U.S. patent number RE32,846 [Application Number 07/004,175] was granted by the patent office on 1989-01-31 for snap stud.
This patent grant is currently assigned to Truth Incorporated. Invention is credited to Gary F. Paulson, Christopher T. Sandberg.
United States Patent |
RE32,846 |
Sandberg , et al. |
January 31, 1989 |
Snap stud
Abstract
A snap stud usable in window hardware, such as window operators
and window hinges, for releasably pivotally interconnecting a pair
of members. The snap stud has a stud extending from a first of the
members and provided with an external peripheral groove which
mounts a C-ring of spring music wire. The C-ring has a retention
position partially extending beyond the periphery of the stud for
overlying a second of the members and a compressed release position
substantially entirely within the periphery of the stud, with the
movement of the C-ring to the compressed release position occurring
automatically in assembly and disassembly of said members.
Inventors: |
Sandberg; Christopher T.
(Owatonna, MN), Paulson; Gary F. (Waseca, MN) |
Assignee: |
Truth Incorporated (Owatonna,
MN)
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Family
ID: |
26672712 |
Appl.
No.: |
07/004,175 |
Filed: |
January 12, 1987 |
Related U.S. Patent Documents
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Application
Number |
Filing Date |
Patent Number |
Issue Date |
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589307 |
Mar 14, 1984 |
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Reissue of: |
746443 |
Jun 19, 1985 |
04593431 |
Jun 10, 1986 |
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Current U.S.
Class: |
16/381;
16/DIG.40; 403/155; 403/326; 411/353; 411/517 |
Current CPC
Class: |
E05D
5/128 (20130101); E05D 15/44 (20130101); E05D
5/12 (20130101); E05D 2005/102 (20130101); E05Y
2201/628 (20130101); E05Y 2600/508 (20130101); E05Y
2900/148 (20130101); Y10T 403/60 (20150115); Y10T
16/5535 (20150115); Y10T 403/32901 (20150115) |
Current International
Class: |
E05D
15/40 (20060101); E05D 15/44 (20060101); E05D
005/12 () |
Field of
Search: |
;16/262,380,381,386,DIG.40,363,364,368,370 ;411/353,517,518
;403/155,326 |
References Cited
[Referenced By]
U.S. Patent Documents
Foreign Patent Documents
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282171 |
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Apr 1952 |
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CH |
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242130 |
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Nov 1925 |
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GB |
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385121 |
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Dec 1932 |
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GB |
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480416 |
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Feb 1938 |
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GB |
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759078 |
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Oct 1956 |
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GB |
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1188550 |
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Apr 1970 |
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GB |
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1332913 |
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Oct 1973 |
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GB |
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2020347 |
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Apr 1978 |
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GB |
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1542633 |
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Mar 1979 |
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GB |
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2081803 |
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Aug 1980 |
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GB |
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Primary Examiner: Silverberg; Fred A.
Attorney, Agent or Firm: Wood, Dalton, Phillips, Mason &
Rowe
Parent Case Text
.[.This is a continuation of application Ser. No. 589,307 filed
Mar. 14, 1984, now abandoned..].
.Iadd.This is an application for reissue of U.S. Patent 4,593,431,
which issued from Ser. No. 746,443, filed June 19, 1985, which is a
continuation of Ser. No. 589,307, filed March 14, 1984, now
abandoned..Iaddend.
