Abstract: A fastener having a head and two expandable legs. The fastener further has a Y-shaped funnel configuration, which has been formed by a partial cut of the legs. The sides of the Y-shaped funnel comprise inwardly bent portions which are designed to extend into the slot of an object. The bent portions produce jamming and clamping when an expanding member is inserted through a hole on the head, resulting to highly improved pulling force. The fastener may be used in slots of different widths and may be pulled easily out of the slots, if so desired, in contrast with the fasteners of the present state in the art. Further, the fastener may be used in vehicles to connect one or more parts together.

Abstract: A girt retainer is described for temporarily securing one end of a girt to a column clip until a second girt has been secured to the first girt and the column clip. The girt retainer comprises a threaded shank having a deformable, disk-shaped head mounted thereon. The head has at least one anti-rotation protrusion extending downwardly therefrom. The method of utilizing the girt retainer to temporarily secure one end of a girt to a column clip is also described. The retainer may also be used as a purlin connector or as a connector for connecting the overlapping ends of two elongated members.

Abstract: The body bolt absorber assembly includes a lower body absorber made from rubber or a similar material with an undersized aperture, formed either during manufacture or by subsequent piercing, to slideably engage and capture a bolt. The lower body absorber further includes interior cylindrical walls with an inwardly extending lip thereby forming a chamber to engage and capture a washer. The washer includes an aperture through which the shaft of the bolt passes. The engagement and capture of the bolt and the washer provides for a one-piece modular assembly.

Abstract: A friction stir rivet is rotated and driven through a first fusible workpiece into an engaged second fusible workpiece, causing local portions of the first and second workpieces to plasticize. A slideable cap contacts the exposed surface of the first workpiece shortly after the process begins. The cap acts as a retaining element limiting plasticized material from escaping during the process. As the rivet is further driven into the members the cap slides up the rivet and actuates an angled stirring member to increase the stir radius around the body of the rivet. Once the rivet is driven into the first and second workpieces, rotation is stopped and the plasticized material cools and hardens around the rivet, creating a weld joining the workpieces and encompassing the rivet, which provides additional mechanical strength.

Abstract: The present invention relates to a self-drilling and thread-forming connecting element, in particular a screw. The screw comprises a threaded shank including a cylindrical core and a thread formed as a protuberance on the core. The screw also includes an end drilling tip for drilling a core hole for the thread.

Abstract: A mounting bolt for use in mounting toilet stools has upper and lower ends with an elongated threaded shank therebetween. An elongated planar head is on the lower end of the bolt and has a width similar to the diameter of the shank, and a longitudinal length larger than the diameter of the shank. The head has a center axis extending along its length. An indicia mark is on the upper end of the bolt visually indicating the position of the center axis to assist the placement and tightening of a threaded nut on the upper end when the position of the head is concealed when the nut is being threadably mounted on the upper end of the bolt.

Abstract: A bolt with a partially threaded shank has a plurality of locking grooves located on the shank between the thread and its head. The bolt is inserted through a component stack and spacing washers and a stepped reaction washer such that at least half of the locking grooves are left exposed. A deformable frusto-conical locking ring is positioned on a nut having a circular receiving cavity on one end. The nut and locking ring are positioned on the thread of the bolt and tightened so that the locking ring is deformed from a frusto-conical shape to a substantially flat disc such that its bore diameter is reduced, thereby retaining it within one of the locking grooves. The outer diameter of the receiving cavity abuts the stepped reaction washer.

Abstract: Nails for use in construction have a length indication provided by numerical markings comprised of numerals formed by contouring on the nail head combined with a color coding as to nail length, by coloring recessed areas of the head to protect the coloring when the nail is being driven. The color coding and numeric length indication can be read either before or after the nail has been driven.

Abstract: The invention provides a cage nut assembly having a nut member and a cage member. The nut has a threaded aperture therethrough. The cage is capable of encaging the nut such that the nut has a limited range of movement within the cage in at least one dimension. The cage has an aperture therein sized and located to allow access to the threaded aperture of the nut within the range of movement of the nut. The cage has a plurality of protrusions, such as dimples or tabs, extending therefrom. At least one of the protrusions is formed in halves which abut against one another to define a seam therebetween. The protrusions are capable of being welded to a mating surface to secure the cage to a mating surface, and, substantially contemporaneously, the halves of the at least one protrusion are capable of being welded together along the seam.

Abstract: A carriage fixing screw housing structure in which a carriage fixing screw for externally screwing and fixing carriages of an image reader is held, when not used, by a screw holder formed on a part of an image reader to prevent loss of the carriage fixing screw after removed from the carriage. A screw holder is formed on a part, such as the back face of the main body of an image reader, and includes a holder to hold the threaded part of a carriage fixing screw and a housing 23 to house the head of the fixing screw.

Abstract: A fastener subassembly for being driven by a power actuated tool comprises a flute having a body and a pin having a tip for being driven into a substrate. The body of the flute has a longitudinal axis, a muzzle loading end, a mounting end, and a hollow bore. The pin is mounted in the bore with its tip proximate the mounting end, such that the tip is protected from pressure between the fastener subassembly and the substrate prior to driving. The mounting end of the flute has wings that extend radially outwardly. The wings allow the subassembly to be mounted in a hole in any suitable member that needs to be attached to a substrate while holding the pin substantially perpendicular to the substrate during driving.

