Removable and reusable fastener
AssigneeIllinois Tool Works Inc.
InventorBenjamin H. Moerke
Life of this patent
Estimating the term…
Abstract
The fastener includes a pin and a body. The pin includes longitudinal grooves which communicate with partially threaded grooves which traverse the circumference of the shank by an integer multiple of 180°. Retention fingers engage the longitudinal grooves in the pre-installed configuration and allow straight-line insertion of the pin into the body. The retention fingers are then urged outwardly by the walls of the partially threaded grooves and then snap engage into subsequent portions of the partially threaded grooves thereby preventing straight-line removal of the pin. The pin, however, can be subsequently removed by threaded rotating the pin until the retention fingers engage the longitudinal grooves. Thereafter, the pin can be manually removed by a straight-line motion.
Claims10
A fastener including:
- a pin including a head and a shank;
- a body including a surface with an aperture therethrough, said aperture leading to a channel, said channel being at least partially bounded by retention legs;
- said shank terminating in a distal end, and including at least one longitudinal groove extending from said distal end along a portion of said shank, said at least one longitudinal groove being in communication with at least one threaded groove extending about at least a portion of a circumference of said shank;
- and
- said body including at least one retention finger which engages said at least one longitudinal groove as said pin is inserted into said body, is urged outwardly by a wall of said at least one threaded groove and snap engages into a subsequent portion of at least one threaded groove.
Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.