Blind securement of cover plates and the like
OwnerGeorge M. Rapatainventor
Life of this patent
Estimating the term…
Abstract
There is disclosed an assembly comprising a workpiece panel having an opening, a cover plate for the opening and blind securement means including resiliently interengageable elements on the panel and the cover plate constructed for enabling the cover plate to be assembled from the outside of the panel and to permit initial insertion through the opening without substantial interference between the interengageable elements.
Claims13
An assembly of the type described comprising a workpiece having an opening defined in part by spaced apart opposite marginal portions, a cover plate for said opening, and blind securement means for securing the cover plate within said opening, said cover plate being insertable through said opening for assembly, said securement means including shoulder means at opposite sides of said cover plate respectively engageable beneath said opposite marginal portions when the cover plate is fully assembled, said securement means further comprising first cover plate cam surface means and second workpiece cam surface means disposed for cooperative engagement with each other, means resiliently supporting at least one of said cam surface means for enabling the cover plate and one side shoulder means to be initially inserted through said opening and beneath one of said margins sufficiently to enable the opposite side shoulder means to clear the other of said margins portions without substantially displacing said one cam surface means and for yielding upon depression of the cover plate sufficiently to move said other side shoulder means beneath said other marginal portion and for subsequently resiliently clamping said opposite side shoulder means beneath said opposite marginal portions.
An assembly of the type described comprising a workpiece having an opening of predetermined configuration therein at least partially defined by marginal portions, a cover plate having a body portion with a configuration complementary to said opening configuration, said body portion being insertable through the opening from the outside of the workpiece during assembly, and securement means for securing said cover plate within said opening, said securement means comprising shoulders projecting outwardly of margins of said cover plate body portion for engagement beneath said marginal portions of the workpiece after the cover plate has been fully assembled with the workpiece, said securement means further including a generally L-shaped member of resilient material extending inwardly of said workpiece opening and including a resiliently yieldable laterally extending section presenting generally upwardly facing abutment surface means, downwardly facing abutment surface means on said cover plate positioned for cooperative engagement with said upwardly facing surface means, one of said surface means including an apex portion positioned for causing said laterally extending section to be resiliently displaced when the cover plate is fully assembled with said shoulders engaging beneath said marginal portions, and said abutment surfaces being positioned for enabling one margin of said cover plate to be inserted through said opening and beneath one of said marginal portions of the workpiece during an initial assembly step without sufficient interference between said surfaces to cause displacement of said laterally extending section for facilitating such initial assembly step.
Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.