And Coil Spring Patents (Class 269/48.4)
  • Patent number: 11655839
    Abstract: A temporary fastener a plunger having a distal portion including a plurality of plunger fingers, where depressing the plunger causes axial translation of a collet body to place the temporary fastener in an activated state where a plurality of flexible fingers in the collet body radially converge and where releasing the plunger places the temporary fastener in a clamped state in which the plurality of flexible fingers in the collet body are outwardly displaced. The temporary fastener further includes a web element positioned at a proximal end of a rod and including a plurality of opening permitting the plurality of plunger fingers to axially translate there through during depression and release of the plunger. The temporary fastener further includes a spring positioned within a case and exerting a restorative force on the collet body and the plunger in response to depression of the plunger.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: November 12, 2019
    Date of Patent: May 23, 2023
    Assignee: Centrix Inc.
    Inventor: Travis McClure
  • Patent number: 11231057
    Abstract: Hole alignment tools, methods of making such tools, and methods for aligning holes in a plurality of work pieces are disclosed. The hole alignment tools may exert, when fully engaged with similarly sized, stacked holes, a substantially uniform force against the work piece surfaces that define the holes. The hole alignment tool includes a doweling body having a plurality of radially expandable legs, a housing, and a spreader element. The doweling body legs include a decreasing sectional thickness extending from the distal ends thereof towards the proximal end of the doweling body. Depending upon its state, the radial profile of a doweling body's legs may be converging or parallel for tool insertion and removal, or diverging for alignment purposes.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: October 13, 2017
    Date of Patent: January 25, 2022
    Assignee: Centrix Inc.
    Inventor: Travis D. McClure
  • Patent number: 10920815
    Abstract: A removable blind fastener includes an anti-rotation body having an external face with an aperture, the external face being suitable for engaging with a surface of a work-piece to be clamped. The fastener further includes a hollow leg member with a plurality of slots defining outwardly biasable resilient legs at one end and an externally threaded portion at the other end, the leg member having a bore tapering towards the legs, the leg member being translatable through the aperture, the leg member and the aperture further having inter-engaging anti-rotation features to prevent the leg member from rotating about its central axis relative to the anti-rotation body. The fastener may further include a thread tube with an internal thread cooperable with the external thread of the leg member and located co-axially with the leg member and a rod member having a shaft with a head end and a free end.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: July 21, 2016
    Date of Patent: February 16, 2021
    Assignee: KWIKBOLT LIMITED
    Inventor: Jan Niklewicz
  • Patent number: 10830269
    Abstract: Fastener embodiments of the invention comprise a freely translatable collet body, which at least partially translates within an auxiliary structure, and further comprise a captive threaded screw for rotationally engaging with the collet body to transform rotational movement into translational movement through substantial arresting of collet body rotation by way of an anti-rotation means. The screw comprises a free-spin feature that functionally, but not physically, decouples a drive tool from the collet body.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: December 26, 2018
    Date of Patent: November 10, 2020
    Assignee: CENTRIX INC.
    Inventor: Travis McClure
  • Patent number: 10527080
    Abstract: The invention relates to a fastener (10) for the temporary assembly of at least two pre-drilled structures of the type comprising: a body (11) able to come into contact with a face of the structures to be assembled; a spacer (17), secured to said body; two elastic half-clips (15), each clip having a hooking spur (16); a mechanism that can be moved relative to the body, comprising a threaded rod (18) connected to the half-clips, and a control nut (20) mounted on said rod, the control nut comprising: an internal tapping (19) cooperating with the thread (25) of the rod; an external thread (26) cooperating with an internal tapping (28) of the body; the body thread and the control nut thread being opposite handed.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: December 15, 2014
    Date of Patent: January 7, 2020
    Assignee: LISI AEROSPACE
    Inventor: Frédéric Bigot
  • Patent number: 10473135
    Abstract: A temporary fastener a plunger having a distal portion including a plurality of plunger fingers, where depressing the plunger causes axial translation of a collet body to place the temporary fastener in an activated state where a plurality of flexible fingers in the collet body radially converge and where releasing the plunger places the temporary fastener in a clamped state in which the plurality of flexible fingers in the collet body are outwardly displaced. The temporary fastener further includes a web element positioned at a proximal end of a rod and including a plurality of opening permitting the plurality of plunger fingers to axially translate there through during depression and release of the plunger. The temporary fastener further includes a spring positioned within a case and exerting a restorative force on the collet body and the plunger in response to depression of the plunger.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: May 10, 2018
    Date of Patent: November 12, 2019
    Assignee: Centrix Inc.
