US4245545A
Expired / Lapsed
US
⏱️ 0.0 years remaining
Blind-end connector for fastening sheet metal to fiber-board ducts
Assignee: Individual
•
Filing: 1979-01-26
•
Granted: 1981-01-20
•
Expires: 1999-01-26
Abstract
Abstract A toggle-bolt-like blind-end connector fastens sheet-metal panels to fiber-board ducts by passing through pre-bored holes in the metal panel and punching its own hole in the fiber-board by a sharply pointed conical head mounted on a barbed-ring shaft. An expandable spider is fixed at the base of the head and is held collapsed against the shaft by a short sleeve. The sleeve has an end flange to limit its following the head and spider through the hole punched in the fiber-board, thus allowing the spider to expand inside the duct, after which expansion the shaft is pulled outwardly to press the expanded spider against the inner surface of the fiber-board. Next a resilient-material nut having shaft-gripping barbed-rings in its bore is pushed onto the exposed end of the shaft to engage the sheet-metal panel. The barbed-rings on the shaft facilitate breaking-off the unneeded end of the shaft.
Inventors
- 👤 James D. Freeman
Bibliographic Details
Application Number
—
Jurisdiction
US
Data Source
google_patents
Last Synchronized
2026-10-22 16:09
CPC Classifications
F; F16; F16B; F16B13/00; F16B13/04; F16B13/08; F16B13/0808; F16B13/002; F16B13/003
Claims Analysis
Total Claims: 10
Claim 1
Independent Claim
131 words
A hole-punching blind-end fastener for attaching pre-bored hard-material panels or the like to soft-material panels, comprising: a rigid shaft; a sharply pointed tapered head fixed to one end of said shaft, said head having a base diameter approximating that of a pre-bored hole in a hard-material panel or like structure; a spider-like expandable member co-axially fixed immovably to said shaft closely behind said head, said expandable member being collapsible against said shaft so as to be insertable through a head-punched hole in, and so as to be expandable on the hidden side of, said soft-material panel, said shaft having spaced barb-like circular threads formed in its surface; and a press-on nut formed of resilient material and having barb-like threads for mating with the threads on the free end of said shaft.
Claim 2
Dependent Claim
131 words
A hole-punching blind-end fastener for attaching pre-bored hard-material panels or the like to soft-material panels, comprising: a rigid shaft; a sharply pointed tapered head fixed to one end of said shaft, said head having a base diameter approximating that of a pre-bored hole in a hard-material panel or like structure; a spider-like expandable member co-axially fixed immovably to said shaft closely behind said head, said expandable member being collapsible against said shaft so as to be insertable through a head-punched hole in, and so as to be expandable on the hidden side of, said soft-material panel, said shaft having spaced barb-like circular threads formed in its surface; and a press-on nut formed of resilient material and having barb-like threads for mating with the threads on the free end of said shaft.
Claim 3
Dependent Claim
22 words
A combination according to claim 1 wherein said spider-like member is formed of flexible plastic material and has at least three legs.
Claim 4
Dependent Claim
18 words
A combination according to claim 2 wherein said spider-like member has a similarly shaped spring member embedded therein.
Claim 5
Dependent Claim
43 words
A combination according to claim 2 and additionally comprising a sleeve for holding and spider-like member collapsed against said shaft and optionally removable or retainable as a liner in said head-punched hole, said sleeve having a peripheral flange for arresting its hole penetration.
Claim 6
Dependent Claim
41 words
A combination according to claim 4 and additionally comprising a washer having a radially notched center aperture for springably releasably engaging said shaft adjacent the flanged end of said sleeve to hold it in collapsing position relative to said spider-like member.
Claim 7
Dependent Claim
37 words
A combination according to claim 5 and additionally comprising a coil spring compressed between the under surfaces of said collapsed spider-like member and said washer for urging said spider-like member to expand when released from said sleeve.
Claim 8
Dependent Claim
28 words
A combination according to claim 1 wherein the unneeded end of said shaft is made easily broken-off by the depth of the grooves defining said barb-like circular threads.
Claim 9
Dependent Claim
34 words
A combination according to claim 1 wherein the free end of said shaft is flattened and knurled to provide a finger-grip portion to facilitate both fastener installation and also breaking-off the unneeded shaft end.
Claim 10
Dependent Claim
55 words
A combination according to claim 1 wherein said spider-like member comprises two toggle-bolt-type spring-expandable legs mounted on a threaded metallic shaft portion, the end of said metallic shaft portion opposite said head being embedded in one end of a molded plastic extension of said shaft, which shaft extension has said barb-like circular threads formed therein.
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USPTO Annuity & Maintenance Windows
| Annuity Stage | Window Opens | Payment Deadline | Surcharge Period Until | Estimated Fee | Status |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 3.5 Years (Year 4) | 1984-01-20 | 1984-07-21 | 1985-01-20 | $2000.00 | Window Closed / Lapsed |
| 7.5 Years (Year 8) | 1988-01-20 | 1988-07-21 | 1989-01-20 | $3760.00 | Window Closed / Lapsed |
| 11.5 Years (Year 12) | 1992-01-20 | 1992-07-21 | 1993-01-20 | $7700.00 | Window Closed / Lapsed |