초록 ▼

A cable grommet with ball and socket is used in connection with an elongated member passing through a hole in a panel. The ball has a pair of opposed hemispherical members juxtaposed along a ball central axis and horizontal plane. The ball has a hole through it aligned with the central axis, to rece

A cable grommet with ball and socket is used in connection with an elongated member passing through a hole in a panel. The ball has a pair of opposed hemispherical members juxtaposed along a ball central axis and horizontal plane. The ball has a hole through it aligned with the central axis, to receive the elongated member. A socket supports and retains the ball securely, while allowing the ball to pivot in any direction. The socket has a pair of opposed cup members, each with a hemispherical cavity therein centered on a socket central axis and vertical plane. A pilot aligns the socket with the panel hole. The cup members each have two tabs projecting transversely from a semicircular flange. The tabs of the opposed cup members overlap. Each cup member has an upper and lower thickened brow portion on the cavity adjacent the flange ends to strengthen the cavity. An adapter allows mounting the grommet in an oversized panel hole.

대표청구항 ▼

The embodiments of the invention in which an exclusive property or privilege is claimed are defined as follows: 1. A grommet for use in connection with a panel and an elongated member, the panel having a hole therethrough, the elongated member passing through the panel hole, the grommet comprising:

The embodiments of the invention in which an exclusive property or privilege is claimed are defined as follows: 1. A grommet for use in connection with a panel and an elongated member, the panel having a hole therethrough, the elongated member passing through the panel hole, the grommet comprising: a ball having a pair of opposed hemispherical members, the ball having a ball central axis, the ball having a horizontal plane aligned with the ball central axis, the hemispherical members being juxtaposed along the horizontal plane, the ball having at least one ball hole therethrough aligned with the ball central axis, the ball hole being adapted to receive the elongated member; and a socket having a pair of opposed cup members, the socket having a socket central axis, the cup members each having a hemispherical cavity therein centered on the socket central axis, each cavity having inner and outer surfaces, the socket having a vertical plane aligned with the socket central axis, the cup members being juxtaposed along the vertical plane, the socket having a cylindrical pilot extending outward along the socket central axis, the pilot being adapted to be received in the panel hole, so as to align the socket with the panel hole, the cup members each having an outer periphery, the cup members each having a semicircular flange extending around the outer periphery from a flange upper end at the vertical plane to a flange lower end at the vertical plane, each flange lying in a plane perpendicular to the socket central axis, each flange having a predetermined thickness, each cup member having an upper tab and a lower tab projecting transversely through the vertical plane from the flange upper and lower ends respectively, each tab having a thickness of generally half the flange predetermined thickness, the upper and lower tabs of each cup member being adapted to overlap the upper and lower tabs of the opposed cup member respectively, so as to link together the opposed cup members, each cup member having a plurality of mounting holes through the flanges and tabs for mounting the socket on the panel; so that the hemispherical members will be brought together at the horizontal plane, the elongated member will be received in the ball hole, the cup members will be brought together at the vertical plane, the ball will be received in each cavity, the tabs will overlap, the grommet will be disposed against the panel with the pilot received in the panel hole, and the ball will be free to rotate within the socket so as to allow angular movement of the elongated member. 2. The grommet of claim 1, wherein each cup member further comprises an upper and lower brow portion on the cavity outer surface adjacent the flange upper and lower ends respectively, so as to reinforce the cavity adjacent the vertical plane. 3. The grommet of claim 1, wherein one of the pair of hemispherical members has at least one pin projecting outward through the horizontal plane, and the opposed hemispherical member has at least one hole adapted to receive the pin, so as to align the hemispherical members for assembly. 4. The grommet of claim 3, wherein at least one of the pair of hemispherical members has two ball holes therethrough aligned with the ball central axis adapted to receive at least two elongated members. 5. The grommet of claim 1, further comprising an adapter for mounting the grommet in a panel hole larger than the grommet, the adapter comprising: a pair of opposed semicircular plates, the adapter having an adapter central axis, the adapter having a plate vertical plane aligned with the adapter central axis, the semicircular plates being juxtaposed along the plate vertical plane, each semicircular plate lying in a plane perpendicular to the adapter central axis, each semicircular plate having a plate predetermined thickness, each semicircular plate extending in a semicircle from a plate upper end at the plate vertical plane to a plate lower end at the plate vertical plane, each semicircular plate having an upper plate tab and a lower plate tab projecting transversely through the plate vertical plane from the plate upper and lower ends respectively, each plate tab having a thickness of generally half the plate predetermined thickness, the upper and lower plate tabs of each semicircular plate being adapted to overlap the upper and lower plate tabs of the opposed semicircular plate respectively, so as to link together the opposed semicircular plates, the adapter having a generally circular aperture therein centered on the adapter central axis, the aperture being adapted to receive the pilot; so that the semicircular plates will be brought together at the plate vertical plane, the pilot will be received in the aperture, the tabs will overlap, the adapter will be disposed against the flanges, and the adapter will be disposed against the panel, thereby mounting the grommet on the panel. 6. The grommet of claim 5, wherein the grommet is molded from a polymeric resin selected from the group consisting of thermoplastic resins and thermoset resins. 