USPTO Fastener Patents for April

Compiled from: United States Patent and Trademark Office (USPTO)

Aluminum Alloy and Fastener Member
United States Patent 11,279,990
Issued March 22, 2022
Inventors: Noriyoshi Kaneda, Kanagawa, Japan; Takeshi Suzuki, Kanagawa, Japan; Kouhei Miyamoto, Kanagawa, Japan; and Naoki Horiuchi, Kanagawa, Japan
Assignees: NHK Spring Co., Ltd., Kanagawa, Japan; and Topura Co., Ltd., Kanagawa, Japan
An aluminum alloy contains 0.7% to 1.8% of silicon, 0.5% to 2.1% of copper, 0.4% to 1.8% of manganese, 0.6% to 1.6% of magnesium, and 0.1% to 0.7% of zinc in terms of mass ratio and the balance aluminum with inevitable impurities.

Fastener Retention Material and Method
United States Patent 11,274,693
Issued March 15, 2022
Inventors: Gregory Alaimo, Shelby Township, MI, USA; and Dominic J. Gradozzi, Kentwood, MI, USA
Assignee: Akzo Nobel Coatings International B.V., Amsterdam, Netherlands; and Nylok LLC, Macomb, MI, USA
The present disclosure concerns a powder fastener retention material for application to metal subminiature fasteners formulated from a nylon 11 powder having a median average particle size by volume of more than 67 and less than 80 micrometers, a metal sub-miniature fastener having a patch of the reusable fastener retention material, a method for forming a patch of the fastener retention material on a metal subminiature fastener, a method of forming a reusable fastener retention patch on a region of a metal sub-miniature fastener, and a kit of parts comprising (a) a metal sub-miniature fastener, and (b) a powder retention material powder.

Rivet Fastener Assembly and Method of Use Thereof
United States Patent 11,268,557
Issued March 8, 2022
Inventor: Joel R. Lee, Peotone, IL, USA
Assignee: Illinois Tool Works Inc., Glenview, IL, USA
A fastener assembly including a fastener body having a collar and a receiving column with a protrusion on an inner surface thereof, and a pin having a threaded section. The protrusion is configured to engage and cooperate with the threaded section.

Mechanical Interlock Connection of Threaded Fasteners to Brittle Materials
United States Patent 11,268,552
Issued March 8, 2022
Inventors: Adam T. Clavelle, San Francisco, CA, USA; and Colin M. Ely, Sunnyvale, CA, USA
Assignee: Apple Inc., Cupertino, CA, USA
A fastener can include a body, an engagement feature and a protrusion extending from the body. The engagement feature can receive and mechanically engage with a fixing member. The fastener can be positioned in a cavity of a brittle article, the cavity including an undercut region. A fixing member can pass through an aperture of a component positioned relative to the fastener such that the fixing member mechanically engages the fastener and a surface of the protrusion engages with an opposing surface of the undercut region.

Expandable Diameter Fastener with Cam-Lock Feature
United States Patent 11,261,903
Issued March 1, 2022
Inventor: Donald W. Rice, Delaware, OH, USA
Assignee: Sky Climber Fasteners LLC, Delaware, OH, USA
The present disclosure relates to a fastener system for use in securing objects such as stress skinned panels, to a structural support, such as an aircraft spar or cross member. The fastener may be provided with a radially-expandable collar assembly, an anti-rotator assembly, a shaft and a bolt-lock.

Fastener
United States Patent 11,261,901
Issued March 1, 2022
Inventor: Cheng-Hung Yen, Taichung, Tawain
A fastener includes a connecting member and a handling member. The connecting member has a first axis and an accommodating space extended along the first axis. The handling member having a second axis is movably disposed in the accommodating space and movable between a first position and a second position. When located at the first position, the handling member is disposed in the accommodating space in a way that the second axis is approximately coaxial with the first axis of the connecting member. When located at the second position, the handling member is positioned on the connecting member in a way that an included angle is provided between the second axis and the first axis so that the handling member can be rotated by an external force to drive the connecting member to rotate at a to-be fastened position.

Fracture Nut Having a Fracture Surface Having a Large Aperture Angle
United States Patent 11 261 895
United States Patent 11,261,895
Issued March 1, 2022
Inventors: Hideki Shimahara, Grabs, Switzerland; and Erich Infanger, Schiers, Switzerland
Assignee: Hilti Aktiengesellschaft, Schaan, Liechtenstein
A device for torque limiting, has a nut having a female thread. A holding element includes a top part having an entrainment profile in a rear area of the holding element for the rotatably fixed coupling of the top part with a setting tool and a receiving part having a receptacle in a front area of the holding element, in which the nut is rotatably fixedly accommodated, the top part having a passage, through which a threaded rod screwed into the nut may be led out of the holding element through the top part along the longitudinal axis of the device. The holding element includes a web connecting the receiving part and the top part and which forms a predetermined breaking point. In at least one longitudinal sectional plane of the device, the smallest wall thickness of the at least one web is present on a line segment of minimum wall thickness, which runs at an angle greater than 45° with respect to the longitudinal axis of the device. A fastening arrangement includes the device.

