1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to a connecting or fastening apparatus that permits two objects to be quickly and detachably interconnected, and more particularly to a one-piece connecting apparatus that allows an object to be quickly and detachably interconnected and is inexpensive and simple to manufacture. The present invention also relates to an article of manufacture or stamp from a suitable metal material such as steel for fabricating the one-piece connecting apparatus.
2. Description of the Related Art
A number of connecting apparatus have provided for the engagement and detachable interconnection of male and female members. Apparatus for mounting an object on a belt is disclosed in U.S. Pat. Nos. 5,347,693 and 5,839,173 to Applicant, which patents being hereby specifically incorporated by reference in their entirety. In such apparatus, the female member defines a receptacle, and a male member has a part-circular head or button with a straight side which is slid into the receptacle of the female member through an open-top slot past a retaining structure which projects into the entry end of the slot. On entry into the receptacle, the head moves the retaining structure out of the way to permit passage. The retaining structure prevents movement of the head out of the receptacle in any but a single rotational orientation of the head, and thus the female and male members are detachably interconnected.
The known female members may be unitary, one-piece structures or multiple piece structures, however, all known female members must be attached though various securing means to a belt clip structure for further mounting of an object on a belt. Female members are known to be secured to the belt clip structure by riveting the member to a stiffening plate on all four corners of the member and then riveting the belt clip structure to the stiffening plate. The process of securing a female member to a belt clip structure though rivets and a stiffening plate increases both the time and material cost of manufacturing, as well as increasing the difficulty of the manufacturing process and allowing more opportunity for errors in manufacture to occur.
It is a general object of the invention to provide an improved apparatus for detachably interconnecting two objects, which avoids the disadvantages of prior apparatus while affording additional structural and operating advantages.
To this end, a one-piece connecting apparatus formed entirely of a single piece of material such as formed metal provides reliable construction. A one-piece female connector structure is adapted for cooperation with an associated male connector structure for interconnecting objects. The female structure is formed from a single material and includes a member folded into separate planes. A first planar wall is interconnected and substantially parallel with a second planar wall, such that the first wall and the second wall respectively cooperate to define a receptacle therebetween. The first wall has an aperture therein communicating with the receptacle and extending to a peripheral edge of the first wall, and the first wall has an entrance that opens at its peripheral edge. A cam portion is formed with the member and extends into the receptacle, with the cam portion being laterally offset to one side of the aperture to inhibit movement out of the receptacle.
Another object of the invention is an article of manufacture or stamp from a suitable metal material such as steel for fabricating a one-piece connecting apparatus. The article is flat and generally rectangular in shape with two opposed long sides and two opposed short sides and including a V shaped cut-out disposed on a short side and a cam portion positioned along a long side for providing a retaining structure to cooperate with the V shaped cut-out. Further included is another flat generally rectangular shaped second half coupled to a short side of the first half of the article cooperating with the first half to form a clip portion.
Important features of the invention include apparatus being of simple, economical construction, which is resistant to wear, with the provision of an integrally formed metal, one-piece, female connecting structure.
For the purpose of facilitating an understanding of the inventions, the accompanying drawings and description illustrate a preferred embodiment thereof, from which the inventions, structure, construction and operation, and many related advantages may be readily understood and appreciated.
The following description is provided to enable those skilled in the art to make and use the described embodiments set forth in the best modes contemplated for carrying out the invention. Various modifications, however, will remain readily apparent to those skilled in the art. Any and all such modifications, equivalents, and alternatives are intended to fall within the spirit and scope of the present invention.
