Fastener for fastening a panel to a support and assembly to fasten to said support, provided with a fastener and a panel

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-9845061-B2
Application number	US-201414759981-A
Country	US
Kind code	B2
Filing date	Jan 9, 2014
Priority date	Jan 14, 2013
Publication date	Dec 19, 2017
Grant date	Dec 19, 2017

Abstract

The invention concerns a fastener comprising a foot and a head comprising a plate to which said foot is linked, a wedge and a shank connecting said plate to said wedge, which comprises a back-plate, a rim and flexible arms connecting said rim to said back-plate, each arm comprises a first and a second curved section, and an elbow connecting them, said first section is connected to said back-plate by a first end of said arm and said second section is connected to said rim by a second end of said arm, said back-plate and each flexible arm are configured such that the distance between the center of said back-plate and said second section increases along said second section from said elbow to said rim.

First claim

The invention claimed is:

1. A fastener for fixing a panel to a support, comprising a clip foot configured to be pressed axially through a hole in said support, and a head comprising a plate to which said clip foot is linked, a wedge and a shank connecting said plate to said wedge, said wedge comprising a back-plate formed by a rigid hub, a rim and a plurality of flexible arms each connecting said rim to said back-plate, said wedge being configured to be inserted in a recess arranged in a thickness of said panel, and said shank being configured to be received in a keyhole slot in said panel opening into said recess; said fastener being characterized in that each said flexible arm comprises a first curved section, a second curved section and an elbow connecting said first curved section to said second curved section, said first curved section being connected to said back-plate by a first end of said flexible arm and said second curved section being connected to said rim by a second end of said flexible arm opposite the first end thereof; said back-plate and each said flexible arm being configured such that the distance between the center of said back-plate and said second curved section increases along said second curved section from said elbow to said rim,
wherein at least one of:
(i) said back-plate and each said flexible arm are also configured such that the distance between the center of said back-plate and said first curved section diminishes along said first curved section from said back-plate to said elbow when said flexible arm is in a rest configuration in which it is not deformed;
(ii) said first section of each said flexible arm has a first length, and said second section of each said flexible arm has a second length at least 1.5 times greater than said first length;
(iii) the first curved sections curve inward towards the back-plate for at least substantially all of their lengths;
(iv) the first curved sections curve inward towards the back-plate along the distance from the back-plate to the respective elbows;
(v) respective locations of the first curved sections where the first curved sections meet the respective elbows is closer to the back-plate than the respective locations of the first curved sections furthest away from the respective elbows;
(vi) each of the flexible arms are such that the arms reverse a direction of extension by around 180 degrees between the first section and the second section; or
(vii) said back-plate comprises a plurality of rigid branches protruding radially from an outer face of said back-plate, with each said flexible arm which is connected by its first end to a said respective rigid branch and each said rigid branch has a first thickness and each said flexible arm has a second thickness smaller than said first thickness.

2. The fastener as claimed in claim 1 , wherein said back-plate and each said flexible arm are also configured such that the distance between the center of said back-plate and said first curved section diminishes along said first curved section from said back-plate to said elbow when said flexible arm is in the rest configuration in which it is not deformed.

3. The fastener as claimed in claim 1 , wherein said rim is peripheral and extends, in cross section, in the form of a circle with a first center, and said second curved section of each said flexible arm extends, in cross section, in the form of an arc of a circle with a second center different from said first center.

4. The fastener as claimed in claim 1 , wherein said rim is peripheral and extends, in cross section, in the form of a circle with a first center, and said first curved section of each said flexible arm extends, in cross section, in the form of an arc of a circle with a third center different from said first center.

5. The fastener as claimed in claim 1 , wherein said elbow of each said flexible arm has a hairpin shape and each said flexible arm is configured such that said first section extends circumferentially from said back-plate to said elbow in a first direction, and said second section extends circumferentially from said elbow to said rim in a second direction opposite said first direction.

6. The fastener as claimed in claim 1 , wherein said flexible arms succeed each other and are distributed regularly around said back-plate and each said flexible arm is configured such that its elbow is arranged radially facing said second end of said flexible arm which precedes it.

7. The fastener as claimed in claim 1 , wherein said flexible arms succeed each other and are distributed regularly around said back-plate and each said flexible arm is configured such that its elbow is arranged circumferentially facing said first end of said flexible which precedes it when each said flexible is in a rest configuration in which it is not deformed, and moves away from or nearer to said first end of said flexible arm which precedes it when each said flexible arm is in a working configuration in which it is deformed.

8. The fastener as claimed in claim 7 , wherein each said flexible arm is configured such that, in said working configuration, its elbow moves away until it comes into contact with said rim or moves nearer until it comes into contact with said back-plate.

9. The fastener as claimed in claim 1 , wherein said back-plate comprises a plurality of rigid branches protruding radially from an outer face of said back-plate, with each said flexible arm which is connected by its first end to a said respective rigid branch.

10. The fastener as claimed in claim 8 , wherein said back-plate and said flexible arms are configured such that said second section of each said flexible arm is arranged at a distance from said respective rigid branch, to which each said flexible arm is connected, when each said flexible arm is in said rest configuration.

11. The fastener as claimed in claim 8 , wherein said back-plate and said flexible arms are configured such that said second section of each said flexible arm moves away from or nearer to said respective rigid branch, to which each said flexible arm is connected, when each said flexible arm is in said working configuration.

12. The fastener as claimed in claim 9 , wherein each said rigid branch has a first thickness and each said flexible arm has a second thickness smaller than said first thickness.

13. The fastener as claimed in claim 1 , wherein said first section of each said flexible arm has the first length, and said second section of each said flexible arm has the second length at least 1.5 times greater than said first length.

14. An assembly configured to be fixed to a support, comprising a panel with at least one keyhole slot opening onto a recess arranged in the thickness of said panel, and at least one fastener as claimed in claim 1 .

15. The assembly as claimed in claim 14 , wherein said plate is arranged on an outer surface of said panel.

16. The fastener as claimed in claim 1 , wherein said first section of each said flexible arm has a first length, and said second section of each said flexible arm has a second length greater than said first length.

17. The fastener as claimed in claim 1 , wherein the entirety of the respective flexible arms is curved.

18. The fastener as claimed in claim 1 , wherein the first curved sections curve inward towards the back-plate along the distance from the back-plate to the respective elbows.

19. The fastener as claimed in claim 1 , wherein respective locations of the first curved sections where the first curved sections meet the respective elbows is

Assignees

• Illinois Tool Works

Inventors

• Courtin Christian
• Huet Laurent

Classifications

• Y10T24/303

  having laterally extending biasing appendage · CPC title

• Y10T24/304

  Resilient metal type · CPC title

• Y10T24/309

  Plastic type · CPC title

• F16B5/0628 Primary

  allowing for adjustment parallel or perpendicular to the plane of the sheets or plates · CPC title

• F16B21/09

  Releasable fastening devices with a stud engaging a keyhole slot · CPC title