Illinois Tool Works Inc.

Michael E Ward

Martin J Nilsen

Michael C Dill

Yongping Gong

Jeffrey D Anderson

Kent D Homfeldt

James M Van Ingen

John H Siegenthaler

Ned J Gruca

Gary D Porter

Robert E Brunner

An industrial hanger is provided for coupling a device to a truss. The hanger apparatus includes a first member having a first support surface, a second opposed support surface, and a threaded portion extending between the first and second support surfaces. The hanger apparatus also includes a second member having a first support surface, a second opposed support surface, and a threaded portion extending between the second member first and second support surfaces. The first member is coupled to the second member such that the first member threaded portion and the second member threaded portions define a substantially circular threaded opening that is sized to receive a threaded rod therein.

Industrial hangers for framing and method of fabricating the same

A brick tie anchor secures a brick veneer to an underlying structure. The anchor includes a head portion having a shaped body defining a longitudinal axis. The head includes a key portion extending from an end of the body having generally flat sides and an open central area. A shank has an upper shank portion and a lower shank portion. The lower shank portion is threaded for penetration into the underlying structure. The upper shank portion and the lower shank portion are separated from one another by a shoulder. The upper shank portion includes a knurled region extending from the shoulder. A washer is disposed at the juncture of the head portion and the shank. The washer has a diameter greater than a largest measurement across the head portion. The washer includes a resilient sealing element on the side of the washer adjacent to the shank. A driving tool for the anchor is also disclosed.

Brick tie anchor and drive tool

A fastener coupler includes a first securing member configured to receive and retain a first fastener within a first inner cavity, wherein at least one passage is formed through the first securing member, and a setting indication material within at least a portion of the first inner cavity. The setting indication material is configured to extrude through the first passage when the first fastener is urged into the setting indication material in order to indicate that the first fastener is properly secured to the first securing member.

Fastener assembly

A threaded fastener such as a weld nut or a weld stud has a projection from a surface thereof, with the projection bearing a thread. A weld ring substantially surrounds the threaded projection. In a fastener system using the fastener, a mounting structure has a keyhole including a larger diameter hole and a narrower diameter slot. In the assembly, a portion of the weld ring projects into the slot to resist rotation of the fastener relative to the mounting structure.

Weld nut or stud, fastening system and method

A pipe nipple has a bore therethrough, with an entrance chamber at one end of the bore having a larger diameter adjacent a drive configuration of narrower diameter for receiving a tool therein to rotate the nipple about its longitudinal axis. The exterior of the nipple has a surface formation as a stop against which a hose can be inserted over the nipple, and a threaded length for attaching the nipple to another device.

Pipe nipple

A connector bolt for securing an oil cooler to an engine block is made of first and second telescopic pieces. The bolt can be made in different lengths by adjusting the telescopic position of the first and second pieces. The length is fixed by securing the relative positions of the first and second pieces.

Two-piece oil filter oil cooler connector bolt

A nut and plate washer assembly formed from a separate nut body and a separate washer body. The washer body is press fit onto a shank of the nut body, with a head of the nut body embedded in a recess of the washer body. The washer body and nut body can be made from dissimilar materials.

Nut and plate washer assembly

A fastener nut is formed with anti-cross threading features that include a rounded or chamfered edge at the entry end to the nut, followed by an unthreaded cylindrical counterbore that extends axially from the entry end to the threaded section of the bore. The rounded or chamfered entry end prevents cross threading and the unthreaded section is of sufficient length to ensure substantially collinear alignment between the threaded fastener and the correspondingly threaded nut before threaded engagement occurs. An optional radiused portion is formed between the unthreaded and threaded sections of the nut to further prevent cross threading. The nut can be a weld nut formed with weld protrusions which enable the nut to be welded to a large structural member before mating engagement with a threaded fastener occurs. The nut can additionally have convex or concave or other tactile feed back features that induce vibration when a large off-angle is being attempted.

Threaded fastener nut with anti-cross threading radiused features and tactile feedback features

An assembly of an internally threaded fastener and a stemmed washer is provided, such as for applications in which a standoff is desired between a washer and a mating externally threaded fastener. The stemmed washer includes a washer portion, a retaining portion and a standoff portion. The retaining portion interfaces with the internally threaded fastener to retain the fastener in the assembly. The stemmed washer may include a skirt which is plastically deformed to capture the fastener. The fastener may include a skirt which similarly plastically to mate with a retaining lip on the stemmed washer. The fastener and washer may be secured in the assembly to permit relative rotation of the fastener with respect to the washer.

Internally threaded fastener and stemmed washer assembly and method for making same

An internally threaded body member having thread clearances includes a bore extending at least partially into the body member. The bore has a screw thread disposed therein. The screw thread has a pitch diameter increased not less than 26% of a tooth height of the thread.

Screw thread with clearance

A blind hole panel nut has an elongated geometrical configuration. The nut is adapted to be inserted and mounted within a similarly shaped aperture defined within a support panel upon which a component is to be mounted. The nut has slots formed within opposite longitudinal end portions thereof and at mid-depth portions such that upper and lower nut disk portions are formed. The nut is rotated a predetermined angle from its initial insertion position with respect to the support panel aperture to its locked position upon the support panel. The slots physically accommodate side wall portions of the support panel which define the aperture. The upper and lower nut disk portions self-support the nut member upon the support panel. The nut member is also provided with a centrally located threaded aperture for receiving a threaded bolt fastener to form a blind hole panel nut member and bolt fastener assembly.

Blind hole panel nut

An off-set adjusting nut for use with a bolt permits adjusting at least one characteristic of mechanically connected members. The bolt has a head and a shank extending therefrom, at least a portion of the shank being threaded for engagement with the adjusting nut. The adjusting nut includes a body defining a nut axis therethrough. The body further defines an upper surface and a lower portion. A round flange is formed integral with the body at the lower portion. The flange is formed on the body collinear with the nut axis. An eccentric bore is formed in the body extending from the upper surface to the lower portion and through the flange. The bore has a thread formed therein for engaging the bolt shank thread. The bore is formed off-set in the nut body and defines a bore axis that is parallel to and spaced from the nut axis.

Off-set adjusting nut

A thread tapping machine for tapping female threads into a series of associated articles that are held in an associated stationary fixture includes a housing mounted for reciprocating movement toward and away from the stationary fixture. The housing is rotationally fixed. A spindle is carried by the housing for reciprocating movement therewith and for rotational movement within the housing. A shank is carried by the spindle and is configured for rotational and reciprocal movement with the spindle. The shank has a flute tap section, an elongated shank body, a transverse section opposite the flute tap and a bent section between the transverse section and the elongated body. The housing is moved toward and into contact with a first of the series of articles with the spindle rotating so that the flute tap section engages the article to form a thread therein. When the article is released from the fixture, in conjunction with the housing reciprocating away from the fixture, the article is urged along the shank, away from the flute tap section to and around the bent shank and ejected therefrom.

Thread tapping machine

A method for making a lock nut engagable and retainable about a threaded shaft wherein a body member having a bore is threaded for receiving a threaded shaft, and at least a portion of the bore is deformed to provide threaded shaft engaging means engagable with a threaded shaft disposed in the bore. The deformed portion of the bore is then sized with a threaded sizing tool that is oversized relative to the deformed portion of the bore and undersized relative to any undeformed portion of the bore to provide a sized lock nut with a relatively consistent torque performance and a reduced statistical spread over several installation and removal cycles of the nut about the threaded shaft.

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Geneva, IL, United States of America

Michael E Ward