[1]Patented Feli. 27, 1M 2@1919780 UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE 2,191,780 FASTENING MEANS George A. Tinnerman, Rocky River, Ohio, assignor to Albert H. Tinnerman, Cleveland, Ohio App.lication November 30, 1937, Serial No. 177,324 3 Claims. This invention relates to molding installations, and the like, embodying means for attaching metallic moldings, metal trim or finishing objects to supporting structures, particularly metallic supports such as to be found in automobile bodies, metallic building structures, gas or electric ranges, metal partitions, door frames, window frames, refrigerator cabinets and many other similar assemblies. This application is a continuation in .1( part of a col>ending application Serial Number 171,998, flled October 30, 1937. More particularly, the present invention relates to improved means for the attachment of moldings and like objects to a supportingstructure 16 comprising connector or retainer devices 6ff ecting an interlocking exigagement between the molding or other object and the supporting structure in combination with spring fastenings securing the retainer or connecting devices to the 20 supporting structure under continuous spring tension thereby providing an installation in which the molding or trim object is fixed and rigid in applied fastening position and not subject to loosening, displacement or possible removal in2r, cident to vibration, jarring and strain. Heretofore, metallic trim material has usually been attached to a supporting structure by means of wire or sheet metal clips having cooperative engagement with the molding or trim material 30 and capable of being applied to apertuies in the supporting structure in the manner of snapstuds. However, it has been found that snapstud clips of tWs character, when employed in an installation subject to any material degree of 3.5 strain and vibration as, for example, takes place in an automobile body, are inefficient and impractical in that they tend to work free from applied position to the extent that the trim m4terial becomes loose and often completely removed 40 resulting in an unsightly appearance and causing obj6ctionable squeaks, rattles and other annoying sounds in the operation of the automobile. Furthermore, in the attachment of relatively 45. wide trim material, such snap-stud clips are impractical in that they must necessarily be constructed of wire or narrow sheet metal strip material, and consequently, no adequate, positive connection of the clips to the relative wide trim 50 material may be obtained; it has therefore been necessary to attach relatively wide trim material by means of bolts provided with enlarged heads designed to seat within the molding and cooperate with conventional nut devices for securing 55 the trim material to the supporting structure. However, the attachment of the trim material by means of such bolt fastenings is laborious and time consuming, requires the use of lock washers and is not always effective in that, even with the 60 use of lock washers, the installation becomes (Cl. 85-5) loose by reason of the continuous jarring, vibration and strain incident to the operation of the autom obile. It is therefore a primary object of this invention to provide an arrangement for attaching 5 super posed parts and securing finishing objects such as moldings and like trim material, to supportin g structures without the use of threaded fasten ers of any kind or of snap-stud clips, and in such manner that the part or object secured is 10 install ed in a fixed, rigid mounting under continuou sly effective spring tension and is not subject to loosening or displacement either in the conne ction of the retaining means with the object or part supported, or in the means for securing 15 the assembly to the supporting structure. Ano ther object of the invention is to provide an install ation comprising a hollow molding and rigid retainer devices such as rivets, or the like, for securing the molding in a fixed, rigid mount- 20 ing on a support. Still another object of the invention is to provide in such an installation an arrangement by which the mounting of the molding on the supPortin g structure is under continuous spring ten- 25 sion supplied by spring securing means cooperating with individual, rivet-like retainer devices assembl ed in the molding. A further object of the invention is to provide an installation for attaching a molding to a sup- .30 Portin g structure by retainer means comprising a r gid shapk element designed for cooperative engage ment with securing means comprising' a spring locking plate having a yieldable element adapt ed to draw the molding toward the support- 35 ing structure irl providing a f!Xed, rigid, resilient mount ing. A still further object comprehends in an installatiori embodying a rigid retainer such as a rivet, a spring locking plate for mounting a member 40 on a support under a continuously effective spring holdin g action exerted axially by the locking plate on the shank of the retainer to draw and resiliently maintain the member mounted in close engage ment with the support. Ano ther object of the invention is to provide in such an installation a rivet-like retainer for attach ing an object to a supporting structure compr ising a threadless shank adapted for locking engagement with a spring locking plate. 50 Still another object of the invention is to provide in such an installation a rivet-like retainer coope rating with a spring locking plate for attachin g an object to a supporting structure and compr ising a threadless shank'member having 55 a cutaway portion permitting disassociation thereo f from fastening engagement with the lockin g plate. Furt her objects and advantages of the invention will be apparent to those skilled in the Prt 60
