U.S. patent application number 10/809101 was filed with the patent office on 2004-09-16 for clip.
Invention is credited to Kanie, Hideki.
Application Number | 20040177480 10/809101 |
Document ID | / |
Family ID | 32964320 |
Filed Date | 2004-09-16 |
United States Patent
Application |
20040177480 |
Kind Code |
A1 |
Kanie, Hideki |
September 16, 2004 |
Clip
Abstract
A clip comprises a bush (20) and a pin (10) to be inserted into
the bush. The pin includes a flange (11), a shank (12) extending
downward from the lower surface of the flange, and an enlarged
portion (15) at the lower end of the shank. The bush includes a
ring portion (21) having a step for receiving the flange therein, a
holding portion (23) provided on the downside of the periphery of
the ring portion, a pair of opposed legs (25) each provided on the
downside of the ring and on the inside of the holding portion, the
legs are inclining inwardly. The bush also includes a pair of
retaining portions (27) each provided at the lower end of the
corresponding leg. After the pin and the bush are assembled, the
assembled pin and bush are inserted into respective mounting holes
of plate members to be fastened. Then, when the pin is pushed into
the bush, the legs and the retaining portions are adapted to be
moved outward by the enlarged portion of the pin so as to allow the
plate members to be fastened between the lower surface of the
holding portion of the bush and the respective upper surfaces of
the retaining portions. Three surfaces consisting of the lower
surface of the enlarged portion of the pin and the two lower
surfaces of the retaining portions of the bush are substantially
coplanar to form a continuous flash surface thereacross.
Inventors: |
Kanie, Hideki;
(Toyohashi-shi, JP) |
Correspondence
Address: |
HARNESS, DICKEY & PIERCE, P.L.C.
P.O. BOX 828
BLOOMFIELD HILLS
MI
48303
US
|
Family ID: |
32964320 |
Appl. No.: |
10/809101 |
Filed: |
March 25, 2004 |
Related U.S. Patent Documents
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Application
Number |
Filing Date |
Patent Number |
|
|
10809101 |
Mar 25, 2004 |
|
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|
PCT/US02/30659 |
Sep 26, 2002 |
|
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Current U.S.
Class: |
24/297 |
Current CPC
Class: |
Y10T 24/309 20150115;
F16B 19/1081 20130101 |
Class at
Publication: |
024/297 |
International
Class: |
E04F 019/02 |
Foreign Application Data
Date |
Code |
Application Number |
Sep 28, 2001 |
JP |
2001-301829 |
Claims
1. A clip for fastening a plurality of plate members, said clip
comprising a bush and a pin to be inserted into said bush, wherein
said pin includes a flange, a shank extending downward from the
lower surface of said flange, and an enlarged portion at the lower
end of said shank, said bush includes a ring portion having a step
for receiving said flange therein, a holding portion provided on
the downside of the periphery of said ring portion, a pair of
opposed legs inclining inwardly and provided on the downside of
said ring portion and on the inside of said holding portion, and a
pair of retaining portions each provided at the lower end of the
corresponding leg, wherein in an assembled state after said pin and
said bush are assembled by inserting said enlarged portion of said
pin into said bush, said pair of legs of said bush are adapted to
maintain inward inclining, and in a pushed-in state after said pin
is fully pushed into said bush, said legs and said retaining
portions are adapted to be moved outward by said enlarged portion
of said pin so as to allow said plate members to be fastened
between the lower surface of said holding portion of said bush and
the respective upper surfaces of said retaining portions, and to
allow the lower surface of said enlarged portion of said pin to be
substantially coplanar with the respective lower surfaces of said
retaining portions of said bush.
2. A clip as defined in claim 1, wherein in said pushed-in state,
the lower surface of said enlarged portion and the respective lower
surfaces of said retaining portions are adapted to form a
continuous flat surface thereacross.
3. A clip as defined in claim 2, wherein said continuous flat
surface has an oval shape.
4. A clip as defined in claim 1, wherein said pin and said bush are
provided with engagement means for allowing said pin and said bush
to be engaged with one another so as to be held in said respective
assembled and pushed-in states.
5. A clip as defined in claim 1, wherein each of said legs of said
bush is provided with a rib.
