1. A generally U-shaped fastener adapted to mount an object to a panel, the panel including a mounting aperture therein, the fastener comprising:
a body portion having a pair of side members coupled to each other by a curved base portion at an insertion end of the generally U-shaped fastener, the pair of side members defining a slot between the pair of side members, the slot being adapted to receive a coupling member from the object;
a flange member extending outwardly from each of the pair of side members near an end opposite the insertion end of the generally U-shaped fastener, each flange member being adapted to contact a surrounding portion of the mounting aperture;
a plurality of finger members extending inwardly into the slot from each of the pair of side members or from the flange members, the plurality of finger members being adapted to grasp the coupling member of the object upon the coupling member being inserted into the slot; and
at least one abutting flange extending outwardly from each of the pair of side members, each of the at least one abutting flange having a generally straight portion, a transition portion and an engaging portion, the generally straight portion coupling the at least one abutting flange to one of the side members near the insertion end of generally U-shaped fastener, the transition portion being coupled to the generally straight portion and being defined by an exterior convex surface, the engaging portion having an exterior concave surface substantially abutting the exterior convex surface of the transition portion; the engaging portion being adapted to engage an edge of the mounting aperture upon insertion therein to retain the generally U-shaped fastener in the mounting aperture.
2. A generally U-shaped fastener according to claim 1 wherein an exterior surface of the abutting flange member extending from the transition portion to a distal end of the abutting flange consists essentially of the concave engaging surface.
3. A generally U-shaped fastener according to claim 1 wherein the radius of the exterior concave engaging surface is at least about 3.5 millimeters.
4. A generally U-shaped fastener according to claim 3 wherein the center of curvature for the radius is between 2 millimeters and 4 millimeters from the end opposite the insertion end of the generally U-shaped fastener.
5. A generally U-shaped fastener according to claim 1 wherein the force required to insert the generally U-shaped fastener into the mounting aperture to enable the exterior concave engaging surface to engage an edge of the mounting aperture is about 10 pounds.
6. A generally U-shaped fastener according to claim 5 wherein the force required to remove the generally U-shaped fastener from the mounting aperture after the exterior concave engaging surface has engaged an edge of the mounting aperture is at least 20 pounds.
7. A generally U-shaped fastener according to claim 1 wherein the generally U-shaped fastener is formed from a sheet of material.
8. The fastener according to claim 1, further comprising:
a sealing member generally surrounding at least a portion of said fastener body, said sealing member operable to engage at least one of the object and the panel.
9. A fastener that is adapted to be inserted into an aperture in a panel when securing the fastener to the panel, the fastener comprising:
a body portion with a pair of side members and a flange that is adapted to extend about at least a portion of the aperture when the fastener is secured to the panel, the flange including a first flange portion and a second flange portion that are spaced apart from one another such that a slot is forward between the side members;
a plurality of finger members coupled to the body, each finger member extending into the slot and downwardly toward an insertion end of the fastener;
at least one abutting flange extending outwardly from each of the side members, each abutting flange having a first portion, a second portion and a third portion, the first portion coupling the abutting flange to an associated one of the side members, the second portion coupling a distal end of the first portion with a proximal end of the third portion, the third portion having an engaging portion with an exterior concave surface;
wherein the fingers members associated with a first one of the side members extend toward a first lateral side of the fastener and the finger members associated with a second one of the side members extend toward a second lateral side of the fastener opposite the first lateral side and wherein the engaging portion of each abutting member is disposed adjacent to at least one finger member and extends toward an opposite lateral side of the fastener relative to the lateral side to which the at least one adjacent finger member extends.
10. The fastener of claim 9, wherein a thickness of the third portion is uniform over a length of the third portion and wherein the thickness of the third portion is equal to a thickness of the first portion.
11. The fastener of claim 10, wherein the exterior concave surface of the engaging portion extends from the second portion to a distal end of the third portion.
12. The fastener of claim 9, wherein each abutting flange is disposed between two of the finger members.
13. The fastener of claim 9, wherein the exterior engagement surface of the third portion of the abutting flange abuts and is substantially continuous with an exterior surface of the second portion of the abutting flange.
