Illinois Tool Works Inc.

Motorola Corporation

Michael F Brletich

Joseph Janisch, Jr

Chris J Grivas

Robert L Kempf

William Lee

A fastener and plug device for mounting a trashcan bar to a trashcan and for covering the hollow ends of the trashcan bar includes a plug portion and a fastener portion. The plug portion includes an end cap and a plurality of spaced apart discs for enclosing the openings in the ends of the trashcan bar. The fastener portion includes an extension member extending outwardly from the end cap for engaging and extending through an aperture in the trashcan bar for securing the trashcan bar to the trashcan. The fastener and plug device of the invention reduces the known multiple steps of installing the trashcan bar onto the trashcan, eliminates the use of multiple fasteners typically needed to secure the trashcan bar to the trashcan, is installable in the field, and permits the trashcans to be more easily stackable for storage and transportation.

Trash can plug

A plastic push-in or drive fastener having a enlarged head and a shank is disclosed. The fastener is configured to allow the shank to be pushed through a complementary shaped aperture or opening in an article using a relatively low insertion force. A helical screw or rib formation on the fastener shank provides a retention force opposing the fastener from being axially withdrawn from the article while readily permitting withdrawal of the fastener from the article in response to rotation of the fastener about its axis. Moreover, the fastener shank is configured to prevent inadvertent separation of the fastener from the article through which it passes.

Push-in removable fastener

An electronic device, for example a handheld telephone, having an integrated joystick with a conductive contact surface disposed toward a printed circuit board (PCB). The joystick is aligned with a neutral position contact portion of the PCB when the joystick is in a neutral position. A joystick contact region of the PCB has a plurality of directional contacts disposed circumferentially around the neutral position portion, corresponding to different joystick input directions. The conductive portion of the joystick electrically interconnects a ground contact with a corresponding one of the directional switch contacts when the joystick is pivoted in a corresponding input direction.

Handheld communications devices with joysticks and switch contact layouts therefor

A ratcheting fastener system such as for point of purchase displays. A bolt has a shank with a head end and a distal end, and a plurality of bolt threads on the shank, each thread having a thread start at the distal end. A nut has a bore with a plurality of thread segments in the bore adapted for engaging the bolt threads when axial force is applied to the bolt with the distal end inserted in the nut. Deflection of the nut thread segments occurs in controlled locations. The bolt and nut can be formed as a single unit connected by a frangible link.

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Lake Forest, IL, United States of America

Michael F Brletich