Mounting clip

• US 5,662,375 A
• Filed: 08/22/1996
• Issued: 09/02/1997
• Est. Priority Date: 12/02/1994
• Status: Expired due to Fees

• Current Assignee: Lear Donnelly Overhead Systems LLC (Lear Corporation)
• Original Assignee: Donnelly Corporation (Magna International Incorporated)
• Inventors: Miller, Bradley D., Adams, Edward R.
• Primary Examiner(s): Pedder, Dennis H.
• Application Number:
  US08/701,589
• Time in Patent Office: 376 Days
• Field of Search: 349/31, 296/214, 296/71, 296/39.1, 24/297, 24/616, 24/453, 24/606-607, 248/222.11-222.13, 248/27.3, 248/231.81, 248/231.85, 16/110 R, 16/114 R, 16/125, 16/DIG. 40, 49/460, 105/354
• US Class Current: 296/214
• CPC Class Codes: B60N 3/026 characterised by the fixing means B60N3/023 takes precedence
• CPC Class Codes: F16B 21/088 the stud, pin or spigot being integrally formed with the component to be fastened, e.g. forming part of the sheet, plate or strip
• CPC Class Codes: F16B 5/0642 the plates being arranged one on top of the other and in full close contact with each other
• CPC Class Codes: F16B 5/0664 at least one of the sheets or plates having integrally formed or integrally connected snap-in-features
• CPC Class Codes: F16B 5/0685 Joining sheets or plates to strips or bars F16B5/0692 takes precedence
• CPC Class Codes: Y10T 24/309 Plastic type
• CPC Class Codes: Y10T 24/45487 including camming or wedging element on projection member

Abstract

A mounting clip assembly for mounting an accessory to a roof sheet metal bracket. A mounting clip is fastened to or molded with the accessory and comprises two diverging legs, which are snap-fit into an aperture in the roof sheet metal bracket. A locking bezel has a pair of lugs and a locking finger, which are inserted between the legs to prevent the relative movement of the legs. The locking finger is received within a slot on one of the legs to releasably fasten the bezel to the clip.

Claims

1. A mounting clip assembly adapted to mount an accessory to a support structure, the mounting clip assembly comprising:

a mounting clip comprising;

first and second legs resiliently joined at one end to define an apex, the legs diverging from the apex to form a gap between the legs at another end thereof;

one of the first and second legs having a free end and the other of the first and second legs mounted to the accessory;

each of the first and second legs having intermediate the length thereof a lip adapted to pass through an aperture in the support structure upon resilient deflection of the first and second legs toward each other and seat on an upper surface of the support structure to retain the clip in the support structure aperture;

least one stop surface between the lips of the other leg and the accessory and adapted to abut a lower surface of the support structure to arrest movement of the mounting clip legs into the aperture support structure as the first and second legs are inserted into the aperture; and

a bezel having a cover and at least one upstanding lug adapted to extend into the gap between the first and second legs to prevent the legs from moving toward each other and, thus, the inadvertent removal of the clip from the support structure aperture.

2. A mounting clip assembly according to claim 1 wherein one of the first and second legs has a slot with a bottom surface, and the bezel further comprising a locking finger, separate from the upstanding lug, projecting upwardly from the cover and having a locking tab that projects laterally behind the bottom surface of the leg slot.

3. A mounting clip assembly according to claim 2 wherein the locking finger is resilient to flex when the lug and the finger are inserted into the gap of the clip.

4. A mounting clip assembly according to claim 3 wherein the locking finger has a slanted flat, which engages the bottom surface of the slot, to facilitate removal of the bezel from the clip when the bezel is pulled away from the clip.

5. A mounting clip assembly according to claim 1 wherein the clip has at least one resilient retaining finger that projects laterally outwardly and downwardly from a side of the first and second legs and is adapted to mount the clip to a headliner.

6. A mounting clip assembly according to claim 5 wherein there are two retaining fingers, one on each of the sides of the first and second legs.

7. A mounting clip assembly according to claim 6 wherein the resilient fingers are mounted at the apex of the legs.

8. A mounting clip assembly according to claim 1 wherein the clip is integrally molded in one piece with an accessory.

9. A mounting clip assembly according to claim 1 wherein the clip is connected to an accessory by a mechanical connector.

10. A mounting clip assembly according to claim 9 wherein the mechanical connector is a rivet.

11. A mounting clip assembly according to claim 1 wherein the bezel is integrally molded to an accessory and through a peripheral flange defines an opening providing access to the mounting clip.

12. A mounting clip assembly according to claim 11 further comprising a living hinge mounting the cover to the peripheral flange of the bezel for moving the cover between a first position where it closes the opening and a second position displaced from the opening.

13. A mounting clip assembly according to claim 12 wherein the cover further comprises at least one tab at the periphery of the cover to snap behind the peripheral flange to lock the cover to the bezel.

