Snap-locking hinge joint
OwnerTimothy Parsonsinventor
Life of this patent
Estimating the term…
Abstract
A snap-locking hinge joint includes a clevis member and a flange member. The clevis member has a clevis base from which extend a pair of parallel arms forming a gap therebetween. Each of the arms has a pivot side and an engagement face transversely opposite the pivot side, and each of the arms has a locking recess formed in the engagement face adjacent the clevis base. The flange member has a flange base from which extends a planar rib and a pair of locking fingers. The locking fingers each have an inwardly protruding locking tip. The rib is received in the gap of the clevis member. The arms are pivotally engaged with the rib thereby pivotally interconnecting the clevis and flange members. In a locked configuration, the locking tips of the locking fingers are captured in the locking recesses of the arms of the clevis member.
Claims10
A snap-locking hinge joint comprising:
- a clevis member having a clevis base from which extend a pair of parallel arms forming a gap therebetween, each of said arms having a pivot side and an engagement face transversely opposite said pivot side, and each of said arms having a locking recess formed in the engagement face adjacent said clevis base,
- a flange member having a flange base, a planar rib extending from said flange base, and a pair of locking fingers extending from said flange base and extending transversely from opposite sides of said rib,
- each of the locking fingers including a distal end having an inwardly protruding locking tip,
- said rib having a pivot side transversely opposite said locking fingers, and said rib received in the gap of said clevis member, and
- the pivot sides of said arms pivotally engaged with the pivot side of said rib thereby pivotally interconnecting said clevis and flange members,
- a clevis leg extending from the clevis base,
- a flange leg extending from the flange base,
- a collapsed configuration in which the clevis and flange legs are parallel and adjacent to one another and the clevis and flange bases are disposed in and laterally spaced apart in substantially the same plane, and
- a locked configuration in which the locking tips of the locking fingers of said flange member are captured in the locking recesses of the arms of said clevis member, the clevis and flange legs are hyperextended forming an obtuse angle relative to their configuration in the collapsed configuration, and the clevis and flange bases are disposed in substantially parallel spaced apart planes.
A snap-locking hinge joint comprising:
- a clevis member having a clevis base and a clevis leg extending from the clevis base, a pair of parallel arms extending from said clevis base opposite said clevis leg and forming a gap therebetween, said clevis base having a peripheral edge, each of said arms having a pivot side and an engagement face transversely opposite said pivot side, each of said pivot sides having a bulging prominence extending radially outward from a plane coincident with the edge of the clevis base, each of said bulging prominences having a pivot hole, and each of said engagement faces having a locking recess formed adjacent said clevis base,
- a flange member having a flange base and a flange leg extending from the flange base, said flange base having a peripheral edge, a planar rib and a pair of locking fingers extending from said flange base opposite said flange leg, said locking fingers extending transversely from opposite sides of said rib,
- each of the locking fingers including a distal end having an inwardly protruding locking tip,
- said rib having a pivot side transversely opposite said locking fingers, said pivot side having a bulging prominence extending radially outward from a plane coincident with the edge of the flange base, said rib received in the gap of said clevis member, said bulging prominence of said rib including a pivot hole,
- a pivot pin inserted in the pivot holes in the arms of said clevis member and in the pivot hole of the rib of said flange member thereby pivotally interconnecting the clevis and flange members,
- a collapsed configuration in which the legs are in parallel and adjacent disposition and the clevis and flange bases are spaced apart in the same plane, and
- a locked configuration in which the legs are pivoted to a substantially linear configuration and are hyperextended forming an obtuse angle relative to their configuration in the collapsed configuration, the locking tips of said locking fingers are captured in the locking recesses of the arms of said clevis member, and the clevis and flange bases are disposed in parallel spaced apart planes.
Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.