Fastener assembly for establishing a mechanical and electrical connection to coated metal
First Claim
1. An electrically operated device comprising at least one piece of metal coated with an electrically insulative coating and a fastening assembly for establishing both a mechanical and electrical connection to the piece of metal, said fastening assembly including:
- a fastener engaged with the piece of metal to establish said mechanical connection therewith; and
a washer disposed between at least a portion of said fastener and the piece of metal, said washer having a generally concave side and having a plurality of projections on the generally concave side of said washer, said washer being compressible between said fastener and said piece of metal upon securement of said fastener with said piece of metal thereby causing the projections of said washer to be urged downwardly and move radially outward through said coating to make electrical contact with the piece of metal and form a buildup of coating material on said projections, said washer further being formed of a permanently deformable metal so that upon removal of said fastener said washer remains flattened and mechanically connected against said piece of metal by said build-up of coating material.
1 Assignment
0 Petitions
Accused Products
Abstract
An electrically operated device and fastener assembly for establishing an electrical and mechanical connection on the device. The fastener assembly generally includes a fastener and a washer which may be permanently flattened against the device to establish an electrical connection to a piece of coated metal. Upon removal of the fastener, the washer remains permanently flattened against the device or piece of metal and mechanically connected thereto by a build-up of coating material on projections associated with the washer. Fastener assemblies may be constructed using, for example, sheet metal screws requiring only one of the washers in the assembly or machine screws which may require two of the washers.
96 Citations
11 Claims
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1. An electrically operated device comprising at least one piece of metal coated with an electrically insulative coating and a fastening assembly for establishing both a mechanical and electrical connection to the piece of metal, said fastening assembly including:
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a fastener engaged with the piece of metal to establish said mechanical connection therewith; and a washer disposed between at least a portion of said fastener and the piece of metal, said washer having a generally concave side and having a plurality of projections on the generally concave side of said washer, said washer being compressible between said fastener and said piece of metal upon securement of said fastener with said piece of metal thereby causing the projections of said washer to be urged downwardly and move radially outward through said coating to make electrical contact with the piece of metal and form a buildup of coating material on said projections, said washer further being formed of a permanently deformable metal so that upon removal of said fastener said washer remains flattened and mechanically connected against said piece of metal by said build-up of coating material. - View Dependent Claims (2, 3, 4, 5)
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6. A fastener assembly for providing an electrical and mechanical connection with a piece of metal, the fastener assembly comprising:
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a fastener engageable with the piece of metal to establish a mechanical connection therewith; and a washer securable between at least a portion of said fastener and the piece of metal, said washer having a generally concave side and having a plurality of projections on the generally concave side, said washer being compressible between said fastener and said piece of metal upon securement of said fastener with said piece of metal thereby causing the projections of said washer to be urged downwardly and move radially outward through said coating to make electrical contact with the piece of metal, said washer further being formed of a permanently deformable metal so that tightening said fastener against said washer completely flattens said washer and urges the teeth completely through said coating. - View Dependent Claims (7, 8, 9)
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10. A method of securing a washer to a piece of metal having an electrically insulative coating wherein said washer is formed of a permanently deformable material and includes a generally concave side with a plurality of projections, the method comprising the steps of:
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inserting said fastener through said washer with the generally concave side of said washer facing the coating; and permanently deforming said washer against said piece of metal with said fastener to cause said projections to penetrate the coating and contact the piece of metal. - View Dependent Claims (11)
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Specification