Expanded – threaded – driven – headed – tool-deformed – or locked-thr – Threaded fastener locked to a discreet structure – Nut – and means to engage substructure on its opposite faces...
Reexamination Certificate
2001-10-02
2003-10-07
Saether, Flemming (Department: 3679)
Expanded, threaded, driven, headed, tool-deformed, or locked-thr
Threaded fastener locked to a discreet structure
Nut, and means to engage substructure on its opposite faces...
C411S182000
Reexamination Certificate
active
06629809
ABSTRACT:
FIELD OF THE INVENTION
This invention pertains fasteners, and more particularly fasteners which attach one object to another object, with special emphasis to objects in the Automotive Industry.
BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION
In the original conventional technology of fasteners employed to securely attach one object to another, such as for example one part to another in the case of an automobile or an appliance, has utilized a nut on one of the two objects, usually welded or glued to the back of said object, and a bolt passing through a hole on the second object in a manner to be engaged by the nut, thereby securing the two objects together.
This arrangement presents many problems, among which, one of the most important is that in the case that one object is hollow, the nut has to be in place at the back of the hollow object before assembling the two objects together. If for any reason the nut is misplaced, and/or if it becomes desirable to introduce a new fastening connection between the two objects, the task of achieving such connection becomes very difficult if not impossible for all practical purposes.
The so-called “quick nuts” have also been used to connect two objects. In addition, vibration during the operation of a device, such as an automobile or appliance for example, containing the two objects results very often in loosening of the bolt or “quick nut” and in either full disassembling of the objects from each other, or in a vibration noise which is most annoying and often of unacceptable levels.
Fasteners of the type described in U.S. Pat. No. 4,500,238 (Vassiliou) have been utilized to reduce considerably the potential of bolt or screw loosening and vibration. They have also eliminated the problem of having to place one member of the fastener at the back portion of the hollow object. These fasteners are placed through a slot from the front part of the hollow object. An expanding member, being usually a bolt or a screw, supports the second object by forcing the legs of the fastener (as described for example in U.S. Pat. No. 4,500,238) to open or expand, thereby securing the two objects together. The legs of the fasteners are supported by a double-layered head having an upper side and a lower side joined by side bents. The fasteners of this type have greatly improved the prevailing torque, as well as the pulling force of the system. Prevailing torque is the torque required to render a screw loose. Pulling force is the pulling force applied on the screw to the point of failure, which usually occurs at the bents.
Other references representing the state of the art at this point are disclosed in U.S. Pat. Nos. 6,095,734, 5,919,019, 5,636,891, 5,632,584, 5,249,900, 3,486,158, 3,426,817, 2,430,555, 2,376,167, and 2,720,135.
SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION
This invention pertains fasteners, and more particularly fasteners which attach one object to another object, with special emphasis to objects in the Automotive Industry. More particularly, this invention pertains a folded sheet metal fastener comprising:
a top section having a top engageable continuous hole; and
a bottom section having a bottom engageable continuous hole, substantially coaxial with the top engageable continuous hole;
the top section and the bottom section being connected by a left section and a right section, the left section comprising a left snapping segment, and the right section comprising a right snapping segment.
Folded sheet metal fastener is an integral piece of folded sheet metal.
The meaning of “substantially coaxial” includes cases that the top engageable continuous hole, and the bottom engageable continuous hole are in a condition selected from deviating from being commensurate, being misaligned, and a combination thereof, as long as they can still by concurrently engaged with the same screw or bolt or other suitable engageable member. In this manner, the prevailing torque is highly improved, even without the need of other frictional elements.
Commensurate engageable holes to a screw or bolt are holes that are positioned at such distance that they both match the pitch of the screw when the holes are concurrently engaged to the same screw or bolt.
Misalignment is deviation from the substantially coaxial status.
Continuous hole, such as any of the engageable holes utilized in the instant invention for example, is a continuous hole on a continuous portion of an object, such as the top section or the bottom section of the fasteners of the present invention for example. An engageable continuous hole provides considerably higher engagement strength than a hole made by two neighboring separated portions of one or more objects (discontinuous hole).
Engageable continuous holes formed on a sheet metal fastener have a helical configuration of the edge of the hole, which helical configuration corresponds to the thread of the screw or bolt to be used in combination with the engageable continuous holes. In some occasions the helical configuration is suitable to fit double threads.
Engageable discontinuous holes are utilized in a number of fasteners, which fasteners have legs forming separate engageable arcs or other types of engageable but separated portions, which separated arcs or separated portions constitute the discontinuous hole. Examples of discontinuous holes are disclosed by Gisondi (U.S. Pat. No. 2,720,135). These discontinuous holes are formed by notches 14 and 15 as well as by notches 17 and 19, as shown in FIGS. 1-6 of U.S. Pat. No. 2,720,135, in contrast with a continuous hole 6 (FIG. 1). In addition, discontinuous holes are the ones through any part of which, a screw or bolt can have no engagement. An example is the apertures
9
a and
10
a in U.S. Pat. No. 3,426,817.
The bottom section may comprise bottom extensions. Also, the top section is substantially parallel to the bottom section, and has smaller dimensions than said bottom section. The right side section is preferably parallel to the left side section.
The bottom section may comprise an overbent, and the right section may comprise an underbent, the overbent and the underbent overlapping each other in a manner that the overbent is on top of the underbent. The overbent may comprise bottom slots and the underbent may comprise respective tabs, which tabs are passed through the bottom slots, thereby locking the overbent on the underbent. Further, the bottom section may comprise a positioning tab.
The snapping segments may have bents directing part of said snapping segments inwardly.
The fastener may further comprise an under bottom section, the under bottom section being a bent continuation of the right section and comprising an under bottom engageable continuous hole, the under bottom engageable continuous hole being substantially coaxial with the top engageable continuous hole and the bottom engageable continuous hole. The under bottom section may comprise an element selected from under bottom positioning tab, under bottom extensions, and a combination thereof.
Part of the right section may be bent forming an inwardly folded portion, the inwardly folded portion comprising an under top engageable continuous hole, which continuous hole is substantially coaxial with the top engageable continuous hole and the bottom engageable continuous hole. The left section may comprise a support tub on top of the inwardly folded portion.
The left snapping segment may comprise a left side slot, and the right snapping segment may comprise a right side slot.
The top section and the bottom section may comprise more than one set of coaxial engageable continuous holes.
The fasteners of the present invention may further comprise an expansion panel on top of the bottom section, the expansion panel comprising an over bottom engageable continuous hole, the over bottom engageable continuous hole being substantially coaxial with the bottom engageable continuous hole and the top engageable continuous hole.
The present invention further pertains a major portion of a non-integral fastener comprising:
a top section having a top engageable continuous hole;
a left side section con
Saether Flemming
Termax Corporation
Vassiliou E.
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