Nut and panel assembly

Claim 2

A nut adapted to be secured to a sheet metal panel having a thickness falling within a known range comprising a nut body having a flat panel engaging end surface and a tapped bore extending through the nut body along an axis normal to said flat end surface, means defining a panel metal receiving groove extending into said nut body from said flat end surface at opposite sides of said tapped bore, the groove having an inner side wall at the side of the groove adjacent the tapped bore extending inwardly of said nut body in perpendicular relationship to said flat end surface to a depth greater than the width of said groove, the opposite side of the groove being defined by an outer side wall extending inwardly from said flat end surface in divergent relationship to said inner wall at an angle between 10 and 20 degrees and terminating at a flat abutment wall parallel to the flat end surface of the nut body at a depth less than the width of said groove, said abutment wall defining approximately the outer half of the bottom of the groove, the remaining portion of the bottom of the groove being defined by a recess extending inwardly of said nut body from said abutment wall between the abutment wall and inner wall of the groove.

Claim 3

A nut as defined in claim 1 wherein said recess is defined by a beveled wall inclined inwardly from said abutment wall toward said inner wall, and a flat bottom wall extending between said inner wall and said beveled wall.

Claim 4

A nut as defined in claim 1 wherein said groove is of an annular configuration of uniform width concentric with said tapped bore, and a plurality of circumferentially spaced notches in said outer wall of said groove.

Claim 5

A nut as defined in claim 1 wherein the inner wall of said groove is a cylindrical surface coaxial with said tapped bore, and the outer wall of said groove at said flat end surface is of an oval configuration.

Claim 6

An interlocked nut and panel assembly comprising a nut body having a tapped bore and a flat end surface normal to the axis of said bore, means defining a groove in said nut body opening at said flat end surface on opposite sides of said bore, the wall of the groove adjacent said bore being normal to said end surface and the wall of the groove remote from the bore diverging from the bore in its extent inwardly of said body from said end surface, the bottom of the groove being defined in part by a flat abutment surface parallel to said end surface and extending from the remote wall of tHe groove toward said bore, said abutment surface being located at a depth less than the width of the groove at said end surface, and a tool receiving recess in the bottom of the groove extending inwardly of the nut body from said abutment surface and being located between said abutment surface and the wall of said groove adjacent said bore, a sheet metal panel in face-to-face engagement with the end surface of said nut body at the side of the groove remote from said bore, said panel having a thickness less than the width of said groove at said end surface and having an integral portion bent downwardly from said end surface along the wall of said groove remote from said bore and engaging said abutment surface, said panel in the region of the juncture between said end surface and the remote wall of said groove being compressed to approximately one-half of its original thickness.

Claim 7

An interlocked nut and panel assembly comprising a nut body having a tapped bore and a flat end surface normal to the axis of said bore, means defining a groove in said nut body opening at said flat end surface on opposite sides of said bore, the wall of the groove adjacent said bore being normal to said end surface and the wall of the groove remote from the bore diverging from the bore in its extent inwardly of said body from said end surface, the bottom of the groove being defined in part by a flat abutment surface parallel to said end surface and extending from the remote wall of tHe groove toward said bore, said abutment surface being located at a depth less than the width of the groove at said end surface, and a tool receiving recess in the bottom of the groove extending inwardly of the nut body from said abutment surface and being located between said abutment surface and the wall of said groove adjacent said bore, a sheet metal panel in face-to-face engagement with the end surface of said nut body at the side of the groove remote from said bore, said panel having a thickness less than the width of said groove at said end surface and having an integral portion bent downwardly from said end surface along the wall of said groove remote from said bore and engaging said abutment surface, said panel in the region of the juncture between said end surface and the remote wall of said groove being compressed to approximately one-half of its original thickness.

Claim 8

An interlocked nut and panel assembly as defined in claim 5 wherein the angle of divergence of said wall remote from said bore is between 10* and 20*.

Claim 9

An interlocked nut and panel assembly as defined in claim 5 wherein said groove is of an annular configuration completely surrounding said tapped bore, the metal of said panel inwardly of said groove from the compressed portion being expanded to a continuous annular band having a circumference greater than the circumference of the outer wall of said groove at said end surface of said nut body.

Claim 10

An interlocked nut and panel assembly as defined in claim 7 wherein the inner wall of said groove, said annular band of panel metal, and said outer wall of said groove are concentric with the axis of the tapped bore, and means locking said nut against rotation about said axis relative to said panel.

Claim 11

An interlocked nut and panel assembly as defined in claim 7 wherein said inner wall of said groove is concentric with the axis of the tapped bore, said annular band of panel metal and said outer wall of said groove extending around said axis in a symmetrical non-circular relationship thereto.

Claim 12

A nut adapted to be secured to a sheet metal panel having a thickness falling within a known range, comprising: a nut body having a generally flat panel engaging end surface and a tapped bore extending through the nut body along an axis normal to said end surface, means defining a panel metal receiving groove extending into said nut body from said end surface at opposite sides of said tapped bore, the groove having an inner side wall at the side of the groove adjacent the tapped bore extending inwardly of said nut body generally perpendicular to said end surface, the opposite side of said groove being defined by an outer side wall extending inwardly from said flat end surface in divergent relationship to said inner side wall at an angle between ten and twenty degrees and terminating in an abutment wall at a depth less than the width of said groove adjacent said outer side wall, said abutment wall terminating in a tool receiving recess at said inner side wall at a depth greater than (1) the width of said groove and (2) the depth of said abutment wall adjacent said opposite side wall.

