Clamp with lock nut

Abstract

A clamp having a locknut, and systems and methods including the clamp, the clamp comprising: one or more legs; one or more wings, the wings being attached to the legs; threads, the threads being between the legs. The clamp is configured to be inserted into and attached to a slot in a chassis. The wings include ribs. The clamp is configured to attach to the slot based at least on the ribs being configured to engage the slot. The threads form a cylinder configured to receive a screw. The clamp is configured to couple the component to the chassis based at least on the screw being configured to couple to the component and being screwed into the threads.

Description

Technical Field

[0001] The present invention relates generally to devices for fastening objects and, more particularly, to fastening clip assemblies for insertion into engaging structures such as vehicle underframes, hollow substrates, walls, panels, or any suitable surface. Background Art

[0002] There are many devices and fasteners available for fastening panels, such as body panels and automotive interior panels, to the chassis of a vehicle. As used herein, a body panel refers to, for example, any interior or exterior body panel, plastic interior trim, door panel, headliner, or any interior trim on a vehicle. Additionally, the panel may be any suitable exterior body panel, such as a fender, bumper, quarter panel, or door panel. The chassis of a vehicle may include any substrate, plate, body panel, structural frame, chassis component or subcomponent, wall, or any suitable object.

[0003] These conventional fastener arrangements provide approximately equal levels of insertion and extraction forces. These body panels are typically attached to the underframe of the automobile with a relatively high level of insertion force while providing a relatively low level of extraction force.

[0004] It is known that fastening clips such as two-piece fasteners (multi-piece) are used to attach body panels to the vehicle chassis. Two-piece fasteners are used so that if the panel is removed after the original installation (e.g., a component in a service door), the two-piece fastener can be pulled apart so that one part remains attached to the sheet metal and the other part remains attached to the trim panel. After separation, the two pieces can also be reattached. However, two-piece fasteners require the manufacture of multiple pieces and require labor-intensive assembly of the two pieces, and are therefore relatively expensive.

[0005] One-piece fasteners are generally cheaper than two-piece or multi-piece fasteners. One-piece fasteners have a base attached to the body panel and a pillar attached to the base, and a wing attached to the top of the pillar at least at the tip of the fastener for fastening to the frame slot. However, if the frame slot and the fastener are not aligned, the forces on the wings are not equal because the wing closest to the edge of the slot will be subjected to higher wing compression, and the other wing will not have enough elastic force to engage the slot. When the clip is pressed into the slot, such a large force on one wing may cause the wing to break off, making the fastener unable to fasten the body panel to the frame. Even worse, a broken, damaged or weakened wing can cause the body panel to break off or cause a rattling sound.

[0006] Conventional fasteners have a sharp, non-smooth groove on the wing to engage the edge of the frame slot. However, when the clip is removed, the sharp edge of the frame slot can cut into the softer plastic and cut a groove. During the manufacturing process, the slot is typically formed in the frame of a vehicle, such as the interior roof or door sheet metal structure, by stamping a metal sheet. When the punch enters the sheet metal, the outside of the sheet metal is pushed inward, and metal perforations or ridges are formed on the inside of the sheet metal. The slot edge created on the outside of the slot is relatively smooth; however, the inside of the slot edge is sharp and rough. After the fastening clip is removed, the sharp edge of the frame can cut the groove, making the fastening clip impossible to reinsert and reuse.

[0007] For example, if the slot is off-center, or if the sheet metal varies in thickness, or if there are tolerances in the production of the slot in the vehicle chassis or the slot in the trim, the engagement of a portion of the hole in the chassis with one of the wings may not provide a proper frictional engagement. Distortion of the body panel may be more prevalent because not all contact points actually make contact with the slot in the vehicle chassis. Thus, conventional one-piece fasteners do not self-align themselves and are susceptible to wing breakage when the fastener and body panel are misaligned, rendering the fastener incapable of reattachment.

[0008] Conventional fasteners are generally not adequate to fix the panel to a vehicle chassis with varying slot sizes and slot positions or metal sheets with different curvatures or thicknesses as a whole. When a conventional one-piece fastener and a vehicle body panel are misaligned, the fastener will not self-align itself, and it is easy to break off the wing, making it impossible for the fastener to be reattached. Moreover, conventional fasteners are not suitable when subjected to a variety of environmental conditions such as vibrations of various amplitudes and frequency levels. For example, conventional fasteners of this type generally do not prevent or minimize humming, clicking, or any other type of noise that may cause the vehicle occupants to notice or otherwise weaken the attachment. Conventional fasteners are not adequate to accommodate various levels of production tolerances, such as various sizes in, for example, vehicle body panels and vehicle chassis. Therefore, conventional fastener devices are generally not self-aligning or not properly fastened to a range of metal sheet thicknesses, and are not able to minimize or eliminate humming and clicking, and are not adequately adapted to variations in production tolerances. As a result, especially after years of vehicle operation and exposure to vibration, heat, moisture and other environmental conditions, wear, squeaks, rattles, hums, corrosion, loss of elasticity and loss of sealing may result. BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

[0009] Other objects and advantages of the present invention will become apparent upon reading the detailed description and referring to the accompanying drawings.

