Nifco Inc.

Eiji Ueno

Takashi Iwamoto

Goro Asami

Ryohei Ishida

Hitoshi Terashima

A pin grommet includes a male member that has a head and a shaft that extends integrally from the head, and a female member that has a flange in which a through hole is formed for insertion of the shaft, and a plurality of resilient members around the through hole extending from the flange. A resilient seal is provided on the side of the male member head on which the shaft is located, and another resilient seal is disposed on the side of the female member flange on which the resilient members are located. The resilient members on the female portion are splayed outward by insertion of the male member shaft into the female member through hole, thereby holding the male member in engagement with the female member.

Push-rivet

A pop-up mechanism is formed of a main frame, supporting poles rotatably coupled to the main frame, an elevating member rotatably attached to the supporting poles, an urging device for urging the supporting poles to rotate in a stand-up direction, and a locking device for locking the elevating member in a pop-up state and in a folded state. The locking device includes a locking piece slidably attached to the elevating member and having a lock releasing projection and a locking hole; a locking member rotatably attached to one of the supporting poles and having a locking pawl; and a locking projection projecting from the main frame. The locking projection is engaged with a locking hole of the locking piece to lock in the folded state, and the locking pawl of the locking member is engaged with a locking dent formed in the elevating member to lock in the pop-up state. When the locking piece is pushed, the locking conditions in the folded state and the pop-up state are released.

Pop-up mechanism

Attachment for a plate member

A connecting device of the invention is used to connect two members together. The connecting device is formed of a base flange, a support column extending downwardly from the base flange, and elastically deformable engaging members formed at both lateral sides of the support column and projecting from the base flange. The support column has first and second side edges, and the lateral sides extending between the first and second side edges. The distance between the first and second side edges is greater than that between the lateral sides. The first side edge is cut diagonally from a longitudinal middle portion of the support column to a lower end portion of the support column, and the second side edge is cut diagonally from near a top of the support column to the lower end portion. The engaging members have lower ends terminating at and joining with the lower end portion. Each engaging member has a circular arc shape in a lateral cross section and extends from near the first side edge to cover a middle of the width at one lateral side, and an enlarged portion extending laterally outwardly from the support column at the longitudinal middle portion of the support column. The connecting device can be used repeatedly for connecting the two members together.

Easily attachable and detachable connector device

A clip comprised of a head portion retained to a panel, and a leg portion inserted and retained in a mounting hole. The leg portion has a leg plate, elastic legs which project out from the longitudinally-extending transverse direction sides of the leg plate so as to form curved surfaces which face each other, and pawl portions protruded from the elastic legs. Curved outer surfaces of the pawl portions are disposed on a circular locus around central points on side surfaces of the leg plate, and have a greater curvature than the curvature of the mounting hole. As a result, when the leg portion is inserted into the mounting hole, the entire peripheral surfaces of the pawl portions do not contact the peripheral wall of the mounting hole, but only point-contact the peripheral wall of the mounting hole at points. Therefore, frictional force between the mounting hole and the leg portion is small, and insertion force is reduced. Although the clip requires little insertion force, a large retaining force for retaining the clip in the mounting hole is obtained.

Growing community of inventors

Utsunomiya, Japan

Eiji Ueno