US5242252A
Expired / Lapsed
US
⏱️ 0.0 years remaining
Self-locking threaded connection
Assignee: Individual
•
Filing: 1993-01-07
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Granted: 1993-09-07
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Expires: 2013-01-07
Abstract
Abstract A self-locking connection between a bolt and a nut is obtained by making at least one face of at least one flight of the external thread of the bolt and/or the internal thread of the nut incongruous with the adjacent face of the other thread. This results in a clamping action along a helix at the root and/or at the crest of the other thread. The connection is self-locking in two directions if both faces of one or more flights of one of the threads are incongruous with the adjacent faces of the other thread.
Inventors
- 👤 Anton Harle
Bibliographic Details
Application Number
—
Jurisdiction
US
Data Source
google_patents
Last Synchronized
2026-10-23 04:31
CPC Classifications
F; F16; F16B; F16B39/00; F16B39/22; F16B39/28; F16B39/30; Y; Y10; Y10S; Y10S411/00; Y10S411/924; Y10S411/929
Claims Analysis
Total Claims: 16
Claim 1
Independent Claim
255 words
A threaded connection comprising a male component having an external screw thread and at least one female component having an internal screw thread, each of said threads having a plurality of flights, a root, a crest and two faces flanking the crest, at least one face of at least some flights of at least one of said threads having an inclination which departs from the inclination of the adjacent face of the respective flight of the other of said threads and said at least one face of each of said at least some flights of said at least one thread is asymmetrical to said adjacent face when said male component mates with said at least one female component, said threaded connection establishing a clearance between the faces of said threads of said male and female components in the absence of appreciable axial stressing of at least one of said components so that the faces of said thread of said male component and the faces of said thread of said at least one female component are free to move relative to each other, said connection being self-locking in response to axial stressing as a result of axial displacement of said male and female components relative to each other in the direction of stressing to thereby engage one of said asymmetrical faces with the adjacent face, one of said thread faces having a plurality of orientation changes at the root of the respective thread, said orientation changes together imparting to said thread face a substantially concave-convex shape.
Claim 2
Dependent Claim
255 words
A threaded connection comprising a male component having an external screw thread and at least one female component having an internal screw thread, each of said threads having a plurality of flights, a root, a crest and two faces flanking the crest, at least one face of at least some flights of at least one of said threads having an inclination which departs from the inclination of the adjacent face of the respective flight of the other of said threads and said at least one face of each of said at least some flights of said at least one thread is asymmetrical to said adjacent face when said male component mates with said at least one female component, said threaded connection establishing a clearance between the faces of said threads of said male and female components in the absence of appreciable axial stressing of at least one of said components so that the faces of said thread of said male component and the faces of said thread of said at least one female component are free to move relative to each other, said connection being self-locking in response to axial stressing as a result of axial displacement of said male and female components relative to each other in the direction of stressing to thereby engage one of said asymmetrical faces with the adjacent face, one of said thread faces having a plurality of orientation changes at the root of the respective thread, said orientation changes together imparting to said thread face a substantially concave-convex shape.
Claim 3
Dependent Claim
16 words
The connection of claim 1, wherein the crests of said at least some flights are rounded.
Claim 4
Dependent Claim
17 words
The connection of claim 1, wherein said orientation changes are nonsymmetric with respect to the adjacent face.
Claim 5
Dependent Claim
16 words
The connection of claim 1, wherein the crests of said at least some flights are flattened.
Claim 6
Dependent Claim
55 words
The connection of claim 1, wherein said at least one thread has a foremost flight and at least one face of said at least one thread has a convex portion provided on said foremost flight and configurated to ensure that said foremost flight engages the other thread only at the root of the other thread.
Claim 7
Dependent Claim
30 words
The connection of claim 1, wherein the faces of said at least some flights of said at least one thread define a helical groove at the root of such thread.
Claim 8
Dependent Claim
43 words
The connection of claim 1, wherein the flights of said at least one thread include a first flight which is in substantially linear contact with the other thread and at least one additional flight which is in surface-to-surface contact with the other thread.
Claim 9
Dependent Claim
49 words
The connection of claim 7, wherein at least one thread includes a series of additional flights each of which is in a different surface-to-surface contact with the other thread, the extent of surface-to-surface contact increasing from additional flight to additional flight in a direction away from said first flight.
Claim 10
Dependent Claim
15 words
The connection of claim 8, wherein said first flight is said at least one flight.
Claim 11
Dependent Claim
17 words
The connection of claim 1, wherein the crest of said at least one flight has a groove.
Claim 12
Dependent Claim
136 words
The connection of claim 1, comprising two female components which are rotatable relative to each other while in mesh with said male component, said at least one thread being the internal thread of said at least one female component and the other of said female components having a second internal thread with a plurality of flights, two faces, a crest and a root, at least one face of at least one flight of said second internal thread having - an inclination which departs from the inclination of the adjacent face of the respective flight of said external thread so that said at least one face of said at least one flight of said second internal thread is incongruous with the adjacent face of said external thread when said other female component mates with said male component.
Claim 13
Dependent Claim
67 words
The connection of claim 11, wherein the faces of each of said internal threads include a first face and a second face, said at least one face of the internal thread of said at least one female component being the first face of such thread and said at least one face of said internal thread of said second female component being the second face of such thread.
Claim 14
Dependent Claim
17 words
The connection of claim 12, further comprising means for non-rotatably coupling said female components to each other.
Claim 15
Dependent Claim
19 words
The connection of claim 12, further comprising a deformable clamping member for at least one of said female components.
Claim 16
Dependent Claim
24 words
The connection of claim 14, wherein said clamping member is disposed between said female components when said female components mate with said male component.
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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) | 1996-09-06 | 1997-03-08 | 1997-09-07 | $2000.00 | Window Closed / Lapsed |
| 7.5 Years (Year 8) | 2000-09-06 | 2001-03-08 | 2001-09-07 | $3760.00 | Window Closed / Lapsed |
| 11.5 Years (Year 12) | 2004-09-06 | 2005-03-08 | 2005-09-07 | $7700.00 | Window Closed / Lapsed |