AU641499B2

AU641499B2 - Spring clips

Info

Publication number: AU641499B2
Application number: AU76234/91A
Authority: AU
Inventors: Peter James Aldridge
Original assignee: ALDRIDGE ELECTRICAL IND AUST P
Current assignee: ALDRIDGE TRAFFIC SYSTEMS Pty Ltd
Priority date: 1990-07-13
Filing date: 1991-04-29
Publication date: 1993-09-23
Anticipated expiration: 2011-04-29
Also published as: AU7623491A

Description

V

64 1U 49 PATENTS ACT 1952 COMPLETE SPECIFICATION

(ORIGINAL)

FOR OFFICE USE Form Short Title: Int. CI: Application Number: Lodged: .omAplete Specification-Lodged: Accepted: Lapsed: SPublished: Priority: Related Art: r- Name of Applicant: Address of Applicant: Actual Inventor Actual Inventor: TO BE COMPLETED BY APPLICANT ALDRIDGE ELECTRICAL INDUSTRIES PTY. LIMITED 12 Leeds Street, Rhodes, New South Wales, Australia PETER JAMES ALDRIDGE Address for Service: Peter Maxwell Associates Blaxland House Ross Street NORTH PARRAMATTA NSW 2151 Complete Specification for the invention entitled: SPRING CLIPS The following statement is a full description of this invention, including the best method of performing it known to me:-* SNote: The description is to be typed in double spacing, pica type face, in an area not exceeding 250 mm in depth and 160 mm in width, on tough white paper of good quality and it is to be inserted inside this form.

14599/78- L Printed by C. J. THOMPSON, Commonwealth Government Printer, Canberra -2- This present invention relates to spring clips and particularly to canoe spring clips.

Hitherto, canoe spring clips have been made of plastic and these have become well known for their versatility of use and ease of manufacture. However, they suffer from a lack of durability and a low impact resistance that makes prolonged use difficult.

It is an object of the present invention to fabricate Sspring clips with a more durable material, such as stainless o'o0 10 steel, whilst retaining the zompressable nature of the spring a a clip.

According to the invention there is provided a spring clip for securing a first member to a second member, the @0 a s. first and second members having an overlapping region with a portion of the overlapping region defining a hole passing through the first and second members, wherein the spring clip Sea comprises a shaft adapted to pass through the said hole, a hook at one end of the shaft for abutting against the outside S* surface of one of the members, compressive means at the other end of the shaft for abutting compressably against the outside surface of the other one of the members, whereby said Jahue first and second members are urged against each other at said overlapping region, wherein the hook is elastically deformable so as to adjust the width thereof.

According to another embodiment of the invention, there is provided a method of securing a traffic lantern visor to a traffic lantern door by use of the aforementioned spring clip 1 -3of the invention, the shaft of the spring clip passing through a hole which passes through a portion of said traffic lantern visor and a portion of said traffic lantern door whereby said portions are urged together by the action of the said book and the said compressive means acting upon opposed outer surfaces of said portions.

In order that the invention may be more readily understood and put into practical effect, reference will now be made to the accompanying drawings in which:- Fig. 1 is a side view of a spring -:lip according to a S* preferred embodiment of the invention, Fig. 2 is a top view of the spring clip of Fig. 1, 8 Fig. 3 is a partly sectional side view of the spring clip of Fig. 1 in a preferred use on one kind of traffic lantern door, and Fig. 4 is a partly sectional side view of the spring a r 0 *clip of Fig. 1 in a preferred use on a second kind of traffic lantern door.

The spring clip 10 shown in Figs 1 and 2 is fabricated from a stainless steel wire that is tempered and hardened in *ee* the shape shown. The spring clip 10 has a shaft 11 having a "0 hooked portion 12 at one end thereof. At the other end of the shaft 11, the wire is formed into a coil 13 that winds helically back down around the shaft 11 and terminates in a flattened portion 14 that has a plane perpendicular to the shaft 11. Although not shown, the said plane preferably completes two thirds of a circle. The diameter of each 1 -4consecutive complete turn of the coil 13 from top to bottom is substantially the same.

