US2262426A - Finishing panel mount - Google Patents

Description

Nov. 11, 1941. R. w. HALL 2,262,426

FINISHING PANEL MOUNT Filed Jan. 30', 1940 Cu 1111111 n I U 11 m1,

Z4 za 25 27 INVENTOR [Ya/ l: M152 2 A1TOZIZ5Z Patented Nov. 11, 1941 Ralph w. Hall, Cincinnati, Ohio, assignor to The Randall Company, Cincinnati, Ohio, a corporationof Ohio Application January 30, 1940, Serial No. 316,388

This invention relates to mountings for finish like. Such panels usually and preferably are of the detachable or removable type, to afford access to mechanismsnormally concealed by the panels, and it is this type of panel with which the present invention is" concerned. While at the present tim the greatest 'need for detachable panels seems to be within the vehicle body field, it should be understood that the invention is by no means intended for limitation to that field; and the reader hereof will doubtless appreciate that the detachable panel Inount disclosed herein may be applied to many different varieties of supports other than vehicle doors, although the vehicle door will be used herein as an exemplary sfubjectlmerely for purposes of exf planation and clarity of disclosure. e 2

One object of the invention is to facilitate the application of a detachable panel to a support,

while at the same time increasing its durability and effectiveness as a ment.

covering or finishing ele- Another object of the invention is to provide panel mounting means of a simple nature, which includes means whereby packing andshipping of parts are facilitated, resulting in a saving of 1 time, space and shipping expense.

Another object is tolprovide improved means for the mounting of a panel upon a? support. which is positive and secure in its action but.

nevertheless easy to manipulate for removal of the panel, without distortion ofparts, so that reapplication of thepanel is accomplishedwithout difficulty or waste of time.

A further object of the invention is to pro-a ing panels of the kind generallyfused upon the doors or interior parts of automobiles or the vide a. novel panel mounting means which, by

reason of its; positive locking nature, is applicable to structures that include curved supports or surfaces to be paneled; such as the curved or concave, interior surfaces of certain types of vehicle doors. a l

The foregoing and otherqobjects are attained by the means described herein and disclosed in i the accompanying drawing, in which:

Fig. l is a fragmental cross-sectional View 0 l the. left side of avehicle door, taken one horizontal line passing through the door where it is paneled, and showing a panel about to be snapped into position upon the door.; a

Fig. 2 is a view similar to Fig.11, showing the right side of a doorwith its panel applied.

1 vehicle door, showing the parts of Fig. 1 in perspective, the panel being omitted.

Fig. 4 is a fragmental cross-section of the panel, in perspective, and. shown in position to be swung upwardly against the vehicle door of Fig. 3, forapplication of the panel thereto.

I Fig; 5 is a fragmental plan view of that area of the vehicle door which supports th latching element or clip.

Fig. 6 is a perspective view of a panel binder strip which constitutes an element of the panel mount of-the invention. i

It has been customary in the past, to detach- 1 ably applyfinishing panels to vehicle bodies and doors, using certain forms" of spring clips sodesigned as to enable repeated attachment and detachment of. the panels; however, due to the fact i that the panels wereadapted. to be pried from the support, the clips often were found to be mutilated or loosened to such an extent that the panel when replaced was not as tightly hung as it 7 hadpbeen when initially applied. Moreover, the

panel and itsbinder strip frequently were bent out of shape,- with the result that repairs to the vehicle doors frequently results in an unsightly appearance of the paneled structure. The present invention obviates the difiiculties mentioned,

andin addition the initial and any subsequent applications of the'panels are greatly facilitated. Other advantagesthave been stated in the preceding objectsyand still others will become apparent as. the description proceeds.

Withreference to the accompanying drawing, the character 2 indicates a support upon which a panel is to be mounted. Asillustrated, the

support :2 maybe aportion of the inner wall of alvehicle door 3, and is ordinarily in the form of acontinuous inwardly turned flange flanking the edges of the inside ofthe door. *acter 4 indicates the jamb surface of the door.

