IP Library Granted Patent US 12,158,229
Granted Patent B2
US 12,158,229 · App. 18/184,474 · Granted Dec 3, 2024

Photovoltaic wire management clip

Inventors: Dorothy Michael (Portland, TN); Dean Solon (Gallatin, TN)
Assignee: SHOALS TECHNOLOGIES GROUP, LLC
F16L3/06H02S30/20
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Quick Facts
Patent No.
US 12,158,229
App. No.
18/184,474
Granted
Dec 3, 2024
Kind
B2
Abstract

A component retention clip includes a body, a grip element, and bottom slide-coupling elements. The body has a base wall and two side walls forming a planar slot therebetween. The grip element is in the slot and coupled with at least one of the two side walls. The bottom slide-coupling elements are on an outer surface of at least one of the two side walls, each bottom slide-coupling element having a tapered cross-sectional profile in a longitudinal plane that narrows in a sliding axis towards an edge of the respective side wall and having a trapezoidal cross-sectional profile in a lateral plane that is orthogonal with the longitudinal plane. The bottom slide-coupling elements include first and second bottom slide-coupling elements, each having a first or second longitudinal plane in a first or second sliding axis.

Claims (55)

1. A cable retention clip assembly comprising:

a component retention clip comprising:

a component retention clip body having a base wall and two side walls forming a planar slot therebetween;

at least one grip element in the slot and coupled with at least one of the two side walls; and

at least two bottom slide-coupling elements on an outer surface of at least one of the two side walls, each bottom slide-coupling element having a tapered cross-sectional profile in a longitudinal plane that narrows in a sliding axis towards an edge of the at least one of the two side walls, the at least two bottom slide-coupling elements including:

a first bottom slide-coupling element having a first longitudinal plane in a first sliding axis; and

a second bottom slide-coupling element having a second longitudinal plane in a second sliding axis that is at an angle with the first sliding axis; and

a cable retention clip comprising:

a cable retention clip body defining at least two cable retention channels each having a cable retention channel opening, each cable retention channel being parallel with each other cable retention channel; and

a cable clip slide-coupling element having a slide direction parallel with each cable retention channel.

2. The cable retention clip assembly of claim 1 , wherein one bottom slide-coupling element of the component retention clip couples to the cable clip slide-coupling element to couple the component retention clip to the cable retention clip.

3. The cable retention clip assembly of claim 1 , wherein each bottom slide-coupling element is configured to slidably couple and friction-fit retain the cable clip slide-coupling element.

4. The cable retention clip assembly of claim 1 , wherein:

each bottom slide-coupling element is a protruding slide-coupling element that has a trapezoidal cross-sectional profile, and the cable clip slide-coupling element is a recess slide-coupling element that has a complementary trapezoidal cross-sectional profile; or

each bottom slide-coupling element is a recess slide-coupling element that has a trapezoidal cross-sectional profile, and the cable clip slide-coupling element is a protruding slide-coupling element that has a complementary trapezoidal cross-sectional profile.

5. The cable retention clip assembly of claim 1 , wherein the at least two bottom slide-coupling elements include three bottom slide-coupling elements and wherein at least two of the bottom slide-coupling elements have a trapezoidal cross-sectional profile in the longitudinal plane.

6. The cable retention clip assembly of claim 1 , wherein the at least two bottom slide-coupling elements comprise a bi-directional slide-coupling element on the outer surface of the respective wall, the bi-directional slide-coupling element having at least two trapezoidal cross-sectional profiles that each taper towards opposite edges of the respective wall.

7. The cable retention clip assembly of claim 1 , wherein at least one of:

each grip element includes one or more retention spurs that protrude into an aperture formed in the component retention clip body to hold the grip element in the planar slot; or

each grip element includes one or more teeth to engage a planar substrate of a component when the planar substrate is slidably received in the planar slot.

8. A method of manufacturing a cable retention clip assembly, comprising:

fabricating a component retention clip body of a component retention clip to have a base wall and two side walls that form a planar slot therebetween, and to have at least two bottom slide-coupling elements on an outer surface of at least one of the two side walls;

coupling at least one grip element with at least one side wall in the slot;

fabricating a cable retention clip body of a cable retention clip to define at least two cable retention channels each having a cable retention channel opening, each cable retention channel being parallel with each other cable retention channel, and to have a cable clip slide-coupling element having a slide direction parallel with each cable retention channel; and

slidably engaging the cable retention clip onto the component retention clip so that the cable clip slide-coupling element of the cable retention clip slidably couples with at least one of the bottom slide-coupling elements of the component retention clip.

