Patents for December 2023

USPTO Fastener Patents as compiled from: United States Patent and Trademark Office (USPTO) by the editors of FTI

Fastener Having Improved Wobble Control, Fastening System Including the Same, and Method of Forming the Same
US Patent 11821453
Published November 21, 2023
Inventors: Carl Chasse, Stafford Springs, CT, USA; and Chen Chun-Yen, Kaohsiung, Taiwan Assignees: Sheh Fung Screws Co., Ltd., Kaohsiung, Taiwan; and Carl Chasse, Stafford Springs, CT, USA A fastener including a first recess and a second recess adjacent the first recess. The first recess includes a side surface defining a shape of the first recess and a stability surface oriented at an angle of greater than 1° and less than or equal to 89° relative to a major axis of the fastener.

Blind Bolt
US Patent 11821448
Published November 21, 2023
Inventor: Atsushi Takeda, Toyohashi, Japan
Assignee: Newfrey LLC, New Britain, CT, USA
A blind bolt with a bolt head, a shaft portion on which a male screw is formed and a bolt. An outer nut
having a polygonal outer surface, and an outer nut hole penetrating in the axial direction. A cylindrical
valve sleeve formed with a sleeve hole and an inner nut having a cylindrical portion. A nut head portion
formed at one end of the cylindrical portion, and an inner nut hole having a female screw formed in a
part inside. A plurality of outer peripheral grooves, extending in the outer peripheral direction are
formed on the outer circumference of the valve sleeve. The cylindrical portion of the inner nut being
inserted into the sleeve hole of the valve sleeve, the tip portion of the cylindrical portion inserted into the
outer nut hole of the outer nut to prevent the inner nut from rotating with respect to the outer nut.

Preload Detectable Screw Device
US Patent 11821497
Published November 21, 2023
Inventors; Yuji Kubota, Tokyo, Japan; and Yoshinobu Moriyuki, Tokyo, Japan
Assignee: THK Co., Ltd., Tokyo, Japan
A preload detectable screw device is provided which can detect preload with accuracy and can reduce the
influence of generated heat on the output of a sensor. A screw device (1) includes a screw shaft (2), a nut
member (3), a plurality of rolling elements (7, 8), at least one axial strain sensor (24) (B, D) that is attached
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to a surface of the nut member (3) and detects strain in an axial direction on the nut member (3) and at
least one circumferential strain sensor (24) (A, C) that is attached to the surface of the nut member (3)
and detects strain in a circumferential direction on the nut member (3). Preload of the screw device (1) is
detected on the basis of outputs of the axial strain sensor (24) (B, D) and the circumferential strain sensor (24) (A, C).

Structural Fastener Including Coupler for Threaded Rod
US Patent 11808292
Published November 7, 2023
Inventors: Lalit Khairnar, Aakurdi, India; Martin Lee Witherbee, Godfrey, IL, USA; Amol Khalkar, Nasik,
India; Rajendra Vishwanath Pawar, Pune, India; and Sayali Shridhar Dhale, Yavatmal, India
Assignee: Eaton Intelligent Power Limited, Dublin, Ireland
The present disclosure provides a structural fastener includes a threaded rod coupler. The threaded rod
coupler includes a split nut for coupling to the threaded rod. The threaded rod coupler further includes a
housing connected to the structure coupler. The split nut may be received in the housing. The threaded
rod coupler further includes first and second springs each coupled to and biasing corresponding one of
first and second nut portions of the split nut toward one an- other. The present disclosure further
provides a method of attaching a threaded rod to a structural component using a structural fastener. The
method includes coupling a structural fastener to the structural component, sliding the threaded rod
through a split nut of the structural component couple the rod to the structural fastener, and receiving
springs secured in a nut arm of the split nut within a housing of the structural fastener.

Anti-Loosening Screw Pair and Anti-Loosening Screw Component
US Patent 11795990
Published October 24, 2023
Inventors: Xiaoyu Ding, Beijing, China; Jianhua Liu, Beijing, China; and Hao Gong, Beijing, China
Assignee: Beijing Institute of Technology, Beijing, China
The present disclosure provides an anti-loosening screw pair and an anti-loosening screw component.
The screw pair includes a first screw component provided with a first screw thread and a second screw
component whose outer wall surface is provided with a second screw thread. The first and second screw
components are in threaded connection. In a direction of the first screw component being screwed into
the second screw component, sides of the first and second screw threads pressing against each other are
formed into force-bearing fitting faces respectively, and opposite sides thereof are formed into nonforcebearing fitting regions respectively. At least one of the force-bearing fitting faces and the nonforcebearing fitting regions of the first and the second screw components is provided with a stopper so as to
prevent radial displacement between the first and the second screw components.

