US PATENT SUBCLASS 411 / 179
.~.~.~.~ Nut penetrates substructure and anchors itself thereto (e.g., pierce nut)

Current as of: June, 1999
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411 /   HD   EXPANDED, THREADED, DRIVEN, HEADED, TOOL-DEFORMED, OR LOCKED-THREADED FASTENER

81  DF  THREADED FASTENER LOCKED TO A DISCREET STRUCTURE (E.G., PLATE, RAIL, WHEEL) {13}
172  DF  .~ Nut having a portion for attachment to substructure {2}
176  DF  .~.~ Fastener having a deformable portion or deforms substructure (e.g., prong) {3}
177  DF  .~.~.~ Nut assembled to substructure utilizing cooperating regions on both {5}
179.~.~.~.~ Nut penetrates substructure and anchors itself thereto (e.g., pierce nut)

DEFINITION

Classification: 411/179

Nut penetrates substructure and anchors itself thereto (e.g., pierce nut):

(under subclass 177) Device wherein the nut contains a deformation producing region which, when cooperating with a tool couple in the nature of a ram and anvil, is adapted to act as a cutter or die and move against the substructure, or have the substructure moved against it, with sufficient force to create an opening in the substructure, which opening may (a) have its periphery, or portions thereof, bent or otherwise distorted (e.g., swaged) into a recess in an axially directed surface of the nut for holding the nut fast to an axially directed surface of the substructure, (b) provide an entrance to the bore of the nut for the bolt which is to be received by the nut, (c) be sufficiently large to receive the overall radial dimensions of the nut and have its periphery forced radially inwardly to fixedly engage the nut along its radially outwardly facing surfaces and thus hold the nut in more or less coplanar relationship with the substructure, or (d) otherwise serve in anchoring the nut to the substructure.

(1) Note. The substructure frequently is in the nature of a panel whose thickness is less than the axial dimension of the nut.

(2) Note. The terms "clinching" or "clinch nut" appear occasionally in the art of this subclass (179). While the act of fastening a pierce nut to a substructure can properly be described as clinching, a clinch nut is distinguishable from a pierce nut on the basis that the former is intended to be anchored at a preexisting opening. On the other hand, the term "pierce or clinch nut", when properly applied, denotes a nut which can be utilized either (a) to pierce an opening and be clinched thereat or (b) to merely be clinched at an existing opening. Other collections of clinch nuts are found in subclasses 180 and 183 below.