A CLIP TOWER WITH A LOCKING STRUCTURE
TECHNICAL FIELD
[0001] The present subject matter described herein, in general, relates to a clip tower of a vehicle; and in particular, to a locking structure in the clip tower to retain a clip inside the clip tower during trim disassembly from a vehicle body.
BACKGROUND
[0002] In a vehicle, different types of panels and trims are placed on the vehicle frame. For the coupling between two related assembly components, such as panels, trim pieces, or a panel and a trim piece, different type of fasteners are used.
[0003] Depending upon the intended function, the fasteners have diverse shape and structures. Some of the fasteners that are used are made up of plastic material to reduce the weight and increase the reusability of such fastener.
[0004] Referring Figs. 1 and 2, an assembled view of a clip (101) and a clip tower (102) is provided. The clip (101) is provided with protuded portions (105) on inner surface which gets locked with the space (106) that are provided on the clip tower (102) to restrict the movement or to bind both of the parts together. The clip tower (102) is integrally formed with a trim part (103) of a vehicle.
[0005] During assembly of the trim part (103) on vehicle body (104), the clip (101) is first inserted inside the clip tower (102) formed in the trim part (103). The assembled structure is then inserted into vehicle body (104) so that the trim part (103) can be mounted to the vehicle body.
[0006] In case there is a requirement of disassembly of the trim part (103) from the vehicle body (104), the trim part (103) is pulled from the vehicle body (104). Ideally, the clip (101) along with the clip tower (102) should come out of the

vehicle body (104) during disassembly, but the protrusions (105) of the clip (101) are not sufficient to hold the clip (101) with the clip tower (102).
[0007] As a result, the clip (101) disengages from the clip tower (102) and remains inside the vehicle body (104) whereas the clip tower (102) comes out. Further, separate operation or high force is required to disassemble the clip (101) from the vehicle body (104) which is a tedious task and the clip (101) may also break during disassembly.
[0008] It is therefore, an urgent need in the art to provide a solution to prevent the clip from coming out of the clip tower during disassembly of the trim part from the vehicle body.
OBJECTS OF THE DISCLOSURE
[0009] It is therefore an object of the present disclosure to overcome the aforementioned and other drawbacks in prior method/product/apparatus.
[0010] It is a primary object of the present disclosure to provide a locking structure in a clip tower that retains a clip inside the clip tower during disassembly of trim part.
[0011] It is another object of the present disclosure to provide a snap fit for the locking structure.
[0012] It is yet another object of the present disclosure to provide a locking structure with a stepped portion for retaining the clip in the clip tower.
[0013] These and other objects and advantages of the present subject matter will be apparent to a person skilled in the art after consideration of the following detailed description taken into consideration with accompanying drawings in which preferred embodiments of the present subject matter are illustrated.

SUMMARY
[0014] A solution to one or more drawbacks of existing technology and additional advantages are provided through the present disclosure. Additional features and advantages are realized through the technicalities of the present disclosure. Other embodiments and aspects of the disclosure are described in detail herein and are considered to be a part of the claimed disclosure.
[0015] The present disclosure offers a solution in the form of a clip tower with a locking structure. The clip tower has two opposite side portions, a middle portion connecting the two side portions, wherein the middle portion forms a space for receiving a clip during the clip insertion. The locking structure is located at top end of each of the two side portions, and is provided with a stepped portion on an inner side of the side portions to restrict the clip from coming out of the clip tower during disassembly of trim.
[0016] In an aspect of the present invention, the locking structure is provided with a flange on a top surface followed by a first slant portion to guide the clip inside the clip tower during the clip insertion.
[0017] In an aspect of the present invention, the locking structure forms a V-shape on the inner side of the side portions.
[0018] In an aspect of the present invention, the first slant portion is provided on the inner side of the side portions.
[0019] In another aspect of the present invention, the stepped portion is provided below the first slant portion and is inclined inwards towards the inner side of each of the side portions of the clip tower.
[0020] In yet another aspect of the present invention, a second slant portion is provided on an outer side of each of the two side portions to guide the clip tower inside a vehicle body.
[0021] In a further aspect of the present invention, each step of the stepped portion has a smooth edge.

