Abstract: This invention relates to a sealing spring fasteners, which comprise one or more snapping engagement segments. The snapping engagement segments have engagement sections, which in turn have engagement bent portions. The engagement bent portions provide the sealing spring fasteners with considerably increased holding power. The invention also pertains a method of making the fasteners, as well as vehicles comprising such fasteners.
Abstract: This invention pertains fasteners which are characterized by easy insertion and extraordinarily difficult separation of items that they attach together. This is achieved by a combination of snapping segments with an elastic body disposed at least under the head of the fastener. The snapping segments may comprise anti-opening and/or anti-sliding portions, which immensely increase the strength with which the fasteners hold the objects together. The elastic body in the vicinity of the bottom section of the fasteners also provides water and gas proof properties, as well as elimination of squeaking noises. Vehicles comprising objects connected together by the fastening devices described and claimed herein are part of the instant invention.
Type:
Grant
Filed:
August 6, 2002
Date of Patent:
April 27, 2004
Assignee:
Eustathios Vassiliou Revocable Trust
Inventors:
Daniel James Dickinson, Michael Walter Smith, Eustathios Vassiliou
Abstract: This invention discloses fasteners characterized by the use of barbs to secure a primary object in place. More particularly, the barbs which are used are critically shaped barbs resulting in considerable increase of the holding force without sacrificing the flexibility of the barbs, the force needed to insert part of the primary object into the fastener, and without sacrificing the broad acceptability of various thicknesses of the primary object to be fastened. The distance between the front point of a barb and the respective opposite side structure may preferably be smaller than the thickness of said material, such as sheet metal for example, that the fastener is made from. The fasteners of this invention may also be provided with spring members of intricate and critical structure, which despite easy insertion of the fastener into a slot of a secondary object, the removal force is greatly increased.