Retainer
A retainer (10) holds elongated members (12), such as hoses, pipes, wiring, etc, has a first arm (30) which extends from one side portion (24) of a base (20) and a second arm (32) which extends from another side portion (26) of the base. The arms (30 and 32) have end portions (46 and 50) which are spaced apart from each other when an elongated member (12) extends through an opening (14) in the base (20) and is disposed in engagement with a connector or bottom portion (22) of the base. At least one of the end portions of one of the arms (30 and 32) is movable away from the connector portion (22) of the base (20), under the influence of force transmitted from the elongated member (12), to effect engagement of the end portion (46) of one of the arms (30) with an opening (76) formed in the other arm.
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The present invention relates to a retainer for holding one or more elongated members.
A known retainer for holding an elongated member includes a bottom wall with upstanding sidewalls. Plate-like portions extend inwardly and downwardly from the sidewall. The plate-like portions have free ends which engage the elongated member to hold it in a groove or opening. A retainer having this construction is disclosed in U.S. Pat. No. 4,840,334.
SUMMARY OF THE INVENTIONThe present invention relates to a retainer for holding an elongated member. The retainer includes a first arm which extends from a side portion of a base. A second arm extends from another side portion of the base. When the elongated member extends through an opening in the base and is disposed in engagement with a connector portion of the base, the first and second arms have end portions which are spaced apart from each other. When the elongated member is moved away from the connector portion of the base, force is transmitted from the elongated member to effect engagement of the end portion of the first arm with an opening formed in the end portion of the second arm.
BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGSThe foregoing and other features of the invention will become more apparent upon a consideration of the following description taken in connection with the accompanying drawings, wherein:
A retainer 10, constructed in accordance with the present invention, is illustrated in
The elongated member 12 has been illustrated in
The retainer 10 (
The retainer 10 includes a base 20. The base 20 includes a connector portion 22 which extends between right and left (as viewed in
A first or right arm 30 extends from the right side portion 24. The right arm 30 extends downward and inward from the right side portion 24 toward the left side portion 26 and the connector portion 22 of the base 20. Similarly, a second or left arm 32 extends from the left side portion 26. The left arm 32 extends downward and inward from the left side portion 26 toward the right side portion 24 and connector portion 22 of the base 20.
The right arm 30 extends inwardly and downwardly from an upper (as viewed in
It should be understood that the retainer 10 may have an orientation other than the orientation illustrated in
A fastening or mounting portion (not shown) may be connected with and extend downward (as viewed in
When the elongated member 12 (
Continued downward (as viewed in
As the elongated member 12 continues to be moved downward (as viewed in
When the elongated member 12 is in the engaged position shown in solid lines in
When the elongated member 12 is in the engaged position illustrated in solid lines in
Since the connector section 56 of the side surface 54 has a radius of curvature which is smaller than the radius of curvature of the outer side surface 48 of the elongated member 12, the outer side surface 48 of the elongated member 12 moves into wedging engagement with flat side sections 60 and 62 of the side surface 54. The flat side sections 60 and 62 extend transverse to each other. In the illustrated embodiment of the invention, the flat side sections 60 and 62 extend at an acute angle relative to each other. However, if desired, the angle between the flat surfaces of the side sections 60 and 62 may be larger than an acute angle.
Wedging engagement of the elongated member 12 with the flat side sections 60 and 62 of the side surface 54 on the connector portion 22 of the base 20 holds the elongated member 12 against movement relative to the retainer 10. This tends to minimize noise upon vibrational movement of a support structure to which the retainer 10 is connected and/or upon the occurrence of the application of vibrational forces to the elongated member 12. It is contemplated that in certain environments, wedging engagement of the elongated member 12 with the flat side sections 60 and 62 may not be desirable and may be omitted.
