U.S. patent application number 12/169992 was filed with the patent office on 2010-01-14 for package fastening clip with secure latching.
This patent application is currently assigned to International Business Machines Corporation. Invention is credited to Ivan Neil Liverman, Mark Edmund Maresh, Ryan Matthew Peterson, Robert Tucker Sanders, Eric Allen Stegner, Robert William Stegner.
Application Number | 20100005635 12/169992 |
Document ID | / |
Family ID | 41503807 |
Filed Date | 2010-01-14 |
United States Patent
Application |
20100005635 |
Kind Code |
A1 |
Liverman; Ivan Neil ; et
al. |
January 14, 2010 |
Package Fastening Clip with Secure Latching
Abstract
A product package clip has cooperating locking tabs and openings
which facilitate secure assembly of the clip and resistance to
forces imposed by mishandling during shipment.
Inventors: |
Liverman; Ivan Neil;
(Middlesex, NC) ; Maresh; Mark Edmund; (Wake
Forest, NC) ; Sanders; Robert Tucker; (Raleigh,
NC) ; Stegner; Eric Allen; (Durham, NC) ;
Stegner; Robert William; (Raleigh, NC) ; Peterson;
Ryan Matthew; (Knoxville, TN) |
Correspondence
Address: |
Then McConnell Law Firm
2115 St. Mary's Street
Raleigh
NC
27608-1333
US
|
Assignee: |
International Business Machines
Corporation
Armonk
NY
Moldesign, Inc.
Knoxville
TN
|
Family ID: |
41503807 |
Appl. No.: |
12/169992 |
Filed: |
July 9, 2008 |
Current U.S.
Class: |
24/614 |
Current CPC
Class: |
F16B 5/0642 20130101;
Y10T 24/45524 20150115 |
Class at
Publication: |
24/614 |
International
Class: |
A44B 17/00 20060101
A44B017/00 |
Claims
1. Apparatus comprising: a socket body having a planar portion, a
thin walled protuberance formed integrally with said planar portion
and a plurality of leg portions formed integrally with said
protuberance and hingedly connected thereto at an end location
remote from said planar portion; a plug body having a planar
portion, a thin walled protuberance formed integrally with said
planar portion and configured to enter into the socket body, and a
latch member formed integrally with and hingedly connected to said
planar portion; said plug body protuberance engaging said socket
body leg portions upon insertion into said socket body and rotating
said leg portions to extend outwardly from said socket body
protuberance; said latch member portion of said plug body defining
a locking opening; and one of said leg portions of said socket body
defining a locking tab; said one leg portion engaging said latch
member portion upon assembly of the apparatus and said locking tab
entering said locking opening to secure the apparatus in assembled
state.
2. Apparatus according to claim 1 wherein said socket body and said
plug body are formed integrally together and hingedly connected
along a common side edge thereof.
3. Apparatus according to claim 1 wherein said plug body planar
portion defines an opening opposite said plug body protuberance,
said latch member portion defines a plurality of locking openings,
and said one leg portion defines a plurality of locking tabs.
4. Apparatus according to claim 1 wherein said latch member portion
has physical characteristics defining the force necessary to
disengage said latch member portion and said one leg portion and
permitting disassembly of the apparatus.
5. Apparatus according to claim 1 wherein said latch member portion
defines a pair of locking openings, said one leg portion defines a
pair of locking tabs and said latch member portion has physical
characteristics defining the force necessary to disengage said
latch member portion and said one leg portion and permitting
disassembly of the apparatus.
6. Apparatus comprising: first and second sheets of planar material
forming portions of a product package; and a fastener penetrating
said sheets and holding said sheets together, said fastener
comprising: a socket body having a planar portion, a thin walled
protuberance formed integrally with said planar portion and
penetrating said sheets and a plurality of leg portions formed
integrallywith said protuberance and hingedly connected thereto at
an end location remote from said planar portion; said leg portions
being rotated to extend outwardly from said socket body
protuberance to capture said sheets between said socket body planar
portion and said legs; and a plug body having a planar portion, a
thin walled protuberance formed integrally with said planar portion
and configured to enter into the socket body, and a latch member
formed integrally with and hingedly connected to said planar
portion; said plug body protuberance engaging said socket body leg
portions; said latch member portion of said body defining at least
one locking opening; and one of said leg portions defining at least
one locking tab; said one leg portion engaging said latch member
portion upon assembly of the apparatus and said locking tab
entering said locking opening to secure the apparatus in assembled
state.
7. Apparatus according to claim 6 wherein said socket body and said
plug body are formed integrally together and hingedly connected
along a common side edge thereof.
8. Apparatus according to claim 7 wherein said plug body planar
portion defines an opening opposite said plug body protuberance
said latch member portion defines a plurality of locking openings,
and said one leg portion defines a plurality of locking tabs.
9. Apparatus according to claim 7 wherein said latch member portion
has physical characteristics defining the force necessary to
disengage said latch member portion and said one leg portion and
permitting disassembly of the apparatus.
10. Apparatus according to claim 7 wherein said latch member
portion defines a pair of locking openings, said one leg portion
defines a pair of locking tabs and said latch member portion has
physical characteristics defining the force necessary to disengage
said latch member portion and said one leg portion and permitting
disassembly of the apparatus.
