US 4,434,677 AGranted

Anti-backlash spring-mounted nut

AssigneeUniversal Thread Grinding Company

InventorFrancis M. Linley, Jr.

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Abstract

An anti-backlash nut construction wherein a base portion that is adapted to be carried by a machine part, has a bore through which a lead screw can pass. The nut has a threaded portion which is connected to said base portion and which has a bore matching with the bore of the base portion, said threaded portion having a slot or slots by which it is divided into elements formed with thread formations engageable with the external threads of the screw extending through said bores. The base portion has cut-out walls forming pairs of slot ends which are located adjacent the ends of the slots of the threaded portion, so as to facilitate limited movement of the said divided elements toward and away from each other, whereby the thread formations can engage the screw with no clearance and looseness. The pairs of slot ends, together with the ends of the slots that are disposed in the threaded portion form triangles, with the slot ends being separated from each other by solid walls of the base portion. Completing the construction is a yieldable means carried by the pair of divided elements, which biases the same in directions toward each other so as to maintain them closely engaged with the said screw.

Claims14

Dependent claims

A simplified anti-backlash nut construction having relatively few slots, comprising in combination:

(a) a base portion adapted to be carried by a supporting part and having a bore through which a screw can pass,
(b) a one-piece threaded portion connected to said base portion and characterized by a bore aligned with the bore of the base portion,
(c) said threaded portion having a pair of longitudinal slots in it by which it is divided into elements having internal surfaces at the bore thereof,
(d) said elements having thread formations on said internal surfaces, adapted for engagement with the external threads of a screw extending through said bores,
(e) said threaded portion having a cut-out configuration comprising a pair of circumferential slots characterized by two pairs of slot ends which are respectively located adjacent the ends of the said longitudinal slots, said cut-out configuration facilitating the limited movement of the said divided elements toward and away from each other, thereby to enable the thread formations thereof to engage a screw with no clearance and looseness,
(f) said pairs of slot ends and the respective ends of the said pair of longitudinal slots of the threaded portion being triangularly disposed, and the slot ends of said pair of circumferential slots being separated from each other by an uninterrupted solid wall of the threaded portion, which uninterrupted solid wall extends directly and in a straight line between the slot ends of the pair of circumferential slots so as to provide increased body strength at such location, and
(g) yieldable means carried by said divided elements, biasing the same in directions toward each other so as to maintain them closely engaged with the said screw.

4 more elements

Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.