US2844234A - Toggle type holding device - Google Patents

Description

July 22, 1958 E. BRANDES TOGGLE TYPE HOLDING DEVICE Filed June 12, 1956 INVENTOR. frmzsf 5. 5221174 65 United States Patent TOGGLE TYPE HOLDING DEVICE- Ernest E..Brandes, Madison, Wis.

Application June 12, 1956; Serial No. 590,956

12 Claims. (Cl. 18936):

This. invention relates. to toggle; type holding'devices, and more particularly such deviceswhich arerreadily and quickly applied to adjacent parts for'holding them in assembled relationship to oneanother.

One of the objects of my. invention is. to provide a toggle type holding device. which. can. be quickly and easily snapped into place relative tometal parts of-nonlinear sectionfor holding such' parts in: abutting relationship. relative to one another.

As another object, my invention .has withinits-purview thezprovision of a holdingzdevice. having two: parts.hinged-. ly-engaged with one another and'lshapedatoprovide end portions adapted to fit within. and: have stable;.resiliently. held engagementwith .portionssofpredetermined sectional contour; and whereinthe said two partszpass througha position affording a maximum: distance; between opposite. ends of the two parts while:beingmovedrelativer toione. another for reaching the position ofzstable; resilientlyheld engagement with the members;

My invention has for another object the provision.- of.

a. holding, device incorporating.- two. hingedly connected parts, oneof which parts is bowedto -afiord.resilient-flexibility thereof in a direction longitudinal to the other, and saidparts-together being. of a size1and.shape-to. hat/ea position'of stable engagement withseparated portions of. the :interior of amember: havinggaz sectionalicontour such that portions are. in. different planes-,jn. which; position said bowed part iscompressed and resiliently; holds-both; parts in firm contact with said-.member.

ItalS another object of. this invention-to, provide ahold-.

ing;-device for securing internally, concave sheetmetal sections of like. shape in abutting; end-to-eudj.relationship;

device to abuttedends of sections of" the type. illustrated.

in-Fig.- 1; I

Fig. 3 is a fragmentary rear elevational'view'of the structure shown in Fig. 2; and

Figs. 4 and S-are respectively end sectional views taken' substantially as indicated'by'a line 44 and accompany ingiarrows in Fig. .3, andwhereinFig. 4 depicts the posi:

tion.ofparts of the. holdingdeviceduring the applicationv tl-lereoftotheabutting. metal sections, while Fig. 5* illustrates: the holding; device in; its installed; position;

Although not limited thereto, the; holding-device dis? closed herein is well adapted to; useain, securing together 2: parts of heat dispersing apparatus of the-type shown and described in my United States Letters patent No. 2,627,800; issued February 10, 1953, and entitled Heat Dispersing Apparatus, and'is illustrated in such an adaptation in this application.

Having reference to the accompanying drawings, the" exemplary embodiment of my toggle type. holding device which is shown herein for illustrative purposes isshown' in an adaptation to the securement of front panel portions- 12 of heat dispersing apparatus 13 in abutted relationship. To provide a general'understanding of thelstructureillustrated, the heat dispersing apparatus 13 includes a back channel portion 14 having a back-'wall15, a base portion 16, a top flange portion l7 andabottom'flange 18,- all-'of which are integrally formed from a strip of sheet metal and which, in use, issecured to the wall portion of'a building adjacent the floor in the place of a baseboardi' The panel portion 12 has a relatively fiat front surface portion 19 and angularly disposed top'portion 20 and a flange 22 which is disposed in angular relationship tothe top portion 20, said flat'front portion 19, the top portion 20 and the flange 22 being integrally formed from a strip of sheet metal, andthe angles between the'portions. being such that the inner sectional shape is generally concave. Alongthe bottom of the front panel portion 12, a marginal portion-of the metal is folded" or an additional strip is secured totheinternal surface to provide an inner marginal strip 23' extending. upwardly on the interior of" the front panel portion and a flange 24-extending downwardly and inwardly in acute angular relationship to the strip 23. In the assembly of'the frontpanel portion withthe back channelportionl4i the bottom flange 18 on the back channelportiom extends upwardly and into the angle=between the strip 23 and the flange 214 to provideta hinge connection between thetfront panel. portion: and the: back channel portion of. the lieat dispersing apparatus.

