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US 12,384,007 B2Granted
Fastener system with stabilizer ribs
AssigneePhillips Screw Company
InventorGary Dilling
Life of this patent
Estimating the term…
Abstract
Fasteners, drivers, punches, fastener systems, and methods of making fasteners, drivers, punches, and fastener systems are disclosed herein. The fasteners, drivers, punches, and fastener systems include, in one example, stabilizing ribs and corresponding recesses.
Claims2
A fastener system, comprising:
- a fastener having a recess, the recess comprising:
- a central recess core having a bottom region;
- a plurality of recess surfaces extending from a top of the recess and connected to the bottom region and forming a bottom region transition edge at an intersection of the bottom region and the recess surfaces;
- a groove in at least one of the recess surfaces extending in a radially outward direction from the at least one recess surface, the groove extending from a first distance from the bottom region transition edge to a second distance from the bottom region transition edge, the first distance being non zero,
- wherein the at least one of the recess surfaces includes a recess interference surface defining a design recess interference region located between the groove and the bottom region;
- and
- a driver for engaging the recess of the fastener, the driver comprising:
- a shank portion and a recess-engaging portion formed at an end of the shank portion, the recess-engaging portion comprising a central driver core having a driver end region and a plurality of driver surfaces extending from the shank portion and connected to the driver end region and forming an end region outer transition edge at an intersection with the driver end region;
- a stabilizing rib on at least one of the driver surfaces extending in a radially outward direction from the driver central core, the stabilizing rib extending from a first distance from the end region outer transition edge to a second distance from the end region outer transition edge, the first distance being non-zero,
- wherein the at least one of the driver surfaces includes a driver interference surface defining a design driver interference region located between the stabilizing rib and the driver end region;
- wherein, in coaxial insertion between the driver and the fastener, the recess interference surface and the driver interference surface are configured to establish an interference fit with each other, the interference fit being located in an interference region that is entirely below the groove and entirely above the bottom region, and entirely below the stabilizing rib and entirely above the end region outer transition edge preventing the driver end region from bottoming out in the bottom region;
- wherein the fastener includes a plurality of wings radiating outwardly from the central recess core, the wings each being defined by a pair of recess surfaces forming sidewalls and a recess surface forming a recess outer transition surface adjoining the recess sidewalls;
- wherein the fastener includes at least one recess inner transition surface connecting a recess sidewall of a first wing to a recess sidewall of a second wing, the first and second wings being adjacent to each other, and wherein the groove is formed in the recess inner transition surface;
- wherein the driver includes a plurality of lobes radiating outwardly from the driver central core, each lobe being defined by a pair of driver surfaces forming driver sidewalls and a driver outer transition surface adjoining the driver sidewalls;
- and
- wherein the driver includes at least one driver inner transition surface connecting a driver sidewall of a first lobe to a driver sidewall of a second lobe, the first and second lobes being adjacent to each other, the stabilizer rib being formed on the driver inner transition surface.
13 more elements
Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.