US3220176A

US3220176A - Fastening means for attachments to clock housings

Info

Publication number: US3220176A
Application number: US355862A
Authority: US
Inventors: John W Morgan; Donald R Scott
Original assignee: Sunbeam Corp
Current assignee: Sunbeam Corp
Priority date: 1964-03-30
Filing date: 1964-03-30
Publication date: 1965-11-30
Anticipated expiration: 1982-11-30

Description

Nov. 30, 1965 J, w. MORGAN ETAL 3,220,176

FASTENING MEANS FOR ATTACHMENTS TO CLOCK HOUSING Filed March 50, 1964 l i 1 I 1 20 z; I '16 l 1 II lllH z; f 1 Q if v JILL OS \\\\\\\T I 22 242 3 59.

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INVENTORS United States Patent 3,220,176 FASTENING MEANS FOR ATTACHMENTS TO CLOCK HOUSINGS John W. Morgan, Elmhurst, and Donald R. Scott, Lomhard, Ill., assignors to Sunbeam Corporation, Chicago,

IlL, a corporation of Illinois Filed Mar. 30, 1964, Ser. No. 355,862 2 flaims. (CI. 58-53) This invention relates to an improved fastening means, and more particularly, to an improved fastening means for connecting elements such as decorative radial spikes to a clock housing.

It is an object of the invention to provide improved fastening means for the decorative radial spikes of a clock housing which is low cost, has a minimum of loose parts, is easy to assemble, and requires no tools or special skill on the part of the purchaser of the clock.

Briefly, in the preferred form of the invention, the only loose parts are the spikes themselves which can be packaged with the clock in disassembled position. The clock housing and the spikes are constructed from resilient molded plastic material. The fastening means proper comprises solely cooperative integral formations on the peripheral portion of the housing and the inner ends of the spikes. Assembly of the spikes to the housing comprises solely interengaging the cooperative integral formations. This requires no tools or special skills, and the spikes can just as readily be removed or turned over to obtain different visual effects.

The invention will be better understood by considering the following description taken in connection with the accompanying drawing and its scope will be pointed out in the appended claims.

In the drawing, FIG. 1 is a front elevation view of a decorator wall-type clock utilizing the invention;

FIG. 2 is a broken away enlarged rear view of the clock;

FIG. 3 is an enlarged sectional view taken along the section line 33 of FIG. 2;

FIG. 4 is a sectional view taken along the section line 4-4 of FIG. 3; and

FIG. 5 is a broken away and exploded perspective view of the invention.

Referring first to FIG. 1, a decorator wall-type clock is illustrated comprising a housing having a dial face 11. The dial face has hour and minute hands 12 and 13 and radiating hour marks 14. Decorative spikes 15 are connected to housing 10 so as to be aligned with the hour marks 14.

Referring to FIGS. 2 to 5, the fastening means for spikes 15 will now be described. The clock housing is provided with a circumferential plate or support 16 having an integral peripheral flange 17. The fastening means is located at the back of plate 16 inside flange 17. At their inner ends the spikes 15 are provided with a groove or opening 18 which extends lengthwise of the spikes. This groove is adapted to receive a tongue or projection 19 integral with the back of plate 16. At its inner end the tongue is provided with a shoulder 20 which seats the innermost end of the spikes. Outboard of the tongues 19 the spikes are seated on the flange 17. Between the tongues 19 and flange 17 are gripping forks 21 which are integral with the back of plate 16 and the tongue 19. These forks are provided with enlargements 22 which overhang the spikes and lock them in position.

3,226,176 Patented Nov. 30, 1965 The spikes 15 and the plate 16 and its

integral parts

19 and 21 are constructed from a resilient molded plastic such as high impact polystyrene. The tongue 19 is tapered so as to decrease its width slightly from its central part towards its opposite ends. Also, the maximum spacing of sides 23 of opening 18 is slightly less than maximum width of tongue 19. Therefore, and due to the resiliency of the plastic material employed, the sides 23 are expanded slightly when the tongues 19 are forced into openings 18. Only a moderate amount of thumb pressure is required to force the tongues in their openings 18.

