EXPANDING ANCHOR FASTENER

Abstract: An expanding anchor fastener comprising a one piece plastic moulded member comprising a cylindrical body (13) having an axial extension (21) forming a wing supporting member at one end of the body, a bore extending through the body (23) and the member (21) for the passage of a bolt engagable with the body (23), wings (17, 19) being foldably connected to the end of the support member (21) remote from the body and having end surfaces (55, 57) engaging in recesses formed by the end wall of the body (23) and the planar surfaces (47, 49) when the wings (17, 19) are in the fully open radially extending condition. The wings are urged resiliently outwardly to an intermediate position by the elas­ tic memory of the folding connection (43, 45) with the body (21).

Description: EXPANDING ANCHOR FASTENER This invention relates generally to fasteners and more particularly to expanding or expandable anchor fasteners for fastening objects with respect to a wall or the like. There are a wide variety of such fasteners,the most common of which is known generally as a spring wing toggle bolt and includes a pair of opposed wings which are hingedly connected to each other by a hinge element having a threaded bore hole therein. A bolt is positioned through the threaded hole such that the wings can be threadedlv moved alonq the bolt. A wire spring is extended about the hinge to move the wings to an open position. To use the spring wing toggle bolt, the wings are collapsed about the bolt, such that the wings and bolt can be inserted through a hole in a wall. Once through the wall, the wings spring open and are drawn back against the wall. By tightening the bolt, with the wings held against the wall, an object connected to the bolt can be anchored to the wall. In order to make spring wing toggle bolts sufficiently strong to withstand threaded tightening and the leverage placed upon the wings at the hinge point, when the wings span the hole in the wall, the wings are generally formed of channel shaped pieces of metal. The channels extend about the bolt when the wings are collapsed to a closed position. The base portions of the wings engage eadh other, when the wings are in an open position and prevent the wings from axially moving beyond an open position as the wings are tightened against the wall. Spring wing toggle bolts have generally been found to be satisfactory except for a few deficiencies. One of the most important of these deficiencies is the complexity and cost. Because the spring wing toggle bolt has many pieces which must be assembled and because these pieces must be separately formed and fitted together with relatively close tolerances, they are relatively more expensive than other types of fasteners. Moreover, spring wing toggle bolts can be unsatisfactory for certain uses. For example, when used in connection with gypsum wallboard, the channel shaped wings can cut the wallboard, weakening the anchorage, and can even cause complete failure of the anchorage with very little stress placed on the anchor. In addition to spring wing toggle bolts there a wide variety of other types of expansion anchors. Among these are the rawl drive expansion plugs and wedge driven expanding shields. There are also single wing toggle bolts, which pivot about a threaded hinge. Generally, however, these devices are as complicated or more complicated than the spring wing toggle bolt and suffer from the same types of deficiencies and problems. According to the present invention there is provided an expanding anchor fastener comprising a substantially cylindrical body, a wing support member extending axially from one end of said cylindrical body, an axial bore extending through said body and wing support member, said wing support having first and second planar opposed surfaces, first and second wings each being foldably connected to said wing support member along said first and second planar surfaces respectively, the wings each having an end adjacent the respective folding connection adapted to abut the respective planar surface, when the wings extend in the fully open, radially extending condition to prevent the wings from folding any further, means to urge the wings outwardly to an intermediate position and a bolt threadably engaged with said body whereby the bolt together with the body and the wings in a collapsed condition can be passed through an opening in a support surface, and the wings thereafter spring out and engage the rear of said surface and prevent the wings and body from rotating when the bolt is screwed into the body, to cause the wings to spread out to fully open position. Such an expansion anchor is simpler and less expensive to manufacture. Preferably said cylindrical body, said wing support member, said wings and said foldable connections are formed as a one piece moulding from a plastics material. This is not only simpler and less expensive, but is less likely to cause failure of the anchor due to cutting of the wall surface or the like. A further advantage of forming the one piece plastic moulding is that said means urging the wings outwardly can simply result from the plastic memory of the folding connection. In a preferred construction said first and second planar opposed surfaces are disposed substantially parallel to the axis of the bore and said ends of said first and second wings are substantially planar surfaces extending substantially perpendicular to the length of the wings. Advantageously the end of the cylindrical body adjacent said wing support member is arranged substantially perpendicular to said planar opposed surfaces and so disposed so as to be abutted by the outer surfaces of said wings when the latter are in the fully open, radially extending condition. For a further understanding of the present invention, the following description is given, merely by way of example, reference being made to the accompanying drawings, in which: Figure 1 is a horizontal cross-sectional