USPTO Fastener patents for August 2022

July 26, 2022July 26, 2022 FTI 2022, August/September

Compiled from: United States Patent and Trademark Office (USPTO) Patents listed in FTI Aug/Sep 2022 issue

Chip Break Bolt Head
United States Patent 11,384,783
Issued July 12, 2022
Inventors: Omar Honegger, Covina, CA, USA; Bob Flores, City Of Industry, CA, USA; and Paul Keller, City Of Industry, CA, USA
Assignee: Allfast Fastening Systems, City of Industry, CA, USA
Two piece tack rivets and method of forming holes for permanent fasteners. The tack rivets have a stem with a head on one end and a grooved region adjacent the other end, and a locking collar for fitting over the grooved region of the stem for deforming into the grooved region of the stem on applying a setting force between the locking collar and the stem. The head includes cutouts formed therein. The cutouts prevent the head from forming large chips or strips when drilled.

Fastener Assembly
United States Patent 11,384,784
Issued July 12, 2022
Inventors: Majantesh Gokavi, Maharashtra, India; Allande Johnson, Tamil Nadu, India; Mulla Dastageer, Maharashtra, India; and Abhishek Karambelkar, Maharashtra, India
Assignee: Illinois Tool Works Inc., Glenview, IL, USA
A fastener assembly includes a grommet and a pin. The grommet includes a body and a collar. The body has a hollow cylindrical cavity that has a first end and a second end opposite to the first end. The body includes flexible snaps connected to an exterior surface of the body. The flexible snaps are to flex in a radial direction with respect to a central longitudinal axis. The collar is provided at the second end of the body. The collar includes engagement members that extend from the collar in a direction opposite to the body to engage with the pin. The pin includes a shaft insertable into the body to cooperate with the flexible snaps to prevent radially inward movement of the flexible snaps.

Self-Tapping Screw
United States Patent 11,378,120
Issued July 5, 2022
Inventor: George Gustaaf Veldhoen, Rotterdam, Netherlands
Assignee: Partnership Twello B.V., Rotterdam, Netherlands
A self-tapping screw made of synthetic material has a threaded shank defining a screw center line. The screw has proximal and distal insertion ends, the shank including first and second portions, the second proximal to the first. The pitch is the same in the first and second portions, and has a complete thread cross-section in the second portion. In the first portion, in the direction of the thread, the thread is divided into segments having an incomplete thread cross-section, the thread segments having leading end and trailing ends. The leading end of one thread segment extends further radially than the leading end of the thread segment preceding it and forms a cutting edge. In most of the thread segments the thread top in question, for substantially its full length, starting with the leading end, considered in thread direction, is situated at a constant radial distance from the center line.

Fastener with Attached Compression Limiting Sleeve
United States Patent 11,371,544
Issued June 28, 2022
Inventors: Jeramiah Slater, Grand Blanc, MI, USA; Robert A. Niec, Burt, MI, USA; Paul Purdy, Holly, MI, USA; and Gary Sifferman, Grand Blanc, MI, USA
Assignee: Acument Intellectual Properties, LLC, Sterling Heights, MI, USA
A fastener system that includes a fastener, a compression-limiting sleeve and a retainer which generally retains the compression-limiting sleeve on the fastener. By providing that the compression-limiting sleeve is not staked to the fastener, existing technology can be used, and no extra staking processing step needs to be performed. The fastener may comprise a conventional metal threaded screw or bolt, possibly having a recess in its head for receiving a driver. Preferably, the compression-limiting sleeve is cold headed as opposed to being stamped, and preferably includes a counter bore which assures that an end of the retainer is below an end surface of the compression-limiting sleeve. Preferably, the retainer is formed of a thermoplastic elastomer or another suitable material.

Wood Screw Structure
United States Patent 11,371,547
Issued June 28, 2022
Inventors: Yi-Chieh Shih, Kaohsiung, Taiwan
Assignee: Bi-Mirth Corp., Kaohsiung, Taiwan
A wood screw structure comprises a screw head section, a rod section, a first screw thread and a plurality of crushing rib units. The rod section is sequentially integrally formed from the screw head section and comprises a first rod portion connecting the screw head section, a second rod portion, a third rod portion and a tapered portion extending and tapering outwardly from the third rod portion. The first screw thread is disposed spirally and is protruded on an outer peripheral surface of the tapered portion, the second rod portion and the third rod portion. The crushing rib units are disposed spirally and protruded around the outer peripheral surface of the third rod portion and the tapered portion, and each of the crushing rib units includes a plurality of crushers protrudingly disposed on a rib body. A first discharge gap is formed between the crushers.

