ALEXANDRIA, Va., June 18 -- United States Patent no. 12,326,166, issued on June 10, was assigned to Illinois Tool Works Inc. (Glenview, Ill.).
"Combination stud and panel fastener" was invented by Mark O. Lepper (Oak Park, Ill.) and Andrea Fickert (Troy, Mich.).
According to the abstract* released by the U.S. Patent & Trademark Office: "Described is a combination fastener for attaching an object to a stud extending from or an opening formed in a component. The combination fastener includes a carrier portion to retain the object and a fastener portion. The fastener portion includes a body sidewall that defines a central longitudinal axis and a hollow space configured to receive the stud. A plurality of stud-retention features are resilient...