Although the side surface 54 on the connector portion 22 has been illustrated in
Although the side surface 54 has been illustrated in
In accordance with one of the features of the present invention, the arms 30 and 32 are moved into latching engagement with each other, under the influence of force transmitted from the elongated member 12, upon movement of the elongated member away from the connector portion 22 of the base 20. When a force 64 (
Continued upward movement of the elongated member 12 resiliently deflects the left arm 32 upwardly (as viewed in
As the end portion 50 of the left arm 32 moves into engagement with the end portion 46 of the right arm 30, the end portions 46 and 50 of the right and left arms 30 and 32 are interconnected with a latching action (
The elongated member 12 has been illustrated schematically as moving straight upward away (as viewed in
Latching engagement of the arms 30 and 32 can be obtained in different ways. However, in the embodiment of the invention illustrated in
To obtain latching engagement between the right and left arms 30 and 32, the elongated member 12 moves the end portion 50 of the left arm 32 upward (as viewed in
When there is latching engagement of the arms 30 and 32, the end portion 46 of the right arm 30 is disposed in engagement with the end portion 50 of the left arm 32. The end portion 50 of the left arm 32 is disposed beneath the end portion 46 of the right arm (
The end portion 46 of the right arm 30 extends downward toward the connector portion 22 and is generally parallel to the right side portion 24 of the base 20. Therefore, the right arm 30 is not easily deflected from the position illustrated in
When the arms 30 and 32 are fastened together, an arcuate end surface 78 on the end portion 50 of the left arm 32 engages the outer side surface 48 of the elongated member (
The upward force 64 (
When the upward force 64 on the elongated member 12 is interrupted, the elongated member 12 moves back downward into engagement with the side surface 54 of the connector portion 22 and the base 20. As this occurs, the left arm 32 resiliently swings in a clockwise direction from the position shown in
The hook 74 has been illustrated in
The arms 30 and 32 have been illustrated in
In the embodiment of the invention illustrated in
When the elongated member 12 is to be removed from the main opening 14 in the retainer 10, a suitable tool 88 (
From the above description of the invention, those skilled in the art will perceive improvements, changes and modifications. Such improvements, changes and modifications within the skill of the art are intended to be covered by the appended claims.
Claims
1. A retainer for receiving and holding an elongated member that extends through said retainer comprising:
- a base,
- first and second arms, said base and said first and second arms comprising one-piece and not separate pieces secured together,
- said first and second arms having end portions which are spaced apart from each other when the elongated member extends through the retainer,
- said end portion of said first arm being movable under the influence of force transmitted from the elongated member to effect location of said end portion of said first arm in an opening formed in said end portion of said second arm upon movement of the elongated member in a direction out of the retainer to block movement of the elongated member from the retainer.
2. A retainer as set forth in claim 1 wherein said end portion of said second arm has a surface which is engaged by the elongated member to move the opening formed in said end portion of said second arm toward said end portion of said first arm upon movement of the elongated member away from said connector portion of said base.
3. A retainer as set forth in claim 1 wherein said end portion of said first arm has a first portion which enters the opening in said second arm upon movement of the elongated member away from said connector portion of said base and a second portion which engages a side of said second arm at a location spaced from the elongated member upon movement of said second arm away from said connector portion of said base.
4. A retainer as set forth in claim 1 wherein said connector portion of said base has an arcuate surface which is engagable by the elongated member, said arcuate surface having a center of curvature which is disposed on an axis which extends through the opening which receives the elongated member.
5. A retainer as set forth in claim 1 wherein said end portion of said second arm has a first surface area which engages the elongated member upon movement of the elongated member away from said connector portion of said base, said end portion of said first arm has a second surface area which engages said second arm upon movement of the elongated member away from said connector portion of said base, said first surface area on said end portion of said second arm being disposed closer to said connector portion of said base than said second surface area on said end portion of said first arm upon movement of the elongated member away from said connector portion of said base.
