Patent Abstract:
A fastening element features a female cap member and a unitary stud body defining a flexible base portion and a projecting portion integral therewith. A peripheral rim of the projecting portion stands upwardly from the base portion and is engageable into the female cap member as a snap fastener, and a bottom surface of the flexible base is deformable relative to the projecting portion. A layer of adhesive is sandwiched between the bottom surface of the flexible base portion and a removable covering layer for adhering to a surface on which stud is to be mounted. The one piece stud body can be produced efficiently while its flexible base is adaptable to mount on any of a variety of differently shaped surfaces, such as non-planar surfaces of a vehicle body to allow selective securing of a fabric cover on the vehicle via a corresponding female cap secured on the cover.

Full Description:
CROSS REFERENCE TO RELATED APPLICATIONS 
     This application claims benefit under 35 U.S.C. 119(e) of U.S. Provisional Patent Application Ser. No. 61/311,266, filed Mar. 5, 2010. 
    
    
     FIELD OF THE INVENTION 
     The present invention relates to fasteners used for fastening a fabric cover to surfaces of a vehicle. 
     BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION 
     It is well known to provide fabric covers which engage over the grill of a vehicle. Such covers can be imperforate for acting as a winter front to reduce the amount of cooling air passing through the grill or can constitute a bug screen in which case the fabric cover is formed from a perforated screen material to allow air to flow through while preventing passing of insects and other debris. 
     It is also well known to provide a cover for the box of a pick-up truck which is known as a tonneau cover. 
     In many cases these fabric covers are fastened using press fasteners which comprise a female cap member attached to the fabric cover around a peripheral edge portion thereof together with a male stud member which has a peripheral rim extending into the cap member for readily releasable and reengageable snap fastening arrangements. A plurality of such fasteners are arranged at spaced positions around the periphery of the fabric cover. Such arrangements have been manufactured and widely sold for many years. 
     On prior art technique for attachment of the male stud member to a surface of the vehicle involves drilling a hole in the vehicle surface and using a self-tapping screw engaged through a central hole in the stud member to clamp the stud member to the vehicle surface. However this technique has a significant disadvantage that the vehicle owner in many cases does not want to perforate the vehicle surface in view of the difficulties which can be caused to the rust and corrosion prevention coatings of the surface. There is a reluctance therefore to purchase covers of this type which require the user to drill holes in the vehicle surface. 
     One solution which has been provided therefore in regard to the tonneau cover on the truck box is to manufacture a rail system which is initially attached to the vehicle using openings already available in the vehicle following which the tonneau cover is attached to the rails using the conventional press fastener systems. This system however of course requires significant extra parts to be manufactured, transported and assembled for the finished product. However the reluctance of users to perforate the vehicle surface has lead to such complex solutions to this long standing problem. 
     Applicant&#39;s U.S. Pat. No. 5,797,643, incorporated herein by reference, outlined a further solution in which a male stud portion having a rigid disc-shaped base and a cylinder projecting from one side of the disc to carry the peripheral engagement rim is adhesively secured to the vehicle surface, either by an adhesive layer fixed directly to the bottom surface of the disc or an adhesive layer fixed to a bottom surface of a flexible plastic sheet to which the male stud portion can be engaged by fitting a stud member on the flexible sheet through a hole in the disc of the male stud portion. The disc of the male stud portion can be mounted directly when the vehicle surface in question is flat, but the separate stud-equipped flexible sheet is needed to mounted the rigid male portion on an arcuate or curved surface. 
     The present invention improves on the prior art by providing a one-piece male stud portion that can be mounted to flat, curved or bent surfaces without requiring a separate piece for accomplishing the adhesive attachment to the vehicle surface. 
     SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION 
     According to a first aspect of the invention there is provided a vehicle comprising: 
     a vehicle body having at least one opening therein to be covered; 
     a plurality of vehicle surfaces arranged around said at least one opening; 
     a fabric cover for engaging over the opening and having edge portions for engaging respective ones of the vehicle surfaces; and a plurality of fastening elements for fastening the edge portions to the respective vehicle surfaces; 
     each fastening element comprising:
         a female cap member attached to a respective fabric edge portion;   a unitary male stud member having a flexible base portion and a projecting portion integral therewith, a peripheral rim of the projecting portion standing upwardly from the base portion and being engageable into the cap member as a readily releasable and reengageable snap fastener and a bottom surface of the flexible base portion opposite the projecting portion following a curvature of the respective vehicle surface; and   a layer of adhesive having one surface adhesively fastened to the bottom surface of the base portion and an opposed surface fastened to the respective vehicle surface;       

