The patent badge is an abbreviated version of the USPTO patent document. The patent badge does contain a link to the full patent document.
The patent badge is an abbreviated version of the USPTO patent document. The patent badge covers the following: Patent number, Date patent was issued, Date patent was filed, Title of the patent, Applicant, Inventor, Assignee, Attorney firm, Primary examiner, Assistant examiner, CPCs, and Abstract. The patent badge does contain a link to the full patent document (in Adobe Acrobat format, aka pdf). To download or print any patent click here.
Patent No.:
Date of Patent:
Nov. 19, 1985
Filed:
Oct. 19, 1983
Bulent Gulistan, Malibu, CA (US);
Other;
Abstract
The captive screw has an enlarged head to prevent complete passage of the screw through a bore in a panel. The shank of the screw has a side opening incorporating a retractable latch radially extending from the shank. This latch has upper and lower sloping cam surfaces at its forward end. The lower surface is oriented such that urging of the screw inwardly through the bore in the panel retracts the latch. The latch is spring-biased radially outwardly so that after the latch clears the bore, the screw is held captive. The upper cam surface of the latch intercepts the lower cam surface in a line which is tilted at an angle corresponding to the helix angle of the threads in a nut receiving the screw in an adjacent panel. The screw can thus be threaded into this nut to close the panel and the latch will function as a thread lock. In addition, should the nut be shallow, so that the screw extends out the other end to a point where the latch is free to pop out, the screw can still be removed by applying sufficient unthreading force that the latch is biased inwardly by its upper sloping cam surface and the fact that this cam surface end is at a tilted angle corresponding to the helix angle of the nut threads.