The panel to be used as a finishing element for th interior ofthe door may comprisea board orstiff sheet 5 of any suitable. material known to beusedfor paneling purposes, said sheet or board preferably being adapted to carry a cover 60f fabric. orother suitable material. The cover 6 as indicated most clearly on Fig. 4, may extend about one or more edges 1 thereof. It is customary to bound the edge of the board with a metallic binder strip 9 ofU-shaped formation,

the leg'swlll and I2 of the binder strip generally beingcovered and concealed by the covering material 6. l v e The binding strip is to be furnished at intera Fig. 31s a fragmental cross-section of the Fig. 55 vals along its length with notches I3 and ad- The charjacent lugs l4, these being formed upon the inner leg In of the binder strip. In the neighborhood of each notch l3, the board is to be notched as at 5, for reasons to be explained later. As will be explained hereinafter, the lug M which is formed adjacent to each notch I3, could be omitted without rendering the panel mounting means inoperative.

It may be observed that the space within the notch |5 of the panel board is adapted for reception of means carried by the support or vehicle door, operating to hold the panel securely to the door or other support. In this connection,

I the portion l6 of the binder strip adjacent to notch l3, performs the function of-a keeper'cooperating with part of a spring steel clip or latching element which is indicated generally by the character H.

In Figs. 1 and 3, it will be seen that the clip or latching element I! is constituted of a spring steel strip or ribbon, one end of which maybe formed into a hooker anchor l8 adapted toiengage permanently one end.|9 of aclip retaining aperture or socket 20 formed in the flange or support 2. The opposite end 2| of the socket forms an abutment for the trigger portion 22 that constitutes part of the working head of the clip. Before the panel isapplied, which is the condition evidenced by Fig. 1 of the. drawing, the trigger portion 22 of the clipis-forced firmly against the abutment edge 2| ofxsocketZll, due to the inherent resiliency of the clip. resulting from bending it intermediate itsends, asishown; By this, it is meant that the clip' is maintained constantly within the limits. established by the lengthof socket 2D,. by-reason of itss-ownresiliency;

It .is believed apparent fromthe description given up to thispoint, that any force=applied to the head 23 of the clip, in a direction toward the flange 2, such as a force that would be applied by moving the panel 5 against the head at 23, will cause a shifting movement of the head 23 toward and into the socket 20, so that when the trigger portion 22 of the clip passes the edge 2|- of the socket, .the force of the spring clip acting to straighten it, will project the head 23 bodily to the left of Fig. 1 as illustrated by Fig. 2. That portion of the panel 5 which is utilized for applying the necessary force to the head of the clip, is indicated at 23!], and may be referred to as a trip portion or element of the panel.

With reference to Fig. 2, it will be seen that the clip head 23, which isgenerally in the'shape of a .hook, will embrace an area of the support 2" and also the leg ll! of the binder'strip, the covering material6 being disposed therebetween. The hook-shaped clip head is in reality a channel having a base 24, a panel retaining leg 25, and an opposed support-engaging leg 26. The space between the legs 25 and 26 preferably 'iszmade equal to the combined thickness 'of'the' support 2, the binder strip leg I0, and the intermediate covering material, when the latter is pressed tightly against the door flange or. support 2. In order that the leg 25 may better engage beneath or behind the binder strip portion l6, its free end 27 may be turned outwardly as'shown. It is.-to be herenoted that disposition of the parts I6, 6, and '2 within the mouth of the spring steel clip head 23 constitutes a positive lock for the panel, so that no amount of prying between the panel and the door could dislodge the panel or even loosen its mounting. In other words, the. panel will have a mountingwhich is positive and tight,

. or support 2.

rather than frictional and yielding as is the case when other forms of spring clips are used for mounting panels.