14. The fastener of claim 13, wherein the exterior surface of the second portion is convex in shape.
15. The fastener of claim 9, wherein a radius of curvature of the exterior concave surface is at least about 3.5 mm.
16. The fastener of claim 15, wherein a center of the radius is spaced apart from a top surface of the flange in a direction toward an insertion end of the fastener by a dimension that is greater than or equal to about 2 mm.
17. The fastener of claim 16, wherein the dimension is less than or equal to about 4 mm.
18. The fastener of claim 9, further comprising a sealing member coupled to the flange.
19. The fastener of claim 9, wherein the first portion is generally straight.
The claims below are in addition to those above.
All refrences to claim(s) which appear below refer to the numbering after this setence.
1. An optical grating device comprising:
a grating arrangement for receiving a different wavelength signal from each of a plurality of radiation sources at separate input ports thereof, and for generating therefrom an output signal of multiplexed wavelengths at a zero diffraction order output port of the grating arrangement, and at least one predetermined wavelength output signal at one of a group consisting of a separate predetermined location in an at least one of a symmetric non-zero diffraction order of the grating arrangement, within the grating arrangement itself, and a combination thereof; and
at least one power tap, each power tap being coupled to the grating arrangement to detect the power of a separate one of the at least one predetermined wavelength output signal therefrom.
2. The optical grating device of claim 1 wherein:
wavelengths of the wavelength signals received from the plurality of radiation sources are sufficiently separated; and
the at least one wavelength output signal from the grating arrangement comprises separate ones of each of the sufficiently separated wavelength output signals received from the plurality of radiation sources that are focused at separate locations within both of a predetermined symmetric non-zero diffraction order of the grating arrangement.
3. The optical grating device of claim 1 wherein:
wavelengths of the wavelength signals received from the plurality of radiation sources are densely spaced; and
the at least one wavelength output signal from the grating arrangement comprises a first and second multiplexed wavelength output signal of the densely spaced apart wavelength signals from the plurality of radiation sources that are focused at separate predetermined locations with first and second ones of a predetermined symmetric non-zero diffraction order, respectively, of the grating arrangement.
4. The optical grating device of claim 3 wherein:
the at least one power tap comprises a first and a second power tap to receive the first and second multiplexed wavelength output signals, respectively, that are focused in the respective first and second ones of a predetermined symmetric non-zero diffraction order of the grating arrangement where the power obtained by each power tap is dependent on angular dispersion and a wavelength range generated by the plurality of radiation sources.
5. The optical grating device of claim 1 wherein the grating arrangement is an Arrayed Waveguide Grating (AWG) comprising:
a first Free Propagating Region (FPR) for receiving the different wavelength signals from the plurality of radiation sources at separate input ports at an input side thereof;
a second FPR comprising an input and an output side thereof; and
a grating array formed from a plurality of different length optical waveguides that couple an output side of the first FPR to the input side of the second FPR for causing the second FPR to generate both of the multiplexed wavelength output signal from the plurality of radiation sources at the zero diffraction order and said focused at least one predetermined wavelength output signal.
6. The optical grating device of claim 5 wherein the at least one predetermined wavelength output signal comprises first and second multiplexed wavelength output signals from the plurality of radiation sources that are obtained at a first and second waveguide, respectively, forming the plurality of different length optical waveguides of the grating array and coupled to respective first and second power taps.
7. The optical grating device of claim 6 wherein wavelengths of the different wavelength output signals from the plurality of radiation sources are sufficiently separated and each of said different wavelength output signals are focused at separate locations within an area of at least one of a set of predetermined symmetric non-zero diffraction orders at the second FPR and coupled to separate power taps.
8. The optical grating device of claim 6 wherein one of the first and second multiplexed wavelength output signals from the first and second optical waveguides of the grating array is fed back to an input port of the first FPR which is separated from the input ports of the plurality of radiation sources for causing each of the different wavelength output signals from the plurality of radiation sources to be demultiplexed and focused at separate locations within an area of one of a set of predetermined symmetric non-zero diffraction orders at the second FPR and coupled to separate power taps.
