U.S. patent application number 17/523939 was filed with the patent office on 2022-03-03 for fastener structure and assembling method thereof.
The applicant listed for this patent is FIVETECH TECHNOLOGY INC.. Invention is credited to TING-JUI WANG.
Application Number | 20220065279 17/523939 |
Document ID | / |
Family ID | |
Filed Date | 2022-03-03 |
United States Patent
Application |
20220065279 |
Kind Code |
A1 |
WANG; TING-JUI |
March 3, 2022 |
FASTENER STRUCTURE AND ASSEMBLING METHOD THEREOF
Abstract
A fastener structure and an assembling method thereof are
introduced. The fastener structure includes a head portion and a
body portion. The body portion is movably connected to the head
portion and includes a connecting section for assembling to an
intermediate member. The intermediate member includes a material
retaining section and can be further connected to an object.
Partial material of the object would move or flow into the material
retaining section when the intermediate member is forcefully
pressed against the object, so that the intermediate member and the
object are connected together. Since the body portion can be
assembled to the intermediate member and the intermediate member
can be further connected to an object, and the fastener structure
can be fastened to and released from a target object, at least two
objects can be repeatedly and quickly connected to and disconnect
from one another using the fastener structure.
Inventors: |
WANG; TING-JUI; (New Taipei
City, TW) |
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Applicant: |
Name |
City |
State |
Country |
Type |
FIVETECH TECHNOLOGY INC. |
New Taipei City |
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TW |
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Appl. No.: |
17/523939 |
Filed: |
November 11, 2021 |
Related U.S. Patent Documents
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Application
Number |
Filing Date |
Patent Number |
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16944189 |
Jul 31, 2020 |
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17523939 |
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International
Class: |
F16B 19/04 20060101
F16B019/04; B21J 15/02 20060101 B21J015/02 |
Claims
1. A fastener structure, comprising: a head portion; and a body
portion being movably connected to the head portion and including a
connecting section for assembling to an intermediate member; the
intermediate member including a retaining section and being adapted
to be further connected to an object; and the retaining section
being connected to the object through expansion connection when the
retaining section is deformed under an external force applied
thereto.
2. A fastener structure, comprising: a body portion for movably
connected to a head portion; the body portion including a
connecting section for assembling to an intermediate member; the
intermediate member including a retaining section and being adapted
to be further connected to an object; and the retaining section
being connected to the object through expansion connection when the
retaining section is deformed under an external force applied
thereto.
3. The fastener structure according to claim 1, wherein the
connecting section has a material filling recess; and the
connecting section being pressed against the intermediate member,
so that partial material of the intermediate member is caused to
move or flow into the material filling recess, which makes the body
portion to be connected to the intermediate member.
4. The fastener structure according to claim 2, wherein the
connecting section has a material filling recess; and the
connecting section being pressed against the intermediate member,
so that partial material of the intermediate member is caused to
move or flow into the material filling recess, which makes the body
portion to be connected to the intermediate member.
5. The fastener structure according to claim 1, wherein the head
portion includes a mating stop section and the body portion
includes a stop section; and the mating stop section and the stop
section being pressed against each other when the head portion and
the body portion are movably connected together, so that the head
portion and the body portion do not separate from each other.
6. The fastener structure according to claim 5, wherein the head
portion includes a fastening section.
7. The fastener structure according to claim 5, wherein the head
portion has a width larger than that of the body portion, the
intermediate member has a width larger than that of the head
portion, and the object includes an assembling hole dimensionally
larger than the head portion but smaller than the intermediate
member.
8. The fastener structure according to claim 1, wherein the
intermediate member and the object are respectively made of a metal
material; and the intermediate member having a hardness that can be
higher or lower than that of the object.
9. The fastener structure according to claim 2, wherein the
intermediate member and the object are respectively made of a metal
material; and the intermediate member having a hardness that can be
higher or lower than that of the object.
10. A fastener structure assembling method for assembling the
fastener structure according to claim 1, comprising the following
steps: assembling a connecting section of the fastener structure to
an intermediate member; and connecting a retaining section of the
intermediate member to an object by applying an external force on
the retaining section, so that the retaining section is deformed
and connected to the object through expansion connection.
11. A fastener structure assembling method for assembling the
fastener structure according to claim 2, comprising the following
steps: assembling a connecting section of the fastener structure to
an intermediate member; and connecting a retaining section of the
intermediate member to an object by applying an external force on
the retaining section, so that the retaining section is deformed
and connected to the object through expansion connection.