Claim 13

A nut adapted to be secured to a sheet metal panel having a thickness falling within a known range, comprising: a nut body having a generally flat panel engaging end surface and a tapped bore extending through the nut body along an axis normal to said end surface, means defining a panel metal receiving groove extending into said nut body from said end surface at opposite sides of said tapped bore, the groove having an inner side wall at the side of the groove adjacent the tapped bore extending inwardly of said nut body generally perpendicular to said end surface, the opposite side of said groove being defined by an outer side wall extending inwardly from said flat end surface in divergent relationship to said inner side wall at an angle between ten and twenty degrees and terminating in an abutment wall at a depth less than the width of said groove adjacent said outer side wall, said abutment wall terminating in a tool receiving recess at said inner side wall at a depth greater than (1) the width of said groove and (2) the depth of said abutment wall adjacent said opposite side wall.

Claim 14

A nut as defined in claim 10, wherein said tool receiving recess is defined by a distinct stepped recess having a side wall extending inwardly from said abutment wall, opposite said inner side wall, and a bottom wall adjacent said inner side wall.

Claim 15

A nut as defined in claim 11, wherein said stepped recess has a width equal to approximately one-half of the total width of said abutment wall.

Claim 16

A nut as defined in claim 10, wherein said abutment wall includes a flat panel abutment surface, adjacent said outer side wall, generally parallel to said end surface of the nut body, and said tool receiving recess is defined by a side wall extending inwardly relative to said end surface of the nut body from said abutment surface and a bottom wall adjacent said inner wall of the groove.

Claim 17

The nut as defined in claim 13, wherein said Tool receiving recess is defined by a beveled wall inclined inwardly from said flat panel abutment surface toward said inner side wall, and a flat bottom wall extending between said inner side wall and said beveled wall.

Claim 18

A nut as defined in claim 10, wherein said abutment wall, including said tool receiving recess, is defined by a single beveled surface inclined inwardly from said outer side wall of the groove to said inner side wall.

Claim 19

An interlocked nut and panel assembly comprising: a nut body having a tapped bore and a generally flat end surface normal to the axis of said bore, means defining a groove in said nut body opening at said end surface at opposite sides of said bore, the inner side wall of the groove adjacent said bore being normal to said end surface and the outer side wall of the groove remote from the bore diverging from the bore in its extent inwardly of said body from said end surface, the bottom of the groove being defined by an abutment wall extending from said outer side wall to said inner side wall of the groove, said abutment wall at said outer side wall at a depth less than the width of said groove at said end surface and defining a tool receiving recess adjacent said inner side wall at a depth greater than (1) the width of said groove and (2) the depth of said groove adjacent said outer side wall, a sheet metal panel in face-to-face engagement with said end surface of said nut body at the side of the groove remote from said bore, said panel having a thickness less than the width of said groove at said end surface and having an integral portion bent downwardly from said end surface along the outer side wall of said groove remote from said bore and engaging said abutment wall adjacent said outer side wall, said panel in the region of the juncture between said end surface and the remote outer side wall of said groove being compressed to approximately one-half of its original thickness.

Claim 20

An interlocked nut and panel assembly comprising: a nut body having a tapped bore and a generally flat end surface normal to the axis of said bore, means defining a groove in said nut body opening at said end surface at opposite sides of said bore, the inner side wall of the groove adjacent said bore being normal to said end surface and the outer side wall of the groove remote from the bore diverging from the bore in its extent inwardly of said body from said end surface, the bottom of the groove being defined by an abutment wall extending from said outer side wall to said inner side wall of the groove, said abutment wall at said outer side wall at a depth less than the width of said groove at said end surface and defining a tool receiving recess adjacent said inner side wall at a depth greater than (1) the width of said groove and (2) the depth of said groove adjacent said outer side wall, a sheet metal panel in face-to-face engagement with said end surface of said nut body at the side of the groove remote from said bore, said panel having a thickness less than the width of said groove at said end surface and having an integral portion bent downwardly from said end surface along the outer side wall of said groove remote from said bore and engaging said abutment wall adjacent said outer side wall, said panel in the region of the juncture between said end surface and the remote outer side wall of said groove being compressed to approximately one-half of its original thickness.

Claim 21

An interlocked nut and panel assembly as defined in claim 16, wherein the angle of divergence of said outer side wall remote from said bore is between ten and twenty degrees.

Claim 22

An interlocked nut and panel assembly as defined in claim 16, wherein said abutment wall is beveled inwardly from said outer side wall of the groove to said inner side wall, defining said tool receiving recess at said inner side wall.

Claim 23

An interlocked nut and panel assembly as defined in claim 16, wherein said abutment wall includes a flat abutment surface at said outer side wall of the groove generally parallel to said end surface of the nut body.

Claim 24

An interlocked nut and panel assembly as defined in claim 19, wherein said tool receiving recess is defined by a beveled wall inclined inwardly from said abutment surface, toward said inner side wall and a flat bottom wall extending from said beveled wall to said inner side wall.