GB2187496A - Moulded plastics socket - Google Patents

Moulded plastics socket Download PDF

Info

Publication number
GB2187496A
GB2187496A GB08604595A GB8604595A GB2187496A GB 2187496 A GB2187496 A GB 2187496A GB 08604595 A GB08604595 A GB 08604595A GB 8604595 A GB8604595 A GB 8604595A GB 2187496 A GB2187496 A GB 2187496A
Authority
GB
United Kingdom
Prior art keywords
boss
connector
panel
closure
end wall
Prior art date
Legal status (The legal status is an assumption and is not a legal conclusion. Google has not performed a legal analysis and makes no representation as to the accuracy of the status listed.)
Withdrawn
Application number
GB08604595A
Other versions
GB8604595D0 (en
Inventor
Barry Roger Michael Barnett
Current Assignee (The listed assignees may be inaccurate. Google has not performed a legal analysis and makes no representation or warranty as to the accuracy of the list.)
TRW United Carr Ltd
Original Assignee
TRW United Carr Ltd
Priority date (The priority date is an assumption and is not a legal conclusion. Google has not performed a legal analysis and makes no representation as to the accuracy of the date listed.)
Filing date
Publication date
Application filed by TRW United Carr Ltd filed Critical TRW United Carr Ltd
Priority to GB08604595A priority Critical patent/GB2187496A/en
Publication of GB8604595D0 publication Critical patent/GB8604595D0/en
Priority to GB8618406A priority patent/GB2187785B/en
Priority to US07/017,522 priority patent/US4797983A/en
Publication of GB2187496A publication Critical patent/GB2187496A/en
Priority to GB8925006A priority patent/GB2225374B/en
Withdrawn legal-status Critical Current

