US 11,028,865 B2Granted

Method of attaching sheets together

AssigneeMagna International Inc.

InventorsJohn Richard Potocki, William Andrew Kokosza, Steven Reece Falter

Life of this patent

Estimating the term…

Loading patent…

Abstract

The method includes the step of positioning the sheets in an at least partially overlapping relationship. The method continues with the step of inserting a rivet that has a height through an overlapping area of the sheets. The method proceeds with the step of, with the rivet at a temperature in the range of 15-30° Celsius, collapsing the rivet between a pair of ramming surfaces to shorten the rivet and partially expand the rivet outwardly to lock the rivet with the sheets. The entire method results in a very strong connection between the sheets and with a great durability at a low cost.

Claims9

Dependent claims

A method of attaching two or more metal sheets together, comprising the steps of:

positioning the sheets in an at least partially overlapping relationship;
piercing or drilling a hole through an overlapping area of the sheets;
inserting a rivet that has a height into the hole in the overlapping area of the sheets, the rivet having a pair of end faces and a diameter at an axial midpoint that is greater than at either of the end faces and the diameter at the axial midpoint being similar to a diameter of the hole;
with the rivet at a temperature in the range of 15-30° Celsius, collapsing the rivet between a pair of ramming surfaces to shorten the rivet and partially expand the rivet outwardly to lock the rivet with the sheets, each of the ramming surfaces having a spike surrounded by a fully planar area.

1 more element

Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.

Facts

Application: 16/345,534Filed 4 Dec 2017 · us provisional application
Priority: 2 Dec 2016
Published: US 2019/0309775 A110 Oct 2019
Granted: 8 Jun 2021
Term ends: Not estimatedThe source records don’t support an estimate.

Classification13 codes

F16B 5/04
Joining sheets or plates , e.g. panels, to one another or to strips or bars parallel to them: by means of riveting
B21J 15/02
Riveting: riveting procedures
B21J 15/08
Riveting procedures: riveting by applying heat , e.g. to the end parts of the rivets to enable heads to be formed
B21J 15/10
Riveting: riveting machines

Family

Application62/429,351Us provisional application · filed 2 Dec 2016
US 2019/0309775 A1Pre-grant publication · published 10 Oct 2019
US 11,028,865 B2This patent

From the US filing history. Foreign family members aren’t listed.

Timeline

Citations

Open elsewhere

Building an agent or pulling many patents? Use the API or MCP server instead of scraping pages. Get an API key