very thin due to lack of space, there simply may not be space for a nut. In such circumstances, the handle can instead be attached to the sheet metal using a swaging process. In such a process, a post is extruded from the sheet metal so as to extend from a top surface of the sheet metal. The handle can then be placed over the post and the post can be swaged down on top of the handle to secure the handle to the sheet metal. 
     While such a solution results in a low profile assembly, it also typically results in a handle that is either too tight or too loose due to difficulty in controlling the swaging process. In addition, the handle may bind in certain angular positions during use, resulting in a handle that cannot be smoothly operated. Although the handle may be functional in such situations, it may create the perception of poor quality for the user. 
    
    
     
       BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS 
       The disclosed pivot assemblies can be better understood with reference to the following drawings. The components in the drawings are not necessarily to scale. 
         FIG. 1  is perspective view of components of an embodiment of a pivot assembly. 
         FIG. 2  is a partial cross-sectional view of the components of  FIG. 1 . 
         FIG. 3  is a perspective view of the pivot assembly of  FIG. 1  after the assembly has been partially assembled. 
         FIG. 4  is a partial cross-sectional view of the pivot assembly in the partially assembled state of  FIG. 3 . 
         FIG. 5  is a perspective view of the pivot assembly of  FIG. 1  after the assembly has been fully assembled. 
         FIG. 6  is a partial cross-sectional view of the pivot assembly in the fully assembled state of  FIG. 5 . 
     
    
    
