Threaded element with carrier part deforming locking key

Claim 1

AN ELEMENT COMPRISING A BODY HAVING EXTERNAL THREADS DISPOSED ABOUT AN AXIS AND ADAPTED TO BE SCREWED INTO A PASSAGE IN A CARRIER PART, AND HAVING ADDITIONAL THREADS FOR ATTACHMENT TO ANOTHER MEMBER, SAID BODY HAVING A GROOVE FORMED THEREIN AND EXTENDING GENERALLY AXIALLY THROUGH SAID EXTERNAL THREADS, A KEY RECEIVED IN SAID GROOVE AND ADAPTED TO BE DRIVEN AXIALLY RELATIVE TO SAID BODY TO A LOCKING POSITION TO LOCK THE ELEMENT IN SAID CARRIER PART, SAID KEY HAVING AN AXIALLY INNER FIRST PORTION RECEIVED AND FRICTIONALLY RETAINED IN THE GROOVE AT THE LOCATION OF SOME OF SAID EXTERNAL THREADS AND WHICH IS THIN ENOUGH RADIALLY TO AVOID INTERFERENCE THEREBY WITH SCREWING OF SAID ELEMENT INTO SAID FERENCE THEREBY WITH SCREWING OF SAID ELEMENT INTO SAID AXIALLY OUTWARDLY BEYOND SAID GROOVE AND ACCESSIBLE FOR ENGAGMENT BY A TOOL TO DRIVE THE KEY AXIALLY WITHIN THE GROOVE, SAID SECOND PORTION FORMING A LOCKING PROJECTION WHICH EXTENDS RADIALLY OUTWARDLY FARTHER THAN SAID FIRST PORTION TO CUT INTO THE MATERIAL OF SAID CARRIER PART WHEN THE KEY IS DRIVEN AXIALLY, SAID GROOVE HAVING AN OUTWARDLY NARROWING DOVETAIL SHAPED RADIALLY INNER PORTION CONTAINING AND SLIDABLY RETAINING AND CONFINING SAID FIRST PORTION OF THE KEY AND HAVING A RADIALLY OUTER PORTION WHICH IS LOCATED OUTWARDLY BEYOND AND DOES NOT CONTAIN SAID FIRST PORTION OF THE KEY, SAID OUTER PORTION OF THE GROOVE BEING DEFINED BY ESSENTIALLY PARALLEL APPROXIMATELY RADIALLY EXTENDING OPPOSITE SIDE WALLS POSITIONED TO RECEIVE SAID LOCKING PROJECTION CIRCULARLY THEREBETWEEN IN SAID LOCKING POSITION THEREOF, SAID SIDE WALLS BEING SPACED APART FAR ENOUGH TO LEAVE CLEARANCE SPACE CIRCULARLY BETWEEN SAID LOCKING PROJECTION AND SAID SIDE WALLS AT EACH POINT THROUGH THE ENTIRE RADIAL EXTENT OF SAID PROJECTION, EQUAL TO AT LEAST ABOUT ONE-THIRD OF THE WIDTH DIMENSION OF SAID PROJECTION CIRCULARLY ABOUT SAID AXIS AT THE POINT, SAID LOCKING PROJECTION HAVING OPPOSITE SIDE SURFACES EXTENDING SUBSTANTIALLY PARALLEL TO SAID SIDE WALLS OF THE GROOVE AND BEING LOCATED FOR RECEPTION APPROXIMATELY MIDWAY BETWEEN SAID SIDE WALLS SO THAT SAID CLEARANCE SPACE FORMS TWO APPROXIMATELY EQUAL WIDTH GAPS AT OPPOSITE SIDES OF THE PROJECTION, SAID PROJECTION HAVING AN AXIALLY INNER END TAPERING AXIALLY TO AN ESSENTIALLY SHARP CUTTING EDGE WHICH EXTENDS ESSENTIALLY RADIALLY OUTWARDLY WITH RESPECT TO SAID AXIS, SAID SECOND PORTION OF THE KEY HAVING A RADIALLY INNER PORTION WHICH FORMS ESSENTIALLY A CONTINUATION OF SAID FIRST PORTION OF KEY BUT IS SLIGHTLY NARROWER THAN SAID FIRST PORTION AND WIDER THAN SAID PROJECTION.