Abstract: A strap buckle having male and female components which are connected to respective opposite ends of a strap and which have cooperative and releasable latching means whereby the two components are releasably held against separation. The strap is connected to the male component through connecting means arranged to permit adjustment of the effective length of the strap so that the strap can be extended or shortened as required, and in use that connecting means normally locks the strap against extension. The female component includes a strap reacting section which overlies the connecting means of the male component when the two components are connected together and thereby prevents the strap from being manipulated such as to release it from the locking influence of the connecting means. The male component has three laterally spaced arms which locate within the female component, and guard means is provided on one or more of those arms to prevent incorrect or incomplete cooperation of the two components.

Abstract: An eddy current testing system is disclosed in which a pair of thin one-layer windings are disposed against a pair of thin plates of high permeability magnetic material, about aligned openings in the plates through which a wire is passed, pits and inclusions in the wire being detected by comparing signals corresponding to the electrical impedances on the two windings. The plates of high permeability magnetic material operate to concentrate magnetic flux in small regions of the wire, to obtain a high resolution.

Abstract: A thermoplastic fastener having a slight taper, is friction welded to a thermoplastic workpiece. A system for friction welding the fastener includes a way of automatically stopping rotation of the fastener while contact pressure between the fastener and the workpiece is maintained.

Abstract: A plastic molded fastener is described as formed with a fastening clip and drive pin. The fastening clip has an elongate base member with an integrally formed clip member at one end and a mounting aperture adjacent the other end. The plastic drive pin extends generally perpendicular to the base member and has its pointed end held in a pre-driven position within the mounting aperture by a frangible connection. A collar is integrally formed on the base member about the mounting aperture for providing a snap fitting connection which is adapted to hold a driving tool in a stationary position. The snap fitting connection allows the drive pin to be consistently driven by the driving tool in a perpendicular path relative to the base member.

Abstract: A one-piece fastener is disclosed for loosely retaining a transversely extending branch with respect to a horizontal support wire. The fastener is molded of resilient plastic material in form of a flexible filament portion with a clip portion integrally formed at its opposite ends. Each of the clip portions have a generally tubular body with a cylindrical-shaped throughbore formed longitudinally and with an elongate slot formed lengthwise of the tubular body in direct communication with the throughbore to define a throat for receiving the support wire into the throughbore. Each end of the filament portion is connected to one of the tubular bodies at a point adjacent to its elongate slot and adjacent to one of its ends which provides an offset relationship between the flexible filament portion and the two tubular bodies.

Abstract: A hood bumper assembly which may be used, for example, to adjustably align the hood of an automobile with the adjacent fenders as the hood is brought down into locked engagement over the engine compartment. The assembly includes a workpiece, which may be the framework of the engine compartment, having an aperture and a helical internal marginal portion defined around the aperture, and a member having an end with a spherical surface portion arranged to engage the hood when closed and a shank portion including a helical thread adapted to be threadingly received by the aperture. The assembly further includes detent means carried by the shank and the workpiece for releasably locking the shank within the aperture against rotation at predetermined rotational intervals. The spherical surface portion of the member end is arranged to coact with a stamped recess in the underside of the hood to prevent lateral vibration of the hood and to positively locate the hood in proper position when it is closed.

Abstract: A transient voltage protector is provided for telephone lines and the like. An insulating plastic housing is provided with two pairs of terminals having female connections at the lower ends for association with selected terminals of a telephone terminal block. The upper ends of these terminals are of a male type and extend above the top of the housing for receipt of further elements such as bridging clips, plug-in fuse units, or line status indicators. An offset and raised portion of the housing carries a pair of zener diodes having lower wire terminals connected to two of the aforesaid terminals. The upper wire terminals of the zener diodes are connected to a grounding terminal having an upper portion extending above the housing in the form of two spaced tines for receipt of a common ground wire between the tines. The various terminals and the zener diodes and the housing have complementary structure for positioning of the terminals and the diodes within the housing.

Abstract: The invention relates to a fastener assembly for use in attaching articles to printed circuit boards, and include a fastener, which has a generally tubular body, flanged at one end, is adapted to receive a screw. The fastener has a polygonal cross-section over a portion of its length. The flange which is located at one end of the tubular body, has an integral spring washer and includes indentations which allow solder to flow from one side of the printed circuit board to the other. The fastener with its integral spring washer provides improved clamping characteristics and avoids problems associated with large coefficients of thermal expansion of printed circuit board material in a direction perpendicular to the board.