     wherein at least one of the respective vehicle surfaces is non-planar and at least some of the bottom surface of the flexible base portion on said one of the respective vehicle surfaces is deformed to conform thereto. 
     According to a second aspect of the invention there is provided an apparatus comprising: 
     a body having a portion thereon to be covered; 
     a plurality of body surfaces arranged around said portion; 
     a fabric cover for engaging over the portion and having edge portions for engaging respective ones of the body surfaces; and 
     a plurality of fastening elements for fastening the edge portions to the respective body surfaces; 
     each fastening element comprising:
         a female cap member attached to a respective fabric edge portion;   a unitary male stud member having a flexible base portion and a projecting portion integral therewith, a peripheral rim of the projecting portion standing upwardly from the base portion and being engageable into the cap member as a readily releasable and reengageable snap fastener and a bottom surface of the flexible base portion opposite the projecting portion following a curvature of the respective body surface; and       

     a layer of adhesive having one surface adhesively fastened to the flexible attachment member and an opposed surface fastened to the respective body surface; 
     wherein at least one of the respective body surfaces is non-planar and at least some of the bottom surface of the flexible base portion on said one of the respective body surfaces is deformed to conform thereto. 
     According to a third aspect of the invention there is provided a kit of parts for attachment of a cover to a vehicle comprising: 
     a fabric cover for engaging over a portion of the vehicle and having edge portions for engaging respective vehicle surfaces; 
     a plurality of fastening elements for fastening the edge portions to the respective vehicle surfaces; 
     each fastening element comprising:
         a female cap member attached to a respective fabric edge portion;   a plurality of male fastening elements, each comprising a unitary male stud member having a flexible base portion and a projecting portion integral therewith, a peripheral rim of the projecting portion standing upwardly from the base portion and being engageable into the cap member as a readily releasable and reengageable snap fastener, a bottom surface of the flexible base opposite the projection portion being deformable relative to the projecting portion; and   a layer of adhesive having one surface adhesively fastened to the flexible attachment member and an opposed surface and an opposed surface covered by a removable covering layer and exposable by removal of the covering later for fastening to the respective vehicle surface.       

     According to a fourth aspect of the invention there is provided a fastening element comprising: 
     a female cap member; 
     a unitary stud body defining a flexible base portion and a projecting portion integral therewith, a peripheral rim of the projecting portion standing upwardly from the base portion and being engageable into the female cap member as a readily releasable and reengageable snap fastener, a bottom surface of the flexible base opposite the projection portion being deformable relative to the projecting portion; and 
     a layer of adhesive having one surface adhesively fastened to the bottom surface of the flexible base portion and an opposed surface covered by a removable covering layer and exposable by removal of the covering later for fastening to a surface of a body on which the snap fastener is to be used. 
     Preferably the flexible base portion has a plurality grooves formed therein and each extending fully across the base portion. 
     Preferably the grooves are formed in a top surface of the base portion opposite the bottom surface thereof. 
     Preferably the grooves are formed on opposite sides of the projecting portion. 
     Preferably the grooves are parallel with one another. 
     In use of the fastening element, said one of the respective vehicle surfaces may feature a bend from which portions of said one of the respective surfaces diverge, one of the grooves in the flexible base portion on said one of the respective vehicle surfaces extending along said bend with the flexible base portion bending across the groove. 
     Preferably the projecting portion of each fastening element has a first outer diameter from which the peripheral rim projects outwardly and has a second outer diameter smaller than the first outer diameter where the flexible base connects to the projecting portion integral therewith. 
     Preferably the projecting portion of each fastening element is hollow and a hollow interior of the projecting portion is open at a top end thereof opposite the base and closed at a bottom end thereof by the base. 
    
    
     
       BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS 
       In the accompanying drawings, which illustrate an exemplary embodiment of the present invention: 
         FIG. 1  is an isometric view showing simply a vehicle of the type having a vertical front grill and an open rear box with the front grill covered by a fabric cover and the box cover covered by a tonneau cover. 
         FIG. 2  is a cross sectional view showing one of the fastening elements by which the covers are fastened to the vehicle surfaces installed on a flat one of those surfaces. 
         FIG. 3A  is a vertical cross sectional view through the male stud of a second fastening element installed on a bent vehicle surface. 
         FIG. 3B  is a vertical cross sectional view through the male stud of a third fastening element installed on a curved vehicle surface. 
         FIG. 4  shows a kit of parts which can be purchased by a user for attachment to a vehicle of the type shown in  FIG. 1 . 
     
