1. A fastener assembly, comprising:
a first member having first and second arms each including first and second elongated slots;
a second member slidingly engaged with the first member, the second member having first and second body portions each including first and second tabs extending toward an opposite one of the first and second body portions; and
a plurality of dimples created on each of the first and second body portions, the plurality of dimples of the first body portion extending into the first and second elongated slots of the first arm in a first engaged position of the first and second members, and the plurality of dimples of the second body portion extending into the first and second elongated slots of the second arm in the first engaged position.
2. The fastener assembly of claim 1, wherien the first and second tabs of the first body portion are slidingly positioned within the first and second elongated slots of the first arm and the first and second tabs of the second body portion are slidingly positioned within the first and second elongated slots of the second arm.
3. The fastener assembly of claim 2, further including a telescoped second engaged position of the fastener assembly having the first and second tabs of the first body portion each in contact with an end wall of the first and second elongated slots of the first arm, and the first and second tabs of the second body portion each in contact with an end wall of the first and second elongated slots of the second arm, the telescoped second position also having the plurality of dimples of each of the first and second body portions displaced out of the first and second elongated slots of both the first and second members.
4. The fastener assembly of claim 1, further including first and second joining bands homogenously joining the first and second body portions such that the second member defines a substantially U-shape.
5. The fastener assembly of claim 4:
wherein the first and second body portions proximate to the first and second joining bands are separated by a first spacing dimension; and
wherein the first and second body portions opposite to the first and second joining bands are separated by a second spacing dimension, the second spacing dimension being less than the first spacing dimension such that contact between the first body portion and the first member and between the second body portion and the second member extends the first and second body portions opposite to the first and second joining bands outwardly to substantially equal the first spacing dimension, creating a biasing force adapted to retain the first and second tabs within the first and second elongated slots.
6. The fastener assembly of claim 1, wherein the plurality of dimples operate to prevent rotation of the second member with respect to the first member by contact between the plurality of dimples and opposed walls of the elongated slots in the first engaged position.
7. The fastener assembly of claim 1, wherein the first and second arms of the first member are parallel to each other and the first arm defines a mirror image of the second arm.
8. The fastener assembly of claim 1, wherein the first member includes a rounded base having a flat portion, the first and second arms being oriented transverse to the flat portion.
9. The fastener assembly of claim 1, further including:
a first flexible arm homogenously connected to the first arm; and
a second flexible arm homogenously connected to the second arm, the second flexible arm defining a mirror image of the first flexible arm.
10. The fastener assembly of claim 1, wherein each of the first and second body portions include tab alignment members each adapted to slidingly contact one of the first and second tabs of individual ones of the first and second body portions to align the first and second tabs with individual ones of the first and second elongated slots when the first and second members are engaged.
11. A fastener system for connection to a vehicle component, comprising:
a fastener including:
a first member having a rounded base having a flat portion and first and second arms oriented transverse to the flat portion, the first and second arms each including first and second elongated slots; and
a second member slidingly engaged with the first member, the second member having first and second body portions each including first and second tabs extending toward an opposite one of the first and second body portions, each of the first and second tabs slidingly received in one of the first or second slots allowing the second member to slide in a first direction away from the rounded base; and
a dog-house homogenously connected to a vehicle component, the dog-house adapted to receive the rounded base in a second direction transverse to the first direction.
12. The fastener system of claim 11, wherein the fastener includes a plurality of dimples created on each of the first and second body portions, and the plurality of dimples of the first body portion extend into the first and second elongated slots of the first arm in a first engaged position of the first and second members, and the plurality of dimples of the second body portion extending into the first and second elongated slots of the second arm in the first engaged position
13. The fastener system of claim 12, further including a telescoped second engaged position of the first and second members having the first and second tabs of the first body portion each in contact with an end wall of the first and second elongated slots of the first arm, and the first and second tabs of the second body portion each in contact with an end wall of the first and second elongated slots of the second arm.
14. The fastener system of claim 11, further including:
a first flexible arm homogenously connected to the first arm; and
a second flexible arm homogenously connected to the second arm, the first and second flexible arms operable to elastically displace toward and away from each other.
15. The fastener system of claim 14, further including:
a first engagement member homogenously connected to the first body portion and spatially separated from both the first fiexible arm and the rounded base; and
a second engagement member homogenously connected to the second body portion and spatially separated from both the second flexible arm and the rounded base, the second engagement member defining a mirror image of the first engagement member.
16. The fastener system of claim 15, further including:
a vehicle body panel having an aperture adapted to receive the fastener; and
an air bag operating to displace the vehicle component from a first fastener engaged position to a second fastener engaged position.
17. The fastener system of claim 16:
wherein in the first fastener engaged position the first and second flexible arms are releasably engaged with the vehicle body panel; and
wherein in the second fastener engaged position the first and second engagement members are engaged with the vehicle body panel.
18. The fastener system of claim 17:
wherein in the first fastener engaged position a force of approximately 50 pounds longitudinally applied to the fastener is required to release the first and second flexible arms from engagement with the vehicle body panel; and
wherein in the second fastener engaged position a second force of approximately 200 pounds longitudinally applied to the fastener is required to yield the first and second engagement members.