Referring to
Referring also to prior art
The female structure 30 is preferably of unitary, one-piece construction, having a flat, substantially planar base wall 31, including spaced-apart and coplanar upper and lower rectangular portions 32 and 33 fixedly secured to the leg 16 and the stiffening plate 19 of the hanger loop 15, as by rivets 34. Offset forwardly a slight distance from the base wall 31 and substantially parallel thereto is a generally rectangular, flat, planar front wall 35, joined at its upper and lower edges to the lower and upper edges, respectively, of the base wall portions 32 and 33 by short rectangular shoulders 36 and 37. The upper shoulder 36 is cut away in a central region thereof to define an entrance slot 38 which opens into a receptacle 39. An elongated aperture 40 is formed in the front wall 35, the upper end of which opens at the entrance slot 38, and the lower end of which is defined by an arcuate seat 41. The aperture 40 has straight side edges which, respectively, extend from the opposite ends of the seat 41 to the shoulder 36 and the entrance slot 38.
Also formed through the front wall 35 is a generally V-shaped slot 44, the legs of which are spaced laterally from and extends substantially parallel aperture 40. The slot 44 serves to define a cam tab 45, which is generally triangular in shape, having an outer cam surface 46 and an inclined distal end, and projecting rearwardly therefrom is a short flange 48. The cam tab 45 is bent out of the plane of the front wall 35 toward the base wall 31, so that the distal tip of the cam tab 45 lies substantially in the plane of the base wall 31 (see
With reference to
A first planar wall 102 is interconnected and substantially parallel with a second planar wall 104, such that the first wall 102 and the second wall 104 respectively cooperate to define a receptacle 106 therebetween. The first wall 102 has an aperture 108 therein communicating with the receptacle 106 and extending to its peripheral edge, and the first wall 102 has an entrance that opens at the peripheral edge of the first wall 102 as a generally V-shaped slot. The aperture 108 defines a seat opposite the entrance opening at the peripheral edge of the first wall 102. A cam portion 110 is formed with the member and extends into the receptacle, with the cam portion being laterally offset to one side of the aperture to inhibit movement out of the receptacle by the associated male connector structure. The cam portion 110 may be formed with the folded first wall 102 as illustrated with the cam portion 110 residing on the first wall 102 and inclined from the plane of said first wall 102 into the receptacle 106 and toward the plane of the second wall 104. Alternately the cam portion 110 may be formed with the folded second wall 104 of the metal member forming the one-piece female connector structure 100.
Referring to
The first half or first member 202 has first and second opposed long sides 206 and 208 respectfully, and third and fourth opposed short sides 210 and 212 respectfully. The short side 210 of first half or member 202 is coupled to second half or member 204, and a generally V shaped cut-out is disposed on the peripheral edge of short side 212 opposite short side 210 and generally centered along side 212, as seen in
A cut-out forming a cam portion 214 is disposed on the first half 202 laterally offset toward one of the long sides 206 or 208 for providing a retaining structure to cooperate with the generally V shaped cut-out. As described, the article or stamp 200 includes the member 202 having the generally V shaped cut-out disposed on the peripheral edge of one of the third or fourth opposed short sides, with the cam portion laterally offset along one of the first or second long sides for providing a retaining structure to cooperate with the generally V shaped cut-out. As seen in
The first half 202 may taper along the first and second long sides from the third and forth short sides toward the horizontal mid line (M), as seen in
Second half or second member 204 has first and second opposed long sides 216 and 218 respectfully, and first and second opposed short sides, 220 and 222 respectfully. The generally rectangular second half or member 204 may be narrower than the generally rectangular first half 202, as seen in
From the foregoing, it can be seen that there has been provided an improved connecting apparatus of simple and economical construction. While a particular embodiment of the present invention has been shown and described, it will be obvious to those skilled in the art that changes and modifications may be made without departing from the invention in its broader aspects. Therefore, the aim in the appended claims is to cover all such changes and modifications as fall within the true spirit and scope of the invention. The matter set forth in the foregoing description and accompanying drawings is offered by way of illustration only and not as a limitation. The actual scope of the invention is intended to be defined in the following claims when viewed in their proper perspective based on the prior art.
This application claims priority pursuant to 35 USC 119(e) to U.S. Provisional Application No. 60/771645, filed on Feb. 09, 2006, which is incorporated herein by reference in its entirety.
Number | Date | Country | |
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60771645 | Feb 2006 | US |