    
    
     DETAILED DESCRIPTION 
     In  FIG. 1  shows a vehicle which is generally indicated at  10  and is of the pick-up truck type including a nearly vertical upright front grill  11  and a rear box  12 . The front grill  11  is covered by a fabric panel  13  and the box is covered by a tonneau cover  14 . The vehicle is of conventional construction and shown only schematically. The covers  13  and  14  are also shown only schematically as these are well known to one skilled in the art and can vary in accordance with the requirements. 
     The present invention is concerned with the technique for fastening the covers  13  and  14  to the vehicle, and the elements for forming this fastening technique are shown in  FIGS. 2 ,  3  and  4 . Thus in  FIG. 4  is shown one of the covers which is generally indicated at  15  comprising a fabric sheet  16  and a plurality of female cap-type fasteners  17 . Also in  FIG. 4  is shown a male fastener generally indicated at  28 . Further details of the male fastener  28  are shown in  FIGS. 2 and 3 . 
     In general each of the fasteners is of a type best shown in  FIG. 2 . In this type of fastening arrangement, there is provided a female cap portion  17  which defines a relatively shallow cap having a female recess  18  and a peripheral engagement rim  19  surrounding the recess  18 . The fabric  16  has portions  16 A clamped to the cap  17 , and in the arrangement shown this is effected by an outer cap section  20  which pinches the portion  16 A between the outer cap section  20  and an inner cap section  21  defining the recess  18 . The female cap  17  cooperates with the male portion  28  in a snap fastening arrangement. 
     The male portion  28  is a single, unitary, integral piece made of a single material that defines a flexible disc  30 , which has a bottom circular surface  31 , and an upstanding fastening portion  32  with an engagement rim  33 . The rim  19  of the cap  17  is thus arranged as a snap-fit over the rim  33  of the upstanding projecting portion  32 . The flexible circular disc  30  underlies and surrounds the cylindrical portion and projects outwardly therefrom. The flexible disc and upstanding fastening portion  32  are seamlessly integral with one another as a result of the one-piece construction of the male portion  28 , as opposed to the seam that would result from instead trying to produce a similar structure by fastening two originally-separate pieces together to form a flexible base on a significantly more rigid piece carrying the fastening portion. 
     In the installed arrangement shown in  FIG. 2 , the disc is bonded to a planar vehicle panel surface  40  of the vehicle by a layer  41  of an adhesive material. The layer  41  has an upper surface  42  adhesively bonded to the bottom surface  31  of the disc. The layer  41  has a bottom surface  43  adhesively bonded to an upper surface of the vehicle panel  40 . 
     In the kit of parts shown in  FIG. 4 , the layer  41  is supplied in a condition in which it is covered by a sheet  44  of a non-adhesive plastics material which covers the adhesive surface  43  of the layer  41  and thus prevents inadvertent adhesion to surrounding elements. In operation, the layer  44  is removed and the adhesive layer  41  applied to the vehicle surface to provide an adhesive bonding effect of the male portion  28  to the vehicle surface. 
     With the male portion so bonded in place, the fabric cover can be snap-fastened into place simply by pressing the female caps over the respective male portions in their bonded positions, which are arranged in an array matching the array of female caps  17  on the fabric cover  16 . 
     In a situation where the vehicle surface at the position where the snap fastener is to be located is entirely flat over the area at which it desirable to secure the stud, the male fastening portion  28  functions in the same manner as the rigid-base stud disclosed in Applicant&#39;s aforementioned prior art patent by being directly fastened atop the planar vehicle surface. However, while the prior art male portion  28  required a separate flexible piece in order to allow the male portion to be adhesively secured to a non-planar surface that is curved or features multiple planar sections interconnecting at and diverging away from bends or corners in the surface, the flexible disc-shaped base  30  of male fastening portion  28  of the present invention allows direct adhesion to such non-planar surfaces without requiring an additional piece. 
       FIG. 3  illustrates this added functionality. 
       FIG. 3A  shows the male portion  28  adhered to a three section surface  40 ′ in which three flat, but not coplanar, sections collectively make up the area at which it is desirable to secure a male fastening portion  28 . With reference to  FIG. 4 , a top surface of the flexible disc-shaped base  30  of the male fastener portion  28  features a plurality of parallel grooves  30   a  recessed therein. The illustrated embodiment features four such parallel grooves, two on each side of the projecting portion  32  projecting upward from this top surface of the disc  30 . Each linearly extending groove travels fully across the disc along a respective chord of the disc&#39;s circular shape, therefore extending fully to the perimeter of the disc at each end of the groove to open to the disc&#39;s outer periphery. As best seen in  FIGS. 2 and 3 , the top surface of the illustrated disc  30  has a slight linear slope toward the bottom surface of the disc in each radial direction extending outward from the disc&#39;s center positioned coaxially beneath the projecting portion  32 . With the bottom surface of the disc  30  being planar when the disc is seated flat on a horizontal surface, the slight slope of the top surface of the disc means that the thickness of the disc  30  tapers slightly moving radially outward toward its peripheral edge. The thinner nature of the disc  30  closer to its outer edge means that the disc is more flexible further away from the projecting portion  32 . 
