US2783512A

US2783512A - Fastener

Info

Publication number: US2783512A
Application number: US479775A
Authority: US
Inventors: Edwin F Elms
Original assignee: Individual
Current assignee: Individual
Priority date: 1955-01-04
Filing date: 1955-01-04
Publication date: 1957-03-05
Anticipated expiration: 1974-03-05

Description

United States Patent FASTENER Edwin F. Elms, Roseville, Mieh., assignor to Robert L. Brown, Ferndale, Mich.

Application January 4, 1955, Serial No. 47 9,775

2 Claims. (Cl. 2473) This invention relates to a fastener of the type to be secured to an apertured panel for securing a molding or other part to the panel. The fastener is made from malleable sheet metal and formed to the desired shape by stamping.

It is an object of the present invention to provide a bendable tab on the fastener which projects through an aperture in the panel and to provide the tab with a tapered channel depression which wedges against another portion of the fastener to bend the tab thereby securely locking the fastener to its support.

Another object of the invention is to provide a fastener having an integral tab which has a downwardly directed portion of double thickness, being reversely bent back upon itself, adapted to extend through an opening in the panel formed by a second downwardly stamped tab, the outer surface of one of double thickness tab portions being arcuate and having a tapered channel portion directed toward the other of the double thickness tab portions.

Other objects and advantages of the invention will more fully appear from the following description taken in connection with the accompanying drawings, in which:

Fig. l is a cross sectional view of the fastener, taken on line 1-1 of Fig. 3, showing the parts in position befor the fastener is applied to a supporting panel;

Fig. 2 is an end view of the fastener shown in Fig. 1;

Fig. 3 is a top plan view of Fig. 1;

Fig. 4 is a view corresponding to Fig. 1 but showing the fastener applied to a supporting panel; and

Fig. 5 is a top plan view of a sheet metal blank from which the fastener is made.

Referring to the drawings, the fastener comprises a body portion 15) having upwardly and outwardly diverging flanges 12, the body portion being bowed upwardly so that the end edges engage the panel 14 with the central portion of the body spaced upwardly away from the panel 14. This bowed portion causes the end edges of the flanges 12 to diverge upwardly and outwardly away from the end edges of the body portion 10. Stamped out of the central portion of the body 10 is a downwardly projecting tab 16 on the underside of the fastener forming an opening 18. This tab 16 is bent beyond a perpendicular plane to the plane of the body so as to provide a hook-like member for engagement with the edge of an aperture 26 in the panel 14.

Another tab 22 is formed from an outwardly extending portion, at one edge of the blank, which is folded upwardly and inwardly over the body portion 10. In the normal position the portion 24 of the tab 22 slants at an acute angle to the plane of the body portion 10. The tab 22 has another portion 26 which extends downwardly through the opening 18 in the body portion 10 from which the tab 16 was stamped. The outer end of the tab 22 is reversely bent upwardly providing an arcuate portion 28 which engages the edge of the tab 16 where it is united to the body portion 10. A depressed portion 30 is formed on the portion 26 facing the portion 28 and 2,783,512 Patented Mar. 5, 1957 a channel 32, tapering from the outer end of the portion 28 toward the bend 34 between the

portions

26 and 28, is formed in the arcuate portion 28 facing the depressed portion 30. The tapered channel 32 and the depressed portion 30 engage each other.

When the fastener is applied to the panel 14 the hook 16 is inserted in the opening 20 of the panel 14 and slid to holding position under one edge of the panel. The bent portion between the

portions

26 and 28 is received in the opening 20. The operator then forces the portion 24 and outer end of portion 28 into the opening 20. This action causes a sliding action of the tapered channel 32 on the depressed portion 30 causing the weaker bent section between the

portions

26 and 28 to bend underneath the opposite edge of the opening 20, as illustrated in Fig. 4, the arcuate portion 28 hearing against the hook 16. Thus the fastener is locked to the panel 14 by pressure engagement of the bent portion 26 and the hook 16 on the underside of the panel 14.

The invention herein illustrated and described is illustrative of one form of the device, but it is to be understood that various changes, including the size, shape and arrangement of parts, may be made without departing from the spirit of my invention and it is the intention to cover such reasonable changes as may be made within the scope of the appended claims.

I claim:

1. A sheet metal fastener of malleable material comprising a body portion, a first tab projecting downwardly and reversely bent to an acute angle to said body portion, said tab being struck out of said body portion providing an aperture through said body portion, a second tab integral with one end of said body portion bent over said body portion extending on an angle upwardly and somewhat toward the aperture, said second tab having a portion bent downwardly into the aperture and reversely bent upwardly providing a portion having its outer surface in sliding contact with the base of said first tab, a channel stamped into the upwardly extending portion and extending toward the downwardly extending portion, said channel decreasing in depth from the outer free end thereof toward the reverse bend, said channel being in contact with the downwardly extending portion of said second tab.

2. A sheet metal fastener of malleable material comprising a body portion, a first tab projecting downwardly and reversely bent to an acute angle to said body portion, said tab being struck out of said body portion provid ing an aperture through said body portion, a second tab integral with one end of said body portion bent over said body portion extending on an angle upwardly and somewhat toward the aperture, said second tab having a portion bent downwardly into the aperture and reversely bent upwardly providing a portion having its outer surface curved and in sliding contact with the base of said first tab, a channel stamped into the upwardly extending portion and extending toward the downwardly extending portion, said channel decreasing in depth from the outer free end thereof toward the reverse bend, the free end of said upwardly extending portion initially terminating above the plane of the angularly disposedportion of said tab, and a depressed portion in said downwardly extending portion in contact with the outer face of said channel. 7

References Cited in the file of this patent UNITED STATES PATENTS 2,128,004 Lombard Aug. 13, 1938 2,438,338 Poupitch Sept. 30, 1947 2,471,247 Stadler May 24, 1949 2,476,207 Brown July 12, 1949