Spring Lock

Abstract

A spring lock includes a sinusoidal spring that has one or more crests and troughs formed along a length of the sinusodial spring, the length extending along a sliding axis, the one or more crests and troughs forming a sinusoidal spring profile. The spring lock further includes a lock bar that has a track extending along the sliding axis, the track being configured to hold the sinusodial spring and allow the sinusoidal spring to move along the sliding axis, the track further including one or more depressions and plateaus with the depressions and plateaus forming a lock bar profile, wherein the spring lock is locked when the sinusoidal spring profile and the lock bar profile are out-of-phase and the spring lock is unlocked when the sinusoidal spring profile and the lock bar profile are in-phase.

What is claimed is: 
     
         1 . A spring lock comprising:
 a sinusoidal spring comprising:   one or more crests and troughs formed along a length of the sinusodial spring, the length extending along a sliding axis, the one or more crests and troughs forming a sinusoidal spring profile; and   a lock bar comprising a track extending along the sliding axis, the track configured to hold the sinusodial spring and allow the sinusoidal spring to move along the sliding axis, the track comprising one or more depressions and plateaus, the depressions and plateaus forming a lock bar profile,   wherein the spring lock is locked when the sinusoidal spring profile and the lock bar profile are out-of-phase and the spring lock is unlocked when the sinusoidal spring profile and the lock bar profile are in-phase.   
     
     
         2 . The spring lock of  claim 1 , wherein the sinusodial spring profile and the lock bar profile are regular and symmetric about a locking axis, the locking axis being perpindicular to the sliding axis. 
     
     
         3 . The spring lock of  claim 1 , wherein the sinusodial spring profile and the lock bar profile are non-symmetric about the locking axis, the locking axis being perpindicular to the sliding axis. 
     
     
         4 . The spring lock of  claim 1 , wherein the sinusodial spring profile and the lock bar profile are non-symmetric about the sliding axis. 
     
     
         5 . The spring lock of  claim 1 , wherein the track comprises walls defining a track width, the track width being slighly larger than a sinusoidal spring width. 
     
     
         6 . The spring lock of  claim 5 , whereing the walls comprise one or more protrusions configured to retain the sinusoidal spring along a locking axis while allowing the sinusoidal spring to move along the sliding axis, the locking axis being perpindicular to the sliding axis. 
     
     
         7 . The spring lock of  claim 1 , wherein the lock bar further comprises an anchoring block at one end of the lock bar, the anchoring block restricting the sinusoidal spring motion along the sliding axis. 
     
     
         8 . The spring lock of  claim 1 , wherein the lock bar further comprises a removal component. 
     
     
         9 . The spring lock of  claim 1 , wherein the one or more depressions form at least one primary sinusoidal depression and the one ore more plateaus form at least one primary sinusoidal plateau. 
     
     
         10 . The spring lock of  claim 9 , wherein the track further comprises:
 at least two primary sinusoidal depressions forming a primary sinusoidal depression period;   at least two primary sinusoidal plateaus forming a primary sinusoidal plateau period,   wherein the primary sinusoidal depression period and the primary sinusoidal plateau period are substantially equal to the sinusoidal spring period.   
     
     
         11 . The spring lock of  claim 10 , wherein the primary sinusoidal depression period is out-of-phase with the primary sinusoidal plateau period. 
     
     
         12 . The spring lock of  claim 10 , wherein the at least two primary sinusoidal plateaus comprise at least two secondary sinusoidal depressions. 
     
     
         13 . The spring lock of  claim 1 , wherein the one or more depressions form a primary sinusoidal depression and a secondary sinusoidal depression, the primary and secondary sinusoidal depressions configured to restrict the sinusoidal spring and lock bar from involuntarily shifting from a locked position to an unlocked position. 
     
     
         14 . The spring lock of  claim 13 , wherein a secondary sinusoidal depression surface is configured to restrict motion of the sinusodial spring relative to the lock bar. 
     
     
         15 . A method for securing a component between an upper static surface and a lower static surface, the method comprising:
 providing a sinusoidal spring having a sinusoidal spring period along a sliding axis, a sinusoidal amplitude along a locking axis, and a width along a lateral axis, wherein the sliding axis, locking axis and lateral axis are all perpendicular to one another;   providing a lock bar comprising a track along the sliding axis, the track configured to allow the sinusoidal spring to move along the sliding axis between an unlocked and a locked position;   placing the sinusoidal spring, lock bar, and flat component between the upper static surface and the lower static surface; and   moving the sinusoidal spring, relative to the lock bar, along the sliding axis from the unlocked to the locked position.   
     
     
         16 . The method of  claim 15 , wherein a shortest distance between the upper static surface and the lower static surface:
 is greater than or equal to a combined unlocked profile thickness of the sinusoidal spring, lock bar, and flat component when the sinusoidal spring and the lock bar are in the unlocked position; and   is less than a combined locked profile thickness of the sinusoidal spring, lock bar, and flat component when the sinusoidal spring and the lock bar are in the locked position.   
     
     
         17 . A spring lock comprising:
 a sinusoidal spring having:
 one or more crests or troughs along a locking axis, the crests or troughs forming a sinusoidal spring profile, 
 a length along a sliding axis, and 
 a width along a lateral axis, 
 wherein the sliding axis, locking axis and lateral axis are all perpendicular to one another; 
   a lock bar comprising a track along the sliding axis, the track comprising one or more depressions or plateaus, the depressions or plateaus forming a lock bar profile;   wherein the sinusoidal spring profile and the lock bar profile are configured to be in-phase or out-of-phase with respect to each other.   
     
     
         18 . The spring lock of  claim 17 , wherein the lock bar is configured to allow the sinusoidal spring to move along the sliding axis to change the spring lock between the unlocked and locked positions. 
     
     
         19 . The spring lock of  claim 17 , wherein the lock bar is configured to restrict motion of the sinusoidal spring along the lateral axis. 
     
     
         20 . The spring lock of  claim 19 , wherein the lock bar further comprises an anchoring block at one end of the lock bar, the anchoring block configured to restrict the sinusoidal spring motion along one direction of the sliding axis.