Fast-action nut assembly

Claim 1

A FAST-ACTION THREADED NUT ASSEMBLY COMPRISING AN OUTER NUT RING HAVING A GENERALLY CONICAL AXIAL BORE THERETHROUGH THE SURFACE OF WHICH IS INCLINED TO THE AXIS OF SAID NUT RING BY AN ANGLE RANGING BETWEEN 10 AND 20 DEGREES, SAID CONICAL BORE INCLUDING A PAIR OF FRUSTO-CONICAL SECTIONS THE LARGER END OF ONE OF WHICH OPENS THROUGH THE UPPER END OF SAID NUT RING AND THE SMALLER END OF WHICH MERGES WITH THE OTHER EDGE OF A RADIALLY NARROW INWARDLY PROJECTING SHOULDER THE INNER END OF SAID SHOULER MERGING WITH THE LARGER END OF THE OTHER OF SAID FRUSTO-CONICAL SECTIONS AND THE SMALLER END OF THE LATTER TERMINATING AT THE INNER EDGE OD A RADIALLY NARROW INWARDLY PROJECTING ANNULAR GUIDE FLANGE SIZED TO HAVE A LOOSE SLIDING FIT OVER THE CRESTS OF A THREADED SHANK FOR SAID NUT ASSEMBLY, A PLURALITY OF ARCUATE SEGMENTS FORMED WITH HELICAL THREADS CROSSWISE OF THEIR INTERIOR SURFACES AND HAVING A PAIR OF FRUSTO-CONICAL EXTERIOR SURFACES INTERCONNECTED BY A RADIALLY NARROW SHOULDER AND COMPLEMENTAL TO AND SEATED AGAINST THE CONICAL AXIAL BORE THROUGH SAID NUT RING, THE THREADS OF SAID SEGMENTS BEING MATEABLE WITH THE COMPLEMENTAL HELICAL THREAD OF A SHANK ADAPTED FOR USE WITH SAID NUT ASSEMBLY, SPRING MEANS COMMON TO SAID ARCUATE SEGMENTS AND EFFECTIVE TO EXPAND SAID SEGMENTS OUTWARDLY AND TOWARD THE LARGER DIAMETER END OF SAID CONICAL BORE THROUGH SAID NUT RING, AND MEANS TO PREVENT ANY SUBSTANTIAL RELATIVE ROTARY MOVEMENT BETWEEN SAID SEGMENTS AND SAID NUT RING DURING WRENCHING OF SAID NUT ASSEMBLY, SAID MEANS FOR PREVENTING ANY SUBSTANTIAL RELATIVE ROTARY MOVEMENT BETWEEN SAID ARCUATE SEGMENTS AND SAID NUT RING COMPRISES NARROW RIBS EXTENDING AXIALLY OF SAID ONE FUSTROCONICAL SECTION WITH THE INNER ENDS THEREOF TERMINATING AT SAID ANNULAR SHOULDER INTERCONNECTING SAID PAIR OF FRUSTOCONICAL SECTIONS AND HAVING THEIR INNER EDGES TAPERING SUBSTANTIALLY SIMILARLY TO THE TAPER OF THE SMALLER ONE OF SAID FRUSTO-CONICAL SECTIONS.