Apparatus for securely attaching a casing to a person

• US 5,279,505 A
• Filed: 11/02/1992
• Issued: 01/18/1994
• Est. Priority Date: 11/02/1992
• Status: Expired due to Fees

• Current Assignee: Comquard Incorporated
• Original Assignee: Comguard
• Inventors: Reeves, Michael E., Goudreau, Noel
• Primary Examiner(s): DESMOND, EUGENE
• Application Number:
  US07/970,014
• Time in Patent Office: 442 Days
• Field of Search: 439/37, 24/704.1, 24/704.2, 24/625, 24/573.1, 340/573, 455/344, 455/347, 455/100
• US Class Current: 439/37
• CPC Class Codes: G08B 21/22 responsive to presence or absence of persons
• CPC Class Codes: Y10T 24/45079 Belt, strap, harness, etc.
• CPC Class Codes: Y10T 24/45581 having inserted end formed by oppositely biased surface segments
• CPC Class Codes: Y10T 24/50 Readily interlocking, two-part fastener requiring either destructive or tool disengagement

Abstract

Apparatus for securely attaching a casing to a person includes an elongate strap and a strap connector having a male retainer at an end thereof. The strap connector has a female retainer at an opposite end thereof. A casing defines first and second openings connected by a passageway. The female retainer is snap-fit to the casing in the passageway of the casing through the first opening. The male retainer is snap-fit to the female retainer in the passageway through the second opening.

Claims

1. Apparatus for securely attaching a casing to a person including:

an elongate strap;

a strap connector having a male retainer at an end thereof, and a female retainer at an opposite end thereof;

a casing defining first and second openings connected by a passageway;

first means on said casing and said female retainer for snap-fitting said female retainer in said passageway of said casing through sad first opening, wherein the female retainer includes a base and the first snap-fitting means on said female retainer includes first and second spaced cantilevered arms extending from said base, wherein sad first and second cantilevered arms each include an outwardly-facing projection at a distal end thereof; and

second means on said male and female retainers for snap-fitting said male retainer to said female retainer in sad passageway through said second opening.

2. The apparatus of claim 1 wherein said elongate strap includes a first means for connecting said male retainer at the end and a second connecting means for connecting said female retainer at the opposite end.

3. The apparatus of claim 2 wherein said first connecting means lies inside said passageway when said female retainer is snap-fit to said casing.

4. The apparatus of claim 2 wherein said second connecting means lies inside said passageway when said male retainer is snap-fit to said female retainer.

5. The apparatus of claim 1 wherein said first snap-fitting means on said casing includes first and second C-shaped walls in said passageway and said casing includes a means for engaging said base when said female retainer is fully inserted.

6. The apparatus of claim 5 wherein said first and second C-shaped walls bias said first cantilevered arm towards said second cantilevered arm when said female retainer is inserted into said first opening, said first and second C-shaped walls releasing said first and second cantilevered arms as said base abuts said engaging means and wherein said C-shaped walls engage said first and second projections to prevent said female retainer from being removed from said casing.

7. The apparatus of claim 6 wherein said first and second projections include first and second barbs engaged, respectively, by first and second barbs in said first and second C-shaped walls when said female retainer is snap-fit in said casing to increase a pull-out resistance of said female retainer.

8. The apparatus of claim 6 wherein said second snap-fitting means on said female retainer includes a T-shaped recess defined by said base and said first and second cantilevered arms.

9. The apparatus of claim 8 wherein said male connector includes a base, and said second snap-fitting means on said male connector includes third and fourth cantilevered arms extending from said base and each having an outwardly-facing projection at distal ends thereof.

10. The apparatus of claim 9 wherein said second snap-fitting means on said female retainer further includes first and second inwardly-facing sides for slidingly receiving said projections on said third and fourth cantilevered arms and for biasing said third cantilevered arm towards said fourth cantilevered arm as said male connector is inserted into said second opening, said first and second inwardly-facing sides releasing said third and fourth cantilevered arms as said male connector is fully inserted into said passageway such that said third and fourth projections are fixedly engaged by said T-shaped recess in said female connector.

11. The apparatus of claim 1 wherein the casing includes upper and lower housings defining a chamber and wherein said passageway is formed in said lower housing.

12. The apparatus of claim 11 further including a circuit mounted in said chamber.

13. The apparatus of claim 12 further including a conductor embedded in said elongate strap and having an end extending from said male connector and an opposite end extending from said female connector, said conductor being connectable to said circuit when said male and female connectors are snap-fit in said passageway.

14. The apparatus of claim 11 wherein said upper housing is secured to said lower housing by threads.

15. The apparatus of claim 14 wherein a hole is drilled through said upper and lower housing and wherein glue is added to said hole.

16. The apparatus of claim 1 wherein said elongate strap includes an inner layer of Mylar™

and an outer layer of vinyl.

17. The apparatus of claim 1 wherein the elongate strap includes a plurality of spaced holes for adjusting elongate strap length.

18. Apparatus for securely attaching a casing to a person including:

a casing having first and second openings;

a strap; and

a retainer at each end of the strap, each retainer having a base and flexible cantilevered arms extending from said base for insertion into one of said openings and snap-fit to said casing said cantilevered arms being inside said casing and inaccessible to manual manipulation to release the strap.