Description
CROSS-REFERENCE TO RELATED APPLICATION
[0001] This application is a divisional patent application of U.S.
application Ser. No. 16/944,189 filed on Jul. 31, 2020, the entire
contents of which are hereby incorporated by reference for which
priority is claimed under 35 U.S.C. .sctn. 121.
BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION
1. Field of the Invention
[0002] The present disclosure relates to a fastener structure and
an assembling method thereof, and in particular to a fastener
structure and an assembling method thereof that enable repeatable
and quick connection and disconnection of at least two objects to
and from one another.
2. Description of the Related Art
[0003] In the case at least one object is to be connected to
another object, screws are usually used to directly lock the two
objects together.
[0004] However, while the aforesaid method is very often used to
enable fixed and non-easily-separable connection of at least one
object to another object, the two objects so connected might still
become unstably movable relative to each other.
[0005] It is therefore tried by the inventor to develop a fastener
structure and an assembling method thereof in an attempt to enable
repeatable and quick connection and disconnection of at least two
objects to and from one another.
BRIEF SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION
[0006] An objective of the present disclosure is to overcome the
disadvantages in the conventional fastening method by providing a
fastener structure and an assembling method thereof to enable
repeatable and quick connection and disconnection of at least two
objects to and from one another.
[0007] To achieve at least the above objective, the fastener
structure provided according to an embodiment of the present
disclosure includes a head portion and a body portion. The body
portion is movably connected to the head portion and includes a
connecting section for assembling to an intermediate member. The
intermediate member includes a material retaining section and can
be further connected to an object. Part of the material of the
object is caused to move or flow into the material retaining
section when the intermediate member is forcefully pressed against
the object, so that the intermediate member and the object are
connected together.
[0008] The fastener structure provided according to another
embodiment of the present disclosure includes a head portion and a
body portion. The body portion is movably connected to the head
portion and includes a connecting section for assembling to an
intermediate member. The intermediate member includes a retaining
section and can be further connected to an object. The retaining
section is connected to the object through expansion connection
when the retaining section is deformed under an external force
applied thereto.
[0009] In the fastener structure provided according to any one of
the above embodiments, the connecting section is assembled to the
intermediate member through expansion connection when an external
force is applied to the connecting section.
[0010] In the fastener structure provided according to any one of
the above embodiments, the head portion includes a mating stop
section and the body portion includes a stop section. The mating
stop section and the stop section are pressed against each other
when the head portion and the body portion are movably connected
together, so that the head portion and the body portion do separate
from each other.
[0011] In the fastener structure provided according to any one of
the above embodiments, the head portion includes a fastening
section.
[0012] In the fastener structure provided according to any one of
the above embodiments, the fastening section can be a cylinder, a
screw, a male fastener or a female fastener.
[0013] The fastener structure provided according to any one of the
above embodiments further includes an elastic element, which has an
end pressed against the head portion and another end pressed
against the body portion.
[0014] In the fastener structure according to the above
embodiments, the head portion has a width larger than that of the
body portion, the intermediate member has a width larger than that
of the head portion, and the object includes an assembling hole
dimensionally larger than the head portion but smaller than the
intermediate member.
[0015] In the fastener structure according to the above
embodiments, the intermediate member and the object are
respectively made of a metal material; and the intermediate member
has a hardness that can be higher or lower than that of the
object.
[0016] In the fastener structure according to the above
embodiments, the body portion includes a shoulder section; and the
intermediate member is clamped between the connecting section and
the shoulder section.
[0017] In the fastener structure according to the above
embodiments, the connecting section has a material filling recess.
When the connecting section is pressed against the intermediate
member, partial material of the intermediate member is caused to
move or flow into the material filling recess, which makes the body
portion to be connected to the intermediate member.
[0018] To achieve at least the above objective, the fastener
structure assembling method provided according to an embodiment of
the present disclosure includes the following steps: assembling a
connecting section of the fastener structure to an intermediate
member; and connecting a material retaining section of the
intermediate member to an object by pressing the intermediate
member against the object, so that partial material of the object
is forced to move or flow into the material retaining section,
which makes the intermediate member to be connected to the
object.
[0019] The fastener structure assembling method provided according
to another embodiment of the present disclosure includes the
following steps: assembling a connecting section of the fastener
structure to an intermediate member; and connecting a retaining
section of the intermediate member to an object by applying an
external force on the retaining section, so that the retaining
section is deformed and connected to the object through expansion
connection.
