FLOATING SPRING NUT ASSEMBLY

Abstract: A fastener assembly (10, 52) for mounting equipment onto a panel (45) includes a cage (12) within which a nut plate (14) is movably positioned providing flexibility in use to accommodate a range of mounting opening (48) positions. A tab portion (28) prevents the nut plate from inadvertently being removed from within the cage (12).

Description: FLOATING SPRING NUT ASSEMBLY BACKGROUND 1. Field of the Invention The present invention relates generally to a U- shaped fastener for being received onto a panel including an adjustably positionable nut member. 2. Description of Related Art It is known to provide a U-shaped fastener that can be readily slipped over the edge of a panel and via which a threaded member may secure an object to the panel. Such U-shaped fasteners are especially advantageous when applied to panels made of a composition of wood, plastic or other non-metallic material that do not possess the necessary physical characteristics to reliably retain a weighty object by the direct use of bolts or screws on the panel, for example. Although known U-shaped fasteners are advantageous in providing a suitable seating and retaining means on a panel of non-metallic composition, they are of customized dimensions for each use depending upon the thickness of the material and the location of the opening from the material, for example, through which the bolt or screw is received. It is a desideratum, therefore, to provide a fastener for mounting equipment onto a panel having the capability of use over a range of site mounting dimension variances. SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION In accordance with the practice of the present invention there is provided a floating spring nut assembly including a generally U-shaped cage element having an over-sized slot opening in one of the arms and the other arm being arranged so as to extend back over the first arm with a spring-like resilience. A separate nut plate is slidingly received within the U-shaped cage element and has a threaded opening (e.g., one thread), which is located to move in alignment along the slot- like opening in the cage arm during nut plate movement. In assembly of the cage and nut plate, a portion of the cage second arm is deformed outwardly to obstruct removal of the nut plate from retention by the cage element. The described fastener provides for a substantial variation in location of an opening in a panel that can be accommodated by the same fastener merely by shifting the movable nut plate element relative to the U-shaped cage. In an alternative embodiment of the invention, the nut plate includes a sleeve having a plurality of threads internally roll-formed. BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWING FIG. 1 is a perspective view of a first embodiment of fastener assembly of this invention; FIG. 2 is a top plan view of the fastener of FIG. 1; FIG. 3 is a side elevational view taken along the line 3-3 of FIG. 2 ; FIG. 4 is a bottom plan view; FIG. 5 is a perspective view of the cage and nut plate parts shown separated; FIG. 6 is a perspective view of an alternative embodiment of the present invention,- FIG. 7 is a side elevational view taken along the line 7-7 of FIG. 6; and FIG. 8 is a top plan view of the FIG. 8 version with cage and nut plate parts shown unassembled. DESCRIPTION OF PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS Turning now to the drawings and particularly FIG. 1, a first embodiment of the fastener assembly of the present invention is enumerated generally as 10. The fastener assembly includes a cage member 12 and movable nut plate 14 which coact, in a way that will be more particularly described, to provide adjustable mounting flexibility. With reference simultaneously to FIG. 5, the cage 12 is constructed of an elongated strip of flat spring-like metal which has been formed into a generally U-shaped construction, one arm 16 of which has the other arm 18 bent back across it providing a slightly spaced apart portion at 20 of the two arms providing an entrance space for mounting onto a panel, as will be described. More particularly, the cage member arm 16 is generally rectangular with a long side L, a short side S and a slotlike opening 26 (FIG. 2) located on and extending along the longitudinal axis of the arm. The side opposite the short side is formed generally into an upstanding end wall 27 which is integral with the cage member other arm 18. A central tab portion 28 is formed by having three sides cut out from the arm 18 and end wall 27 with a further side integrally interconnected to the arm 16 between the end wall parts 27. The tab portion extends slightly beyond the end wall 27 and has an end portion 32 that extends upwardly away from the arm 16 and back toward the forward end wall 30 in a general hook configuration spaced from each end wall parts 27. The nut plate 14 is a separate item from the cage member 12 constructed of a generally rectangular flat metal sheet having a rectangular tongue portion 36 of reduced width as compared with the remainder of the sheet. Adjacent an end portion of the nut plate in the wider sheet region there is formed a single-thread opening 38 to receive a sheet metal screw or bolt 40, for example, in use of the fastener (FIG. 2) . In assembly, it is assumed at first that all of the parts are constructed as previously described. The nut plate is then slid between the cage arms and the plate tongue 36 is moved forwardly within the cage and passed through a suitably dimensioned opening 42 in the turned-up forward edge portion 44. The nut plate is held within the cage 12 in a manner allowing the nut plate freedom to move within the cage while confined in a direction generally parallel to the slotlike opening 26 longitudinal axis. The outer end portion 44 of the tongue is formed upwardly away from the cage first arm 16 to avoid obstructing with a panel 45 edge when the described fastener assembly is mounted onto the panel as described later. The opposite end portion includes first and second upwardly extending members 46 and 47 located on opposite sides of the nut plate and dimensioned to be located at opposite sides of the tab portion 28. In use of the described fastener assembly, the fastener 10 is placed onto an edge portion of the panel 45 (FIG. 3) by forcing the panel edge into space 20 and continuing movement until the panel edge abuts against the end wall 27. Adjustment of the fastener along the panel edge may also be necessary to bring the panel opening 48 into alignment with the nut opening 38. The screw or bolt 40 may now be inserted through an appropriate opening 51 of attachable member 50 and tightened to affix the member 50 to the panel. As can be seen best in FIG. 10, where there is a variation in hole 48 spacing from the panel edge from that expected (e.g., original design specification) the nut plate can be slidingly adjusted to fit over a relatively wide range of such variations. In this way, a single fastener assembly can accommodate a range of mounting hole locations which would have required several different prior known fasteners to cover the same range. With reference now to FIGS. 6 - 8, there is shown an alternative embodiment fastener assembly 52 which differs from the first described embodiment primarily in replacing the single-thread opening 38 in nut plate 14 with a multiple-thread tube or sleeve 54. More particularly, the tube 54 is made by a so-called deep drawing technique and simultaneously threaded with a plurality of threads enabling a higher strength use of a bolt 56, for example. Although the invention has been described in connection with preferred embodiments, it is to be understood that those skilled in the appertaining arts may contemplate changes that come within the spirit of the described invention and within the ambit of the appended claims .

