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US 5,806,149 AGranted
Bent wire spring clip fasteners
AssigneeDavlyn Manufacturing Co., Inc.
InventorsSteven F. Schultz, Thomas L. Weil
Life of this patent
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AssigneeDavlyn Manufacturing Co., Inc.
InventorsSteven F. Schultz, Thomas L. Weil
Estimating the term…
Improved spring fasteners are formed from a single length of at least partially hardened wire bent to form a generally planar base and a generally diamond-shape engagement portion or dart extending generally perpendicularly from the center of the base. The length of wire is bent at its center to form the dart. Free ends of the wires are crossed past and partially around one another to provide a scissor action to arms forming either side of the dart. The free end portions of the wire are extended away from the dart in opposite directions. Each is curled into a circular loop in which the extreme end of the wire is overlapped or butted with an intermediate portion of the wire to form a fully closed loop at either end of the base. The configurations are actually less compact than previous configurations and, as a result, is less likely to nest with identical fasteners. Fasteners can be used with gasket or gasket-like devices, including a tubular member woven from strand material such as wire, fiberglass or a combination of different strand materials. The base of the fastener is positioned against the inner side of the tubular wall of the tubular member while the engagement portion passes through the member and away from its outer circumferential side.
In a bent wire spring fastener, which is formed by a single length of hardened metal wire having a pair of opposing ends, the wire being bent to form a generally planar base with a generally planar dart projecting transversely from one generally planar major side of the base, an improvement wherein at least one of the ends of the wire is bent back upon another portion of the wire intermediate the ends and overlapped with the other portion so as to define a completely closed portion of the base on one lateral side of the dart.
In a bent wire spring fastener, which is formed by a single length of metal wire hardened along at least part of its length, the wire being bent to form a generally planar base with a generally planar dart projecting transversely from one generally planar major side of the base, an improvement wherein each of the dart and the base has a plane and a central longitudinal axis in the plane, the central longitudinal axis of each of the dart and base being greater in magnitude than any lateral axis of the dart and base perpendicular to the central longitudinal axis in the respective planes of the dart and the base, wherein the dart is at least generally centered on the base such that the central longitudinal axes of the dart and the base generally intersect one another, wherein the wire includes a medial bend defining a tip of the dart distal to the base and a pair of arms continuous from the medial bend, each arm extending away from the medial bend and one another and then towards one another along separate initial sides of the central longitudinal axis of the dart, the pair of arms crossing by one another, side by side, generally at the central longitudinal axis of the dart to respective opposing sides of central the longitudinal axis of the dart, the crossing defining an end of the dart proximal the base, free ends of the arms extending away from the crossing and apart from one another and terminating in separate closed loop portions on the respective opposing sides of the central longitudinal axis of the dart.
In a bent wire spring fastener, which is formed by a single length of metal wire hardened along at least part of its length, the wire being bent to form a generally planar base with a generally planar dart projecting transversely from one generally planar major side of the base, an improvement wherein each of the dart and the base has a plane and a central longitudinal axis in the plane, the central longitudinal axis of each of the dart and base being greater in magnitude than any lateral axis of the dart and base perpendicular to the central longitudinal axis of the dart and the base in the respective planes of the dart and the base, wherein the dart is at least generally centered on the base such that the longitudinal axes of the dart and the base generally intersect one another, wherein the wire includes a medial bend defining a tip of the dart distal to the base and dividing the fastener into a pair of identical arms, the arms extending away from the medial bend and one another and then towards one another along separate initial sides of the longitudinal axis of the dart, the pair of arms crossing by one another, side by side, generally at the longitudinal axis of the dart to respective opposing sides of the longitudinal axis of the dart, the crossing defining an end of the dart proximal the base, remaining free ends of the arms extending apart and away from the crossing and defining the base.
Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.