US2195068A - Attaching clip - Google Patents

Description

w. R. WILEY ATTACHING CLIP Filed Jan. 24, 193s March 26, 1940.

9PM Gi. 9112,

INVENTOR.

ATTORNEYS.

Patented Mar. ze, 1940 UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE Vaisance l 2 Claims.

This invention relates to an improved form of an attaching clip for effecting the positioning of a finishing beading or moulding strip along the marginal edge of a sheet metal panel, and has for its object an improved device of this character, cheaply fabricableY in quantities, by meansy of which a moulding strip may be effectively and rapidly anchoredin position along thev marginal edge of, for example, the front frame or finishing plate which surrounds and marginally overlaps the radiator shell at the front end of a motor vehicle. This, however, is but one of several possible locations .of use for such a beading, and is merely mentioned as illustrative.

Similarly, it will be noted from the, drawing that the form of moulding strip here ,discussed is one which has an overbent lateral edge, which, protectively covering the exposed marginal edge of the supporting sheet and panel, makes for nicety of appearance. My invention is, however, applicable without change to a plain moulding strip, ,A

In the drawing:

Figure 1 is a plan view from beneath of my improved attaching clip.

Figure 2 is an end elevational view thereof, looking from left to right in the position shown in Figure 1.

Figure 3 is a cross sectional View thereof taken along the line 3-3 of Figure 1 and looking in the direction of the arrows there shown.

Figure 4 is a plan View of my improved clip taken from above, that is, looking in the reverse direction from the showing in Figure l.

Figure 5 is a plan view of a piece of mouldingA strip showing successive stages of movement of my improved attachment clips incident to their installation thereon.

Figure 6 is a perspective view, partly in section, of my assembled clip and its moulding strip and supporting panel, the section being along the line 6'-6 of- Figure 7, and looking in the direction of the arrows there shown.

Figure 7 is a plan view of the assembled parts i'rom beneath positionedI upon a panel and moulding strip, as indicated by the line 1-.1 of Figure 6, and looking in the direction of the arrows there shown. y

Figure 8 is an elevational view of a modified form of clip wherein a single ange-engaging prong or tongue is located centrally of theweb instead of one at each end as in the form of clip rst described.

Figure 9 is a cross-sectional view of a moulding strip and panel piece; showing a slightly variantly contoured clip positioned therein.

Figure 10 is a similar cross-sectional view of a moulding strip and-panel piece whereon is positioned a further modified form of attaching clip.

Figure l1 is an elevational view of the modified so as to overengage the edge of the panel A. As I in the case of a plain moulding strip, the marginal edges of the web of the moulding strip are inbent, as at B' and B2, leaving a lengthwise extending space between them.

Although installable by hand .or by the aid of a screw driver, or even by being slipped, oneby' one, into one end of the moulding strip, and moved therealong to their intended positions thereon,

I nd that any one of the several forms of my im,- proved clips is most easily handled and snapped into place with the aid of a flat, strap-like tool such as is indicated at D in Figure 5. The two parts or branches D? and D2 of the tool are slippecl about the sharply angular portion F of the clip E, the space between these two branch portions being just enough to allow for the thickness of the sheet metal of which the clip web is formed.

'I'he body portion of the clip E, illustrated in Figures l to 7 inclusive, is formed with a central web, from each end or lateral edge of which there extend branches or prongs, as G and H, each ofI these being preferably slightly curved, as brought out by the shading in Figure l, and by the crosssectional showings, at G2 and H', in Figures 2 and 3 respectively, and it will be noted from the showings in Figures 1, 4, 5 and "l that the branch H is preferably somewhat shorter than the branch or prong G.

With the moulding strip B placed so that its exposed bottom portion with the inturned iianges faces upward.'the clip already positioned in the holder D is inserted between the flanges B' and B2, the shoulder G being pushed underneath the flange B', as shown in position X of Figure 5.

'I'his is followed by the slight twisting or flexion right hand prong N being snapped against and under the edge of the flange B2, which. while -resilient to a degree, is generally'not as much so as the metal of the clip; in any event, the flange 5 B2 is not" permanently distorted by the momentary sliding strain incident to the passage of the tip Hf of the prong branch H therepast. In its iinally seated position the clip as a whole springs backwhen fully seated, from the slightly angular l0 position shown at Z in Figure 5 to a position of substantial alignment, viewed from left to right, with the moulding strip.

