Bolt and washer assembly with cooperating pawl and ratchet means

Claim 1

MANIFOLD ASSEMBLY COMPRISING, (A) A FIRST MANIFOLD BODY MEMBER HAVING A THREADED APERTURE, (B) A SECOND MANIFOLD BODY MEMBER HAVING AN UNTHREADED APERTURE LARGER THAN AND ALIGNED WITH SAID APERTURE IN SAID FIRST MANIFOLD BODY MEMBER, (C) BOLT MEANS HAVING A SHANK MEANS PORTION AND A HEAD MEANS PORTION, (D) SAID SHANK MEANS PORTION COMPRISING A THREADED ENTERING END AND AN UNTHREADED PORTION ADJACENT SAID HEAD MEANS, (E) SAID HEAD MEANS COMPRISING (1) A TORQUE IMPARTING MEANS PORTION, (2) A WASHER BEARING SURFACE PORTION, AND (3) A RATCHET SURFACE PORTION, (F) SAID BEARING SURFACE PORTION BEING CHARACTERIZED AS BEING INTERMEDIATE THE UNTHREADED SHANK MEANS PORTION AND THE RATCHET MEANS PORTION AND DISPOSED AT AN ANGLE SLIGHTLY OFFSET FROM A PLANE TRANSVERSE TO THE AXIS OF SAID BOLT MEANS AND EXTENDING UPWARDLY AND OUTWARLDY AWAY FROM ITS JUNCTURE WITH SAID UNTHREADED PORTION OF SAID SHANK, (G) WASHER MEANS MOUNTED ON SAIDUNTHREADED PORTION OF SAID BOLT MEANS INTERMEDIATE SAID BEARING SURFACE PORTION AND THE MARGIN OF SAID SECOND MANIFOLD BODY MEANS SURROUNDING THE APERTURE MEANS THEREIN, SAID WASHER MEANS COMPRISING, (H) A SUBSTNATIALLY FLAT BODY MEANS PORTION HAVING A RADIAL EXTENT SUBSTANTIALLY COEXTENSIVE WITH THE EXTENT OF SAID BEARING SURFACE PORTION, (I) FIRST AND SECOND TOOTH MEANS DISPOSED ON THE OUTER PERIPHERY OF THE UNDERSIDE OF SAID WASHER MEANS FOR PENETRATING AND PROVIDING COMPLEMENTARY SURFACES IN THE MARGIN OF SAID SECOND MANIFOLD WORKPIECE SURROUNDING THE APERTURE THEREIN, (J) SAID FIRST TOOTH MEANS COMPRISING A ROW OF TEETH IN DIRECT LINE COMPRESSION RELATIONSHIP BETWEEN SAID BEARING SURFACE AND SAID SECOND MANIFOLD MEMBER WORKPIECE AND SYMMETRICALLY DISPOSED ABOUT SAID BODY MEANS OF SAID WASHER MEANS, (K) SAID SECOND TOOTH MEANS COMPRISING A SECOND ROW OF TEETH BEING RADIALLY OFFSET FROM AND OBLIQUELY DISPOSED RELATIVE TO SAID FIRST ROW OF TEETH AND AT LEAST PARTIALLY IN DIRECT COMPRESSION RELATIONSHIP TO SAID BEARING SURFACE AND SAID SECOND MANIFOLD WORKPIECE MARGIN SURROUNDING THE APERTURE THEREIN, (L) SPRING-STRUT ARM MEANS HAVING A FIRST PORTION INTEGRALLY ATTACHED TO THE RADIAL MARGIN OF SAID BODY MEANS OF SAID WASHER MEANS AND HAVING A SECOND PORTION CIRCUMFERENTIALLY DISPOSED ABOUT SAID BODY MEANS AND PROVIDED WITH FREE ENDS COOPERABLE WITH THE RATCHET TEETH MEANS ON SAID HEAD OF SAID BOLT MEANS, THE FREE ENDS BEING OFFSET FROM THE PLANE OF SAID BODY MEANS IN A DIRECTION OPPOSITE TO SAID FIRST AND SECOND TOOTH MEANS ON SAID WASHER MEANS, SAID THREADED ENTERING END OF SAID SHANK MEANS ADAPTED TO ENGAGE THE THREADED APERTURE OF SAID FIRST MANIFOLD BODY MEMBER THEREBY INDUCING TENSION IN SAID BOLT MEANS, THE BEARING SURFACE PORTION OF SAID HEAD MEANS DISHING SAID FLAT BODY MEANS INTO THE UNTHREADED APERTURE OF SAID SECOND MANIFOLD BODY MEMBER AND EMBEDDING SAID FIRST AND SECOND TOOTH MEANS INTO THE MARGIN OF SAID SECOND MANIFOLD WORKPIECE SURROUNDING THE APERTURE THEREIN, (M) THE END SURFACE OF SAID FREE ARMS COOPERATING WITH AN ABUTMENT SURFACE ON SAID RATCHET-TEETH MEANS TO PROVIDE A ONE-WAY CLUTCH LOCK ON INITIAL TIGHTENING OF THE BOLT MEMBER AND PROVIDING A MECHANICAL STRUT WEDGING ACTION BETWEEN SAID BOLT MEMBER AND SAID TEETH OF SAID WASHER MEANS EMBEDDED IN SAID SECOND WORKPIECE TO PREVENT UNAUTHORIZED RETROGRESSIVE ROTATION THEREOF INDEPENDENT OF THE LOSS OF THE SPRING ACTION OF SAID SPRING-STRUT ARMS AFTER ANNEALING THEREOF BY SUBJECTION OF THE ENTIRE ASSEMBLY TO SEQUENTIAL HEATING AND COOLING IN THE FIELD ENVIRONMENT.