Supports – Hold-down – Vehicle-mounted; for vehicle appurtenance
Reexamination Certificate
2001-07-19
2002-11-05
Ramirez, Ramon O. (Department: 3632)
Supports
Hold-down
Vehicle-mounted; for vehicle appurtenance
C296S043000
Reexamination Certificate
active
06474616
ABSTRACT:
BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION AND RELATED ART STATEMENT
The present invention relates to an article holding device, and especially, it relates to an article holding device which holds a hook provided in a rear seat frame of a vehicle with respect to a panel (floor).
As a conventional article holding device, for example, an article holding device disclosed in Japanese Patent Publication (KOKAI) No. H8-210335 which was proposed by the assignee of the present invention. FIGS.
14
through
15
(B) show an article holding device disclosed in Japanese Patent Publication (KOKAI) No. H8-210335, and as shown in the figures, the article holding device is formed of an outer casing
102
and a core
104
, which are molded by synthetic resin.
The outer casing
102
has an opened upper surface, and an inside thereof is hollow. In the outer casing
102
, a flange
106
expanding upwardly is integrally provided at an upper rim of an outer peripheral surface of a side wall thereof, and an engaging flange
108
expanding downwardly is integrally provided from an intermediate portion of the outer peripheral surface of the side wall of the outer casing
102
. Window holes
110
are bored between the flanges
106
and
108
, and engaging claws
112
which are elastically deformable are disposed on the outer peripheral surface of the side wall located below the engaging flange
108
. When the outer casing
102
is inserted into a mounting hole h in a panel P, the engaging flange
108
covers a front surface at a peripheral rim of the mounting hole h, and at the same time, the panel P is sandwiched between the engaging flange
108
and the engaging claw
112
, so that the outer casing
102
is fixed at this condition.
The core
104
inserted into a hollow portion of the outer casing
102
has a substantially cylindrical shape. In the core
104
, an upper portion of an outer peripheral surface of a side wall thereof is integrally provided with engaging projections
114
engaging the window holes
110
of the outer casing
102
, and an inner peripheral surface of the side wall of the core
104
is integrally provided with a pair of elastic engaging portions
116
facing each other. The elastic engaging portions
116
have the same thickness as that of the side wall, and are projected inwardly such that upper and lower ends thereof are connected to the side wall. At the upper end portions of the elastic engaging portions
116
, expanded portions
118
projecting to have a substantially triangle section are disposed to face each other. Also, at the left and right positions on the inner peripheral surface of the side wall with respect to the respective elastic engaging portions
116
, positioning portions
120
for positioning an inserted hook F of a rear seat frame are integrally disposed such that the positioning portions
120
respectively face each other, and the positioning portions
120
are continued to legs
122
on a lower surface of the core
104
, respectively.
In order to hold the hook F by the article holding device
100
, the core
104
is assembled into the outer casing
102
in a direction shown in the figure, and after attaching the article holding device
100
to the panel P, the hook F is pushed into the core
104
to thereby hold the hook F. At this time, the respective expanded portions
118
of the elastic engaging portions
116
are pressed by the hook F such that both elastic engaging portions
116
of the core
104
are outwardly bent and deformed as shown in FIG.
15
(A). From this condition, when the hook F is further pushed to pass through a space between the expanded portions
118
, both elastic engaging portions
116
are returned to the original condition by the elastic force, and the hook F is engaged with the expanded portions
118
to be held thereat as shown in FIG.
15
(B).
In the article holding device as described above, it will be a problem if the hook held by the article holding device is easily released or disengaged. Therefore, a force for extracting the hook (a force for holding the hook) is adequately set in accordance with the purpose. In the article holding device
100
for the seat as described above, in view of the safety, a high extracting force is required, and the desired high extracting force is obtained by increasing the rigidity of the elastic engaging portion
116
such that the elastic engaging portion
116
is difficult to be bent and deformed.
In accordance therewith, however, an inserting force for inserting the hook F into the article holding device
100
(the core
104
) is increased, resulting in a problem that a workability at the time of assembling the hook F is deteriorated. Especially, in a mass production step of vehicles in which the operations of the assembling described above are continuously carried out, since burdens to workers or operators become heavy, an improvement in the hook inserting force has been strongly desired.
The present invention has been made in view of the foregoing, and an object of the invention is to provide an article holding device in which a workability in assembling the hook can be improved by decreasing only the inserting force without decreasing a holding force for the hook in engaging the hook disposed in an article.
Further objects and advantages of the invention will be apparent from the following description of the invention.
SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION
To achieve the aforementioned object, a first aspect of the invention provides an article holding device for holding an article to a member to be attached by engaging with a hook provided in the article. The article holding device according to the first aspect of the invention is formed of an outer casing, which is attached to a mounting hole provided in the member to be attached and includes a hollow inside and an inner wall surface provided with a first engaging portion; and a core having a main body, a second engaging portion, and elastic engaging portions. In the core of the article holding device, the main body is inserted into the outer casing and includes a hollow inside for receiving the hook, an inner wall surface, an outer wall surface and a bottom wall capable of abutting against the inserted hook. The second engaging portion is provided on the outer wall surface of the main body, and engaged with the first engaging portion in an assembled condition that the main body is inserted to a predetermined position of the outer casing.
The elastic engaging portions are disposed integrally at side walls of the main body to be elastically deformed, and include protruding portions protruding toward an inner side than the inner wall surface of the main body. The elastic engaging portions are engaged with the hook inserted into the core. The protruding portions have rear surfaces abutting against the inner wall surface of the outer casing in the assembled condition.
According to the first aspect of the invention, the article holding device is formed of the outer casing attached to the mounting hole in the member to be attached and having the hollow inside, and the core, which is inserted into the outer casing to be assembled therewith and includes the hollow inside engaging the hook.
In the core, the elastically deformable elastic engaging portions are integrally provided at the side wall of the main body, and the inserted hook is engaged with the protruding portions of the elastic engaging portions which are protruded toward an inner side than the inner wall surface of the main body. Namely, when the hook is inserted into the core (main body), the protruding portions are pushed by the hook to elastically bend and deform the elastic engaging portions, and when the hook is further pushed therein to pass through the protruding portions, the protruding portions are returned inwardly by the elastic force of the elastic engaging portions to thereby hold the hook.
After the hook is engaged with and caught at the core, the hook is pushed such that the core is inserted into the outer casing. Thus, the hook abuts against the bottom wall of the outer casing, and the core
Furugori Nobuyasu
Mizukoshi Hikoe
Taguchi Kosaku
Tashima Taku
Yamada Atsushi
Kanesaka & Takeuchi
Nifco Inc.
Ramirez Ramon O.
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