Locks – Operating mechanism – Key
Reexamination Certificate
2001-01-24
2003-01-21
Gall, Lloyd A. (Department: 3676)
Locks
Operating mechanism
Key
C070S451000, C024S297000, C248S222110, C248S222120, C403S317000, C403S329000, C411S510000
Reexamination Certificate
active
06508092
ABSTRACT:
BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION
1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to a snap-in mount for mounting a generally cylindrical body of a device such as a cam lock in holes formed through support panels that differ in thickness. More particularly, the present invention relates to a generally cylindrical body of a cam lock or the like that defines a shoulder for facing toward and engaging one side of a support panel, and that defines an insertion portion which extends away from the shoulder and is configured to be moved along an axis of and inserted through a panel mounting hole, with a plurality of arms being connected to the body for defining arm portions that spring radially outwardly from the insertion portion after the insertion portion hats been inserted through the hole to provide engagement surfaces for engaging the opposite side of the panel, with the engagement surfaces being located at differing distances from a plane in which the shoulder engages the one side of the support panel so that the body can be securely mounted on panels having thicknesses that substantially equal one of these differing distances.
2. Prior Art
Snap-in mounting arrangements for installing small devices such as latches, locks, indicator lights, electrical switches and the like in holes formed through support panels are well known. Often the device to be installed has a generally cylindrical body with a bezel or other type of body formation that defines a shoulder for facing toward and engaging one side of a support panel, with the opposite side of the support panel being engaged by elements that are movably carried by the body and biased to snap radially outwardly after being inserted at least part way through a support panel hole.
Some previously proposed snap-in mounts employ a pair of opposed, radially outwardly biased elements such as arms that are formed integrally with a body that is molded from plastics material, wherein the arms take advantage of the so-called “memory” of the plastics material to provide a biasing action that is sufficient to snap the arms radially outwardly (after the arms have passed at least part way through a mounting hole formed in a support panel during installation of the body on the support panel), whereafter the arms are retained by the “memory” of the material in their outwardly extended positions where they engage the rear face of the support panel. These “snap-out” elements typically are connected to other portions of the body by regions of relatively thin cross-section that can be flexed to permit the elements to move radially inwardly a sufficient amount to permit passage through a mounting hole. Since the thin cross-sections normally are flexed only once (or only a very limited number of times) during installation of the body on a support panel, the flexed cross-sections usually do not break, and usually retain sufficient strength to be capable of retaining the snap-out elements in their radially outwardly extended positions for holding their associated devices in installed positions on support panels throughout relatively lengthy service lives.
In an effort to accommodate support panels of slightly differing thicknesses, it also is known to provide each of the snap-out elements (of the snap-in mounts of devices to be installed in mounting holes formed through the support panels) with a rack of small tooth-like formations. The tooth-like formations do not feature a design that is optimized for use with a particular panel thickness; rather, these formations are intended to grip, as best they can, support panels within a narrow range of thicknesses, typically to accommodate a range of tolerances such as may be needed if support panels intended to be of generally the same thickness are being provided by a plurality of suppliers. Thus, one drawback associated with utilizing sets of small tooth-like formations on the snap-out elements of a snap-in mount is the fact that the “teeth” do not feature a design that is optimized to work with any particular support panel thickness. A further drawback resides in the fact that the range of panel thicknesses that the tooth formations are designed to serve usually is quite limited, whereby panel thicknesses that vary significantly one from another are not well accommodated by this approach.
A further limitation that results from utilizing sets or racks of small tooth-like formations on the snap-out elements of snap-in mounts is that the small size of the teeth, and the fact that relatively few of the teeth actually grip a support panel, can cause the resulting grip of the device on the support panel to be lacking in “meat.” Weak grips provided by small teeth can loosen with time as the plastic material from which the teeth are formed tends to wear away, with sharp edges that may enhance the grip tending to “round off” so as to conform better to the shape of the panel that is being gripped by the teeth. The resulting relatively weak grips often can be defeated by force, which can permit security devices such as cam locks and switch locks to be pulled from their mounting positions so that the functions they serve can be defeated or bypassed.
Still another problem often not well addressed by the snap-in mounts of prior proposals is the fact that inexpensively formed mounting holes formed in support panels of lockable thermostat covers (and other kinds of low-security equipment covers and the like) can vary significantly in size, which may cause the bodies of devices installed in these holes to fit quite loosely. Undesirable movements and rattling noise may result during use, especially in the presence of vibration. The use of only one pair of oppositely biased snap-out elements that engage only small regions of a support panel at locations on opposite sides of a mounting hole may serve to limit body movement in the opposite directions (that reside within a plane that includes the opposite directions) in which the elements are biased, but tends to do little to limit vibratory movements of the body in other directions (i.e., in directions that are transverse to the plane that contains the opposite directions in which the snap-out elements are biased by the “memory” of the plastics material from which these elements are formed). While some proposals call for the use of auxiliary biasing devices such as springs to intensify the biasing action in an effort to minimize vibration, the fact that the resulting biasing action operates only in a single plane (namely the plane that contains the opposite directions of the biasing action of the oppositely biased pair of snap-out elements) still does little to quell body movements in directions that are transverse thereto.
SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION
The present invention addresses the foregoing and other needs and drawbacks by providing a snap-in mount for mounting a generally cylindrical body of a device such as a cam lock, a switch lock, an indicator light or the like in holes formed through support panels that differ in thickness. In one form of the invention, the body is configured to define a shoulder for facing toward and engaging one side of a support panel, and an insertion portion which extends away from the shoulder and is configured to be moved along an axis of and inserted through a panel mounting hole. A plurality of arms are connected to the body for defining arm portions that spring radially outwardly from the insertion portion after the insertion portion has been inserted through the hole to provide engagement surfaces for engaging the opposite side of the panel. The engagement surfaces are located at differing distances from a plane in which the shoulder engages the one side of the support panel so that the body can be securely mounted on panels having thicknesses that substantially equal one of these differing distances.
In another form of the invention, a snap-in mount is provided for a device that adapts a body of the device to be mounted from one side of and through a: hole formed in a support panel to secure the device to the panel. A shoulder of the dev
Crocco John J.
Laabs Timothy P.
Misner Michael O.
Burge David A.
Gall Lloyd A.
The Eastern Company
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