US 10,900,513 B2Granted

Re-usable one-push pin and grommet fastener

AssigneeNewfrey LLC

InventorsTien The Diep, Oday Amer Safry, Aaron J. Smith, Najwan Rassam

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Abstract

A pin and grommet fastener includes a grommet that defines a central aperture and includes at least two adjacent longitudinally extending leg members that each include a frame, a knuckle and a tether. The knuckle is connected to the frame at a hinge region that is designed to permit the knuckle to move relative to the frame. The tether connects the knuckle to a base surface of grommet in order to limit movement of the knuckle relative to the frame. The fastener includes a pin that has a first locking member to retain the pin in a first position relative to the grommet in which the longitudinally extending leg members are in a laterally unexpanded state. The pin also has a second locking member to retain the pin in a second position relative to the grommet in which the longitudinally extending leg members are in a laterally expanded state.

Claims23

Dependent claims

A pin and grommet fastener comprising:

a grommet defining a central aperture includes at least two adjacent longitudinally extending leg members, each of the at least two adjacent longitudinally extending members including:
a frame;
a knuckle connected to the frame at a hinge region, the hinge region designed to permit the knuckle to move relative to the frame and the knuckle including a retention surface at a proximal terminal end of the knuckle opposite the hinge region, the retention surface being designed to engage an edge of a joining aperture in a joining panel to retain the grommet to the joining panel when the pin is in a second position;
and
a tether that is structurally distinct from the knuckle, and that extends from the proximal terminal end of the knuckle to a base surface of the grommet, the tether limiting movement of the knuckle relative to the frame;
and
a pin;
wherein the pin and grommet have a first cooperating engagement coupling that engages to retain the pin in a first position relative to the grommet in which the at least two adjacent longitudinally extending leg members of the grommet are in a laterally unexpanded state;
and
wherein the pin and grommet have a second cooperating engagement coupling that engages to retain the pin in the second position relative to the grommet in which the at least two adjacent longitudinally extending leg members of the grommet are in a laterally expanded state;
and
wherein each of the first and second cooperating engagement couplings comprise a protrusion of a first of the pin and grommet received within a cooperating recess of a second of the pin and grommet to retain the pin in the first and second positions, respectively, relative to the grommet.

9 more elements

A pin and grommet fastener comprising:

a grommet defining a central aperture includes at least two adjacent longitudinally extending leg members, each of the at least two adjacent longitudinally extending leg members including:
a frame;
a knuckle connected to the frame at a hinge region, the hinge region designed to permit an outer surface of the knuckle to move laterally toward a center of the central aperture relative to the frame when the pin and grommet fastener is inserted into a joining panel;
and
a tether connected to a proximal end of each knuckle opposite to the hinge region and to a base surface of the grommet, each tether being connected to the base surface of the grommet at a position laterally outward of a respective one of the at least two adjacent longitudinally extending leg members;
and
a pin;
wherein the pin and grommet have a first cooperating engagement coupling that engages to retain the pin in a first position relative to the grommet in which the at least two adjacent longitudinally extending leg members of the grommet are in a laterally unexpanded state;
wherein the pin and grommet have a second cooperating engagement coupling that engages to retain the pin in a second position relative to the grommet in which the at least two adjacent longitudinally extending leg members of the grommet are in a laterally expanded state;
wherein each of the first and second cooperating engagement couplings comprise a protrusion of a first of the pin and grommet received within a cooperating recess of a second of the pin and grommet to retain the pin in the first and second positions, respectively, relative to the grommet;
and
wherein each knuckle has a retention surface, at least a portion of the retention surface being positioned laterally outward of the frame to engage an edge of a joining aperture in the joining panel to retain the pin and grommet fastener relative to the joining panel when the pin is in the second position.

9 more elements

A pin and grommet fastener comprising:

a grommet defining a central aperture includes at least two adjacent longitudinally extending leg members, each of the at least two adjacent longitudinally extending leg members including:
a frame;
a knuckle joined to the frame at a distal end of the knuckle and having a retention surface at a proximal terminal end of the knuckle opposite the distal end of the knuckle, the knuckle being spaced apart from the frame along at least a portion of longitudinally extending sides of the knuckle, the knuckle being designed to move laterally inward relative to the frame during insertion of the pin and grommet fastener into a joining aperture of a joining part;
and
a tether that is structurally distinct from the knuckle, and that extends from the proximal terminal end of the knuckle to a base surface of the grommet, the tether limiting lateral outward movement of the knuckle relative to the frame during removal of the pin and grommet fastener from the joining aperture;
and
a pin;
where n the pin and grommet have a first cooperating engagement coupling that engages to retain the pin in a first position relative to the grommet in which the at least two adjacent longitudinally extending leg members of the grommet are in a laterally unexpanded state;
wherein the pin and grommet have a second cooperating engagement coupling that engages to retain the pin in a second position relative to the grommet in which the at least two adjacent longitudinally extending leg members of the grommet are in a laterally expanded state;
wherein each of the first and second cooperating engagement couplings comprise a protrusion of a first of the pin and grommet received within a cooperating recess of a second of the in and grommet to retain the pin in the first and second positions, respectively, relative to the grommet;
and
wherein the pin includes a driving protrusion extending laterally outward beyond sides of the at least two adjacent longitudinally extending leg members, the driving protrusion designed to be automatically engageable against a periphery of the joining aperture of the joining part during insertion of the pin and grommet fastener into the joining aperture to drive the pin from the first position to the second position relative to the grommet to lock the pin and grommet fastener to the joining part.

9 more elements

Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.