Claims
- 1. A lock device secured within a complementally-shaped hole in a panel, said lock device comprising in combination:
- a lock shell including a generally cylindrical outer surface and a longitudinal center line;
- a lock clip adapted to maintain the lock shell within the hole in the panel by frictionally contacting a region of the lock shell and engaging a rear portion of the panel adjacent to said hole, the lock clip comprising:
- a pair of extending legs, each leg including a flat portion, a curved portion, and a contact portion at the distal end thereof for providing frictional contact;
- a generally planar bridge portion connecting the two legs, the bridge portion being co-planar with the flat portions of the legs, the bridge portion and the flat portions of the legs including a less than semicircular arched interior surface that connects the legs, said arched interior surface the generally cylindrical outer surface of the lock shell to engage the lock shell when the lock clip is in its securing position; and
- the curved portion of each extending leg having an apex, the apex of each leg being disposed below the longitudinal center line of the lock shell when the lock clip is in its securing position.
- 2. The lock device of claim 1, wherein the flat portion of each leg and the bridge portion form an extending planar contact surface between the lock clip and the rear portion of the panel.
- 3. The lock device of claim 1, wherein the contact portion on each leg contacts the rear portion of the panel.
- 4. The lock device of claim 3, wherein the contact portion is a bend in each leg.
- 5. The lock device of claim 1, wherein a tab extends away from a surface of the bridge portion for manual actuation of the lock clip.
- 6. The lock device of claim 1, wherein the lock clip is formed of a resilient material.
- 7. The lock device of claim 6, wherein the lock clip is formed of spring steel.
- 8. A lock device secured within a complementally-shaped hole in a panel, said lock device comprising in combination:
- a generally cylindrical lock shell having an outer surface, a longitudinal center line, and a horizontal plane which extends through the longitudinal center line; and
- a lock clip adapted to maintain the lock shell within the hole of the panel by frictionally contacting a region of the lock shell and engaging a rear portion of the panel adjacent to said hole, the lock clip comprising:
- a pair of extending legs, each leg including a flat portion, an intermediate curved portion, and a contact portion at the distal end thereof for providing frictional contact, the curved portion of each leg including an apex, the legs having a first plane which is co-planar with the flat portions and is adjacently parallel to the panel and a second plane which extends through the apex of each curved portion and is perpendicular to the first plane of the legs; and
- a generally flat bridge portion connecting the two legs and being co-planar with the first plane thereof, the bridge portion and the flat portions of the legs including an interior surface, the interior surface having at least one engagement portion which contacts the outer surface of the lock shell when the lock clip is in its securing position, the second plane of the legs being parallel to but offset from the horizontal plane of the lock shell when the lock clip is in its securing position, the perpendicular distance between said engagement portion and the second plane of the legs being greater than the perpendicular distance between said engagement portion and the horizontal plane of the lock shell when the lock clip is in its securing position.
- 9. In a lock device secured within a complementally-shaped hole in a panel, said lock device comprising in combination:
- a generally cylindrical lock shell having an outer surface, a longitudinal center line, and a horizontal plane which extends through the longitudinal center line; and
- a lock clip adapted to maintain the lock shell within the hole of the panel by frictionally contacting a region of the lock shell and engaging a rear portion of the panel adjacent to said hole, the lock clip comprising:
- a pair of extending legs, each leg including a flat portion, an intermediate curved portion, and a contact portion at the distal end thereof for providing frictional contact, the curved portion of each leg including an apex, the legs having a first plane which is co-planar with the flat portions and is adjacently parallel to the panel and a second plane which extends through the apex of each curved portion and is perpendicular to the first plane of the legs; and
- a generally flat bridge portion connecting the two legs and being co-planar with the first plane thereof, the bridge portion and the flat portions of the legs including an interior surface, the interior surface having at least one engagement portion which contacts the outer surface of the lock shell when the lock clip is in its securing position, the improvement characterized by:
- the second plane of the legs being parallel to but offset from the horizontal plane of the lock shell when the lock clip is in its securing position; and the perpendicular distance between said engagement portion and the second plane of the legs being greater than the perpendicular distance between said engagement portion and the horizontal plane of the lock shell when the lock clip is in its securing position.
Parent Case Info
This is a continuation of application Ser. No. 08/519,590 filed on Aug. 24, 1995, now abandoned which is a continuation of application Ser. No. 08/170,498 filed on Dec. 20, 1993, now abandoned.
US Referenced Citations (10)
Foreign Referenced Citations (4)
Number |
Date |
Country |
830359 |
Jul 1938 |
FRX |
828496 |
Jan 1952 |
DEX |
1218041 |
Jan 1971 |
GBX |
1288840 |
Sep 1972 |
GBX |
Continuations (2)
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Number |
Date |
Country |
Parent |
519590 |
Aug 1995 |
|
Parent |
170498 |
Dec 1993 |
|