     DETAILED DESCRIPTION 
     As described above, it is occasionally necessary to attach a pivot member, such as a pull handle, to another component, such as a piece of sheet metal. Although such attachment can be achieved using a threaded fastener and a nut, such hardware may be too large for low clearance applications. In such circumstances, the pivot member alternatively can be attached to the other component using a swaging process in which a post of the other component is swaged down on top of the handle. Unfortunately, such a solution may result in a handle that is either too tight or too lose, or that cannot be operated smoothly. 
     As described in the following, such disadvantages can be reduced or avoided by attaching or mounting a pivot member to a component using a retaining collar that is adapted to be attached to the component to retain the pivot member. In some embodiments, a post is provided on or formed from the component that receives both the handle and the collar. Once the handle and collar have been positioned about the post, the post can be swaged down onto the collar to fixedly secure it to the component and retain the handle. Because the collar rests on top of the component and is no taller than the handle, no hardware extends below the bottom surface of the component or beyond the top surface of the handle. Moreover, because the post is swaged to the collar instead of the handle, the pivot characteristics of the handle can be better controlled to avoid a result in which the handle is too tight, too loose, or binds when pivoted. 
     Referring now in more detail to the drawings in which like numerals indicate corresponding parts throughout the views,  FIGS. 1 and 2  illustrate components of an example pivot assembly  10 . As shown those figures, the components generally include a sheet metal component  12 , a pivot member  14 , and a retaining collar  16 . By way of example, the sheet metal component  12  comprises part of a housing of a module (not shown) that is adapted to fit within a separate computer component (not shown). In such a case, there may be limited clearance for the module and no portion of the module may extend beyond the plane of the outer surface  18  of the sheet metal component  12 . 
     As shown in  FIG. 1 , the sheet metal component  12  comprises a depression or recess  20  that is sized and configured to receive the pivot member  14 . Extending from a top surface  22  of the recess  20  is a hollow cylindrical post  24 , which can be formed through extrusion. As described below, both the pivot member  14  and the retaining collar  16  can be provided on the post  24  during the assembly process. Once assembly is completed, the pivot member  14  will be free to pivot or rotate about the collar  16 . Accordingly, the central axis of the post  24  defines a pivot or rotation axis  26  for the pivot member  14 . 
     In the example embodiment, the pivot member  14  comprises a pull handle that is used as a lever that assists a user in the insertion and/or removal of the module in which the sheet metal component  12  is used. For convenience in describing the assembly  10  and its function, the pivot member  14  will be referred to as the “handle”  14  from this point forward. As indicated most clearly in  FIG. 2 , the handle  14  includes a top surface  28  and a bottom surface  30 . The distance between the top and bottom surfaces  28 ,  30  comprises the height of the handle  14  that, as described below, is no greater than the depth of the recess  20  of the sheet metal component  12 . 
     Extending between the top and bottom surfaces  28 ,  30  of the handle  14  is a mounting opening  32  that is adapted to receive both the post  24  and the retaining collar  16  when the handle is placed within the recess  20  of the sheet metal component  12 . As indicated in  FIG. 2 , the opening  26  comprises a first or bottom section  34  having a first diameter and a second or top section  36  having a second diameter that is larger than the first diameter. Such an arrangement results in a stepped configuration that forms a ledge or step  38 . As described below, the step  38  facilitates retention of the handle  14 . Notably, each of the first and second diameters, and therefore the opening  32  in general, is significantly larger than the diameter of the post  24  of the sheet metal component  12 . As will become apparent below, that larger size creates space for the retaining collar  16 . 
     With further reference to  FIGS. 1 and 2 , the retaining collar  16  comprises a body portion  40  that forms a first or bottom surface  42  of the collar and a shoulder portion  44  that forms a second or top surface  46  of the collar. The body portion  40  and the shoulder portion  44  together form a mounting opening  47 . The body portion  40  is generally cylindrical and includes an outer surface  48  having a first or outer diameter and an inner surface  50  having a second or inner diameter that is smaller than the outer diameter. Generally speaking, the outer diameter is slightly smaller than the diameter of the bottom section  34  of the opening  32  of the handle  14  and the inner diameter is slightly larger than the outer diameter of the post  24  of the sheet metal component  12 . 
     The shoulder portion  44  extends laterally outward from the outer surface  48  of the body portion  40  and is also generally cylindrical. The shoulder portion  44  therefore defines a further outer surface  52  having a third or outer diameter, which is slightly smaller than the diameter of the top section  36  of the handle  14 . The shoulder portion  44  further comprises an angled inner surface  54  that extends from the inner surface  50  of the body portion  40  at an outward angle to the top surface  46  of the collar  16  to therefore form a chamfer  55 . By way of example, the inner surface  54  forms an angle, α, of approximately 30 to 60 degrees relative to the pivot axis  26 . As described below, the inner surface  54  serves as a contact surface for the post  24  after it has been swaged down onto the collar  16 . 
     Referring next to  FIGS. 3 and 4 , the handle  14  has been placed within the recess  20  formed in the sheet metal component  12  such that the post  24  extends through the opening  32  formed in the handle and the handle rests upon the top surface  22  of the recess. As shown most clearly in  FIG. 3 , the handle  14  does not extend beyond the outer surface  18  of the sheet metal component  12  when the handle is disposed in the recess  20  because the height (or thickness) of the handle does not exceed the depth of the recess. By way of example, the height of the handle  14  is approximately the same as the dept of the recess  20  such that the top surface  28  is approximately flush with the outer surface  18  of the sheet metal component  12  ( FIG. 3 ). 
     With further reference to  FIGS. 3 and 4 , the retaining collar  16  has also been placed over the post  24  such that the collar also rests upon the top surface  22  of the recess  20 . As shown most clearly in  FIG. 4 , when the collar  16  is so placed, the collar is received within the opening  32  of the handle  14  such that the collar is positioned between the post  24  and the handle with only limited clearance. In addition, the shoulder portion  44  of the collar  16  is positioned opposite the step  38 , for example in close proximity to the step. As described below, the relative positions of the shoulder portion  44  and the step  38  retains the handle  14  in place on the sheet metal component  12  when the collar has been secured to the component. As is apparent in  FIGS. 3 and 4 , the collar  16  does not protrude above the top surface  28  of the handle or the outer surface  18  of the sheet metal component  12 . By way of example, the collar  16  is approximately as tall as the handle  14 , such that the top surface  46  of the collar is approximately flush with the top surface  28  of the handle ( FIG. 4 ). Unlike the collar  16 , however, the post  24  extends beyond the top surface  46  of the collar  16 , as most clearly shown in  FIG. 4 . 
     Turning to  FIGS. 5 and 6 , the assembly  10  is shown in the fully assembled state. As indicated in those figures, the post  24  has been, pressed, for example swaged, onto the collar  16  and, more particularly, onto the inner surface  54  of the collar to fixedly secure the collar to the sheet metal component  12 . Due to that securing, and further due to the fact that the shoulder portion  44  of the collar  16  prevents the handle  14  from separating from the component  12 , the handle is also secured to the component. However, because the post  24  has not been swaged onto and does not contact the handle  14 , the handle can be freely pivoted about the pivot axis  26 . By controlling the relative dimensions of the collar  16  and the handle  14 , the friction that opposes such pivoting can be controlled irrespective of the force used to secure the collar to the sheet metal component  12 . Accordingly, a handle  14  that smoothly pivots with a desired degree of tightness or looseness can be achieved, thereby ensuring a favorable impression of the user.

Technology Classification (CPC): 4