Source: https://patents.justia.com/patent/7188392
Timestamp: 2020-07-05 02:24:47
Document Index: 488335430

Matched Legal Cases: ['art 44', 'art 48', 'art 44', 'art 48', 'art 44', 'art 48', 'art 44', 'art 44', 'art 44', 'art 44', 'art 48']

US Patent for Spring fastener with highly improved lever/angle pulling force Patent (Patent # 7,188,392 issued March 13, 2007) - Justia Patents Search
Justia Patents Sheet Metal FormedUS Patent for Spring fastener with highly improved lever/angle pulling force Patent (Patent # 7,188,392)
Sep 16, 2004 - Termax Corporation
first barbs being outer barbs and second barbs being inner barbs;
first barbs being outside outer barbs and second barbs being inside outer barbs; and
first barbs being inner barbs and second barbs being inner barbs.
It is preferable that the barbs which are cut from their respective side, are flexible, and bent in the vicinity of their respective front end as described for example in U.S. Pat. No. 6,279,207 B1, which is incorporated herein by reference, and more particularly in FIG. 1A of said patent, with an angle of bent in the range of 5–25 degrees.
More particularly, as better shown in FIGS. 1, 1A and 1B, the invention pertains a spring fastener 10 comprising a first side 12 and a second side 14 opposite the first side 12. The first side 12 is connected to the second side 14 forming a U-shaped structure which has a cavity 19 between the first side 12 and the second side 14. The fastener 10 also has a bottom portion 16, wherein the first side 12 and the second side 14 are connected. It further has a top portion 18a and 18b (collectively 18).
The first side 12 comprises a first engagement spring 20a, which is connected to the first side 12 in the vicinity of the bottom portion 16.
Each of the first and second engagement springs 20a and 20b may preferably, but not necessarily, have a first and second recess, 24a and 24b, respectively, as shown in FIGS. 1A and 1B, and a first and second free end, 22a and 22b, respectively, in the vicinity of the top portion 18 (18a and 18b, respectively). Each spring also comprises a first and a second peak, 26a and 26b, respectively, and a first and second engagement region, 28a and 28b, respectively.
Preferably, within the engagement region, and more preferably in the vicinity of the peaks 26, there are side-cut sections 8a and 8b on the spring sides consisting of side-cuts 8a and 8b (collectively 8), respectively, preferably of triangular shape, which render the lever/angle pulling force considerably higher than it would have been in their absence. Each one of the side-cuts or notches 8 has an upper edge 7 (7a and 7b), and a lower edge 9 (9a and 9b). It is highly preferable that the lower edges 9 (9a and 9b) are at least partially bent outwardly, as better illustrated in FIG. 1C. It is evident that the invention includes the case that only one side-cut section may be present.
It is highly preferable also, that the engagement regions 28, further comprise a first and second hindrance portion, 29a and 29b, respectively, between the bents 26 and the front ends 22.
The hindrance portions provide increased removal force, when the fastener 10 is pulled by a rib or extension 46 (FIG. 4B) of a first part 44 (FIG. 4) engaged to the first and second barbs, 36a and 36b, respectively, after the fastener 10 has been inserted into a slot 50 of a second part 48 (FIG. 4), the slot 50 having a slot width W2 (FIGS. 4 and 4C) and edges 51 (FIG. 4C) on which edges the engagement regions 28a and 28b are engaged. The removal force is measured by pulling rib 46 of the first part 44 straight away from the second part 48 in the vicinity of point F1.
The increased removal force is due to the hindrance portions 29a and 29b (FIG. 4C), which in this particular case comprise single ripples with only back sides 34, as it will be explained at a later point in more detail. According to this invention, the engagement portions 28a and 28b and the hindrance regions 29a and 29b are required to be such that the fastener 10 can be extracted from the slot 50 when pulled by the rib 46 without damage to said fastener 10, and with a higher force than a force required in the absence of the hindrance portions 29a and 29b.
The lever/angle pulling force is measured by pulling the first part 44 apart from the second part 48, not straight away, but sideways from each other, that is for example by pulling the first part 44 from a point F2 away from the rib 46, such as the edge 45 for example of the first part 44, such as an automotive pillar for example.
