Lock nut with rotatably alignable retaining ring
AssigneeTemper Axle Products Corporation
InventorNicholas MESITI
Life of this patent
Estimating the term…
Abstract
A lock nut system includes a nut having a retaining member which includes locking teeth configured to engage with the lock nut teeth. The retaining member is rotatable in both a clockwise or counterclockwise direction a preselected distance to allow the locking teeth to mesh with the nut teeth so the lock nut can be locked into position on the shaft without further rotation or other adjustment of the nut.
Claims20
A lock nut system comprising:
- a nut having a plurality of nut teeth along an inner circumferential portion, said nut being threadably engageable with a shaft;
- a retaining member engageable with the nut, the retaining member including a keeper and a plurality of locking teeth configured to engage with said plurality of nut teeth, said keeper having a protrusion configured to fit within a recess of said shaft;
- said locking teeth being engageable with said nut teeth to lock said nut into position on said shaft when (i) the nut is threadably engaged to the shaft with the retaining member engaged to the nut and (ii) the protrusion is within the recess of the shaft;
- and
- wherein said protrusion and recess are configured relative to one another to allow the retaining member to rotate relative to the shaft, in both the clockwise and counterclockwise direction, a distance where the locking teeth are allowed to rotatably move one half of the distance between adjacent nut teeth when the protrusion is centered within the recess.
A retaining apparatus for lock nut system useable with a nut having a plurality of nut teeth along an inner circumferential portion, said nut being threadably engageable with a shaft, the apparatus comprising:
- a retaining member engageable with the nut, the retaining member including a keeper and a plurality of locking teeth configured to engage with said plurality of nut teeth, said keeper having a protrusion configured to fit within a recess of said shaft;
- said locking teeth being configured to engage with said nut teeth to lock said nut into position on said shaft when (i) the nut is threadably engaged to the shaft with the retaining member engaged to the nut and (ii) the protrusion is within the recess of the shaft;
- and
- wherein said protrusion and recess are configured relative to one another to allow the retaining member to rotate relative to the shaft, in both the clockwise and counterclockwise direction, a distance where the locking teeth are allowed to rotatably move one half of the distance between adjacent nut teeth when the protrusion is centered within the recess.
A method comprising:
- providing a retaining member engageable with a nut, the nut having a plurality of nut teeth along an inner circumferential portion and being threadably engageable with a shaft;
- configuring the retaining member with a keeper, the keeper comprising a protrusion sized to fit within a recess of said shaft and locking teeth;
- said locking teeth being engageable with said nut teeth to lock said nut into position on said shaft when (i) the nut is threadably engaged to the shaft with the retaining member engaged to the nut and (ii) the protrusion is within the recess of the shaft;
- and
- wherein said protrusion and recess are configured relative to one another to allow the retaining member to rotate relative to the shaft, in both the clockwise and counterclockwise direction, a distance where the locking teeth are allowed to rotatably move a distance of one half of the distance between adjacent nut teeth when the protrusion is centered within the recess.
Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.