Claims
We claim:
1. A releasable connection means .Iadd.for holding two window
hardware members in pivotally connected relationship, said
connection means comprising: .Iaddend.a snap stud .[.for mounting
on a first member.]. .Iadd.having a generally cylindrical stud; a
first member; means attaching the cylindrical stud to the first
member so that the cylindrical stud and first member are fixed
against relative movement axially of the cylindrical stud.Iaddend.;
and a second member having a through opening .[.and defining at an
end thereof an annular edge having a substantially right angle
cross section.]., said snap stud extending through said opening
.[.for.]. .Iadd.and .Iaddend.releasably holding said second member
in pivotal relation with said first member, said .[.snap stud
comprising a generally.]. cylindrical stud having an external
peripheral groove intermediate the ends of the stud, and a C-ring
of .[.spring wire.]. .Iadd.substantially incompressible spring-type
material extending through more than 180.degree., surrounding said
cylindrical stud, .Iaddend.defining an annular centerline
positioned in said peripheral groove and having a pair of
spaced-apart ends, said C-ring having inner and outer diameters
selected to have a part thereof in said peripheral groove and a
part extending .Iadd.radially .Iaddend.beyond the stud periphery
when said C-ring is in a retention position, the diameter of
.[.said edge.]. .Iadd.at least a portion .Iaddend.of the
.Iadd.through .Iaddend.opening of the second member being less than
the outer diameter of the C-ring .Iadd.in its retention position
.Iaddend.and .Iadd.at all times .Iaddend.greater than the diameter
of said annular centerline of the C-ring .[.when the C-ring is in
said retention position.]., and said peripheral groove having a
depth to enable .[.compression.]. .Iadd.deformation .Iaddend.of the
C-ring .Iadd.by movement of said spaced-apart ends towards each
other .Iaddend.to a release position in which substantially all of
the C-ring is in said peripheral groove and which enables
disassembly of said pair of members by pulling one member away from
the other axially of the stud.
2. A snap stud as defined in claim 1 wherein said .[.spring.].
.Iadd.C-ring .Iaddend.is formed from round spring music wire.
3. A snap stud as defined in claim 2 wherein said external
peripheral groove on the stud has a depth substantially equal to
the diameter of the spring music wire.
4. A snap stud as defined in claim 1 wherein said external
peripheral groove defines a stud section of reduced diameter, and
the ends of said C-ring are spaced apart a distance less than the
diameter of said stud section whereby the C-ring is forced onto the
stud section when placed in said external peripheral groove, in
assembly, and is thereafter retained in said groove.
5. A snap stud as defined in claim 4 wherein said ends of the
C-ring are shaped to facilitate expansion of the C-ring as the
latter is forced onto the stud section in assembly. .[.6. A snap
stud as defined in claim 1 wherein said second member at the
opposite end of the opening defines an annular edge having a
substantially right angle cross section..]. .Iadd.7. A snap stud as
defined in claim 1 wherein said snap stud has an integral radially
enlarged flange for maintaining the first and second members
spaced axially from each other..Iaddend. .Iadd.8. A releasable
connection means for holding two window hardware members in
pivotally connected relationship, said connection means comprising:
a snap stud having a generally cylindrical stud; a first member;
means attaching the cylindrical stud to the first member so that
the cylindrical stud and first member are fixed against relative
movement axially of the cylindrical stud; and a second member
having a through opening, said snap stud extending through said
opening and releasably holding said second member in pivotal
relation with said first member, said cylindrical stud having an
external peripheral groove intermediate the ends of the stud, and a
C-ring of spring wire defining an annular centerline positioned in
said peripheral groove and having a pair of spaced-apart ends, said
C-ring having inner and outer diameters selected to have a part
thereof in said peripheral groove and a part extending beyond the
stud periphery when said C-ring is in a retention position, the
diameter of at least a portion of the through opening of the second
member being less than the outer diameter of the C-ring and greater
than the diameter of said annular centerline of the C-ring when the
C-ring is in said retention position, and said peripheral groove
having a depth to enable deformation of the C-ring to a release
position in which substantially all of the C-ring is in said
peripheral groove and which enables disassembly of said pair of
members by pulling one member away from the other axially of the
stud, wherein the means attaching the cylindrical stud to the first
member comprises an integral flange stud to the first member
comprises an integral flange and an integral rim on the snap stud
and in axially spaced relationship, said first member being held