Abstract: There is disclosed a gas-cushion shock absorber wherein a sealed uninflated cushion bag containing gasifiable material is initially assembled within a hydraulic reservoir of the shock absorber whereupon the gasifiable material is activated for producing sufficient gas for inflating the bag.

Abstract: A device for connecting the strengthening rod on seat upholstery to the seat load-bearing structure. The device is composed of a fastener into which is engaged a corresponding end of the strengthening rod, a buckle, integral with a fastener and secured to the same by means of a flexible rib enabling angular displacement of the fastener, and a flexible clamp designed to wrap round a member on the load-bearing structure for securing the fastener in projecting manner to the member, and integrally formed at its opposite ends to the buckle and a stop tab designed to engage with the buckle.

Abstract: An opening stopper of elastomeric material, especially for sealing lacquer outflow openings in automotive vehicle bodies, comprising a closed bottom, an elastically shapable flange covering the edge of the workpiece opening, a collar connecting the bottom to the flange, and a shoulder disposed at the outer surface of the collar, said shoulder engaging behind the oppositely disposed opening edge, wherein the shoulder is formed by a circumferentially extending free edge of a lip configurated like a conical disc which is tied at a location level with the countersunk bottom and extends obliquely outward towards the flange.

Abstract: A one-piece thermoplastic fastener assembly is disclosed having a friction-weld fastening surface with a centrally located heat-activated adhesive pellet. A plurality of deflector segments are integrally formed with the friction weld surface at the plurality of radial distances from the axis of rotation. The shape of the base member and the thickness of the plurality of deflector segments are selected to cause any imaginary straight line emanating from the axis of rotation and passing through the marginal edge of each intercepted deflector segment to extend below the radial plane which passes across the outer marginal edge of the innermost deflector segment to thereby causes even distribution of the heat-activated adhesive across the friction weld surface in response to a driving rotation of the base member.

Abstract: A two-position electrical switch assembly is disclosed for mounting in an aperture of a metal panel. The housing for the switch assembly is constructed of an electrically non-conducting body having a head portion and a shank portion. The head portion is integrally formed with the shank portion such that the shank portion extends transversely away from a panel contacting surface of the head portion. A central opening is formed through the head portion and extends coaxially with an axial opening formed longitudinally through the shank portion. The shank portion includes means for resiliently mounting the switch assembly housing in the apertured middle panel where the resilient mounting means includes a first electrical conducting member, a pair of spring-biased electrical conducting fingers, and a second electrical conducting member. The pair of spring-biased electrical conducting fingers are disposed longitudinally in the axial bore with their free ends normally biased together.

Abstract: Buckle on which a female part having a receiving opening at one end and an adjacent locking edge on the opposite side to the opening, and a male part, having a locking portion and an activating portion, are designed to connect in releasable manner; the buckle being characterised by the fact that the locking and activating portions are formed on an intermediate portion and the free end respectively of a flexible tongue projecting from the male part in the insertion direction, the flexible tongue being connected to a further essentially-rigid contrasting tongue on the male part, the distance between the tongue and the locking portion on the flexible tongue being greater than the height of the receiving opening.

Abstract: A switched telephone tester comprises a tester body defining a connector portion of complementary configuration for receiving a modular telephone plug, a light emitting element responsive to a given voltage for emitting light, and a switch coupled with the tester body and with the light emitting element and movable relative to the tester body to a first position for placing the light emitting element in electrical circuit across tip and ring contacts of the modular telephone plug and a second position for taking the light emitting means out of circuit across the tip and ring contacts, to thereby test for the presence of a voltage across the tip and ring contacts.

Abstract: A switch actuator assembly comprises an insulating base and an insulating retainer assembled therewith. A switch contact assembly initially includes at least a first contact and a second contact interconnected by an integral narrow strip of sheet metal. The base and retainer are provided with an integral punch and die, and during assembly of the switch contact assembly with the base and the retainer the punch and die sever the connecting strip so that the first and second contacts are thereafter electrically isolated. During such severing the strip is deflected from its initial plane to augment the electrical isolation.