US 7,210,884 B2Granted

Fastening component and appliance

AssigneeSharp Kabushiki Kaisha

InventorYoshio Shindoh

Life of this patent

Estimating the term…

Loading patent…

Abstract

There is provided a fastening component and an appliance having a fastening structure, in which the appliance can be readily disassembled without detaching the fastening component from a structural body. The fastening component is constituted of a head disposed at an end of a shaft, a washer disposed at an end portion of the shaft, and made of a shape-memory member being contractible in a radial direction with the application of heat, and a washer holder formed around an outer circumference of the shaft. The washer holder includes a washer container having a diameter smaller than an inner diameter of the washer when contracted due to application of heat, and a washer locker formed adjacently to the washer container at an end of the washer container opposite to the head and having a diameter greater than the inner diameter of the washer when contracted due to the application of heat.

Claims8

Dependent claims

A fastening component comprising:

a head disposed at an end of a shaft and having a diameter greater than that at the end of the shaft;
a washer holder formed around an outer circumference of the shaft, at an end portion of the shaft at which the head is disposed;
and
a washer disposed at the end portion of the shaft having the washer holder, the washer being made of a shape-memory member having an outer diameter greater than the diameter of the head and capable of being contracted in a radial direction with the application of heat into a contracted position, wherein
the washer holder includes:
a washer container having a diameter smaller than an inner diameter of the washer and capable of receiving the washer in the contracted position;
and
a washer locker formed adjacently to the washer container at an end of the washer container opposite to the head and having a diameter greater than the diameter of the washer container, the washer locker includes protrusions formed on the outer surface of the washer locker at an end opposite to the washer container and protruding in the radial direction from the outer circumference of the washer locker.

5 more elements

An appliance having a fastening structure, comprising:

a fastening component;
and
first and second structural bodies, which are fastened to each other via the fastening component, wherein
the fastening component includes a shaft, a head disposed at an end of the shaft and having a diameter greater than that of the shaft, and a washer disposed at an end portion of the shaft at which the head is disposed and made of a shape-memory member having an outer diameter greater than the diameter of the head,
the first structural body includes a through hole having a diameter greater than that of the head and smaller than an outer diameter of the washer,
wherein the washer is pressed against the periphery of the through hole of the first structural body by the head thereby fixing the fastening component to the second structural body via the through hole, and
wherein the washer is capable of being contracted in a radial direction into a contracted position with the application of heat such that the outer diameter of the washer becomes less than the diameter of the through hole.

4 more elements

Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.

Facts

Application: 11/046,784Filed 1 Feb 2005
Priority: JP 2004-18976828 Jun 2004
Published: US 2005/0286992 A129 Dec 2005
Granted: 1 May 2007
Term ends: Not estimatedThe source records don’t support an estimate.

Classification9 codes

F16B 43/005
Washers or equivalent devices; Other devices for supporting bolt-heads or nuts: engaging the bolt laterally to allow a quick mounting or…
F16B 5/02
Joining sheets or plates , e.g. panels, to one another or to strips or bars parallel to them: by means of fastening members using screw-thread
F16B 35/048
Specially-shaped shafts: specially-shaped necks
F16B 2200/77
Constructional details of connections not covered for in other groups of this subclass: use of a shape-memory material