Links

Classifications

    • B—PERFORMING OPERATIONS; TRANSPORTING
    • B60—VEHICLES IN GENERAL
    • B60R—VEHICLES, VEHICLE FITTINGS, OR VEHICLE PARTS, NOT OTHERWISE PROVIDED FOR
    • B60R13/00—Elements for body-finishing, identifying, or decorating; Arrangements or adaptations for advertising purposes
    • B60R13/02—Internal Trim mouldings ; Internal Ledges; Wall liners for passenger compartments; Roof liners
    • B60R13/0206—Arrangements of fasteners and clips specially adapted for attaching inner vehicle liners or mouldings
    • B—PERFORMING OPERATIONS; TRANSPORTING
    • B29—WORKING OF PLASTICS; WORKING OF SUBSTANCES IN A PLASTIC STATE IN GENERAL
    • B29C—SHAPING OR JOINING OF PLASTICS; SHAPING OF MATERIAL IN A PLASTIC STATE, NOT OTHERWISE PROVIDED FOR; AFTER-TREATMENT OF THE SHAPED PRODUCTS, e.g. REPAIRING
    • B29C33/00—Moulds or cores; Details thereof or accessories therefor
    • B29C33/12—Moulds or cores; Details thereof or accessories therefor with incorporated means for positioning inserts, e.g. labels
    • B29C33/14—Moulds or cores; Details thereof or accessories therefor with incorporated means for positioning inserts, e.g. labels against the mould wall
    • B—PERFORMING OPERATIONS; TRANSPORTING
    • B29—WORKING OF PLASTICS; WORKING OF SUBSTANCES IN A PLASTIC STATE IN GENERAL
    • B29C—SHAPING OR JOINING OF PLASTICS; SHAPING OF MATERIAL IN A PLASTIC STATE, NOT OTHERWISE PROVIDED FOR; AFTER-TREATMENT OF THE SHAPED PRODUCTS, e.g. REPAIRING
    • B29C70/00—Shaping composites, i.e. plastics material comprising reinforcements, fillers or preformed parts, e.g. inserts
    • B29C70/68—Shaping composites, i.e. plastics material comprising reinforcements, fillers or preformed parts, e.g. inserts by incorporating or moulding on preformed parts, e.g. inserts or layers, e.g. foam blocks
    • B—PERFORMING OPERATIONS; TRANSPORTING
    • B60—VEHICLES IN GENERAL
    • B60J—WINDOWS, WINDSCREENS, NON-FIXED ROOFS, DOORS, OR SIMILAR DEVICES FOR VEHICLES; REMOVABLE EXTERNAL PROTECTIVE COVERINGS SPECIALLY ADAPTED FOR VEHICLES
    • B60J10/00—Sealing arrangements
    • B60J10/20—Sealing arrangements characterised by the shape
    • B60J10/26—Sealing arrangements characterised by the shape characterised by the surface shape
    • B60J10/265—Sealing arrangements characterised by the shape characterised by the surface shape the surface being primarily decorative
    • B—PERFORMING OPERATIONS; TRANSPORTING
    • B60—VEHICLES IN GENERAL
    • B60J—WINDOWS, WINDSCREENS, NON-FIXED ROOFS, DOORS, OR SIMILAR DEVICES FOR VEHICLES; REMOVABLE EXTERNAL PROTECTIVE COVERINGS SPECIALLY ADAPTED FOR VEHICLES
    • B60J10/00—Sealing arrangements
    • B60J10/70—Sealing arrangements specially adapted for windows or windscreens
    • B60J10/74—Sealing arrangements specially adapted for windows or windscreens for sliding window panes, e.g. sash guides
    • B60J10/75—Sealing arrangements specially adapted for windows or windscreens for sliding window panes, e.g. sash guides for sealing the lower part of the panes
    • F—MECHANICAL ENGINEERING; LIGHTING; HEATING; WEAPONS; BLASTING
    • F16—ENGINEERING ELEMENTS AND UNITS; GENERAL MEASURES FOR PRODUCING AND MAINTAINING EFFECTIVE FUNCTIONING OF MACHINES OR INSTALLATIONS; THERMAL INSULATION IN GENERAL
    • F16B—DEVICES FOR FASTENING OR SECURING CONSTRUCTIONAL ELEMENTS OR MACHINE PARTS TOGETHER, e.g. NAILS, BOLTS, CIRCLIPS, CLAMPS, CLIPS OR WEDGES; JOINTS OR JOINTING
    • F16B21/00—Means for preventing relative axial movement of a pin, spigot, shaft or the like and a member surrounding it; Stud-and-socket releasable fastenings
    • F16B21/09—Releasable fastening devices with a stud engaging a keyhole slot
    • F—MECHANICAL ENGINEERING; LIGHTING; HEATING; WEAPONS; BLASTING
    • F16—ENGINEERING ELEMENTS AND UNITS; GENERAL MEASURES FOR PRODUCING AND MAINTAINING EFFECTIVE FUNCTIONING OF MACHINES OR INSTALLATIONS; THERMAL INSULATION IN GENERAL
    • F16B—DEVICES FOR FASTENING OR SECURING CONSTRUCTIONAL ELEMENTS OR MACHINE PARTS TOGETHER, e.g. NAILS, BOLTS, CIRCLIPS, CLAMPS, CLIPS OR WEDGES; JOINTS OR JOINTING
    • F16B5/00—Joining sheets or plates, e.g. panels, to one another or to strips or bars parallel to them
    • F16B5/01—Joining sheets or plates, e.g. panels, to one another or to strips or bars parallel to them by means of fastening elements specially adapted for honeycomb panels
    • B—PERFORMING OPERATIONS; TRANSPORTING
    • B29—WORKING OF PLASTICS; WORKING OF SUBSTANCES IN A PLASTIC STATE IN GENERAL
    • B29C—SHAPING OR JOINING OF PLASTICS; SHAPING OF MATERIAL IN A PLASTIC STATE, NOT OTHERWISE PROVIDED FOR; AFTER-TREATMENT OF THE SHAPED PRODUCTS, e.g. REPAIRING
    • B29C45/00—Injection moulding, i.e. forcing the required volume of moulding material through a nozzle into a closed mould; Apparatus therefor
    • B—PERFORMING OPERATIONS; TRANSPORTING
    • B29—WORKING OF PLASTICS; WORKING OF SUBSTANCES IN A PLASTIC STATE IN GENERAL
    • B29L—INDEXING SCHEME ASSOCIATED WITH SUBCLASS B29C, RELATING TO PARTICULAR ARTICLES
    • B29L2031/00—Other particular articles
    • B29L2031/30—Vehicles, e.g. ships or aircraft, or body parts thereof
    • B29L2031/3005—Body finishings

Landscapes

  • Engineering & Computer Science (AREA)
  • Mechanical Engineering (AREA)
  • General Engineering & Computer Science (AREA)
  • Chemical & Material Sciences (AREA)
  • Composite Materials (AREA)
  • Connection Of Plates (AREA)
  • Insertion Pins And Rivets (AREA)
  • Snaps, Bayonet Connections, Set Pins, And Snap Rings (AREA)

Abstract

A moulded plastics socket connector for insert moulding in a panel comprising a hollow boss 11 having a substantially flat end wall 13 and a continuous side wall 14, a slot 15 in the end wall, a raised membrane 20 of material overlying and closing the slot and a closure 12 shaped and adapted to be press fitted into the hollow boss to close the end of the boss opposite to the end wall. The membrane and closure prevent the interior of the socket being filled by the material of the panel during moulding. The membrane is subsequently broken to permit a stud to engage in the slot 15. <IMAGE>

