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US 4,420,859 AGranted
Two-part panel fastener
AssigneeTRW Inc.
InventorFrederick A. Hammerle
Life of this patent
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AssigneeTRW Inc.
InventorFrederick A. Hammerle
Estimating the term…
A two-part panel fastener comprises a socket member and a stud member. The socket member includes a base, an elongated retaining head supported above one side of the base, a receptacle defining a central bore extending from the opposite side of the base, a lip which constricts the opening to the bore, and a frusto-conically shaped flange extending from the end of the receptacle and having a concave surface facing away from the base and surrounding the opening to the bore. The elongated retaining head is adapted to pass through an elongated or "double-D" shaped aperture in a first panel and to be retained relative to the first panel when the head is turned a quarter-turn. The stud member includes an upper shank with a plurality of circumferential ridges which interengage with the lip when the upper shank is inserted into the bore of the receptacle to permit the stud member and socket member to be removably joined together, a lower shank with a plurality of circumferential ridges which flex inwardly as the lower shank is pressed through an aperture in a second panel and which expand after they clear the aperture to hold the stud member relative to the second panel, and a relatively rigid collar between the lower and upper shanks which limits the travel of the lower shank into the second panel aperture.
A two-part fastener for attaching two apertured panels together, comprising a socket member and a stud member, said socket member comprising a base, a retainer extending from one side of said base, said retainer including an elongated head supported above said base and which is adapted to pass through an elongated aperture in a first one of the panels in that said head and the aperture are relatively dimensioned to permit the head to pass through the aperture from one surface of the panel when the head is oriented so that it lies generally parallel to the longer dimension of the aperture, and to retain said socket member relative to the first panel when said head is turned a quarter turn from said orientation so that it overlaps the opposite surface of the panel, a receptacle extending from a side of said base opposite said retainer and defining a bore and an opening to the bore, and a flange extending from said receptacle and having a concave surface facing away from said base and surrounding the opening to the bore, said stud member comprising a lower shank adapted to pass through an aperture in a second one of the panels and to retain said stud member relative to the second panel, a collar for limiting the travel of said lower shank through the aperture in the second panel, and an upper shank adapted to pass through the opening into the bore of said receptacle of said socket member and to retain said stud member relative to said socket member.
An assembly of a first panel fastened to a second panel by means of a two-part fastener comprising a socket member and a cooperating stud member, said first panel defining at least one aperture that is elongated in shape, said second panel also defining at least one aperture, said socket member comprising a base, an elongated retaining head supported above one side of said base, said head being adapted to pass through the elongated aperture from one surface of said first panel when said head has an orientation that is generally parallel to the long dimension of said first panel aperture and to overlap the opposite surface of said first panel when said head is turned in quarter-turn from said orientation thereby to hold said socket member relative to said first panel, said socket member further including a receptacle extending from a side of said base opposite said retaining head and defining a bore and an opening to said bore and a flange extending from said receptacle and having a concave surface facing away from said base and surrounding the opening to the bore, said flange bearing against a surface of said second panel, said stud member comprising a lower shank having means formed thereon which pass through the aperture in said second panel and retain said stud member relative to said second panel and an upper shank having means formed thereon which pass through the opening into the bore of said receptacle of said socket member and removably retain said stud member relative to said socket member and thus removably retain said first panel relative to said second panel.
Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.