The present invention relates to a cage nut assembly.
Cage nut assemblies are well known in the art and provide a useful function in that they are able to hold a threaded nut at locations in a frame that are difficult or in some cases impossible to reach with a tool. Cage nut assemblies are used in vehicles for seat attachments, radiator attachments, chassis to drive train attachments, and for any other nut application that requires the nut to have an “X” and “Y” axis adjustability to accommodate tolerance variations and enable engagement thereof by a male threaded fastener.
Problems have arisen in conjunction with prior art cage nut assemblies. One problem occurs after the cages of the cage nut assemblies are welded to a mating surface, such as an automobile frame. After the cages are welded to the automobile frame, the frames are sent through an e-coat or ELPO bath that adds a corrosion or paint coating thereto. In cage nut assemblies where the underside of the nut is capable of sitting flat on the cage, the nut and cage may stick together when the e-coat or ELPO bath is applied thereto, thus removing the intended float/adjustability of the nut within the cage.
At least two known and separate United States patents have acknowledged this problem and have attempted to provide cage nut assemblies which solve the problem. U.S. Pat. No. 5,096,350 discusses the use of any item attached to either the cage or the nut, or to a third part positioned between the nut and the cage, that flattens out when the nut is torqued into place. This item allows for the stand-off needed during the e-coat and provides for a solid joint when the nut is torqued into place. These flattenable projections either on the cage or the nut, or the addition of a third part with the flattenable projections thereon, provide high manufacturing costs to the cage nut assembly.
U.S. Pat. No. 5,630,686 discusses the use of plastic rings staked at the top of a nut extrusion that hold the nut up off of the cage floor or mating panel, thus removing the possibility that the e-coat will allow the parts to stick together. The plastic rings are flexible enough to allow a solid joint to take place when the nut is lowered to interface with the cage floor or mating panel when the nut is torqued down. This patent requires the plastic rings in order to perform the desired function. The addition of the plastic rings to the cage nut assembly is expensive and the rings sometimes disengage from the assembly when the nut is torqued into place thus causing a buzz, squeak rattle (“BSR”) issue with customers.
Thus, there is a need for a cage nut assembly which does not allow the nut to become stuck to the cage during the application of an e-coat or ELPO bath and which overcomes the disadvantages of the aforementioned United States patents which have attempted to solve this same problem.
A primary object of an embodiment of the present invention is to provide a cage nut assembly which reduces the possibility of the nut sticking to the cage or workpiece when an e-coat or ELPO bath is applied thereto.
Another object of an embodiment of the present invention is to provide a cage nut assembly that has strong joints between the nuts and the cages after the nuts are torqued into place.
Yet another object of an embodiment of the present invention is to provide stand-off features on the nut which will reduce the amount of bearing surface interface between the cage and nut, before the nuts are torqued down.
Another object of an embodiment of the present invention is to provide a cage nut assembly where the nut is allowed to float within the cage after coating of the mating surface, which the cage is attached to.
Still another object of an embodiment of the present invention is to provide a cage nut assembly which requires less manufacturing costs in comparison to cage nut assemblies of the prior art.
Yet another object of an embodiment of the present invention is to provide a cage which is capable of supporting a nut off of a bottom wall of the cage or a mating surface prior to the coating, and which is flexible to allow the nut to be torqued down against the bottom wall of the cage or a mating surface after the coating.
Briefly, and in accordance with the foregoing, the present invention provides a cage nut assembly having a nut and a cage. The nut has two plates and a cylindrical member connecting the plates together. A threaded aperture extends through the nut. The cage has a base portion having an aperture therethrough and a pair of flexible arm portions which are capable of supporting the nut off of the base portion of the cage. Once the cage nut assembly is formed, the cage is welded to a workpiece. The workpiece is then sent through an e-coat or ELPO bath. As the flexible arm portions of the cage support the nut off of the base portion of the cage, the possibility of the nut being stuck to the cage is reduced. A fastener is then inserted through an aperture of the workpiece, through the aperture of the base portion and into the aperture of the nut such that the fastener is threadedly engaged with the nut. As the fastener is torqued down, a force is applied to the nut such that the arm portions of the cage flex and allow the nut to come into contact and be secured against the base portion of the cage.
The organization and manner of the structure and operation of the invention, together with further objects and advantages thereof, may best be understood by reference to the following description taken in connection with the accompanying drawings wherein like reference numerals identify like elements in which:
While this invention may be susceptible to embodiment in different forms, there is shown in the drawings and will be described herein in detail, specific embodiments with the understanding that the present disclosure is to be considered an exemplification of the principles of the invention, and is not intended to limit the invention to that as illustrated.
The present invention relates to a cage nut assembly 20. The cage nut assembly 20 includes a nut 22 and a cage 24.
