Releasable fastener assembly

• US 5,187,843 A
• Filed: 01/17/1991
• Issued: 02/23/1993
• Est. Priority Date: 01/17/1991
• Status: Expired due to Term

• Current Assignee: KD Kanopy Incorporated (Aeroturbine Energy Corp.)
• Original Assignee: James P. Lynch
• Inventors: Lynch, James P.
• Primary Examiner(s): Cranmer, Laurie K.
• Application Number:
  US07/642,634
• Time in Patent Office: 768 Days
• Field of Search: 24/460, 24/462, 24/453, 24/587, 24/588, 24/576, 160/229.1
• US Class Current: 24/587.12
• CPC Class Codes: A44B 19/16 Interlocking member having uniform section throughout the length of the stringer for sacks or bags B65D33/2508
• CPC Class Codes: A45B 25/18 Covers detachable A45B15/00; Means for fastening same
• CPC Class Codes: F16B 5/0016 with snap action
• CPC Class Codes: Y10S 24/39 including elongated face having identical, parallel cross sections throughout its length
• CPC Class Codes: Y10S 24/50 including member having elongated, resilient, interlocking face with identical, parallel cross-sections throughout its length
• CPC Class Codes: Y10T 24/42 Independent, headed, aperture pass-through fastener
• CPC Class Codes: Y10T 24/45194 for belt or strap

Abstract

A fastener assembly operative to interconnect flexible panels and other objects has a female piece and male piece which may be releasably fastened together. The female piece includes a web and a pair of opposed flanges which terminate in spaced-apart hook portions to provide a locking channel. The hook portions have interior first locking faces. The male piece includes a web with an enlarged male rib on an edge thereof so that the male rib provides outwardly projecting shoulders which have second locking faces. The male rib may be inserted through an entryway into said channel so as to be received in close-fitted engagement therein as it is engulfed by the flanges. The locking faces of the female and male piece engage one another to prevent withdrawal of the male rib under tension. However, the female and male pieces are constructed of stiff, resilient material so that the male rib may be cammed out of the channel by a torsional force. To this end, the male rib and the channel are configured to allow disengagement of the locking faces. The locking faces are angled, preferably at 45 degrees. The fastener assembly may be manufactured as strips, buckle-like elements or variations thereof.

Claims

1. A fastener assembly operative to releasably join first and second objects to one another, comprising:

(a) a female piece formed of a stiff, resilient material, said female piece including a first web for attachment to a first object and a pair of opposed locking flanges connected to said first web at a juncture and extending from the juncture in spaced-apart relation to one another to define a locking channel having an interior, said flanges having opposed interior faces and each terminating in an inwardly turned hook portion opposite said juncture to form an entryway into said locking channel, each said hook portion having a first locking face disposed interiorly of the channel and oriented at an acute angle φ

with respect to the respective interior face thereof; and

(b) a male piece formed of a stiff, resilient material and configured to releasably engage said female piece in a mated state, said male piece including a male rib sized for insertion into the locking channel and a second web portion connected to said male rib for attachment to a second object, said second web portion having a pair of opposite side surfaces with said male rib sized so that pair of outwardly projecting shoulders are disposed on either side of said second web with each of said shoulders having a second locking face oriented at an acute angle θ

with respect to its associated said side surface whereby said male piece and said female piece may be locked together by advancing said male rib through said entryway and into said locking channel, said male rib sized to have a larger transverse dimension than said entryway so that, upon advancement into said locking channel, said male rib deflects said flanges apart from one another after which said flanges resiliently return to engulf said male rib with said first and second locking faces releasably engaging one another and whereby said male piece and said female piece permit non-sliding disengagement from one another by advancing said rib toward said juncture to spread said flanges apart from one another after which said first and second webs may be pivoted with respect to one another so that said male rib is cammed out of said locking channel, said material forming said first and second webs having of sufficient stiffness so that sufficient torsional force may be applied to said flanges and said male rib to cause non-sliding disengagement of said male rib from said locking channel.

2. A fastener assembly according to claim 1 wherein said female piece and said male piece are constructed as a common extrusion.

3. A fastener assembly according to claim 1 wherein the acute angles φ

and θ

are approximately equal and are within a range of thirty to sixty degrees, inclusively.

4. A fastener assembly according to claim 3 wherein the acute angles φ

and θ

are each approximately forty-five degrees.

5. A fastener assembly according to claim 1 wherein the interior surface of each of said flanges has a first flat margin portion proximate the respective hook portion and wherein the outer surface of said male rib has a second flat margin portion proximate each of said shoulders with the first and second margin portions being sized to engage one another in the mated state.

6. A fastener assembly according to claim 5 wherein the first flat margin portions are substantially parallel to one another and wherein the second flat margin portions are substantially parallel to one another.

7. A fastener assembly according to claim 1 wherein at least one of said first and second webs has a canted web portion that is oriented at a non-zero angle with respect to an attack plane containing the entryway and said juncture when said male and female pieces are in the mated state.

8. A fastener assembly according to claim 1 adapted to join first and second flexible panels and wherein said female piece has a first panel channel opposite said flanges and sized to receive an edge portion of a first flexible panel and wherein said male piece has a second panel channel opposite said male rib and sized to receive an edge portion of a second flexible panel.

9. A fastener assembly according to claim 1 including means for preventing relative longitudinal movement of said female and male pieces in a longitudinal direction when in the mated state.

10. A fastener assembly according to claim 9 wherein said means for preventing longitudinal movement includes an endwall at opposite ends of said male rib, said flanges having a longitudinal dimension such that, in the mated state, said flanges fit between said endwalls.

