US 12,070,103 B2
Attaching and/or releasing parts using lobe-and-trough engagement
Forrest Joel Tripp, East Waterboro, ME (US); and Anthony Victor Castro, Cape Elizabeth, ME (US)
Assigned to Howe & Howe Inc., Waterboro, ME (US)
Filed by Howe & Howe Inc., Waterboro, ME (US)
Filed on Oct. 2, 2023, as Appl. No. 18/479,513.
Claims priority of provisional application 63/411,956, filed on Sep. 30, 2022.
Prior Publication US 2024/0108104 A1, Apr. 4, 2024
Int. Cl. A44B 19/14 (2006.01); F16B 2/22 (2006.01); F16B 5/07 (2006.01)
CPC A44B 19/14 (2013.01) 16 Claims
OG exemplary drawing
 
1. A fastener for forming a releasable attachment, comprising:
a first latch strip composed at least in part of deformable material and having a first plurality of lobes and a first plurality of troughs; and
a second latch strip having a second plurality of lobes and a second plurality of troughs; and
a ladder piece having an alternating arrangement of slots and rungs, the lobes of the first plurality of lobes extending through the slots and the bottoms of the troughs of the first plurality of troughs abutting the rungs,
wherein at least some of the first plurality of lobes are disposed within at least some of the second plurality of troughs and at least some of the second plurality of lobes are disposed within at least some of the first plurality of troughs,
wherein each of the lobes of the first plurality of lobes and the second plurality of lobes has a head portion and a neck portion narrower than the head portion, wherein each of the troughs of the first plurality of troughs and the second plurality of troughs has a wider region arranged to receive a head portion and a narrower region arranged to receive a neck portion, and wherein the lobes have substantially flat tops and the troughs have substantially flat bottoms.