Channel nut fastener

For use with a channel having a bottom and a pair of side walls with inwardly directed lips formed thereon defining a slot therebetween extending the length of the channel, said lips terminating in edges extending lengthwise of the slot at opposite sides of the slot, a fastener for securing an object to the channel, said fastener comprising a nut having a first face constituting an outside face, an opposite face constituting an inside face, opposite ends, a width less than the width of the 10 channel slot and a length greater than the width of the channel slot whereby the nut may be aligned with the slot, entered into the slot and passed inwardly through the slot from the outside to the inside of the channel and then turned to extend in a generally crosswise position relative to the slot for engagement of portions of the outside face of the nut at locations generally adjacent opposite ends of the nut with said channel edges, said nut further having a hole therethrough for receiving a fastener for fastening said object to the channel when the nut is in its said crosswise position, wherein the improvement comprises

• a retainer on the outside face of the nut for retaining the nut in its said crosswise position prior to and during fastening of said object to the channel,
• said retainer having a body with an opening therethrough generally coaxial with the hole through the nut to enable insertion of a fastener through the opening and into and through the hole in the nut, and flange means integrally formed as one piece with said body and extending laterally from the body for engagement with the channel lips at opposite sides of the channel slot when the nut is passed through the slot and turned to its said crosswise position, and resiliently deformable spring means on the body engageable with the channel lips when the nut is turned to its said crosswise position for exerting a spring force against the channel lips tending to hold the nut in its said crosswise position against slippage lengthwise of the channel slot,
• means for holding the retainer in assembly with the nut, and
• handle means integrally formed as one piece with said flange means, said handle means being adapted to be gripped for facilitating entry of the nut into the channel slot, passage through the slot, and rotation of the nut to its said crosswise position.

For use with a channel having a bottom and a pair of side walls with inwardly directed lips formed thereon defining a slot therebetween extending the length of the channel, said lips terminating in edges extending lengthwise of the slot at opposite sides of the slot, a fastener for securing an object to the channel, said fastener comprising a metal nut having a first face constituting an outside face, an opposite face constituting an inside face, opposite sides, opposite ends, a width less than the width of the channel slot and a length greater than the width of the channel slot whereby the nut may be aligned with the slot, entered into the slot and passed inwardly through the slot from the outside to the inside of the channel and then turned to extend in a generally crosswise position relative to the slot for engagement of portions of the outside face of the nut at locations generally adjacent opposite ends of the nut with said channel edges, said nut further having a hole therethrough for receiving a fastener for fastening said object to the channel when the nut is in its said crosswise position, a retainer on the outside face of the nut for retaining the nut in its said crosswise position prior to and during fastening of said object to the channel, wherein the improvement comprises

• anti-slip means on the outside face of the nut engageable with said channel edges when the nut is in its crosswise position for inhibiting slippage of the nut lengthwise of the channel in the slot when a load is applied to the nut tending to cause such slippage,
• said anti-slip means comprising two pairs of openings in the nut extending through the nut from the inside face of the nut to the outside face of the nut, and teeth integral with the nut projecting outwardly from the outside face of the nut at the peripheries of the openings for engagement with the channel edges when the nut is in said crosswise position, each pair of teeth comprising two teeth adjacent a respective end of the nut on opposite sides of a central longitudinal axis of the nut extending lengthwise of the nut midway between opposite sides of the nut, each opening having a first peripheral portion, constituting a laterally outer portion, generally closer to a respective side of the nut than to said central longitudinal axis of the nut, and a second peripheral portion, constituting a laterally inner portion, generally closer to the central longitudinal axis of the nut than to a respective side of the nut, the two teeth of each pair of teeth extending only along said laterally outer portions of respective openings, the laterally inner portions of the openings being substantially free of any teeth.