captive between the flange and rim and maintained axially spaced
from the second member by the
flange..Iaddend. .Iadd.9. Window hardware utilizing a snap stud,
said window hardware comprising: a first member; a second member
having a through opening; said snap stud having a generally
cylindrical stud; means attaching the cylindrical stud to the first
member so that the stud and first member are fixed against relative
movement axially of the cylindrical stud; said snap stud extending
through said opening in the second member and releasably holding
said second member in pivotal relation with said first member, said
cylindrical stud having an external peripheral groove intermediate
the ends of the stud, and a C-ring of substantially incompressible
spring-type material extending through more than 180.degree.,
surrounding said cylindrical stud, defining an annular centerline
positioned within said peripheral groove and having a pair of
spaced-apart ends, said C-ring having inner and outer diameters
selected to have a part thereof in said peripheral groove and a
part extending radially beyond the stud periphery when said C-ring
is in a retention position, the diameter of at least a portion of
said through opening in the second member being less than the outer
diameter of the C- ring in its retention position and at all times
greater than the diameter of said annular centerline of the C-ring
and said peripheral groove having a depth to enable deformation of
the C-ring by movement of said spaced-apart ends towards each other
to a release position in which substantially all of the C-ring is
in said peripheral groove and which enables disassembly of said
pair of members by pulling one member away from the other axially
of the stud, wherein said second member at said portion of the
through opening engages said C-ring through an arc of at least
180.degree. as said C-ring is deformed by the second member during
assembly and disassembly of said
first and second members..Iaddend. .Iadd.10. The window hardware as
defined in claim 9 wherein said window hardware is a window hinge
comprising a guide track for connection to the sill of a window
frame, a slider movably mounted in the guide track, a sash arm for
attachment to a window sash and having an end connected to the
slider, a support arm having an end pivotally connected to the sash
arm and an opposite end connected pivotally to the guide track,
said first member comprises the guide track and said second member
comprises the support arm..Iaddend.
.Iadd.11. A window hinge utilizing a snap stud having a cylindrical
stud, said window hinge comprising: a guide track for connection to
a sill on a window frame; a slider movably mounted relative to the
guide track; a sash arm for attachment to a window sash and having
an end operatively connected to the slider; a support arm having a
through opening; means fixedly attaching the cylindrical stud to
the guide track; said snap stud extending through said opening and
releasably holding said support arm in pivotal relation with said
guide track, said cylindrical stud having an external peripheral
groove intermediate the ends of the stud, and a C-ring of
substantially incompressible spring-type material extending through
more than 180.degree., surrounding said cylindrical stud, defining
an annular centerline positioned in said peripheral groove and
having a pair of spaced-apart ends, said C-ring having inner and
outer diameters selected to have a part thereof in said peripheral
groove and a part extending beyond the stud periphery when said
C-ring is in a retention position, the diameter of at least a
portion of said through opening of the support arm being less than
the outer diameter of the C-ring in its retention position and at
all times greater than the diameter of said annular centerline of
the C-ring and said peripheral groove having a depth to enable
deformation of the C-ring to a release position in which
substantially all of the C-ring is in said peripheral groove and
which enables disassembly of said support arm and guide track by
pulling one of the support arm and guide track away from the other
of the support arm and guide track axially of the stud.
Description
TECHNICAL FIELD
This invention pertains to a snap stud particularly for use in
window hardware for releasably pivotally interconnecting two
members. The snap stud is constructed to facilitate assembly of the
window hardware by use of automatic equipment and to releasably
retain the window hardware members in pivotally interconnected
relation whereby the members may be separated for movement by a
window free of restraint by the window hardware.
BACKGROUND ART
There are many different types of window hardware having pivotally
interconnected members. One type is a window operator having an
operating arm connected to a bracket mounted to a window sash. A
releasable connection is achieved by the use of a slidable keeper
member on the operating arm which, in one position, interfits with
a stud on the bracket to lock the parts together in a pivotally
interconnected relation. A slidable keeper of this type is shown in
Armstrong U.S. Pat. No. 3,457,675.