Fig. 3 shows the spring clip 10 securing a traffic lantern visor 15 to a traffic lantern door 16. In this instance, the door 16 is made of a polycarbonate material and the traffic lantern visor 15 is made of Imm thick aluminium.

The door seal gasket 17 is also shown.

When the visor 15 is properly fitted over the appropriate flange 16 of the door 16, the prefabricated holes B .10 of both the visor 15 and flange 18 are in alignment to form

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an uninterrupted hole 19.

The user may then secure the visor 15 to the flange 18 by passing the hooked portion 12 of the clip 10 through the hole 19 until it emerges from the other side and abuts 06e090 15 against the outside surface of the flange 18. In some 0 *0 a instances of use, there may be some slight but elastic, deformation in the shape of the hooked portion to allow it to pass through a hole whose diameter is less than the width of the hooked portion in its undeformed state. The resultant 20 positioning of the hooked portion 12 in this way, causes the coil 13, which is connected to the hook 12 by rigid shaft 11, to be compressed against the outside surface of the visor The visor 15 is thereby secured to the flange 18 of the door 16 by the force of the coil 13 pressing down on the visor and by the force of the coil 13 acting to press the hooked portion 12 against the flange 18.

1 .4 Fig. 4 shows the spring clip 10 securing a traffic lantern visor 20 that is made of a polycarbonate material and that is thicker than that described with reference to Fig. 3, to a typical traffic lantern door 21 that is die-cast in aluminium. Owing to the greater thickness of the overlapping region of the visor 20 and door 21 than that shown in Fig. 3, the coil 13 is compressed to a greater extent and applies a greater force against the visor 20 than that of the coil of 06Co Fig. 3, without permanently distorting the shape of the spring clip o It is apparent that the spring clip of the present 0 invention has particular advantage in that it can fit different thicknesses of any two overlapping members that have a suitably sized hole defined therebetween.

15 Various modifications may be made in details of design and construction without departing from the scope or ambit of 0:00 the invention.

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Claims

1. A spring clip for securing a first member to a second member, the first and second members having an overlapping region with a portion of the overlapping region defining a hole passing through the first and second members, wherein the spring clip comprises a shaft adapted to pass through the said hole, a hook at one end of the shaft for abutting against the outside surface of one of the members, compressive means at the other end of the shaft for abutting compressably against the outside surface of the other one of the members, whereby said first and second members are urged against each other at said overlapping region, wherein the hook is elastically deformable so as to adjust the width thereof.

2. The spring clip of claim 1 wherein the means for abutting compressably against the outside surface of the other one of the members is a coil that winds helically back down around the shaft.

3. The spring clip of claim 2 wherein the coil terminates in a flattened portion that has a plane perpendicular to the shaft.

4. The spring clip of claim 3 wherein the flattened portion of the coil completes two thirds of a circle.

The spring clip of any one of claims 2 to 4 wherein the diameter of each consecutive complete turn of the coil is substantially the same.

6. The spring clip of any one of claims 1 to 5 wherein the spring clip is made of stainless steel.

7. A method of securing a traffic lantern visor to a traffic lantern door by use of the spring clip of any one of claims 1 to 6, the said shaft passing through a hole which passes through a portion of said traffic lantern visor and a portion of said traffic lantern door whereby said portions are urged together by the action of the said hook and the said compressive means acting upon opposed outer surfaces of said portions.

8. The method of claim 7 wherein the said portions are generally planar.

9. A spring clip substantially as hereinbefore described "with reference to the accompanying drawings. fee 0 DATED this 7th day of May, 1993. 0 0 S ALDRIDGE ELECTRICAL INDUSTRIES PTY LIMITED a By their Patent Attorneys 00 PETER MAXWELL ASSOCIATES S x)S