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:
Feb. 14, 1989
Filed:
Aug. 29, 1986
Robert E Obrecht, Bloomfield Hills, MI (US);
Edward J Waltonen, Southfield, MI (US);
Lamb Robo, Bloomfield Hills, MI (US);
Abstract
A clinching tool including a punch and a die assembly. The die assembly includes a collet, a pin, and a split bushing. The collet includes a lower base portion and upstanding circumferentially spaced spring fingers. The split bushing is received within the spring fingers and the pin passes upwardly through a central passage in the base portion of the collet and is received at its upper end in the split bushing with the upper end of the pin inset with respect to the upper end of the bushing by a distance related to the thickness of materials to be fastened together. The spring fingers of the collet expand during the clinching operation to allow the material of the sheets to flow radially outwardly to form the desired clinching bead. In a further embodiment, the split bushing is dispensed with and the material of the sheets is allowed to flow radially outwardly between the spaced fingers of a collet so as to form a joint having a plurality of circumferentially spaced fingers or spikes. In a further embodiment, the split bushing is dispensed with, the collet is replaced with a rigid steel sleeve, and the material of the steel sleeve is selectively cut away around the upper end of the central sleeve passage to define a plurality of circumferentially spaced clinch openings into which the material of the sheets flows radially during the clinching operation.