A section of moulding strip with clips thus` mounted thereon at desired intervals is then applied to the edge of the supporting sheet metal panel A which engages between the body of the clip E and the lip J, which occupies such an acute angular relation thereto asto be all but'parallel therewith. The space between the webs E and J of the clip is-of such calculated narrowness that under some `circumstances their frictional enl The equality or inequality in the length of theI prongs G and H may be varied to suit the cir- `cumstances, as', for example, according tor the width of the space between the opposing edges of the inturned flanges B' and B2 of the moulding strip. But under some circumstances I have found that a slight abbreviation of the length of the prong H is desirable. And if for any reason it is deemed inadvisable to attempt the swinging .m and tool-aided insertion of the clips within the moulding strip, the clips could be slipped thereinto from one end or the other thereof, but if the moulding strip is of any greatlength, this would seem to be an inconvenient method-of installing them as contrasted with the method described.

It will be obvious, even as to the form of clip illustrated in Figures 1 to 7 inclusive, that if in addition to the abbreviation of the prong H, the

prong G on the other e'nd of the clip were similarly shortened, the resiliency of the metal of the clip, aided by the slight curvature of the prongs Gand H already remarked upon, would permit the direct installation of the clip upon the moulding strip, so that its prong tips G2 and H could both be snapped into position under the edge of the flange B2 without resort to the twisting or swinging action of the clip as a whole, illustrated in the three positions X, Y and Z in Flgure, that G0 is to say, that the positioning of the clip relatively to the flanges B and B2 of the moulding 4strip would, while being installed, be approximately that shown in dotted lines in Figure 7. A logical modified form of this would be repre- (-,5 sented by a reversal of` this prong positioning, that is, leaving the terminal shoulders plain and stamping out in its central portion a depending lip or engaging piece, such as is shown at L in Figures 8 and 9, the body portion L of` this :0 stamped-out tongue being of course integral with the web of the central section K, and this latter being in turn, an integral part of thestamping of which the other panel-engaging Vlip M is' a part. The tip L2 of the clip is normally formed of such length and contour that when the top edge K2 of the web has proceeded as far as it can against the interior surface of the' moulding strip adjacent the flange B', the pointy L2 rides over the inner edge of the flange B2 and being adequately resilient, can be forced downwardly, that is, to-

in the form rst described.

In an earlier paragraph of this disclosure there was stressed the fact that the clips of the form first described might be installed in position upon the moulding strip either by the swinging action described, or by being slipped into the end thereof so that 'the tips of the prongs G andI-I would from the first engage under the flange B2 of the moulding strip, while the top shoulder would' similarly engage under the flange B'. l Applying this principle to a further modification of the form first illustrated and of the modified form shown in Figures 8 and 9, it will be apparent from an inspection of Figures 10 and 11 that this same method of installation can be employed for the slightly variant form of flange-engaging tongue there shown. In this form the top edge of the web N engages under the iiange B while the tip P' of the tongue P engages under the flange B2, thus'leaving the-body portions of the Webs R and S to engage about and against either face of the panel A. f

What I claim is: f

1. In combination a sheet metal panel, a molding strip having inturned fianges, a clip for securing said molding strip in fixed position at the marginal edge of said sheet metal panel', said clip comprising a sheet metal member bent upon itself to provide a pair of arms adapted to receive' the marginal edge of Ysaid sheet metal panel therebetween, one of said arms being provided with a pair ,of prongs extending substantially parallel to said arms adapted to seat within and anchor said clip within said molding strip, one of said prongs being shorter than the other, the other of said arms having an inwardly struck lug to dig into the surface of said panel to lockA said clip in position thereon vwhereby said clip serves to secure said molding strip in fixed position with respect to said panel.

2. In combination, a sheet metal panel, afmolding strip having inturned flanges, a clip for securing said molding strip in fixed position at the marginal edge of `said sheet metal panel, said clip comprising a sheet metal member bent upon itself to provide a pair of arms adapted to receive the marginal edge of said sheet metal panel therebetween, one of said' arms being providedwith a pair of prongs extending substantially parallel to said arms serving to resiliently bear against said molding strip to anchor said clip lwithin said molding strip, one of said prongs being shorter than the other, the other of said arms having an inwardly struck lug to dig into the surface of said panel to lock said clip in position thereon whereby said clip serves `to Vsecure said molding strip in fixed position with respect to said panel. f

WILLIAM R. WILEY.

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