[0010] Figure 1is a perspective view of a fastening clip configured to receive a nut according to some embodiments.

[0011] Figure 2 is a side view of a fastening clip configured to receive a nut according to some embodiments.

[0012] Figure 3 is another side view of a fastening clip configured to receive a nut according to some embodiments.

[0013] Figure 4 is a bottom view of a fastening clip configured to receive a nut according to some embodiments.

[0014] Figure 5 is a perspective view of a fastening clip attached to a chassis according to some embodiments.

[0015] Figure 6 is a side view of a fastening clip attached to a chassis according to some embodiments.

[0016] Figure 7 is another side view of a fastening clip attached to a chassis according to some embodiments.

[0017] Although the present invention can be subjected to various modifications and alternative forms, specific embodiments of the present invention are shown by way of example in the drawings and the attached detailed description. However, it should be understood that the drawings and the detailed description are not intended to limit the present invention to specific embodiments. On the contrary, the present disclosure is intended to cover all modifications, equivalents and alternative forms falling within the scope of the present invention defined by the appended claims. DETAILED DESCRIPTION

[0018] Figure 1 is a perspective view of a fastening clip configured to receive a nut according to some embodiments.

[0019] Figure 2 is a side view of a fastening clip configured to receive a nut according to some embodiments.

[0020] Figure 3 is another side view of a fastening clip configured to receive a nut according to some embodiments.

[0021] Figure 4 is a bottom view of a fastening clip configured to receive a nut according to some embodiments.

[0022] In some embodiments, the fastening clip 100 can be used to couple two objects together. For example, the fastening clip 100 can be used to couple a panel or another automotive component to a vehicle chassis.

[0023] In some embodiments, the fastening clip 100 includes four legs 10, with a pair of legs on each side of the clip. In some embodiments, each leg in each pair of legs 10 can be connected using threads 50 (in this embodiment, there are two sets of threads 50). In some embodiments, the paired material connecting legs 10 can be formed as threads 50. In some embodiments, each set of threads in the two sets of threads 50 can be formed as a semi-cylinder, so that the two sets of threads 50 together form a threaded cylinder. The two sets of threads can be appropriately offset to receive a screw that is screwed into the formed cylinder. The fastening clip 100 can also include a thread stop 60 at the top of the threads 50. The thread stop 60 can be configured to provide an increased resistance to screwing in to indicate to the user inserting the screw into the clip that the screw being screwed into the fastening clip 100 has reached the thread stop 60. The threaded cylinder can be configured to receive a threaded screw through the opening 70.

[0024] In some embodiments, the fastening clip 100 may also include four wings / paddles 30 attached to each leg 10, respectively. For example, the wings 30 may include ridges / cutouts 35, with which the fastening clip 100 may be configured to attach to the edge / periphery of the slot in the chassis through the wings 30. As shown, the wings 30 may extend from the sides of the legs 10 and may then be bent at an angle (in some embodiments, close to 90 degrees) toward the feet 20. In this way, by compressing / pushing the feet 20 toward each other, the wings 30 and ridges 35 are pushed away from the edge / periphery of the slot in the chassis, thereby releasing the clip from the chassis.

[0025] In some embodiments, each of the two feet 20 is configured to couple a pair of legs 10 together at the bottom of each pair of legs 10 in the pair of legs 10. The feet 20 can be configured to provide a stop for how far the fastening clip 100 can be inserted into the slot. That is, the fastening clip 100 can be inserted into the slot until the top surface of the foot 20 engages the chassis. In addition, the feet 20 can be configured to facilitate the removal of the fastening clip 100 from the slot. For example, the feet 20 can be pressed together toward the middle of the slot, pushing the legs 10 together, and thus squeezing the paired wings 30 / ribs 35 together enough to release the fastening clip 100.

[0026] In some embodiments, the clip 100 may further include a top portion 40, as shown in the figure, each top portion 40 couples two legs 10 together. In some embodiments, the top portion may be shaped so that it facilitates inserting the clip 100 into the slot. For example, the top portion 40 may be appropriately tapered.

