AUTOMOTIVE DOOR TRIM FASTENER AND MOLDING METHOD

• US 20170291558A1
• Filed: 04/06/2016
• Published: 10/12/2017
• Est. Priority Date: 04/06/2016
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Newfrey Llc (Stanley Black & Decker, Inc.)
• Original Assignee: Newfrey Llc (Stanley Black & Decker, Inc.)
• Inventors: MEYERS, Jason A., PILON, Roger E., DIEP, Tien T.
• Granted Patent: US 9,873,388 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• CPC Class Codes: B29C 2045/1601 the injected materials not being adhered or bonded to each other B29C45/0017 takes precedence
• CPC Class Codes: B29C 45/16 Making multilayered or multicoloured articles B29C45/0062 takes precedence; feeding colouring materials into the injection unit B29C45/1816
• CPC Class Codes: B29L 2031/3005 Body finishings
• CPC Class Codes: B29L 2031/727 Fastening elements bolts B29L2001/002; nuts B29L2001/005; screws B29L2001/007; slide fasteners B29L2005/00; buttons for haberdashery B29L2019/00
• CPC Class Codes: B60R 13/0206 Arrangements of fasteners and clips specially adapted for attaching inner vehicle liners or mouldings devices for fastening or securing F16B
• CPC Class Codes: B60R 13/0243 Doors
• CPC Class Codes: F16B 19/1081 fastened by a drive-pin F16B19/109 takes precedence
• CPC Class Codes: F16B 2/22 of resilient material, e.g. rubbery material F16B2/205 takes precedence
• CPC Class Codes: F16B 5/065 the plates being one on top of the other and distanced from each other, e.g. by using protrusions to keep contact and distance

Abstract

A grommet has retention wings and a distal end of a barrel with pin retention pawls. The pin retention pawls include an inner retention tooth with a lead-in ramp surface facing toward the grommet head. A lead-out ramp surface is distal of the lead-in ramp surface and facing away from the grommet head. A pin includes a recess receiving the inner retention tooth, with a pin head facing surface positioned and designed to engage the lead-out surface and radially outwardly displace the pin retention pawls during removal of the pin from the grommet. A distal facing outer surface of the pin engages the lead-in surface and radially outwardly displaces the pin retention pawls during insertion of the pin into the grommet. A two-shot molding method of manufacturing is also provided.

Claims

1. An automotive fastener for coupling a door trim panel to an interior door member, the automotive fastener comprising:

a grommet including;

a grommet head, a barrel extending from the grommet head, and a central aperture extending axially through both the grommet head and the barrel;

at least one retention wing extending radially outwardly from the barrel and upwardly toward the grommet head;

at least one barrel slot separating a distal end of the barrel into at least one pin retention pawl;

wherein the pin retention pawl includes an inner retention tooth comprising a lead-in ramp surface facing toward the grommet head on an interior side of each pin retention pawl and a lead-out ramp surface distal of the lead-in ramp surface and facing away from the grommet head;

a pin including;

a pin head and a shaft extending axially from the pin head;

wherein the shaft comprises a recess receiving the inner retention tooth, with a pin head facing surface positioned and designed to engage the lead-out surface and displace the pin retention pawl radially outwardly during removal of the shaft from the central aperture of the grommet, and a distal-facing outer surface positioned and designed to engage the lead-in surface and displace the pin retention pawl radially outwardly during insertion of the shaft into the central aperture of the grommet; and

wherein the grommet comprises a molded plastic material that has stress properties that have not been modified by displacing the pin retention pawl radially outwardly during insertion of the shaft into the central aperture of the grommet, although the pin is positioned within the grommet with the inner retention tooth of the grommet located within the recess of the pin.

2. The automotive fastener of claim 1, further comprising a barrel groove providing a thinned wall portion of the barrel extending from an upper end of the barrel slot.

4. The automotive fastener of claim 1, wherein the grommet head and the pin head are positioned and designed to receive a portion of the door trim panel therebetween with opposing sides of the portion of the door trim panel engaging an underside of the pin head and an upper side of the grommet head, respectively.

5. The automotive fastener of claim 1, wherein the pin further comprises a second pin head, and the pin head and the second pin head are positioned and designed to receive a portion of the door trim panel therebetween with opposing sides of the portion of the door trim panel engaging an underside of the pin head and an upper side of the second pin head, respectively.