view of one embodiment of expansion anchor of the present invention shown anchoring an object to a wall, the section being taken along a central axis of the anchor; Figure 2 is a side view of the expansion anchor portion of Figure 1 with the wing elements in a relaxed position; Figure 3 is a rear view of the expansion anchor of Figure 1 with the wing elements in an open position; Figure 4 is a side view of a modified form of expansion anchor with the wing elements in a collapsed position and having a steel nut therein; and Figure 5 is a front end view of the expansion anchor of the present invention with the wing elements in a collapsed position. The expansion anchor 11 comprises two pieces; a plastic anchor piece 13 and a bolt 15. The plastic anchor piece 13 has first and second wings 17 and 19, which are each foldably connected to a wing support member 21, which extends axially from a cylindrical body 23. As shown especially in Figures 4 and 5, the entire anchor piece 13 generally conforms to a cylindrical configuration when the wings 17 and 19 are in a collapsed position. This is important since expansion anchors are usually inserted through cylindrical openings. As shown in Figure 1, the expansion anchor of the present invention can be utilized to anchor an object 25 to a wall 27 through a cylindrical hole 29 which is just slightly larger than the cylindrical body 23. Extending through the cylindrical body 23 and the wing support member 21 is a threaded bore 31. The threaded bolt 15 is received in the bore 31, so that relative rotation of the bolt 15 therewith moves the anchor piece 13 along the bolt 15. Wings 17 and 19 each have a planar wall engagement surface 33 and 35, respectively. When the wings are in a collapsed position (see Figures 4 and 5), the wall engagement surfaces 33 and 35 extend axially adjacent to bolt 15. When the wings 17 and 19 are in an open position (see Figures 1 and 3) the wall engagement surfaces 33 and 35, together with the axial end 37 of the wing support member 21 form a single planar surface. When anchoring an object as shown in Figure 1, the outer edges of the wall engagement surfaces 33 and 35 engage the wall surface of a wall 27 and span the wall opening 29. The outer surfaces 39 and 41 of wings 17 and 19, respectively, have a part-cylindrical surface of the same diameter as the cylindrical body 23. Because of this configuration the wings 17 and 19 fit through the same diameter hole that the cylindrical body 23 will fit and has a maximum amount of strength presented to the wall 27 when anchoring an object 25. As shown in Figures 1, 2 and 4 wings 17 and 19 are connected to the end of the wing support element 21 by plastic folding hinges 43 and 45, respectively. These folding hinges 43 and 45 are located at the end of wall engagement surfaces 33 and 35. The folding hinges 43 and 45, wings 17 and 19 and the wing support member 21 are all formed of a single piece of plastic. The wing support member 21 has opposed planar surfaces 47 and 49, which extend parallel to the axis of bore 31 and perpendicular to walls 51 and 53 which form the radial front end of cylindrical body 13. Together, surfaces 49 and 51 and 47 and 53 form recessed shoulder spaces on opposite sides of the cylindrical body 13. The rear ends or base portions 55 and 57 of wings 17 and 19 form shoulders which are received into these recessed shoulder spaces, when the wings 17 and 19 are moved to a fully open position, and are supported by the surfaces 49 and 47 of the wing support member and the walls 51 and 53 of the cylindrical body 23. The wings 17 and 19 are not able to move axially beyond the fully open position because of this support and because of the retention of the wings 17 and 19 by the folding hinges 43 and 45. Because the cylindrical body 23 is just slightly smaller than the wall hole 29, the wings 17 and 19 prevent the body 23 from moving back through hole 29 due to their size and due to their being supported in this radial position. During the forming of the anchor piece 13, the folding hinges 43 and 45 are given a plastic memory which resiliently urges the wings 17 and 19 to the intermediate position of Figure 2, between the open position and the collapsed position. This intermediate position holds the wings 17 and 19 far enough apart so that they will engage the wall and spread to an open position after the anchor piece 13 is inserted through an opening 29 in a wall 27. To utilize the expansion anchor of the present invention, the object 25 is first positioned so that bolt 15 extends through and retains the object 25. Next, the anchor piece 13 is threadedly connected to the bolt 15. As with a conventional spring wing toggle bolt, the bolt and anchor piece 13 are then inserted through a hole 29 in a wall 27. As the anchor piece 13 is inserted through the hole 29, the wings 17 and 19 collapse so that the anchor piece will fit therethrough. After the wings 17 and 19 clear the wall 27 they spring open to a relaxed position as shown in Figure 2 as a result of the plastic memory of folding hinges 43 and 45. The anchor piece 13 is then drawn back against the wall 27 by bolt 15, such that the wings 17 and 19 encounter the wall 27 and are moved to an open position. With the anchor piece held against rotation by friction with the wall, the bolt 15 is screwed into the anchor piece 13. Complete tightening of the bolt 15 firmly anchors the object 25 to the wall 27. Figure 4 illustrates an anchor piece 13 which is identical to the all-plastic pieces 13 shown in the other Figures, except that it includes a steel nut 59 embedded in the end of cylindrical body 23. This nut 23 is desirable to give added strength to the body 23 and the threaded connection to bolt 15. The nut 59 can be enclosed during the moulding process or attached by glue or the like. It has been discovered that the expansion anchor of the present invention is stronger than conventional spring wing toggle bolts. In a comparison of a steel