Patent ID: 8162577

Claim:
A fastener assembly for fastening a plurality of articles together comprising: a shank having first and second ends, the first end having a bolt head and an at least partially threaded through bore extending between the bolt head and second end; a sleeve slidably arranged about the shank and having, in a region extending beyond the second end of the shank, an expandable portion, wherein the shank is a circular cross-section and has a region of larger diameter in the vicinity of the bolt head, and a region of smaller diameter remote from the bolt head upon which the sleeve is arranged, the sleeve being coaxial with and of the same outer diameter as the region of larger diameter of the shank; biasing means to bias the sleeve relative to the shank; and an at least partially threaded expander stem partially received within the bore of the shank and projecting from the bore at the second end of the shank, the projecting region of the expander stem having an enlarged portion; wherein when the expander stem is advanced into the bore of the shank, the enlarged portion of the expander stem expands the expandable portion of the sleeve and urges the sleeve against the bias of the biasing means along the shank toward the bolt head, so that articles to be fastened are clamped between the expanded portion of the sleeve and the bolt head and, wherein the expander stem is screwed out of the shank upon removal of the fastener assembly, so allowing the expanded portion of the sleeve to move and to collapse, thereby allowing the fastener assembly to be removed.