The assembly of the back channel portion and the front panel portion-of theheat dispersing apparatus; as herein disclosed, forms a conduit for the dispersal of warmsair. through a slot type opening25 between the top flange portion 17 of theback channel portion and the flange. 22: of the front panel: portion. For: holding the front panel portion inplace relative to the rear-'channel'i portion and for. adjusting the opening-of theheat-dispersing slot 25 along a lengthof the heat'dispersingapparatus; brackets such as 26' are secureditotheinner surface of the back wa11'15 at positions above the. base portion 16 and screws 27 extend:through openings 28"in the'frontpanelportion and arethreaded'into thebra'ckets 26;. As herein: disclosed, coil type-compression springs 29 are: mounted on: the bracketslld and extend therefrom. into contact with the. interior of: the: front: panel portion, normally to urgethe front panellp'ortionaway from the back' wall of the back. channel portion, whereupon adjust.-

ment of theiscrews 27-moves the:frontpanelportion.rela

tive to the. rear channehportion; to determinethe width of-the.=slots 25..

In the. manufacture1ofheatrdispersing apparatus of the; type} herein.disclosed, as well? as other: types of sheetmetal parts, certain standard: lengths of' the parts arei made, which lengths are combined. and assembledat. the:

3 desirably be neat and inconspicuous, as well as being firm and tight. Furthermore, the cost of labor of the class utilized for installing apparatus such as that herein illustrated promotes the desirability of providing fastening or holding devices which are readily and quickly installed without the necessity of fitting operations or tools.

The disclosed toggle type holding device is adapted to ready and quick installation and mounts internally of the parts which are secured together, While those parts are in closely abutted relationship, so that a very inconspicuous joint is provided between the exposed surfaces of the parts.

As herein disclosed, my toggle type holding device 10 embodies two parts 30 and 32, both of which are fabricated from strips of sheet metal and hingedly connected together at adjacent ends by suitable means which, in the present instance, comprises a tongue 33 projecting from the mid-portion of one end of the part 30 and narrower than the part 30, which tongue extends loosely through a slot 34 at one end of the part 32. With this structure and relationship of parts, side portions 35 and 36 of the part 32 on opposite sides of the slot 34 rest against side edges 37 and 38 of the part 30 on opposite sides of the tongue 33. As depicted in Fig. 4, bends 39 and 40 in the part 32 at opposite ends of the slot 34, as well as the looseness of the fit of the tongue 33 in the slot 34 predetermined the range of relative movement which can be attained between the parts 30 and 32.

The part 30, in the disclosed holding device, is longitudinally straight and has substantial longitudinal rigidity. Also, this part 30 has an end edge 42 at the end opposite the hinge connection between the parts, which edge is substantially parallel to the axis of the hinge connection. Also, as shown herein, the end marginal portion 43 of the part 30 adjacent and extending along the edge 42 is curved to fit into a groove 44 between the front surface portion 19 of the front panel portion 12 and the top bent portion of the strip 23, which groove provides one of two opposed surfaces in spaced relationship laterally of the generally concave interior of the front panel portion 12; the other of the spaced opposed surfaces 45 being provided at the juncture of the flange 22 with the top portion 20.

The part 32 has an end edge 46 opposite and parallel to the axis of the hinge connection between the parts and, in order to provide flexibility and resilience of the part in a direction longitudinal thereof and normal to the hinge axis and edge 46, the part is bowed by a bend 47 at the longitudinal mid-portion of the part.

In the disclosed adaptation, the parts 30 and 32 have a maximum combined length when the end edges 42 and 46 are aligned with the axis of the hinge connection between the parts or when those end edges and the hinge axis are disposed in a common plane. For the illustrated purpose, the maximum combined length of the parts 30 and 32 is normally greater than the distance between the opposed and spaced surfaces 44 and 45 with which the end edges 42 and 46 of the parts are engaged in use. Thus, angular disposition of the parts, as shown in Fig. 4, is required for effecting installation of the parts of the holding device between the opposed surfaces, and fiexure of the part 32 is required for movement of the parts through their position of maximum combined length to the position depicted in Fig. 5, in which latter position the part 32 remains flexed sufliciently to afiord a gripping and holding action against the engaged abutted ends of sections which are held thereby.

It may be observed by reference to Figs. 4 and 5 that the bowed part 32 of the holding device has an angle of curvature between its longitudinal end edges which is substantially equal to or somewhat smaller than the angle of curvature which exists between the front panel portion 12 and the top portion of the structure secured thereby. Thus, after passing through the position of maximum combined length of the holding device 4 parts 30 and 32, at which the hinge axis is aligned with the opposite end edges, during the installation of the holding device, that device reaches a stable position of test within the parts being held thereby and in which one portion of the part 32 engages the angularly disposed portion 20 and the other portion may engage the front panel portion 12. In this stable and installed position, a component of the biasing force of the flexed resilient part 32 urges the upper portion of that part into contact with the angularly disposed portion 20 and other components of that biasing force are exerted toward the opposed end edges of the parts. In the disclosed structure, the lower end portion of the part 32, adjacent the hinge axis, normally rests against or in closely spaced relationship to the panel portion 12 which is being held thereby, and the part 36 extends along and in contact with the inner surface of the front panel portion of the structure being held by the holding device.