9. The optical grating device of claim 1 wherein:
wavelengths of the wavelength signals received from the plurality of radiation sources are densely spaced apart;
the at least one wavelength output signal from the grating arrangement comprises a multiplexed wavelength output signal of the densely spaced apart wavelength signals from the plurality of radiation sources that is focused at a separate predetermined location within a first one of a first set of predetermined symmetric non-zero diffraction orders of the grating arrangement: and
the optical grating device further comprises:
a feedback loop for receiving the multiplexed wavelength output signal focused at the separate predetermined location within the first one of the first set of predetermined symmetric non-zero diffraction orders and feeding it back into the grating arrangement at a location adjacent the zero diffraction order output port for demultiplexing the multiplexed wavelength output signal and resolving each wavelength of the multiplexed signal to a separate input port of the grating arrangement that is not coincident with the input ports receiving the wavelength signals from the plurality of radiation sources and coupled to separate power taps.
10. The optical grating device of claim 9 wherein the at least one wavelength output signal from the grating arrangement comprises said multiplexed wavelength output signal focused within the first one of the first set of predetermined symmetric non-zero diffraction orders, and first and second multiplexed wavelength output signals from the plurality of radiation sources that are focused within each of a second set of predetermined symmetric non-zero diffraction orders and coupled to separate power taps.
11. An optical grating device comprising:
a grating arrangement for receiving widely spaced apart wavelength signals from a plurality of radiation sources at separate input ports thereof, and for generating therefrom a multiplexed wavelength output signal at a zero diffraction order output port of the grating arrangement, and separate ones of each of the widely spaced different wavelength output signals from the plurality of radiation sources that are focused at separate predetermined spaced apart locations within both areas of a set of predetermined symmetric non-zero diffraction orders of the grating arrangement; and
a plurality of power taps, each power tap being coupled to detect the power of a separate one of the widely spaced apart wavelength output signals from the plurality of radiation sources that are focused at the separate predetermined spaced apart locations within both of the predetermined symmetric non-zero diffraction orders.
12. The optical grating device of claim 11 wherein the grating arrangement is an Arrayed Waveguide Grating (AWG) comprising:
a first Free Propagating Region (FPR) for receiving the widely spaced apart wavelength output signals from the plurality of radiation sources at separate input ports at an input side thereof;
a second FPR comprising an input and an output side thereof; and
a grating array formed from a plurality of different length optical waveguides that couple an output side of the first FPR to the input side of the second FPR for causing the second FPR to generate both the multiplexed wavelength output signal from the widely spaced apart signals at the zero diffraction order and the focused widely spaced different wavelength output signals.
13. An optical grating device comprising:
a grating arrangement for receiving each of densely spaced apart wavelength output signals from a plurality of radiation sources at separate input ports thereof, and for generating therefrom a multiplexed wavelength output signal at a zero diffraction order output port of the grating arrangement, and first and second multiplexed wavelength output signals of the densely spaced apart wavelength output signals that are focused at separate predetermined locations within first and second ones of a predetermined symmetric non-zero diffraction order, respectively, of the grating arrangement; and
first and second power taps coupled to detect the power of the first and second multiplexed wavelength output signals focused within the first and second ones of the predetermined symmetric non-zero diffraction order, respectively, of the grating arrangement.
14. The optical grating device of claim 13 wherein the grating arrangement is an Arrayed Waveguide Grating (AWG) comprising:
a first Free Propagating Region (FPR) for receiving the wavelength output signals from the plurality of radiation sources at separate input ports at an input side thereof;
a second FPR comprising an input and an output side thereof; and
a grating array formed from a plurality of different length optical waveguides that couple an output side of the first FPR to the input side of the second FPR for causing the second FPR to generate both the multiplexed wavelength output signal from the plurality of radiation sources at the zero diffraction order and the focused first and second multiplexed wavelength output signals.
