Abstract:
A round metal clinch-type base is used to support numerous downstream applications. Once the inventive hybrid assembly (metal base+application top) is installed in a thin sheet panel, the application top is free to rotate in a plane parallel to the surrounding sheet panel.

Description:
[0001]     Priority based upon provisional applications:  
         [0002]     Ser. No. 60/644,434, Universal Clinch Base, Jan. 18, 2005, Ser. No. 60/607,582, Self-clinching Platform, Sep. 8, 2004, and Ser. No. 60/607,583, Omni-directional Mount, Sep. 8, 2004 is hereby claimed. 
     
    
     BACKGROUND  
       [0003]     1. Field of Invention  
         [0004]     The present invention relates self-clinching fasteners. The inventive fastener provides for a self-clinching steel base used to support numerous applications such as a right angle bracket and a cable tie fastener.  
         [0005]     2. Description of Prior Art  
         [0006]     In the design of sheet metal components, self-clinching fasteners are commonly used to secure various components to a sheet metal surface. Round self-clinching studs and nuts are common. Rectangular self-clinching right angle brackets and cable tie fasteners are recent inventions that secure various objects to a sheet panel.  
         [0007]     An example of a self-clinching bracket was disclosed by Ross in U.S. Pat. No. 5,810,501. Ross makes use of a rectangular cutout in a sheet panel for installation.  
         [0008]     An example of a self-clinching cable tie fastener was disclosed by Winton in U.S. Pat. No. 6,190,083. Winton describes a rectangular self-clinching fastener that is intended to secure a cable tie to a thin sheet panel. Winton also uses a rectangular cutout in a sheet panel to mount the cable tie fastener.  
         [0009]     Another example of a cable tie mount was disclosed by Kuffel in U.S. Pat. No. 5,472,159. Kuffel describes a snap-in type fastener that is used to secure a cable tie to a thin sheet of metal. Kuffel also makes use of a rectangular cutout in the sheet panel.  
         [0010]     One of the disadvantages of the above prior arts is that a rectangular hole must first be orientated in a sheet panel before the fastener is secured to the sheet panel. Another disadvantage of the above prior arts is the lack of flexibility of the fastener to rotate once installed into a sheet panel.  
         [0011]     An example of a round fastener that provides for freedom of rotation once fastened to a sheet panel is described by Image Industries; see marketing literature provided. Image shows a wire management product intended to secure a cable tie once the fastener is welded to a sheet panel.  
         [0012]     The disadvantage of the Image fastener is the technique used to secure the fastener to a sheet panel. The Image fastener is installed using a welding technique and thus the process itself tends to melt the plastic top used to secure a cable tie. Another disadvantage of the Image fastener is the lack of precision of placement onto a sheet panel. The weld stud process is not as accurate as those fasteners installed into a precision punched cutout such as a self-clinching fastener.  
         [0013]     None of the above prior arts make use of a round self-clinching base that permits the freedom of rotation after installed into a thin sheet panel.  
         [0014]     The current invention makes use of a round self-clinching base with the addition of a permanently attached rotational member. The attached rotational member can take on numerous shapes, sizes, and can be made from several materials such as plastic or steel. The common thread from application to application is the round self-clinching base. It is this aspect of the inventive base that serves as a platform for a wide variety of applications.  
       SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION  
       [0015]     Accordingly, several objects and advantages of my invention are:  
         [0016]     (a) to provide a common self-clinching base to serve as a platform for solving several technical problems whereby the application end of the fastener is able to only rotate in a plane parallel to the surrounding sheet pane; and  
         [0017]     (b) to give a end user the ability of using a round hole to install a right angle bracket and/or a cable tie mount.  
         [0018]     Still further objects and advantages will become apparent from a consideration of the ensuing description and drawings. 
     
    
     DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS  
       [0019]      FIG. 1  shows an isometric view of the inventive base  10 ;  
         [0020]      FIG. 2  shows a front view of the  FIG. 1 ;  
         [0021]      FIG. 3  shows a side view of  FIG. 1 ;  
         [0022]      FIG. 4  shows the inventive base with a plastic top  20 , the application being a cable tie mount that rotates once installed;  
         [0023]      FIG. 5  shows a front view of  FIG. 4 ;  
         [0024]      FIG. 6  shows a front view if  FIG. 4  pressed into a thin sheet panel;  
         [0025]      FIG. 7  shows the inventive base with a plastic top  50 , the application being a right angle bracket that rotates once installed;  
         [0026]      FIG. 8  shows the a front view of  FIG. 7 ;  
         [0027]      FIG. 9  shows the inventive base with a plastic top  60 , the application being an omni-directional cable tie mount; and  
         [0028]      FIG. 10  shows a front view of  FIG. 9 .  