The nut 22 is best illustrated in
An aperture 46 extends through the nut 22 from the plate portion 26, into the cylindrical member 42, and into the second plate portion 34. The aperture 46 may be closed at the lower surface 30 of the plate portion 26 or it may, preferably, extend all the way through the plate portion 26. The aperture 46 defines an aperture wall 48 which is preferably threaded and is capable of receiving a fastener 50, such as a bolt or a screw, to be attached thereto.
Alternatively, a nut 22a, which may be used in the cage nut assembly 20 rather than the nut 22, is best illustrated in
An aperture 46a extends through the nut 22a from the plate portion 26a, into the cylindrical member 42a, and into the second plate portion 34a. The aperture 46a may be closed at the lower surface 30a of the plate portion 26a or it may, preferably, extend all the way through the plate portion 26a. The aperture 46a defines an aperture wall 48a which is preferably threaded and is capable of receiving a fastener 50, such as a bolt or a screw, to be attached thereto.
The nut 22, 22a may be formed by cold forming as a one-piece item. Alternatively, it can also be made by staking a cold-headed nut with the circular or rectangular plate feature formed as part of the nut, to a steel plate. The nut 22, 22a may then be heat treated, if desired, depending on the hardness of the material of the nut 22, 22a. While the nut 22a may be used in the cage nut assembly 20 rather than the nut 22, the description of the invention will be discussed with the nut 22 being used in the cage nut assembly 20 with the understanding that the nut 22a would function in a generally identical manner as will the nut 22.
The cage 24 is used for encaging and supporting the nut 22 and is best illustrated in
A first wall portion 68 extends perpendicularly upwardly from the first side edge 54 of the base portion 52 and extends from a corner 70, which is defined by the connection of the first and second side edges 54, 56, toward a corner 72, which is defined by the connection of the first and fourth side edges 54, 60. The first wall portion 68 extends substantially along a majority of the length of the first side edge 54, from the corner 70 toward the corner 72, but does not extend to the corner 72.
A first arm portion 74 also extends from the first side edge 54 of the base portion 52 and extends from the corner 72 toward the corner 70. The first arm portion 74 has a first portion 76, a second portion 78, a third portion 80 and a fourth portion 82. The first portion 76 of the first arm portion 74 extends perpendicularly upwardly from the first side edge 54 of the base portion 52 such that a gap 77 is formed between the first portion 76 of the first arm portion 74 and the first wall portion 68. The second portion 78 of the first arm portion 74 extends perpendicularly outwardly from the first portion 76 of the first arm portion 74 toward the third side edge 58 of the base portion 52, and is generally parallel to the base portion 52, such that the second portion 78 of the first arm portion 74 has an upper surface 84 which is parallel to the upper surface 62. The third portion 80 of the first arm portion 74 extends perpendicularly outwardly from the second portion 78 of the first arm portion 74 toward the second side edge 56 of the base portion 52, and is generally parallel to the base portion 52, such that the third portion 80 of the first arm portion 74 has an upper surface 86 which is parallel to the upper surface 62. The fourth portion 82 of the first arm portion 74 is generally C-shaped and extends outwardly toward the second side edge 56 of the base portion 52, and is generally parallel to the base portion 52, such that the fourth portion 82 of the first arm portion 74 has an upper surface 88 which is parallel to the upper surface 62. The first arm portion 74 is formed of a flexible material for reasons which will be discussed further herein.
A second wall portion 90 extends perpendicularly upwardly from the third side edge 58 of the base portion 52 and extends from a corner 92, which is defined by the connection of the third and fourth side edges 58, 60, toward a corner 94, which is defined by the connection of the second and third side edges 56, 58. The second wall portion 90 extends substantially along a majority of the length of the third side edge 58, from the corner 92 toward the corner 94, but does not extend to the corner 94.
A second arm portion 96 also extends from the third side edge 58 of the base portion 52 and extends from the corner 94 toward the corner 92. The second arm portion 96 has a first portion 98, a second portion 100, a third portion 102 and a fourth portion 104. The first portion 98 of the second arm portion 96 extends perpendicularly upwardly from the third side edge 58 of the base portion 52 such that a gap 99 is formed between the first portion 98 of the second arm portion 96 and the second wall portion 90. The second portion 100 of the second arm portion 96 extends perpendicularly outwardly from the first portion 98 of the second arm portion 96 toward the first side edge 54 of the base portion 52, and is generally parallel to the base portion 52, such that the second portion 100 of the second arm portion 96 has an upper surface 106 which is parallel to the upper surface 62. The third portion 102 of the second arm portion 96 extends perpendicularly outwardly from the second portion 100 of the second arm portion 96 toward the fourth side edge 60 of the base portion 52, and is generally parallel to the base portion 52, such that the third portion 102 of the second arm portion 96 has an upper surface 108 which is parallel to the upper surface 62. The fourth portion 104 of the second arm portion 96 is generally C-shaped and extends outwardly toward the fourth side edge 60 of the base portion 52, and is generally parallel to the base portion 52, such that the fourth portion 104 of the second arm portion 96 has an upper surface 110 which is parallel to the upper surface 62. The second arm portion 96 is formed of a flexible material for reasons which will be discussed further herein.
