Component reel with latching detents to lock flanges to hub
AssigneePatrick Posso
InventorPatrick Posso
Life of this patent
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Abstract
The reel includes two flanges and a hub. The hub has flexible latching blades extending tangentially inside housings, with alternate blades extending in opposite directions. The hub also includes locking bars in the housings for co-operating with hooks on the flanges. The locking bars are directed in two opposite directions with the bars extending in one direction co-operating with the hooks on one of the flanges, and the bars extending in the opposite direction co-operating with the oppositely-directed hooks on the other flange.
Claims6
A reel for winding a tape, and more particularly a tape having cells containing electronic components, the reel comprising two flanges connected to a winding hub by locking means, wherein:
- the hub has flexible latching blades projecting in substantially tangential directions in housings opening out into each of the end faces of the hub, the deflectable free end of each flexible blade being separated from a locking element projecting into the corresponding housing by a gap which is substantially radial;
- and
- the flange to be fixed to an end face under consideration of the hub has as many complementary locking elements as the hub includes locking elements, the complementary locking elements being integral with the flange via shanks of a thickness (ep) no greater than the width (l) of the gaps, and of a height (d) substantially equal to the distance separating the bearing face of the hub from the locking elements, the complementary locking elements being cantilevered out from the shanks in the same direction as the flexible blades, extending over the locking elements of the hub and being in contact therewith when the flexible blades return resiliently to their rest positions after the hub and the flange have been brought together and rotated relative to each other, thereby latching against the shanks and preventing rotation in the opposite direction.
A reel for winding a tape, and more particularly a tape having cells containing electronic components, the reel comprising two flanges connected to a winding hub by locking means, wherein:
- the hub has flexible latching blades projecting in substantially tangential directions in housings opening out into at least one of the end faces of the hub, the deflectable free end of each flexible blade being separated from a locking element projecting into the corresponding housing by a gap which is substantially radial;
- and
- the flange to be fixed to said at least one of the end faces under consideration of the hub has many complementary locking elements as the hub includes locking elements, the complementary locking elements being integral with the flange via shanks of a thickness (ep) no greater than the width (l) of the gaps, and of a height (d) substantially equal to the distance separating the bearing face of the hub from the locking elements, the complementary locking elements being cantilevered out from the shanks in the same direction as the flexible blades, extending over the locking elements of the hub and being in contact therewith when the flexible blades return resiliently to their rest positions after the hub and the flange have been together and rotated relative to each other, thereby latching against the shanks and preventing rotation in the opposite direction.
Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.