spring wing toggle bolt with the plastic anchor piece of the present invention joined to a bolt of the same size and utilizing the same wall material and the same diameter holes, the steel toggle bolt failed at 338kg of tension while the plastic anchor piece of the present invention failed at 513 kg of tension. In forming the plastic anchor piece of the present invention standard plastic materials and injection moulding techniques, well known to those skilled in the art, may be utilized. Various types of plastic materials having different qualities of resilience and strength might be used for different applications. Thus, an anchor piece for wood might be made of a different type of plastic from that of an anchor piece for gypsum wallboard. One reason it is thought that the present invention will be better suited as an anchor fastener is that plastic is more resilient than steel. This allows some "give" as the fastener is stressed. Another reason that the present invention is an improved anchor fastener is that it anchors in a different manner. The present invention utilizes a cylindrical body 23 slightly smaller than wall hole 29. The wings 17 and 19 utilize a unique shoulder-type support to retain the wings in a radial position. The cylindrical body 23 not only provides this shoulder-type support, it also prevents withdrawal of the anchor due to the size of the wings 17 and 19. In other words, with the wings bent over body 23, the wings and body are too large to fit through hole 29. Still another reason that the present invention has an improved strength capability is that the cylindrical body, the wing support member, and the wings join to form an almost solid presentation with respect to the wall. This is in contrast to the spring wing toggle bolts which present a channel shape structure to the wall which tends to cut the wall. While the above embodiment is preferred the present invention also contemplates several other embodiments. For example, in one embodiment the bore 31 would not be threaded and a steel or plastic nut would be positioned behind the cylindrical body 23. If desired, this nut could be attached to or received in the body 23 as shown in Figure 4. In another embodiment the present invention could be utilized in connection with the invention described in Applicant's separate United States Patent Application Serial No,178,830 filed August 18th 1980. This would, of course, require a cylindrical side section to be removed from the cylindrical body 23, the wing support member 21, and the wings 17 and 19.

Claims: CLAIMS 1. An expanding anchor fastener comprising a threaded bolt (15), an element (13) threaded onto said bolt, first and second oppositely extending wings (17, 19) pivotally mounted on said element and means urging said wings outwardly, whereby, when said bolt, together with the element and the wings in a callapsed condition are passed through an opening in a support surface, the wings spring out and engage the rear of said surface and prevent the element and wings from rotating, when the bolt is screwed onto the element, to cause the wings to spread out to a fully open position, in which they extend transverse to the bolt axis, characterised in that said element (13) comprises a substantially cyclindrical body (23), a wing support member (21) extending axially from one end of said cylindrical body, and an axial bore (31) extending through said body (23) and wing support member (21), said wing support member (21) having first and second planar opposed surfaces (47, 49), in that said first and second wings (17,19) are each foldably connected (at 43, 45) to said wing support member (21) along said first and second planar surfaces (47, 49) respectively and in that said wings (17, 19) each have an end (55,57) adjacent the respective folding connection (43, 45) adapted to abut the respective planar surface (47, 49) when the wings extend in the fully open, radially extending condition to prevent the wings from folding any further. 2. An expanding anchor fastener according to claim 1, characterised in that said cylindrical body (23), said wings support member (21), said wings (17, 19) and said foldable connections (43, 45) are formed as a one piece moulding from a plastics material. 3. An expanding anchor fastener according to claim 2, characterised in that said means urging the wings (17,19) outwardly result from the plastic memory of said folding connections. 4. An expanding anchor fastener according to claim 2 or 3, characterised in that said body (23) has a metal nut (59) secured thereto with its threaded opening aligned with said bore (31). 5. An expanding anchor fastener according to any preceding claim, characterised in that said first and second planar opposed surfaces (47,49) are disposed substantially parallel to the axis of the bore (31) and in that said ends (55, 57) of said first and second wings (17, 19) are substantially planar surfaces extending substantially perpendicular to the length of the wings. 6. An expanding anchor fastener according to claim 5, characterised in that the end (51, 53) of the cylindrical body (23) adjacent said wing support member (21) is arranged substantially perpendicular to said planar opposed surfaces (47, 49) and disposed so as to be abutted by the outer surfaces (39, 41) of said wings (17, 19), when the latter are in the fully open, radially extending condition. 7. An expanding anchor fastener according to any preceding claim, characterised in that said wings (17, 19) have outer1 part-cylindrical surfaces (39, 41) substantially aligned with the cylindrical outer surface of the body (23) when the wings (17, 19) are in the collapsed condition. 8. An expanding anchor fastener according to any preceding claim, characterised in that the inner surfaces (33, 35) of said wings (17, 19) are substantially planar.

Inventors: BROWN, RUSSELL LEMUEL
Applicants: BROWN, RUSSELL LEMUEL
Application year: 1983
Main classification: F16B13
IPC codes: F16B13