Method and means for securing plastic covered equipment to a support surface

Abstract

Plastic covered equipment is secured to a support surface such as a table or the like by first and second interconnected coupling devices. The first coupling device is mounted on the support surface, while the second coupling device is embedded into the plastic covered equipment. The second coupling device includes a body member having a stub shaft secured to the first end thereof which terminates in a pointed probe head having an inner face with a greater diameter than that of the stub shaft. A concave surface on the first end of the body member surrounds the stub shaft and terminates in an arcuate annular shoulder on the first end of the body member. The annular shoulder has a diameter greater than that of the probe head and creates an annular space with respect to the inner face of the probe head. To embed the second coupling device into the plastic material, the device is heated to a temperature sufficiently high to melt the plastic and is held in contact with the plastic material such that the material melts and flows around the probe head and into engagement with the concave surface and then into the annular space so as to completely embed the probe head, the stub shaft and the annular shoulder with melted plastic material. The plastic material is then cooled so as to solidify and firmly embed the second coupling device therein.

Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.