Description

SPECIFICATION Socket connector The present invention is concerned with a moulded plastics stud connector of the type which is adapted to be insert moulded within a vehicle panel.
It is common practice in the automotive industry to attach a vehicle trim panel to the body of the vehicle by forming a plurality of keyhole slots in the trim panel, attaching a headed stud in each of the keyhole slots in the panel and then snap-engaging the shanks of the studs into receiving apertures in the vehicle body to secure the panel to the vehicle body. In an alternative arrangement the shank of each stud may be snap-engaged into a grommet mounted in the receiving aperture in the vehicle body.
Hitherto, it has been the practice to form the keyhole slots in the panel itself. However, this has the disadvantage that the heads of the studs can be seen on the outer surface of the panel. It has also been proposed to attach stud connectors, each of which incorporates a keyhole slot, on the inside surface of the panel by adhesive or rivets. However, this arrangement has the disadvantage that the panel is separated from the supporting bodywork by the thickness of the connector and does not lie flat against the supporting bodywork of the vehicle.
In order to meet these problems it is now proposed to insert mould a stud connector within the trim panel of the vehicle so that an outer wall of the connector which is provided with a keyhole slot to receive a headed stud lies flush with the surface of the panel.
Accordingly, we provide a moulded plastics stud connector for insert moulding in a panel comprising a hollow boss having a substantially flat end wall and a continuous side wall, a a slot in the end wall, a membrane of material overlying and closing the slot and a closure shaped and adapted to be press fitted into the hollow boss to close the end of the boss opposite to the end wall.
In accordance with a further feature of the present invention, we provide a vehicle trim panel incorporating at least one connector as defined in the preceding paragraph, the connector being insert moulded within the thickness of the panel with the closure press fitted within the boss, the outer surface of the end wall of the boss flush with the outer surface of the panel and the membrane removed to give access to the slot.
In accordance with yet a further aspect of the invention, we provide a method of manufacturing a vehicle trim panel incorporating one or more connectors as defined above comprising the steps of: -press-fitting the closure into the boss of the or each connector to close the boss ~insert moulding the or each connector within the panel with the outer surface of the end wall of the boss of the or each connector flush with the surface of the panel and ~removing the membrane of material from the or each boss to give access to the slot in the end wall.
An embodiment of the present invention will now be described with reference to the accompanying drawings, in which: Figure 1 is a plan view of a moulded plastic stud connector in accordance with the present invention; Figure 2 is a side view of the connector shown in Figure 1; Figure 3 is an end view of the connector shown in Figures 1 and 2; Figure 4 is a perspective view of the connector showing the two parts locked together; and Figure 5 is a section through a vehicle trim pad incorporating the connector of Figures 1 to 3, a stud mounted on the connector and a part of a vehicle body having an aperture and a grommet to receive the stud.
In the drawings a moulded plastics stud connector is indicated generally at 10. The connector 10 may be made from any suitable plastics material such as polyethylene and may be made by any suitable method, for instance by injection moulding.
The connector 10 comprises a hollow boss 11 and a closure 12 which is shaped to be a press fit within the open end of the boss 11.
The boss 11 has a substantially flat end wall 13 which is generally oval in shape, and a continuous side wall 14. A keyhole shaped slot 15 is formed in the end wall 13 to receive a headed stud 16, as shown in Figure 4. The boss 11 is moulded integrally with a substantially flat base plate 17, the base plate 17 being provided with apertures 18 and 19 on opposite sides of the boss 11. The slot 15 is covered and closed by a membrane 20 which is approximately 0.2 mm. in thickness.
The membrane 20 stands proud of the outer face of the end wall 13 and can be easily removed with the aid of a knife or similar tool.
The closure 12 is complementary in shape to the boss 11 and is also moulded integrally with a base plate 21. The base plate 21 is provided with two projecting rivets 22 and 23 and is joined to the boss 11 by a flexible hinge 24.
As can be seen from Figure 2, the hinge 24 can be bent so that the closure 12 can be brought up to the open end of the boss 11 and pressed into the boss where it is a snap fit. The boss is then completely closed by the closure. Wheh the closure is pressed fully home, the rivets 22 and 23 enter the apertures 18 and 19 and can then be spread so as to securely lock the two components together.
The connector 10 is adapted to be insert moulded within a vehicle trim panel 30 which comprises foam material 31 moulded onto an outer vinyl skin 32. The connector is first closed by press-fitting the closure 12 into the boss 11 and spreading the rivets 22 and 23.
The closure is then placed within the panel mould and insert moulded within the foam material 31 so that the outer face of the end wall 13 of the boss is flush with the inner face 33 of the panel. When the connector is placed within the mould, the membrane 20 closes the slot 15 and the other end of the boss is closed by the closure 12. Thus plastics foam material cannot enter and clog the boss during the injection moulding process.
When the panel has been moulded and cured, the membrane 20 stands proud of the inner face 33 of the panel and can be readily removed with the aid of a suitable machine or implement to uncover the keyhole slot 15.
The stud 16, which has a head 34 and a shank 35 is then attached to the connector by inserting the head 34 into the larger end of the keyhole slot 15 and sliding it sideways to the narrower end. This type of headed stud and keyhole slot connection is well known.
The shank 35 is then presented to a grommet 36, which is mounted in the vehicle body 37 and forced into the grommet 36 to secure the panel 30 to the vehicle body.
It will be appreciated that a plurality of the connectors will normally be moulded into the panel 30 and a stud attached to each connector. The panel 30 can then be presented to the vehicle body and the projecting shanks of the studs snap-engaged into grommets mounted on the vehicle body.