[0022] The foregoing summary is illustrative only and is not intended to be in any way limiting. In addition to the illustrative aspects, embodiments, and features described above, further aspects, embodiments, and features will become apparent by reference to the drawings and the following detailed description.
BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF ACCOMPANYING DRAWINGS
[0023] It is to be noted, however, that the appended drawings illustrate only typical embodiments of the present subject matter and are therefore not to be considered for limiting of its scope, for the present disclosure may admit to other equally effective embodiments. The detailed description is described with reference to the accompanying figures. In the figures, a reference number identifies the figure in which the reference number first appears. The same numbers are used throughout the figures to reference like features and components. Some embodiments of system or methods or structure in accordance with embodiments of the present subject matter are now described, by way of example, and with reference to the accompanying figures, in which:
[0024] Fig. 1 is an perspective view of assembled clip and clip tower in accordance with the prior art.
[0025] Fig. 2 is a perspective view of clip and clip tower during disassembly of trim part in accordance with state-of-the-art.
[0026] Fig. 3 is a perspective view of assembled clip and clip tower in accordance with an embodiment of the present subject matter.
[0027] Fig. 4 is a perspective view of a locking structure of a clip tower in accordance with an embodiment of the present subject matter.
[0028] The figures depict embodiments of the present subject matter for illustration only. A person skilled in the art will easily recognize from the following description that alternative embodiments of the structures and methods illustrated herein may be employed without departing from the principles of the disclosure described herein.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION
[0029] The detailed description of various exemplary embodiments of the disclosure is described herein with reference to the accompanying drawings. It should be noted that the embodiments are described herein in such details as to communicate the disclosure. However, the amount of details provided herein is not intended to limit the anticipated variations of embodiments; on the contrary, the intention is to cover all modifications, equivalents, and alternatives falling within the spirit and scope of the present disclosure as defined by the appended claims.
[0030] It is also to be understood that various arrangements may be devised that, although not explicitly described or shown herein, embody the principles of the present disclosure. Moreover, all statements herein reciting principles, aspects, and embodiments of the present disclosure, as well as specific examples, are intended to encompass equivalents thereof.
[0031] It should also be noted that in some alternative implementations, the functions/acts noted may occur out of the order noted in the figures. For example, two figures shown in succession may be executed concurrently or may sometimes be executed in the reverse order, depending upon the functionality/acts involved.
[0032] Unless otherwise defined, all terms (including technical and scientific terms) used herein have the same meaning as commonly understood by one of ordinary skill in the art to which example embodiments belong. It will be further understood that terms, e.g., those defined in commonly used dictionaries, should be interpreted as having a meaning that is consistent with their meaning in the context of the relevant art and will not be interpreted in an idealized or overly formal sense unless expressly so defined herein.
[0033] In the following detailed description of the embodiments of the disclosure, reference is made to the accompanying drawings that form a part hereof, and in which are shown by way of illustration specific embodiments in which the disclosure may be practiced. These embodiments are described in sufficient detail