From the foregoing description and by reference to the accompanying drawings, it may be readily understood that I have provided a holding device adapted to use for holding together like metal sections of predetermined or generally concave contour in abutted relationship, which device may be readily, quickly and easily installed, and which device fits internally of. the parts held thereby and thus effects its holding connection without detriment to the appearance of the smooth exterior surfaces of the structures which it holds together.

While I have illustrated a preferred embodiment of my invention, many modifications may be made without departing from the spirit of the invention, and I do not wish to be limited to the precise details of construction set forth, but desire to avail myself of all changes within the scope of the appended claims.

Having thus described my invention, what I claim as new and desire to secure by Letters Patent of the United States is:

1. A holding device for securing together in abutting relationship the ends of like sheet metal sections having predetermined interior contours providing opposed surfaces spaced a predetermined distance apart laterally of the sections and comprising, in combination, a relatively straight part having substantial longitudinal rigidity, and a part bowed longitudinally and having resilient flexibility between its longitudinal ends, means for providing a hinge connection between adjacent longitudinal ends of the parts and having a hinge axis extending laterally of the parts, and said parts also having opposite end edges substantially parallel to the hinge axis and engageable with said opposed surfaces of the metal sections.

2. A holding device as defined in claim 1, and wherein said means comprises a tongue extending longitudinally from one of said adjacent longitudinal ends of one of said parts in a plane offset from said one of the adjacent longitudinal ends and loosely engaged in a slot at the adjacent end of the other of said parts.

3. A holding device as defined in claim 1, and wherein the curvature of said bowed part normally conforms approximately to the predetermined interior contours of the sheet metal sections.

4. A holding device as defined in claim 1, and wherein the normal distance between said opposite end edges when the hinge axis is aligned with the opposite end edges is greater than said predetermined distance between said opposed surfaces.

5. A holding device for securing together in abutting relationship the ends of like sheet metal sections having generally concave interior contours and provided with opposed surfaces spaced apart laterally of the concave interiors of the sections and comprising, in combination, a relatively straight part having substantial longitudinal rigidity and having an edge at one end for engagement with one of said opposed surfaces, a second part longitudinally bowed to provide longitudinal resilience, and

means providing a hinge connection for movably holding the parts in end-to-end relationship to one another.

6. A holding device for use with metal parts of generally concave interior section and having retaining surfaces in opposed and predetermined spaced relationship across the concave interior from one another, said holding device comprising two hingedly connected parts having end edges substantially parallel to the axis of the hinge connection between the parts and engageable with said retaining surfaces, said partshaving a maximum combined length greater than the predetermined spacing of said retaining surfaces when the axis of the hinge connection and said end edges are disposed, in a common plane, and one of said parts being bowed intermediate the end edge thereof and the axis of the hinge connection to provide resilient flexibility therein in a direction longi tudinal thereof.

7. A holding device as defined in claim 6 and wherein the other of said parts has a curved marginal portion extending along and adjacent to the end edge thereof.

8. A holding device as defined in claim 6 and wherein the hinge connection between the parts is separable and provided by a tongue on one of the parts which extends longitudinally of the parts through a slot in the other of the parts.

9. In combination with abutting sheet metal sections of like size and shape and having generally concave interior contours provided by angularly disposed portions and having opposed surfaces spacedapart laterally of the concave interiors of the sections, a holding device comprising two parts having adjacent end portions hingedly connected together for relative angular movements through a position of maximum combined length in which opposite ends of the parts are aligned with the axis ofthe hinge connection between the parts, said parts normally having a maximum combined length greater than the distance between said opposed surfaces, one of said parts having resilience and flexibility in a longitudinal direction normal to the axis of the hinge connection and the other of said parts being relatively rigid in a longitudinal direction, and one of said parts having a surface thereon for engagement with one of said angularly disposed portions of the sheet metal sections While said opposite ends of the hingedly connected parts are engaged with said opposed surfaces and after the parts have passed through their relative positions affording maximum combined length and also while said one of the parts is flexed.

10. In a combination as defined in claim 9, said parts being fabricated from sheet metal and having the axis of the hinge connection of the parts substantially coincident with the planes of the sheet metal parts.

11. In a combination as defined in claim 9, said one of the parts being bowed to afiord resilience and flexibility and the other of the parts being generally flat and straight with a curved marginal portion adjacent the end opposite the axis of the hinge connection between the parts.

12. In a combination as defined in claim 9, the hinge connection of the parts being separable and provided by a tongue on one of the parts extending through a slot in the other of the parts.

References Cited in the file of this patent UNITED STATES PATENTS 1,041,062 Funk Oct. 15, 1912 1,488,090 Buhr Mar. 25, 1924 2,538,409 Binkley Ian. 16, 1951

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