6. A clip as defined in claim 1, wherein said ring portion of said
bush is provided with a detaching groove for detaching said pin
from said bush in said pushed-in state.
Description
CROSS REFERENCE TO OTHER APPLICATIONS
[0001] The present application is a continuation of pending
International patent application PCT/US02/30659 filed on Sep. 26,
2002 which designates the United States, and which claims priority
of Japanese patent application 2001-301829, filed Sep. 28,
2001.
FIELD OF THE INVENTION
[0002] The present invention relates to a clip usable for fastening
a plurality of plate members including a component such as an
ornamental component of automobiles, industrial machines or the
like, and a panel such as an automobile body. In particular, the
present invention relates to a clip capable of completing a
fastening operation of a plurality of plate members with occupying
less space in the backside of the plate members, and providing a
good appearance of the backside after the fastening operation.
BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION
[0003] Heretofore, a component such as an ornamental component has
been fixed to a panel such as a body panel of an automobile by a
clip made of synthetic resin. Such a conventional clip includes a
two-piece clip comprising a clip body and a pin, an anchor-leg type
clip, and a two-piece, sandwiching type clip.
[0004] FIGS. 11A to 11C show examples of the conventional
clips.
[0005] The two-piece clip as shown in FIG. 11A comprises a clip
body including a flange and a leg portion provided on the lower
surface of the flange, and a pin including a head and a shank
provided on the lower surface of the head. After forming a mounting
hole in each of a plate component and a plate member to be
fastened, and superimposing the plate component on the plate member
while aligning their mounting holes with one another, the leg
portion of the clip body is inserted into the aligned mounting
holes, and then the shank of the pin is pressed into the leg
portion to expand the end of the leg portion, so that the plate
component and the plate member are sandwiched and fastened between
the lower surface of the flange of the clip body and the expanded
end of the leg portion.
[0006] The anchor-leg type clip as shown in FIG. 11B comprises a
flange and an anchor leg integrally formed with the flange. After
the anchor leg of the clip is inserted into the respective mounting
holes of the plate component and the plate member, the anchor leg
is expanded, so that the plate component and the plate member are
sandwiched and fastened between the lower surface of the flange and
the expanded anchor leg.
[0007] In the above conventional two-piece clip, it is required to
protrude a certain length of the leg portion from the backside of
the plate member because the fasteness is assured by expanding the
end of the leg portion by the shank of the pin. The conventional
anchor-leg type clip also requires a certain length of the anchor
leg protruding from the backside of the plate member because the
fasteness is assured by the expansion of the anchor leg.
[0008] In the conventional clips, the flange located on the
frontside or obverse side is generally finished to provide a flat
surface in consideration of an exterior appearance. However, in the
region where the clip protrudes from the backside of the plate
member to be fastened, it has been required to assure a given space
for allowing a certain length of the leg to be protruded from the
backside. And an appearance of the region was not considered
important because the region can not be seen.
[0009] While the conventional two-piece, sandwiching type clip
allows the space in the backside to be reduced, it is required to
handle the clip from both the frontside and backside of the plate
member.
[0010] In view of the above problems, it is therefore an object of
the present invention to provide a clip capable of completing a
fastening operation from one side of plate members, occupying less
space in the backside of the plate members, and providing a good
appearance of the backside after the fastening operation.
SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION
[0011] In order to fasten a plurality of plate members with a clip,
the lower portion of the clip should have an outer diameter smaller
than the inner diameter of respective mounting holes of the plate
members, and after passing through the mounting holes, the outer
diameter of the lower portion of the clip should become larger than
the inner diameter of the mounting holes of the plate members.
[0012] The present invention provides a clip for fastening a
plurality of plate members, comprises a bush and a pin to be
inserted into the bush.
[0013] The pin includes a flange, a shank extending downward from
the lower surface of the flange, and an enlarged portion at the
lower end of the shank.
[0014] The bush includes a ring portion having a step for receiving
the flange therein, a holding portion provided on the downside of
the periphery of the ring portion, a pair of opposed legs inclining
inwardly and provided on the downside of the ring portion and on
the inside of the holding portion. The bush further includes a pair
of retaining portions each provided on the lower end of the
corresponding leg.
