Release mechanisms for adjoining components

Abstract

A mechanism for facilitating the release of a components employed on an expandable and collapsible canopy having a spring-biased projection penetrating an opening in the component, the mechanism comprising a sturdy flap comprising a thumb press portion which is sufficiently large enough to lower the force per square inch required to release the mechanism, wherein the flap is rotatably secured to the mechanism so that the thumb press portion may be rotated into contact with the projection by a user when in use so that the thumb press portion is substantially perpendicular to the projection upon engagement.

1 . A discrete mechanism configured to be added to a structural assembly comprising components in which at least one component can be placed in a temporarily fixed position within the structural assembly by way of a spring-biased projection penetrating an opening in the component, the discrete mechanism comprising a semi-rigid flap comprising a thumb press portion larger than the diameter of the spring-biased projection, wherein the flap is configured so that it can be rotatably secured to the structural assembly and rotated into position covering the spring-biased projection so that the thumb press portion may be placed into contact with the projection substantially perpendicular to the linear axis of movement of the projection upon contact, thereby facilitating depression of the projection inwardly through the opening in the component to release the component from its temporarily fixed position within the structural assembly.