Nut having at least two parts

• US 7,934,896 B2
• Filed: 02/05/2007
• Issued: 05/03/2011
• Est. Priority Date: 02/08/2006
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Dietmar Schnier
• Original Assignee: Dietmar Schnier
• Inventors: Schnier, Dietmar
• Primary Examiner(s): ESTREMSKY, GARY WAYNE
• Application Number:
  US12/223,731
• Publication Number:
  US 20090053010A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,548 Days
• Field of Search: 411432-434, 411/539, 411/935, 292/305
• US Class Current: 411/433
• CPC Class Codes: F16B 2200/83 Use of a magnetic material
• CPC Class Codes: F16B 37/0892 in two or more pieces, e.g. assemblies made by two C-shaped nuts mutually interlocked, or retained by an additional member F16B37/0885 takes precedence

Abstract

A nut includes an internal thread and at least two parts, each of the parts having a section of the internal thread which can be pushed onto an external thread in the radial direction. The parts may have connecting elements which interact and permit a relative displacement of the parts in a direction running radially to the axis of the internal thread into a position of use. The connecting elements may have guide surfaces which are inclined at an angle to the plane running radially to the axis of the internal thread and guide the parts in a rotational movement about an axis of rotation running transversely to the axis. A part may have a locking arm with a guide surface only on one side which produces the rotational movement during the displacement of the parts and bears against a complementary guide surface of the other part.

Claims

1. A nut, comprising:

an internal thread; and

at least two parts, each of the parts including a section of the internal thread which is radially pushable onto an external thread; and

cooperating connecting elements which allow a relative displacement of the parts in a direction running radially to an axis of the internal thread until reaching a use position in which the internal thread of the nut surrounds the external thread with a small clearance, the connecting elements having guide surfaces which are inclined by an angle to a plane running radially to the axis of the internal thread and which guide the parts of the nut in displacement into the use position in a rotational movement about an axis of rotation running across the axis of the internal thread, wherein at least one part has at least one locking arm which has on only one side a guide surface, which induces a rotational movement when the parts are displaced and is in contact with a complementary guide surface of the other part.

2. The nut as recited in claim 1, wherein the internal thread sections of the two parts are separated along a parting plane extending in the direction of the thread axis, and each part of the nut has two guide surfaces which are situated on both sides of a central plane at a right angle to the parting plane, the two guide surfaces being oriented in opposite directions with respect to the thread axis.

3. The nut as recited in claim 1, wherein the internal thread sections of the two parts are divided along a parting plane extending in the direction of the thread axis, and each part of the nut has two guide surfaces on both sides of the parting plane, the guide surfaces on the two sides of the parting plane being oriented in opposite directions with respect to the thread axis and being inclined in opposite directions to the radial plane of the thread.

4. The nut as recited in claim 1, wherein the guide surfaces are curved.

5. The nut as recited in claim 4, wherein the guide surfaces have the form of a lateral cylindrical section.

6. The nut as recited in claim 5, wherein the axis of the internal thread coincides with a radius of the cylinder on whose lateral surface the guide surfaces run.

7. The nut as recited in claim 2, wherein the guide surfaces run along a helical surface.

8. The nut as recited in claim 7, wherein the helical surface of the guide surfaces is wound around an axis running at a right angle to the parting plane of the thread sections of the nut and radially to the axis of the internal thread.

9. The nut as recited in claim 1, wherein the parts are made of an elastically deformable material.

10. The nut as recited in claim 1, wherein the parts have additional guide surfaces that are in contact with one another and are situated in a plane extending parallel to the axis of the internal thread.

11. The nut as recited in claim 10, wherein the additional guide surfaces are situated in a plane extending parallel to the axis of the internal thread and extend parallel to the radial direction in which the parts are displaceable relative to one another.

12. The nut as recited in claim 1, wherein the parts in the use position have a shared contact surface, which is in contact with a supporting surface connected to an external thread when the nut is tightened into the external thread.

13. The nut as recited in claim 12, wherein the contact surface of each part has on one edge an inclined surface, which forms an angle to the contact surface corresponding to the angle of rotation when the part is placed in the use position.

14. The nut as recited in claim 1, wherein the parts in the use position each have at least one contact point which is supported against a supporting surface connected to an external thread when the nut is tightened onto the external thread.

15. The nut as recited in claim 14, wherein the contact point defines, together with at least two additional points in the edge area of a part, an inclined surface which forms an angle with the supporting surface corresponding to the angle of rotation when the part is placed in the use position.

16. The nut as recited in claim 1, wherein the thread flights are partially removed in at least one end area of the internal thread section of at least one of the parts.

17. The nut as recited in claim 1, wherein the at least two parts are identical parts.

18. The nut as recited in claim 1, wherein, in the use position, the parts are rotated by 180°

relative to one another about at least one of the following axes;

the axis of the internal thread, and

an axis extending radially to the internal thread and in the parting plane of the inside thread sections.

19. The nut as recited in claim 1, wherein each of the parts is manufactured in a compression molding operation.

20. The nut as recited in claim 1, further comprising:

cooperating retaining elements which secure the parts in an at least partially assembled position.

21. The nut as recited in claim 20, wherein the retaining elements include at least one of the following cooperating devices:

mutually attracting magnets;

a magnet and a ferromagnetic material;

catch projections and catch recesses receiving the catch projections; and

adhesive surfaces having elevated friction or adhesion.

22. The nut as recited in claim 1, further comprising:

a shoulder extending toward the axis of the internal thread and situated in the area of one end of the internal thread.

23. The nut as recited in claim 22, wherein the shoulder is a wall of a groove adjacent to the internal thread.

24. A nut, comprising:

an internal thread; and

at least two parts, each of the parts including a section of the internal thread; and

connecting elements that allow a relative displacement of the parts in a direction running radially to an axis of the internal thread, the connecting elements having guide surfaces which are inclined by an angle to a plane running radially to the axis of the internal thread and which guide the parts of the nut in a rotational movement about an axis of rotation running across the axis of the internal thread,

wherein at least one part has at least one locking arm, the at least one locking arm having a guide surface on one side only, wherein the at least one locking arm induces the rotational movement when the parts are displaced.

25. The nut as recited in claim 24, wherein the internal thread sections of the two parts are separated along a parting plane extending in the direction of the axis of the internal thread, and each part of the nut has two guide surfaces which are disposed on both sides of a central plane at a right angle to the parting plane, the two guide surfaces being oriented in opposite directions with respect to the axis of the internal thread.

26. The nut as recited in claim 24, wherein the internal thread sections of the two parts are divided along a parting plane extending in the direction of the axis of the internal thread, and wherein each part of the nut has two guide surfaces on both sides of the parting plane, the guide surfaces on the two sides of the parting plane being oriented in opposite directions with respect to the axis of the internal thread and being inclined in opposite directions to a radial plane of the thread.

27. The nut as recited in claim 24, wherein the parts, in a use position, have at least one shared contact surface which is in contact with a surface connected to an external thread when the nut is tightened onto the external thread.

28. The nut as recited in claim 24, further comprising:

retaining elements that secure the parts in an at least partially assembled position.

29. The nut as recited in claim 28, wherein the retaining elements include at least one of the following devices:

mutually attracting magnets;

a magnet and a ferromagnetic material;

catch projections and catch recesses receiving the catch projections; and

adhesive surfaces having elevated friction or adhesion.