         [0029]      FIG. 11  shows an isometric view of an omni-directional fastener  80 . 
     
    
       [0030]     Bi-directional arrows in  FIGS. 4, 7 , and  9  indicate that the application is free to rotate once installed into a sheet panel. The direction of rotation is within a plane parallel to the plane containing the bi-directional arrow itself. The bi-directional arrows lie parallel to a plane of the surrounding sheet panel.  
       DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENT  
       [0031]     From  FIGS. 1, 2  and  3 , the inventive self-clinching base  10  is shown. Base  10  has a lead  11 . Attached to lead  11  is a barb  16 . Adjacent to barb  16  is a reduced right-angle cylinder  12 . Cylinder  12  when combined with barb  16  and lead  11  form a means of attachment.  
         [0032]     Adjacent to reduced cylinder  12  is body  13 . Formed adjacent to body  13  is an undercut groove  14 . Formed adjacent to undercut groove  14  is an extended land  15 .  
         [0033]     The diameter of barb  16  is larger than the diameter of cylinder  12 . The diameter of cylinder  12  and barb  16  is smaller than the diameter of body  13 . Undercut groove  14  is smaller than the diameter of body  13  and extended land  15 . Extended land  15  is larger in diameter than the diameter of body  13 . All features/diameters are concentric with an axis  19 . Extended land  15  has a face  18 . Face  18  is opposite lead  11 .  
         [0034]     From  FIGS. 4, 5 , and  6 , a cable tie mount  20  (1 st  application top) is shown secured to base  10 . Barb  16  is forced into a round hole  21  formed into the mating side of cable mount  20 . Hole  21  is slightly smaller than the outside diameter of barb  16 . When the two features are forced to mate, barb  16  is pressed into hole  21  thus forming a means of attachment. Once mount  20  is mated to base  10 , a slight force will cause mount  20  to rotate about a plane shown by the bi-directional arrow in  FIG. 4 . Thus, mount  20  would be allowed to rotate about axis  19 . However, mount  20  will be prevented from separating from base  10  along axis  19  due to the interference between barb  16  and hole  21 .  
         [0035]     Opening  22  is formed by U shape  23 . In operation, U shape  23  allows a cable tie  67  to pass thru opening  22 .  
         [0036]     From  FIG. 6 , a sheet panel  29  is shown with a hole  31 . Hole  31  is round in shape and formed in sheet panel  29 .  
         [0037]     In operation, from FIGS.  1  thru  6  a cable tie mount application is shown. Base  10 , with cable mount  20  already attached, is first passed thru hole  31  in sheet  29 . As base  10  passes thru sheet panel  29 , extended land  15  will contact sheet panel  29 . As force is applied to base  10  via face  18  in a direction towards sheet panel  29 , material from sheet panel  29  will be forced (cold flow) into undercut groove  14  thus self-clinching base  10  to sheet panel  29 . Therefore, material from sheet panel  29  is forced into undercut groove  14  when extended land  15  forces (displaces) material  29  to cold flow into groove  14 . Hole  31  in sheet panel  29  is larger than body  13  yet smaller than the diameter of extended land  15 .  
         [0038]     The process of self clinching is well documented in the prior arts cited above. A further description of the self-clinching process can be found in U.S. Pat. No. 6,079,923 and U.S. Pat. No. 3,770,037.  
         [0039]     The assembly of base  10  and mount  20  is then self-clinched into a sheet panel  29  as shown in  FIG. 6 . Once face  18  is flush with sheet panel  29 , able tie  67  is free to pass thru opening  22  and thus is captivated by U shape  23 .  
         [0040]     In operation, mount  20  is free to rotate about a plane parallel to the major plane of sheet material  29 . This rotational movement thus provides an end user the ability to re-positions the mount  20  to a suited position while at the same time the interface between barb  16  and hole  21  prevents mount  20  from dislodging from one another.  
         [0041]     Male barb  16  and female hole  21  provide for a secure fit between base  10  and mount  20 . Nevertheless, the male/female roles can be reverse and still provide for the same overall function.  