[2]2 2,191,780 as a description thereof proceeds with reference to theaccompanying drawing in which like reference characters designate like parts throug4out the same, glnd In which: 5 Figs. I to 3 Inclusive iuustrate the several steps in the assembly of t]@e respective members and the mounting of the improved molding installation, Mg. I showing a rivet-Uke retainer assembled in a molding preparatory to bejng se10 cured to an apertured support by a spring locking plate; Mg. 2 is a similar view showing the spring locking plate as initially applied to the shank of the retainer and untensioned; 15 Fig. 3 shows the position of the spring locking plate as tensioned in applied fastening position rigidly locking the molding to the support in a completed installation .- Fig. 4 is a longitudinal section through a mold20 ing installation such as represented -in Mg. 3 showing the interlocking relation of the rivetlike retainer within the molding and as secured to the support by the spring locking plate; Flig. -5 is a bottom perspective view showing a 25 iretainer as assembled in a molding preparatory to the application thereof to the support to be secured by a spring locidng plate; Flg. 6 Is a simllar view showing the assembled molding and -retainer as applied to the support So and secured by a spring locking plate; Flg. 7 is a perspective of a spring locking plate per se; Flg. 8 is a perspective of a form of rivet-like retainer; 35 Flg. 9 is a perspective of another form of retainer having on its shank a reduced or cutawily portion to provide a substantially D-shaped shank; Plgs. 10 and 11 show a molding installation 40 embodying the form of rivet-Hke retainer shown in Fig. 9 having a D-shaped stud for permitting disassociation of the locking plate therefrom by relative rotary movement, Mg. 10 showing in plan the locking plate In locked engagement with 45 the D-shaped shank of the retainer in applied fastening position securing the molding to the support; Fig. 11 is a similar view of the installation represented in Fig. 10 with the locking plate 50 ninety degrees removed from appred fastening position thereby permitting the locking plate and retainer to be disassociated; and, Mg. 12 Is a,perspective of a further embodiment of the invention showing an installation 55 comPr'2Sing superposed apertured members secured by a retainer having a Dshaped shank such as Illustrated in Mg. 9 for preventing relative rotary or shifting movement of the members secured. 60 Referring now, more particularly, to the drawIng, Figs. 1-6 inclusive shgw a molding instaua_ tion embodying a preferred form of retainer means assembled In the molding in interlocldm@g. engagement therewith and secured to a support85 ing structure of any suitable 4character by a spring locking plate. The letter A designates. generally a fragment of a weu-known form of ni I etallic molding comprising a chvfnnel-shape and inturned base flanges B, C. The supporting 70 structure is designated generally D, and inasmuch as the Instant invention is intended mainly for use in the construction of metamc structures, such supporting structure usuauy consists of a met&Mc panel or plate-like element, as illus75 trated. Tn order that the molding, trim material or other fmishing object may be secured thereto, said supporting structure D is provided with perforations E, disposed at regular intervals and at suitably spaced points aldng which the trim material extends in mounted position. Such perfora- 6 tions may:b,e of any suitable contour but preferably are round, as shgwn in Fig. 5, to snugly receive the substantially round shank of the rivetIlke retainer most effectively in a completed installation. The said perforations may be provided 10 in the member constituting the support as by punching prior to the application of the molding thereto or the installation thereof as a part of a completed structure, and may also be formed in any other convenient manner as by draling. 15 The molding which is to be mounted in accordance with the present invention is usually in the form of a channel-shaped strip although it Is contemplated that the method and means of the. instant invention be employed in securing mold- 50 ings and finishing objects of any other conflguration or cross-section. As shown in Mg. 5, the sides of the molding or trim mat6rial are each bent inwardly providing abutments or base flangp-s B, C, extending continuously along each 26 side of the channel-sl@ape and adapted for interlocking engagement with the retainer or connecting means on being mounted to the support as hereinafter set forth. The body of the molding Intermediate the base flanges or abutments may So be of any desired. conflguration or design for ornamental and artistic purposes. However, for the purposes of the present invention, directed to the general combination, it is only necessary that the molding, trim strip, or other finishing object N be provided with some form of abutment means, or the like, on the underface thereof adapted for) cooperativeengagement with a form of rivetlikd, retainer having a shank element which may be secured to the supporting structure by a spring: 40' locking plate presently to be described. As shown in Mgs. 4 and 6, the molding A is attached to the support D by means of one or more retainers 20 disposed in interlocking relation with the base flanges B, C, of the molding and do secured to the suijporting structure D by means, of spring locking plates i, having locking engagement with the shanks of the retainers passing through apertures E provided in the supl)orting member. 