[0015] In an assembled state after the pin and the bush are
assembled by inserting the enlarged portion of the pin into the
bush, the pair of legs of the bush are adapted to maintain the
inward inclining.
[0016] In a pushed-in state after the pin is fully pushed into the
bush, the legs and the retaining portions are adapted to be moved
outward by the enlarged portion of the pin so as to allow the plate
members to be fastened between the lower surface of the holding
portion of the bush and the respective upper surfaces of the
retaining portions.
[0017] Further, in the pushed-in state, the lower surface of the
enlarged portion of the pin is adapted to be substantially coplanar
with the respective lower surfaces of the retaining portions of the
bush.
[0018] In one embodiment of the present invention, in the pushed-in
state, the lower surface of the enlarged portion and the respective
lower surfaces of the retaining portions may be adapted to form a
continuous flat (flush) surface thereacross. This continuous flat
surface may have an oval shape.
[0019] In another embodiment of the present invention, the pin and
the bush may be provided with engagement means for allowing the pin
and the bush to be engaged with one another so as to be held in the
respective assembled and pushed-in states. The engagement means may
be a combination of a groove formed in the pin and an engagement
pawl provided in the bush.
[0020] In still another embodiment of the present invention, each
of the legs of the bush may be provided with a rib.
[0021] In yet another embodiment of the present invention, the ring
portion of the bush may be provided with a detaching groove for
detaching the pin from the bush in the pushed-in state.
[0022] In the clip of the present invention comprising two parts
consisting of the pin and the bush, the pin and the bush are
assembled by inserting the shank and enlarged portion of the pin
into the bush, and then the assembled pin and bush are inserted
into aligned mounting holes of the plate members to be fastened.
Then, the pin is forcedly pushed into the bush to expand or outward
move the legs and retaining portions of the bush by the enlarged
portion of the shank, so that the plate members are sandwiched and
securely fastened between the lower surface of the holding portion
and the respective upper surfaces of the retaining portions of the
bush.
[0023] In the pushed-in state or the state after the plate members
are fastened with the clip, a continuous flat surface or a
continuous flush surface is formed by three surfaces consisting of
the two lower surfaces of the retaining portions of the bush and
the lower surface of the enlarged portion at the end of the shank
of the pin. This provides a good appearance of the backside of the
plate members, and allows the space for attaching in the backside
to be reduced.
BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS
[0024] FIG. 1A is a side view of a pin according to an embodiment
of the present invention.
[0025] FIG. 1B is a top view of the pin.
[0026] FIG. 1C is a sectional view of the pin taken along the line
C-C of FIG. 1B.
[0027] FIG. 1D is a side view of the pin.
[0028] FIG. 1E is a bottom view of the pin.
[0029] FIG. 2A is a side view of a bush according to an embodiment
of the present invention.
[0030] FIG. 2B is a top view of the bush.
[0031] FIG. 2C is a sectional view of the bush.
[0032] FIG. 2D is a sectional view of the bush taken along the line
A-A of FIG. 2B.
[0033] FIG. 2E is a sectional view of a rib of the bush.
[0034] FIG. 3 is a top view of the pin and the bush in an assembled
state.
[0035] FIG. 4 is a fragmentary sectional view of the pin and the
bush in the assembled state.
[0036] FIG. 5 is a sectional view of the pin and the bush in the
assembled state taken along the line B-B of FIG. 3.
[0037] FIG. 6A is a perspective view of the pin and the bush in the
assembled state, when seeing from the frontside thereof.
[0038] FIG. 6B is a perspective view of the pin and the bush in the
assembled state, when seeing from the backside thereof.
[0039] FIG. 6C is a perspective view of the pin and the bush in the
pushed-in state, when seeing from the frontside thereof.
[0040] FIG. 6D is a perspective view of the pin and the bush in the
pushed-in state, when seeing from the backside thereof.
[0041] FIG. 7 is a fragmentary sectional view showing the state
before a clip is inserted into mounting holes.
[0042] FIG. 8 is a fragmentary sectional view showing the state
after the clip is inserted into the mounting holes.
[0043] FIG. 9 is a fragmentary sectional view showing a fastened
state after the pin is fully inserted into the bush.
