US 2018/0003208 A1 · TWO-PIECE PALLET FASTENER

Abstract

A two-piece pallet fastener for securing a pallet element to a base pallet is disclosed. The fastener includes a sleeve internal, male protrusions and a rivet having external, female threads. The sleeve is installed in a pallet base and the rivet is inserted through the part to be attached to the pallet base and into the sleeve. The sleeve includes a rivet-receiving end having an alignment feature and an anchoring end. The anchoring end includes flexible legs having external shoulders. The rivet includes a head and a shaft. The head includes an alignment feature. The shaft includes external, female threads and two or more axially-aligned longitudinal grooves. One or more detents are formed on the rivet for engagement with the interior surface of the sleeve. The detents are provided to produce a ratchet-type effect to assure that the rivet is locked into the sleeve.

Claims23

Dependent claims

A fastening assembly adapted for securing together first and second members, the fastening assembly comprising:

a sleeve, said sleeve being a substantially tubular member having an interior wall, said wall having teeth formed thereon, said teeth being staggered on said interior wall, said sleeve including an insertion end having a plurality of flexible locking legs, each of said locking legs including a locking flange;
a rivet for at least partial insertion into said sleeve, said rivet having a shaft, said shaft having a long axis and having axial grooves formed along said long axis, the number of said axial grooves being equal to the number of said teeth, each of said grooves having an end;
an angled groove formed at said end of each of said axial grooves, said angled groove being angled relative to said long axis of said shaft, each of said angled grooves having a detent end;
and
a detent formed at said detent end of each of said angled grooves.

2 more elements

Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.

Two-piece pallet fastener

Life of this patent

Two-piece pallet fastener

Life of this patent

Abstract

Claims23