50 The retainer 20, Flg. 8, is preferably in the form of asubstantial rivet-like device comprising an enlarged h6ad 21 and a shank element 22. The said head is preferably of such shape as to correspond substantially to the inner contour of W the molding to have interlocking abutting relation with the base flanges B, C and otherwise seat tlierein in sriug engagement with the roof thereof substantially as shown in Figs. 4 and 5. The spring locking plates 1, Fig. 7, are provided 60 from relatively thin sections of sheet metal, cold rolled metal, spring steel, or the like and may be round or of any other suitable conflguration but, quite obviously, are most economicary constructed from substantiajly rectangular sections obtained 65 from strip stock. Such a section providing a spring locking plate is suitably slit and formed within its periphery to present a plurality of yieldable tongues 2, 3, or the like, projecting out of the plane thereof and adapted for frictional 76 locking engagement with the shank of, a retainer under spring tension. As shown, a pieferred form of spring locking plate comprises opposed, yieldilble tongues 2, 3, extending upwardly tnterinediatle bridge portions 4, 5, and end portions
[3]2.101,780 3 8, 7, providing, what may be termed, the body of the locking plate, which body is readuy fle3ible and Is so formed in the stamping operation as to have a pronounced, generally concave configuraiion in normal, untensioned relation. Since the body of the locking plate is flexible, the tongue elements 2, 3, are necessarily relatively yieldable with respect to each other and-readily adapted for sliding engagement with the shank of a re10 tainer in one direction in the manner of a clutch, and accordingly, may be speedily applied to fastening position by a substantial axial, thrust-like motion in a minimum of time and effort and flattened in such fastening position thereby flxedly l$ securing the assembled members of an installation under( continuously effective spring tension, as hereinafter more fully set forth. From the foregoing it will be understood that a molding, trim strip or other flnishing object St may be secured to a supporting member by meang/ of rivet-like retainers and spring locking plates, above described, in substantially the following manner. The retainers are assembled by sliding the head sections 21 thereof into the channels of U the moldings from either end thereof. Since the width Gf the head sections corresponds substantially to the inside width of the moldiiigs between the corners formed by the inturned base flanges B ' C, the retainers are disposed in interlocking 30 relation therewith and may be freely slid lengthwise of the molding without possibility of becoming removed. As many of such retainers as necessary, depending on the length of the molding, are applied in this manner and are so positioned 35 therein that the shanks 22 are disposed in such spaced relation as to correspond substantially with the @ spacing of the apertures E provided in the preperforated supporting structure D. The molding provided with the retainers assembled there49 in in such suitable spaced relation is then brought to the preperforated supporting member and the shanks 22 of the retainers fitted into perforations and the molding pressed into snug engagement with the adjacent surface of the support 45 with said shanks 22 projecting therethrough onto the reverse side as illustrated in Figs. 1 and 5. The spring locking plates 1, are then applied to the projecting shanks of the individual retainers and pressure exerted in a substantial axial, 50 thrustlike movement by which the yieldable tongues 2, 3, thereof are caused to slide along the shanks 22 to the point at which the end portions 6, 7, of the generally concave base, contact the adjacent surface of the supporting member sub55 stantially as shown in Mg. 2. At such point, upon continued pressure on the generally concave. base of the locking plate, the end portions 6, 7 thereof are moved from their initial normaily untensioned position in the generally concave 60 base outwardly and upwardly in a substantial lifting force which is transmitted to the tongues to urge the notched extremities thereof inwardly toward each other to the extent that the said tongues are caused to dig into and become em05 bedded in the shank of the retainer under spring tension and thereby resist any tendency toward reverse movement or loosening. At the same time, the bowed bridge portions 4, 5, Flgs. 3 and 6, are elongated such that the generally concave 70 base of the locking plate is tensioned and assumes the position of a substantially flat se6tion, Fig. 3, which, In attempting to assume its initial, nor-'4 mally untensioned concave configuration natur@ ally tends to draw the shank of the retainer axi,yg ally thereby taking up any clearance in the as-'@ sembled parts and rigidly securing the molding or other connected part to the supporting structure under continuous spring tension. In this way the spring locking plates serve to exert a continuo usly effective spring holding action ax@-I 5 ially of the shanks of the retainers thereby initially drawing the molding Into snug, rigid engageme nt with the supporting structure, and thereaft er maintaining a firm, fixed engagement of the parts of the installation without possibility 10 of becoming loose or removed under the most extreme conditions of jarring, vibration and strain and over long periods of use. As stated, this moit advantageous a2dal drawing action supplied by the spring locking plates la to provide a tight, rigid installation, is effected by the tensioned end portions 6, 7 and bridge porions 41 5 which are moved from their pronounced, concave configuration when normally