Itw Limited

Commercial Brains Limited

Mars, Incorporated

Alan M Meeks

Richard J Whitaker

Alfred E Piper

Michael Chittleborough

Peter R Johnson

Neil P Blackburn

Robert G Lloyd

Support bracket

Coin validators

A spring retainer 10 comprises a housing 12, a spring 14 and an actuator 16. The housing 12 is formed with a bore 20 and an opening 22 which extends transversely of and intersects the bore 20. The actuator 16 is snap engaged with the housing 12 to retain the spring 14 within the opening 22. At least a part of the actuator 16, such as arm 30, is movable inwardly and outwardly of the opening 22 to alter the extent to which the spring 14 obstructs the bore 20. The spring retainer 10 finds particular application in allowing removal or adjustment of head rests on vehicle seat backs. The arm 30 can be readily squeezed, even when shielded by padded upholstery on the vehicle seat back, to release the spring 14 from a spigot extending downwardly from the head rest.

Spring retainers

Support for adjustment devices for head rests in automotive vehicles

A one-piece plastics security seal, of the kind having a flexible strap securable within a passageway in a housing, may include a new locking arrangement and/or a new release arrangement. In the locking arrangement, the strap carries a series of teeth of non-rectangular outline, when viewed along the length of the strap, with at least a part of the passageway having an outline complementary to that of the strap and the teeth carried thereby, and the passageway being offset along its length in the region of a resiliently deformable stop for permitting movement of the teeth through the passageway in one direction, but not the other. In the release arrangement, the flexible strap and also a tab both extend generally transversely to the housing, with the strap being connected to the tab and the tab being frangibly connected to the housing. The locking arrangement is difficult to open, without causing visible damage, but is nevertheless easy to manufacture, and the release arrangement is easier to operate than if the strap had been frangibly connected directly to the housing.

Security seals

A one-piece plastics moulding includes a pair of flaps 12a, 12b connected by a hinge 14. Both of the flaps 12a, 12b are slotted so that, when they are folded about the hinge 14 to their closed position, a pair of parallel bars 22, 24 is presented for use in adjustably securing a strap 20. Both of the flaps 12a, 12b have spikes 54, 56 for use in trapping a web-like workpiece 48. Any parts of the buckle 10 which touch, such as free ends of the spikes 56 located in complementary apertures 52, can be fixed together by ultrasonic welding, heat sealing or adhesive.

Buckles

A cable clamp 10 comprises a base 12 and a pressure plate 36 presenting respective opposed faces 18 and 38 for clamping a ribbon cable therebetween. A lever 28 has a bearing member 30 whose ends 42 and 44 engage sockets 24 and 34 to permit the lever 28 to pivot, and thereby move the pressure plate 36 across the base 12. In the absence of a cable, the pressure plate 36 would move with a toggle action passing through a position of reduced separation between the opposed faces 18 and 38. In the presence of a cable, however, resilient arm 20 is deflected to exert a clamping pressure on the cable. The cable clamp 10 is integrally formed of a plastics material apart from a layer of double-sided adhesive tape 16 for attaching the base 12 to a workpiece.

Cable clamps

There is described in the specification an adjustable mounting (1), described in detail in conjunction with a vehicle door handle assembly. The mounting includes a main part (5) and a foot (6), the foot being a planar component provided with snap-engaging means to secure it on one side of an apertured panel (37), the side of the foot remote from the panel being formed with a series of teeth (19). The main part of the mounting includes abutment surfaces (8,12) to engage the side of the panel remote from the foot in areas (40,41) adjacent to the aperture, the abutment surfaces being so positioned and configured as to allow sliding motion of the main part in one direction relative to the panel. The main part further includes a series of teeth (20) complementary to the teeth of the foot, the two complementary series of teeth interlocking when the abutment surfaces of the main part engage the panel to prevent relative motion between the main part and the foot. A door handle assembly including the adjustable mounting is described, the assembly including an operating lever (2) pivotally attached to the main part (5) of the mounting, the operating lever including a finger plate (21) and a crank arm (22) the crank arm extending through an opening (15) in the main part of the mounting and through a slot (16) in the foot. To facilitate post-assembly adjustment of the mounting, the opening (15) and the slot (16) may each be formed with one of two series of opposing cutouts (34,35) which can be engaged by a tool (36), rotation of the tool urging the main part and the foot to move relatively one to the other.

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Chineham, United Kingdom

Alan M Meeks