GB2121098A

GB2121098A - Clip for mounting trim strips

Info

Publication number: GB2121098A
Application number: GB08314056A
Authority: GB
Inventors: Johann Reindl; Harald Schaty
Original assignee: Tucker Fasteners Ltd
Current assignee: Tucker Fasteners Ltd
Priority date: 1982-05-21
Filing date: 1983-05-20
Publication date: 1983-12-14
Also published as: GB2121098B; FR2527277B1; GB8314056D0; JPS5934014A; FR2527277A1

Abstract

A plastics trim clip has shoulders (7, 8) for retaining ribs of a plastics trim strip (10) and abutments (13, 14) constituted by upwardly projecting lips on arms (17, 18) extending along the surface of a panel (1) from a body portion (4) secured to the panel by a welded stud (2). The lips (13, 14) ensure retention of the strip even when the strip is wide and relatively flexible. The clip is mounted on stud (3) protruding from the panel by means of a keyhole slot in the base (4) of the clip. <IMAGE>

Description

SPECIFICATION Clip for mounting trim strips This invention concerns a plastics clip for holding a trim strip on a panel comprising a body portion having an opening engageable with a stud projecting from the panel and shoulders disposed along two parallel lines engageable with longitudinal ribs of the trim strip. Such clips have been used for a variety of trim strips, but when used for mounting particularly wide strips, especially of plastics, there is a risk that, due to the less rigidity of the strips, their seating on the clip is not insured with the required reliability.

The primary object of the invention is therefore to provide an improved plastics clip for holding the mounted strips, especially wide plastics ones, with a greater degree of certainty.

The foregoing object is achieved in accordance with the invention in that from at least one side of the body portion there extends past one of said shoulders and so that it will lie along the surface of the panel, a retaining arm which, beyond said one of said shoulders, will project away from the panel to provide a lip which is so spaced from the shoulder that it will hold a rib of the trim strip in engagement with a co-operating shoulder of the clip.

When mounting a strip which is being held on one side by secure interlocking of the strip with one of the shoulders of the clip, then it suffices to provide only one retaining arm, which then is to engage the other rib of the strip. Otherwise, it is desirable that the body portion is provided with a retaining arm on each side.

Through the lip of the retaining arm of a clip in accordance with the invention pressure can be exerted from outside onto the respective longitudinal rib of the strip, so the rib cannot slide back over the shoulder of the body portion after assembly. Even if then a force is exerted onto the strip intending to strip the latter off the clip, the retaining arm prevents the longitudinal rib of the strip sliding over the shoulder of the clip. In addition to this, the retaining arms where there are two of them, offer the advantage that they prevent the ribs of the strip from coming into contact with the panel, which is of special importance for trim strips mounted onto motor vehicles, since such a contact with the panel would lead to an abrasion of the paint coat and thus to consequent corrosion. Besides that, rattling noises are suppressed to a large extent by these retaining arms.

Since clips of the kind in question here are normally formed as a moulded element of plastics, the technical aspects relating to moulding have to be taken into consideration when designing the clip. An advantageous constructional design of the clip is attained if each retaining arm is to protrude centrally between two aligned shoulders. In this case there are established on each of the respective sides of the body portion three protruding structures, two incorporating the two aligned shoulders with the retaining arm lying in between, thus avoiding a space encompassed by overlapping of the retaining arm and shoulder carrying brackets, which would otherwise be existing, if both the shoulder and retaining arm were designed undivided.

The retaining arm is appropriately provided with a lead-in bevel at its end in order to make it possible to clip the strip into the clip with greater ease. In addition to that, it allows for the distance between the lip of the arm and the adjacent shoulder to be of such a dimension that a longitudinal rib engaged in between the lip and the shoulder is held resiliently in a clamped condition. This has the advantage that ratting noises are avoided on account of the component parts then resting against each other under tension.

There now follows a detailed description of an exemplary embodiment of the invention. In the accompanying drawings: Fig. 1 shows the clip fixed on a panel in side elevation together with a mounted trim strip (shown in section); and Fig. 2 shows the same clip in top view, but without a trim strip.

Fig. 1 shows a panel 1, which for example could be a car body. Onto the panel 1 is fixed in a well known way a T-stud 2, which with its head 3 extends over the top of a body portion 4 of the exemplary clip 5. This is a known method of securing a clip provided with a body portion onto the body of a motor vehicle by means of a T-stud.