15. An optical grating device comprising:
a grating arrangement for receiving a different wavelength output signal from each of a plurality of radiation sources at separate input ports thereof, and for generating therefrom a first multiplexed wavelength output signal at a zero diffraction order output port of the grating arrangement, the grating arrangement comprising a feedback loop for coupling a second multiplexed wavelength output signal appearing at a non-zero diffraction order output port of the grating arrangement back into the grating arrangement adjacent the zero diffraction order output port so that each of the different wavelength output signals in the second multiplexed output signal are demultiplexed and focused to separate input ports of the grating arrangement that are not coincident with the input ports receiving the wavelength signals from the plurality of radiation sources; and
a plurality of power taps, each power tap being coupled to the grating arrangement to detect the power of a separate one of the different wavelength output signals focused at said separate input ports thereof.
16. An optical grating device comprising:
a grating arrangement that is an Arrayed Waveguide Grating (AWG) comprising:
a first Free Propagating Region (FPR) for receiving a different wavelength output signal from each of a plurality of radiation sources at separate input ports at an input side thereof;
a second FPR comprising an input and an output side thereof; and
a grating array formed from a plurality of different length optical waveguides that couple an output side of the first FPR to the input side of the second FPR for generating both a first multiplexed wavelength output signal from the different wavelength output signals received from the plurality of radiation sources at a zero diffraction order of the second FPR, and a second multiplexed wavelength output signal at a first predetermined waveguide forming the plurality of different length optical waveguides of the grating array; and
a first power tap coupled to receive the multiplexed wavelength output signal from said predetermined waveguide forming the plurality of different length optical waveguides of the grating array.
17. The optical grating device of claim 16 wherein:
the grating array further generates a third multiplexed wavelength output signal at a second predetermined waveguide forming the plurality of different length optical waveguides of the grating array; and
a second power tap coupled to the second predetermined waveguide forming the plurality of different length optical waveguides of the grating array.
18. The optical grating device of claim 16 wherein:
the grating array further generates a third multiplexed wavelength output signal at a second predetermined waveguide forming the plurality of different length optical waveguides of the grating array which is looped back into an input port of the first FPR that is not coincident with any of the input ports used to receive the different wavelength output signals from the plurality of radiation sources for causing each of the different wavelength output signals in the third multiplexed wavelength output signal to be demultiplexed and focused at separate locations within an area of one of a set of predetermined symmetric non-zero diffraction orders at the second FPR; and
the grating device further comprises a plurality of second power taps, each second power tap coupled to receive a separate one of the focused different wavelength output signals in the third multiplexed wavelength output signal at the separate locations within said area of the one of the set of predetermined symmetric non-zero diffraction orders.
19. In combination:
optical grating means including input means for receiving signal power of different optical wavelengths from each of a plurality of radiation sources and output means for providing one of a group consisting of multiplexed power and individual power of the different optical wavelengths, the output means including a zero-order diffraction area and at least one non-zero order diffraction area;
main output means coupled to said zero-order diffraction area for abstracting said multiplexed power in an output signal of the optical grating means; and
auxiliary output means coupled to the at least one of non-zero diffraction area for abstracting power of one of the group consisting of the multiplexed power and individual powers of the different optical wavelengths.
20. The combination of claim 19 wherein:
wavelengths of the different wavelength signals received from the plurality of radiation sources are widely spaced apart; and
the auxiliary output means are coupled to both of a predetermined symmetric non-zero diffraction order area for abstracting power of the individual different optical wavelengths at separate locations within each of the predetermined symmetric non-zero diffraction order areas.
21. The combination of claim 19 wherein:
wavelengths of the different wavelength signals received from the plurality of radiation sources are densely spaced apart; and
the auxiliary output means are coupled to both of a predetermined symmetric non-zero diffraction order area for abstracting power of the multiplexed power at a location within each of the predetermined symmetric non-zero diffraction order areas where the power obtained by each auxiliary means is dependent on angular dispersion and a wavelength range generated by the plurality of radiation sources.