For use with a channel having a bottom and a pair of side walls with inwardly directed lips formed thereon defining a slot therebetween extending the length of the channel, said lips terminating in edges extending lengthwise of the slot at opposite sides of the slot, a fastener for securing an object to the channel, said fastener comprising a nut having a first face constituting an outside face, an opposite face constituting an inside face, opposite ends, a width less than the width of the channel slot and a length greater than the width of the channel slot and a length greater than the width of the channel slot whereby the nut may be aligned with the slot, entered into the slot and passed inwardly through the slot from the outside to the inside of the channel and then turned about an axis of rotation to extend in a generally crosswise position relative to the slot for engagement of portions of the outside face of the nut at locations generally adjacent opposite ends of the nut with said channel edges, said nut further having a hole therethrough for receiving a fastener for fastening said object to the channel when the nut is in its said crosswise position, wherein the improvement comprises

• handle means affixed to the fastener, said handle means being pivotable with respect to the fastener between a position in which said handle means does not project substantially above a plane parallel to the plane of the outer face of the nut and an operable position in which said handle means extends outwardly with respect to the fastener for grasping to facilitate entry of the nut into the channel slot, passage through the slot, and rotation of the nut to its said crosswise position.

For use with a channel having a bottom and a pair of side walls with inwardly directed lips formed thereon defining a slot therebetween extending the length of the channel, said lips terminating in edges extending lengthwise of the slot at opposite sides of the slot, a fastener for securing an object to the channel, said fastener comprising a nut having a first face constituting an outside face, an opposite face constituting an inside face, opposite ends, a width less than the width of the channel slot and a length greater than the width of the channel slot whereby the nut may be aligned with the slot, entered into the slot and passed inwardly through the slot from the outside of the channel and then turned about an axis of rotation to extend in a generally crosswise position relative to the slot for engagement of portions of the outside face of the nut at locations generally adjacent opposite ends of the nut with said channel edges, said nut further having a hole therethrough for receiving a fastener for fastening said object to the channel when the nut is in its said crosswise position, wherein the improvement comprises

• handle means affixed to the fastener, said handle means being adapted to be gripped for facilitating entry of the nut into the channel slot, passage through the slot, and rotation of the nut to tis said crosswise position, said handle means comprising a generally semi-annular handle attached only at its ends to the fastener, the ends of the handle lying generally on a line which is oblique to the longitudinal axis of the nut to facilitate rotation of the nut to its said crosswise position.

For use with a channel having a bottom and a pair of side walls with inwardly directed lips formed thereon defining a slot therebetween extending the length of the channel, said lips terminating in edges extending lengthwise of the slot at opposite sides of the slot, a fastener for securing an object to the channel, said fastener comprising a nut having a first face constituting an outside face, an opposite face constituting an inside face, opposite ends, a width less than the width of the channel slot and a length greater than the width of the channel slot whereby the nut may be aligned with the slot, entered into the slot and passed inwardly through the slot from the outside to the inside of the channel and then turned about an axis of rotation to extend in a generally crosswise position relative to the slot for engagement of portions of the outside face of the nut at locations generally adjacent opposite ends of the nut with said channel edges, said nut further having a hole therethrough for receiving a fastener for fastening said object to the channel when the nut is in its said crosswise position, wherein the improvement comprises

• a retainer on the nut for retaining the nut in its said crosswise position prior to and during fastening of said object to the channel, the retainer having substantially inflexible flange means engageable with the channel lips to prevent the retainer from being pushed through the channel slot when the nut is entered into the channel and turned to said crosswise position and during fastening of said object to the channel,
• handle means affixed to the fastener, said handle means being adapted to be grasped for facilitating entry of the nut into the channel slot, passage through the slot, and rotation of the nut to its said crosswise position.

For use with a channel having a bottom and a pair of side walls with inwardly directed lips formed thereon defining a slot therebetween extending the length of the channel, said lips terminating in edges extending lengthwise of the slot at opposite sides of the slot, a fastener for securing an object to the channel, said fastener comprising a nut having a first face constituting an outside face, an opposite face constituting an inside face, opposite ends, a width less than the width of the channel slot and a length greater than the width of the channel slot whereby the nut may be aligned with the slot, entered into the slot and passed inwardly through the slot from the outside to the inside of the channel and then turned about an axis of rotation to extend in a generally crosswise position relative to the slot for engagement of portions of the outside face of the nut at locations generally adjacent opposite ends of the nut with said channel edges, said nut further having a hole therethrough for receiving a fastener for fastening said object to the channel when the nut is in its said crosswise position, wherein the improvement comprises

• a handle affixed at its ends to the fastener and adapted to define a passage between the fastener and the handle for receiving a finger therethrough such that the handle may be grasped for facilitating entry of the nut into the channel slot, passage through the slot, and rotation of the nut to its said crosswise position.