GB2524274A

GB2524274A - A securing device

Info

Publication number: GB2524274A
Application number: GB1404866.4A
Authority: GB
Inventors: Peter John Charles Spurgeon
Original assignee: Individual
Current assignee: Individual
Priority date: 2014-03-18
Filing date: 2014-03-18
Publication date: 2015-09-23
Also published as: GB201404866D0

Abstract

A re-usable securing device or fastener 1 comprises first and second leg portions 2, 3 attached to a compressible head 4. The leg portions are spaced by a gap 6, and the size of the gap can be reduced by squeezing the head 4 allowing the leg portions to be inserted into an aperture. Once inserted, the head is released, allowing the leg portions to revert to their original positions to lock the fastener in the aperture. The head 4 preferably comprises arms 4, 5 to facilitate squeezing. At least one of the legs 2, 3 may include an undercut portion 12 to prevent unwanted removal from the aperture. A washer (16, fig. 4) or cap (25, fig. 6) may be fitted over the legs when inserted to further prevent unwanted removal. The fastener may be used to secure and/or align two parts (see figure 3), may serve as an axle for a rotating part (not shown), or may be used to assist in securing a dip stick (see figure 7).

Description

A Securing Device

Background

Fixing deviccs with sprung legs are well known. They arc often used to hold two articles together or to support one item onto a more robust one. Each article has a hole, the holes are aligned and the device is pressed in, its head usually being flat and unobtrusive. The disad-vantages of such a devices includes thc substantial forcc rcquircd to inscrt it and thc need for a tool to remove it. Often the head breaks off on removal, causing the legs to fall into an unknown area and a new fixing device to be required. When used in mechanical assemblies -for example a car door panel -broken-off leg parts could become enmeshed in mechanisms such as the wmdow winding mechanism or the locking parts. Whilst the unobtrusive nature of a flat headed fastening is an advantage in some areas, it can make it even more difficult to locate and reniove when it is used to fix a panel in an area that is less accessible -for example behind a vehicle dashboard or a machine control panel. It is an aim of this invention to reduce these problems. Holes are often used as location features, or to attach objects by means of a leg that is an interference fit or a spring fit in the hole. Alternatively threaded coniponents may be used when future dismantling may be required. Two objects each having a hole can be attached together using a dowel or a bolt etc with various degrees of freedoni to rotate or slide on the fixing. Existing devices include roll-pins, spiral pins and split pins. Such devices require a tool such as a hanmier or pliers to install and are difficult to dismantle. Sonic fixing devices require two parts and require access to both sides of the holes. The locational accuracy of a fixing in a hole is dependent on the accuracy of the male component: by having a sprung male compo-nent according to the invention this requirement for absolute accuracy is reduced. The spring securing device of the invention seeks to improve on these devices by including a head to prevent the device being inserted too far into the hole and a feature on the head aids squeezing of the leg parts of the securing device against spring pressure during installation and removal.

Description

A typical embodiment of the invention has two legs protruding froni the head of the a secur-ing device. The legs are held apart by a spring force in the head of the securing device and the legs may be made closer together by a force on two areas of the head, for example by the force between the finger and thumb. When the squeezing action is released the legs exert a force on the sides of the hole, legs may also have shoulders or ramp sections that improve the security of the fixing. In more rigorous applications the squeezing force may he applied using a to& such as pliers. The legs of the securing device are preferably a similar shape to that of the holes when compressed, the cross sections of the legs therefore having outside shapes that arc parts of a circle in the case of a round hole. When the legs are in the squeezed together state their cross section needs to he small enough to enter the apertures in the parts to be fixed. The legs may have different cross sections along their length to accommodate different shaped holes or different sized holes in the components to be assembled. Washers, spacers, bearings and keys maybe incorporated in an assembly. In the case of fragile articles, including fabrics and paper, extra washers and the like may be assembled on the legs to spread the forces on those articles.

Where both sides of an assembly are accessible a retaining washer having an aperture to match the legs can be secured flexibly to the head of the device of the invention. In general the fixing will be most secure against shear forces, in the case of axial forces a shoulder on one or both legs can increase the axial force that can be withstood. In general there will be a clearance between the parts in an axial direction and the device maybe best suited to passive applica-tions such as toys or models, or applications where gravitational or other forces hold the items A Securing Device Page 1 together in the axial direction. The first embodiment to be described also includes a slot in its head which may be used to slide other items into -such as cards or covers or parts that will press the legs apart more firmly.

Detailed Description

Prototypes were made on a 3D printer for hole sizes between 3mm and 7mm, round and square holes in material from 0.08mm thickness (paper) to 6mm thick. Production versions could benefit from metal parts, particularly for the spring component, parts may be scaled to many different sizes and strengths to suit different applications. In one version the spring ac-tion was provided by a thin area of plastic to one side of the head, the head then being split to join the legs at right angles to the two portions. This has the advantage of offering a less thick head than the second version which had the legs extended into the head and then each formed one end of a spring -the height of the head portion is then increased by the size of the spring.

Versions of the device maybe used in packaging, enabling the user to access the product for examination. The device may be used to secure stationery items temporarily. The device may he used to secure labels to shelving of the perforated type. The device maybe used in horti-culture for securing labels to plants or plants to supports. Construction toys having holes for connecting the parts may be connected using the device instead of threaded components. The device may he used as a catch on the lid of an item such as a toolbox or as a door catch and handle.