6. The automotive fastener of claim 2, wherein the thinned walled portion is from about 15 percent to about 70 percent of an adjacent wall thickness of the barrel.

7. The automotive fastener of claim 1, wherein an angle of the lead-in ramp surface relative to an axis of the barrel is from about 130 degrees to about 50 degrees.

8. The automotive fastener of claim 1, wherein an angle of the lead-out ramp surface relative to an axis of the barrel is from about 115 degrees to about 65 degrees.

9. A method of manufacturing the automotive fastener for coupling a door trim panel to an interior door member of claim 1, wherein the method comprises:

injecting pin molding material into a pin mold cavity having a shape corresponding to the pin to mold the pin;

positioning the pin, molded in the pin mold cavity, within a grommet mold cavity having a shape corresponding to the grommet when the pin is positioned therein;

injecting a grommet molding material into the grommet mold cavity around the pin to mold the grommet;

wherein the grommet molding material is different from the pin molding material and does not bond to the pin molding material when molding the grommet.

3. (canceled)

10. An automotive fastener for coupling a door trim panel to an interior door member, the automotive fastener comprising:

a grommet including;

a grommet head, a barrel extending from the grommet head, and a central aperture extending axially through both the grommet head and the barrel,

a pair of retention wings extending radially outwardly from the barrel and upwardly toward the grommet head designed to engage and retain a portion of the interior door member between the grommet head and the retention wings;

a pair of longitudinally extending barrel slots separating a distal end of the barrel into a pair of pin retention pawls;

a barrel groove providing a thinned wall portion of the barrel extending from an upper end of the barrel slot;

wherein each pin retention pawl includes an inner retention tooth comprising a lead-in ramp surface facing toward the grommet head on an interior side of each pin retention pawl and a lead-out ramp surface distal of the lead-in ramp surface and facing away from the grommet head;

a pin including;

a pin head and a shaft extending axially from the pin head;

wherein the shaft comprises at least one recess receiving the inner retention teeth without radially outwardly displacing the pin retention pawls, a pin head facing surface positioned and designed to engage the lead-out surfaces and displace the pin retention pawl radially outwardly during removal of the shaft from the central aperture of the grommet, and a distal-facing outer surface positioned and designed to engage the lead-in surfaces and displace the pin retention pawl radially outwardly during insertion of the shaft into the central aperture of the grommet.

11. The automotive fastener of claim 10, wherein the grommet comprises a molded plastic material that has stress properties that have not been modified by displacing the pin retention pawl radially outwardly during insertion of the shaft into the central aperture of the grommet, although the pin is positioned within the grommet with the inner retention tooth of the grommet located within the recess of the pin.

12. The automotive fastener of claim 10, wherein the grommet head and the pin head are positioned and designed to receive a portion of the door trim panel therebetween with opposing sides of the portion of the door trim panel engaging an underside of the pin head and an upper side of the grommet head, respectively.

13. The automotive fastener of claim 10, wherein the pin further comprises a second pin head, and the pin head and the second pin head are positioned and designed to receive a portion of the door trim panel therebetween with opposing sides of the portion of the door trim panel engaging an underside of the pin head and an upper side of the second pin head, respectively.

14. The automotive fastener of claim 10, wherein the thinned walled portion is from about 15 percent to about 70 percent of an adjacent wall thickness of the barrel.

15. The automotive fastener of claim 10, wherein an angle of the lead-in ramp surface relative to an axis of the barrel is from about 130 degrees to about 50 degrees.

16. The automotive fastener of claim 10, wherein an angle of the lead-out ramp surface relative to an axis of the barrel is from about 115 degrees to about 65 degrees.

17. A method of manufacturing the automotive fastener for coupling a door trim panel to an interior door member of claim 10, wherein the method comprises:

injecting pin molding material into a pin mold cavity having a shape corresponding to the pin to mold the pin;

positioning the pin, molded in the pin mold cavity, within a grommet mold cavity having a shape corresponding to the grommet when the pin is positioned therein;

injecting a grommet molding material into the grommet mold cavity around the pin to mold the grommet;

wherein the grommet molding material is different from the pin molding material and does not bond to the pin molding material when molding the grommet.