[0044] FIG. 10 is a fragmentary sectional view showing the state
when the pin is detached from the bush.
[0045] FIG. 11A is an explanatory view of one conventional
clip.
[0046] FIG. 11B is an explanatory view of another conventional
clip.
[0047] FIG. 11C is an explanatory view of still another
conventional clip.
DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENT
[0048] With reference to the drawings, an embodiment of the present
invention will now be described.
[0049] FIG. 1A is a side view of a pin 10 of a clip according to
the embodiment of the present invention, FIG. 1B is a top view of
the pin, FIG. 1C being a sectional view of the pin taken along the
line C-C of FIG. 1B, FIG. 1D is a side view of the pin, and FIG. 1E
is a bottom view of the pin. A circular disk-shaped flange 11 is
formed at one of the ends of the pin 10. The flange 11 has an outer
diameter allowing the flange to be fitted into a step of a ring
portion 21 of a bush 20 described later in detail. The flange 11
has a substantially flat upper surface. The flange 11 is provided
with a shank 12 extending vertically downward from the lower
surface of the flange. As shown in FIG. 1B, the shank 12 has a
substantially I-shaped cross section. The shank 12 is formed with a
pair of grooves 17 adjacent to an after-mentioned enlarged portion
15, and another pair of grooves 18 adjacent to the flange 11. The
respective pairs of the grooves 17, 18 are adapted to receive
therein a pair of after-mentioned engagement pawls 29 of the bush
20 when the pin 10 is inserted into the bush 20.
[0050] The shank 12 is provided with the enlarged portion 15 at the
other end thereof. The enlarged portion 15 has a substantially flat
lower surface defined by surrounding with a pair of opposed
straight lines 15a, 15b and a pair of opposed curved lines 15c,
15d. When the pin 10 is forcedly pushed into the bush 20, the
region defined by the pair of straight lines is pushed forward
while moving legs 25 (described below) of the bush 20 outward. The
outer diameter of the pair of curved lines 15c, 15d is arranged to
conform with the inner diameter of mounting holes of a plurality of
plate members to be fastened.
[0051] FIG. 2A is a side view of the bush 20 of the clip according
to the embodiment of the present invention, FIG. 2B is a top view
of the bush, FIG. 2C being a sectional view of the bush, FIG. 2D is
a sectional view of the bush taken along the line A-A of FIG. 2B,
and FIG. 1E is a sectional view of a rib of the bush. The bush 20
includes the ring portion 21 at the upper portion thereof, and the
upper surface of the ring portion 21 is formed with the step for
receiving therein the flange 11 of the pin 10. The ring portion 21
is partially lowered in height to define a detaching groove 22 for
allowing a flat-head screwdriver to be inserted therethrough after
fastening the plate members with the pin 10 and bush 20 so as to
detach the pin 10 and the bush 20 from the plate members.
[0052] The ring portion 21 is also formed with a pair of opposed
holding portions 23 on the downside of the periphery thereof. The
inner edges of the lower surfaces of the holding portions define an
inner diameter larger than the inner diameter of the mounting holes
of the plate members to be fastened. Thus, the lower surfaces of
the holding portions are brought into contact with the upper
surface of the uppermost plate member on the outside of the
mounting hole thereof. In order to assist the holding portions 23,
a pair of auxiliary holding portions 24 are provided on the
downside of the ring portion along the direction perpendicular to
the opposed holding portions 23.
[0053] As shown in FIG. 2C, the bush 20 includes a pair of legs 25
each provided on the downside of the ring portion 21 and on the
inside of the corresponding holding portion 23, the legs 25 are
inclining inwardly. When the pin 10 is forcedly pushed into the
bush 20, the legs 25 are expanded or moved outward by the enlarged
portion 15 of the pin 10.
[0054] As shown in FIG. 2D taken along the line A-A of FIG. 2B, the
bush 20 also includes the pair of engagement pawls 29 adjacent to
the respective auxiliary holding portions 24. Each of the
engagement pawls 29 is engaged with the corresponding groove 17 to
temporarily fixed the pin 10 to the bush 20 in an assembled state
after the pin 10 and the bush 20 are assembled by inserting the pin
10 into the bush 20, and then engaged with the corresponding groove
18 to fixed the pin 10 to the bush 20 on a permanent basis in a
pushed-in state after the pin 10 is fully pushed into the bush
20.