       FIG. 3A  demonstrates that in order for the flexible disc  30  to best conform to a bent vehicle surface to which it is adhesively secured, one of the grooves  30   a  in the disc  30  can be placed to overlie a linear bend line in the surface  40 ′ so that the disc  30  bends along that groove  30   a  in order to change direction at the same angle as the bend in the surface  40 ′, thereby providing the best possible conformance between the adhesive-carrying bottom surface of the disc  30  and the relatively sloped sections of the surface. The particular configuration of the surface to which the male piece  28  of the fastener is secured in  FIG. 3A , with a central horizontal section and two obliquely inclined sections sloping respectively upward and downward from the central section on opposite sides thereof, is illustrated not to represent a particular vehicle surface for which the fastener is intended for use, but rather to illustrate that the outer portions of the disc defining the peripheral edge thereof can be bent upward or downward relative to the central portion of the disc disposed to the inside of the grooves. Accordingly, the bend lines provided in the disc  30  by the grooves  30   a  give the male piece  28  the flexibility to adapt to a number of different possible surface configurations in which it may be desirable to use a fastener of the present invention. Providing more than one groove  30   a  on each side of the projecting portion  32  also helps by providing multiple fold or bend axes on each side whereby placement of a different groove  30   a  over a particular surface bend allows control over how much of the disc  30  rests on each of the two surface sections joining at that bend to allow the user to select a best one of the possible positions for the application. While the disc  30  of  FIG. 3A  is positioned on surface sections with rather minor relative slopes between them, it may be able to bend through ninety degrees, for example allowing the piece to be installed in a recessed cavity or elevated position while still using the full bonding surface area provided by the disc by folding upward or downward at the outer grooves to position opposing outer regions of the disc along side walls of the recess or wall profile. 
       FIG. 3B  shows the male piece  28  adhered to a curved surface  40 ″, illustrating that it is not limited to use on an entirely planar surface area ( FIG. 2 ) or adjacently connected but non-parallel surface areas ( FIG. 3A ). With the male fastener piece  28  oriented to lay the grooves  30   a  in the disc  30  parallel to a linear axis L about which the surface  40 ″ curves, the bend lines provided by the reduced-thickness grooved portions of the disc  30  aid in the curved bending of the disc  30  abut the axis to better conform to the surface curvature. 
     The flexibility of the disc  32  for deforming the bottom surface thereof to conform to the recipient surface to which it is adhesively secured is further enhanced by the illustrated configuration of the projecting portion  32  as a hollow structure with cylindrical wall sections of varying diameter that increases moving away from the disc  30 . The projecting portion has a lower cylindrical section  32   a  at which the integral connection to the disc  30  is formed, and an upper cylindrical section  32   b  disposed atop the lower section with a larger outer diameter than the lower section and larger inner diameter of the lower section. The change in diameter moving along the projection portion  32  is stepwise in nature, with the projection portion extending outward in a radial plane normal to its longitudinal axis at the integral joining of the two sections. The wall thickness over the full height of the projecting portion is substantially uniform, and so the increase in diameter not only applies to the outer diameters moving from the lower section to the upper section, but also to the inner diameters. The hollow interior of the stud defined by the projecting portion  32  may thus be considered as a larger diameter upper chamber, and a smaller diameter lower chamber open thereto immediately therebeneath. The engagement rim  33  of the stud is integrally defined with the periphery of the larger diameter upper section  32   b  at the upper extent thereof. Accordingly, moving downward from the distal end of the projecting portion  32  opposite the disc  30 , the projecting portion decreases twice in outer diameter: once from the rim  33  to the outer peripheral surface of the remainder of the upper section  32   b , and again from the upper section  32   b  to the lower section  32   a  therebeneath. 
