JPS6327564B2 - - Google Patents

Description

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION The present invention relates to a plastic trim clip, and more particularly to a plastic trim clip having a body shaped to permit attachment to a panel, the body having a channel-shaped trim strip along one side. having a retention shoulder for engagement by one incurved edge;
Further, the clip relates to a plastic trim clip of the type having a second retaining shoulder for engagement by another inverted edge of the strip.

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION In the manufacture of vehicles such as automobiles, it is common practice to decorate the vehicle body with decorative strips to enhance its aesthetic appeal to the customer's eye. Such strips are generally channel-shaped with incurved edges along each side so that they can fit over the shoulder of a retaining piece or "trim clip."

One row of trim clips for the above purpose:
Attaches to vehicle body panels by any of a variety of means, including welded T-studs. This trim clip is made of sheet metal or plastic. The degree of retention achieved when the trim strip is assembled with the clip is typically determined by the resiliency of the clip and the ease of attachment. Generally, the clips have shoulders spaced apart slightly greater than the distance between the concave edges of the strips, and the elasticity of the clips and strips provides interference and greater resistance to removal. The more force is required for the combination. In addition to requiring the operator to use greater force and increasing the risk of damage to the trim strip or panel, high combined forces may also cause damage to the edges of the trim strip, especially if the clips are made of elastic plastic. If burrs remain during the manufacturing process of the strip,
sharp) tends to scrape thin strips of material from the shoulder into which the strip is pushed, reducing the holding ability of the clip.

It is an object of the present invention to provide a trim clip that provides a higher degree of retention without requiring substantially more force in assembling the trim strips than is typically required with conventional clips. It is in.

Another object of the present invention is to provide a trim clip which provides a high degree of retention and which allows the trim strip to be easily assembled to the trim clip with little or no risk of damage.

These objects are achieved according to the invention as follows. That is, a second retaining shoulder of the clip is formed on a portion of the clip. Said portion of the clip is movable relative to the body from a release position to a retention position. In this released position, when the clip is installed on a panel, the movable part is lifted out of the plane of the panel, its shoulders are above the shoulders of the body, and the edges of the strip can easily wrap around the shoulders. separated by a distance that allows for The movable part is also forced into its holding position relative to the body by pressing the trim strip towards the panel surface, in which the movable part is held and the shoulders are The mutual spacing is further increased to overlap both edges of the strip to hold the strip firmly in place.

The clip of the present invention may be integrally molded from a resilient thermoplastic material, and the movable portion is hinged to the body by a narrow neck, the hinge being parallel to the retaining shoulder. With such a configuration, the clip acts like a toggle, the shoulder of the movable part being in its released position above the line of the hinge and the plane in which the retaining shoulder on the body lies; , below the above plane. Due to such toggle action, the movable part and the body are held firmly together by the elasticity of the trim strips that bridge the shoulders, and the positive interlocking of the two parts of the clip is ensured by interlocking means, e.g. Obtained by tongue and groove. This tongue and groove is such that when the movable part assumes its holding position,
mutually engage.

The clip of the invention has two movable parts arranged for rotation about a common hinge line, each movable part having its own retention shoulder. The clip also has two retaining shoulders aligned and spaced from each other on the body. A projecting flap is disposed to underlie the trim strip and prevent the trim strip from coming into direct contact with the surface of the panel to which it is attached.

Embodiments of the clip of the present invention will be described below with reference to the drawings.

The exemplary clip 10 is integrally molded from a resilient thermoplastic material, such as acetal resin, and includes a body 12 and two movable parts 14, 16 hinged to the body at aligned narrow necks 18, 20, respectively. ing. The underside of the body 12 is open at 22 (FIG. 3) to provide a resilient central web 24 within which a keyhole slot 26 (FIG. 1) is provided. The longitudinal direction of the slot 26 is the hinge line 1.
8, 20, the slot has a bevel 28 on one side and a beveled retaining finger 30 on the other side, said bevel and finger being substantially parallel to the shank 36. Head 3 of the T-shaped stud (Fig. 3) welded with
4 to a seating portion 32.
The clip is thus assembled to the stud by sliding the ramp 28 and finger 30 under the stud head 34. Above T
When the head 32 of the glyph-shaped stud sits on the seat 32, fingers 30 hold the clip on the stud.

When the clip 10 is in its relaxed state as it has been removed from the mold, its movable parts 14,
16, as shown in Fig. 3 (in Fig. 3, part 1
4 is visible), and is raised from the position it would assume if the movable part were to lie flat on the same plane as the body 12. The body 12 has two aligned concave shoulders 40 which are attached to the hinges 18, 2.
0 line and on the opposite side of the body from the hinge. The portion 14 has a notched convex shoulder 42 which also runs parallel to and is on the opposite side of the portion from the hinge line. When the portion 14 is in the raised position,
The retaining shoulders 40, 42 are not very far apart from each other and the bent edge E of the trim strip S cannot easily wrap around them. That is, the third
As shown in the figure, the above clip is attached to panel P
It is assembled on studs 34, 36 which are welded to each other.

