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US 6,685,379 B2Granted
Plug for keyhole slots
AssigneeFinger Lakes Intellectual Property, LLC
InventorsRichard S. Polevoy, Howard Scott Ryan, Paul Eric Carlson
Life of this patent
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AssigneeFinger Lakes Intellectual Property, LLC
InventorsRichard S. Polevoy, Howard Scott Ryan, Paul Eric Carlson
Estimating the term…
A molded plug is provided that is used to lock structural members together where those members are joined together by the interengagement of a standoff rivet and a keyhole slot. In the normal interengagement of such structural members, a standoff rivet of one of the structural members is inserted into an enlarged portion of a keyhole slot on the other structural member and the structural members are moved relative to each other in order to slide the standoff rivet into the narrowed portion of the keyhole slot. When so positioned, the plug is inserted and locked into position within the enlarged portion of the keyhole slot and thus prevents any relative movement between the structural members to insure that the standoff rivet cannot again become aligned with the enlarged portion of the keyhole slot where inadvertent disengagement of the structural member could occur.
A plug inserted into a structural member having a keyhole slot with an enlarged portion and a narrowed portion, said plug comprising a one piece, molded plastic body dimensioned to fit within an enlarged portion of a keyhole slot, said body having at least one flexible latch formed therein interfit within an enlarged portion of a keyhole slot to retain the plug within an enlarged portion, said plug having a predetermined dimensions to physically block a standoff rivet from moving from the narrowed portion of a keyhole slot to an enlarged portion of a keyhole slot.
A junction of two structural members, wherein one of said structural members has a keyhole slot having an enlarged portion and a narrowed portion having a closed end, and the other of said structural members has a standoff rivet extending therefrom, said standoff rivet passing through said keyhole slot and located at the closed end of said narrowed portion of said keyhole slot, a plug affixed within said enlarged portion of said keyhole slot, said plug having a main body and having at least one flexible latch extending outwardly from said main body, said flexible latch adapted to snap fit within said enlarged portion of said keyhole slot to retain said plug to said one member, said plug being dimensioned to have a outer surface that extends outwardly to prevent said standoff rivet from being displaced away from said closed end to said enlarged portion of said keyhole slot.
Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.