Self-Drilling Screw Structure
United States Patent 11,371,546
Issued June 28, 2022
Inventor: Yi-Chieh Shih, Kaohsiung, Taiwan
Assignee: Bi-Mirth Corp., Kaohsiung, Taiwan
A self-drilling screw structure comprises a screw head and a screw rod extending outwardly from the screw head. The screw rod is formed with a drill bit section at one end opposite to the screw head, a drill tail section and a screw thread section. The drill bit section comprises two first cutting edges extending helically and intersecting at a chisel edge. Two first chip flutes located at the positions respectively between the two first cutting edges and extending from the chisel edge toward the drill tail section. The drill tail section comprises two second cutting edges extending helically toward the screw thread section. Two second chip flutes located at the positions respectively between the two second cutting edges and extending helically toward the screw thread section. Each first chip flute and the second chip flute form a connection at joint between the drill bit and drill tail sections.

Shockproof Nut Kit
United States Patent 11,371,548
Issued June 28, 2022
Inventor: Zhou; Feng, Guangxi, China
A shockproof nut kit includes an upper nut and a lower nut, in which an end surface of the upper nut is provided with a boss of elliptic cylinder; on the upper end surface of the elliptic cylinder at a longer planar extension side is provided an unfilled corner; in an end surface of the lower nut is concavely formed a cylindrical groove matching with the boss of elliptic cylinder, and in the assembly state, the boss of elliptic cylinder on the upper nut is in clearance fit with the cylindrical groove in the lower nut. The present invention avoids the slipping and displacement of nuts in the meshing process, and ensures the coaxiality of the upper and lower nuts during installation to the utmost. In terms of both safety and shockproof, the present invention achieves satisfactory results, the installation thereof is convenient and reliable, and the disassembly thereof is simple.

Fastener with Lubricating Ring for Interference Fitting, and Assembly Method Using Such a Fastener
United States Patent 11,365,757
Issued June 21, 2022
Inventors: Alexandre Berthou, Bois-Colombes, France; Florent Verdier, Rueil Malmaison, France; and Charlese Pham, Sevran, France
Assignee: LISI Aerospace, Paris, France
A fastener for assembling at least two structural elements having an aperture, may have a fastener comprising an enlarged head (12) and a shank (14) exhibiting, prior to fitting, an outside diameter (D1) greater than an inside diameter (DS) of the aperture and a locking portion comprising a screw thread or annular grooves. The fastener further comprises a lubricating sacrificial ring (40) on the exterior surface of the fastener, extending at least between a distal end of the shank and a proximal end of the locking portion, said ring having, before the fastener is fitted into the structure, an outside diameter greater than a diameter of the aperture. The sacrificial ring comprises a polymer resin forming a matrix encapsulating dispersant molecules and oil molecules. The fastener assembly may apply to the assembly of aircraft structures.

Fire Rated Isolation Washer
United States Patent 11,365,760
Issued June 21, 2022
Inventors: Damina Daigle, Rayne, LA, USA; Jospeh E. Wilson, Lafayette, LA, USA; and Miguel Regato, Youngsville, LA, USA
A washer for protecting a flange. The washer is capable of withstanding high compression loads, protecting a flange plate from galvanic corrosion and maintaining torque load when a flange joint is exposed to extreme heat. The washer has two primary components—an inner ring and an outer ring—that are preferably made of materials having dielectric properties, particularly with respect to electrical insulation. The inner ring and outer ring are preferably fit together using an interference fit.

Tapered Lobular Driver and Fastener
United States Patent 11,364,601
Issued June 21, 2022
Inventors: Richard W. Lukes, Calmer, Iowa, USA; Donald K. Blaess, Cresco, Iowa; and Sean Riskin, Pleasanton, CA, USA
Assignee: Infastech Intellectual Properties Pte. Ltd., Singapore, Singapore
A fastener system includes a fastener and a driver, each of which have three alternating lobes and troughs that define the drive surfaces. Each alternating lobes and troughs is defined by an outer radius portion, a drive side transition, an inner transition radius and a reverse drive portion. The fastener recess and the driver each also have a side wall defined by the outer transition radius that tapers at a taper angle relative to a rotational axis. The fastener side wall may taper at about 60°. The driver side wall may taper at about 60°. Alternatively, the driver side wall may taper at an angle at least 10° less than the taper angle of the recess side wall such as 42°. The drive side transition defines a drive angle, which may be between 0° and 5°.

