Grommet and retainer

• US 7,020,931 B1
• Filed: 12/23/2003
• Issued: 04/04/2006
• Est. Priority Date: 12/23/2003
• Status: Expired due to Fees

• Current Assignee: Yazaki North America Incorporated (Yazaki Corporation)
• Original Assignee: Yazaki North America Incorporated (Yazaki Corporation)
• Inventors: Takahashi, Jake, Nagamine, Noriyuki, Burnett, Jason T.
• Primary Examiner(s): Glessner, Brian E.
• Assistant Examiner(s): WILLIAMS, MARK A
• Application Number:
  US10/744,286
• Time in Patent Office: 833 Days
• Field of Search: 16/22, 16/23, 16/21, 16/24, 174/65.G, 174/152.G, 174/153.G, 174/17.CT, 174/151
• US Class Current: 16/2.2
• CPC Class Codes: B60R 16/0222 Grommets

Abstract

A grommet assembly for use in providing a weatherproof conduit for electrical and/or pneumatic lines between, for example, an automotive body structure and the interior of a door hingedly mounted on the vehicle body structure. The grommet is made of a soft material and is provided with opposed open ends, each of which receives a retainer made of a harder plastic material. At least one end of the grommet is provided with a retainer groove and opposed pairs of receptacles which create raised details on the outside surface of the grommet end structure. The retainer is provided with arrowhead-shaped protrusions which, when the retainer is properly disposed within the end structure of the grommet body, fit into and enlarge the receptacles to provide both visual and tactile indications that the grommet retainer is properly installed.

Claims

1. A grommet assembly comprising:

a tubular grommet body to protect one or more lines extending longitudinally and internally therethrough and made of relatively soft pliable elastomeric material and having an open end bounded by a wall structure having an outside surface and terminating in a peripheral seal;

a retainer made of a relatively hard material and of such size and shape as to fit internally of and in connection with the wall structure of the grommet body;

said wall structure having at least one integral laterally extending receptacle formed therein which receptacle opens to the interior of the grommet body through said wall structure and presents a raised and pliable lateral detail on the outside surface of the wall structure of the grommet body; and

said retainer having at least one peripheral and laterally extending protrusion formed thereon which, when said retainer resides internally of said wall structure, enters into and substantially fills said receptacle.

2. The grommet assembly defined in claim 1 wherein said protrusion, when filling said receptacle, enlarges the exterior thereof.

3. The grommet assembly defined in claim 1 wherein two receptacles and protrusions are arranged in oppositely laterally extending pairs.

4. The grommet assembly defined in claim 1 further including a groove formed internally of said wall structure and opening to the interior thereof, and a peripheral edge flange formed on said retainer for disposition within said groove.

5. The grommet assembly defined in claim 1 wherein said retainer comprises multiple locking fingers extending therefrom.

6. The grommet assembly defined in claim 1 wherein said protrusions are pointed.

7. The grommet assembly defined in claim 1 wherein said grommet body includes a second end structure and a second retainer.

8. The combination of a grommet and a retainer for said grommet comprising:

a tubular grommet body made of a relatively soft pliable material having a longitudinally extending tubular portion and an integral bell-shaped end portion having a peripheral wall structure symmetrically surrounding a longitudinal axis and having an inwardly opening circumferential groove formed therein to receive the peripheral flange of a retainer member therein;

a frame-shaped retainer member of relatively hard, non-pliable material and having a peripheral flange of such size and shape as to fit into the groove of the bell-shaped end portion of the grommet to retain said bell-shaped end portion on said retainer;

a plurality of inwardly opening raised pliable receptacles formed on said end portion and communicating inwardly with said groove; and

a plurality of radially outwardly extending protrusions formed on said retainer member and contiguous with said flange to fit into said raised receptacles when said grommet is installed on said retainer with said peripheral flange in said groove to fill and change the tactile consistency of said receptacles as an indication of the presence of said protrusions in said receptacles in the installed condition.

9. The assembly defined in claim 8 wherein said retainer is made of a hard plastic and has longitudinally extending members to secure said retainer into an opening in an automotive body.