    Inventor: Travis McClure
  • Patent number: 9353780
    Abstract: The invention relates to a device to connect two parts, which is characterized by at least two needles which are connected on a base side to separate carriers, of which at least one carrier is operatively connected to the drive element for adjusting the needles, wherein in an initial position of the needles the needle tip are axially displaced with respect to one another and in a bracing position the needle tips are opposite one another in such a way that the supporting areas thereof are situated at the same axial level. The needles have in the region of their tips relative to their mutually facing areas integrated elevations and depressions in order to thereby control the spreading of the needle tips when the needles are actually displaced with respect to one another.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: July 17, 2012
    Date of Patent: May 31, 2016
    Inventor: Thomas Hausmann
  • Patent number: 8770565
    Abstract: The present disclosure provides a jig for surface treatment, which is used for fixing a metal plate having a bearing for surface treatment. The jig for surface treatment according to the present disclosure passes a hanging rod through the metal plate. Thereby, the jig for surface treatment will not contact with a processed surface of the metal plate and hence making no apparent flaws on the processed surface and maintaining completeness processed surface. In addition, the jig for surface treatment can load a plurality of metal plates at a time, performing surface treatment on the plurality of metal plates simultaneously, and thus improving productivity and practicability.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: May 16, 2012
    Date of Patent: July 8, 2014
    Assignee: Wistron Corporation
    Inventors: Huai-Gang Liu, Chih-Peng Chen
  • Patent number: 8500974
    Abstract: A carrier for use during sputtering includes a main body and support members. The main body defines a receiving space and includes a lateral surface defining at least one groove extending along a longitudinal direction. The receiving space and the at least one groove communicate with each other. The at least one groove is defined by a first surface and a second surface. The first surface defines recessed portions along the longitudinal direction and communicates with the receiving space. The support members are used for hanging workpieces. Each of the support members includes at least one support arm protruding from the lateral surface and is selectively and movably retained by one of the recessed portions.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: June 17, 2010
    Date of Patent: August 6, 2013
    Assignee: Hon Hai Precision Industry Co., Ltd.
    Inventor: Chung-Pei Wang
  • Patent number: 8448929
    Abstract: The invention relates to a riveting tack (50) to be introduced into coaxial openings of at least two elements to be assembled, and comprising a hollow cylindrical body (51), a rod (53) passing through the hollow body and partially provided with an external thread (52a), a nut (54) mounted on the threaded end (53a), two half-clips (56) fixed to the rod (53) and comprising hooking lips (57) on the ends thereof, and a spacer (58) arranged between the two half-clips (56), the rod/half-clip set being axially mobile along the spacer (58) between a first position wherein the hooking lips (57) are radially close, and a second position wherein the two half-clips (56) are retracted inside the hollow body (51) and radially distanced from each other. The invention is characterized in that the set formed by the half-clips (56) and the spacer (58) is, in the cross-section thereof, in the form of a near-perfect circle having a diameter identical to the inner diameter of the openings.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: July 25, 2008
    Date of Patent: May 28, 2013
    Assignee: Lisi Aerospace
    Inventors: Philippe Prot, Marc Roussy
  • Patent number: 7596846
    Abstract: A temporary fastener includes a grip length indicator. By machining a flattened area into a body of the temporary fastener, by engraving an scale into the flattened area, and by attaching an indicator dot visible in the groove to a moving part of an internal assembly of the temporary fastener, the grip length of the installed temporary fastener may be read directly on the scale while the temporary fastener applies a clamp-up force to a structure. By using the temporary fastener of the present invention, it is possible to determine a fastener hole length while a temporary fastener is installed. Using the method for determining a fastener grip length of the present invention enables the effective determination of the correct fastener grip length for each particular fastener hole of a large structure, such as an aircraft airframe.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: May 12, 2006
    Date of Patent: October 6, 2009
    Assignee: The Boeing Company
    Inventor: Leslie A. Hoeckelman
  • Patent number: 7070375
    Abstract: A temporary fastener includes a grip length indicator. By machining a flattened area into a body of the temporary fastener, by engraving an scale into the flattened area, and by attaching an indicator dot visible in the groove to a moving part of an internal assembly of the temporary fastener, the grip length of the installed temporary fastener may be read directly on the scale while the temporary fastener applies a clamp-up force to a structure. By using the temporary fastener of the present invention, it is possible to determine a fastener hole length while a temporary fastener is installed. Using the method for determining a fastener grip length of the present invention enables the effective determination of the correct fastener grip length for each particular fastener hole of a large structure, such as an aircraft airframe.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: October 15, 2004
    Date of Patent: July 4, 2006
    Assignee: The Boeing Company
    Inventor: Leslie A. Hoeckelman