Embodiments of the invention will now be described solely by way of example and with refer-ence to the accompanying drawings in which: Figure 1 is a view of a first device according to the invention; Figure 2 is a view of the device being compressed by squeezing parts of the head together; Figure 3 is a view of an assembly of two parts by means of the invention; Figure 4 is a view of a device according to the invention having a washer attached; Figure 5 is a view of an assembly of thin sheets according to the invention; Figure 6 is a view of a cap for the first device according to the invention and Figure 7 is a view of a second device according to the invention.

In figure 1 a securing device 1 has legs 2 and 3 and a head comprised of a spring part 4 and two arms 5 and 6. The arms, and therefore the legs also, are held apart by the action of the spring.

in this state the distance 6 causes the extremity distance across the legs 7 to be greater than the size of a hole in an article to be fastened. The device may be constructed as a single molded part by choosing the dimensions of the spring and the separation of the arms to ensure that the spring cannot be over-stressed when the arms are squeezed together. Alternatively the device maybe fabricated, including parts of several materials, including by laminating, welding or adhesive methods. Figure 2 is a view of the device of figure 1 in a compressed state, having the dimension 11 across the ends of the legs less than the dimension 7 of figure 1 due to the squeezing together of the arms by the forefinger 8 and thumb 10 of the wrist 9. A feature of this device is the undercut 12 in the leg that will prevent a secured article from slipping off. In figure 3 the head of the device 1 has been released after inserting the legs 2 and 3 through holes in the plates 13 and 14, thus aligning the holes and attaching the plates together. By having the hole in the plate 14 round, or having a bearing in the plate 14 the two legs can act as the axle for a rotating part 14 -the head being restricted from movement by being restrained by means of a feature on the stationary part 13.

Figure 4 shows a device 1 having a flexible strap 15 that fastens the head of the device to a retaining washer 16, having a hole 17 designed to securely attach to the legs 2 and 3 rhen inserted beyond the shoulder 12. The strap 15 maybe thin enough to be cut using scissors A Securing Device Page 2 should the device be used without the retaining washer 16. The device of figure 4 has possible uses in securing labels to retail items or as a clip for fastening documents together as in figure where a hole has been punched in one corner of the documents 18, the device 1 has then been squeezed to enable its legs to enter the holes and then the washer has been secured over the legs and under the shoulder whilst still attached to the strap 15.

Figure 6 shows a cap 25 for the head of the device shown in the previous figures. The flat 24 on one end is to indicate the position of the arms underneath. The underside of the cap 22 shows the spigot 23. In use the spigot is inserted through the head and between the legs of the device after they have been inserted through the apertures of the parts being fixed. This prevents the arms from being squeezed accidentally thus releasing the parts. The spigot also acts as a wedge to force the legs apart, thus increasing the fixing forces. It will he understood that a cap could represent a further component to be fixed/located using the invention: such component being fixed using the slot formations of the head of the device as well as any other of the surfaces of the head.

Figure 7 shows a second device according to the invention having egs 2 and 3 and a head comprising the areas 19 and 20 for squeezing the legs together and the spring part 21. This arrangement may have advantages where the access is limited in a radial direction but there is more space to accommodate the spring part in the axia' direction or where tong legs are needed (as in a dip stick) this configuration will be more economical to manufacture.

The drawings do not include every aspect of the application of the invention. Individual coin-ponents shown in the drawings are not limited to use in their drawings and they may be used in other drawings and in all aspects of the invention.

A Securing Device Page 3

Claims

Claims 1. A re-useable securing device comprising of a head portion, a first leg and a second leg, the first and second legs bcing separated to a distance apart that may be reduced by squeezing the head portion thus enabling the insertion or removal of the legs into at least one aligned aper-ture of aan object: on release of the squeezing force the legs will separate to secure the object.
2. A re-useable securing device according to claim 1 in which at least one of the legs has a surface that is formed to the same shape as an aperture hi a n object.
3. A re-useable securing device according to any one of the preceding claims in sThich at least one of the legs has a surface that is part of the circumference of a circle.
4. A re-useable securing device according to any one of the preceding claims having the cross section of at least one of the legs smaller nearer the head end than at any cross section towards the extreme end.
5. A re-useable securing device according to any one of the preceding claims in which the legs are heM apart by spring action.
6. A re-useable securing device according to any one of the preceding claims in which the head portion has at least two areas that may be squeezed together to reduce the separation of the legs.
7. A re-useable securing device according to any one of the preceding claims having at least one part constructed of plastic material.
8. A re-useable securing device according to any one of the preceding claims having at least one part constructed of metal.
9. A re-useable securing device according to any one of the preceding claims having at least one part constructed of wood.
10. A re-useable securing device according to any one of the preceding claims being used to hold at least two other parts to be held in alignment.t 1. A re-useable securing device according to any one of the preceding claims being used to provide the axle for a rotating part.12. A re-useable securing device according to any one of the preceding claims being used as a temporary locator during the assembly of parts.13. A re-useable securing device according to any one of the preceding claims being part of a construction kit.t5. A re-useable securing device according to any one of the preceding claims being used as a substitute for a threaded component.16. A re-useable securing device according to any of the preceding claims being used to secure a dip stick in its housing.A Securing Device Page 4