The maximum spacing of the enlargements 22 is also slightly less than the width of spikes 15. Therefore, the fork 21 will first spread slightly to pass the spike and then its enlargements 22 will move towards each other to lock the spikes in place. The enlargements 22 retain the spikes seated on shoulders 20 and flange 17 so they cannot move in a direction perpendicular to the dial face 11. The tongues 19 in grooves 18 and the forks seat the spikes against moving laterally of the dial face.

The inner bottom edge 24 of forks 21 are relieved or cut away so as to be spaced from the bottom of the spikes 15. That is, edges 24 are not as high as shoulders 20. Therefore, when enlargements 22 grip the spikes 15 they are free to bow slightly towards edges 24 in being seated on the shoulders 20 and flange 17.

The forks 21 and tongues 19 are perpendicular to each other so as to support each other, and at the inner ends of tongues 19 integral perpendicular support means 25 is also provided. In order to remove the spikes it is only necessary to pull them off their

seats

20, 17 against the yieldable gripping action of

resilient portions

21, 23 and to obtain different visual effects the spikes can be assembled in turned over position and for this purpose they are given a channel or V-shaped cross section and different colors can be applied to their opposite sides.

While there has been illustrated and described an embodiment of the present invention, it will be appreciated that numerous changes and modifications will occur to those skilled in the art, and it is intended in the appended claims to cover all those changes and modifications as fall within the true spirit and scope of the present invention.

What is claimed as new and desired to be secured by Letters Patent of the United States is:

1. Means for fastening radially extending spikes to the circumferential plate of a clock housing, said means comprising an integral rearwardly projecting peripheral flange on said plate, a rearwardly projecting integral tongue on said plate, said tongue extending in a radial direction and being spaced radially inward of said flange, an integral shoulder on said plate radially inward of said tongue, said flange and shoulder being adjacent opposite ends of said tongue, a groove in the inner end of said spike, said spike being seated on said flange and shoulder and said tongue being snugly received in said groove, an integral rearwardly projecting fork member on said plate between said tongue and flange, said fork member snugly straddling said spike, and all the mentioned parts being constructed from resilient molded plastic material.

2. Fastening means as in claim 1, comprising said tongue and groove being elongated and extending lengthwise of said spike, said fork member being disposed perpendicular to said tongue, said tongue, shoulder and fork member being formed integral with each other, and the 4 open opposite ends of said fork member having enlarge- 2,706,542 4/1955 Schaeffer 189-36 mcnts integrally formed thereon overhanging said spike. 2,847,780 8/1958 Ellerman 40125 FOREIGN PATENTS e (:1 ed by we Exam 955,559 4/1964 Great Britain.

UNITED STATES PATENTS 5 1,662,729 3/1928 Wait 189-36 LEO SMILOW, Primary Examiner-

Claims

1. MEANS FOR FASTENING RADIALLY EXTENDING SPIKES TO THE CIRCUMFERENTIAL PLATE OF A CLOCK HOUSING, SAID MEANS COMPRISING AN INTEGRAL REARWARDLY PROJECTING PERIPHERAL FLANGE ON SAID PLATE, A REARWARDLY PROJECTING INTEGRAL TONGUE ON SAID PLATE, SAID TONGUE EXTENDING ION A RADIAL DIRECTION AND BEING SPACED RADIALLY INWARD OF SAID FLANGE, AN INTEGRAL SHOULDER ON SAID PLATE RADIALLY INWARD OF SAID TONGUE, SAID FLANGE AND SHOULDER BEING ADJACENT OPOSITE ENDS OF SAID TONGUE, A GROOVE IN THE INNER END OF SAID SPIKE, SAID SPIKE BEING SEATED ON SAID FLANGE AND SHOULDER AND SAID TONGUE BEING SNUGLY RECEIVED IN SAID GROOVE, AN INTEGRAL REARWARDLY PROJECTING FORK MEMBER ON SAID PLAT BETWEEN SAID TONGUE AND FLANGE, SAID FORK MEMBER SNUGLY STRADDLING SAID SPIKE, AND ALL THE MENTIONED PARTS BEING CONSTRUCTED FROM RESILIENT MOLDED PLASTIC MATERIAL.