To dislodge the applied panel of Fig. 2, it is necessary only to insert a thin bladed implement between the covering 6 and the flange 2, and to advance the implement until it strikes the base 24 of the clip head, whereupon further advancement will move the clip head to the Fig. 1 position at which the head will release its hold upon the panel parts, and the trigger portion 22 may be reengaged with the edge 2| of the clip retaming-aperture or socket 2|]. An abutment 28 at the trigger portion of the clip may be utilized to limit the movement of the clip head outwardly and away from the flange or support 2. This use of a thin bladed implement results in cooking theiclip or. latching element, to condition it for a subsequent mounting of the panel. To replace the panel, the parts are to be disposed in the position illustrated. by Fig. 1, in which position the turned free end.2| of the clip head is disposed beneath the binder strip leg ||J, while thehead' 23 is contacted by the panel 5 in readiness for displacement of the clip head toward the flange 2, for release of the trigger 22 and consequent snapping of the clip to the operative position of Fig. 2.

On panel structures wherein frictional conbinder. strip to the, panel board asto insureagainst separation of thetwo parts, the. extraoperationsfor. soclinching the: parts togetherv may be dispensed withby means of the expedient now to be described.

Referring to Figs. 4 and 6, itwill be observed that the lug I4 is struck from the leg IU of the binder strip so as to project outwardly thereof. By preference, though not of necessity, the lug is located adjacent to the notch I3 and may be formed from the metal struck out during formation of the notch. As most clearly illustrated in Fig. 1, the lug |4 extends toward the flange or support 2, so that it may enter the socket 2!] or an extension of said socket indicated at 29. The edge 3!] of aperture or extension 29 is so spaced from the jamb face of the door as to lie in the path of one end 3| of lug l4 when the panel is in the operative or normal position upon the flange Reference to Fig.2 will readily disclose that the forward edge 3| of the lug I4 rests very close to the flange 2, so that any force tending to displace the binder [strip 9 to the right, will meet with the resistance offered by the forward edge 3| of the lug l4 striking the body portion or flange 2 of the door. From this it will be understood that so long as the panel is attached to the vehicle door, the lug l4 will act as a stop precluding any possibility of the binder strip separating from the panel board 5. As previously stated, the lug I4 while cooperating with other parts of the structure to improve the mounting, could nevertheless be omitted especially when added precautions are taken to produce a firm connection between the binder strip and the panel board. The use of the lug, however, greatly simplifies and reduces the cost of the finishing panel assembly. It may be noted also that lug l4 may serve as a guide for facilitating registration of the spring clip head with the fiat type of support notch 13 and the cutout portion li, of the binder strip and panel board, respectively.

In applying thisinventionto a vehicle door or the like, it should be understood that spring clips orlatching elements like 11 will. be furnished uponthe flange or support 2 at spaced intervals,

supporting face aforesaid.

2. In: combination, a vehicle. door having an interior panel supporting face includingaseries of resilient latch heads movablein a plane parallel to the panel supporting face of the door,

and thatthe complementary keeper portions carried by the finishing panel will be correspondingly spaced so that registration of the latching con- 1 stituents willoccur when the finishing panel is superposed upon the interior of the door. It is noteworthy that the definite and positive lock effectedby the means of this invention renders able fixed relationship of the panel to the sup- I port was not possible. In this regard, attention is directed to the fact that many vehicle doors are notflat as illustrated in Figs. 1 and 2, but are bowed or curved to conform with the body lines of the vehicle, wherefore under such circumstances the flanges 2 may be arched upwardly in substantial conformity with an upward arching of the door panel 3. The means of the present invention operates just as effectively upon the curved supports or flanges, as it would uponthe illustrated in the accompanying drawing. t

It is to be understoodthat the varying conditions under which the invention will be used may require minor changes in construction of parts. For example, it is possible that the cut-out portion 29 of the support or flange 2 might be more desirably made a separate and distinct opening having no connection lwith the clip socket 20.

In'that event, it would be necessary only to change the location of lug 14 upon the binder strip. .In the same categoryof possible alterations, the keeper portion Ill-46, which receives the hooked end of the clip head, might be formed directly from the material of the panel instead of being a separate part attached to the panel. It should be evident that the structure would be operative whether the keeper portion Iii-l6 of the panel be a separate part, or an integral part, of the panel, since in any case it performs the function of a latching element.