untensioned, as represented in Flg. 2, to assume the 20 position of a substantially thin, flat section in final applied position as shown in Fig. 3. It has been found that this most effective lockin@ and drawing action of the spring locking plates to provide a tight, rigid installation is best obtained 25 when the generally concave bases thereof are flattened without iiny substantial pressure being exerted on the tongue elements themselves; any substanti al pressure on the tongues prevents the locking plate from having smooth, sliding en- 30 gageme nt with the shank of the,retainer on being applied, and also bends the tongues with respect to the generally concave base such that the extremities thereof are deformed out of most effective contact with the cooperating shank, 35 wherefo re the tongues may have a tendency to slip and permit the locking plate to Ioosen from applied position in a tightened installation. This applicati on of the spring locking plates is preferably effected by the use of a special tool com- '40' prising spaced jaws which may be fitted to the bridge portions 4, 5 of the generally concave base of the locking plates without contacting the tongue elements. Thus, by substantial axial thrust, pressure may he applied to the bridge por- 45 tions to flatten and tension the same in the generally concave base without deforming the tongues; and accordingly when the tool is withdrawn and the attendant pressure removed from the said flattened bridge portions, the tension 50 stored therein causes the tongues to become embedded in the shank by substantial line contact and, at the same time, necessarily causes an axial drawing action on the shank of the retainer thereby providing a locked, tightened in- 65 stallation . A tool of the character just described is illustrated in a copending application Serial Number 161,323, flled August 27, 1937. In certain Installations, it is necessary or desirable that the spring locking plate be removable 60 from locking engagement with the shank of the retainer in order that the members of the installation may be disassociated to permit access to conceale d parts or to-replace a damaged member. Figs. 10 and 11 show a molding installation em- 65 bodying a modified form of retainer sueb as represented in Mg. 9, in which the shank thereof is provided with a cutaway portion whereby a quick, simple, relative, rotary movement disposes the extremiti es of the tongues of the 16eking plate 76 out of engagement with the shank of the retainer thereby permitting the same to be removed. As shown in Fig. 9, the modifled form of retain6r 20, compris es an enlarged head 2 I' and a projecting shank 221 having a portion theregf cut away to Ts
[4]9,191,780 present a flat face 23 and otherwise forming the said shank into a substantially D-shape sttid In cross-section. Thus, as shown in Mg. 10, in a completed Installation, the D-shaped shank 221 in one position is readily engaged by the tongues 2, 3 of the spring locking pliite in the manner described above with ref6rence to the form of the invention shown in Figs. I to 6 inclusive, to flrmly and rigidly retain the assembled members in ap10 plied position. If, however, it is desired to remove the locking plate from such locking relation, it is only necessary to rotate the same ninety degrees relative to the D-shapeci shank 22', to the position illustrated in Mg. 11 whereupon the 15 flat cutaway 23 of the shank is disposed in the space between the extremities of the tongues, in which relation the extremities of the tongues are out of contact with the shank,, and there is sufficient clearance to allow the locl@ng plate to be 20 removed, and the shank of the retainer to be withdrawn, thereby permitting the members of the installation to be disassociated. Fig. 12 shows a further embodiment of the invention in which a retainer means comprising 25 a D-shaped shank is utilized to provide a fixed, rigid engagement in an installation comprising superposed apertured members otherwise subject to possible shifting or relative rotary movement. As shown, the superposed members P, G are each, 30 provided -with substantially D-shaped openihgs H, of a size to permit passage of the D-shaped @hank 221 when aligned. Ihasmuch as the shank Is substantially Dshaped and the aligned apertures of the superposed members P, G of a sub-; 36 stantiatly corresponding D-shape, the flat face 23 of the shank element may be so fitted into said aligned apertures as to contact the straight side walls thereof presented by the D-shaped openings, thereby preventing lateral displacement or '46 relative shifting movement of the assembled members in any direction and particularly eliminating any possible relative rotary movement. The application of the spring locking plate to the ,projecting portion of the shank is substantially 45 similar to the procedure described with reference to the form of the invention represented in Flgs. 1 to 6 inclusive. And since the shank is Dshaped, it is quite obvious that the spring locking plate may be removed therefrom by relative rotatiO tion substantially in the manner descrlbed with respect to Flgs. 10 and 11. While this invention has been described in detail with specific examples such exam'ples are illustrative only, since it will he apparent to those li5 skilled in the art that other modifications within the spirit and scope of the invention may be constructed without departing from the teachings or essential characteristics thereof. The presexit embodiments are therefore to be considered in all 60 respects as illustrative and not restrictive, the scope of the invention being indicated by the appended claims rather than the foregoing description. V.That is
