Releasable fastener assembly

A fastener assembly operative to releasably join first and second objects to one another, comprising:

• (a) a female piece formed of a stiff, resilient material, said female piece including an elongate first web for attachment to a first object and a pair of opposed elongate locking flanges connected to said first web at a juncture and having first sidewall portions extending from said juncture and diverging from one another and second sidewall portions formed as extensions of said first sidewall portions, said second sidewall portions oriented in spaced-apart relation to one another, said flanges defining an elongate locking channel having an interior with each said flange terminating in an inwardly turned hook portion opposite said juncture, said hook portions spaced from one another to form an entryway into said locking channel, each said hook portion having a first locking face disposed interiorly of the channel and oriented at an acute angle .phi. with respect to the respective interior face thereof, said locking channel having an interior entryway region proximate said entryway and between said second sidewall portions and an interior tapered region between said first sidewall portions;
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• (b) a male piece formed of a stiff, resilient material and configured to releasably engage said female piece in a mated state, said male piece including an elongate male rib adapted to be inserted into the locking channel and received in the entryway region thereof in close-fitted engagement, said male piece including an elongate second web portion connected to said male rib for attachment to a second object, said second web portion having a pair of opposite side surfaces with said male rib sized so that a pair of outwardly projecting shoulders are disposed on either side of said second web with each of said shoulders having a second locking face oriented at an acute angle .phi. with respect to its associated said side surface whereby said male piece and said female piece may be locked together by advancing said male rib through said entryway and into said locking channel, said male rib sized to have a larger transverse dimension than said entryway so that, upon advancement into said locking channel, said male rib deflects said flanges apart from one another after which said flanges resiliently return to engulf said male rib with said first and second locking faces engaging one another and whereby second locking faces engaging one another and whereby said male piece and said female piece maybe unlocked from one another by advancing said rib toward said juncture and into the tapered region between said first sidewall portions so that said male rib operates to spread said flanges apart from one another after which said first and second webs maybe pivoted with respect to one another so that said male rib is cammed out of said locking channel by leverage of said second web against one of said hook portions, said material forming said first and second webs being of sufficient stiffness such that torsional force maybe applied thereby to said flanges and said male rib sufficiently to cause disengagement of said male rib from said locking channel.

A fastener assembly operative to releasably join first and second objects to one another, comprising:

• (a) a female piece formed of a stiff, resilient material and including a first web for attachment to a first object and a pair of opposed locking flanges connected to said first web at a juncture, said locking flanges extending from the juncture in spaced-apart relation to define locking channel having an interior such that said flanges have opposed interior faces, said locking flanges each terminating in an inwardly turned hook portion opposite said juncture to form an entryway into said locking channel with said locking channel having first length between said juncture and said entryway, each said hook portion having a first locking face disposed interiorly of the channel and oriented at an acute angle .phi. with respect to the respective interior face thereof;
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• (b) a male piece formed of a stiff, resilient material and configured to releasably engage said female piece in a mated state, said male piece including a male rib sized for insertion into the locking channel and a second web portion connected to said male rib for attachment to a second object, said second web portion having a pair of opposite side surfaces with said male rib sized so that a pair of outwardly projecting shoulders are disposed on either side of said second web with each of said shoulders having a second locking face oriented at an acute angle .theta. with respect to its associated said side surface whereby said male piece and said female piece may be locked together by advancing said male rib through said entryway and into said locking channel, said male rib sized to have a larger transverse dimension than said entryway so that, upon advancement into said locking channel, said male rib deflects said flanges apart from one another after which said flanges resiliently return to engulf said male rib with said first and second locking faces engaging one another and whereby said male piece and said female piece may be unlocked from one another by advancing said rib toward said juncture to spread said flanges apart from one another, said material forming said first and second webs being sufficiently stiff and said first length of said locking channel being configured to have sufficient length so that torsional force may be applied to said flanges and said male rib so that said male rib is cammed out of said locking channel whereby said male rib is disengaged from said locking channel.