[0020] With the fastener structure and the assembling method
thereof according to the present disclosure, when the body portion
is assembled to the intermediate member and the intermediate member
is then connected to the object, the fastener structure can be
connected to and released from a target object. Therefore, at least
two objects can be repeatedly and quickly connected to and
disconnect from one another using the fastener structure.
BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS
[0021] FIG. 1 is a side view of a fastener structure according to a
first embodiment of the present disclosure.
[0022] FIG. 2 pictorially illustrates an assembling method of the
fastener structure of FIG. 1.
[0023] FIG. 3 shows some different configurations available for a
fastening section of the fastener structure of FIG. 1.
[0024] FIG. 4 is an assembled sectional view of a fastener
structure according to a second embodiment of the present
disclosure.
[0025] FIG. 5 is an assembled sectional view of a fastener
structure according to a third embodiment of the present
disclosure.
[0026] FIG. 6 shows a fastener structure according to a fourth
embodiment of the present disclosure and an assembling method
thereof.
DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION
[0027] To facilitate understanding of the objectives,
characteristics and effects of this present disclosure, embodiments
together with the attached drawings for the detailed description of
the present disclosure are provided.
[0028] Please refer to FIG. 1, which is a side view of a fastener
structure 1 according to a first embodiment of the present
disclosure; and to FIG. 2, which is a pictorial description of an
assembling method of the fastener structure 1 according to the
present disclosure. As shown, in the first embodiment, the fastener
structure 1 includes a head portion 11 and a body portion 12.
[0029] The body portion 12 is movably connected to the head portion
11 and includes a connecting section 121 for assembling to an
intermediate member 2. The intermediate member 2, after having been
assembled to the body portion 12, can be further connected to an
object 3. The intermediate member 2 includes a material retaining
section 21. The intermediate member 2 can be forcefully pressed
against the object 3, so that partial material of the object 3 is
caused to move or flow into the material retaining section 21,
bringing the object 3 to be connected to the intermediate member
2.
[0030] To assemble the fastener structure 1, first place the body
portion 12 thereof on the intermediate member 2. Then, use a die 4
to press against the connecting section 121 of the body portion 12,
so that the connecting section 121 under the externally applied
force is deformed and connected to the intermediate member 2
through expansion connection. As a result, the fastener structure 1
is preliminarily assembled to the intermediate member 2.
Thereafter, place the intermediate member 2 on the object 3, and
use another die 5 to press against the intermediate member 2, such
that the intermediate member 2 is pressed against the object 3,
causing partial material of the object 3 to move or flow into the
material retaining section 21. As a result, the intermediate member
2 is connected to the object 3. In the above-described manner, the
body portion 12 of the fastener structure 1 can be assembled to the
intermediate member 2 and the latter can be then further connected
to the object 3, while the fastener structure 1 can be fastened to
a target object (not shown) or released from the target object.
Thus, at least two objects can be repeatedly and quickly connected
to and disconnected from one another.
[0031] In the illustrated first embodiment of the present
disclosure, the head portion 11 includes a fastening section 111,
which can be in the form of a cylinder as shown in FIG. 3(a), a
screw as shown in FIG. 3(b), a male fastener as shown in FIG. 3(c),
or a female fastener a shown in FIG. 3(d). Thus, after the body
portion 12 has been assembled to the intermediate member 2 and the
intermediate member 2 has also been connected to the object 3, the
fastening section 111 of the fastener structure 1 can be fastened
to or released from the target object. In this way, at least two
objects can be repeatedly and quickly connected to and disconnected
from one another.
[0032] In the illustrated first embodiment of the present
disclosure, the body portion 12 further includes a shoulder section
122; and the intermediate member 2 is clamped between the
connecting section 121 and the shoulder section 122, such that the
body portion 12 of the fastener structure 1 is firmly assembled to
the intermediate member 2.
[0033] In the illustrated first embodiment of the present
disclosure as shown in FIG. 2, the head portion 11 has a width
larger than that of the body portion 12, the intermediate member 2
has a width larger than that of the head portion 11, and the object
3 includes an assembling hole 31, which is dimensionally larger
than the head portion 11 but smaller than the intermediate member
2. Whereby, when the fastener structure 1 and the intermediate
member 2 are in an assembled state, the head portion 11 of the
fastener structure 1 is extended through the assembling hole 31 of
the object 3 while the intermediate member 2 can only be pressed
against the object 3 without extending through the assembling hole
31. At this point, another die 5 can be used to apply a force to
the intermediate member 2, so that the intermediate member 2 is
pressed against the object 3 and a part of the material of the
object 3 is forced to move or flow into the material retaining
section 21 of the intermediate member 2, which causes the
intermediate member 2 and the object 3 to be connected to one
another and allows the present disclosure to meet the requirement
for use in actual fastening later.
