Appeal 2007-0676
Application 09/803,221
cylindrical surface 26” (Ernest, col. 3, ll. 14-17). Ernest discloses the locking
element 56 is “formed” by being advanced over the threaded end 36 of screw 14
using a movable punch 88 that pushes the threaded screw part 36 through a hole in
a strip 70 of plastic material (Ernest, col. 3, ll. 72-75). Since the diameter of the
hole is smaller than the outer diameter of the threads, the strip tends to stretch and
the hole tends to expand, but because the plastic material is resilient, it snaps back
behind the threaded screw part 36, i.e., it tends to return to its initial hole size, after
the threaded screw part 36 passes entirely through the strip 70 (Ernest, col. 3, l. 75
– col. 4, l. 8). The plastic ring 56 is then sheared from the strip 70 (Ernest, col. 4,
ll. 34-35). As such, as shown in Figure 2, the screw is held captive on the retainer
18 between the head 38 and the locking element 56 (Ernest, Fig. 2).
Ernest also discloses a spring 50 coiled about the screw 14 and seated on the
upper surface 34 of the retainer 18, and the spring, at its upper end, abuts the
underside of the head 38 of the screw and biases the head upwardly at all times
(Ernest, col. 2, ll. 71 – col. 3, l. 2). The spring 50 also tends to centrally align the
screw 14 relative to the hole 16 in the retainer 18 (Ernest, col. 3, ll. 4-6). The
spring 50, thus maintains the screw in a retracted position, with the locking
element 56 preventing full withdrawal of the screw 14 from the retainer 18 (Ernest,
col. 3, ll. 26-30). As such, as shown in Figure 2, the spring 50 extends on the
neck 44 of the screw 14 between the head 38 and the retainer 18 (Ernest, Fig. 2).
Damm discloses a sound decoupling connecting element including a screw
and an elastomeric formed body that holds the screw in a pre-mounted state using a
stop and counterstop with limited axial movement, so that the screw cannot be lost
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Last modified: September 9, 2013