Abstract:
A fastener system that when assembled prevents the assembly from accidently falling out of the housing. The fastener system includes a reduced shank bolt, a bushing with internal threads and a snap ring relief, a snap ring, and a housing modified to receive the bushing and the snap ring. The flange may have a flange relief to seat the snap ring when the fully engaged.

Description:
BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION 
       [0001]    This application relates to a fastener system. Fasteners are generally used to hold two items together generally through a bolt and nut system whereas the items to be joined are located between the bolt and nut. Additionally washers may be placed between the bolt and item and or between the nut and item to be joined. This spreads out the compressive force and prevents gauging of the item(s) being joined when torque is applied to the nut. In large radial assemblies the prior art fasteners are dispersed evenly around a 360 degree circumferential area and are subject to gravity which allows known fasteners to fall out into complex areas of the larger machine. There is a need in the industry for a fastener that overcomes this issue. 
       SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION 
       [0002]    One aspect of the disclosure, the fastener system comprises a bushing, a bolt, a housing, a flange, and a snap ring. The bushing is slid into the housing and held in place via a snap ring. The bolt is fully threaded into the bushing. The bolt has a reduced diameter shank which allows the bolt to be fully threaded through the internal threads of the bushing. Once fully threaded through the bushing, the reduced shank on the bolt prevents the bolt from falling out of the bushing via axial contact of each component&#39;s threads. Both the bushing and bolt are capable of being retracted to provide clearance for the mating flange to be rotationally slid into place, while being prevented from falling out of the housing. 
         [0003]    One aspect of the disclosure, a fastener system comprises a bushing having internal threads and a snap ring relief; a reduced shank bolt having external threads in a threaded region; a snap ring; and a housing having an internal bore and a recessed bore region, wherein when assembled the snap ring prevents the bushing from being removed from the housing and the internal threads prevent the reduced shank bolt from being removed from the bushing by contacting the male threads. 
         [0004]    One aspect of the disclosure, the bushing has internal threads that are complimentary to the male threads of the reduced shank bolt. 
         [0005]    One aspect of the disclosure, the bushing has a first end and a second end, an outer diameter and an inner diameter; the first end has on the outer diameter a shoulder, and on the inner diameter has internal threads. The bushing has proximal to the second end on the outer diameter a snap ring relief, and on the inner diameter a smooth internal bore extending from the second end to the internal threads. The housing has a recessed bore region formed in the internal bore and adapted to provide clearance for the snap ring. 
         [0006]    One aspect of the disclosure, a method of assembling a fastener system comprises first inserting a bushing having a smooth outer bore and internal threads fully into a housing internal bore until the bushing shoulder contacts the housing; next expanding a snap ring beyond the housing&#39;s smooth outer bore outer diameter; next sliding the snap ring over the smooth outer bore until positioned over the snap ring relief; next relaxing the snap ring allowing it to seat into the snap ring relief; and finally threading a bolt having external threads into the bushing until the last external thread runs past the last bushing internal thread. The bolt may be threaded into the bushing prior to the bushing being inserted into the housing. 
         [0007]    These and other features of the present disclosure can be best understood from the following specification and drawings, the following of which is a brief description. 
     
    
     
       BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS 
         [0008]      FIG. 1  shows a cross section of the bolt. 
           [0009]      FIG. 2  shows a cross section of the bushing. 
           [0010]      FIG. 3  shows a cross section of the housing with one instance of the fastener system fully retracted and another instance with the system fully engaged. 
       