Bolt and Method for Manufacturing the Same
United States Patent 11,261,900
Issued March 1, 2022
Inventors: Guolong Zheng, Beijing, China; Yongjun Guo, Beijing, China; Junhao Ge, Beijing, China; and Yiping Shi, Beijing, China
Assignee: Beijing Goldwind Science & Creation Windpower Equipment Co., Ltd., Beijing, China
A bolt and a method for manufacturing the bolt are provided. The bolt includes a screw cap and a bolt bar, the bolt bar includes a positioning bar, a flexible bar and a threaded portion, the positioning bar is connected to one end of the screw cap and the flexible bar is connected to the positioning bar and the threaded portion respectively. Wherein, an anti-shearing stand is formed on the flexible bar. The threaded portion includes standard threads and transition threads, the transition threads are formed between the flexible bar and the standard threads and a thread height of the transition threads is smaller than a thread height of the standard threads, wherein the thread height of the standard threads keeps constant. The force distribution of the threads can be optimized, and the threads can effectively cooperate with the threads of the nut.

Ceramic Fastener Assembly for High Temperatures
United States Patent 11,255,370
Issued February 22, 2022
Inventor: Thomas R. Pinney, Chicago, IL, USA
Assignee: The Boeing Company, Chicago, IL, USA
A ceramic fastener assembly for high temperatures. One embodiment is a fastener assembly that includes a ceramic fastener configured to engage a hole of a structure. The ceramic fastener includes a head and a nonthreaded shank including one or more indentations around its perimeter. The fastener assembly also includes a sleeve configured to slide over the nonthreaded shank of the ceramic fastener. The sleeve includes a hollow cylindrical body, an exterior surface with threads and an interior surface with one or more protrusions configured to mate with the one or more indentations of the nonthreaded shank. The fastener assembly further includes a nut configured to engage the threads of the sleeve to tighten the one or more protrusions with the one or more indentations of the nonthreaded shank. The fastener assembly also includes a thermal spacer configured to thermally isolate the nut and the sleeve from the structure.

Ultrasonic Rivet Joining of Dissimilar Materials
United States Patent 11,253,908
Issued February 22, 2022
Inventors: Yong Chae Lim, Oak Ridge, TN, USA; Zhili Feng, Oak Ridge, TN, USA; Jian Chen, Oak Ridge, TN,
USA; Xin Sun, Oak Ridge, TN, USA; and Richard W. Davies, Oak Ridge, TN, USA
Assignee: UT-Battelle, LLC, Oak Ridge, TN, USA
A method for joining dissimilar materials is provided. The method includes a solid-state joining process in which a rivet is plunged into a predrilled hole in a top workpiece. When the rivet contacts the bottom workpiece, ultrasonic vibration by oscillatory motion of a sonotrode such as horizontal, vertical or rotational motion, creates frictional heat at the interface between the rivet and the lower workpiece. With the aid of frictional heat and axial compression, metallurgical bonding is achieved at the interface between the rivet and the bottom sheet, while being below the melting temperature of the bottom workpiece. The sonotrode is retracted while the rivet remains.

Lock Tight Bolt-Nut
United States Patent 11,255,368
Issued February 22, 2022
Inventor: Tom T. Miyazaki, Hokuto, Japan
A lock tight nut and bolt system resistant to loosening due to vibration. The lock tight nut and bolt system includes an upper nut that has a shank part. The upper nut has first threads that are off center from a center of a bolt. The upper nut is configured to receive the bolt. A lower nut has a socket part and second threads that are centered with the center of the bolt. The socket part corresponds with the shank park of the upper nut. The upper nut and the lower nut are concentric with the center of the bolt. The system further may include the bolt.

Nail Screw
United States Patent 11,248,644
Issued February 15, 2022
Inventor: Christian Beck, Burghausen, Germany
Assignee: Raimund Beck Nageltchnik GmbH, Mauerkirchen, Austria
A nail screw, in particular for connecting facade boards or terrace planks made of wood, especially real wood, has a shaft, a conical tip formed at the front end region of the shaft and a head formed at the rear end region of the shaft. A thread has a forward facing insertion flank and a rearward facing grip flank between the conical tip and the head. The thread is a double thread, wherein a grip flank angle (.alpha.) measured between the grip flank and a plane perpendicular to the longitudinal axis of the nail screw is between 25° and 35°, more preferably between 28° and 32°, most preferably 30°. The conical tip has a tip angle (ɛ) between 80° and 120°, more preferably between 90° and 110° degrees, most preferably of 80°, 90° or 100°.