Description
FIELD AND BACKGROUND OF INVENTION
[0001] This invention relates to fastener clips for product
packaging. In particular, this invention is an improvement over the
clips shown and described in Khachadourian et al U.S. Pat. No.
6,412,153 and Liverman et al U.S. Pat. No. 7,240,406, owned in
common with the invention described here, to which the interested
reader is referred, and which are hereby incorporated by reference
into this disclosure.
[0002] As the prior art clips have been widely and successfully
used, efforts have been made to assure that product packages
secured together by such a clip will remain securely assembled.
That has been done heretofore by providing a latch structure which
engages one of a plurality of pivoting legs as the clip is
installed. In the previously patented clip, the engagement is
between a single projection or "tooth" of the latch member and a
cooperating ledge or notch formed in one pivoting leg (See Column 2
of the '153 patent, beginning at line 54 and Column 2 of the '406
patent, beginning at line 30).
[0003] The clips of the prior patents were originally developed for
packages which were expected to be handled in palletized systems.
In such an application, the clips are at least somewhat protected
against being grossly mishandled and the imposition of destructive
forces. However, the applications for the clips have broadened into
use in packages of smaller sizes (although sometimes of greater
weight for the size of the package) which are handled in small
parcel shipping modes where mishandling is much more likely and
happens much more frequently. In these newer uses, clips have been
found to be missing from delivered packages or broken due to the
stress imposed on the latch mechanism.
SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION
[0004] With the foregoing as background, the present invention
provides a latching mechanism which is much more secure than the
mechanism heretofore disclosed and used. In particular, the latch
mechanism is now formed using a locking plate with at least one
through hole or opening into which locking tabs are trapped. This
more positive lacking provides advantages of reducing clip failure
during handling.
BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF DRAWINGS
[0005] Some of the purposes of the invention having been stated,
others will appear as the description proceeds, when taken in
connection with the accompanying drawings, in which:
[0006] FIG. 1 is a perspective view of a first embodiment of the
clip in accordance with this invention;
[0007] FIG. 2 is a perspective view from above of the clip of FIG.
1; and
[0008] FIG. 3 is a perspective view from below of the clip of FIGS.
1 and 2.
DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF INVENTION
[0009] While the present invention will be described more fully
hereinafter with reference to the accompanying drawings, in which a
preferred embodiment of the present invention is shown, it is to be
understood at the outset of the description which follows that
persons of skill in the appropriate arts may modify the invention
here described while still achieving the favorable results of the
invention. Accordingly, the description which follows is to be
understood as being a broad, teaching disclosure directed to
persons of skill in the appropriate arts, and not as limiting upon
the present invention.
[0010] Referring now to FIGS. 1 through 3, an apparatus 10 is shown
which is an improvement over the clips of the prior patents
incorporated by reference into this disclosure by the provision of
a more positively locking latch mechanism. More particularly and as
with the clips of the prior patents, the apparatus has a socket
body 12 having a planar portion 13, a thin walled protuberance 15
formed integrally with the planar portion and a plurality of leg
portions 18, 19, 20 formed integrally with the protuberance 15 and
hingedly connected thereto at an end location adjacent the planar
portion. It may be noted that secure fastening of a package can be
obtained by having the two side legs 18, 19 hinged and a fixed
portion be provided as the element indicated at 20 and bearing
locking tabs as described hereinafter. The apparatus 10 has a plug
body 28 having a planar portion 29, a thin walled protuberance 30
formed integrally with the planar portion and configured to enter
into the socket body, and a latch member 26 formed integrally with
the planar portion 29. As with the device of the teachings here
incorporated by reference, the plug body protuberance engages the
socket body leg portions upon insertion into the socket body,
rotating the leg portions to extend outwardly from the socket body
protuberance and lock together two pieces of a product package into
which the apparatus is inserted as indicated in FIG. 1.
[0011] In accordance with an important feature of this invention,
the latch member or locking plate 26 has at least one locking
opening 28 (and preferably a plurality of such openings, as the two
shown in FIGS. 2 and 3) formed therein. These openings receive,
during closure of the clip as suggested in FIG. 1, cooperating tabs
29 (FIG. 3) formed on a hinged leg which is pushed toward the
extended position by the insert of the plug body. That is, when the
clip 10 is assembled with packaging, the locking plate 26 pushes
the leg which carries the locking tabs through ninety degrees of
motion until the tabs engage the openings and the clip is locked
into position. The dimensions of the elements may be adjusted to
affect the rigidity of the locking plate and the amount of force
required to open and close the latch mechanism.
[0012] Preferably, and in accordance with this invention, the clip
is formed by molding a plastic material. As indicated, the present
invention contemplates that the socket and plug bodies may be
formed integrally one with the other as in the case of the prior
patent disclosures. In this case, the bodies are hingedly connected
along one side edge of the planar portions, as shown.
[0013] In the drawings and specifications there has been setforth a
preferred embodiment of the invention and, although specific terms
are used, the description thus given uses terminology in a generic
and descriptive sense only and not for purposes of limitation.
* * * * *