[0027] In some embodiments, the fastening clip 100 can be stamped / formed from a single sheet of metal, such as steel. After being cut and bent into the correct shape, the two semi-cylindrical sides can be formed by stamping the two semi-cylindrical sides using some form of semi-cylindrical shape in each semi-cylindrical side.

[0028] Figure 5 is a perspective view of a fastening clip attached to a chassis according to some embodiments.

[0029] Figure 6 is a side view of a fastening clip attached to a chassis according to some embodiments.

[0030] Figure 7 is another side view of a fastening clip attached to a chassis according to some embodiments.

[0031] In some embodiments, the fastening clip 100 can be configured to fit and attach to a slot in a chassis, such as the slot 210 of the chassis 200. The foot 20 (not shown here) is configured to determine to what extent the fastening clip 100 is allowed to be inserted into the slot. The wings 30 are configured to bend slightly inward when the fastening clip is inserted into the slot 210. Once the fastening clip 100 is fully inserted into the slot 210, the ribs 35 reach the inner edge of the slot 210, at which point the wings 30 spring back to substantially their original position. In addition, the ribs 35 are now partially above the edge of the chassis, so that the fastening clip 100 is stuck in the slot and may not be easily withdrawn from the slot.

[0032] It should be noted that if desired, the fastening clip 100 can be removed from the slot by pushing together the feet 20. Pushing the feet together also pushes the wings together, which causes the ribs 35 to move back over the slot and away from the edge / perimeter of the slot, which allows the fastening clip 100 to be removed from the slot.

[0033] Since the two sets of threads 50 together form a cylinder into which the screw 90 can be screwed, the screw 90 can be screwed into the fastening clip 100 against the two sets of threads 50. The screw 90 can be used to attach various components, such as a panel, to the chassis 200, for example, by first passing the screw through a hole in the panel; and then screwing the screw into the threads 50. The thread stop 60 can be used as an indicator to indicate how far the screw 90 can be screwed into the fastening clip 100, thereby providing feedback to the user who is screwing the screw 90 into the fastening clip 100 when the screw reaches the top of the clip.

[0034] In some embodiments, the insertion of the screw 90 into the fastening clip 100 prevents the clip from being removed from the chassis because the presence of the screw 90 prevents the feet 20 from being pushed together, thereby preventing the collapse of the wings 30 and ribs 35 past the edges of the slots 210. In some embodiments, the fastening clip can only be removed by first removing the screw 90. This increases the security of attaching the component to the chassis when fully assembled.

[0035] It should be understood that other variations and modified embodiments of the present invention in its various aspects will be apparent to those of ordinary skill in the art, and the present invention is not limited to the specific embodiments described. Therefore, the present invention is intended to cover any and all modifications, variations or equivalents that fall within the spirit and scope of the basic principles disclosed and claimed herein.

[0036] One or more embodiments of the present invention are described above. It should be noted that these and any other embodiments are exemplary and are intended to illustrate the present invention rather than to limit the present invention. Although the present invention is widely applicable to various types of systems, those skilled in the art will recognize that it is not possible to include all possible embodiments and contexts of the present invention in this disclosure. After reading this disclosure, many alternative embodiments of the present invention will be apparent to those of ordinary skill in the art.

[0037] The previous description of the disclosed embodiments is provided to enable any person skilled in the art to make or use the invention. Various modifications to these embodiments will be apparent to those skilled in the art, and the general principles defined herein may be applied to other embodiments without departing from the spirit or scope of the invention. Therefore, the present invention is not intended to be limited to the embodiments shown herein, but should be given the widest scope consistent with the principles and novel features disclosed herein.

[0038] The benefits and advantages that the present invention can provide have been described above with respect to specific embodiments. These benefits and advantages, as well as any elements or limitations that may cause them to occur or become more apparent, should not be construed as key, essential, or necessary features of any or all claims. As used herein, the terms "comprises," "comprising," or any other variations thereof are intended to be construed as non-exclusively including the elements or limitations that follow these terms. Therefore, a system, method, or other embodiment that includes a set of elements will not be limited to only those elements, but may include other elements that are not explicitly listed or inherent to the claimed embodiment.

[0039] Although the present invention has been described with reference to specific embodiments, it should be understood that these embodiments are illustrative, and the scope of the present invention is not limited to these embodiments. Many variations, modifications, additions and improvements to the above-described embodiments are possible. It is expected that these variations, modifications, additions and improvements all fall within the scope of the present invention described in detail in the appended claims.

