Phillips Plastics Corporation

Illinois Tool Works Inc.

Phillips Plastic Corporation

Burnell J Wollar

Richard J Schwind

Joseph Bart

Arthur J Danko

A universally self-aligned expandable nut including a head and a body moldable in a simple mold having a straight-line open and close action. The head includes an enlarged flange having a central opening through which a screw can pass. The body includes a shank connected to the flange having individual upper walls separated by axially extending upper slots and inner and outer surfaces parallel to a longitudinal axis defining a shank cavity. The upper walls have distal ends establishing a first fold line. The body also has individual tapered wall sections separated by axially extending lower slots aligned with the upper slots. The tapered walls each have an upper end connected to the distal end of an adjacent upper wall section, a lower end, and an inner surface that coacts with inner surfaces of adjacent lower walls to define a lower cavity. The lower wall inner surfaces terminate at a medial portion between the upper and lower ends establishing a second fold line. A tubular member extends upward into the lower cavity and has uninterrupted interior and exterior wall surfaces extending parallel to the longitudinal axis to define a first bore axially aligned with the central opening. The body further includes an insertion and extending axially away from the lower end, uninterrupted outside and inside wall surfaces extending parallel to the body axis and a second bore aligned with the first bore.

Plastic expansion nut

A two-way fastener which is adapted for joining at least two members in, electively, either a reusable position or a non-reusable position includes an elongate shank, a head member which is integral with an upper portion of the shank, an elongate rail member integral with and substantially parallel to the shank, the rail member having a substantially tee-shaped cross section, a plurality of non-reusable resilient teeth attached to a side of the shank which is opposite the rail member and a plurality of reusable teeth attached to second and third sides of the shank. The non-reusable teeth are angled toward the head member at a first angle, and the reusable teeth are angled toward the head member at a second angle which is less than the first angle. When inserted into a slotted member so that the two sets of reusable teeth engage the sides of the slot, the device acts as a reusable fastener. When inserted so that the elongate rail member and non-reusable teeth contact edges of the slot, the device acts as a non-reusable fastener. An additional function of the rail member is than it constrains the fastener against rotation with respect to a slot in which it is inserted.

Tee tree fastener

A releasable clip is provided for releasably holding an elongated member. The clip comprises a body and a slide member. The body includes a shank which is insertable into an aperture on a panel when the clip is installed and a head member having a first seat portion offset from the shank and a first latch means. The slide member is slidably mounted on the shank and has a second seat portion offset from the shank which is positionable in opposed facing alignment with the first seat portion. The slide member is movable along the shank to a seat closed position wherein the first and second seat portions are mated together around an elongated member. The slide member also has a second latch means interlockable with the first latch means to secure the first and second seat portions together in the seat closed position.

Releasable clip for retaining elongated members

A two-piece assembly is provided for filling, sealing and concealing an elongated groove formed in a surface of an automobile body. The groove, measured transversely, is wider at the bottom than at the top. The assembly comprises releasably attachable first and second members. The elongated elastic (molded rubber) first member is manually disposed in the groove and has an elongated slot extending inwardly from the exposed top side thereof. The elongated rigid (plastic) second member comprises a lower portion having serrated opposite lateral sides and an upper trim molding portion. The lower serrated portion is manually inserted in the slot to effect transverse outward expansion of the lateral sides of the first member so that the first member fills and seals the groove and is frictionally secured therein. The upper trim molding portion lies against the surface of the automobile body and serves to conceal both the groove and the lower portion of the second member, when the serrated lower portion is fully inserted in the slot. The second member is forceably detachable from the first member for replacement, if necessary.

Means for filling, sealing and concealing an elongated groove

A one-piece, molded plastic wire retainer clip is provided for supporting flexible, axially shiftable insulated electric wires on an automobile steering column. The clip comprises a flat base, a pine-tree fastener extending from the bottom of the base for insertion in a mounting hole in the steering column wherein it is frictionally secured, a projection extending upwardly from the base and engageable with an abutment on the steering column to prevent rotation of the clip, and a wire retainer portion supported on the projection. The wire retainer portion comprises opposing side walls, one joined at its lower end to the projection and both joined at the top by an end wall, and the other having a free lower end. The walls cooperate to define a channel open at both ends and having an opening along its bottom side which confronts the base. The free end of the other side wall is resiliently flexible and is movable outwardly away from the one side wall to enable a wire to be inserted laterally through the opening and into the channel, whereafter it biases toward the one side wall to narrow the opening and prevent the wire from falling out of the channel. The resiliently flexible side enables the wire to be intentionally moved laterally out of the channel through the opening.