[0055] As shown in FIG. 2E, each of the legs 25 is formed with a
rib 26. In a fastened state after the plate members are fastened
with the clip by fully pushing the pin 10 into the bush 20, each of
the outer peripheries of the legs 25 should be in contact with the
respective inner surfaces of the mounting holes of the plate
members. If each of the legs 25 is designed to bring its entire
outer periphery into contact with the inner surfaces of the
mounting holes, a load required for deforming the legs will be
increased. For this reason, the thickness h1 of each of the ribs 26
is set to conform with the inner diameter of the mounting holes,
and each of the legs is designed to have a thickness h2 less than
the thickness h1.
[0056] Each of the legs 25 is formed with the retaining portion 27
at the other end thereof. The distance between the respective
outermost points of the retaining portions 27 is less than the
inner diameter D1 of the mounting holes of the plate members
because the legs 25 are inclining inwardly. Thus, the retaining
portions 27 can pass through the mounting holes before the fastened
state.
[0057] The enlarged portion 15 of the pin 10 expands the legs 25 of
the bush 20 by forcedly pushing the pin 10 into the bush 20. Thus,
the legs 25 are brought into contact with the inner surfaces of the
mounting holes, and the respective upper surfaced of the retaining
portions are brought into contact with the lower surface of the
lowermost plate member on the outside of the mounting hole
thereof.
[0058] With reference to FIGS. 3 to 5, the assembled state is
explained after the pin 10 and the bush 20 are assembled. FIG. 3 is
a top view of the pin 10 and the bush 20 in the assembled state.
FIG. 4 is a sectional view of the pin and the bush in the assembled
state. The term "upper" herein means the upper side in FIG. 4.
[0059] FIG. 5 is a sectional view of the pin and the bush in the
assembled state taken along the line B-B of FIG. 3. In FIG. 5, a
position L1 of the pin and the bush in the assembled state is shown
by a solid line, a position L2 of the pin and the bush in the
pushed-in state is shown by a two-dot chain line.
[0060] In the assembled state after the pin 10 and the bush 20 are
assembled (or at the position L1), each of the engagement pawl 29
of the bush 20 is engaged with the corresponding groove 15 of the
pin 10 to assure the engagement between the pin 10 and the bush 20
so as to maintain the assembled state. In the pushed-in state after
the pin 10 is fully pushed into the bush 20 (or at the position
L2), the pin 10 is located at the position shown by the two-dot
chain line, each of the engagement pawls 29 is engaged with the
corresponding groove 18 to assure the engagement between the pin 10
and the bush 20 so as to maintain the fastened state. In the
pushed-in state or the fasten state, the upper surface of the
flange 11 is substantially flat with the upper surface of the ring
portion 21.
[0061] With reference to FIGS. 6A to 6D, the assembled state is
explained after the pin 10 and the bush 20 are assembled, and the
pushed-in state after the pin 10 is fully pushed into the bush 20
will further be described in detail.
[0062] FIG. 6A is a perspective view showing the pin 10 and the
bush 20 in the assembled state before the pin is forcedly pushed
into the bush, when seeing from the frontside thereof, and FIG. 6B
is a perspective view showing the pin 10 and the bush 20 in the
assembled state, when seeing from the backside thereof. FIG. 6C is
a perspective view showing the pin and the bush in the pushed-in
state after the pin is fully pushed into the bush, when seeing from
the frontside thereof, and FIG. 6D is a perspective view showing
the pin and the bush in the pushed-in state, when seeing from the
backside thereof. In these figures, the pin 10 is shown by two-dot
chain lines.
[0063] In the assembled state after the pin 10 and the bush 20 are
assembled and before the pin 10 is forcedly pushed into the bush
20, the retaining portions 27 are disposed adjacent to one another,
as shown in FIG. 6B.
