Retainer for a manifold

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-12178013-B2
Application number	US-202117547658-A
Country	US
Kind code	B2
Filing date	Dec 10, 2021
Priority date	Dec 11, 2020
Publication date	Dec 24, 2024
Grant date	Dec 24, 2024

Abstract

A retainer for securing a manifold can include an aperture that can be positioned adjacent to a retention portion of a keyhole slot in a mounting structure. The retainer can be flexed away from the mounting structure when a mounting protrusion on the manifold extends through a receiving portion of the keyhole slot. The retainer can resiliently move toward the mounting structure when the mounting protrusion is moved into the retention portion of the keyhole slot to capture the mounting protrusion within the retention portion of the keyhole slot.

First claim

What is claimed is:

1. A manifold system for a cooling system, the manifold system comprising:
a manifold with a mounting protrusion;
a mounting structure with a keyhole slot, with a receiving portion of the keyhole slot being sized to receive the mounting protrusion and a retention portion of the keyhole slot, in communication with the receiving portion, being sized to retain the mounting protrusion, wherein the receiving portion defines a first diameter and the retention portion defines a second diameter, the second diameter being smaller than the first diameter; and
a retention plate having a first end and a second end opposite the first end, the retention plate affixed to the mounting structure at the second end to define a flex axis, the retention plate being flexible at the flex axis to flex between a retention configuration and a release configuration, with the second end of the retention plate being farther from the mounting structure in the release configuration than in the retention configuration;
the retention plate having an aperture in the first end, the aperture being positioned to overlap with the retention portion of the keyhole slot; and
the retention plate being configured to:
flex away from the mounting structure to the release configuration upon contact with the mounting protrusion, when the mounting protrusion is received through the receiving portion of the keyhole slot; and
rebound toward the mounting structure to the retention configuration when the mounting protrusion is received within the retention portion of the keyhole slot, to capture the mounting protrusion in the retention portion and secure the manifold to the mounting structure.

2. The manifold system of claim 1 , wherein the retention plate is flush with and parallel to the mounting structure, on an opposite side of the mounting structure from the manifold, when the retention plate is in the retention configuration to capture the mounting protrusion in the keyhole slot.

3. The manifold system of claim 1 , further comprising:
a release tab extending from the retention plate through the mounting structure toward the manifold, the release tab being placed to be urged toward the mounting structure to flex the retention plate to the release configuration.

4. The manifold system of claim 3 , wherein the release tab has a form-stop configured to contact the mounting structure when the retention plate has flexed to or past the release configuration.

5. The manifold system of claim 1 , wherein the first end of the retention plate has a first-end width measured along a direction of the flex axis;
wherein the first end of the retention plate further includes a notch with a notch width measured along the direction of the flex axis; and
wherein the notch width is in a range of about 25 percent to about 75 percent of the first-end width.

6. The manifold system of claim 1 , wherein the retention plate includes a first part, a second part, and a third part, wherein the retention aperture is defined in the third part, and wherein the first and second parts do not include the aperture, wherein the first part is aligned with the receiving portion of the keyhole slot when the retention plate is in the retention configuration.

7. The manifold system of claim 6 , wherein the mounting structure includes a release aperture; and
wherein the second part is aligned with the release aperture so that the retention plate is arranged to be flexed to the release configuration by contact with a tool inserted through the release aperture.

8. A manifold system for securing a manifold of a cooling system to a mounting structure, the manifold system comprising:
a mounting structure with a slot having a first portion and a second portion that is narrower than the first portion;
a retainer having a retainer body, the retainer body having a first end, a second end opposite the first end, and an aperture in the first end, the second end of the retainer body being affixed to the mounting structure so that the aperture is positioned adjacent the second portion of the slot; and
a bushing having a major diameter and a groove with a minor diameter, the bushing extending along a bushing axis and being configured to be secured to the manifold to extend away from the manifold to be received through the slot, the major diameter being sized to be received in the first portion of the slot but not in the second portion of the slot, and the minor diameter being sized to be received in the first and second portions of the slot;
the retainer body configured to be deflected away from the mounting structure upon contact with the bushing, when the bushing extends through the first portion of the slot, and to rebound to receive the bushing within the aperture and thereby capture the bushing within the slot when the groove of the bushing is slid into the second portion of the slot.

9. The manifold system of claim 8 , wherein the groove has a proximal sidewall and a distal sidewall, the distal sidewall disposed at an oblique angle relative to the proximal sidewall.

10. The manifold system of claim 8 , wherein the bushing is a polymeric bushing and includes a bore that is configured to receive a threaded stud of the manifold.

11. The manifold system of claim 10 , wherein the bore of the bushing has a bore length and is threaded along a first portion of the bore length and not threaded along a second portion of the bore length.

12. The manifold system of claim 11 , wherein the first portion extends about 70 percent of the bore length.

13. The manifold system of claim 8 , further comprising:
a release tab extending from an edge of the retainer body at the first end of the retainer body and extending through a hole in the mounting structure to protrude from the mounting structure on a same side of the mounting structure as the manifold, the release tab being located to be urged toward the mounting structure to flex the first end of the retainer body away from the mounting structure.

14. The manifold system of claim 13 , wherein the release tab extends as a bent component with a free end configured to contact the mounting structure when the retainer body has flexed a predetermined distance.

15. The manifold system of claim 14 , wherein the release tab is integral with the retainer body.

16. The manifold system of claim 8 , wherein the retainer further comprises a notch that extends into the retainer body at the second end, between a first location and a second location at which the retainer body is affixed to the mounting structure.

17. The manifold system of claim 16 , wherein the notch extends past the first and second locations, in a direction extending from the second end of the retainer body toward the first end of the retainer body.

18. The manifold system of claim 8 , wherein the mounting structure includes a release aperture; and
wherein a solid portion of the second end of the retainer body at least partly overlaps with the release aperture, the retainer body being thereby adapted to be engaged via the release aperture to be deflected away from the mounting structure.

19. A method for mounting or demounting a manifold, the method comprising:
aligning a manifold assembly with a mounting structure;
moving the manifold assembly toward the mounting structure to insert a mounting protrusion of the manifold assembly in an axial insertion direction into a receiving portion of a keyhole slot on the mounting structure, the receiving portion having a first diameter, whereby the mounting protrusion extend

Assignees

• Hoffman Enclosures Inc

Inventors

• Demars Allen

Classifications

• F16L3/237 Primary

  for two pipes · CPC title

• F16L3/12

  comprising a member substantially surrounding the pipe, cable or protective tubing · CPC title

• H05K5/0221

  Locks; Latches · CPC title

• A47B57/50

  characterised by shape or orientation of opening, e.g. keyhole-shaped · CPC title

• H05K7/1401

  comprising clamping or extracting means (H05K7/10 takes precedence) · CPC title