Component retaining legs

Claim 1

A component retaining leg adapted to engage a panel through a mounting hole defined in the panel, the mounting hole having a peripheral edge, the panel having a first surface and an opposed substantially parallel second surface, said retaining leg comprising a base provided on a component, a pillar extending outward from said base and terminating in a free outer end, and a resiliently flexible retaining piece fixed to said free outer end of said pillar and extending inwardly therefrom at an angle to said pillar, said retaining piece terminating in a free inner end adjacent said base, said pillar and said retaining piece being adapted to engage through the panel hole with said base engaged with and substantially parallel to the front surface of the panel, said retaining piece being resiliently flexible toward said pillar upon engagement through the panel hole, said base limiting the extent of engagement through the hole by engaging the panel first surface, said free end of said retaining piece having an engagement step section for engaging the panel adjacent the hole peripheral edge, said engagement step section having a plurality of engagement steps formed at predetermined intervals therealong and selectively adapted to accommodate panels of different thicknesses, each of said engagement steps having an engagement face facing inward toward said base for selective engagement with the second surface of the panel upon engagement of said retaining leg through the mounting hole and engagement of said base with the first surface of the panel, said engagement faces of said engagement steps being formed at progressively greater angles to said pillar progressively outward from said inner free end of said retaining piece, each of said engagement faces assuming an angle substantially parallel to said base as said retaining piece is progressively flexed toward said pillar, thus providing for selective parallel engagement of said engagement faces with the second surface of the panel in accord with corresponding selected thicknesses of the panel.