Dished lock washer

Claim 1

A LOCKING DEVICE INCLUDING A DISHED, AXIALLY RESILIENT PERIPHERALLY CONTINUOUS ANNULAR WASHER OF SHEET METAL HAVING AN UNINTERRUPTED INNER MARGIN ADAPTED TO BE POSITIONED ABOUT A ROTARY THREADED FASTENER ELEMENT AND BENEATH A CLAMPING SURFACE ASSOCIATED THEREWITH, SUBSTANTIALLY AXIALLY EXTENDING ABUTMENT MEANS INTEGRAL WITH AND SPACED CIRCUMFERENTIALLY AROUND SAID INNER WASHER MARGIN IN THE VICINITY OF THE WASHER CROWN IN A POSITION TO BE ENGAGED BY CORRESPONDING ABUTMENT MEANS ON SAID CLAMPING SURFACE OF A ROTARY THREADED FASTENER AS AN INCIDENT TO ROTARY TIGHTENING OF SAID FASTENER, CIRCUMFERENTIALLY DISPOSED CAM SURFACES ALONG THE WASHER CROWNS SLOPING FROM A HIGH POINT ADJACENT TO THE TOP OF ONE ABUTMENT MEANS TOWARD A LOW POINT AND DEFINING THE INNER EXTENT OF SAID ABUTMENT MEANS SURFACE, THE INCLINATION OF SAID CAM SURFACES WITH RESPECT TO THE WASHER AXIS EXTENDING IN THE SAME GENERAL DIRECTION AND BEING OF GREATER INCLINATION THAN THE THREAD CONVOLUTIONS OF SAID ROTARY THREADED FASTENER WITH WHICH THE LOCKING DEVICE IS TO BE USED WHEREBY TO INCREASE THE EFFECTIVENESS OF THE WASHER TO RESIST LOOSENING AFTER SAID COMPLEMENTARY THREADED FASTENER HAS BEEN ROTATED IN A TIGHTENING DIRECTION TO URGE SAID WASHER ABUTMENT MEANS IN THE DIRECTION OF SAID ROTATION AND TO PARTIALLY COLLAPSE SAID WASHER, THE OUTER PERIPHERAL MARGIN OF SAID WASHER HAVING A PLURALITY OF SYMETRICALLY LOCATED, SUBSTANTIALLY RADIALLY DISPOSED INTERRUPTIONS THEREIN, SAID INTERRUPTIONS FORMING AT LEAST A PART OF OF RELATIVELY SHARP WORK ENGAGING TEETH, SAID TEETH HAVING AXIALLY DEFLECTED SUBSTANTIALLY RADIALLY ARRANGED EDGES DISTRIBUTED IN THE CONCAVE PORTION OF THE WASHER AND WHICH FACE IN A DIRECTION OPPOSITE TO THE DIRECTION OF FASTENER TIGHTENING, THE DEFLECTION OF SAID PORTIONS BEING SUCH AS TO PERMIT RELATIVE ROTARY MOVEMENT OF THE SHARP TEETH OVER THE SURFACE OF A WORKPIECE UPON INITIAL TIGHTENING OF AN ASSOCIATED ROTARY THEREADED FASTENER, AND TO RESIST SUBSTANTIALLY ALL RETROGRADE ROTARY MOVEMENT OF SAID WASHER RELATIVE TO SAID WORKPIECE BY REASON OF SAID TEETH BECOMING IMBEDDED IN SAID WORKPIECE SURFACE, IN RESPONSE TO ROTARY FORCES ACTING IN A DIRECTION TENDING TO LOOSEN THE ASSOCIATED ROTARY THREADED FASTENER AS THE ABUTMENT MEANS ON SAID ROTARY FASTENER IMPRESSES AN ADDITIONAL AXIAL AND COLLAPSING FORCE TO THE WASHER AS THEY MOVE UP THE CAM SURFACE OF SAID WASHER WHICH IN TURN CAUSES PROGRESSIVELY GREATER IMBEDMENT OF SAID WORK ENGAGING TEETH.