One-piece non-rotatable wire retainer clip with pine-tree fastener

A one-piece molded plastic wire retainer clip, comprising first and second sections joined by a flexible hinge, is provided for supporting flexible, axially shiftable insulated electric wires on an automobile steering column. The first section comprises a first base member having a pair of upwardly projecting resilient bifurcated legs defining a slot having an opening for receiving wires laterally inserted thereinto. A hollow expandable fastener projects downwardly from the first base member for insertion into a mounting hole in the steering column. The second section comprises a second base member having a closure plate supported thereon which has an aperture for receiving the free ends of the legs. When the first section is swung from unlatched to latched position, the closure plate blocks the slot opening and secures the wires in the slot. First latches on the two base members and second latches on the legs and closure plate maintain the closure plate in blocking position. Screw-receiving holes in the two base plates align with the fastener bore when the two sections are in latched position to enable a screw to be inserted thereto to effect fastener expansion to secure the clip to the steering column and to maintain the base members in latched position. The screw also secures a protective shroud to the steering column.

One-piece wire retainer clip with expandable fastener for securing

A one-piece wire retainer clip comprises a first tube axially slidable onto and frictionally engageable with a threaded stud on a structure. A pair of resiliently movable spaced-apart legs are connectd to the first tube and define a wire-receiving slot having an opening on one side through which wires are laterally insertable into the slot. A second tube is axially aligned with and slidable manually onto the first tube. A slot closure plate is connected to and movable with the second tube. Releasably interengageable latches are provided on the legs and on the slot closure plate. A frangible web connected between the tubes initially maintains the second tube in an open position wherein the closure plate is spaced from the slot opening. The web remains intact as manual force is axially exerted on the second tube to force the first tube onto the stud. Then, the web fractures, the second tube telescopes onto the first tube, the closure plate is moved to a closed position wherein it blocks the slot opening, the latches interengage to lock the closure plate in closed position. The latches are releasable to allow the closure plate to be returned to open positon for wire removal and to allow removal of the second tube so the first tube can be pulled off the stud.

One-piece wire retainer clip mountable on threaded stud

A fastener for releasably securing an object to a panel having a hole therethrough comprises a screw having a screw head attached to the object and having a threaded screw shank insertable through the hole in the panel. The fastener further comprises a flexible resilient plastic push-on/screw-off nut having a bore therethrough which is slidably mountable onto the threaded screw shank into engagement with the panel. The nut has a resilient flexible concave nut head which operates to seal the panel hole and has a nut shank defining two resilient flexible legs, each of which has internal nut threads for engaging the threaded screw shank. The nut also comprises webs, each connected between the nut head and the outer side of a leg, which operate to force the nut threads tightly against the screw thread in locking engagement when the nut head is forced against the panel. The nut is removable from the screw by rotation in a conventional manner. The fastener also comprises an optionally usable washer which is disposed between the screw head and the panel and operates to further seal the panel hole.

Fastener having press-on plastic nut

A plastic re-usable two-piece push-pin stand-off fastener for releasably securing together two spaced-apart circuit boards comprises a hollow body having a body bore into which, for pre-assembly, a pin is insertable into the body bore prior to use. The pin has large and small outside diameter portions near its head and insertion ends, respectively. The body bore has large and small inside diameter bore portions near its head and insertion ends, respectively. The body also has outwardly extending inwardly depressible resilient flexible wings adjacent the large bore portion, has outwardly expandable resilient flexible legs adjacent the small bore portion, and has an external shoulder between the wings and the legs. In use, the body is inserted into a hole in the first board to entrap the board between the body head and wings. Then, the body is inserted into a hole in the second board so that the shoulder bears thereagainst. Finally, the pin is fully inserted into the bore to cause the legs to expand and entrap the second board between the shoulder and the expanded legs. Full pin insertion causes the large pin portion to enter the large bore portion to prevent the wings from flexing inwardly and locks the first board in place. Full pin withdrawal from the bore enables both boards to be disengaged from the body.

Two-piece fastener for releasably securing two panels together in

A re-usable two-piece fastener for releasably clamping two workpieces together comprises an expandable hollow plastic body for receiving an axially insertable and rotatable screw made of plastic or metal. The body comprises a slotted outwardly expandable shank having a head or flange at its outer end and a bore extending entirely through the body. The screw comprises a threaded shank having a head at its outer end. The body bore comprises an outer end portion of the same diameter as the threaded screw shank, an intermediate thread-engaging member having an aperture of the same diameter as the root diameter of the screw shank and sloped at the same pitch as the screw thread, and an inner end portion. The thread-engaging member may be integral with the body or may take the form of a metal insert. The inner end portion of the body bore may be of the same or larger diameter than the screw thread or may be of smaller diameter so that the screw thread can self-tap thereinto. The screw, if plastic, may have a slot at the inner end of its shank so as to provide inwardly flexible bifurcations to facilitate initial axial insertion of the inner end of the screw through the thread-engaging portion. The underside of the screw head of a plastic screw or the underside of the body flange, or both, may be provided with an integrally formed annular flexible seal and the body flange may have two such seals.