7. A grommet for use in connection with a panel and an elongated member, the panel having a hole therethrough, the elongated member passing through the panel hole, the grommet comprising: a ball having a pair of opposed hemispherical members, the ball having a ball central axis, the ball having a horizontal plane aligned with the ball central axis, the hemispherical members being juxtaposed along the horizontal plane, the ball having at least one ball hole therethrough aligned with the ball central axis, the ball hole being adapted to receive the elongated member; and a socket having a pair of opposed cup members, the socket having a socket central axis, the cup members each having a hemispherical cavity therein centered on the socket central axis, each cavity having inner and outer surfaces, the socket having a vertical plane aligned with the socket central axis, the cup members being juxtaposed along the vertical plane, the socket having a cylindrical pilot extending outward along the socket central axis, the pilot being adapted to be received in the panel hole, so as to align the socket with the panel hole, the cup members each having an outer periphery, the cup members each having a semicircular flange extending around the outer periphery from a flange upper end at the vertical plane to a flange lower end at the vertical plane, each flange lying in a plane perpendicular to the socket central axis, each flange having a predetermined thickness, each cup member having an upper tab and a lower tab projecting transversely through the vertical plane from the flange upper and lower ends respectively, each tab having a thickness of generally half the flange predetermined thickness, the upper and lower tabs of each cup member being adapted to overlap the upper and lower tabs of the opposed cup member respectively, so as to link together the opposed cup members, each cup member having an upper and lower brow portion on the cavity outer surface adjacent the flange upper and lower ends respectively, so as to reinforce the cavity adjacent the vertical plane, each cup member having a plurality of mounting holes through the flanges and tabs for mounting the socket on the panel; so that the hemispherical members will be brought together at the horizontal plane, the elongated member will be received in the ball hole, the cup members will be brought together at the vertical plane, the ball will be received in each cavity, the tabs will overlap, the grommet will be disposed against the panel with the pilot received in the panel hole, and the ball will be free to rotate within the socket so as to allow angular movement of the elongated member. 8. The grommet of claim 7, wherein one of the pair of hemispherical members has at least one pin projecting outward through the horizontal plane, and the opposed hemispherical member has at least one hole adapted to receive the pin, so as to align the hemispherical members for assembly. 9. The grommet of claim 8, wherein at least one of the pair of hemispherical members has two ball holes therethrough aligned with the ball central axis adapted to receive at least two elongated members. 10. The grommet of claim 7, further comprising an adapter for mounting the grommet in a panel hole larger than the grommet, the adapter comprising: a pair of opposed semicircular plates, the adapter having an adapter central axis, the adapter having a plate vertical plane aligned with the adapter central axis, the semicircular plates being juxtaposed along the plate vertical plane, each semicircular plate lying in a plane perpendicular to the adapter central axis, each semicircular plate having a plate predetermined thickness, each semicircular plate extending in a semicircle from a plate upper end at the plate vertical plane to a plate lower end at the plate vertical plane, each semicircular plate having an upper plate tab and a lower plate tab projecting transversely through the plate vertical plane from the plate upper and lower ends respectively, each plate tab having a thickness of generally half the plate predetermined thickness, the upper and lower plate tabs of each semicircular plate being adapted to overlap the upper and lower plate tabs of the opposed semicircular plate respectively, so as to link together the opposed semicircular plates, the adapter having a generally circular aperture therein centered on the adapter central axis, the aperture being adapted to receive the pilot; so that the semicircular plates will be brought together at the plate vertical plane, the pilot will be received in the aperture, the tabs will overlap, the adapter will be disposed against the flanges, and the adapter will be disposed against the panel, thereby mounting the grommet on the panel. 11. A grommet for use in connection with a panel and an elongated member, the panel having a hole therethrough, the elongated member passing through the panel hole, the grommet comprising: a ball having a pair of opposed hemispherical members, the ball having a ball central axis, the ball having a horizontal plane aligned with the ball central axis, the hemispherical members being juxtaposed along the horizontal plane, the ball having at least one ball hole therethrough aligned with the ball central axis, the ball hole being adapted to receive the elongated member, one of the pair of hemispherical members having at least one pin projecting outward through the horizontal plane, the opposed hemispherical member having at least one hole adapted to receive the pin, so as to align the hemispherical members for assembly; and a socket having a pair of opposed cup members, the socket having a socket central axis, the cup members each having a hemispherical cavity therein centered on the socket central axis, each cavity having inner and outer surfaces, the socket having a vertical plane aligned with the socket central axis, the cup members being juxtaposed along the vertical plane, the socket having a cylindrical pilot extending outward along the socket central axis, the pilot being adapted to be received in the panel hole, so as to align the socket with the panel hole, the cup members each having an outer periphery, the cup members each having a semicircular flange extending around the outer periphery from a flange upper end at the vertical plane to a flange lower end at the vertical plane, each flange lying in a plane perpendicular to the socket central axis, each flange having a predetermined thickness, each cup member having an upper tab and a lower tab projecting transversely through the vertical plane from the flange upper and lower ends respectively, each tab having a thickness of generally half the flange predetermined thickness, the upper and lower tabs of each cup member being adapted to overlap the upper and lower tabs of the opposed cup member respectively, so as to link together the opposed cup members, each cup member having an upper and lower brow portion on the cavity outer surface adjacent the flange upper and lower ends respectively, so as to reinforce the cavity adjacent the vertical plane, each cup member having a plurality of mounting holes through the flanges and tabs for mounting the socket on the panel; so that the hemispherical members will be brought together at the horizontal plane, the elongated member will be received in the ball hole, the cup members will be brought together at the vertical plane, the ball will be received in each cavity, the tabs will overlap, the grommet will be disposed against the panel with the pilot received in the panel hole, and the ball will be free to rotate within the socket so as to allow angular movement of the elongated member. 12. The grommet of claim 11, wherein the grommet is molded from a polymeric resin selected from the group consisting of thermoplastic resins and thermoset resins.