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:
Apr. 15, 1997
Filed:
Aug. 23, 1995
Kent Homfeldt, Elgin, IL (US);
Barth Leatherman, St. Charles, IL (US);
James Langford, Port Washington, WI (US);
Illinois Tool Works Inc., Glenview, IL (US);
Abstract
A snap-on ground retainer for a fastener of the type having a shank, the shank having a head at one end and a threaded portion along its length. The ground retainer comprises a relatively thin sheet metal and includes a washer-like member having an external annular body portion and an inner tooth portion, the inner tooth portion comprises a plurality of circumferentially spaced teeth extending radially inwardly from an inner margin of the washer-like member. The plurality of circumferentially spaced teeth comprise a plurality of resilient retaining teeth and a plurality of rigid grounding teeth, an inner diameter defined by the rigid grounding teeth is slightly larger than a maximum diameter of the threaded portion on the fastener and an inner diameter defined by the resilient retaining teeth is slightly smaller than a maximum diameter of the threaded portion on the fastener with which the ground retainer is adapted to be telescopically associated. The resilient retaining teeth are deflectable for permitting passage of the ground retainer over the threaded portion onto the fastener to seat on the shank and are rigid enough to prevent the ground retainer from being easily detached from the fastener, wherein the ground retainer is attached to the fastener after the threaded portion of the fastener has been inserted through an apertured plate member thereby preventing dislodgment of the fastener from the plate member. The rigid grounding teeth are twisted to enable them to engage with an adjacent upper surface and an adjacent lower surface when the fastener is tightly secured to the lower surface thereby creating and maintaining an electrical connection between the upper and lower surfaces.