As illustrated in
In operation, the cage 24 is provided and the first arm portion 74 is flexed upwardly such that the first portion 76, the second portion 78, the third portion 80, and the C-shaped fourth portion 82 of the first arm portion 74 are all parallel to one another and are perpendicular to the base portion 52 of the cage 24, as illustrated in
The first arm portion 74 is then flexed downwardly such that the second portion 78, the third portion 80, and the C-shaped fourth portion 82 of the first arm portion 74 are all parallel to one another and to the base portion 52 of the cage 24, and are perpendicular to the first portion 76 of the first arm portion 74, as illustrated in
With the second plate portion 34 being positioned on the C-shaped fourth portions 82, 104 of the first and second arm portion 74, 96, the plate portion 26 is held up off of the upper surface 62 of the base portion 52 of the cage 24, as illustrated in
The lower surface 64 of the base portion 52 of the cage 24 is then welded to a workpiece 120. The workpiece 120 has an aperture 121 provided therethrough and first and second surfaces 122, 124. The lower surface 64 of the base portion 52 of the cage 24 is welded to the first surface 122 of the workpiece 120 such that the aperture of the workpiece 120 is in communication with the aperture 66 of the base portion 52 of the cage 24, and with the aperture 46 which extends through the nut 22. The workpiece 120, the cage 24 and the nut 22 are then typically sent through an e-coat or ELPO bath that is meant to add a corrosion or paint coating to the first surface 122 of the workpiece 120. The C-shaped fourth portions 82, 104 of the first and second arm portions 74, 96 support the nut 22 from coming into contact with the upper surface 62 of the base portion 52 of the cage 24, thus reducing the possibility that the cage 24 and the nut 22 will stick or adhere to each other after coating or welding is complete.
It should be noted that if the protrusions 44 are provided on the lower surface 38 of the second plate portion 34, the possibility that the cage 24 and the nut 22 will stick or adhere to each other after coating or welding is complete is reduced even further as the protrusions 44 will allow only minimal contact between the nut 22 and the cage 24 with only the protrusions 44 coming into contact with the upper surfaces 88, 110 of the C-shaped fourth portions 82, 104 of the first and second arm portions 74, 96.
The fastener 50, such as a bolt or a screw, which has a head portion 130 and a threaded shank portion 132 extending therefrom, is then connected to the cage nut assembly 20 and the workpiece 120. The fastener 50 is connected by inserting the threaded shank portion 132 of the fastener 50 through the aperture 121 of the workpiece 120, through the aperture 66 of the base portion 52 of the cage 24 and into the aperture 46 of the nut 22, such that the threaded shank portion 132 of the fastener 50 is threadedly engaged with the aperture wall 48 of the nut 22, until the head portion 130 of the fastener 50 abuts against the second surface 124 of the workpiece 120, as illustrated in
As the fastener 50 is torqued into place, by threaded engagement with the aperture wall 48 of the nut 22, the plate portion 26 of the nut 22 is pulled down to interface with the upper surface 62 of the base portion 52 of the cage 24, thus providing a solid joint between the nut 22, the cage 24, the workpiece 120 and the fastener 50. The plate portion 26 is able to be pulled down to interface with the upper surface 62 of the base portion 52 of the cage 24 because the first and second arm portions 74, 96 are flexed downward by a combination of the weight of the nut 22 and the force being applied to the nut 22 by the torqueing of the fastener 50. The flexed first and second arm portions 74, 96 are best illustrated in
Thus, the cage nut assembly 20 provides stronger joints between the nut 22 and the cage 24 than cage nut assemblies of the prior art after the nut 22 is torqued into place. The cage nut assembly 20 also requires less manufacturing and provide for fewer parts than cage nut assemblies of the prior art, thus making the cage nut assembly 20 of the present invention cheaper to make. The nut 22 and the cage 24 of the cage nut assembly 20 also effectively reduce the possibility of the nut 22 sticking to the cage 24 once an e-coat or ELPO bath is applied.
While preferred embodiments of the invention are shown and described, it is envisioned that those skilled in the art may devise various modifications without departing from the spirit and scope of the foregoing description and the appended claims.
This patent application claims the benefit of domestic priority of U.S. Provisional Application Ser. No. 60/432,165, filed Dec. 10, 2002, and entitled “Cage Nut Assembly Having a Flexible Cage”.