When the strip S is pressed toward the panel P in the state shown in FIG.
16 is rotated downwardly to the position shown in FIG. 4, in which the portion lies flat on the panel alongside body 12. When the portion 14 is in the raised position, the shoulder 42 is attached to the hinges 18, 20.
and above the plane in which the shoulder 40 rests, and when the portion 14 is in the lowered position (FIG. 4),
Shoulder 42 lies below the plane. Thus, in such rotation from one position to another, the clip acts like a toggle and parts 14, 16 rotate on "top dead center". Furthermore, part 14,1
When 6 is in the position shown in FIG. 4, the shoulders 40, 42 are more spaced apart from each other than in the position shown in FIG. subject to strip compression. The strip is in tension across its width due to the toggle action described above, preventing portions 14, 16 from rotating upwardly into a relaxed state. The clip is thus effectively held in the condition shown in FIG.

The holding effect of the clip shown in the figure is that the main body 12
This is enhanced by the positive locking effect produced by the tongues 46 of each portion 14, 16 interengaging with a groove 44 running along the underside of the holder. When the part is moved to the lowered position, the tongue 46 is forced into the groove under the adjacent edge of the body between the body and the panel and thus in the extended state of the shoulder 42. A reliable locking of the shoulder can be achieved.

The body 12 and portions 14, 16 of the clip have flaps 50, 52, respectively, at a level below the shoulders 40, 42 to prevent the strip from coming into direct contact with the panel P.

Clip 10 is economical because it can be integrally molded, is easy to assemble to a welding stud, and requires substantially more force than is typically required in conventional clips for trim strip assembly. A higher degree of retention of trim strips can be obtained without the need for trim strips. Furthermore, the operation of assembling the trim strips onto a row of clips as described above can be carried out smoothly and reliably without any particular risk of scraping material from the clips by sharp edges of the trim strips.

Although the present invention has been described above as having two members of a trim clip that are hinged together to act as a toggle, the present invention is not limited to such a configuration. Other devices may be used to increase the distance between the retaining shoulders when the trim strip is pressed onto the retaining shoulders of the clip, thereby retaining the shoulders in their extended condition.

[Brief explanation of the drawing]

FIG. 1 is a plan view of an embodiment of the clip of the present invention;
FIG. 2 is a front view seen from the direction of arrow A in FIG. 1. Figure 3 shows the first clip attached to the panel.
Figure 3 is a cross-sectional view taken along the - line in the figure, showing the movable part of the clip in the released position and the trim strip being attached to the panel;
FIG. 4 is a side view showing the state of the clip when the movable part is in the strip holding position. 12...Clip body, 14, 16...Movable part, 18, 20...Hinge connecting neck of the movable part, 40...Shoulder for holding the main body, 42...Shoulder for holding the movable part, 44...Inside the main body groove, 46... movable part tongue, 50, 52... protective flap,
S...trim strip, E...bent edge of trim strip, P...panel.

Claims (1)

Claims: 1. A body shaped to permit attachment to a panel, said body having a first edge for engagement by one incurving edge of a channel-shaped trim strip along one side. having a holding shoulder;
In a plastic trim clip, the clip has a second retaining shoulder for engagement by another inverted edge of the strip,
A retaining shoulder is formed on a portion of the clip that is movable with respect to the body from a released position to a retained position, in which the clip is movable when the clip is mounted on a panel. the second shoulder is spaced from the first shoulder of the body by a distance that allows the edges of the strip to easily wrap around the shoulders; The movable part is pushed into the holding position by pressing the trim strip towards the panel surface, in which the movable part is held and the movable part is held against the shoulders. A plastic trim clip, characterized in that the clips are further spaced apart from each other and are configured to overlap both edges of the strip to firmly hold the strip in place. 2. The movable part is hinged to the main body, and upon movement to the holding position,
2. A plastic trim clip according to claim 1, wherein a second shoulder connected to said movable portion intersects a plane formed by said hinge line and said first shoulder. 3. A plastic trim clip according to claim 2, characterized in that it is integrally molded from an elastic plastic material. 4. A plastic trim clip according to claim 3, wherein said movable portion interengages with said body to lock said members together when in their retained position. 5 said movable part has a tongue which engages a groove in said body when said part is rotated to its holding position, said tongue being pushed between said body and said panel to 5. A plastic trim clip according to claim 4, wherein the plastic trim clip is locked in a groove. 6. The vehicle according to claim 1, further comprising a flap projecting above the main body and the movable part, the flap lying below the trim strip to protect a panel of the vehicle. The plastic trim clip according to any one of the preceding paragraphs. 7. Claim 1, characterized in that it has two movable parts having a common hinge line, each said movable part having a respective holding shoulder.
The plastic trim clip according to any one of items 1 to 6. 8. A plastic trim clip as claimed in any one of claims 1 to 7, characterized in that it has two spaced and aligned retention shoulders on the body.