Expanded – threaded – driven – headed – tool-deformed – or locked-thr – Having separate expander means – Frangible member
Reexamination Certificate
2000-08-31
2002-04-02
Saether, Flemming (Department: 3626)
Expanded, threaded, driven, headed, tool-deformed, or locked-thr
Having separate expander means
Frangible member
C411S048000
Reexamination Certificate
active
06364586
ABSTRACT:
BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION
1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to improvement of a clip used, for example, when a mold ceiling constituting a ceiling part of an automobile is coupled to a ceiling reinforcement and a front head panel, or when plural panels are coupled to one another.
2. Description of the Related Art
For example, a ceiling surface constituting the interior of the automobile is so composed that the mold ceiling made of synthetic resin is attached onto the lower surface side (interior side) of the ceiling reinforcement coupled to the front head panel in a state where the ceiling reinforcement is superimposed on the front head panel. In case that the above mold ceiling, the ceiling reinforcement and the front head panel are coupled to one another, in order to simplify an assembling operation, a clip
21
shown in
FIG. 9
has been recently used instead of a bolt member and an adhesive.
The above clip
21
includes a grommet
24
having an-axial leg
23
formed in the shape of a hollow cylinder by a plurality of elastic pieces
22
,
22
(three in the figure), and a pin member
26
that expands the above plural elastic pieces
22
,
22
by being inserted into a hollow portion formed in the above axial leg
23
. Further, flanges
27
and
28
are provided respectively for the above grommet
24
and the pin member
26
. In case of the shown structure, a recess portion
29
into which the flange
28
of the above pin member
26
can be fitted is formed on the outer surface (upper surface in
FIG. 9
) of the flange
27
of the above grommet
24
. Accordingly, in a state where the above pin member
26
is completely pushed into the grommet
24
(in a real fixing state), the flange
28
of the above pin member
26
is fitted into the above recess portion
29
so that the above flange
28
does not protrude very much from the flange
27
of the grommet
24
.
In order to couple the above mold ceiling
18
, the ceiling reinforcement
17
and the front head panel (not shown) to one another, firstly, the above grommet
24
is inserted into holes
30
,
31
provided in positions where the mold ceiling
18
, the ceiling reinforcement
17
, and the front head panel to be coupled to one another are matched to one another, from one surface side (from interior side, and from upper side in
FIG. 9
) of the above mold ceiling
18
. Then, the above pin member
26
is inserted into the hollow portion
25
of the grommet
24
. Accompanied with this insertion of the pin member
26
, the elastic pieces
22
,
22
of the above grommet
21
are expanded on the other surface side (exterior side) of the above ceiling reinforcement
17
(front head panel), and the mold ceiling
18
, the ceiling reinforcement
17
and the front head panel can be coupled to one another in a superimposed state on one another.
Further, in order to smooth the assembling process, so-called modularization has been recently promoted. For example, the above ceiling reinforcement
17
and the mold ceiling
18
are previously fixed to each other temporarily, and thereafter, they are really fixed to the above front head panel in an automobile assembling factory. In case that this assembling method is adopted, the assembling operation is readily performed using the above clip
21
. Namely, the above ceiling reinforcement
17
and the mold ceiling
18
are temporarily fixed by the above clip
21
. In this case, the above pin member
26
is not completely inserted into the grommet
24
but is stopped in a half position. Hereby, the elastic pieces
22
,
22
of the above grommet
24
are expanded to some degree, and the above ceiling reinforcement
17
and the mold ceiling
18
are a little coupled to each other. The ceiling reinforcement
17
and the mold ceiling
18
are carried in the assembling factory in this state, and they are coupled to the above front head panel. At this time, the above pin member
26
is only inserted into the grommet
24
completely, so that the assembling operation is simplified, the manufacturing time is reduced, and the manufacturing cost is reduced.
However, in the above-described conventional clip
21
, the following disadvantages exist. Namely, in case that the pin member
26
constituting the above clip
21
was inserted into the grommet
24
in order to be temporarily fixed to the grommet
24
, it was easy to drop out of this grommet
24
. Therefore, in case that the panels (the above ceiling reinforcement
17
, mold ceiling
18
, and the like) that have been temporarily fixed using this clip
21
are transported, there is fear that the pin member
26
drops out on the way of transportation and the temporarily fixing state cannot be maintained. Further, even if the temporarily fixing state is maintained, since the pin member
26
drops out, the real fixing cannot be performed, so that the trouble is produced in the assembling process.
In order to solve the above-described disadvantages, a clip has-been disclosed in JP-B-61-053562, which includes a female member that corresponds to the above grommet and includes a slit, a male member that corresponds to the above pin member, and a temporarily stopping piece that is provided for this male member and fitted in a base end of the above slit. In case of the clip disclosed in JP-B-61-053562, the above temporarily stopping piece is fitted in the base end of the slit by inserting the above male member into the female member, whereby the male member and the female member are prevented from separating from each other. Accordingly, such the disadvantages are solved that the pin member
26
drops out on the way of the transportation like the conventional clip
21
shown in FIG.
9
and that the temporarily fixing state cannot be maintained.
However, in case of the aforesaid clip disclosed in JP-B-61-053562, when the male member is inserted into the female member, the temporarily stopping piece formed in the male member does not always enter into the slit formed in the female member. In case that the above temporarily stopping pieces does not enter into the slit, after the above male member is forcedly inserted into the female member, the above temporarily stopping piece must be caused to coincide with the slit forming position by rotating this male member properly to fit the temporarily stopping piece-in the slit base end. Therefore, the work performance was very unsatisfactory. Further, when the panels (the above ceiling reinforcement
17
, mold ceiling
18
and the like) are temporarily fixed, in case that the temporarily stopping piece formed in the male member is not entering into the slit formed in the female member, there is fear that the male member drops out of the female member easily.
SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION
The invention has been made in view of the aforesaid circumstances and therefore an object of the invention is to provide the clip which prevents the pin member from dropping out without the complicated structure and which is satisfactory for the attaching work performance.
According to a first aspect of the invention, in the clip provided with a grommet having an axial leg formed in the shape of a hollow cylinder by a plurality of elastic pieces, and a pin member that expands the above plural elastic pieces by being inserted into a hollow portion formed in the above axial leg, the above pin member includes an axial portion that can be inserted into the above hollow portion, and a temporarily stopping piece that is provided for this axial portion and protrudes outward; the above grommet includes a recess portion which is formed on the inner surface of the above axial leg so as to extend from the top portion of the grommet to a slit formed between the adjacent elastic pieces; and the base end portion of the above slit serves as a fitting receiver in which the above temporarily stopping piece is fitted.
In the thus constructed clip according to the first aspect of the invention, in case that the pin member is inserted into the grommet in the temporarily fixing state, while the temporarily stopping piece provided for th
McGinn&Gibb, PLLC
Piolax Inc.
Saether Flemming
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