Wood Screw
United States Patent 11,365,756
Issued June 21, 2022
Inventors: Kuo-Tai Hsu, Tainan, Taiwan; and Ming-Hao Hsu, Tainan, Taiwan
A wood screw is disclosed herein. It comprises a screw head and a rod body integrally extended from the screw head and having a shank part and a screwing part, wherein the screwing part comprises a straight surface surrounded with a threaded section and a cutting section on which a cutting unit is formed, and wherein a root diameter of the shank part is larger than root diameters of the threaded section and the cutting section respectively, and larger than or equal to a maximum outer diameter of the cutting section defined by the cutting unit.

Bolt
United States Patent 11,365,758
Issued June 21, 2022
Inventors: Koji Makino, Toyota, Japan; Masataka Kondo, Toyota, Japan; Shungo Maki, Toyota, Japan; and Akihiro Futamura, Toyota, Japan
Assignee: Meidoh Co., Ltd., Toyota, Japan
The objective is to provide a bolt, which can more effectively suppress occurrence of seizure due to both oblique insertion and biting of foreign substances. The bolt includes a tapered surface, a guide portion and a threaded portion in order from a distal end side and further includes a plurality of recesses provided on the tapered surface and a plurality of cutout portions provided at a distal end portion of the threaded portion.
Locking Bolt
United States Patent 11,359,403
Issued June 14, 2022
Inventor: Thilo Hofmann, Furtwangen, Germany
Assignee: Otto Ganter GmbH & Co. KG Normteilefabrik, Furtwangen, Germany
A manually operated locking bolt (1) having a cylindrical, sleeve-shaped bolt guide (3) and a bolt (2), which is mounted to be axially displaced in the bolt guide (3), and which has a locking end (15) and an actuating end (31), wherein the bolt (2) is mounted to be axially displaced between a first axial end position or a second axial end position within the bolt guide (3) and can be locked, wherein at least one sensor (27) is fastened to the bolt guide (3), which sensor detects the two axial end positions of the bolt (2) as a measured variable and generates therefrom a further processable electrical signal.

Bone Fastening Device Having Plates and Screws
United States Patent 11,357,555
Issued June 14, 2022
Inventor: Yu-Ju Lin, Kaohsiung, Taiwan
A bone fastening device includes a ready-to-assemble plate assembly including hinged secured first, second, third and fourth plates, first insertion members, second insertion members, a plurality of upper half adjustment members and a plurality of lower half adjustment members; and a plurality of screws configured to drive through the first, second, third and fourth plates into the broken bone.

Vision-Based Fastener Loosening Detection
United States Patent 11,354,814
Issued June 7, 2022
Inventors: Xiangxiong Kong, Lawrence, KS, USA; and Jian Li, Lawrence, Kansas, USA
Assignee: University of Kansas, Lawrence, Kansas, USA
A computer vision-based fastener loosening detection approach is described. A first image is captured at a first time and a second image is captured at a second time. A feature-based image registration is performed to create a third image. An intensity-based image registration is performed to create a fourth image. Registration errors are determined based on a comparison of the first and fourth images. A feature enhancement process is performed on the registration errors to determine whether the fastener has loosened between the first time and the second time.

Positioning and Clamping System for Thread Rolling
United States Patent 11,351,621
Issued June 7, 2022
Inventor: Kenneth Roger LeVey, Chicago, IL, USA
Assignee: Vey Manufacturing Technologies LLC, Chicago, IL, USA
The present invention is a die positioning system for use in positioning mobile or fixed dies. The system includes a pair of key bars, a pair of key disc inserts, a set of key discs and a set of disc backers. The key bars and key discs serve to offset manufacturing dies or die holders. Using key bars and/or key discs from different pairs of key bars and/or sets of key discs also allows for precise angulation of the dies or die holders. The key discs are held in place between the die and die holder, or between the die holder and key base, by the key disc inserts and angled (if feasible) by the disc backers. The key bars, located between the key disc inserts and the die or die holder allow additional offset of the die or die holder. The solid, stacked configuration of the key bars and key discs prevents the die or die holder from gradually or suddenly losing its positioning.

Screw with Tapered Screw-Head, Use of a Screw and a Method for Countersinking the Screw
United States Patent 11,346,388
Issued May 31, 2022
Inventor: Claus Hornstrup Dissing, Ry, Denmark
Assignee: Dissing A/S, Skanderborg, Denmark
In order to prevent wood fringes at the edge of a hole from a countersunk screw (1), the screw-head (2) is provided with a tapering underside and inclined milling-ribs (8) on the tapering underside. Each milling-rib (8) has a planar front-side (15) delimited by smoothly curved convex milling-edge (17) for milling the material during countersinking of the screw-head (2).