11. A fastener assembly according to claim 9 wherein said means for preventing longitudinal movement includes a ridge projecting transversely of said elongate male rib and extending peripherally therearound and a corresponding slot structure formed in said flanges whereby, in the mated state, said ridge engages the slot structure in said flanges.

12. A fastener assembly according to claim 1 wherein said female piece is formed as a strip of material which may be secured to a selected support surface as said first object and including a plurality of said male pieces which may be releasably mated to said female piece, each of said male pieces having means for releasably securing a second object thereto.

13. A fastener assembly according to claim 1 wherein said male rib has an outer surface extending between said shoulders with the outer surface having a rounded front face area operative upon insertion of said male rib into said slot to attack exterior surface areas of said hook portions to thereby spread said flanges apart.

14. A fastener assembly according to claim 13 wherein the exterior surface areas of said hook portions are rounded.

15. A fastener assembly operative to releasably join first and second objects to one another, comprising:

(a) a female piece formed of a stiff, resilient material, said female piece including an elongate first web for attachment to a first object and a pair of opposed elongate locking flanges connected to said first web at a juncture and having first sidewall portions extending from said juncture and diverging from one another and second sidewall portions formed as extensions of said first sidewall portions, said second sidewall portions oriented in spaced-apart relation to one another, said flanges defining an elongate locking channel having an interior with each said flange terminating in an inwardly turned hook portion opposite said juncture, said hook portions spaced from one another to form an entryway into said locking channel, each said hook portion having a first locking face disposed interiorly of the channel and oriented at an acute angle φ

with respect to the respective interior face thereof, said locking channel having an interior entryway region proximate said entryway and between said second sidewall portions and an interior tapered region between said first sidewall portions; and

(b) a male piece formed of a stiff, resilient material and configured to releasably engage said female piece in a mated state, said male piece including an elongate male rib adapted to be inserted into the locking channel and received in the entryway region thereof in close-fitted engagement, said male piece including an elongate second web portion connected to said male rib for attachment to a second object, said second web portion having a pair of opposite side surfaces with said male rib sized so that a pair of outwardly projecting shoulders are disposed on either side of said second web with each of said shoulders having a second locking face oriented at an acute angle φ

with respect to its associated said side surface whereby said male piece and said female piece may be locked together by advancing said male rib through said entryway and into said locking channel, said male rib sized to have a larger transverse dimension than said entryway so that, upon advancement into said locking channel, said male rib deflects said flanges apart from one another after which said flanges resiliently return to engulf said male rib with said first and second locking faces engaging one another and whereby second locking faces engaging one another and whereby said male piece and said female piece maybe unlocked from one another by advancing said rib toward said juncture and into the tapered region between said first sidewall portions so that said male rib operates to spread said flanges apart from one another after which said first and second webs maybe pivoted with respect to one another so that said male rib is cammed out of said locking channel by leverage of said second web against one of said hook portions, said material forming said first and second webs being of sufficient stiffness such that torsional force maybe applied thereby to said flanges and said male rib sufficiently to cause disengagement of said male rib from said locking channel.

16. A fastener assembly according to claim 15 wherein the acute angle φ

and θ

at which said first and second locking faces are formed are approximately equal and are within a range of thirty to sixty degrees, inclusively.

17. A fastener assembly according to claim 15 including means for preventing relative longitudinal movement of said female and male pieces in a longitudinal direction when in the mated state.

18. A fastener assembly according to claim 15 wherein said male rib has an outer surface extending between said shoulders with the outer surface having a rounded front face area operative upon insertion of said male rib into said entryway to attack exterior surface areas of said hook portions to thereby spread said flanges apart.

19. A fastener assembly according to claim 18 wherein the exterior surface areas of said hook portions are rounded.

20. A fastener assembly operative to releasably join first and second objects to one another, comprising:

(a) a female piece formed of a stiff, resilient material and including a first web for attachment to a first object and a pair of opposed locking flanges connected to said first web at a juncture, said locking flanges extending from the juncture in spaced-apart relation to define locking channel having an interior such that said flanges have opposed interior faces, said locking flanges each terminating in an inwardly turned hook portion opposite said juncture to form an entryway into said locking channel with said locking channel having first length between said juncture and said entryway, each said hook portion having a first locking face disposed interiorly of the channel and oriented at an acute angle φ

with respect to the respective interior face thereof; and

(b) a male piece formed of a stiff, resilient material and configured to releasably engage said female piece in a mated state, said male piece including a male rib sized for insertion into the locking channel and a second web portion connected to said male rib for attachment to a second object, said second web portion having a pair of opposite side surfaces with said male rib sized so that a pair of outwardly projecting shoulders are disposed on either side of said second web with each of said shoulders having a second locking face oriented at an acute angle θ

with respect to its associated said side surface whereby said male piece and said female piece may be locked together by advancing said male rib through said entryway and into said locking channel, said male rib sized to have a larger transverse dimension than said entryway so that, upon advancement into said locking channel, said male rib deflects said flanges apart from one another after which said flanges resiliently return to engulf said male rib with said first and second locking faces engaging one another and whereby said male piece and said female piece may be unlocked from one another by advancing said rib toward said juncture to spread said flanges apart from one another, said material forming said first and second webs being sufficiently stiff and said first length of said locking channel being configured to have sufficient length so that torsional force may be applied to said flanges and said male rib so that said male rib is cammed out of said locking channel whereby said male rib is disengaged from said locking channel.