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US 6,682,056 B1Granted
Mounting clip with locking feature
AssigneeKroy Building Products, Inc.
InventorRonald R. West
Life of this patent
Estimating the term…
Abstract
A mounting clip with a locking feature. The mounting clip is preferably utilized as part of a fencing system, in which the clip is attached to a fence rail and a hollow fence picket is slidably fastened to the rail using the clip. The clip features tabs that operate to lock the picket to the rail such that detachment of the picket from the rail is inhibited by an interference fit.
Claims78
A fence system comprising:
- a fence rail supportable in a laterally-extending position;
- a plurality of fence pickets;
- an attaching means for attaching the fence pickets to the fence rail such that said pickets reside in an upwardly-extending position when the fence rail resides in the laterally-extending position, said attaching means comprising a non-metallic member having elastic memory;
- and
- wherein the non-metallic member further comprises a central, elongate, leading entry-edge, such that when said member is coupled to said fence rail said leading entry-edge faces away from said fence rail and resides farther from said fence rail than any other portion of said member to thereby guide said member to slide more easily into an elongate opening formed in a wall of a hollow fence picket.
2 more elements
A fence assembly system comprising:
- an attaching means for attaching a fence picket to a fence rail such that said picket resides in an upwardly-extending position when the fence rail resides in a laterally-extending position;
- wherein said attaching means further comprises (i) a fastener for engaging against the picket at three separate, spaced-apart contact points, and (ii) a coupling means for rotatably coupling the fastener to the fence rail;
- and
- wherein said fastener further comprising a central, elongate, leading entry-edge, such that when said fastener is coupled to said fence rail said leading entry-edge faces away from said fence rail and resides farther from said fence rail than any other portion of said fastener to thereby guide said fastener to slide more easily into an elongate opening formed in a wall of a hollow fence picket.
1 more element
A fence assembly system comprising:
- an attaching means for attaching a fence picket to a fence rail such that said picket resides in an upwardly-extending position when the fence rail resides in a laterally-extending, position;
- wherein the attaching means comprises (i) an elongate member, and (ii) coupling means for rotatably coupling the elongate member to the fence rail;
- wherein the elongate member includes a central, elongate, leading entry-edge, such that when said elongate member is coupled to said fence rail said leading entry-edge faces away from said fence rail and resides farther from said fence rail than any other portion of said elongate member to thereby guide said elongate member to slide more easily into an elongate opening formed in a wall of a hollow fence picket.
A fence assembly system comprising:
- an attaching means for attaching a fence picket to a fence rail such that said picket resides in an upwardly-extending position when the fence rail resides in a laterally-extending position;
- wherein said attaching means further comprises (i) a fastener, and (ii) a coupling means for rotatably coupling the fastener to a side-surface of the fence rail;
- wherein the fastener further comprises an engagement surface that faces the fence rail when the coupling means couples the fastener to said fence rail, and wherein said engagement surface extends in a transverse, non-parallel orientation with respect to the side-surface of the fence rail;
- and
- wherein the fastener further comprises a central, elongate, leading entry-edge, such that when said fastener is coupled to said fence rail said leading entry-edge faces away from said fence rail and resides farther from said fence rail than any other portion of said fastener to thereby guide said fastener to slide more easily into an elongate opening formed in a wall of a hollow fence picket.
2 more elements
A fence assembly system comprising:
- an attaching means for attaching a fence picket to a fence rail such that said picket resides in an upwardly-extending position when the fence rail resides in a laterally-extending position;
- wherein the attaching means comprises (i) a fastener having a non-uniform thickness and elastic memory, and (ii) a coupling means for rotatably coupling the fastener to the fence rail;
- and
- wherein the fastener further comprises a central, elongate, leading entry-edge, such that when said fastener is coupled to said fence rail said leading entry-edge faces away from said fence rail and resides farther from said fence rail than any other portion of said fastener to thereby guide said fastener to slide more easily into an elongate opening formed in a wall of a hollow fence picket.
1 more element
The fence assembly system of claim 41 wherein the fastener further comprises an engagement surface that faces the fence rail when the coupling means couples the fastener to said fence rail, and wherein said engagement surface extends in a parallel orientation with respect to the side-surface of the fence rail when the fence picket is attached to the fence rail in the upwardly-extending orientation.
A fence assembly system comprising:
- an attaching means for attaching a fence picket to a fence rail such that said picket resides in an upwardly-extending position when the fence rail resides in a laterally-extending position;
- wherein the attaching means comprises (i) a fastener having a wider lower portion terminating in at least two engagement fingers, and (ii) coupling means for rotatably coupling the fastener to the fence rail.