    
    
     DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS 
       [0011]      FIG. 1  shows a cross section of a bolt  20 . On one end of the bolt  20  is a bolt head  22 . The bolt head  22  contains a bolt shoulder  24 . Extending away from the bolt head  22  is the reduced shank  26 . The threaded region  28  begins where the reduced shank  26  ends with the first external thread  25 , and terminates on the bolt end  29  opposite the bolt head  22 . The threaded region  28  contains external threads  27 . The reduced shank  26  diameter is equal or less than the smallest diameter of the threads in the bolt&#39;s threaded region  28 . 
         [0012]      FIG. 2  shows a cross section of a bushing  10 . The bushing  10  has an inner diameter  15  and an outer diameter  17 . Internally on one end of the bushing  10  contains internal threads  12 . The internal threads  12  end at the last internal thread  13 , a smooth internal bore  18  begins and continues internally to the opposite end of the bushing  10 . On the outer diameter  17  of the bushing  10  on the same end as the internal threads  12  is located a shoulder  14 . The shoulder  14  extends past the outer diameter  17  and itself has a maximum diameter of the bolt  20 . Where the shoulder  12  ends the smooth outer bore  19  begins and extends to the opposite end of the bushing  10 . Located proximal to this end of the bushing  10  is a snap ring relief  16 . This accepts the snap ring  40  during assembly of the fastener system. 
         [0013]    The fastener system consists of the bushing  10 , the bolt  20 , the housing  30 , the snap ring  40 , and the flange  50 . The bolt&#39;s threaded region  28  and the bushing&#39;s internal threads  12  may be of any pitch and may be either English or metric, as long as they are complimentary per assembly. 
         [0014]      FIG. 3  shows a cross section of the fastener system  60  both fully retracted and fully engaged. The housing  30  has an internal, bore  32  which accepts the bushing  10 . Once the bushing  10  has been fully inserted into the housing  30 , the snap ring relief  16  (see  FIG. 2 ) is exposed on the housing&#39;s  30  opposite end. This allows a user to expand a snap ring  40  and slide it over the bushings&#39;  10  smooth external bore  19  until it relaxes back into its natural round shape inside the snap ring relief  16 . The housing  30  and the bushing  10  become one article. The housing has a recessed bore region  34  which allows the bushing  10  and snap ring  40  to slide radially outward until the snap ring  40  contacts the area where the internal bore  32  and recessed bore region  34  meet. At this limit of travel, the end of the bushing  10  is flush with the housing  30 . 
         [0015]    FIG.  3 &#39;s first instance shows a cross section of the fastener system fully retracted into the housing  30 . The bolt  20  is at the limit of its travel because the internal threads  12  contact the external threads of the bolt at the beginning of the bolt&#39;s  20  threaded region  28 . The bolt  20  can not be removed without unthreading that same distance, and the bolt  20  and bushing  10  thus become one article. It is the reduced shank  26  that allows the bolt  20  to fully thread past the internal threads  12  of the bushing  10 . The snap ring  40  is contacting the shoulder which is formed where the internal bore  32  and recessed bore region  34  meet and thus prevent the bushing  10  from traveling further in a radially outward direction. This makes the bushing&#39;s  10  end flush with the housing  30 . The flange  50  is then able to be slid into alignment. The bolt  20 , bushing  10 , snap ring  40  and housing  30  are now one article. The bolt  20 , bushing  10 , and snap ring  40  are now prevented from falling out of the housing  30  due to the effects of gravity. 
         [0016]    FIG.  3 &#39;s second instance shows a cross section of the fastener system fully engaged. Once the flange  50  aligns with the housing  30 , the bushing  10  slides into place. The snap ring  40  rests into the flange relief  51  while the bushing shoulder  14  rests in the housing  30 . The bolt&#39;s  20  reduced shank  26  allows the bolt  20  to travel past the bushing&#39;s  10  internal threads  12  until the bolt&#39;s  20  bolt shoulder  24  rests on the bushing  10 . The threaded region  28  is exposed past the flange  50  and is ready to accept a washer (not shown) and nut (not shown). 
         [0017]    Although embodiments of this disclosure have been disclosed, a worker of ordinary skill in this art would recognize that certain modifications would come within the scope of the claims. For that reason, the following claims should be studied to determine the true scope and content of this invention.