Locking device with serpentine gripping member

A locking device comprising:

• a housing having an opening on a first axis;
• a member for being received in the opening along said axis;
• and
• a serpentine shaped clip received in radial resilient compressive engagement with one of said housing at said opening and member, the other of said housing and member having a tapered surface for receiving the clip, the clip, opening and tapered surface being dimensioned so that the received clip is wedged between the housing and member at the tapered surface in the opening in response to relative axial displacement of the member and the housing;
• the housing bore being tapered and being defined by a surface of revolution generated by contiguous curves, one of the curves being defined by a radius.

A locking device comprising:

• a housing having an opening on a first axis;
• a member received in the opening along said axis;
• and
• a serpentine shaped clip comprising a circular in cross section wire in radial resilient compressive engagement with one of said housing at said opening and member, the other of said housing and member having a tapered surface for receiving the clip, the clip, opening and tapered surface being dimensioned so that the received clip is wedged in locked engagement to and between the housing and member at the tapered surface in the opening in response to relative axial displacement of one of the member and housing.

A locking device comprising:

• a first member having a longitudinal axis;
• a housing having a chamber lying on a first axis and at least one opening in communication with the chamber for permitting said member to pass through the opening into said chamber along said first axis;
• one of said first member and housing chamber having a region tapering from a larger dimension transverse the axis to a smaller dimension transverse the axis in a direction along the first axis and the other having a cylindrical surface;
• and
• a clip secured to the one of the first member and housing in said tapering region for relative axial displacement in the tapering region, said clip comprising an elongated resilient serpentine member including a loop member extending along the first axis and an end member secured to the loop member and extending at least partially about the first axis, said clip defining a bore having a second axis for receiving the first member, said clip being received in the housing chamber and dimensioned to compressively radially engage and grip the cylindrical surface of the other of the first member and housing, said clip being dimensioned relative to said tapered region and to said member and housing such that the clip is wedged in locked engagement to and between the first member and said housing in response to the relative axial displacement of the first member to the housing.

A locking device comprising:

• a housing having an opening on a first axis;
• a member for being received in the opening along said first axis;
• and
• a clip having a serpertine shape and formed of material of a given thickness in radial resilient compressive engagement with one of said housing at said opening and member and including a loop extending substantially along the first axis a given length substantially greater than the given thickness in a non-engaged state, the clip including a portion secured to the loop and extending substantially at least partially about the first axis, the clip being in said resilient radial compressive engagement along substantially the axial length, the other of said housing and member having a tapered surface for receiving the clip, the clip, opening, and tapered surface being dimensioned so that the received clip is wedged in locked engagement to and between the housing and member in response to relative axial displacement of the member to the housing.

A locking device comprising:

• a housing having an opening on a first axis;
• a member received in the opening along said axis;
• and
• a clip in radial resilient compressive engagement with one of said housing at said opening and member, said clip having a serpertine shape and including a first portion extending primarily along the first axis and a second different portion extending primarily about the first axis, the other of said housing and member having contiguous dual mirror image tapered surfaces extending along the axis for axially receiving the clip, the clip, opening and tapered surfaces being dimensioned so that the received clip is wedged in locked engagement to and between the housing and member in response to relative axial displacement of the member to the tapered surfaces in either of two opposing directions in the opening.

A locking device comprising:

• a housing having an opening;
• a member in the opening, said member for supporting a given maximum axial tensile load value;
• and
• a clip in the opening between the member and housing, said clip, housing and member being dimensioned so that the member is wedged to the housing in the opening by the clip in response to relative axial displacement of the housing to the member and the clip and member being further arranged so that the member fails under said tensile load, and the member fails at a selected tensile load value when wedged as a function of at least one of the material and shape of the clip.

A locking device comprising:

• a housing having an opening on a first axis;
• a member for being received in the opening along said axis;
• and
• a serpentine shaped clip received in radial resilient compressive engagement with one of said housing at said opening and member, the other of said housing and member having a tapered surface for receiving the clip, the clip, opening and tapered surface being dimensioned so that the received clip is wedged between the housing and member at the tapered surface in the opening in response to relative axial displacement of the member and the housing;
• the one of the housing and member engaged with the clip in said resilient engagement has a hardness less than that of the clip and the clip has a hardness less than the other of the housing and member having said tapered surface.