Patent ID: 8827331

Claim:
A hardware retention mechanism, comprising: a frame comprising a first guide shoulder, a second guide shoulder, and a pivot point; an actuator arm comprising a first guide post and a second guide post, the actuator arm rotatable around the pivot point between a locked position and an unlocked position; a first shape memory alloy wire strung between the first guide shoulder and the first guide post that rotates the actuator arm between a locked position and an unlocked position; a second shape memory alloy wire strung between the second guide shoulder and the second guide post that rotates the actuator arm between an unlocked position and a locked position; and an over-center feature that biases the actuator arm into one of the unlocked position or the unlocked position, wherein the over-center feature comprises: a detent attached to the frame; and a curved spring member integrated into the actuator arm that biases against the detent, whereby the actuator arm rotates away from a neutral position.