to enable those skilled in the art to practice the disclosure, and it is to be understood that other embodiments may be utilized and that changes may be made without departing from the scope of the present disclosure. The following description is, therefore, not to be taken in a limiting sense.
[0034] Hereinafter, a description of an embodiment with several components in communication with each other does not imply that all such components are required. On the contrary, a variety of optional components are described to illustrate the wide variety of possible embodiments of the present disclosure.
[0035] According to an embodiment of the present subject matter, a clip tower (102) is integrally formed on the surface of a vehicle door trim (103), as shown in Fig. 3. The clip tower (102) has symmetrical two side portions (301, 302) positioned on the opposite sides and forming the legs of the clip tower (102). The clip tower (102) has a middle portion (303) whose each end connects both of the side portions (301, 302).
[0036] The middle portion (303) forms a space that intakes and locks the clip
(101) when the clip (101) gets inserted into the clip tower (102).
[0037] Referring Figs. 3 and 4, the side portions (301, 302) of the clip tower
(102) are provided with a locking structure (300) to retain the clip (101) inside the
clip tower (102) during disassembly of trim (103). The locking structure (300) is
present at the top end of both the side portions (301, 302). The locking structure
(300) aims to restrict the movement of the clip (101) from coming out of the clip
tower (102) during trim (103) disassembly from the vehicle body (104). The
locking structure (300) has a V-shape in the inner side.
[0038] Furthermore, a flange (401) is provided at the top of the locking structure (300) present at the top of both the side portions (301, 302). The flange (401) acts as a guide for the clip (101) to easily insert inside the clip tower (102). Further, a first slant portion (402) is present on the inner side of the side portions (301, 302). The first slant portion (402) also guides the clip (102) further inside the clip tower (101).

[0039] It is in accordance with an embodiment of the present subject matter that a stepped portion (304) is disposed on the inner side of the side portions (301, 302). The stepped portion (304) has an angular descent and the surface area of the locking structure (300) is maximum at the middle and starts decreasing at the point where the stepped portion (304) ends.
[0040] The stepped portion (304) restricts the clip (101) from coming out of the clip tower (102) during disassembly of trim (103). As the stepped portion (304) comprises of several steps, each step acts as a restriction for the clip (101) in case it tries to come out of the clip tower (102). Therefore, the presence of several steps in the stepped portion (304) proves to be effective in restricting the movement of the clip (101) out of the clip tower (102). As a result, during disassembly of the trim (103) from the vehicle body (104), the clip (101) comes out along with the clip tower (102), and thus eliminating requirement of extra effort in removing the clip (101) from the vehicle body (104).
[0041] Further, once the trim (103) is disassembled from the vehicle body (104), the clip (101) can be manually removed from the clip tower (102) by using some amount of force, if required. Each step of the stepped portion (304) of the locking strucuture (300) has a smooth edge which is designed such that during disassembly of trim (103) from vehicle body (104), the stepped portion (304) restricts the clip (101) from coming out, but if manually removed from clip tower (102) using some amount of force, the clip (101) can be removed from the clip tower (102).
[0042] According to a further embodiment of the present subject matter, both the side portions (301, 302) of the clip tower (102) are provided with a second slant portion (403) for easy guiding and inserting of the clip tower (102) inside the vehicle body (104). The second slant portion (403) is located on the outer side of the locking structure (300) of the side portions (301, 302) respectively and extend till the length of the locking structure (300).

TECHNICAL ADVANTAGES
[0043] With the help of the solution as proposed herein in the context of the present disclosure, the clip does not come out from the clip tower and the locking assembly is effective in retaining the clip during disassembly of the trim from the vehicle body, eliminating the need for any complex tooling requirements in the event the clip remained inside the vehicle body, as is the case in state-of-the-art.
[0044] Additionally, the clip retained inside the clip tower during the trim disassembly can be taken out from the clip tower using an appropriate external force, if clip requires to be replaced or removed.
[0045] The present disclosure further provides for an easy assembly of the clip inside the clip tower, with minimal inclusion of the additional components, thereby satisfying various structural and operational requirements and parameters.
[0046] It will be understood by those within the art that, in general, terms used herein, and especially in the appended claims (e.g., bodies of the appended claims) are generally intended as "open" terms (e.g., the term "including" should be interpreted as "including but not limited to," the term "having" should be interpreted as "having at least," the term "includes" should be interpreted as "includes but is not limited to," etc.). It will be further understood by those within the art that if a specific number of an introduced claim recitation is intended, such an intent will be explicitly recited in the claim, and in the absence of such recitation, no such intent is present. For example, as an aid to understanding, the following appended claims may contain usage of the introductory phrases "at least one" and "one or more" to introduce claim recitations. However, the use of such phrases should not be construed to imply that the introduction of a claim recitation by the indefinite articles "a" or "an" limits any particular claim containing such introduced claim recitation to disclosures containing only one such recitation, even when the same claim includes the introductory phrases "one or more" or "at

