Patent Application
20110170979
Not Applicable
Not Applicable
The present invention relates generally to a fastener assembly for use in fastening two or more members together.
A variety of mechanical and structural art devices require the fastening of two or more component parts to one another for assembly. For example, many automotive parts (e.g., alternator, fan belt, wheel assemblies) are assembled and mounted by the use of a bolt threaded through a washer and nut combination. Frequently, the bolt is not properly aligned along a longitudinal or arcuate axis with the surface of one or more component parts during mounting, thereby resulting in a misaligned installation. Any degree of misalignment may result in some reduction of the operational life of the part as well as reduce its performance.
For example, most automobile alternator belts and fan belts are wound around a driver and driven pulleys. The driver and driven pulleys in turn are powered by a driver and driven shaft. The drive shaft of alternators and fan belts are typically mounted by way of a threaded bolt, washer and nut combination. Misalignment of the driver pulley and/or drive shaft by as little as a quarter degree or more could result in the misalignment of the alternator belt at the time of installation, thereby reducing its own operational life and performance as well as that of other components of an automobile engine such as the timing belt. An alternator belt may experience parallel misalignment due to the driver and driven pulleys on the driver and driven shafts being in different planes. This may result from a misaligned mounting of the driver and/or driven pulleys to the drive shafts. Likewise, the driver and driven pulleys may experience angular misalignment with the driver and driven shafts not being parallel. Given the small margin for error to achieve correct installation, it is not surprising that the misalignment of an alternator and/or fan belts of a vehicle is a common occurrence. Whether due to oversight by the technician installing the component part or due to the failure of a threaded bolt, washer and/or nut configuration, the drive shafts and/or pulleys on which the alternator and fan belts are secured may be misaligned, as discussed above, resulting in excessive and premature wear and tear of these parts. This could also impact the safe and dependable performance of these parts, should the drive shaft abruptly cease operation or if these parts should break. Likewise, an aftermarket or originally manufactured wheel cover plate may be mounted to a wheel bracket by way of a threaded bolt and nut combination. If the wheel cover plate is improperly aligned with the wheel bracket, either due to the bolt being incorrectly threaded through the nut or the wheel bracket not being positioned flush with the wheel cover plate, the wheel cover plate may be misaligned during mounting and installation. This could pose a safety risk in the operation of the vehicle should the cover plate disengage from the wheel bracket.
Accordingly, there appears to be a need in the mechanical and structural arts for a new fastener assembly which improves the alignment between two or more members fastened together, thereby increasing the efficiency of installation, performance, and longevity of component parts.
According to an aspect of the present invention, there is provided a fastener assembly for use in fastening two or more members together. The fastener assembly comprises a binding fastener and a stabilizing joint. The stabilizing joint may have a joint longitudinal axis, a fastener face, and a first member face opposite the fastener face. The stabilizing joint may further include a joint aperture extending through the stabilizing joint alignable with the binding fastener along a joint aperture axis. The joint aperture may be sized and configured to receive the binding fastener. The stabilizing joint may further have a non-linear first joint lateral edge and an opposing non-linear second joint lateral edge. The stabilizing joint may further have a first joint end and an opposing second joint end. The fastener assembly may further have a first member defining a slot lateral axis and slot longitudinal axis disposed perpendicular to the slot lateral axis. The first member may have a joint face and a second member face opposing the joint face. The first member may further have a slot disposed through the first member having a non-linear first slot lateral edge and an opposing non-linear second slot lateral edge. The slot may further have a first slot end and an opposing second slot end sized and configured to receive the stabilizing joint. The first member may further have a slot width between the first slot lateral edge and the second slot lateral edge that may be less than a slot length between the first slot end and the second slot end. The stabilizing joint may be lockably engageable between the first slot lateral edge and the second slot lateral edge in a plurality of positions along the slot longitudinal axis in the slot. The fastener assembly may further include a second member having a second member aperture longitudinal axis. The second member may have a member face and a nut face opposite the member face. The second member may further have a second member aperture extending through the second member aligned with the binding fastener along the second member aperture longitudinal axis. The member aperture may be sized and configured to receive the binding fastener.