     The hollow structure of the stud provides an interior space capable of accommodating any feature that may be disposed in or project from the female recess  18  of a female cap member  17  to be engaged on the stud. For example, with reference to  FIG. 2 , if the cap member  17  was instead riveted to the flexible cover sheet  16 , a portion of the completed rivet would depend into the female recess  18 , and thus require a hollow space in the stud to accommodate it. The hollow stud structure thus allows it to be used with different types of female snap elements. Having the stud hollow over most of its height, but yet closed at the bottom by a circular central portion of the disc  30  disposed beneath the stud&#39;s hollow interior balances the maximization of the hollow interior depth to accommodate projecting features of female cap members with maximization of the available bottom surface area of the disc  30  for adhesion to the vehicle surface to increase the bond strength of the male piece  28  to the vehicle. Positioning of the grooves  30   a  in the top of the disc also contributes to the use of the entire bottom surface of the disc for adhesion purposes to maximize the overall adhesive bonding strength. 
     The slight increase in disc thickness from the outer edges of the disc  30  to the central portion thereof helps increase the rigidity with which the integral engagement rim  32  on the projecting portion is carried on the central portion on the disc  30  to help substantially retain the shape and position of the rim  33  during pushing of a female cap onto the stud to effect the snap fit, while the full-depth hollow interior of the stud reaching fully down to where the disc joins the lower cylindrical section balances with this so as to retain some flexibility in the central portion of the disc  30  disposed directly beneath the stud. While some or all of the stud interior could instead be filled with material, this would not only be detrimental the suitability of the male piece  28  as a universal snap fastener stud cooperable with female cap types with or without projecting features, but also may result in a reduction of the deformability of the bottom surface of the disc  30  directly beneath the projecting portion  32 , thereby reducing the overall effective flexibility of the disc and its degree of shape conforming capability. The illustrated positioning of an inner one of the grooves  30   a  on each side of the projecting portion at a position directly beneath the larger diameter upper section thereof, nearly immediately adjacent the integral joining of the disc and projecting portion, increases the flexibility of the disc  30  near the projecting portion across the bend line or axis defined by this linear groove. 
     The multi-step reduction of the projecting portion  32  moving therealong toward the disc  30  also helps maximize the flexibility of the disc  30  to better ensure compliance to the shape of an intended recipient surface of a vehicle. If the larger diameter of the illustrated upper section  32   b  was alternatively applied fully from the engagement rim  33  to the base disc  30 , the annular outer portion of the disc  30  left outward from the integral connection to the projecting portion  32  would be smaller. As the flexibility of the disc  30  increases moving away from the central projecting portion  32 , the amount by which the outer periphery of the disc can flex upward and downward would accordingly be reduced, again reducing the conforming abilities of the disc  30  and thus reducing the number of differently shaped vehicle surfaces the male piece  28  could be secured to with maximum adhesion surface area between the disc and vehicle surface. 
     The use of the illustrated circular disc shape of the flexible base  30 , or an oval-shaped disc, lacks corners so as to avoid the presence of points or sharp corners which, when the base is attached to the vehicle, can be picked or abraded and thus increase the possibility of the sheet being removed from its adhesive position on the vehicle surface. The adhesive layer, as may be provided by double sided tape applied to the male part, is coextensive with the undersurface of the flexible disc itself. 
     The fasteners described above are not limited to the illustrate use for a tonneau cover, and for example may be used to mount a grill cover in the position described in Applicant&#39;s aforementioned prior patent or for other vehicular or non-vehicular applications. The one-piece male or stud element described herein can be molded from Lexan™ polycarbonate material, but it may be possible to use other suitable materials to produce the described the one-piece configuration with a flexible base and relatively more rigid stud projection carried thereon. An additional drawing sheet is enclosed herewith as an appendix, and presents exemplary dimensions of a particular embodiment, which are not intended as limiting to the scope of the present invention. 
     Since various modifications can be made in my invention as herein above described, and many apparently widely different embodiments of same made within the spirit and scope of the claims without department from such spirit and scope, it is intended that all matter contained in the accompanying specification shall be interpreted as illustrative only and not in a limiting sense.

Technology Classification (CPC): 1