Abstract: A fastener comprises a shank 10 for extending through an opening 60 from a near side 56 to a far side 58 of a wall and a catch 20 retained In the shank of the fastener, in which the catch has first and second orientations in which, respectively, it projects less and more beyond the profile of the shank, whereby the catch can pass through the opening in the first orientation but the catch engages the far side of the wall and prevents withdrawal of the shank from the opening in the second orientation, the catch being supported by a shoulder 42 when the shank is tensioned by a nut 50. Swivelling of the catch is controlled by rotation of the shank.

Abstract: The invention relates to a connecting element between a support, in particular part of a motor vehicle body and a bearing part which is to be fixed onto said support. The connecting element comprises an outer part (1) which can be connected to the bearing part and an inner part (2) which is used in the assembly position to expand at least one section of the outer part (1) behind and/or in an opening of the support. The outer part (1) has an upper flange (10), containing centered internal toothing (11) which can be engaged by counter-toothing (21) in the inner part (2), when in the assembly position. The inner part (2) has at least one catch groove in a catch area between two cylindrical sections. At least one counter-catch of the outer part (1) is inserted into said catch groove in the assembly position.

Abstract: A locking fastener apparatus for coupling objects together. The locking fastener apparatus includes a bolt having a head portion and a shaft portion with a plurality of shaft slots along the shaft. A nut has a threaded hole for threadably receiving the shaft portion of the bolt. A nut slot is centrally positioned across a width of a first side portion of the nut. The nut has a nut lock bore extending inwardly through the nut slot from the first side portion towards a central hole of the nut. The nut includes a nut lock member for movably positioning in the nut lock bore of the nut. The inner end of the nut lock member has a catch portion that is engagable with the shaft slots. A lever member pivotally coupled to the nut is positioned in the nut slot, with a first end attached to the nut lock member and a second end abutting a biasing member which biases the catch portion into one of the shaft slots to facilitate locking the two together until.

Abstract: An apparatus, used for holding a coupling pin at a desired position in a pin-coupled structure regardless of a relative movement of two or more pin-coupled parts in the structure, is disclosed. This pin holding apparatus has two pin holding blocks, with an elastic member interposed between the two pin holding blocks, and is inserted into a pin slot with the two holding blocks radially compressed by an external force to reduce the outer diameter of the apparatus. The apparatus elastically expands in the pin slot due to the restoring force of the compressed elastic member when the external force is removed from the apparatus, thus being set in an annular groove formed on the inner surface of the pin slot and holding the pin at its desired position in the pin slot. The pin holding apparatus is easily set in and removed from the pin slot.

Abstract: A clip of fasteners for use in attaching a structural panel to a metal substrate comprises a plastic strip with openings characterized by inwardly-extending ribs for gripping and supporting fasteners that comprise a forward self-drilling portion and a rearward self-tapping thread portion. Each fastener has a head with a top surface adapted for driving engagement by a driver tool for rotatively driving the fastener, and a tapered surface having a plurality of circumferentially spaced cutting edges that function to cut away the ribs supporting the fastener as the fastener is rotatively driven through the structural panel to secure the panel to the substrate and create a countersink in the structural panel.

Abstract: A method of making a UHMWPE body combined with a bolt, a cap screw, a reinforcing member uses a compression molding machine equipped with a male and female mold set. Particulate UHMWPE dispensed into the cavity of the female mold surrounds the head of the bolt and screw and reinforcing member. Pressure and heat applied to the particulate UHMWPE molecularly bonds the UHMWPE to the bolt, screw, and reinforcing member.

Abstract: The invention relates to an expansible anchor (10) for fastening to a panel-shaped building material, having an anchor sleeve (12) with forwardly projecting expansion tongues (18) that can be spread open by drawing in an expander body (24) having an expander cone (26). The invention proposes to form the expansible anchor (10) with a locking connection (20, 36) which locks the expander body (24) on the expansible anchor (10) in a position in which the expander body (24) is drawn in between the expansion tongues (18) and holds the expansion tongues (18) in a spread-open position. The invention has the advantage that the expander body (24) remains in its position in which it is drawn in between the expansion tongues (18) and holds the expansion tongues in a spread-open position even when an expander screw is unscrewed from the expansible anchor (10).

Abstract: A ceiling hook (H) comprises a fastener (F) for anchoring in a support structure, and a locking ring in the form of an anti-rotation washer (W). The washer (W) includes anchoring teeth (34) for stationarily mounting the washer (W) to the ceiling. The hook member (12) and the washer (W) comprise co-operating locking ratchet elements (22, 28) for locking the fastener (F) to the washer (W) and thus preventing the fastener (F) from loosening from the ceiling. The washer (W) defines at a central opening (30) thereof at least one notch (32) with the fastener (F) defining at least one tab with (26), the notch (32) being slidable through the tab (26) for mounting the washer (W) to the fastener (F) and then allowing it to rotate between the tab (26) and the book member (12), whereby the washer (W) is prevented from being removed from the fastener (F) unless the tab (26) and notch (32) are aligned.

Abstract: A threaded insert for providing stronger threads to a parent material. The threaded insert includes a bushing portion having male threads on the external surface and female threads within an internal bore. The threaded insert also includes keys which lock the threaded insert into a threaded hole within the parent material. The keys are positioned within slots along the external surface of the bushing portion of the threaded insert. The slots include two substantially parallel walls which are substantially perpendicular to a bottom surface of the slots. A method for assembling the threaded insert reduces the tendency of the keys to be installed offset from the bottom surface of the slots.