Self-aligning inserts

Claim 1

A SELF-ALIGNING INSERT COMPRISING A HOLLOW OUTER BODY HAVING AN ESSENTIALLY TUBULAR SIDE WALL WITH EXTERNAL THREADS ADAPTED TO BE SCREWED INTO A CARRIER PART, SAID BODY CONTAINING A GROOVE EXTENDING AXIALLY THROUGH SAID THREADS, A KEY MOUNTED IN SAID GROOVE AND DRIVABLE AXIALLY RELATIVE TO THE BODY FOR LOCKING SAID BODY AGAINST UNSCREWING ROTATION FROM THE CARRIER PART, SAID SIDE WALL HAVING AN INNER SURFACE DEFINING A PASSAGE THROUGH THE BODY, A FLOATING NUT ELEMENT HAVING AN ESSENTIALLY TUBULAR PORTION WHICH IS RECEIVED WITHIN SAID PASSAGE IN THE BODY AND CONTAINS INTERNAL THREADS INTO WHICH A COACTING STUD IS THREADEDLY CONNECTIBLE FROM A PREDETERMINED AXIALLY OUTER END THEREOF, SAID NUT ELEMENT BEING FREE FOR LIMITED SELF-ALIGNING SHIFTING MOVEMENT TRANSVERSELY OF THE AXIS OF SAID INTERNAL THREADS AND RELATIVE TO SAID BODY, SAID TUBULAR PORTION OF THE NUT ELEMENT HAVING AN OUTER SURFACE RECEIVED WITHIN SAID INNER SURFACE OF THE TUBULAR BODY AND SMALLER IN CROSS SECTION THAN SAID INNER SURFACE TO ALLOW SAID SHIFTING MOVEMENT OF THE NUT ELEMENT, SAID TUBULAR SIDE WALL OF THE BODY CONTAINING AT ITS AXIALLY INNER END TWO ESSENTIALLY DIAMETRICALLY OPPOSED RECESSES EXTENDING RADIALLY THROUGH SAID SIDE WALL AND AXIALLY OUTWARDLY FROM SAID END INTO THE MATERIAL OF SAID SIDE WALL AND OPENING IN AN AXIALLY INWARD DIRECTION, SAID NUT ELEMENT HAVING TWO ESSENTIALLY DIAMETRICALLY OPPOSED RADIALLY PROJECTING LEGS AT THE AXIALLY INNER END OF SAID TUBULAR PORTION AND PROJECTING RADIALLY OUTWARDLY FARTHER THAN SAID TUBULAR PORTION AND INTO SAID RECESSES RESPECTIVELY, SAID LUGS BEING SMALLER THAN AND TRANSVERSELY SHIFTABLE WITHIN SAID RECESSES BETWEEN A SERIES OF DIFFERENT POSITIONS, SAID BODY FORMING EDGES EXTENDING ABOUT AND DEFINING SAID RECESSES AND INCLUDING FIRST EDGES DISPOSED TRANSVERSELY OF SAID AXIS AND ENGAGEABLE BY SAID LUGS TO TRANSMIT AIXALLY OUTWARD LOAD FORCES FROM THE LUGS TO THE BODY, AND ADDITIONAL AXIALLY EXTENDING EDGES ENGAGEABLE BY THE LUGS TO LIMIT ROTARY SHIFTING MOVEMENT OF THE LUGS RELATIVE TO THE BODY, SAID SIDE WALL OF THE BODY CONTAINING AN INTERNAL GROOVE AXIALLY INWARDLY OF SAID LUGS, AND A RESILIENT ESSENTIAL FLAT SNAP RING RECEIVED IN SAID INTERNAL GROOVE AND PROJECTING THEREFROM TO A POSITION IN THE PATH OF AXIALLY INWARD REMOVAL OF THE NUT ELEMENT FROM SAID BODY TO BLOCK SAID REMOVAL, SAID SNAP RING BEING RESILIENTLY CONSTRICTABLE TO A REDUCED DIAMETER FOR INITIAL ASSEMBLY OF THE INSERT, SAID SNAP RING HAVING TWO PORTIONS BRIDGING ACROSS SAID RECESSES AND ACROSS SAID LUGS AT A LOCATION AXIALLY INWARDLY OF THE LUGS AND SPACED FROM BUT ESSENTIALLY AXIALLY OPPOSITE SAID FIRST EDGES OF THE RECESSES TO LOCK THE LUGS IN THE RECESSES, BOTH OF SAID BRIDGING PORTIONS BEING POSITIONED IN THE PATH OF AXIALLY INWARD WITHDRAWAL OF THE LUGS FROM THE BODY IN ALL OF SAID POSITIONS TO WHICH THE LUGS ARE SHIFTABLE, SAID BODY HAVING A FLANGE TURNED RADIALLY INWARDLY AT A LOCATION AXIALLY OUTWARDLY BEYOND AND OPPOSITE SAID NUT ELEMENT, SAID FLANGE CONTAINING AN OPENING LARGER THAN THE MAJOR DIAMETER OF SAID INTERNAL THREADS BUT SMALLER THAN THE EXTERNAL DIAMETER OF SAID NUT ELEMENT.