Air bag module cover retainer
First Claim
1. An air bag module including an air bag and an inflator for discharging gas to inflate the air bag, the air bag module comprising:
- a brace plate,a cover for covering the air bag and inflator, the cover including a plurality of hook means for connecting the cover to the base plate;
the base plate including a plurality of apertures for capturing the hook means of the cover therein; and
a cover retainer being a discontinuous resilient ring, the retainer being radially deformable for snap-fitted engagement with the apertures of the base plate directly adjacent the hook means of the cover such that the retainer traps the hook means between the base plate and the retainer and prevents removal of the hook means from the apertures of the base plate to anchor the cover to the base plate and hold the cover in position relative to the base plate during air bag inflation.
1 Assignment
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Accused Products
Abstract
An air bag module includes an air bag and an inflator for discharging gas to inflate the air bag. The module includes a cover having a plurality of hooks and a base plate including a plurality of apertures for capturing the hooks of the cover therein. To securely retain the cover to the base plate, a cover retainer being a discontinuous resilient ring is utilized. The retainer is radially deformable for snap-fitted engagement with the base plate directly adjacent the hooks of the cover such that the retainer traps the hooks between the base plate and the retainer to prevent removal of the hooks from the apertures of the base plate and to anchor the cover to the base plate during air bag inflation.
27 Citations
10 Claims
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1. An air bag module including an air bag and an inflator for discharging gas to inflate the air bag, the air bag module comprising:
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a brace plate, a cover for covering the air bag and inflator, the cover including a plurality of hook means for connecting the cover to the base plate; the base plate including a plurality of apertures for capturing the hook means of the cover therein; and a cover retainer being a discontinuous resilient ring, the retainer being radially deformable for snap-fitted engagement with the apertures of the base plate directly adjacent the hook means of the cover such that the retainer traps the hook means between the base plate and the retainer and prevents removal of the hook means from the apertures of the base plate to anchor the cover to the base plate and hold the cover in position relative to the base plate during air bag inflation. - View Dependent Claims (2, 3, 4, 5, 6)
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7. An air bag module including an air bag and an inflator for discharging gas to inflate the air bag, the air bag module comprising:
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a base plate, a cover for covering the air bag and inflator, the cover having a plurality of hook means for connecting the cover to the base plate; the base plate including a downwardly extending flange including a plurality of apertures for capturing the hook means of the cover therein; and a cover retainer being a discontinuous resilient ring having a plurality of radially projecting tabs, the retainer being radially deformable for positioning the tabs of the retainer in alignment with the apertures of the base plate directly adjacent the hook means, the retainer being releasable to snap-fittedly engage the tabs within the apertures of the base plate such that the hook means are trapped in the apertures between the tabs and the base plate such that the cover is anchored to the base plate and held in position relative thereto during air bag inflation. - View Dependent Claims (8, 9)
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10. An air bag module comprising:
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a base plate having a downwardly extending flange having a plurality of apertures therein; a cover having a plurality of slits forming a plurality of flexible segments, a plurality of the flexible segments having hook means for engaging and extending through respective apertures in the base plate; and a cover retainer being a discontinuous resilient ring for snap-fitted engagement with the flange of the base plate, the retainer having a plurality of radially projecting tabs aligned with and captured in respective apertures of the base plate adjacent the hook means of the cover such that the hook means are trapped in the apertures between the base plate and the tabs of the retainer whereby the cover is anchored to the base plate and held in position relative to the base plate during air bag inflation.
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Specification