6. A retainer as set forth in claim 1 wherein said first arm is integrally formed as one piece with and is skewed at a first acute angle relative to a first one of said side portions of said base when the elongated member is disposed in engagement with said connector portion of said base, said second arm is integrally formed as one piece with and is skewed at a second acute angle relative to a second one of said side portions of said base when the elongated member is disposed in engagement with said connector portion of said base.
7. A retainer as set forth in claim 1 wherein a first one of said first and second arms is longer than a second one of said first and second arms and has an inner side surface which extends more than half way across and is engaged by the elongated member upon movement of the elongated member away from the connector portion of said base, said inner side surface of said first one of said first and second arms being skewed at an acute angle to relative to the path of movement of the elongated member away from the connector portion of said base to enable said inner side surface of said first one of said first and second arms to deflect movement of the elongated member toward one of the side portions of said base as the elongated member moves away from said connector portion of said base.
8. A retainer as set forth in claim 1 wherein said base and said first and second arms are integrally formed by a single piece of polymeric material.
9. A retainer for holding an elongated member, said retainer comprising:
- a base having side portions and a connector portion which extends between said side portions, said connector portion at least partially defines an opening which receives the elongated member,
- a first arm which extends from one of said side portions of said base, and
- a second arm which extends from another one of said side portions of said base,
- said first and second arms having end portions which are spaced apart from each other when the elongated member extends through the opening in said base and is disposed in engagement with said connector portion of said base,
- at least one of said end portions of said first and second arms being movable away from said connector portion of said base under the influence of force transmitted from the elongated member to effect engagement of said end portion of said first arm with an opening formed in said end portion of said second arm upon movement of the elongated member away from said connector portion of said base.
10. A retainer as set forth in claim 9 wherein said end portion of said second arm has a surface which is engaged by the elongated member to move the opening formed in said end portion of said second arm toward said end portion of said first arm upon movement of the elongated member away from said connector portion of said base.
11. A retainer as set forth in claim 9 wherein said end portion of said first arm has a first portion which enters the opening in said second arm upon movement of the elongated member away from said connector portion of said base and a second portion which engages a side of said second arm at a location spaced from the elongated member upon movement of said second arm away from said connector portion of said base.
12. A retainer as set forth in claim 9 wherein said connector portion of said base has an arcuate surface which is engagable by the elongated member, said arcuate surface having a center of curvature which is disposed on an axis which extends through the opening which receives the elongated member.
13. A retainer as set forth in claim 9 wherein said end portion of said second arm has a first surface area which engages the elongated member upon movement of the elongated member away from said connector portion of said base, said end portion of said first arm has a second surface area which engages said second arm upon movement of the elongated member away from said connector portion of said base, said first surface area on said end portion of said second arm being disposed closer to said connector portion of said base than said second surface area on said end portion of said first arm upon movement of the elongated member away from said connector portion of said base.
14. A retainer as set forth in claim 9 wherein said first arm is integrally formed as one piece with and is skewed at a first acute angle relative to a first one of said side portions of said base when the elongated member is disposed in engagement with said connector portion of said base, said second arm is integrally formed as one piece with and is skewed at a second acute angle relative to a second one of said side portions of said base when the elongated member is disposed in engagement with said connector portion of said base.
15. A retainer as set forth in claim 9 wherein a first one of said first and second arms is longer than a second one of said first and second arms and has an inner side surface which extends more than half way across and is engaged by the elongated member upon movement of the elongated member away from the connector portion of said base, said inner side surface of said first one of said first and second arms being skewed at an acute angle to relative to the path of movement of the elongated member away from the connector portion of said base to enable said inner side surface of said first one of said first and second arms to deflect movement of the elongated member toward one of the side portions of said base as the elongated member moves away from said connector portion of said base.
16. A retainer as set forth in claim 9 wherein said base and said first and second arms are integrally formed by a single piece of polymeric material.
Type: Application
Filed: Mar 30, 2006
Publication Date: Oct 11, 2007
Applicant:
Inventor: Michael Massengill (Warren, MI)
Application Number: 11/393,420
International Classification: E04C 5/16 (20060101);