9. A cable retention clip assembly, comprising:

a cable retention clip defining a cable retention channel; and

a component retention clip couplable to the cable retention clip, the component retention clip comprising:

a body having a base wall and two side walls forming a planar slot therebetween;

at least one grip element in the slot and coupled with at least one of the two side walls; and

at least two bottom slide-coupling elements on an outer surface of at least one of the two side walls and each configured to independently couple with the cable retention clip, each bottom slide-coupling element having a tapered cross-sectional profile in a longitudinal plane that narrows in a sliding axis towards an edge of the at least one of the two side walls and having a trapezoidal cross-sectional profile in a lateral plane that is orthogonal with the longitudinal plane, the at least two bottom slide-coupling elements including:

a first bottom slide-coupling element having a first longitudinal plane in a first sliding axis; and

a second bottom slide-coupling element having a second longitudinal plane in a second sliding axis that is at an angle with the first sliding axis.

10. The cable retention clip assembly of claim 9 , the component retention clip comprising at least two grip elements, wherein each grip element is in a grip element slot in the planar slot.

11. The cable retention clip assembly of claim 10 , the component retention clip further comprising at least two grip receptacles in the respective side wall coupled with the at least two grip elements, each grip receptacle receiving a retention spur of the respective grip element.

12. The cable retention clip assembly of claim 9 , wherein the at least two bottom slide-coupling elements include three bottom slide-coupling elements and wherein at least two of the bottom slide coupling elements have a trapezoidal cross-sectional profile in the longitudinal plane.

13. The cable retention clip assembly of claim 9 , wherein the at least two bottom slide-coupling elements comprise a bi-directional slide-coupling element on the outer surface of the respective wall, the bi-directional slide-coupling element having at least two trapezoidal cross-sectional profiles that each taper towards opposite edges of the respective wall.

14. The cable retention clip assembly of claim 9 , wherein:

each bottom slide-coupling element is a protruding slide-coupling element that has the trapezoidal cross-sectional profile; or

each bottom slide-coupling element is a recess slide-coupling element that has the trapezoidal cross-sectional profile.

15. A cable retention clip assembly comprising:

a component retention clip; and

a cable retention clip couplable to the component retention clip, the cable retention clip comprising:

a body defining at least two cable retention channels each having a cable retention channel opening, each cable retention channel being parallel with each other cable retention channel; and

a cable clip slide-coupling element formed by the body and having a slide direction parallel with each cable retention channel, the cable clip slide-coupling element configured to couple with the component retention clip,

wherein:

the cable clip slide-coupling element is a protruding slide-coupling element that has both a trapezoidal cross-sectional profile in a plane perpendicular to the slide direction and a trapezoidal longitudinal profile in a plane parallel to the slide direction; or

the cable clip slide-coupling element is a recess slide-coupling element that has both a trapezoidal cross-sectional profile in a plane perpendicular to the slide direction and a trapezoidal longitudinal profile in a plane parallel to the slide direction.

16. The cable retention clip assembly of claim 15 , wherein each cable retention channel has a “C”-shape and is separated from each other cable retention channel by a corresponding cable separator member.

17. The cable retention clip assembly of claim 15 , wherein:

the cable retention channels are oriented toward the cable clip slide-coupling element; or

the cable retention channels are oriented away from the cable clip slide-coupling element.

18. The cable retention clip assembly of claim 15 , wherein:

the cable retention channels include a first cable retention channel having a first size and a second cable retention channel having a second size that is different than the first size; or

the cable retention channels include a first cable retention channel having a same size as a second cable retention channel.

Assignments (3)
SECURITY INTEREST Recorded Jun 11, 2026
From: SHOALS TECHNOLOGIES GROUP, LLC
To: WILMINGTON TRUST, NATIONAL ASSOCIATION, AS COLLATERAL AGENT
Reel/Frame 074929/0746 →
ASSIGNMENT OF ASSIGNOR'S INTEREST Recorded Oct 24, 2025
From: SOLON, DEAN
To: SHOALS TECHNOLOGIES GROUP, LLC
Reel/Frame 072672/0539 →
ASSIGNMENT OF ASSIGNOR'S INTEREST Recorded Mar 15, 2023
From: MICHAEL, DOROTHY
To: SHOALS TECHNOLOGIES GROUP, LLC
Reel/Frame 062994/0944 →
Continuity (2)
Provisional Application 63322102 · Mar 21, 2022
Related Publication 20230296192A1 · Sep 21, 2023
Cited By (3)
US 1,126,745 US 1,126,746 US 12,627,126