Patent ID: 7648319

Claim:
A clip nut comprising: a clip body including an upper arm having proximal and distal ends, a lower arm having proximal and distal ends, an end wall connecting the upper and lower arms at their proximal ends to form a closed proximal end for said clip body with the opposite distal end of said clip body being open, and a nut housing for securing a nut to said clip body, said upper and lower arms including coaxially aligned holes for receipt of a male fastener passing through the upper and lower arms of the clip body; a nut having a base and a tubular body extending upwardly said base, said tubular body having an internally threaded central bore for receipt of a male fastener, said base including a pair of tabs radially projecting from opposite sides of said tubular body; said nut housing formed upon said clip body's upper arm, said nut housing having an upwardly and laterally extending end wall at the upper arm's distal extremity, an upwardly and laterally extending intermediate wall located between said upper arm's proximal and distal extremities, and a laterally extending ridge between said end wall and said intermediate wall, said ridge including a substantially vertical face facing and parallel to said end wall and a top surface which slopes downward and proximally from the top of said face to engage said upper arm, said nut housing further including a top wall engaging and extending from said end wall to said intermediate wall with a vertical space between said top wall and said ridge sufficient to allow said nut's base to slide within said space over said ridge, said top wall including an opening having a laterally extending slot sized to slidably receive said nut base and an oval longitudinally extending channel sized to receive said nut's tubular body; wherein said volume between said intermediate wall, said top wall and said ridge's sloped top surface form a cavity having a tear dropped shaped cross-section, and said volume between said ridge's face, said end wall, said upper arm and said top wall form a nut receiving chamber with said upper arm's aligned hole between said end wall and said ridge's face; and wherein said nut can be installed within said nut housing by sliding said nut's base downwardly and proximally through said opening's slot so that said nut's base slides upon said ridge's top surface into said tear dropped shaped cavity while said nut's tubular body enters said opening's oval channel, and thereafter tilting said nut's base upon said ridge wherein said nut's tubular body moves distally, and thereafter sliding said nut's base into said nut receiving chamber until said nut's tubular body is coaxially aligned with said upper arm and lower arm holes.