The clip 5 is moulded from a resilient thermoplastic material, for example polyacetal.

The body portion 4 is provided on opposite sides with parallel shoulders 6, 7. These shoulders are formed on depending portions of inclined angled brackets 8, 9 connecting them to a central part of the body portion 4, whereby the mounting of the trim strip 10 means of its longitudinal ribs 11, 12 is made easier.

As can be seen particularly from Fig. 2, the shoulders 6, 7 are divided symmetrically, namely respectively aligned shoulders 6a and 6b as well as aligned shoulders 7a and 7b. By that is created a space between the sections 6a and 6b, as well as between 7a and 7b, which is filled out here to a large extent by the retaining arm 17, 18. Each arm 17, 18 lies along the surface of the panel 1 and extends from the body portion 4 past the adjacent one of the shoulders 6, 7 and terminates in an upwardly projecting lip 13, 14. The lips 13, 14 are spaced, as viewed in side elevation along the line of the shoulders 6, 7, from the shoulders 6, 7 by a distance such that, under the influence of the resilience of the clip, the ribs 11, 12 of the trim strip are firmly clamped and thus unable to rattle.The brackets 8 and shoulders 6a, 6b (and likewise the brackets 9 and shoulders 7a, 7b) are spaced from one another by a distance greater than the width of the arms 17, 1 8 which lie between them, to avoid complicating the moulds used to make the clips, which would be the case if they overlapped.

Whereas in the case of the clip 5 the shoulders 6a, 6b and 7a, 7b have been separated to allow the arms 17, 1 8 to be located therebetween, the avoidance of overlapping of these members of the clip to simplify moulding can equally readily be achieved by separating the arms 17, 1 8 with their lips 13, 14 into two separate parts with one bracket and shoulder in between to engage the inner sides of the ribs of the strip.

It is to be noted that the trim strip is kept at an adequate distance from the panel 1 so that the trim strip 10 is prevented from chafing against the panel at the localities of stud 2. The thickness of the arms 1 9, 1 8 is such that an adequate safe distance between the relatively stiff ribs of the trim strip and the panel 1 is produced, while yet, if desired, allowing the more flexible margin of the strip (which may be polyvinyl chloride for example), to bear on the panel (as shown in left hand side of figure 1). Besides, an adequate thickness of the arms 17, 1 8 insures that the lips 13, 14 are well able to transmit the forces exerted on them onto the body portion 4.

The body portion 4 has an opening 19 (figure 2) in the shape of a key hole in order that the clip can be assembled over the head 3 of a T-stud 2 welded to the panel and slid underneath the head 3 to secure it in place.

The clip 5, by providing abutments in the form of lips 13, 14, insures retention of the strip 10 on the clip by restraining any tendency of the ribs 11, 12 to spread apart and release themselves from the shoulders 6, 7.

Claims

1. A plastics clip for holding a trim strip on a panel comprising a body portion having an opening engageable with a stud projecting from the panel and shoulders disposed along two parallel lines engageable with longitudinal ribs of the trim strip, there being at at least one side of the body portion a retaining arm which, when mounted on a panel, extends from said body portion along the surface of the panel and beyond said one of said shoulders, where it projects away from the panel to provide a lip so spaced from that shoulder that it will hold a rib of the trim strip in engagement with said shoulder.

2. A clip according to claim 1, the body portion of which comprises an additional shoulder in alignment with said one of said shoulders and spaced therefrom by a distance greater than the width of said arm, said arm being disposed between the two aligned shoulders.

3. A clip according to claim 2, the aligned shoulders of which are connected to a central part of said body portion by inclined angled brackets disposed on either side of said arm, said aligned shoulders being provided on depending portions of said brackets.

4. A clip according to any one of the preceding claims the lip on the arm of which is bevelled to facilitate assembly of the trim strip.

5. A clip according to any one of the preceding claims, in which the spacing of the lip of said arm from said one of said shoulders is such that the rib of the trim strip is clamped resiliently between them.

6. A clip according to any one of the preceding claims which has a second arm extending from the body portion in the opposite direction to the first mentioned arm and which is provided on said second arm with a second lip to hold a second rib of the trim strip in engagement with the other said shoulder.

7. A clip according to claim 6 which has arms, lips and shoulders as aforesaid disposed symmetrically on opposite sides of the body portion.

8. A plastics clip for securing a trim strip to a welded stud substantially as hereinbefore described with reference to accompanying drawings.