Cascading release fastener mechanism

• US 6,086,449 A
• Filed: 01/14/1999
• Issued: 07/11/2000
• Est. Priority Date: 01/15/1998
• Status: Expired due to Fees

• Current Assignee: David F. Sharp
• Original Assignee: David F. Sharp
• Inventors: Sharp, David F.
• Primary Examiner(s): Hafer, Robert A.
• Assistant Examiner(s): FOSSUM, LAURA J
• Application Number:
  US09/231,701
• Time in Patent Office: 544 Days
• Field of Search: 446/2-4, 446/6, 446/85, 446/308, 446/311, 446/399, 446/429, 446/430, 446/435, 446/486
• US Class Current: 446/486
• CPC Class Codes: A63H 33/00 Other toys
• CPC Class Codes: A63H 33/103 with wires, springs, suction cups, telescopic elements

Abstract

A spring biased projectable latch mechanism having a triggerable release mechanism at the end of said latch which is projected furthest into a latch receptacle during fastener engagement. A latch housing part of an object being fastened, said housing comprising said latch, said spring bias means, at least one receptacle, and a trigger chamber area. The housing and latch mechanism are constructed such that the spring biased release of the latch of one object actuates the trigger release mechanism of each adjacent object, resulting in a cascading release of a complex structure of interconnected objects in response to a single latch release trigger event.

Claims

1. A remotely-triggered quick-release fastener mechanism comprising:

a primary object including a latch housing, a projectable latch located within said latch housing, said projectable latch comprising a latch shaft, and a spring for urging said projectable latch towards a disengaged position within said latch housing;

a secondary object including a receptacle having an exterior side and an interior side, said latch shaft being constructed to be inserted into said exterior side of said receptacle towards said interior side of said receptacle thereby fastening said primary object to said secondary object;

an engagement means attached to said projectable latch for engaging said receptacle when said projectable latch of said primary object is inserted into said receptacle of said secondary object, said engagement means causing said projectable latch to interact with said receptacle such that said primary object becomes fastened to said secondary object when said projectable latch is inserted into said receptacle; and

a trigger means connected to said primary object and located in the vicinity of the interior side of the receptacle when the primary object is fastened to the secondary object, said trigger means causing the automatic retraction of said latch shaft from said receptacle when said trigger means is physically manipulated;

whereby said primary object is constructed to be fastened to said secondary object via engagement of said engagement means and released from said secondary object via manipulation of said trigger means in the vicinity of the interior side of the receptacle, said spring causing the automatic retraction of said latch shaft from said receptacle when said primary object is released from said secondary object.

2. The fastener mechanism as defined in claim 1 wherein said latch shaft comprises at least one flexible prong, said prong being constructed to be expanded radially outward from the center axis of said shaft during latch engagement, whereby said engagement means is effected by flexing said prong radially outward to increase the effective cross-sectional area of said shaft.

3. The fastener mechanism as defined in claim 1 wherein said shaft portion of said latch is generally hexagonal in cross-sectional shape and said receptacle is similarly shaped.

4. The fastener mechanism as defined in claim 1 wherein said shaft has an irregular polygon cross-sectional shape and said receptacle has a similar shape, whereby said shaft is dimensioned and arranged to be inserted into said receptacle at predefined rotational orientations.

5. The fastener mechanism as defined in claim 1 wherein said latch comprises a tool slot for effecting said engagement means, whereby a tool is constructed to be inserted into said tool slot to apply a force for engagement of said latch.

6. The fastener mechanism as defined in claim 1 wherein said latch shaft comprises an inner cavity and a locking pin, said locking pin being located within said cavity, and said locking pin being moveable within said cavity, whereby said trigger means comprises movement of said locking pin relative to said cavity.

7. The fastener mechanism as defined in claim 6 wherein said cavity comprises at least one cam and said locking pin comprises at least one finger, whereby said engagement means comprises a physical interaction between said finger and said cam.

8. The fastener mechanism as defined in claim 6 wherein said locking pin comprises a trigger member, said trigger member being exposed for said trigger means within the interior side of said receptacle.

9. The fastener mechanism as defined in claim 2 wherein said latch shaft and said prong are dimensioned and arranged with a non-engaged cross-sectional area that is smaller than the cross-sectional area of said receptacle, whereby retraction of said shaft from said receptacle is generally frictionless.