The first side 12 also comprises first barbs 36a, which in the case shown in FIGS. 1A and 1B are outer barbs, since they are disposed in an outer portion of the first side 12. The barbs 36a have first front ends 38a. In the particular cases of FIGS. 1A and 1B, the first barbs 36a are bent inwardly in the vicinity of the front ends 38a, according to a highly preferred embodiment of the instant invention.
The second side 14 comprises second barbs 36b, which in the case of FIGS. 1A and 1B are inner barbs, since they are disposed in an inner portion of the second side 14. The second barbs have second front ends 38b. In this particular case of FIGS. 1A and 1B the second barbs 36b are also bent inwardly in the vicinity of the front ends 38b, according to a highly preferred embodiment of the instant invention.
In the case of FIG. 1, the barbs 36a and 36b are straight.
This invention further pertains an assembly 11, as better shown in FIG. 4B, comprising a spring fastener as described above or in the embodiments and their equivalents presented hereinbelow, and a first part 44 (FIG. 4) comprising a rib 46 (FIG. 4A) inserted into the cavity 19 of the spring fastener 10 and engaged to the first and second barbs 36a and 36b.
Further, this invention further pertains an assembly 1, as better shown in FIG. 4B, comprising a spring fastener as described above or in the embodiments presented hereinbelow; a first part 44 (FIG. 4) comprising a rib 46 (FIG. 4A) inserted into the cavity 19 of the spring fastener 10 and engaged to the first and second barbs 36a and 36b; and a second part 48 (FIGS. 4 and 4B) comprising a slot 50, which slot 50 has a width W2 and edges 51 (FIG. 4C), so that the edges 51 of said slot are engaged to the engagement regions 28a and 28b of the spring fastener 10. In this case also, the requirement exists that by pulling the rib 46, the fastener 10 is extracted from the slot 50 without damage to the fastener 10, and with a higher force than a force required in the absence of the hindrance portions 29a and 29b.
The rib 46 of the panel 44 is preferably first inserted into the cavity 19 of the fastener 10 (see FIG. 4A), where, it is secured by barbs 36a and 36b. Then, the fastener 10, which has been secured on the extension 46 of the panel 44, is inserted into the slot 50 of the frame 48, as better shown in FIG. 4B. However the sequence inserting the fastener may be the opposite.
According to this invention, the hindrance portions 29a and 29b may comprise minute elements, such as ripples, upward solid bent extensions parallel to the peaks and the recesses, knurled regions, bent teeth, each having a depth, the depth of which does not exceed preferably 0.2 mm, and more preferably 0.1 mm. Any person of ordinary skill in the art would not expect that elements having such minute depths would have such great impact in force balances as the aforementioned ones.
first barbs 36a being outer barbs, and second barbs 36b being inner barbs, as better shown in FIG. 6 (blank before forming) and 6A (side view);
first barbs 36a being outside outer barbs, and second barbs 36b being inside outer barbs, as better shown in FIG. 7 (blank before forming); and
first barbs 36a being inner barbs, and second barbs 36b being inner barbs, as better shown in FIG. 8 (blank before forming).
The spring fastener 10 may also comprise relief openings 42a and 42b in the vicinity of the bottom 16 of the spring fastener 10, as better shown in FIG. 6 (blank before forming). These relief openings facilitate the insertion of the fastener into the slot 50.
The spring fastener 10 may further comprise additional lower barbs 40a and 40b pointing inwardly and originating form the vicinity of the bottom portion 16 of the first side and the second side, respectively, of the fastener 10, as better shown in FIG. 9 (blank before forming).
In another embodiment, better illustrated in FIG. 10 (blank before forming), the first side of the spring fastener 10 has only one upper barb 36a and one lower barb 40a, while the second side also has also only one upper barb 36b and only one lower barb 40b, in a manner that the upper barb of one side faces the lower barb of the other side and vice versa.
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Patent Publication Number: 20050105987
Inventors: Michael Anthony Giugliano (Elgin, IL), Michael Walter Smith (Lake Zurich, IL), Mark Fleydervish (Buffalo Grove, IL), Daniel James Dickinson (Arlington Heights, IL), Joseph William Lowry (Libertyville, IL)
Application Number: 10/942,634
Current U.S. Class: Sheet Metal Formed (24/295); Having Resilient Securing Structure On Shank (411/508)