Fastener Having a Damping Function
United States Patent 11,248,645
Issued February 15, 2022
Inventors: Hans-Ulrich Figge. Schlo Holte-Stukenbrock, Germany; and Viktor Zelmer, Bielefeld, Germany
Assignee: Bollhoff Verbindungstechnik GmbH, Bielefeld, Germany
A fastener having a damping function with which at least a first and a second component can be connected via a screw connection. The fastener consists of the following components: an elastically deformable outer sleeve, a support sleeve arranged therein and a screw sleeve with telescopic portion arranged in the outer sleeve. When establishing the connection between the components, the outer sleeve folds, whereby the support sleeve and the screw sleeve are moved into each other.

Multi-Patch Threaded Fastener
United States Patent 11,242,885
Issued February 8, 2022
Inventors: Gregory Alaimo, Shelby Township, MI, USA; Tadashi Camey, Novi, MI, USA; and Robin F.
Monahan, Richmond, MI, USA
Assignee: Nylok LLC, Macomb, MI, USA
A multi-patch threaded fastener includes a shank having a threaded portion and two or more polymer patches disposed on the shank. The two or more polymer patches are configured to wedge against a mating threaded component to promote contact between nonpatched threaded portions of the shank and the mating threaded component to resist removal from the mating threaded component. A method of making the multi-patch threaded fastener includes positioning two or more nozzles for dispensing a patch material at locations corresponding to desired patch locations on the shank, conveying the shank past two or more nozzles, and dispensing the patch material from each nozzle onto the shank to form the two or more polymer patches on the shank.

Staking Bolt
United States Patent 11,242,882
Issued February 8, 2022
Inventors: Naoki Hoshino, Niwa-Gun, Japan; Kazuhiro Koga, Niwa-Gun, Japan; and Yukinori Fujimoto,
Niwa-Gun, Japan
Assignee: Aoyama Seisakusho Co., Ltd., Niwa-Gun, Japan
The staking bolt of the present invention includes a head 10 and a shank 11 having an external thread 12. At the upper end of the shank 11, a ring-shaped protrusion 20 and a ring groove 21 located closer to the head relative to the ring-shaped protrusion 20 are formed. The head 10 is fl at, and on the bearing face13, a whirl-stop protrusion 14 having a plurality of radially extending arms 15 protrudes with a thickness of t. The minimum diameter D between respective arms 15 is larger than the outer diameter d of the ring-shaped protrusion 20 and t x (D-d)/2, which is the longitudinal cross-sectional area A of the minimum diameter portion of the whirl-stop protrusion 14 is equal to or greater than the longitudinal cross-sectional area of the ring groove 21.

Sealing Wedge-Lock Washer and Fastening System
United States Patent 11,242,884
Issued February 8, 2022
Inventors: Jake A. Mohan, Grand Rapids, MI, USA; Michael Hendrik DeGroot, Rockford, MI, USA; and Jeff
Batchelder, Hesperia, MI, USA
Assignee: Laitram, L.L.C., Harahan, LA, USA
A sealing wedge-lock washer assembly usable in a hygienic, secure fastening system. A wedge-lock washer assembly comprises two wedge-lock components—one of which is a sealing wedge-lock washer having a wedge-lock cam and a sealing material bonded to its outer rim. The other component is a standard wedge-lock washer or a bolt whose head has a wedge-lock cam that engages the complementary cam on the sealing wedge-lock washer. The resulting sealing wedge-lock washer assembly locks a bolt in a secure joint that is hygienically sealed from the intrusion of contaminants by the sealing material.

Multi-Piece Anti-Vibration Locking Fastener
United States Patent 11,236,778
Issued February 1, 2022
Inventor: Earl Allen Size, Jr., Rochester Hills, MI, USA
A multi-piece locking fastener assembly including a thickened base layer having a first wider diameter passageway exhibiting a first interiorly threaded orientation and a second narrower diameter passageway exhibiting a second opposite threaded orientation and extending a distance in communication with and beyond a bottom end wall of the first wider passageway. A first bolt fastener has a first arrangement of exterior threads engageable with the wider diameter passageway of the base layer. The first fastener further includes an interior passageway. Following installation of the wider fastener into the base layer, a second narrower diameter bolt fastener having at least a partially threaded stem is threadably inter-engaged with the second passageway in the base layer to prevent loosening of either fastener via their counter-threaded orientations.