Another type of window hardware is a window hinge. A sash arm is
pivotally attached to a slider or shoe movable along a guide track
fixed to a window sill and a support arm or link extends between
the guide track and the sash arm and is pivotally connected to
both. A commercial embodiment of a window hinge utilizes a keeper
and stud structure of the type shown in the referred to Armstrong
patent for releasably connecting the support arm to the guide
track. In assembly, the sash arm must be manually oriented with the
end adapted for mounting the keeper positioned adjacent the guide
track and the keeper must be manually handled.
The present commercial window hardware using a slidably mounted
keeper is not readily assembled by use of automatic equipment
because of the required handling of the keeper and orientation of
the hardware elements.
DISCLOSURE OF THE INVENTION
A primary feature of the invention is to provide a snap stud for
releasably holding a pair of members, such as components of window
hardware, in pivotally interconnected relation and which avoids the
need for a slidably mounted keeper with resulting cost reduction
and the ability to perform part of the assembly of the window
hardware on automatic equipment because of ease of handling and
orientation of components.
Another feature of the invention is to provide a snap stud for
releasably holding a pair of members in interconnected relation.
The snap stud has a stud extending from a first member and has a
C-ring of spring wire mounted thereon which has a retention
position extending beyond the periphery of the stud and which may
be compressed to a position substantially within the periphery of
the stud when the stud is inserted in an opening in a second
member. This permits passage of the second member into assembled
relation with the first member and with the C-ring returning to its
retention position overlying the second member for releasably
retaining the members in assembled relation. The snap stud enables
separation and assembly of the members relative to each other to be
accomplished without tools and the snap stud emits a positive
"snap" sound when returning to its retention position, thereby
signalling proper interconnection of the members to each other.
The snap stud replaces the slidable keeper used in the prior
commercial window hardware structures and thus avoids a number of
problems encountered in the use of a keeper, including special
orientation of the member which is to mount the keeper, difficulty
in manufacturing the keeper, the inability to automatically
manipulate the keeper in assembly processes as well as possible
damage thereto during assembly. Additionally, the snap stud is not
readily apparent as constituting a releasable connection between
the members and, therefore, the window hardware is more
tamper-proof than when a keeper is used which is readily visible as
being a member which, when moved, will disconnect the two members
and permit movement of a window sash independently of the window
hardware. Further, the use of the snap stud in place of the stud
and keeper of the prior art results in a cost savings of
approximately 1/3 in the cost of the parts.
An object of the invention is to provide a snap stud for mounting
on a first member and releasably holding a second member in pivotal
relation with the first member comprising a generally cylindrical
stud having an external peripheral groove intermediate the ends of
the stud, and a C-ring of spring wire positioned in said peripheral
groove and having a pair of spaced-apart ends, said C-ring having
inner and outer diameters selected to have a part thereof in said
peripheral groove and a part extending beyond the stud periphery
when said C-ring is in a retention position, and said peripheral
groove having a depth to enable compression of the C-ring to a
release position in which substantially all of the C-ring is in
said peripheral groove.
BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS
FIG. 1 is a perspective view of a window hinge utilizing the snap
stud;
FIG. 2 is a fragmentary vertical section, taken generally along the
line 2--2 in FIG. 1;
FIG. 3 is a plan section, taken generally along the line 3--3 in
FIG. 2; and
FIG. 4 is a view, similar to FIG. 2, showing the snap stud action
that occurs during an assembly operation.
BEST MODE FOR CARRYING OUT THE INVENTION
As previously mentioned, there are different types of window
hardware which have releasable pivotally interconnected members
including window operators and window hinges. The snap stud
embodying the invention is shown in association with a window hinge
and it will be understood that the snap stud also has utility in a
window operator.
The window hinge, indicated generally at 10, mounts a window sash
(not shown).
The window hinge has a guide track 22 mountable to the sill of a
window frame. A sash arm 23 fastens to the underside of a window
sash and at one end is pivoted at 24 to a slider or shoe 25 which
is movably mounted in the guide track 22. A support arm 26 has one
end pivotally connected at 27 to the sash arm 23 and at its other
end 28 is pivotally connected to the guide track 22 by a snap stud,
indicated generally at 30.