Claims: CLAIMS What is Claimed is: 1. A fastener assembly for mounting a member onto a panel by a threaded means, comprising: a generally U-shaped cage having first and second arms and an end wall, said arms being separated apart at their outer ends to provide an opening for receiving the panel therebetween, one of said arms including an opening extending generally parallel to the crossarm, and a further opening in the other arm lying opposite to said first opening,- a nut plate having a threaded opening therein, said plate being movably located between the first and second arms and having a first portion slidingly confined within the cage first arm opening; and tab means integral with the cage for limiting sliding movement of the nut plate with respect to the cage preventing inadvertent release of the nut plate from said cage. 2. A fastener assembly as in claim 1, in which the cage and tab means are integrally constructed from a single metal sheet. 3. A fastener assembly as in claim 1, in which the nut plate opening includes a single thread. 4. A fastener assembly as in claim 1, in which the nut plate threaded opening includes a deep-drawn tube with a plurality of internal threads for receiving a threaded bolt therein. 5. A fastener assembly as in claim 1, in which the tab means is formed from an edge wall adjacent the other cage opening and bent to extend within the cage between the first and second cage arms. 6. A fastener assembly as in claim 5, in which the nut plate includes spaced apart upstanding guide members located one at each side of the tab means for maintaining a preferred aligned movement between the nut plate and the cage. 7. A fastener assembly as in claim 6, in which the nut plate opening includes a single thread. 8. A fastener assembly as in claim 6, in which a deep drawn tube with a plurality of internal threads unitarily interconnects with the nut plate opening. 9. A fastener assembly for receiving a threaded member to secure first means to a panel, comprising: a generally U-shaped cage having first and second arms with outer end portions slightly spaced apart and resilient such that on being forced apart said arms will automatically move back toward each other, intermediate facing parts of said arms being substantially spaced apart to form a cavity therebetween; a first opening in the first arm and a second opening formed in said second arm lying generally opposite to said first opening,- tab means unitary with the cage and cut out from the cage material and having an end portion being bent back into the cavity,- and a separate nut plate with a threaded opening movably positioned within the cage cavity and constrained for movement by sliding contact with cage surfaces along a predetermined direction,- the threaded member extending through the first means, first cage opening and panel for threaded receipt in the nut plate threaded opening. 10. A fastener assembly for mounting equipment to a panel having an opening adjacent a panel edge by a threaded screw or bolt, comprising: a generally U-shaped cage having first and second arms unitarily connected by an end wall formed from a single piece of resilient sheet metal, said arms each including an oversized opening with the two openings in alignment; a nut plate formed from a further piece of sheet metal with an opening therein including at least one screw thread, . said plate including a pair of laterally spaced apart members extending away from the plate in the same direction at one end and an opposite end of said plate formed into a torque that is canted from said plate in that same direction as said pair of members,- and tab means formed from the cage to extend from the cage end wall away from one of the cage arms toward the other arm and between said two arms; in assembly said nut plate being held between the cage arms with the plate opening aligned with the openings in the cage arms . 11. A fastener assembly as in claim 10, in which the nut plate adjacent the opening therein is deep drawn to form a sleeve, the internal wall of which sleeve is threaded.

Inventors: MITTS RICHARD K, MITTS, RICHARD, K.
Applicants: MITTS RICHARD K, MITTS, RICHARD, K.
Application year: 1996
Main classification: F16B39
IPC codes: F16B37