19. The fastener system of claim 11:
wherein the fastener includes a plurality of dimples created on each of the first and second body portions, the plurality of dimples positioned within the first and second elongated slots of the first and second arms in a first engaged position of the fastener; and
wherein a telescoped second position of the fastener has the plurality of dimples of each of the first and second body portions displaced out of the first and second elongated slots of both the first and second members.
20. The fastener system of claim 11, wherein the first and second tabs slidingly received in one of the first or second slots includes the first and second tabs of the first body portion slidingly positioned within the first and second elongated slots of the first arm and the first and second tabs of the second body portion slidingly positioned within the first and second elongated slots of the second arm.
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. A buckle, comprising a male latch and a female receptacle:
the male latch comprised of a pair of hooks, each one hook of the pair of hooks extending distally from a first end, respectively, of said one hook, said each one hook having an arm portion extending longitudinally from the first end and a hooking portion distal to the arm portion at a distal end opposite the first end,
wherein each hooking portion includes a first hooking projection having a first surface that projects transversely outward relative to an outer surface of the arm portion in a first direction, a second hooking projection having a second surface that projects transversely outward relative to the outer surface of the arm portion in a second direction different from the first direction, and a third hooking projection having a third surface that projects transversely outward relative to the outer surface of the arm portion in a third direction than the first direction and generally opposite the second direction; and
the female receptacle configured to be coupled to the male latch by holding each of the first, second and third hooking projections of each one hook of the pair of hooks while the male latch is inserted into the female receptacle, wherein said first, second, and third surface of the first, second and third hooking projections, respectively, hook a corresponding surface at the female receptacle, each said corresponding surface blocking movement of said first, second and third hooking projection at said first, second and third surface, respectively, when the male latch and female receptacle are pulled in opposing directions.
2. The buckle of claim 1, wherein the male latch is further comprised of:
a male latch first end configured to connect to a first belt, wherein the pair of hooks extend from the first end, and the first, second and third hooking projections are provided at an end of each of the hooks.
3. The buckle of claim 1, wherein the female receptacle comprises:
a second end configured to connect to a second belt;
an insertion part formed at the opposite side to the second end, where the pair of hooks are inserted into the insertion part; and
a receiving part between the second end and the insertion part, the receiving part receiving the first, second and third hooking projections of each hooking portion, the receiving part having a first opening through which the first, second and third hooking projections of one hook project and having a second opening through which the first, second and third hooking projections of another hook project.
4. A buckle, comprising:
a male latch comprised of a pair of hooks, each hook comprising an arm extended from a first end, and a hooking portion at a distal end of the arm distal to the first end, wherein each hooking portion includes three hooking projections, each one of the three hooking projections projecting outward in a differing direction relative to a projecting direction of others of the three hooking projections, said each one projecting respectively from a respective differing side surface of the arm; and
a female receptacle configured to be coupled to the male latch by holding each of the three hooking projections of each of the pair of hooks while the male latch is inserted into the female receptacle;
wherein the hooking portion of each hook comprises:
a first hooking projection of the three hooking projections projected from a first surface forming an upper surface of the arm;
a second hooking projection of the three hooking projections projected from a second surface forming a left surface of the arm; and
a third hooking projection of the three hooking projections projected from a third surface forming a right surface of the arm,
wherein the upper surface of the arm of one hook of the pair of hooks is the surface of the arm distal to the arm on the other hook of the pair of hooks, and for each hook the left and the right surfaces are surfaces opposing each other that each meet the upper surface along a direction that the hooks extend from the first end.
5. The buckle of claim 1, wherein for each hooking portion the first, second and third hooking projections are inclined at a predetermined angle about a direction perpendicular to a length direction of the arm having said arm distal end at which the hooking portion is.
6. The buckle of claim 1, wherein upper parts of the first, second and third hooking projections of each hooking portion are rounded.
7. The buckle of claim 1, wherein the hooking portion of each hook further comprises a support part projected in the direction opposite to the first hooking projection.
8. The buckle of claim 2, wherein the male latch further comprises a guide projection that is extended from the male latch first end and interposed between the pair of hooks.
9. The buckle of claim 1, wherein boundary surfaces between the first hooking projection and the second hooking projection and between the first hooking projection and the third hooking projection are stepped.
10. The buckle of claim 3, wherein the receiving part is formed in a shape curved toward a middle of the female receptacle from edges of side surfaces of the female receptacle.
11. The buckle of claim 3, wherein the female receptacle comprises a first and second hooked projection respectively adjacent the receiving part first opening and second opening toward the insertion part and against which respective corresponding hooking portions of the male latch are hooked to restrict movement of the male latch in an extraction direction while the male latch and female receptacle are mated, wherein each one of the first, second and third hooking projections of one hooking portion hook onto the first hooked projection and each one of the first, second and third hooking projections of another hooking portion hook onto the second hooked projection.
12. The buckle of claim 11, wherein for each of the first and second hooked projection of the female receptacle a corresponding support member is formed on a surface inward from the corresponding hooked projection on an inner surface of the female receptacle.
13. The buckle of claim 8, wherein a guide for the guide projection is formed inside the female receptacle.