Self-locking threaded fastener having a resilient wire locking member

Claim 1

A SELF-LOCKING THREADED FASTENER COMPRISING A THREADED STEM, MEANS FORMING A RECESS IN AN ARC OF SUBSTANTIALLY 180* WITHIN SAID STEM AND CONSTITUTED BY REMOVAL OF A HELICALLY CONTINUOUS THREAD PORTION, A RESILIENT WIRE LOCKING MEMBER GENERALLY COMPLEMENTARY IN CROSS SECTION TO SAID FASTENER THREAD AND PROPORTIONED TO FIT WITHIN SAID RECESS AND HAVING AN OUTER EDGE WHICH EXTENDS SLIGHTLY BEYOND THE THREAD DIAMETER OF SAID THREADED STEM AND IN INNER EDGE HAVING A CLEARANCE FROM THE BASE OF SAID RECESS TO PROVIDE RADIALLY INWARD BIASING OF SAID LOCKING MEMBER AS SAID THREADED STEM IS SCREWED WITHIN A COMPANION THREADED MEMBER, SAID LOCKING MEMBER FORMING A FRICTIONAL CONNECTION WITH SAID COMPANION THREADED MEMBER AND EFFECTING AN OFF-CENTER SKEW FORCE ON SAID STEM IMPOSING BINDING EFFORT ON THE THREADED ENGAGEMENT OF SAID FASTENER WITH ITS THREADED MEMBER, A RADIAL PASSAGE IN SAID STEM WHICH IS ENLARGED BY ANGULARLY TAPERING THE RADIAL PASSAGE AT ITS INTERSECTION WITH SAID RECESS, A SMOOTHLY BENT PORTION OF SAID LOCKING MEMBER WHICH CURVES INWARDLY TOWARD THE CENTER OF SAID THREADED FASTENER TO BE DISPOSED WITHIN THE ENLARGED PORTION OF SAID RADIAL PASSAGE, AN EXTENSION OF SAID WIRE LOCKING MEMBER RECEIVED WITHIN SAID RADIAL PASSAGE FOR FASTENING SAID LOCKING MEMBER TO SAID THREADED FASTENER, AND A TRAILING END PORTION OF SAID LOCKING MEMBER HAVING AN INCLINED FACE FORMING A CLEARANCE FROM THE COMPANION THREADED MEMBER, SAID TRAILING END AND SMOOTHLY BENT PORTION OF SAID LOCKING MEMBER BEING OF SMALLER WIDTH IN CROSS SECTION THAN THE CORRESPONDING WIDTHS OF ITS ADJACENT THREADS ON SAID THREADED FASTENER, A LIP HAVING A FLANGE CONSTRUCTED INTEGRALLY ALONG ONE LATERAL SIDE OF SAID LOCKING MEMBER AT THE EXTREMITY OF SAID LOCKING MEMBER AND TAPERED TO PROVIDE A MAXIMUM WIDTH AT SAID EXTREMITY, SAID LIP BEING DISPOSED TO DEFINE AN UPWARDLY TURNED CREST WHICH ENGAGES THE THREADS OF SAID COMPANION THREADED MEMBER TO DEPRESS SAID EXTREMITY.