Attachment sleeve and vehicle interior trim employing the same

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-10005406-B2
Application number	US-201615365408-A
Country	US
Kind code	B2
Filing date	Nov 30, 2016
Priority date	Dec 18, 2015
Publication date	Jun 26, 2018
Grant date	Jun 26, 2018

Abstract

An attachment sleeve to attach an article to a base comprises first and second walls connected to each other with a first wall angle there-between, a first connector extending from the first wall and including a first head, a foot and a first neck positioned there-between along a depth direction, and a second connector extending from the second wall and including a second head, a second foot and a second neck positioned there-between along the depth direction. The first neck is more bendable than the second neck.

First claim

What is claimed is:

1. An attachment sleeve to attach an article to a base, comprising:
first and second walls connected to each other with a first wall angle there-between;
a first connector extending from the first wall and including a first head, a first foot and a first neck positioned there-between along a depth direction; and
a second connector extending from the second wall and including a second head, a second foot and a second neck positioned there-between along the depth direction,
wherein the first neck is more bendable than the second neck.

2. The attachment sleeve of claim 1 , wherein the first head is of a first head angle relative to the first foot when the attachment sleeve is at a first operating position, and the first head is of a second head angle relative to the first foot when the attachment is at a second operating position, the first head angle being different from the second head angle.

3. The attachment sleeve of claim 1 , wherein the first neck is smaller in cross-sectional dimension relative to at least one of the first foot and the first head.

4. The attachment sleeve of claim 1 , wherein the first head is spaced apart from the base at a first operating position and contacts the base at a second operating position.

5. The attachment sleeve of claim 4 , wherein the base is partially received between the first head and the first foot when the first head is at the second operating position.

6. The attachment sleeve of claim 1 , wherein the first neck includes a thermoplastic material.

7. The attachment sleeve of claim 1 , wherein the first wall angle is greater than zero and no more than 90 degrees.

8. The attachment sleeve of claim 1 , further comprising a third wall connected to the second wall and with a second wall angle there-between, a third connector extending from the third wall and including a third head, a third foot and a third neck positioned there-between along the depth direction, the third neck being more bendable than the second neck.

9. The attachment sleeve of claim 8 , wherein the third head is of a third head angle relative to the third foot when the attachment sleeve is at a first operating position, and the third head is of a fourth head angle relative to the third foot when the attachment sleeve is at a second operating position, the third head angle being different from the fourth head angle.

10. The attachment sleeve of claim 8 , wherein the second wall angle is greater than zero and no more than 90 degrees.

11. The attachment sleeve of claim 1 , further comprising a fourth wall connected to the first wall with a fourth wall angle there-between, the fourth wall defining thereupon a recess to receive a nose of the article and therefore to support the article.

12. The attachment sleeve of claim 1 , wherein the first head, the first neck and the first foot are each a part of an integral one-piece.

13. The attachment sleeve of claim 1 , wherein the first head, the first neck, the first foot and the first wall are each a part of an integral one-piece.

14. The attachment sleeve of the claim 1 , further comprising a bending enabler contacting the first neck to effectuate a positional change between a first operating position and a second operating position.

15. The attachment sleeve of the claim 1 , wherein at least one of the first and second walls includes a curved portion.

16. A vehicle interior trim attachment sleeve assembly, comprising:
an interior trim base;
first and second walls connected to each other with a first wall angle there-between;
a first connector extending from the first wall and including a first head, a first foot and a first neck positioned there-between along a depth direction; and
a second connector extending from the second wall and including a second head, a second foot and a second neck positioned there-between along the depth direction, the first neck being more bendable than the second neck,
wherein the first head being spaced apart from the interior trim base at a first operating position and contacting the interior trim base at a second operating position, the interior trim base being partially received between the first head and the first foot when the first head is at the second operating position.

17. The vehicle interior trim attachment sleeve assembly of claim 16 , wherein the first head is of a first head angle relative to the first foot at the first operating position, and the first head is of a second head angle relative to the first foot at the second operating position, the first head angle being different from the second head angle.

18. The vehicle interior trim attachment sleeve assembly of claim 16 , wherein the first neck includes a thermoplastic material.

19. The vehicle interior trim attachment sleeve assembly of claim 16 , wherein the first head, the first neck and the first foot are each a part of an integral one-piece.

20. The vehicle interior trim attachment sleeve assembly of claim 16 , wherein the first head, the first neck, the first foot and the first wall are each a part of an integral one-piece.

Assignees

• Ford Global Tech Llc

Inventors

• Shen Kevin
• Fu Shibao
• Xu Wei

Classifications

• B60R13/02 Primary

  {Internal} Trim mouldings {; Internal} Ledges; Wall liners {for passenger compartments}; Roof liners (B60R13/01 takes precedence {; padded linings for the vehicle interior B60R21/04; arrangements or adaptations of floor mats or carpets in vehicles B60N3/04; internal lining for trains B61D17/18}) · CPC title

• B60R2013/0287

  integrating other functions or accessories · CPC title

• B60Q2500/10

  Operations & Transport · mapped topic

• F16B2/20

  Clips, i.e. with gripping action effected solely by the inherent resistance to deformation of the material of the fastening · CPC title

• F16B5/0635

  fastened over the edges of the sheets or plates · CPC title