It being impractical, and unnecessary also, to point out the various possible formsthat the invention may take, it is deemed sufficient to make the reservationthat various modifications and changes in the structural details of the device maybe made, within the scope of the appended claims, without departing from. the spirit of the invention. What is claimed is: I

1. In combination, a vehicle doorinclud ing an interior panel supporting face having a series of spaced apertures formed therein, a finishing panel for application to said supporting face of the. door, a series of latch keepers on the panel spaced in correspondency with the apertures of saiddoor face, and a one-piece spring metal clip self-supported in each of said apertures for ena finishingpanel for application to said panel supporting face, a series of latch keepers on the panel each adapted to beembraced' by a latch head. when moved toward akeeper in the direction stated, for positive locking of the panel against displacement laterally from the supporting face of the door, and means restraining the latch heads against movement toward keeper engaging positions preparatory to application of a finishing panel.

3. In combination, a vehicle door including an interior panel supporting face,a panel clip car ried by said door, the clip comprisinga tensioned spring metal body and a latch head, a

finishing panel including a keeper complementary to and receptive of the latch head of the clip for mounting of the panel upon the supporting face of the door, restraining means for hold- .ingthe latch head in a retracted position while the spring metal body of the clip is tensioned for projection of the latch head toward the keeper of the panel, and trip means carried by the finishing panel to trip the restraining means upon advancement of the panel flatwise toward the supporting face of the door, releasing the latch head to engage the keeper of the finishingpanel and hold the latter securely'to the door face.

4; Panel mounting means comprising in combination a support having opposite faces, said support being provided with athrough aperture, said' aperture having opposite ends providing edge abutments, an elongatedspring metal clip tensioned by bending it intermediate its ends, one end of said clip including means for anchoring it upon one of the edge abutments, a head carried by the opposite end of said spring metal clip, said head being ofchannel shape and comprising a pair of legs spaced aparta distance exceeding the thicknessof the support, with the legs disposed in substantial parallelism with the support, a displaceable trigger element onthe clip adjacent to the headthereof for engage.-

ment with the other edge abutment of the support,.and adapted to restrain the head of the clip in a retracted position in opposition to the tension resulting from the bending of the clip intermediate its ends, a finishing panel comprising a keeperto be engaged by the head of the clip whenthe trigger element is displaced, and means on the finishing panel fordisplacing the trigger element when the keeper is in position to be engaged by the clip head.

5. Panel mounting means comprising in combination, a support having opposite faces, said support being provided with a through aperture, said aperture having opposite ends providing edge abutments, an elongated spring metal clip tensioned by bending it intermediate its ends,

one end of said clip including means for anchor- 3 ing it upon one of the edge abutments, a head carried by the opposite end of said spring metal clip, said head being of, channel shape and comprising a pair of legs spaced apart a distance exceeding the thickness of the support, with the legs disposed in substantial-parallelism with the support, a displaceable trigger element on the clip adjacent to the head thereof for engagement with the other edge abutment of the support, andsadapted torestrain thehead of the placementin a directionflaterally of the .p'anel clip; in a retracted position: opposition to: the

tension resulting from the. bending offlthez clip intermediate its ends, afinishing.panel-comprising akeeper to beengagedrby-thehead'oftheclip when the trigger element is.displaced; means gated spring metal clip tensioned by-bending-it intermediate itsends, meansmanchoring" one end of the spring metal. clip to the support, with the other end of the clip disposed adjacent to one faneof the support, theclip' thereby-extending:

through the apertureof thesupport, a head on said unanchored other end of the clip developed to channel shape and comprising apair; of legs spaced apart a distance exceeding the .thickness of the support, the legs being disposed" in substantial parallelism with the support, a displaceable trigger element on the clip engaging the end.

abutment of the support and maintaining both legs of the clip head at aretracted position'toxone side of the support 'in opposition tothe tension force ofthe bent intermediate portion of" the clip, said trigger element when tripped being adapted to leave the end abutment'of the support and to guide one only of the channel legs to that side of the support at which the intermediate portion of the clipcis disposed.

