Clip

• US 7,018,152 B2
• Filed: 12/06/2002
• Issued: 03/28/2006
• Est. Priority Date: 12/07/2001
• Status: Expired due to Fees

• Current Assignee: Piolax Incorporated
• Original Assignee: Piolax Incorporated
• Inventors: Arisaka, Oomi
• Primary Examiner(s): MITCHELL, KATHERINE W
• Application Number:
  US10/310,973
• Publication Number:
  US 20030129040A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,208 Days
• Field of Search: 411/41, 411/39, 411/40, 411/45, 411/46, 411/48, 411/340, 411/344, 411/908, 411/47, 244/52
• US Class Current: 411/41
• CPC Class Codes: F16B 19/1081 fastened by a drive-pin F16B19/109 takes precedence
• CPC Class Codes: F16B 21/065 with an additional locking element
• CPC Class Codes: Y10S 411/908 Resinous material
• CPC Class Codes: Y10T 24/2792 having mounting surface and filaments constructed from common piece of material

Abstract

A clip includes a grommet, a pin, and a thin connection portion integrally connecting the grommet and the pin. The grommet includes a pair of expandable leg pieces and has a V-shape. The pin can relatively move inside the grommet. A through hole for guiding a top portion of the pin is defined at a tip of the V-shape of the grommet. The thin connection portion is located between an edge of the top portion of the pin and an edge of the through hole. The thin connection is cut when the pin is pushed into the inside of the grommet.

Claims

1. A clip comprising:

a grommet including a pair of expandable leg pieces, the grommet comprising a V-shape;

a pin, which can relatively move inside the grommet; and

a thin connection portion integrally connecting the grommet and the pin,

wherein a through hole for guiding a top portion of the pin is disposed at a tip of the V-shape of the grommet,

wherein the thin connection portion is located between an edge of the top portion of the pin and an edge of the through hole, and

wherein the thin connection portion is cut when the pin is pushed into the inside of the grommet,

wherein the pin comprises a convex portion formed above the thin connection portion,

wherein an engagement hole for engaging the convex portion is disposed in a side surface of a top portion of the V-shape of the grommet, and

wherein, when the thin connection portion is cut by pushing the pin into the inside of the grommet, the convex portion engages the engagement hole.

2. The clip according to claim 1, wherein the thin connection portion is disposed at an open side where the leg pieces of the grommet do not exist.

3. The clip according to claim 1, wherein a semicircular flange is formed on a free end of each of the leg pieces of the grommet,

wherein a circular flange, which corresponds to each of the semicircular flanges, is formed on a base end of the pin, and

wherein a spacer protrusion is disposed on a rear surface of the circular flange to fill a gap between the semicircular flanges.

4. The clip according to claim 3, wherein the through hole for guiding the top portion of the pin comprises a square shape, and

wherein the top portion of the pin comprises a square shape substantially corresponding to the through hole.

5. The clip according to claim 1, wherein the thin connection portion is disposed at an open side of the grommet, said open side being a side interposing the pair of expandable leg pieces.

6. The clip according to claim 1, wherein the thin connection portion comprises a plurality of thin connection portions disposed at open sides of the grommet, and

wherein said open sides are sides that interpose the pair of expandable leg pieces.

7. The clip according to claim 1, wherein each of the pair of expandable leg pieces comprises:

a fixed end integrally formed with a proximal end of the grommet, said proximal end of said grommet comprising an end of said grommet wherein said pair of expandable leg pieces are attached at said proximal end of said grommet; and

a free end.

8. The clip according to claim 1, wherein each of the pair of expandable leg pieces comprises an unrestrained intermediate portion.

9. A clip comprising:

a grommet including a proximal end and a distal end;

a pin including a proximal end and a distal end; and

a thin connection portion integrally connecting the grommet and the pin,

wherein the grommet comprises;

a pair of expandable leg pieces extending from said proximal end of the grommet, wherein said pair of expandable leg pieces are attached at said proximal end of said grommet, and

a through hole for guiding a top portion of the pin formed in the proximal end of the grommet,

wherein the pin is movable inside the grommet and relative to the grommet,

wherein the thin connection portion is located between an edge of the proximal end of the pin and an edge of the through hole;

wherein the thin connection portion comprises a frangible connection portion that is cut when the pin moves inside of the grommet,

wherein the pin comprises a convex portion disposed on the pin at a distal end side of the pin with respect to the thin connection portion,

wherein an engagement hole for engaging the convex portion is disposed in a side surface of the proximal end of the grommet, and

wherein, when the pin moves toward said proximal end of the grommet, the convex portion engages the engagement hole.

10. The clip according to claim 9, wherein the thin connection portion is disposed at an open side of the grommet, said open side being a side interposed between the pair of expandable leg pieces.

11. The clip according to claim 9, wherein a free end of each of the leg pieces of the grommet comprises a semicircular flange;

wherein said distal end of the pin comprises a circular flange which corresponds to each semicircular flange of the leg pieces, and

wherein the circular flange comprises a spacer protrusion included on a rear surface of the circular flange that fills a gap between the semicircular flanges of the leg pieces.

12. The clip according to claim 11, wherein, in a state of complete engagement of the pin inside the grommet, the circular flange of the pin abuts each semicircular flange of the leg pieces.

13. The clip according to claim 9, wherein the through hole comprises a shape that substantially corresponds to a shape of the proximal end of the pin.

14. The clip according to claim 9, wherein the through hole comprises a square shape, and

wherein the proximal end of the pin comprises a square shape substantially corresponding to the square shape of the through hole.

15. The clip according to claim 9, wherein the pin comprises a first locking portion disposed on the pin at a distal end side of the pin with respect to the thin connection portion,

wherein a second locking portion is disposed in a side surface of the proximal end of the grommet, and

wherein, when the pin moves toward a proximal end of the grommet, the first locking portion engages the second locking portion, thereby preventing the pin from being disconnected from the grommet after the thin connection portion is cut.

16. The clip according to claim 15, wherein the first locking portion disengages the second locking portion when the pin relatively moves toward a state of complete engagement of the pin inside the grommet.

17. The clip according to claim 9, wherein said distal end of the pin comprises a cross-shaped cross-section.

18. The clip according to claim 9, wherein, when the pin portion translates relative to the grommet toward the proximal end of the grommet, the pin portion cooperates with each of the pair of expandable leg pieces to expand each of the expandable leg pieces outwardly from a longitudinal axis of the grommet.