Expanded – threaded – driven – headed – tool-deformed – or locked-thr – Washer structure – Including adjustable thickness means
Reexamination Certificate
1999-02-19
2001-01-23
Wilson, Neill (Department: 3627)
Expanded, threaded, driven, headed, tool-deformed, or locked-thr
Washer structure
Including adjustable thickness means
C411S546000
Reexamination Certificate
active
06176666
ABSTRACT:
BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION
1. Technical Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to a spacing sleeve.
More particularly, the invention relates to a spacing sleeve of the kind intended to be used when mounting an object at a certain distance in front of a wall or other similar supporting member by means of a screw of other similar fastening means extending through the spacing sleeve, and which comprises a tubular body, having two opposite bearing surfaces, located each at one end of the body, and holding means, connected to the body and located at one end thereof, for releasably holding the spacing sleeve to said object during the mounting of the latter.
2. Prior Art
A disadvantage of spacing sleeves of said kind, previously known, is that each individual spacing sleeve can be utilized only for mounting an object at a single predetermined distance from the supporting member, corresponding to the length of the spacing sleeve. However, within many fields of application of such spacing sleeves, it may be desirable to vary the distance between the object and the supporting member from case to case. By way of example, one such application field is the mounting of casings for eletric terminal blocks or other electric or electronic equipment, to which electric wires are to be drawn in through lead-in openings in rear wall portions of the casings, which for that purpose are mounted at the required distance in front of a building wall or other similar supporting member. The required mounting distance varies strongly in dependence upon the thickness and stiffness of said wires. In order to make it possible, in each separate case, to mount such an equipment casing at an appropriately selected distance, it has previously been necessary for an installer to have a large assortment of spacing sleeves of mutually different lengths at hand.
OBJECT AND SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION
The invention has for its purpose to provide an improved spacing sleeve of the kind initially specified which makes it possible to mount an object at a plurality of different selectable distances from a supporting member, located behind said object, without requiring the installer to have at hand a number of spacing sleeves of mutually different lengths corresponding to the number of different selectable distances.
The spacing sleeve, according to the invention proposed for said purpose, is primarily characterized in that, at its other end, the body is provided with means, adapted to receive said holding means of another spacing sleeve in releasable engagement therewith and to permit two or more spacing sleeves to be stacked upon each other and to be releasably held to each other in a mutually centered state and with facing bearing surfaces of the bodies of adjacent spacing sleeves in contact with each other.
The possibility of stacking two or more spacing sleeves upon each other offered by the invention results in that it will be possible, by means of spacing sleeves of one single length, to mount an object at a plurality of different distances from a supporting member located behind said object. In order to make is possible, in the case of larger mounting distances, to reduce the number of spacing sleeves that have to be stacked upon each other, the spacing sleeve according to the invention may however suitably be manufactured in two different body lengths, in which case the longer body length may constitute a multiple of the shorter body length and for instance amount to three or four times the shorter body length.
The spacing sleeve according to the invention may preferably be produced through injection moulding it in one piece from a suitable plastic. In order to make it possible, in this case, to give the spacing sleeve a shape which is favourable in view of the production method utilized, said holding means may suitably comprise one or more projections, each extending in an axial direction from the bearing surface located at said one end of the body, while, at its other end, the body may be provided with a corresponding number of recesses, each extending in an axial direction into the body from the bearing surface located at this end and serving to receive one of said projections of another spacing sleeve.
Said recesses may suitably be adapted to receive said projections of another spacing sleeve in releasable frictional engagement therewith. However, as an alternative, the recesses and the projections may instead be designed for snap-in engagement with each other.
According to a preferred embodiment of the invention, the spacing sleeve may have two or more projections and recesses which are uniformly distributed around the longitudinal axis of the body. In this case, the projections may suitably have the shape of short cylindrical pins, while the recesses may have the shape of short cylindrical holes. In order to facilitate the insertion of said pins of a first spacing sleeve into said holes of a second spacing sleeve, the holes may suitably have mouth portions which are slightly widening in an outward direction.
REFERENCES:
patent: 4747737 (1988-05-01), Roffelsen
patent: 5015132 (1991-05-01), Turner et al.
patent: 5921737 (1999-07-01), Ibey
patent: 459388 (1989-07-01), None
patent: 675622 (1990-10-01), None
Richco, European Catalogue 1, Specialists in Manufacturing Quality Fasteners.
Browdy and Neimark
Fatum Produkt AB
Wilson Neill
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