10. The fastener mechanism as defined in claim 1 wherein said latch comprises a flange, said receptacle comprises a shoulder, and said engagement means comprises the positioning of said flange against said shoulder, whereby the fastening of said primary object to said secondary object is secured by more than just the friction between said latch shaft and said receptacle.

11. A cascading-release fastener mechanism comprising a housing cavity part of a primary object, said housing cavity comprising a trigger chamber area, a latch located within said housing cavity, said latch comprising a latch shaft, said latch shaft being projectable from said housing cavity, a spring means for urging said latch towards said trigger chamber area of said housing cavity, at least one receptacle part of said primary object, said receptacle comprising a hole extending from the exterior surface of said primary object into said trigger chamber area, said receptacle being constructed for interaction with a downstream latch shaft part of a downstream object allowing said downstream object to be fastened to said primary object, an engagement means for projecting said latch shaft part of said primary object from said housing cavity for insertion into an upstream receptacle part of an upstream object, said engagement means causing said latch part of said primary object to interact with said upstream receptacle such that said primary object becomes fastened to said upstream object, and a trigger means for releasing said latch from said upstream receptacle, said trigger means being actuated by physical manipulation of the end of said latch shaft part of said primary object that is projected into an upstream trigger chamber area of said upstream object, whereby said primary object is constructed to be fastened to said upstream object and a plurality of immediate downstream objects are constructed to be fastened to said primary object and a plurality of additional downstream objects are constructed to be similarly fastened to each of said immediate downstream objects, ad infinitum, to form a complex physical structure, and whereby said spring means retraction of an upstream latch part of said upstream object actuates said trigger means of said primary object allowing said spring means of said primary object to urge said latch part of said primary object to retract into said trigger chamber area of said primary object actuating a downstream trigger means of each said immediate downstream object, ad infinitum, generating a cascading release of said latch parts of said objects that form said complex physical structure.

12. The cascading-release fastener mechanism as defined in claim 11 wherein said latch shaft is comprised of at least one flexible prong, said prong being constructed to be expanded radially outward from the center axis of said shaft during latch engagement, whereby said engagement means is effected by flexing said prong radially outward to increase the effective cross-sectional area of said shaft.

13. The cascading-release fastener mechanism as defined in claim 11 wherein said latch shaft is generally hexagonal in cross-sectional shape and said receptacles are similarly shaped.

14. The cascading-release fastener mechanism as defined in claim 11 wherein said receptacle part of said primary object has an irregular polygon cross-sectional shape and said shaft portion of said latch part of at least one of said downstream objects is similarly shaped, whereby said downstream object is constructed to be fastened to said primary object at predefined rotational orientations.

15. The cascading-release fastener mechanism as defined in claim 11 wherein said latch comprises a tool slot for effecting said engagement means, whereby a tool is constructed to be inserted into said tool slot to apply a force for engagement of said latch.

16. The cascading-release fastener mechanism as defined in claim 11 wherein said latch comprises a cavity and a locking pin, said locking pin being located within said cavity, whereby said trigger means comprises movement of said locking pin relative to said cavity.

17. The cascading-release fastener mechanism as defined in claim 16 wherein said cavity comprises at least one cam and said locking pin comprises at least one finger, whereby said engagement means comprises a physical interaction between said finger and said cam.

18. The cascading-release fastener mechanism as defined in claim 16 wherein said locking pin comprises a trigger member, said trigger member being exposed within said upstream trigger chamber area of said upstream object when said primary object is fastened to said upstream object, whereby said trigger means is affected by physical manipulation of said trigger member within said upstream trigger chamber.

19. The cascading-release fastener mechanism as defined in claim 12 wherein said latch shaft and said prong are dimensioned and arranged with a non-engaged cross-sectional area that is smaller than the cross-sectional area of said receptacle, whereby retraction of said shaft from said receptacle is generally frictionless.

20. The cascading-release fastener mechanism as defined in claim 11 wherein said latch comprises a flange, said receptacle comprises a shoulder, and said engagement means comprises the positioning of said flange against said shoulder, whereby the fastening of said primary object to said upstream object is secured by more than just the friction between said latch and said upstream receptacle.