A fence assembly system comprising:
- an attaching means for attaching a fence picket to a fence rail such that said picket resides in an upwardly-extending position when the fence rail resides in a laterally-extending position;
- wherein said attaching means further comprises (i) a fastening means for engaging against the picket in an interference fit at at least one contact point, and (ii) a coupling means for rotatably coupling the fastener to the fence rail;
- and
- wherein the attaching means further comprises a plurality of fastening means for engaging in an interference fit against the picket at a plurality of contact points.
1 more element
A device for the slidable attachment of adjacent members of a fence system, comprising:
- a fastener configured and adapted for attachment to a first member, the fastener constructed such that a second member may be slidably inserted between the fastener and the first member;
- wherein the fastener includes locking means configured to interact with receiving means disposed on the second member, such that the interaction of the locking means with the plurality of holes receiving means results in the first and second members being fastened such that the second member can no longer be slidably removed from the first member;
- and
- wherein the locking means comprises a plurality of projections disposed on the fastener, and wherein the receiving means comprises holes formed in the second member.
1 more element
A fence assembly system comprising:
- a fence rail supportable in a laterally-extending position;
- a plurality of fence pickets;
- and
- attaching means for attaching the fence pickets to the fence rail such that said pickets reside in an upwardly-extending position when the fence rail resides in the laterally-extending position, said attaching means comprising a non-metallic member having elastic memory;
- wherein the attaching means comprises
- (i) a non-metallic fastener having non-uniform thickness and elastic memory,
- (ii) wherein the fastener is configured to engage against the picket at three separate, spaced-apart contact points,
- (iii) wherein the fastener includes a central, elongate, leading entry-edge, such that when said fastener is coupled to said fence rail said leading entry-edge faces away from said fence rail and resides farther from said fence rail than any other portion of said fastener to thereby guide said fastener member to slide more easily into an elongate opening formed in a wall of a hollow fence picket,
- (iv) wherein the fastener further comprises an engagement surface that faces the fence rail when the coupling means couples the fastener to said fence rail, and wherein said engagement surface extends in a transverse, non-parallel orientation with respect to the side-surface of the fence rail,
- (v) wherein the fastener further includes an upper, beveled guide edge, such that when said fastener is coupled to said fence rail said upper, beveled guide edge extends downwardly toward said fence rail in a proximal-to distal direction, terminating at the engagement surface to thereby guide a wall of the hollow fence picket into an area between said rail and said engagement surface,
- (vi) wherein the fastener has a narrower upper portion configured to engage the picket to the rail,
- (vii) wherein the fastener has a wider, lower portion terminating in two engagement fingers configured to engage two corresponding engagement spaces on the wall of a hollow fence picket in an interference fit, and
- (viii) coupling means for rotatably coupling the fastener to the fence rail.
10 more elements
A fence assembly system comprising:
- an attaching means for attaching a fence picket to a fence rail such that said picket resides in an upwardly-extending position when the fence rail resides in a laterally-extending position;
- wherein the attaching means is configured and dimensioned to be attached to a fence rail in an operational position, said attaching means further comprising ah elongate fastener body having elastic memory and a central, elongate, leading entry-edge pointing outwardly along, and in a direction perpendicular to, a length of the fastener body such that when said fastener body is attached to said fence rail in the operational position said leading entry-edge faces away from said fence rail and resides farther from said fence rail than any other portion of said fastener body to thereby guide a hollow fence picket relative to said fastener body to slide more easily upon said fastener body with said fastener body extending through an elongate opening formed in a wall of said hollow fence picket.
A fence assembly system comprising:
- an attaching means for attaching a fence picket to a fence rail such that said picket resides in an upwardly-extending position when the fence rail resides in a laterally-extending position;
- wherein the attaching means comprises (i) a fastener having a non-unitorm thickness and elastic memory, and (ii) coupling means for rotatably coupling the fastener to the fence rail;
- wherein the fastener further comprises an engagement finger and an engagement surface, said engagement surface facing the fence rail when the coupling means couples the fastener to said fence rail, said engagement surface being disposed between the engagement finger and the coupling means when the fastener is coupled to the rail;
- wherein said engagement surface extends in a parallel orientation with respect to a side-surface of the fence rail when the fence picket is attached to the fence rail in the upwardly-extending orientation;
- and
- wherein said fence picket further comprises a locking hole, and wherein said engagement finger engages the locking hole in an interference fit when the fence picket is attached to the fence rail in the upwardly-extending orientation.
3 more elements
Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.