Clip

• US 7,231,696 B2
• Filed: 12/23/2004
• Issued: 06/19/2007
• Est. Priority Date: 12/26/2003
• Status: Expired due to Fees

• Current Assignee: Piolax Incorporated
• Original Assignee: Piolax Incorporated
• Inventors: Shinozaki, Nobuya, Okada, Shigeo, Asano, Kazunori
• Primary Examiner(s): Brittain; James R.
• Application Number:
  US11/019,687
• Publication Number:
  US 20050155191A1
• Time in Patent Office: 908 Days
• Field of Search: 248/638, 267/141, 267/292, 267/153, 242/89, 24295-297, 244/58, 244/53, 411508-510, 174/138.D, 174/138.G, 527/167, 527/180.6, 527/180.3, 403/397
• US Class Current: 24/297
• CPC Class Codes: B60R 13/0206 Arrangements of fasteners and clips specially adapted for attaching inner vehicle liners or mouldings devices for fastening or securing F16B
• CPC Class Codes: B60R 13/0256 Dashboard liners
• CPC Class Codes: E04F 19/00 Other details of constructional parts for finishing work on buildings ladders, e.g. climbing irons, E06C9/04
• CPC Class Codes: F16B 21/075 the socket having resilient parts on its inside and outside
• CPC Class Codes: F16B 5/065 the plates being one on top of the other and distanced from each other, e.g. by using protrusions to keep contact and distance
• CPC Class Codes: F16B 5/0657 at least one of the plates providing a raised structure, e.g. of the doghouse type, for connection with the clamps or clips of the other plate
• 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: Y10T 24/309 Plastic type
• CPC Class Codes: Y10T 24/42 Independent, headed, aperture pass-through fastener

Abstract

A clip has a base A having a U shape composed of a pair of parallel sections, and a joining section having flexibility and interconnecting the lower parts thereof, elastic pieces respectively branching from the insides of the parallel sections in the opposed directions, and extending along the parallel sections and the joining section, claws respectively protruding inwardly on the elastic pieces, and step sections having upper surfaces respectively projecting outward from the outer sides of the parallel sections and being inclined obliquely downward.

Claims

1. A clip comprising:

a base having a U shape comprising a pair of mutually opposing parallel sections, and a joining section having flexibility and disposed integrally with lower parts of the parallel sections;

an elastic piece respectively branching from insides of the parallel sections toward a symmetry axis of the base, and further extending along the base; and

a claw protruding toward the symmetry axis of the base on the elastic piece, and step sections having upper surfrces respectively projecting outward from outer sides of the parallel sections and being inclined obliquely downward,

wherein the clip is configured to fix a fixing member to a to-be-fixed member in such a manner that, a protrusion extending from the fixing member and including a locking hole provided therein passes from an open end of the parallel sections between the elastic piece and extends into an innermost part thereof along the symmetry axis of the base, and the claw is capable of being locked in the locking hole of the protrusion, the base mounting the protrusion therein is press inserted in a mounting hole provided in the to-be-fixed member, and then, the step sections pass through the mounting hole, and thereafter, the step sections are respectively expanded to left and right sides by an elastic return of the base, such that the upper surfaces are locked at a back rim portion of the mounting hole,

wherein in order to prevent the base from approaching the elastic piece by bending toward the symmetry axis direction of the base due to passage of the step sections through the mounting hole, and to prevent the claw from being unlocked from the locking hole when a pull load has acted on the fixing member, abutting portions are formed such that the base abuts the elastic piece at positions in a vicinity of and outside of the locking hole, and

wherein the elastic piece is disposed between the protrusion and the base such that the elastic piece is pressed against the protrusion by a region between each portion branching from the base and positioned on an opening side of the U shape and the each abutting portion when a pull load has acted on the fixing member.

2. The clip according to claim 1, where in the claw and the abutting portions are disposed at respective tip portions of the elastic piece situated in an inner part of the U shape opposite to the opening.

3. The clip according to claim 1, wherein the protrusion is interposed along the symmetry axis of the base at two sites of a region between two tongue pieces mutually extending inwardly in opposed directions from the open end of the parallel sections, and a depression provided at a lower end portion of the base.

4. The clip according to claim 1, wherein the elastic piece has a reduced thickness portion formed by picking a part of an outer side along the symmetry axis.

5. The clip according claim 4, wherein the elastic piece is configured such that projections for restricting a clearance from the base are disposed on their respective outer sides opposite to the claw, and that free ends of the elastic piece extend beyond the claw to interpose the protrusion of the fixing member there between.

6. The clip according to claim 4, wherein the reduced thickness portion is substantially formed along the symmetry axis corresponding to the upper regions of the step sections, and further, at the parallel sections of the base, elastic projections each for restricting clearance toward the reduced thickness portion are formed.

7. The clip according to claim 1, wherein the claw respectively disposed on the left and right elastic piece is formed, at a bottom side, in an inclined surface increasing in height from an inner side toward an outer side.

8. The clip according to claim 1, wherein the abutting portions are respectively situated outside positions at which the locking hole and the claw are locked.

9. The clip according to claim 1, wherein said step portion comprises:

an inclined upper portion, having an inclination angle;

a declined lower portion, having a declination angle; and

a flat surface disposed between the inclined upper portion and the declined lower portion.

10. The clip according to claim 9, wherein the declination angle of the declined lower portion has a slope that is less than a slope of the inclination angle of the inclined upper portion.

11. The clip according to claim 1, further comprising a depression portion formed in a lower end of said base to receive an end of the protrusion.