Removable, single side fastener with ultra-low stack height grip range, components, and methods for making and using the same

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-10378571-B2
Application number	US-201715462661-A
Country	US
Kind code	B2
Filing date	Mar 17, 2017
Priority date	Mar 17, 2016
Publication date	Aug 13, 2019
Grant date	Aug 13, 2019

Abstract

A removable single side fastener with ultra-low stake height grip range is disclosed. The fastener includes a housing body, a threaded screw, a drive nut and a collet body. The housing body has a housing head portion and a shank portion extending from the housing head portion with the shank portion forming at least two longitudinal slots. The threaded screw, disposed within the housing body, has a head portion rotatably confined within the housing head portion. The drive nut is rotationally coupled to the threaded screw and rotationally constrained relative to the housing body. The collet body has a pair of collet body legs converging inwardly. Each collet body leg has a toe which may extends radially outward beyond the longitudinal slots to compress work pieces against the housing head portion for fastening.

First claim

The invention claimed is:

1. A fastener comprising:
a housing body having a housing head portion and a shank portion extending from the housing head portion, the shank portion forming at least two longitudinal slots;
a threaded screw inserted into the housing body, the threaded screw having a head portion rotatably confined within the housing head portion;
a drive nut having at least a pair of radially oriented through holes rotationally coupled to the threaded screw and rotationally constrained relative to the housing body; and
a collet body operatively linked to the driven nut, the collet body comprising a collet body base having a central axis and at least a pair of collet body legs converging towards the central axis, each collet body leg having a toe extending radially outward and through the through hole by the threaded screw when the threaded screw threadably engages the drive nut and rotates to causes the drive nut moving longitudinally toward the housing head portion, the radially extended toe compressing work pieces against the housing head portion for fastening.

2. The fastener of claim 1 , wherein the fastener further comprises a spring in compressional contact with the collet body to facilitate thread engagement between the drive nut and the threaded screw.

3. The fastener of claim 2 , wherein the spring compresses the collet body via a block.

4. The fastener of claim 2 , wherein the spring is confined by an end cap located at a distal end of the shank portion.

5. The fastener of claim 1 , wherein the pair of radially oriented through holes are aligned with the housing body longitudinal slots.

6. The fastener of claim 1 , wherein the threaded screw comprises a screw tip with a reduced diameter in reference to the threaded screw.

7. The fastener of claim 6 , wherein the screw tip further comprises a ramp section with a ramp diameter decreasing gradually to the reduced diameter.

8. The fastener of claim 6 , wherein the screw tip is sized to fit into the collet body legs before the collet body legs are expanded radially outward.

9. A fastener comprising:
a housing body having a housing body head and at least two longitudinal slots;
a drive nut having a pair of radially oriented through holes;
a threaded screw rotatably confined within the housing body;
a collet body disposed within the housing body and coupled to the threaded screw, the collet body rotationally constrained relative to the housing body and slidably moveable along the longitudinal slots, the collet body comprising at least a pair of collet body legs biased in converging inwardly, each collet body leg having a toe which is pushed radially outward through the through holes beyond the longitudinal slots by the threaded screw when the threaded screw moves into the collet body legs, the radially extended toe compressing work pieces against a housing head portion for fastening.

10. The fastener of claim 9 , wherein the threaded screw comprises a screw tip with a reduced diameter in reference to the threaded screw.

11. The fastener of claim 10 , wherein the screw tip is sized to fit into the collet body legs before the collet body legs are expanded radially outward.

Assignees

• Centrix Inc

Inventors

• Mcclure Travis

Classifications

• F16B19/109

  Temporary rivets, e.g. with a spring-loaded pin (special clamping devices for workpieces to be riveted together, e.g. operating through the rivet holes B21J15/42; hand tools for temporarily connecting sheets before or during assembly operations B25B31/005) · CPC title

• F16B13/0833

  with segments or fingers expanding or tilting into an undercut hole (F16B13/0858 takes precedence) · CPC title

• F16B13/06

  combined with expanding sleeve {(F16B13/045 and F16B13/08 take precedence)} · CPC title

• F16B33/002

  Means for preventing rotation of screw-threaded elements (F16B39/00 takes precedence) · CPC title

• F16B13/063 Primary

  by the use of an expander · CPC title