The fastener assembly is innovative in that the complimentary configuration of the stabilizing joint and the first member uniquely enable the fastener assembly to properly align a first member fastened to a second member through the stabilizing joint by enabling the stabilizing joint to be adjusted along the slot longitudinal axis into a plurality of positions. The fastener assembly may thereby account for misalignment that may otherwise occur between the first member and the second member at the time the binding fastener is disposed through the first member and the second member, respectively. Using an automotive example, with the first member being a base plate and the second member being a bracket, a stabilizing joint may be moved along a slot longitudinal axis of the drive shaft to allow adjustment of the bracket. The ability to adjust the position of the pulley/shaft assembly by adjusting the position of the bracket may prevent the parallel misalignment of the driver and driven pulleys and the driver and driven shaft. Likewise, the adjustment of the stabilizing joint along the slot longitudinal axis of the first member may prevent angular misalignment with the driver and driven shafts not being parallel to each other. The fastener assembly is therefore able to adjust the positioning of the first member such that it is properly aligned with the second member when the binding fastener is received through the joint aperture of the stabilizing joint and the member aperture of the second member. The fastener assembly may similarly enable the proper adjustment of a fan belt to the fan belt pulley by movement of the stabilizing joint along a slot longitudinal axis. Also, a wheel cover plate may be properly aligned to a cover plate bracket by adjusting the position of the stabilizing joint along the slot longitudinal axis to enable proper alignment. It is contemplated that the claimed assembly may be applied to a variety of mechanical parts or devices having two or more members that are sought to be aligned and fastened to one another.
In another embodiment, the fastener assembly may further include a threaded nut having a nut aperture. The binding fastener may be slidably disposable through the threaded nut. In an alternative embodiment, the second member aperture of the second member may be threaded.
According to other embodiments of the present invention, the binding fastener may have a hexagonal head.
In a further embodiment, the fastener assembly may also include a washer disposed between the binding fastener and the fastener face of the stabilizing joint.
In another embodiment, the non-linear first joint lateral edge of the stabilizing joint may have one or more serrated teeth. In another embodiment, the non-linear second joint lateral edge may also have one or more serrated teeth. The non-linear first slot lateral edge may have one or more serrated teeth complimentary to the serrated teeth of the first joint lateral edge. The non-linear second joint lateral edge may also have one or more serrated teeth complementary to the serrated teeth of the second joint lateral edge.
According to another embodiment, the non-linear first joint lateral edge of the stabilizing joint may have one or more arcuate teeth. In another embodiment, the non-linear second joint lateral edge may have one or more arcuate teeth. The non-linear first slot lateral edge may have one or more arcuate teeth complimentary to the arcuate teeth of the first joint lateral edge. In a further embodiment, the non-linear second slot lateral edge may have one or more arcuate teeth complementary to the arcuate teeth of the second joint lateral edge.
In yet a further embodiment of the present invention, the first joint end of the stabilizing joint may be arcuate. In a further embodiment, the second joint end may be arcuate. In another embodiment, the first slot end may be arcuate and complementary to the first joint end. According to another embodiment, the second slot end may be arcuate and complementary to the second joint end. According to another embodiment, the threaded nut may be hexagonal.
These and other features and advantages of the various embodiments disclosed herein will be better understood with respect to the following description and drawings, in which like numbers refer to like parts throughout, and in which:
The drawings referred to herein are for the purposes of illustrating the preferred embodiments of the present invention and not for the purposes of limiting the same.
As discussed above, the non-linear first joint lateral edge 26 and the non-linear second joint lateral edge 28 of the stabilizing joint 14 are complimentary to the non-linear first slot lateral edge 46 and the non-linear second slot lateral edge 48 of the slot 44, thereby enabling the stabilizing joint 14 to be moved into various positions along the slot longitudinal axis 38 of the first member 34. This configuration enables the position of the first member 34 to be adjusted such that it is aligned with the second member 60.
As shown in
Still referring to
The fastener assembly 10 uniquely accounts for misalignment that may otherwise occur between the first member 34 and the second member 60 with the binding fastener 12 disposed and threaded through the joint aperture 24 and the second member aperture 70, respectively. By enabling the stabilizing joint 14 to be adjusted along the slot longitudinal axis 38 of the first member 34 into a plurality of positions, the first member 34 and the second member 60 may be aligned with the binding fastener 12 disposed through the first member 34 and the second member 60.
The fastener assembly 12 may be applied to a variety of mechanical art devices having two or more members or component parts that require fastening or fixation to one another. For example, as shown in
