Patent ID: 7682100

Claim:
A female fastening device for receiving a male component for fastening two structures together, the female fastening device comprising: a housing comprising an end face and a sidewall defining a cavity having a longitudinal axis, the sidewall having an interior surface and the end face having an inside surface and an inlet aperture for receiving the male component along an insertion axis substantially parallel to the longitudinal axis; a retaining mechanism extending from the interior surface of the sidewall of the housing into the cavity of the housing and having a retaining surface for engagement with a movable member; a movable member rotatably enclosed within the cavity of the housing and rotated about a rotation axis parallel to the longitudinal axis between an unlocked position and a locked position for retaining the male component within the cavity, the moveable member comprising an arcuate slot axially aligned with the inlet aperture for receiving the male component in the unlocked position and retaining the male component within the slot in the locked position, the movable member further comprising an axially projecting contact surface which releasably interlocks with the retaining surface to retain the moveable member in the unlocked position and wherein, upon insertion of the male component into the female device while the moveable member is in the unlocked position, the retaining surface is disengaged from the contact surface by axial movement of the retaining surface relative to the contact surface; and an energy-storing mechanism enclosed within the cavity of the housing for rotatably biasing the movable member toward the locked position, wherein the retaining mechanism exerts compressive force on the energy-storing mechanism in the unlocked position such that the energy-storing mechanism is compressed to store energy to rotate the moveable member from the unlocked to the locked position, and wherein when the retaining surface is disengaged from the contact surface by axial movement of the retaining surface relative to the contact surface, the stored energy in the energy-storing mechanism is released, rotating the movable member from the unlocked to the locked position.