Attaching and/or releasing parts using lobe-and-trough engagement
AssigneeHowe & Howe Inc.
InventorsForrest Joel Tripp, Anthony Victor Castro
Life of this patent
Estimating the term…
Abstract
A technique for forming a releasable attachment provides first and second latch strips each having an alternating pattern of lobes and troughs. The lobes of the first latch strip are adapted to fit within the troughs of the second latch strip, and vice versa, with the lobes retained within the troughs until sufficient force is applied between the first and second latch strips to separate them.
Claims16
A fastener for forming a releasable attachment, comprising:
- a first latch strip composed at least in part of deformable material and having a first plurality of lobes and a first plurality of troughs;
- and
- a second latch strip having a second plurality of lobes and a second plurality of troughs;
- and
- a ladder piece having an alternating arrangement of slots and rungs, the lobes of the first plurality of lobes extending through the slots and the bottoms of the troughs of the first plurality of troughs abutting the rungs,
- wherein at least some of the first plurality of lobes are disposed within at least some of the second plurality of troughs and at least some of the second plurality of lobes are disposed within at least some of the first plurality of troughs,
- wherein each of the lobes of the first plurality of lobes and the second plurality of lobes has a head portion and a neck portion narrower than the head portion, wherein each of the troughs of the first plurality of troughs and the second plurality of troughs has a wider region arranged to receive a head portion and a narrower region arranged to receive a neck portion, and wherein the lobes have substantially flat tops and the troughs have substantially flat bottoms.
A vehicle, comprising a surface, an accessory, and a fastener that forms a releasable attachment between the surface and the accessory, the fastener including:
- a first latch strip having a first plurality of lobes and a first plurality of troughs;
- and
- a second latch strip composed at least in part of deformable material having a second plurality of lobes and a second plurality of troughs;
- and
- a ladder piece fastened to the surface and having an alternating arrangement of slots and rungs, the lobes of the first plurality of lobes extending through the slots, and the bottoms of the troughs of the first plurality of troughs abutting the rungs,
- wherein at least some of the first plurality of lobes are disposed within at least some of the second plurality of troughs and at least some of the second plurality of lobes are disposed within at least some of the first plurality of troughs.
A method of handling a releasable attachment between a first surface and a second surface, comprising:
- securing a first latch strip to the first surface, the first latch strip including a first plurality of lobes;
- securing a second latch strip to the second surface, the second latch strip including a second plurality of lobes;
- and
- attaching the first surface to the second surface by forming an interlocking engagement between at least some of the first plurality of lobes and at least some of the second plurality of lobes,
- wherein securing the first latch strip to the first surface is performed by applying a ladder piece to the first latch strip, the ladder piece having an alternating arrangement of slots and rungs, the lobes of the first plurality of lobes extending through the slots, and the bottoms of the troughs of the first plurality of troughs abutting the rungs.
Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.