'7. Panel mounting means comprising:.incombination, a supporthaving opposite-faces, said support being provided with a-through aperture; said aperture having an endabutment, anelongated spring metal clip tensioned by bending it intermediate its ends, means anchoring: one end of the spring metal clip to thesupportpwith the other end of the clip disposed adjacent to one face of the support, the clip thereby extending through the aperture of the support, a head on said unanchored other end-of theclip developed to channel shape and comprising apair of legs spaced apart a distance exceeding the thickness of the support, the legs being disposed insubstantial parallelism with the support, a-;displaceable trigger element on the clip-engaging the end abutment of the support and: maintaining both legs of the clip head at a retracted position to one side of the support inopposition to. the tension force of the bent intermediateportion of the clip, said trigger element when tripped being adapted to leave the endyabutrnent of the support and to guide oneonly of ,thechannel legs to that side of the support at which the intermediate-portion of the clip is disposed, afinishing panel including means for tripping the trigger portion of the clip, and a keeper onsaid panel for reception of one of the clip legs as the head is released to the influence of the spring. tension of the clip by the tripping action stated.

8. Panel mounting means comprisingin combination, a support having opposite faces, said support being provided with a through aperture, said aperture having an end abutment, anxelongated spring metal clip tensioned. by bending. it intermediate its ends, meansanchoring one end of the spring metal clip to the support,'with the other end of the clip disposed adjacent to one face ofv thesupport, the;clip:thereby extendingof the clip, said trigger element when tripped. being adapted to leave the end abutmentof the support and toguide one only of the channel legs to that side of the support at which the intermediate portion of the clip is disposed, a finishing panel including; means for tripping thetrigger' portion of the clip, and a keeper on said panel for reception of one of the cliplegs as the head is released to the influence of the spring tension of the clip by the tripping actionstated, and means independent of the clip for precluding shifting of the panel in at least one-direction parallel to the support.

9. In combination, a support to be paneled, a tensioned spring metal clip detachably mounted upon the support, a hooked end on the clip including means for cooking the clip in a retracted position against the force of the springtension, the hooked end being disposed in substantial parallelism with the support and shiftable in parallelism with the support by the spring tension when uncooked, and a finishing panel including.

a keeper disposed in position forreception of the hooked end of the clip moving in substantial parallelismwith the panel, and means on the panel for tripping the cooked clip 'for release of' the hooked end to the keeper ofithe finishing panel.

10. The combination as set forth in claim 9, and

wherein the hooked end of the clip when tripped embraces both the keeper and an adjacent portion of the support for positively restraining the panel against movement laterally away from the support.

11. As a new article of manufacture, a panel mounting-clip comprising a length of spring metal ribbon'bent intermediate its ends to substantially a U-shape, an anchoring means on one end of the clip, and a hook-shaped head on the-opposite endof the clip, said head comprising a pair of spaced parallel legsand a connecting portion, the legs both being disposed transversely to the material of the clip between the bend and the head, with the space between the legs opening as a mouth in a direction away from the anchoring means, and a trigger portion adjacent to one of the legs of the clip head, said trigger portion comprising an ofiset between the head and the bend at the intermediate portion of the ribbon.

12. In combination, a support to be paneled, a tensioned spring metal clip mounted upon the support, a hooked end on the clip including means for maintaining the clip in a retracted'cocked position against the force of the spring tension, the hooked end being disposed for shiftability in substantial parallelism with the support by the spring tension when uncooked, a finishing panel having an outer edge and including a keep-er disposed in position for reception of the hooked end of the clip when advanced by the spring tension in substantial parallelism with the panel, the advancement being toward said outer edge of said panel so that a blade advanced between the panel andthe support will restore the hooked end of the clip to the retracted sition, and abutment means on the panel for tripping the vcocked clip for release of the hooked end to the keeper upon bodily movement of the panel flatwise toward the support and to mounting position relative thereto.

13. The combination as set forth in claim 12,

and wherein the hooked end of the clip when tripped embraces both the keeper and an adjacent portion of the support for positively fixing the panel against movement later-ally away from the support unless the blade is first inserted as specified to retract the hooked end of the clip.

RALPH W. HALL.

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