Hook and eye fastener
OwnerDonald Seung-Yeup Rheeinventor
Life of this patent
Estimating the term…
Abstract
A hook and eye fastener includes a hook and an eye. The hook has a hook top plate and a hook base plate with a kinked end that curves toward the top plate and then curves away from the top plate. The kinked end is spring-loaded to rest on the hook top plate. The eye has an eye comprising a eye top plate and an eye base plate defining an opening for receiving the hook top plate. When the hook is initially inserted into the eye, the eye top plate pushes up against the kinked end of the hook base plate. When the kinked end slides past the eye top plate after the hook is fully inserted into the eye, the kinked end of the hook base plate snaps back down against the hook top plate and produces an audible sound to indicate the fastener is secured.
Claims8
A hook and eye system, comprising:
- a hook, comprising:
- a hook top plate;
- a hook base plate, wherein one of the hook top plate and the hook base plate comprises a kinked end and the other plate comprises a planar end, the kinked end curves toward the other plate and then curves away from the other plate, the kinked end being spring-loaded to rest on the other plate, the hook base plate and the hook top plate having the same reach so the kinked end and the planar end are even;
- and
- an intermediate section joining the hook top plate and the hook base plate;
- and
- an eye comprising an eye top plate and an eye base plate joined by sidewalls to define an opening for receiving the hook top plate, wherein:
- the slope of the kinked end allows the eye top plate to push up against the hook base plate and push down against the hook top plate when the hook is initially inserted into the eye, and the kinked end snaps back down against the other plate when the kinked end slides past the eye top plate once the hook is fully inserted into the eye;
- and
- the kinked end and the intermediate section define a depth of the hook that substantially matches a depth of the eye top plate so the hook and the eye remain substantially stationary relative to each other once the hook is fully inserted into the eye.
Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.