Patent ID: 8579570

Claim:
A fastener for attaching a component to a panel having top and bottom surfaces and an elongated aperture with opposed parallel sidewalls and opposed curved end walls, comprising: a stud extending from the component and having teeth displayed along the length of the stud; and, an insert mounted in the elongated aperture, said insert having: a tubular body of lesser outside dimension than the dimensions of the elongated aperture and having a hollow interior for receiving the stud; a flexible lip for engaging the top surface of the panel; first and second flexible retaining fingers projecting from the tubular body for attaching the tubular body to the panel, each finger having a first shoulder engaging with the bottom surface of the panel and cooperating with the flexible lip to mount the insert against removal from the panel, and a second shoulder engaging with one of the opposed parallel sidewalls of the elongated aperture to prevent rotation of the tubular body within the elongated aperture; a plurality of flexible biasing fingers projecting from the tubular body to engage with the opposed curved end walls of the elongated aperture to bias the tubular body to a centered position within the elongated aperture upon the installation of the tubular body into the elongated aperture; and a plurality of ratchet fingers provided on the tubular body and extending into the hollow interior to engage with the teeth of the stud when the stud is installed into the insert, the plurality of ratchet fingers provided on the tubular body and extending into the hollow interior to engage with the teeth of the stud when the stud is installed into the insert including a single flexible ratchet finger extending into the hollow interior from one side of the tubular body and a pair of axially spaced apart flexible ratchet fingers extending into the hollow interior from the other side of the tubular body.