Number | Name | Date | Kind |
---|---|---|---|
1760834 | Carr | May 1930 | A |
2234557 | Hungerford | Mar 1941 | A |
2255650 | Burke | Sep 1941 | A |
2258342 | Tinnerman | Oct 1941 | A |
2303148 | Tinnerman | Nov 1942 | A |
2390752 | Tinnerman | Dec 1945 | A |
2409209 | Johnson | Oct 1946 | A |
2495037 | Tinnerman | Jan 1950 | A |
2567864 | Becker | Sep 1951 | A |
2649883 | Sharp | Aug 1953 | A |
2695046 | Tinnerman, III | Nov 1954 | A |
2716434 | Crowther | Aug 1955 | A |
2861618 | Tinnerman | Nov 1958 | A |
2867258 | Flora et al. | Jan 1959 | A |
2867259 | Barron | Jan 1959 | A |
2875805 | Flora | Mar 1959 | A |
3004638 | Eaton | Oct 1961 | A |
3025897 | Gieleghem | Mar 1962 | A |
3123120 | Grimm et al. | Mar 1964 | A |
3177916 | Rosan | Apr 1965 | A |
3219790 | Johnson | Nov 1965 | A |
3236143 | Wing | Feb 1966 | A |
3255798 | Anderson et al. | Jun 1966 | A |
3314465 | Bien | Apr 1967 | A |
3451455 | Parkin | Jun 1969 | A |
3556570 | Cosenza | Jan 1971 | A |
3670796 | Grimm | Jun 1972 | A |
3695324 | Gulistan | Oct 1972 | A |
3765078 | Gulistan | Oct 1973 | A |
3783922 | Petrus | Jan 1974 | A |
3785421 | Launay | Jan 1974 | A |
3797358 | Allender | Mar 1974 | A |
3948142 | McKay et al. | Apr 1976 | A |
4015650 | Anderson | Apr 1977 | A |
4036692 | Walton | Jul 1977 | A |
4146074 | Kowalski | Mar 1979 | A |
4170424 | Boehm | Oct 1979 | A |
4186787 | Hussain | Feb 1980 | A |
4193435 | Charles et al. | Mar 1980 | A |
4263831 | Smith | Apr 1981 | A |
4557650 | Molina | Dec 1985 | A |
4732518 | Toosky | Mar 1988 | A |
4741654 | Lovisek | May 1988 | A |
4762451 | Collins | Aug 1988 | A |
4790701 | Baubles | Dec 1988 | A |
4793757 | Peterson | Dec 1988 | A |
4830557 | Harris et al. | May 1989 | A |
4875817 | Suzumura et al. | Oct 1989 | A |
4900209 | Reynolds | Feb 1990 | A |
5028189 | Harley | Jul 1991 | A |
5066180 | Lang et al. | Nov 1991 | A |
5074727 | Wentzel | Dec 1991 | A |
5096349 | Landy et al. | Mar 1992 | A |
5096350 | Peterson | Mar 1992 | A |
5137406 | Cosenza | Aug 1992 | A |
5245743 | Landy et al. | Sep 1993 | A |
5380136 | Copple et al. | Jan 1995 | A |
5405228 | Reid et al. | Apr 1995 | A |
5468104 | Reid et al. | Nov 1995 | A |
5533850 | Ishihara et al. | Jul 1996 | A |
5628598 | Hofle | May 1997 | A |
5630686 | Billmann | May 1997 | A |
5639113 | Goss et al. | Jun 1997 | A |
5704747 | Hutter, III et al. | Jan 1998 | A |
5746561 | Nygren, Jr. et al. | May 1998 | A |
5797581 | Sherman | Aug 1998 | A |
5893694 | Wilusz et al. | Apr 1999 | A |
5919016 | Smith et al. | Jul 1999 | A |
6077010 | Reid et al. | Jun 2000 | A |
6139237 | Nagayama | Oct 2000 | A |
6146071 | Norkus et al. | Nov 2000 | A |
6183180 | Copple et al. | Feb 2001 | B1 |
6254325 | Kun | Jul 2001 | B1 |
6499923 | LeVey | Dec 2002 | B1 |
6746193 | Drake | Jun 2004 | B1 |
20030129041 | Mitts et al. | Jul 2003 | A1 |
20040005205 | Yake et al. | Jan 2004 | A1 |
Number | Date | Country |
---|---|---|
1055718 | Apr 1959 | DE |
3445514 | Dec 1984 | DE |
19533138 | Jul 1996 | DE |
2871535 | Jun 2004 | FR |
687110 | Feb 1953 | GB |
08114213 | May 1996 | JP |
WO03042557 | May 2003 | WO |
Number | Date | Country | |
---|---|---|---|
20040109739 A1 | Jun 2004 | US |
Number | Date | Country | |
---|---|---|---|
60432165 | Dec 2002 | US |