         [0042]     From  FIGS. 7 and 8 , inventive base  10  is shown with a bracket application  50  (2 nd  application top). Application  50  has a thru hole  51  that is perpendicular to axis  19 . At the top of application  50  opposite base  10  is a slot  52 . Slot  52  is used to rotate bracket  50  once the overall assembly (base  10 +bracket  50 ) is installed in sheet panel  29  in the same manor as that shown in  FIG. 6 . As with cable mount  20 , bracket  50  has a hole  53  that is intended to interface with barb  16 . The intent of barb  16  is to secure bracket  50  to base  10 . Once secured, by turning bracket  50  via slot  52 , bracket  50  is only able to rotate about axis  19 . Hole  51 , tapped or not, serves as a common attachment point for a mating panel. A screw driver is thus able to position the threaded hole via slot  52  once the overall assembly is self-clinched into a mating sheet panel.  
         [0043]     Still other forms of interfaces can be employed between base  10  and an intended application top. For instance,  FIGS. 9 and 10  both show inventive base  10  secured to an omni-directional cable tie mount  60  (3 rd  application top). Cable tie mount  60  shows a thru hole  62 . Lead  11  and barb  16  form a rivet like head and thus protrudes outside of hole  62 . In this configuration, with the rivet like head (lead  11 +barb  16 ) outside and adjacent to hole  62 , application  60  is only free to rotate about axis  19 .  
         [0044]     Omni top  60  has a top ring  61  supported by three posts  63 ,  64 , and  65 . The three supporting posts  63 ,  64 , and  65  join to a supporting base  66 . Cable tie  67  is then able to pass thru any of the openings formed between ring  61  and supporting base  66 . The omni-directional aspects of the mount  60  allows a cable tie to pass thru ring  61  from any directional angle without first rotating mount  60  about axis  19 .  
         [0045]     From  FIG. 11 , an omni-directional fastener  80  is shown. Fastener  80  is a combination of base  10  and mount  60  fabricated as one component. Fastener  80  has an extended land  81 , undercut groove  82 , base,  83 , three posts  84 ,  85 , and  86 . Posts  84 ,  85 , and  86  support a ring  87 . The self-clinching features on fastener  80  are the same as base  10 . The posts  84 ,  85 , and  86  along with ring  87  are the same as described in mount  60 . In this application, base  10  can be combined with mount  60  to form 1 component because mount  60  is able to receive a cable tie from any direction without first rotating mount  60  about axis  19 .  
         [0046]     In application, fastener  80  is clinched to a sheet panel using the known self-clinching techniques described above. Once installed in a sheet panel, fastener  80  is ready to receive a cable tie fastener from any direction.  
         [0047]     The intent of the inventive base is to only provide for relative rotational motion between the inventive base and the intended application in a plane established by the surrounding sheet panel.  
         [0048]     Still other self-clinching base techniques may be employed to arrive at a solution intended to provide a platform that allows only rotational motion when installed into sheet panel  29 .  
         [0049]     All figures show various applications making use of a round self-clinching base. Other applications, for example, door hinges, can be rendered form making use of a common self-clinching base.  
         [0050]     The material of base  10  is not limited to steel. Such materials as bronze or aluminum may be used. The same holds true for the applied applications joined to base  10 . Nylon is one material that is well suited for numerous applications such as a cable tie mount. Delrin, bronze, or steel are quite suited for the application shown in  FIG. 9 .  
         [0051]     Barb  16  is shown on base  10 . Adding more than one barb to a base would only improve the bound strength between a specific base and an intended application while allowing relative rotational motion.  
         [0052]     Most applications described share a similar hole  21  as shown in  FIG. 6 . These holes press onto barb  16  found on base  10 . This is common in most applications. Nevertheless, the means of attachment between base  10  and various applications is not limited to the hole/barb approach as further described by inventive base  10  shown in  FIGS. 9 and 10 ; i.e, the rivet head approach. The intent of the invention is to provide a self-clinching base that will, when self-clinched into a surrounding sheet panel will allow a specific application to only rotate about axis  19 .  
         [0053]     Other configurations can be envisioned. For example from  FIG. 11 , base  10  is combined with omni-directional top  60 . In this example both base  10  and top  60  would be made form steel and top  60 , because it is omni-directional, would have no need to rotate about axis  19 . Thus, base  10  and top  60  could be fabricated as one component and still allow a cable tie to pass thru ring  61  from any directional angle.