The snap stud 30 functions to releasably retain the support arm and
the guide track in pivotally interconnected relation.
The snap stud is shown more particularly in FIGS. 2-4. The snap
stud comprises a cylindrical stud 40 which extends from the guide
track 22 and is fixed thereto. The stud has a tubular lower part of
reduced diameter extending through an opening 44 in the guide track
22 and pressed outwardly to form a rim 46. The guide track 22 is
captured between a flange 48 on the stud and the rim 46.
The stud 40 has a stud section 50 with an external peripheral
groove 52 defining a neck adjacent a head 54 at the free end of the
stud. A C-ring 60 of round spring music wire is positioned in the
external peripheral groove 52. The C-ring is partially circular and
has an inner diameter less than the diameter of the stud 40 and an
outer diameter larger than the stud 40. As seen in FIGS. 2 and 3,
the C-ring has a retention position wherein part of the spring is
within the external peripheral groove 52 and part thereof extends
beyond the periphery of the stud 40. The C-ring has spaced-apart
ends 62 and 64 which are spaced apart less than the diameter of the
stud base section 50 whereby the C-ring must be forced into
position in the external peripheral groove 52 in assembly and,
thereafter, is retained in assembled relation. The external
peripheral groove 52 has a depth approximately equal to the
diameter of the spring music wire.
The action of the snap stud in releasably retaining the window
hardware members in pivotally interconnected relation is best seen
in FIG. 2. The external peripheral groove 52 is at a distance from
the stud flange 48 at least equal to the thickness of the support
arm, and the C-ring 60 is in its retention position and overlies
the end 28 of the support arm. The support arm has an opening 70 to
receive the snap stud which is of a diameter less than the outer
diameter of the C-ring and greater than the diameter of the annular
axis of the C-ring when the latter is in its retention position. In
assembly or disassembly of the window hardware members relative to
each other, the C-ring 60 is compressed by the support arm 26 to a
position where it lies substantially entirely within the external
peripheral groove 52, as illustrated in FIG. 4, whereby the support
arm can move to and from its associated position with the guide
track 22. The action of the support arm in compressing the C-ring
60 is facilitated by the camming action derived from the roundness
of the wire used in forming the C-ring and, as shown in FIGS. 2 and
3, the engagement of the edge 70a of the opening 70 with the C-ring
radially outwardly of the annular axis of the C-ring. The opposite
edge 70b of the opening 70 functions similarly to cam the C-ring
radially inwardly when installing the arm 28 about the stud 30.
As shown in FIGS. 2 and 4, the edges 70a and 70b are 90.degree. in
cross section, i.e., define non-bevelled camming edges of the
support arm at the opposite ends of the opening.
From the foregoing, it will be evident that two window hardware
members can be releasably pivotally interconnected merely by
forcing the stud 40 into the opening 70 of the support arm 26 with
automatic compression of the C-ring 60 and, after the members are
assembled into the position shown in FIG. 2, the C-ring returns to
a retention position to maintain the members in assembled relation.
The snap stud emits a positive "snap" sound when the parts reach
the assembled position shown in FIG. 2, thus signalling proper
interconnection of the members.
When the snap stud is used to pivotally interconnect a support arm
of a window hinge to a track associated with the window sash, it is
possible to utilize a simplified support arm having openings of the
same size adjacent each end thereof, with one opening being used
for the pivot connection to the sash arm and the other for
association with the snap stud. This simplification of the support
arm in not requiring a mounting for a slidable keeper facilitates
the automatic assembly of the window hinge by avoiding the
necessity for orienting one particular end of the support arm in a
particular position.
The snap stud can be used in a window operator of the type shown in
Van Klompenburg U.S. Pat. No. 4,241,541 to pivotally interconnect
the connecting link 41 and the bracket 42.
* * * * *