External Screw Member
US Patent 11795986
Published October 24, 2023
Inventors: Minoru Sugiyama, Hadano, Japan; Shigeto Mori, Hadano, Japan; Mayumi Matsuno, Hadano,
Japan; and Naoki Horiuchi, Hadano, Japan
Assignee: Topura Co., Ltd., Hadano, Japan
An external screw member includes a parallel screw portion and a tapered screw portion provided on a
side further toward a tip end than the parallel screw portion, and a plurality of sets of step portion and a
transition screw thread portion are provided on at least one of the parallel screw portion and the tapered
screw portion, the step portion having a reduced thread height in a radial direction and the transition
screw thread portion gradually increasing in diameter from the step portion in an anti-driving rotation
direction so as to reach a thread height of a normal screw thread portion. A top portion of the transition
screw thread portion is positioned at an off set toward a pressure side relative to a position of a regular
screw pitch in a minimum diameter portion of the step portion, and transitions to the regular screw pitch
in the anti-driving rotation direction.

Rivetless Nut Plate
US Patent 11795987
Published October 24, 2023
Inventor: Raymond Disantis, Willoughby Hills, OH, USA
Assignee: BPC LG 2, LLC, Charlotte, NC, USA
A rivetless nut plate for attachment to a panel via a panel bore, having a nut, a washer and a cage that
retains the nut and the washer. The nut plate has a nonactivated state and an activated state. In the
activated state a portion of the cage is expanded to grip the panel bore, and the nut has split into two
independent sections allowing one section to move throughout a constrained range of motion.

Assisted Removal Fastener System
US Patent 11795985
Published October 24, 2023
Inventor: Jan Niklewicz, Kingston Upon Thames, Great Britain
Assignee: Kwikbolt Limited, Kingston Upon Thames, Great Britain
The present invention is concerned with improvements to removable fasteners and particularly relates to
removable and re-usable fasteners with features that allow them to be gripped and handled positively.
The present invention therefore provides a fastening system comprising a fastener and a tool, the tool
being suitable for installing and removing the fastener from an aperture in a work- piece, wherein the
fastener has a main body and a head at one end, and wherein the head of the fastener and the tool have
grip features that allow the fastener to be releasably locked to the tool to prevent separation of the
fastener and tool during installation and removal of the fastener. This allows the fastener to be handled
positively without fear of the fastener becoming misaligned, or dropping off the tool.

Fastener Assembly
US Patent 11795989
Published October 24, 2023
Inventors: Mark Theismann, Decorah, IA, USA; Richard Lukes, Calmar, IA, USA; and Alan Shindelar,
Calmar, IA, USA
Assignee: Infastech Intellectual Properties Pte. Ltd., Singapore
A fastener assembly to be used in the construction of semi-trailers consisting of a first fastener having a
head and a shank, a mating second fastener and a plurality of axially extending knurls formed on the
shank. The knurls engage in a hole for receiving the first fastener to prevent rotation and removal of the
first fastener. The first fastener may also be provided with an encapsulating cover with two sealing points
on its underside to seal the fastener to a surface through which the fastener is inserted.

Multi-Head Bolt and Fastener System
US Patent 11788571
Published October 17, 2023
Inventors: Julian Huber, Merklingen, Germany; Andrew Read, Voehringen, Germany; and Florian Sturm,
Unterroth, Germany
Assignee: Peri SE, Weissenhorn, Germany
A multi-head bolt having a bolt shaft defining a longitudinal axis of the multi-head bolt and a multi-head
disposed at a first end of the bolt shaft, the multi-head having at least three pawls, each pawl having a
fixed radial orientation relative to the bolt shaft and having a primary plane being aligned with the
longitudinal axis of the bolt shaft and having a support surface.

Anti-Pullout and Low-Resistance Screw
US Patent 1178856
Published October 17, 2023
Inventors: Kuo-Tai Hsu, Tainan, Taiwan; and Ming-Hao Hsu, Tainan, Taiwan
An anti-pullout and low-resistance screw includes a shank, a screw-in portion, a head portion and a
thread. The thread is helically formed around both the screw-in portion and the shank and includes a
plurality of thread convolutions. Each thread convolution includes an upper tooth surface facing the head
portion and a lower tooth surface facing the screw-in portion. At least one tapered pressing structure is
designed on the screw-in portion and/or the shank to define at least one section with its outer diameter
tapering towards the screw-in portion gradually. The tapered pressing structure extends from a bottom
edge of the lower tooth surface along a longitudinal axis of the shank. The lower tooth surface has a
lower tooth surface height that is greater than the thread height. An annular anti-pullout plane is formed
on the shank between two adjacent thread convolutions to enhance the anti-pullout strength of the
screw.