Re-usable two-piece blind fastener

A molded plastic one-piece hollow expansion nut comprises an outwardly expandable shank which is insertable through a panel hole and a head at one end of the shank for engaging the panel surface. A screw-receiving bore extends axially through the nut and receives the threaded shank of a screw whose screw head bears against the nut head. The portion of the bore along which shank wall expansion occurs is cylindrical and of slightly larger diameter than the screw thread. The inmost end of the bore is of oblong cross-section and its minor axis is shorter than the diameter of the screw thread. A single screw-engaging thread in the cylindrical bore initially holds and guides the screw. The shank walls opposite the ends of the minor axis have oblique screw-thread receiving slots therethrough which define very sturdy damage resistant nut threads which engage the screw thread. Rotational insertion of the screw draws the insertion end of the nut shank toward the nut head and effects shank expansion to thereby secure the nut in the panel hole. In some embodiments, interengageable components on the nut and on the screw interengage to prevent further screw rotation after the nut reaches fully expanded condition. In some embodiments, ratchet teeth on the screw thread and nut slots engage to prevent screw removal.

Damage resistant plastic expansion nut and screw therefor

A two-piece fastener comprises a screw and a plastic nut for releasably securing together two apertured panels. The screw comprises a screw head and a threaded screw shank insertable in the aperture of one panel. The nut comprises a nut head, a nut shank insertable in the aperture of the other panel, and a bore extending through both the nut head and nut shank to receive the screw shank. The nut shank has an expandable portion, a screw-engaging portion, and a common wall therebetween. The bore has an unthreaded bore region through the nut head and through expandable nut shank portion, an intermediate bore region through the common wall and in a part of the screw-engaging nut shank portion, and a threaded bore region through the screw-engaging nut shank portion. The expandable nut shank portion comprises a plurality of thin, flexible, resilient walls, each connected between the common wall and the nut head. Each flexible wall has a parabolically shaped recess on its inner surface along which it can bend. Each adjacent pair of flexible wall is separated by a slit which extends axially from the common wall and through the nut head. A single thread on the wall of the intermediate bore region engages the screw thread to maintain the screw and nut in pre-assembled condition and to guide the screw thread into engagement with discrete screw-engaging thread sections formed in the threaded bore region.

Re-usable expandable plastic nut for two-piece fastener

A two-piece plastic fastener comprising a body and a screw releasably secures a pair of panels together in spaced apart relationship. The body, which has a bore therethrough, comprises a body shank having a body head, outwardly extending, inwardly depressible, flexible locking tabs spaced from the body head, an external shoulder spaced from the tabs, and outwardly expandable walls spaced from the shoulder. The body shank also comprises, inside the bore, flexible screw thread engaging means and ramp means on the inside of the walls. The screw, which is insertable into the bore, comprises a screw head and a screw shank having a threaded portion and an unthreaded end portion. In use, the body shank is inserted into a hole in the first panel so that the latter is entrapped between the body head and the locking tabs. The body shank is then inserted into the hole in the second panel. The screw is axially inserted into the bore so that its threaded portion engages the thread-engaging means in the bore. The screw is then rotatably advanced so that its unthreaded end portion engages the ramps and effects outward expansion of the body walls thereby entrapping the second panel between the shoulder and the expanded walls. With the screw fully inserted, the threaded portion of the screw shank prevents inward depression of the tabs to thereby lock the first panel in place. Axial withdrawal of the screw from the bore causes the expanded walls to retract and enables withdrawal of the body from the hole in the second panel and also allows the tabs to be depressed to enable withdrawal of the body from the first panel.

Fastener for spaced-apart panels

A hand-held manually-operable tool is disclosed for installing a two-piece expandable plastic fastener (including an expandable body and an insertable pin) in a panel hole. The tool comprises a hand-held housing having a hollow barrel from which a spring-biased hollow plastic sleeve projects. A pushrod within the hollow sleeve is movable with the housing. The sleeve tip releasably engages and supports either the body or pin of a fastener manually mounted thereon and aligns the pin with the pushrod which subsequently forces the pin into the body to effect expansion. The sleeve tip end has either resiliently flexible legs to engage the body or resiliently flexible compressible foam rubber strips to engage the pin. In use, the tool directs the body into the panel hole and is pressed to cause the sleeve to retract so that the pushrod can force the pin into the body to effect body expansion. Thereafter, the tool is moved away from the panel to allow the sleeve to re-extend from the tool barrel and disengage from the fastener. Sleeves of different sizes are provided. A hollow adapter member for the sleeve and an extension member for the pushrod enable a sleeve to handle different sized fasteners. A trigger-operated latch member engages the sleeve to prevent premature sleeve retraction.

Growing community of inventors

Barrington, IL, United States of America

Burnell J Wollar