Expanded – threaded – driven – headed – tool-deformed – or locked-thr – Threaded fastener locked to a discreet structure – Fastener – or coaxial adjunct therefor – having sidewardly...
Reexamination Certificate
2000-05-08
2001-07-10
Saether, Flemming (Department: 3627)
Expanded, threaded, driven, headed, tool-deformed, or locked-thr
Threaded fastener locked to a discreet structure
Fastener, or coaxial adjunct therefor, having sidewardly...
C411S231000, C411S536000, C411S372500
Reexamination Certificate
active
06257813
ABSTRACT:
TECHNICAL FIELD
The present invention relates to an automatic screw clamping device clamped members such as bolt, nut and the like which are attached to the mount element.
BACKGROUND ART
The clamped members such as bolt, nut, and the like, have been so far widely used for fastening together various kinds of building articles or railroad ties and rails. For instance, referring to the railroad ties and rails, as indicated in
FIG. 14
, a press spring
103
having a plate-like portion
102
laid over between a tie
100
and a rail
101
is pressed down by clamping a bolt n to the tie
100
to fix the rail
101
on the tie
100
. However, if the rail
101
is subjected to vibration repeatedly, the bolt n may loosen automatically even though the bolt n undergoes the biasing force of the press spring
103
.
On the other hand, for instance, referring to the wooden buildings, columns and beams are fixed directly to each other using building strap bolts, but even if a nut is completely clamped down, or a nut having a function of stopping rotation is used, there may still yield a gap between the nut, column, and beam when the lumbers used dry off to such a degree that the column and beam shrinks and the nut can no longer press down on the column and achieve its clamping function. Such being the case, the inventor of the present invention has invented an automatic clamping device for strap bolt in order to solve this task. As can be seen in
FIG. 15
, this specific device comprises a cylindrical rotator a, a tubular casing b for receiving the rotator a in a manner that the latter is rotatable and slidable axial and vertical, and a coiled spring c wound around the rotator a to give the turning effort to the rotator a, wherein the rotator a has an engaging portion a
1
on the inner periphery thereof for receiving a nut n which is threadedly engaged with a strap bolt, and a projection a
2
extending in an outward direction of the diameter on the outer periphery of the upper end. Also on the lower end of the casing b a drive-fit/fixing means b
1
such as a nail, and on the inner periphery a depression b
2
for receiving the projection a
2
in a manner that the latter is kept unrotatable. With the nut n fitted in the engaging portion a of the rotator a, and affixing the casing b by the drive-fit/fixing means b
1
in the column or beam as a mount element with the nut attached thereto, the rotator a slides toward the upper end of the casing b, then, the projection a
2
goes out of the depression b
2
, and the rotator a biased by the coiled spring c gives a turning effort to the nut n fitted in the engagement portion so that the nut n can always be held in an energized position. With the nut n being kept operative at all times, if the lumber becomes dry and the gap between the nut n and the column becomes wider, the nut n will automatically turn under the influence of the coiled spring c, whereby the close contact between the nut n and columun h
1
can be maintained.
Although the casing b can be fixed by driving into the wood, the drive-fit/fixing means b
1
, such as nail provided on the upper end of the casing b, the metallic press spring
103
affixed in the railroad rail
101
as shown in
FIG. 14
is kept pressed down by the bolt n, the casing b can not be fixed to the tie by the driven fixing means bl such as a nail because the metallic press spring
103
is disposed around the bolt n. Consequently, it would be difficult to adapt the automatic clamping device for building strap bolt as illustrated by
FIG. 15
to bolt or nut fitted in the metallic mount element
101
,
103
.
In view of the circumstances, as described above the first object of the present invention provide an automatic screw clamping device which is capable of preventing a bolt fitted in the metallic mount element from loosening by retightening the bolt.
A second object of this invention is to provide an automatic screw clamping device which can be readily and for a short time fitted to the metallic mount element. A third object of the present invention is to provide an automatic screw clamping device for fixing a bolt to a railroad rail, which may be easily fitted to the fixing bolt for railroad rail. The fixing bolt is secured to the railroad rail in order to prevent the fixing bolt from loosening by automatically retightening the bolt.
A fourth object of the present invention is to provide an automatic screw clamping device which, while in use with nut or bolt, may be easily identified and detected even if it has been removed from the nut or bolt by other person with the intention of loosening the latter.
DISCLOSURE OF THE INVENTION
The present invention can solve the above-described tasks by providing automatic screw clamping devices by containing the following characteristic features.
A first invention of the present application is provided with a biasing member
5
,
110
for biasing clamped member n such as bolt, nut and the like in a direction in which the latter runs for being tightened.
Owing to the arrangement that the biasing member
5
,
110
is in an unrotatable engagement with the clamped member n at one end thereof, the clamped member n is adapted to be biased in a direction in which it runs for being tightened.
There is provided fitting means
71
,
112
,
82
,
802
for fitting the other end of biasing members
5
,
110
on a mount element
8
,
800
with the clamped member n attached thereto. The fitting means
71
,
112
,
82
,
802
is intended to allow the other end of the biasing member
5
,
110
to move by the biasing force applied to the other end of the biasing member
5
,
110
, thereby, upon such a movement, putting the other end of the biasing member
5
,
110
and the mount element
8
,
800
together.
In a second invention of the present application, the fitting means in accordance with the first invention comprises fitment
71
,
112
provided at one of the other end of the biasing member
5
,
110
and the mount element
8
,
800
, and fitment-receptive portion
82
,
802
at the other. The fitment
71
,
112
is relatively movable toward the fitment-receptive member
82
,
802
by the biasing force applied to the fitment
71
,
112
, whereby upon such a movement, the fitment
71
,
112
is received by the fitment-receptive member
82
,
802
.
In a third invention of the present application, the mount element in accordance with the first or second invention comprises a clamping object of clamping the clamped member, and a washer member
8
,
800
. Said washer member
8
,
800
is disposed between the clamping object and the clamped member n so as to get in contact with the other end of the biasing member
5
,
110
.
A fourth invention of the present application comprises a tubular casing
2
, a rotator
4
disposed within said casing
2
in a manner that the former may move axially and vertically, and biasing member
5
.
The biasing member
5
is connected with the rotator
4
at one end thereof, and the casing
2
at the other end, whereby the casing
2
and rotator
4
are given by the biasing force of the biasing member
5
a turning effort by which both the members can rotate relative to each other.
The rotator
4
is provided with an engaging portion
41
at the lower end thereof, whereby it can unrotatably engage the clamped member n such as bolt, nut and the like.
The casing
2
and rotator
4
include locking means
32
,
42
which are removably lockable, respectively. Therefore, the rotator
4
can be maintained within the casing
2
in a biased position where it holds a given turning effort, and the interlock between the casing
2
and rotator
4
can be removed as the rotator
4
is actuated to move upward relative to the casing
2
.
There is provided a fitting means
71
,
82
of connecting the casing
2
and the mount element
8
with clamped member n attached thereto in an unrotatable manner. The fitting member
71
,
82
acts to turn the casing
2
under the influence of the biasing force of the biasing member
5
applied to the casing
2
, and upon such rotary motion, the ca
Birch & Stewart Kolasch & Birch, LLP
Saether Flemming
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