Blind Bolt with Collapsible Shear Sleeve Assembly
US Patent 11781579
Published October 10, 2023
Inventors: Michael Strange, Columbia Station, OH, USA; and Bruce A. Carmichael, Hinckley, OH, USA
Assignee: Allfasteners USA, LLC, Medina, OH, USA
A blind bolt extends through a hole which extends through a first and second member. An anchor is
disposed on the distal end of a blind bolt shaft, and the anchor has expanded and contracted
configurations. An anchor is disposed on the distal end on a shaft and is positioned beyond the distal end
of the hole engaging a surface of the second member thereby holding the shaft in the hole. A shear
sleeve is disposed on the blind bolt proximate to the distal end of the shaft and has a length sufficient to
extend across the second member, across the interface between the first and second members and
partially across the first member. A nut is threaded on the threads of the shaft, and a collapsible cylinder
is disposed on the blind bolt shaft between the sheer sleeve and nut. The collapsible cylinder and the
sheer sleeve have a combined length such that when the anchor is in the expanded configuration and
the sheer sleeve and the collapsible cylinder are positioned on the shaft within the hole, the collapsible
cylinder pushes the sheer sleeve to a position extending across the interface between the first and
second members as the nut is tightened on the shaft. The collapsible cylinder may be a deformable
crushable sleeve or a telescoping sleeve.

Threaded Fastener with Improved Resistance To Backing Out of a Blind Hole
US Patent 11773892
Published October 3, 2023
Inventor: Robert Alexander Halm, Bloomington, IN, USA
A threaded fastener composed of separate upper and lower portions with a small axial freedom of
movement relative to one another. After being threaded into a blind hole together, the portions are
moved relative to one another and locked in place, creating a distribution of stresses which resists
backing-out of the fastener without the various drawbacks which limit prior art solutions to this and
similar threaded fastener applications.

Tabbed Collar for Use with Lock Bolt
US Patent 11767871
Published September 26, 2023
Inventor: Stanley E. Wojciechowski, Waco, TX, USA
Assignee: Howmet Aerospace Inc., Pittsburgh, PA, USA
A lockbolt collar having a shank including a first end, a second end opposite the first end, a through-bore
extending from the first end to the second end, an inner wall extending from the first end to the second
end and a tab extending radially and outwardly from the inner wall, the tab including a top surface
having an arcuate shape, the arcuate shape of the tab being sized and shaped to mate with at least one
lock groove of a threaded portion of a pin member.

Self-Tapping Screw
US Patent 11754110
Published September 12, 2023
Inventors: Michael Achenbach, Breidenbach, Germany; Juergen Behle, Bad Laasphe, Germany; Ralf
Birkelbach, Bad Laasphe, Germany; Volker Dieckmann, ad Berleburg, Germany; Frank Dratschmidt, Bad
Berleburg, Germany; Jan Hackler, Bad Berleburg, Germany; Rene Gerber, Fronhausen, Germany; Ralph J.
Hellmig, Bad Laasphe, Germany; Ilir Se- limi, Biedenkopf, Germany; and Stepan Weitzel, Bad Laasphe,
Assignee: EJOT GmbH & CO. KG, Bad Berleburg, Germany
A self-tapping screw (10, 30) comprising a drive (12) and a shank (14) bearing a thread comprising a main
thread (16, 32), wherein the main thread (16, 32) has a maximum main thread external diameter
( ) and a cutting area (F) and a supporting area (T) following in the direction of the drive (12),
wherein the shank (14) has a threaded end (18) at an end opposite the drive (12), with the screw end (18)
having a diameter (DE) of at least 20% of the maximum main thread external diameter ( ), The
shank further has, in the region of the screw end (18), a tap flute (20), wherein the tap flute (20)
comprises at least two tapping thread turns (20a, 20b, 20c), which attain, in their external diameter
(D.sub. AA), no more than 90% of the maximum main thread external diameter ( ) and form a tap
region in which the tapping thread turns (20a, 20b, 20c) have the same diameter development, and in
addition in that the diameter of the main thread (16, 32) in the tap flute region (AB) is less than or equal
to the diameter (D.sub.AA) of the tapping thread turns (20a, 20b, 20c).

Locking Thread Fasteners
US Patent 11754112
Published September 12, 2023
Inventor: Emanuele Salvucci, Rome, Italy
The present specification discloses a locking fastener that includes a first threaded fastener axially positioned within an axial through hole of a second threaded fastener, and captured therein by a rotating joint that permits rotation of the first threaded fastener and the second threaded fastener relative to one another about a common thread axis. In one or more embodiments, the first threaded fastener thread handedness is opposite to the second threaded fastener thread handedness. Additionally disclosed, is a screwdriver tool configured to simultaneously engage and oppositely rotate the first threaded fastener and the second threaded fastener into a mating component having a first mating thread and a second mating thread configured to receive the first threaded fastener and the second threaded fastener, respectively, driven at the same axial advance distance for each turn. Once tightened, the present locking fastener resists loosening and provides a tamper-resistant hold.