[0034] According to a preferred embodiment of the present
disclosure, the intermediate member 2 and the object 3 are
respectively made of a metal material;
[0035] and the intermediate member 2 has a hardness higher than
that of the object 3, so that a part of the material of the object
3 can move or flow into the material retaining section 21 when the
intermediate member 2 is forcefully pressed against the object 3,
enabling the intermediate member 2 and the object 3 to be connected
to one another. Alternatively, in other operable embodiment, the
intermediate member 2 may have a hardness lower than that of the
object 3 to meet the actual need in connecting them to one
another
[0036] Please refer to FIGS. 4 and 5, which are sectional views of
a second and a third embodiment, respectively, of the fastener
structure 1 according to the present disclosure. As shown, in both
of the second and the third embodiment, in addition to a head
portion 11 and a body portion 12, the fastener structure 1 includes
an elastic element 13. The head portion 11 includes a fastening
section 111 and a mating stop section 112; and the body portion 12
includes a connecting section, a shoulder section 122 and a stop
section 123. The elastic element 13 has an end pressed against the
head portion 11 and another end pressed against the body portion
12. With the above-described arrangements, when the body portion 12
of the fastener structure 1 has been assembled to an intermediate
member and the latter has been further connected to an object (not
shown), a force can be applied to the head portion 11, so that the
fastening section 111 is connected to a target object while the
elastic element 13 is compressed between the heat portion 11 and
the body portion 12 to push against the fastening section 111,
causing the fastening section 111 to be firmly and stably connected
to the target object. On the other hand, it is also possible to
apply a force to the head portion 11, so that the fastening section
111 is released from the target object and the elastic element 13
is elastically restored. At this point, the fastening section 111
is pulled by the elastic element 13 to its home position and can be
used to fasten to another target object next time. In this manner,
at least two objects can be repeatedly and quickly connected to and
disconnected from one another using the fastener structure 1 of the
present disclosure.
[0037] Please refer to FIG. 6, which shows a fastener structure 1
according to a fourth embodiment of the present disclosure and
pictorially describes an assembling method thereof. As shown, the
fastener structure 1 in the fourth embodiment includes a head
portion 11 having a fastening section 111, and a body portion 12
having a connecting section 121 with a material filling recess 124.
The connecting section 121 of the body portion 12 is assembled to
an intermediate member 2, which is in turn connected to an object
3. The intermediate member 2 includes a retaining section 22, which
is radially outward deformed when an external force is applied
thereto, allowing it to be connected to the object 3 through
expansion connection.
[0038] To assemble the fastener structure 1 in the fourth
embodiment, first place the body portion 12 thereof on the
intermediate member 2. Then, use a die 4a to press against the head
portion 11, so that the connecting section 121 of the body portion
12 under the externally applied force is assembled to the
intermediate member 2 through expansion connection. As a result,
the fastener structure 1 is preliminarily assembled to the
intermediate member 2. Thereafter, place the intermediate member 2
on the object 3, and use another die 5a to press against the
retaining section 22 of the intermediate member 2, such that the
retaining section 22 under the external force is deformed, causing
the intermediate member 2 to be connected to the object 3 through
expansion connection. In the above-described manner, the body
portion 12 of the fastener structure 1 can be assembled to the
intermediate member 2 and the latter can be then further connected
to the object 3, while the fastening section 111 of the fastener
structure 1 can be fastened to a target object or released from the
target object. Thus, with the fastener structure 1 of the present
disclosure, at least two objects can be repeatedly and quickly
connected to and disconnected from one another.
[0039] In the fourth embodiment, when the head portion 11 is
pressed by the die 4a, the material filling recess 124 on the
connecting section 121 of the body portion 12 is forced against the
intermediate member 2, so that partial material of the intermediate
member 2 is caused to move or flow into the material filling recess
124, bringing the body portion 12 and the intermediate member 2 to
be assembled to one another. In this manner, the body portion 12 of
the fastener structure 1 can also be firmly assembled to the
intermediate member 2.
[0040] While the present disclosure has been described by means of
specific embodiments, numerous modifications and variations could
be made thereto by those skilled in the art without departing from
the scope and spirit of the present disclosure set forth in the
claims.
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