14. An accessory mounting comprising:

a structural support with an upper and lower surface and at least one aperture extending through the structural support;

an accessory;

a mounting clip comprising;

first and second legs resiliently joined at one end to define an apex, the legs diverging from the apex to form a gap between the legs at another end thereof;

one of the first and second legs having a free end and the other of the first and second legs mounted to the accessory,

each of the first and second legs having intermediate the length thereof a lip adapted to pass through the support structure aperture upon resilient deflection of at least one of the first and second legs, each lip being seated on the upper surface of the support structure to retain the clip in the support structure aperture;

at least one stop surface between the lips of the other leg and the accessory and abutting the lower surface of the structural support to prevent further movement of the mounting clip legs into the structural support aperture; and

a bezel having a cover and at least one upstanding lug extending into the gap between the first and second legs to prevent the legs from moving toward each other and, thus, the inadvertent removal of the clip from the support structure.

15. An accessory mounting according to claim 14 wherein one of the first and second legs has a slot with a bottom surface, and the bezel further comprising a locking finger, separate from said lug, projecting upwardly from the cover and having a locking tab that projects laterally behind the bottom surface of the leg slot.

16. An accessory mounting according to claim 15 wherein the locking finger is resilient to flex when the lug and the finger are inserted into the gap of the clip.

17. An accessory mounting according to claim 16 wherein the locking finger has a slanted flat to facilitate removal of the bezel from the clip when the bezel is pulled away from the clip.

18. A mounting clip assembly according to claim 14 wherein the clip has at least one relatively thin retaining finger that extends downwardly from a side of the first and second legs, and is retained against at least one of the first and second legs by the structural support but is adapted to spring laterally outwardly of said first and second legs to mount the clip to a headliner in the absence of the structural support.

19. An accessory mounting according to claim 18 wherein there are two retaining fingers, one on each of the sides of the first and second legs.

20. An accessory mounting according to claim 19 wherein the resilient fingers are mounted at the apex of the legs.

21. A mounting clip assembly adapted to mount an accessory to a headliner with an aperture, the mounting clip assembly comprising:

a mounting clip having first and second legs resiliently joined at one end to define an apex, the legs diverging downwardly from the apex at an acute angle to form a gap between the legs at another end thereof;

each of said legs having a first side facing the other of said legs, a second side facing away from the other of said legs, a third side joining the first and second sides and a fourth side opposite the third side and joining the first and second sides;

at least one of the first and second legs having a lip adapted to pass through a support aperture upon flexure of said at least one leg and seat on an upper surface of a support structure to retain the mounting clip in the support structure aperture; and

a first resilient retaining finger that is relatively thin with respect to a thickness of the legs and which projects laterally and downwardly from an upper portion of said third side of at least one of said first and second legs to a free end, the first resilient retaining finger adapted to flex inwardly adjacent the third side of said at least one leg when said first and second legs are inserted through the aperture in the headliner and spring outwardly therefrom behind the headliner when the first resilient finger passes through the aperture in the headliner with the free end of the retaining finger abutting an upper surface of the headliner a spaced distance from the aperture when the clip is inserted into the headliner aperture to thereby mount the clip to the headliner.

22. A mounting clip according to claim 21 and further comprising a second resilient retaining finger that is relatively thin with respect to the thickness of the legs of a length substantially equal to the first resilient retaining finger and projecting laterally and downwardly of an upper portion of said fourth side of at least one of said first and second legs to a free end which is adapted to abut the upper surface of the headliner a spaced distance from the aperture to further retain the mounting clip to the headliner.

23. A mounting clip assembly according to claim 22 wherein the first and second resilient retaining fingers extend from opposite sides of the apex of the first and second legs.

24. A headliner and accessory assembly comprising:

a headliner having an aperture therethrough;

an accessory mounted to a mounting clip having first and second legs resiliently joined at one end to define an apex, the legs diverging downwardly from the apex at an acute angle to form a gap between the legs at another end thereof;

each of the first and second legs having a first side facing the other of said legs, a second side facing away from the other of said legs, a third side joining the first and second sides and a fourth side opposite the third side and joining the first and second sides;

at least one of the first and second legs having a lip adapted to pass through an aperture in a support upon flexure of said at least one leg and seat on an upper surface of a support structure to retain the mounting clip in the support structure aperture; and

a first resilient retaining finger that is relatively thin with respect to a thickness of the legs and projecting laterally and downwardly from an upper portion of the third side of at least one of the first and second legs to a free end which bears against an upper surface of the headliner a spaced distance from the headliner aperture to retain the clip in the headliner aperture and thereby retain the accessory mounting to the headliner.

25. A headliner and accessory assembly according to claim 24 and further comprising a second resilient retaining finger that is relatively thin with respect to the thickness of the legs and is of a length substantially equal to the first resilient retaining finger, said second resilient retaining finger projecting laterally and downwardly from an upper portion of said fourth side of at least one of the first and second legs, the second resilient retaining finger having a free end which abuts the upper surface of the headliner a spaced distance from the headliner aperture to further assist in retaining the mounting clip in the aperture of the headliner.