Claims

1. A fastening clip, comprising: top; a first pair of legs and a second pair of legs, wherein the first pair of legs and the second pair of legs are coupled together by the top portion; a first pair of wings and a second pair of wings, wherein each wing of the first pair of wings is attached along each leg of the first pair of legs and each wing of the second pair of wings is attached along each leg of the second pair of legs; a first set of threads and a second set of threads, wherein the first set of threads is coupled to each leg of the first pair of legs to form a first semi-cylinder between the legs of the first pair of legs, and the second set of threads is coupled to each leg of the second pair of legs to form a second semi-cylinder between the legs of the second pair of legs; Screws, wherein the fastening clip is configured to be inserted into and attached to a slot in the chassis, wherein the first pair of wings and the second pair of wings include ridges, wherein the fastening clip is configured to attach to the slot based at least on the rib being configured to engage the slot, wherein the first half cylinder of the first set of threads and the second half cylinder of the second set of threads form a threaded cylinder, wherein the threaded cylinder is configured to receive the screw, Wherein the fastening clip is configured to couple the component to the chassis based at least on the screw being configured to be coupled to the component and screwed into the threaded cylinder.

2. The fastening clip according to claim 1, wherein the fastening clip comprises a first foot and a second foot, wherein: The first foot is attached to the bottom of the first pair of legs and the second foot is attached to the bottom of the second pair of legs, wherein the first foot and the second foot are configured to provide a stop point for inserting the fastening clip into the narrow slot based at least on the first foot and the second foot resting on the base frame at the stop point.

3. The fastening clip of claim 2, wherein the fastening clip is configured to be removed from the chassis based at least on the ridge being pushed away from an edge of the chassis by pushing the first and second feet together.

4. The fastening clip of claim 3, wherein the screw prevents removal of the fastening clip from the chassis based at least on the screw impeding folding of the first and second pairs of wings when the screw is threaded into the threaded barrel.

5. The fastening clip of claim 1 further comprising a thread stop toward the top of the fastening clip, wherein the thread stop extends into the path of the screw and provides resistance to the screw to indicate to a screw user that the screw has reached the top of the fastening clip.

6. The fastening clip of claim 1, wherein each of the four wings is bent toward the top at an angle of approximately 90 degrees.

7. A fastening assembly system, comprising: part; a chassis portion, the chassis portion including a slot; A fastening clip, wherein the fastening clip comprises: top; a first pair of legs and a second pair of legs, wherein the first pair of legs and the second pair of legs are coupled together by the top portion; a first pair of wings and a second pair of wings, wherein each wing of the first pair of wings is attached along each leg of the first pair of legs and each wing of the second pair of wings is attached along each leg of the second pair of legs; a first set of threads and a second set of threads, wherein the first set of threads is coupled to each leg of the first pair of legs to form a first semi-cylinder between the legs of the first pair of legs, and the second set of threads is coupled to each leg of the second pair of legs to form a second semi-cylinder between the legs of the second pair of legs; Screws, wherein the fastening clip is configured to be inserted into and attached to a slot in the chassis, wherein the first pair of wings and the second pair of wings include ribs, wherein the fastening clip is configured to attach to the slot based at least on the ribs being configured to engage the slot, wherein the first half cylinder of the first set of threads and the second half cylinder of the second set of threads form a threaded cylinder, wherein the threaded cylinder is configured to receive the screw, and wherein the fastening clip is configured to couple the component to the chassis based at least on the screw being configured to couple to the component and be screwed into the threaded cylinder.

8. The fastener assembly system of claim 7, wherein the fastener clip includes a first foot and a second foot, wherein: The first foot is attached to the bottom of the first pair of legs and the second foot is attached to the bottom of the second pair of legs, wherein the first foot and the second foot are configured to provide a stop point for inserting the fastening clip into the narrow slot based at least on the first foot and the second foot resting on the base frame at the stop point.

9. The fastener assembly system of claim 8, wherein the fastener clip is configured to be removed from the chassis based at least on the rib being pushed away from an edge of the chassis by pushing the first and second feet together.

10. The fastener assembly system of claim 9, wherein the screw is configured to prevent removal of the fastening clip from the chassis based at least on the screw impeding folding of the first and second pairs of wings when the screw is threaded into the threaded barrel.

11. The fastener assembly system of claim 7 further comprising a thread stop toward the top of the fastening clip, wherein the thread stop extends into the path of the screw and provides resistance to the screw to indicate to a screw user that the screw has reached the top of the fastening clip.

12. The fastener assembly system of claim 7, wherein each of the four wings is bent toward the top at an angle of approximately 90 degrees.

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