Claims (1)

1. A moulded plastics socket connector for insert moulding in a panel comprising a hollow boss having a substantially flat end wall and a continuous side wall, a slot in the end wall, a raised membrane of material overlying and closing the slot and a closure shaped and adapted to be press fitted into the hollow boss to close the end of the boss opposite to the end wall.
2. A connector as claimed in claim 1, wherein the closure is attached to the boss by a flexible hinge.
3. A connector as claimed in claim 1 or claim 2, wherein the slot is keyhole shaped to receive a headed stud.
4. A connector as claimed in any preceding claim, wherein the closure is generally cupshaped.
5. A connector as claimed in any preceding claim, wherein the boss is moulded integrally with a substantially flat first base plate, the closure is moulded integrally with a substantially flat second base and the first and second base plates are formed with co-operating rivets and apertures adapted to lock the boss and the closure together.
6. A moulded plastics socket connector substantially as described herein with reference to the accompanying drawings.
7. A vehicle trim panel incorporating at least one connector as claimed in any of claims 1 to 6, the connector being moulded within the thickness of the panel with the closure press fitted within the boss, the outer surface of the end wall of the boss flush with the inner surface of the panel and the membrane removed to give access to the slot.
8. A vehicle trim panel substantially as described herein with reference to the accompanying drawings.
9. A method of manufacturing a vehicle trim panel incorporating one or more connectors as claimed in any of claims 1 to 6 comprising the steps of ~press fitting the closure into the boss of the or each connector to close the boss ~injection moulding the or each connector within the panel with the outer surface of the end wall of the boss of the or each connector flush with the inner surface of the panel ~removing the membrane of material from the boss to expose the slot in the end wall.
11. A method of manufacturing a vehicle trim panel substantially as described herein.
GB08604595A 1986-02-25 1986-02-25 Moulded plastics socket Withdrawn GB2187496A (en)

Priority Applications (4)

Application Number Priority Date Filing Date Title
GB08604595A GB2187496A (en) 1986-02-25 1986-02-25 Moulded plastics socket
GB8618406A GB2187785B (en) 1986-02-25 1986-07-29 Connectors
US07/017,522 US4797983A (en) 1986-02-25 1987-02-24 Connectors for insert moulding in panels
GB8925006A GB2225374B (en) 1986-02-25 1989-11-06 Connectors

Applications Claiming Priority (1)

Application Number Priority Date Filing Date Title
GB08604595A GB2187496A (en) 1986-02-25 1986-02-25 Moulded plastics socket

Publications (2)

Publication Number Publication Date
GB8604595D0 GB8604595D0 (en) 1986-04-03
GB2187496A true GB2187496A (en) 1987-09-09

Family

ID=10593609

Family Applications (2)

Application Number Title Priority Date Filing Date
GB08604595A Withdrawn GB2187496A (en) 1986-02-25 1986-02-25 Moulded plastics socket
GB8925006A Expired - Fee Related GB2225374B (en) 1986-02-25 1989-11-06 Connectors

Family Applications After (1)

Application Number Title Priority Date Filing Date
GB8925006A Expired - Fee Related GB2225374B (en) 1986-02-25 1989-11-06 Connectors

Country Status (1)

Country Link
GB (2) GB2187496A (en)

Families Citing this family (1)

* Cited by examiner, † Cited by third party
Publication number Priority date Publication date Assignee Title
DE102009058347A1 (en) * 2009-12-15 2011-06-16 Metzeler Automotive Profile Systems Gmbh Seal for sealing a window slot of a motor vehicle

Family Cites Families (2)

* Cited by examiner, † Cited by third party
Publication number Priority date Publication date Assignee Title
EP0020308A1 (en) * 1979-04-27 1980-12-10 Sergio Morello Device for anchoring foam material panels to a relevant supporting structure
GB2087968A (en) * 1980-11-14 1982-06-03 United Carr Ltd Clip for mounting on a headed stud

Also Published As

Publication number Publication date
GB8604595D0 (en) 1986-04-03
GB2225374B (en) 1990-11-21
GB2225374A (en) 1990-05-30
GB8925006D0 (en) 1989-12-28

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Legal Events

Date Code Title Description
WAP Application withdrawn, taken to be withdrawn or refused ** after publication under section 16(1)