least one" and indefinite articles such as "a" or "an" (e.g., "a" and/or "an" should typically be interpreted to mean "at least one" or "one or more"); the same holds true for the use of definite articles used to introduce claim recitations. Also, even if a specific number of an introduced claim recitation is explicitly recited, those skilled in the art will recognize that such recitation should typically be interpreted to mean at least the recited number (e.g., the bare recitation of "two recitations," without other modifiers, typically means at least two recitations or two or more recitations). Furthermore, in those instances where a convention analogous to "at least one of A, B, and C, etc." is used, in general, such construction is intended in the sense one having skill in the art would understand the convention (e.g., "a system having at least one of A, B, and C" would include but not be limited to systems that have A alone, B alone, C alone, A and B together, A and C together, B and C together, and/or A, B, and C together, etc.). In those instances, where a convention analogous to "at least one of A, B, or C, etc." is used, in general, such construction is intended in the sense one having skill in the art would understand the convention (e.g., "a system having at least one of A, B, or C" would include but not be limited to systems that have A alone, B alone, C alone, A and B together, A and C together, B and C together, and/or A, B, and C together, etc.). It will be further understood by those within the art that virtually any disjunctive word and/or phrase presenting two or more alternative terms, whether in the description, claims, or drawings, should be understood to contemplate the possibilities of including one of the terms, either of the terms or both terms. For example, the phrase "A or B" will be understood to include the possibilities of "A" or "B" or "A and B."
[0047] It will be further appreciated that functions or structures of a plurality of components or steps may be combined into a single component or step, or the functions or structures of one-step or component may be split among plural steps or components. The present disclosure contemplates all of these combinations. Unless stated otherwise, dimensions and geometries of the various structures depicted herein are not intended to be restrictive of the disclosure, and other

dimensions or geometries are possible. Also, while a feature of the present disclosure may have been described in the context of only one of the illustrated embodiments, such feature may be combined with one or more other features of other embodiments, for any given application. It will also be appreciated from the above that the fabrication of the unique structures herein and the operation thereof also constitute methods in accordance with the present disclosure. The present disclosure also encompasses intermediate and end products resulting from the practice of the methods herein. The use of "comprising" or "including" also contemplates embodiments that "consist essentially of or "consist of the recited feature.

We claim:

1. A clip tower (102) with a locking structure (300), the clip tower (102)
comprising:
two opposite side portions (301, 302); and
a middle portion (303) connecting the two side portions (301, 302), wherein the middle portion (303) forms a space for receiving a clip (101) during the clip (101) insertion into the clip tower (102),
characterized in that
the locking structure (300) is located at top end of each of the two side portions (301, 302) of the clip tower (102);
wherein the locking structure (300) comprises a stepped portion (304) provided on an inner side of the two side portions (301, 302) to restrict the clip (101) from coming out of the clip tower (102) during disassembly of trim (103).
2. The clip tower (102) as claimed in claim 1, wherein the locking structure (300) further comprises a flange (401) on a top surface followed by a first slant portion (402) to guide the clip (101) inside the clip tower (102) during the clip (101) insertion.
3. The clip tower (102) as claimed in claim 1, wherein the locking structure (300) forms a V-shape on the inner side of the side portions (301, 302).
4. The clip tower (102) as claimed in claim 1, wherein the first slant portion (402) is provided on the inner side of the side portions (301, 302).
5. The clip tower (102) as claimed in claim 1, wherein the stepped portion (304) is provided below the first slant portion (402) and is inclined inwards towards the inner side of each of the side portions (301, 302) of the clip tower (102).
6. The clip tower (102) as claimed in claim 1, wherein a second slant portion (403) is provided on an outer side of each of the side portions (301, 302) to guide the clip tower (102) inside a vehicle body (104).
7. The clip tower (102) as claimed in claim 1, wherein each step of the stepped portion (304) has a smooth edge.