[0064] In the pushed-in state after the pin is fully pushed into
the bush, the flange 11 of the pin 10 is fitted into the step
formed in the upper surface of the ring portion 21 of the bush 20,
as shown in FIG. 6C. Each of the straight lines 15a, 15b of the
enlarged portion 15 of the pin 10 is in contact with the inner edge
of the lower surface of the corresponding retaining portion 27 of
the bush 20, and a continuous curved line is formed by the curved
lines 15c, 15d of the enlarged portion and the respective outer
edges of the lower surfaces of the retaining portions. Further, the
lower surface of the enlarged portion 15 of the pin 10 is
substantially flat with the respective lower surfaces of the
retaining portions 27 of the bush 20, and these lower surfaces form
a continuous flat surface having an oval shape.
[0065] With reference to FIGS. 7, 8 and 9, an operation for
assembling the pin 10 and the bush 20 and then fastening a pair of
plate members (panels) P1 and P2 will be described below. For
example, the plate member P1 is an automobile body, and the plate
member P2 is an ornamental component. As shown in FIG. 7, the pin
10 and the bush 20 are assembled into a clip by inserting the pin
10 into the bush 20 from above with directing the enlarged portion
downward.
[0066] Then, a mounting hole 31 of the plate member P1 is aligned
with a mounting hole 32 of the plate member P2, and the assembled
clip is inserted into the aligned mounting holes 31, 32 in the
direction shown by the arrow, with directing the retaining portions
downward. In this operation, the retaining portions 27 can pass
through the mounting holes because the maximum diameter of the
retaining portions 27 or the distance between the respective
outermost points of the retaining portions 27 is less than the
inner diameter D1 of the mounting holes.
[0067] FIG. 8 shows the state after the clip is inserted into the
mounting holes. The holding portions 23 are in contact with the
upper surface of the plate member P2 to prevent the downward
movement of the clip. In this state, the retaining portions 27 have
passed through the mounting holes, and lies at a position lower
than the lower surface of the plate member P1.
[0068] Then, as shown in FIG. 9, the pin 10 is forcedly pushed into
the bush 20. In this operation, the enlarged portion 15 of the pin
10 is pushed forward while expanding or outward moving the legs 25
of the bush 25. When the lower surface of the flange 11 of the pin
10 is brought into contact with the step of the ring portion 21 of
the bush 20, the pin 10 is stopped. In this state, the ribs 26 of
the legs 25 are in contact with the inner surfaces of the mounting
holes of the plate members P1, P2.
[0069] The plate members P1, P2 are sandwiched and securely
fastened between the lower surfaces of the holding portions 23 of
the bush 20 and the upper surfaces of the retaining portions 27. In
this state, the lower surface of the enlarged portion 15 of the pin
10 is substantially flat with the respective lower surfaces of the
retaining portions 27 of the bush 20. Three surfaces consisting of
the lower surface of the enlarged portion 15 and the two lower
surfaces of the retaining portions 27 are combined to form a
continuous flat surface having an oval shape. This provides a good
appearance of the backside of the plate member P1, and allows the
attachment space in the backside to be reduced.
[0070] An operation for detaching the clip in the fastened state
will be described below.
[0071] Referring to FIG. 9, the ring portion 21 of the bush 20 is
partially lowered in height to define the detaching groove 22. The
engagement between the engagement pawls 29 and the grooves 18 are
released by inserting a screwdriver 40 between the upper surface of
a part of the holding portions and the lower surface of the flange
11 and forcedly separating the pin 10 from the bush 10. Even if the
above engagement is released, the legs 25 and the retaining
portions 27 do not occasionally return to their original
configurations before the fastened state due to ageing, and thereby
the retaining portions 27 are still in contact with the lower
surface of the plate member P1. In this case, the clip can be
readily detached by forcedly pulling up the clip.
[0072] When the detached clip is reused, the clip may be inserting
into the mounting holes with pinching the retaining portions 27
with fingers or the like to fasten the plate members again. In this
manner, the clip according to this embodiment can be readily
reused.
[0073] As described above, according to the present invention,
after fastening the plate members with the clip, the lower surface
of the clip forms a continuous flat surface. Thus, as compared to
conventional clips, the clip can complete a fastening operation on
one side of the plate members, and occupying less space in the
backside of the plate members, and providing a good appearance of
the backside after the fastened.
* * * * *