GB2111156A

GB2111156A - Grommet or eyelet

Info

Publication number: GB2111156A
Application number: GB08231297A
Authority: GB
Inventors: Kazuo Ida
Original assignee: Nippon Notion Kogyo Co Ltd
Current assignee: Nippon Notion Kogyo Co Ltd
Priority date: 1981-11-26
Filing date: 1982-11-02
Publication date: 1983-06-29
Also published as: AU9079482A; DE3267460D1; EP0080697A1; ES268796Y; BR8206803A; EP0080697B1; GB2111156B; AU536852B2; ES268796U; DE80697T1

Description

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GB 2 111 156 A 1

SPECIFICATION Grommet

This invention relates to a grommet, particularly a grommet made of a resilient material which is to 5 be set in sheet material such as a garment fabric.

There are known a variety of grommets made of metal or plastics to be set in sheet material such as that of textile articles. The grommet usually comprises an eyelet to be pierced through 10 the sheet material and a washer to be coupled with the eyelet, in which instance the eyelet is curled or otherwise deformed so as to fit securely over the washer. Prior to this coupling or clamping operation, the washer is often liable to get loose 15 and fall apart from the eyelet, requiring the user to hold these parts together until the moment they are clamped into place by a tool.

According to the invention, there is provided a grommet which comprises: an eyelet made of a 20 resilient material and including a cylindrical barrel with one end open, an annular flange extending around the other end of said barrel; a washer made of a resilient material and including a circular plate having a central bore which has a 25 diameter nearly equal to the outside diameter of said barrel; and a means for retaining said eyelet in engagement with said washer temporarily until they are assembled into a grommet.

The invention will be described by way of 30 example with reference to the accompanying drawings in which:—

Figure 1 is an exploded, cross-sectional view of a grommet embodying the invention, with an eyelet, a sheet of fabric and a washer arranged in 35 this order;

Figure 1A is a cross-sectional view of a modified form of the eyelet;

Figure 2 is a cross-sectional view of the grommet of Figure 1 which has been assembled 40 and set in the fabric;

Figure 3 is a view similar to Figure 1 but showing a modified form of grommet embodying the invention;

Figure 4 is a cross-sectional view of the 45 grommet of Figure 3 which has been assembled and set in the fabric;

Figure 5 is a plan view of the eyelet taken along the arrowed lines V—V of Figure 3; and

Figure 6 is a plan view of the washer taken 50 along the arrowed lines VI—VI of Figure 3.

Referring now to Figure 1, there is shown a preferred form of grommet 10 which is made up from an eyelet part 11 and a washer part 12, both parts being made of a resilient, deformable 55 material such as plastics, rubber and the like. The eyelet 11 includes a cylindrical barrel 13 with one end open and an annular flange 14 extending around the other end or bottom of the barrel 13. The annular flange 14 has a tapered prong 15 for 60 biting engagement with a sheet of fabric F.

The grommet 10 is provided with a retaining means 16 for preventing the washer part 12 from falling off from the eyelet part 11 once both parts have been brought into engagement.

The retaining means 16 is embodied in the form of a plurality of discrete projections projecting radially outwardly from the barrel 13 and arranged around the barrel 13. Each projection 16 has a first surface 16a obtusely slanting toward the flange 14 and a second surface 16b acutely slanting toward the open end of the barrel 13 or in a direction opposite to the flange 14. Alternatively, the retaining means may be in the form of an integral annular projection 16' (Figure 1 A) of the same cross section as that of the discrete projections of Figure 1.

The washer part 12 is in the form of a circular plate having a central bore 17 which has a diameter nearly equal to the outside diameter of the cylindrical barrel 14 and slightly smaller than an outside diameter defined by the projections 16. A prong 18 similar to the prong 15 extends from the bottom of the washer 12 and similarly functions to anchor the fabric F against movement.

Now, when assembling the eyelet 11 and the washer 12 together, the eyelet 11 is first inserted with its barrel 13 through an opening F-, in the fabric F and then through the bore 17 of the washer 12, when the washer 12 undergoes elastic deformation as the peripheral wall of the bore 17 rides over and past the projections 16. The washer 12 can thus be retained in engagement with the eyelet 11 between the fabric F and the projections 16 until the two grommet parts are assembled in the well known manner as illustrated in Figure 2.

Referring to Figures 3—6 inclusive, there is shown a modified form of grommet which is identical in construction with the above described grommet 10 except for the details of a modified retaining means and except that there are provided a plurality of prongs 1 5 and 18 on the eyelet 11 and the washer 12, respectively, and that an annular recess 21 is formed in and around the outer periphery of the barrel 13 of the eyelet

11 at the open end thereof to facilitate the insertion of the eyelet 11 through the fabric F as well as the washer 12. The modified form of retaining means comprises a plurality of radial projections 19 extending radially inwardly from the peripheral edge of the bore 17 in the washer

12 and each having a tapered surface 20 directed toward the eyelet 11. The diameter defined by the radial projections 19 is slightly smaller than the outside diameter of the barrel 13, so that when the eyelet 11 is inserted through the bore 17 of the washer 12, the radial projections 19 are flared up in contact with the outer wall of the barrel 13 in a direction in which the eyelet 11 is inserted and lock the washer 12 against backward movement, thus preventing accidental separation of the washer 12 from the eyelet 11. Because of the structural features of the radial projections 20, the eyelet 11 and the washer 12 upon being assembled as shown in Figure 4 can be retained in position against relative movement, thus ensuring firm setting of the grommet 10 in the fabric F.

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GB 2 111 156 A 2

Claims

1. A grommet which comprises:

(a) an eyelet made of a resilient material and including a cylindrical barrel with one end open, an

5 annular flange extending around the other end of said barrel;

(b) a washer made of a resilient material and including a circular plate having a central bore which has a diameter nearly equal to the outside

10 diameter of said barrel; and

(c) a means for retaining said eyelet in engagement with said washer temporarily until they are assembled into a grommet.

2. A grommet as claimed in claim 1 wherein 15 said means is a plurality of discrete projections projecting radially outwardly from said barrel arranged therearound in series, each projection having a first surface obtusely slanting toward said flange and a second surface acutely slanting 20 toward the open end of said barrel, the diameter defined by said projections being slightly larger than the diameter of said bore.

3. A grommet as claimed in claim 1 wherein said means is an integral annular projection

25 projecting radially outwardly from said barrel and extending therearound and having a first surface obtusely slanting toward said flange and a second surface acutely slanting toward the open of said barrel, the outside diameter of said annular 30 projection being slightly larger than the diameter of said bore.

4. A grommet as claimed in claim 1 wherein said means is a plurality of radial projections extending radially inwardly from the peripheral 35 edge of said bore in said washer and having a tapered surface directed toward said eyelet, the diameter defined by said radial projections being slightly smaller than the outside diameter of said barrel.

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5. A grommet as claimed in claim 1 or 4 wherein said barrel is provided at its open end with an annular recess.

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6. A grommet as claimed in any preceding claim wherein said eyelet further includes at least 45 one tapered prong projecting from said annular flange, and wherein said washer has at least one tapered prong projecting therefrom.

Printed for Her Majesty's Stationery Office by the Courier Press, Leamington Spa, 1983. Published by the Patent Office 25 Southampton Buildings, London, WC2A 1AY, from which copies may be obtained.