US3670795A
Expired / Lapsed
US
⏱️ 0.0 years remaining
Self-locking fastener
Assignee: Hutchinson Aerospace and Industry Inc
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Filing: 1970-06-29
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Granted: 1972-06-20
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Expires: 1990-06-29
Abstract
Abstract A self-locking fastener that involves a polygonal nut threaded onto a splined or keyed spindle. A sleeve generally encloses the nut and is internally grooved to engage the nut, being keyed for movement longitudinally relative to the nut and for imparting rotary motion to it. A spring urges the sleeve to slide in one direction causing one end to project beyond the end of the nut, in which position the projecting portion forms an internally grooved enclosure. A separate polygonal clamping member, slidable but not rotatable on the spindle, and having a number of sides that is a sub-multiple of the number of grooves, is engaged by the sleeve when the fastener is in the fully tightened position at which time the internally grooved enclosure may engage the polygonal edges of the clamping member to lock the nut on the spindle. Retracting the sleeve disengages the projecting portion from the clamping member, and permits the nut to be unthreaded. The clamping member may be of simple washer form, and although having a number of sides corresponding to a submultiple of the number of grooves, the nut may be indexed and locked in as many positions as there are grooves.
Inventors
- 👤 Wilbur J Kupfrian
Bibliographic Details
Application Number
—
Jurisdiction
US
Data Source
google_patents
Last Synchronized
2026-11-03 01:59
CPC Classifications
H; H05; H05K; H05K7/00; H05K7/14; H05K7/1401; H05K7/1411; H05K7/1412; B; B60; B60P; B60P7/00; B60P7/06; B60P7/08; F; F16; F16B; F16B39/00; F16B39/02; F16B39/08; F16J; F16J13/00; F16J13/02; F16J13/12; Y; Y10; Y10S; Y10S411/00; Y10S411/924; Y10S411/926; Y10S411/927
Claims Analysis
Total Claims: 7
Claim 1
Independent Claim
221 words
A self-locking fastener comprising a splined threaded rod, a nut threaded on said rod and having a polygonal outer wall portion, a locking sleeve having an inwardly projecting grooved portion for slidably receiving and engaging the corner edges of said polygonal outer wall portion and for normally imparting through such engagement rotary threading motion to said nut, resilient means for normally urging said sleeve to move axially to a relaxed position relative to said rod and to said nut whereby a part of said grooved portion extends beyond the end of said nut, to form an enclosure having a grooved inner periphery, and a clamping member freely slidable along said splined threaded rod but being keyed to said rod for precluding rotation of said member relative to said rod, said clamping member also having a polygonal outer peripheral portion engageable with said grooved inner periphery when said clamping member is located within said enclosure, thereby to lock said nut and sleeve against rotation relative to said threaded rod, said clamping member becoming disengaged from said enclosure when said sleeve is retracted from said relaxed position, thereby permitting rotation of said nut and sleeve relative to said threaded rod, the number of edges of said polygonal portion on said clamping member being a submultiple of the number of grooves in said sleeve.
Claim 2
Dependent Claim
221 words
A self-locking fastener comprising a splined threaded rod, a nut threaded on said rod and having a polygonal outer wall portion, a locking sleeve having an inwardly projecting grooved portion for slidably receiving and engaging the corner edges of said polygonal outer wall portion and for normally imparting through such engagement rotary threading motion to said nut, resilient means for normally urging said sleeve to move axially to a relaxed position relative to said rod and to said nut whereby a part of said grooved portion extends beyond the end of said nut, to form an enclosure having a grooved inner periphery, and a clamping member freely slidable along said splined threaded rod but being keyed to said rod for precluding rotation of said member relative to said rod, said clamping member also having a polygonal outer peripheral portion engageable with said grooved inner periphery when said clamping member is located within said enclosure, thereby to lock said nut and sleeve against rotation relative to said threaded rod, said clamping member becoming disengaged from said enclosure when said sleeve is retracted from said relaxed position, thereby permitting rotation of said nut and sleeve relative to said threaded rod, the number of edges of said polygonal portion on said clamping member being a submultiple of the number of grooves in said sleeve.
Claim 3
Dependent Claim
25 words
A self-locking fastener as claimed in claim 1, wherein the polygonal portions of said nut and said clamping member have the same number of edges.
Claim 4
Dependent Claim
29 words
A self-locking fastener as claimed in claim 1, wherein said polygonal portions comprise flat faces and said grooves are V-shaped conforming to the corner edges of said polygonal portions.
Claim 5
Dependent Claim
38 words
A self-locking fastener, as claimed in claim 1, including a clamping collar freely slidable and rotatable on said threaded rod, and wherein said clamping member comprises a washer located on said rod between said collar and said nut.
Claim 6
Dependent Claim
47 words
A self-locking fastener as claimed in claim 1, wherein said polygonal portion of said clamping member comprises a hexagonal washer, and the grooves in said sleeve are shaped to receive and accommodate the diagonal edge portions of said clamping member in a plurality of successively indexed positions.
Claim 7
Dependent Claim
40 words
A self-locking fastener as claimed in claim 1, wherein said polygonal portions of said nut and said clamping member are both hexagonal in cross section, and wherein said grooves are of V-shape for receiving such hexagon in any indexed position.
References Cited (Backward Citations)
USPTO Annuity & Maintenance Windows
| Annuity Stage | Window Opens | Payment Deadline | Surcharge Period Until | Estimated Fee | Status |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 3.5 Years (Year 4) | 1975-06-20 | 1975-12-20 | 1976-06-20 | $2000.00 | Window Closed / Lapsed |
| 7.5 Years (Year 8) | 1979-06-20 | 1979-12-20 | 1980-06-20 | $3760.00 | Window Closed / Lapsed |
| 11.5 Years (Year 12) | 1983-06-20 | 1983-12-20 | 1984-06-20 | $7700.00 | Window Closed / Lapsed |