United States Patent
`Rutstriim
`[45] Date of Patent:
`Dec. 10, 1991
`
`[191
`
`[11] Patent Number:
`
`5,071,279
`
`[54] PIVOTAL ATTACHMENT MEANS
`
`[57]
`
`ABSTRACT
`
`[75]
`
`Inventor:
`
`l-Ieléne M. Rutstriim, Akersberga,
`Sweden
`
`[73] Assignee:
`
`Telefonaktiebolaget L M Ericsson,
`Stockholm, Sweden
`
`[21] App]. No.: 654,017
`
`[22] Filed:
`
`Feb. 12, 1991
`
`Foreign Application Priority Data
`[30]
`Feb. 13, 1990 [SE]
`Sweden .............................. .. 9000517
`
`Int. Cl.5 ............................................ .. F16C 11/06
`[51]
`[52] U.S. Cl. ...................................... .. 403/90; 403/84;
`403/ 114
`[58] Field of Search ................. .. 403/90, 115, 76, 114,
`403/84
`
`[56]
`
`References Cited
`U.S. PATENT DOCUMENTS
`
`403/90 X
`1,934,223 11/1933 Booth .... ..
`.. 403/90 X
`2,861,501 11/1958 Strelakos .
`
`................. .. 403/90 X
`4,941,481
`7/1990 Wakenkne
`
`Primary Exam1‘ner—Andrew V. Kundrat
`Attorney, Agent, or Firm—-Burns, Doane, Swecker &
`Mathis
`
`The present invention relates to a pivotal attachment
`means intended for attaching an object to a supporting
`surface and comprising a lower attachment part (1)
`which is intended to be fastened to the supporting sur-
`face and which includes an outwardly projecting part
`(9) configured with a central dished recess (10) and a
`surrounding screw thread (11), and an upper attach-
`ment part (3) including an attachment plate (4) which is
`intended to be fastened to the object, a spacer bolt (5)
`which projects out from the attachment plate, an at-
`tachment nut (6) which is placed around the spacer bolt
`and which is firmly screwed to the outwardly project-
`ing part of the lower attachment part and is provided
`with an inwardly projecting edge (16) having a dished
`chamfer or bevel (17), and a spherical body (7) which is
`attached to the outer end of the spacer bolt and which
`is positioned in the space between the lower attachment
`part and the attachment nut. According to the inven-
`tion, the dished recess (10) of the lower attachment part
`(1) is configured with wedge-shaped projections (12)
`against which the spherical body (7) lies, and the spheri-
`cal body is manufactured from a material which is softer
`than the material from which the lower attachment part
`and the attachment nut are made.
`'
`
`3 Claims, 2 Drawing Sheets
`
`SpaceCo
`Exhibit 1005
`
`

`
`U.S. Patent
`
`Dec. 10, 1991
`
`Sheet 1 of 2
`
`5,071,279
`
`

`
`Dec. 10, 1991
`
`Sheet 2 of 2
`
`5,071,279
`
`
`
`U.S.Patent
`
`

`
`1
`
`PIVOTAL ATTACHMENT MEANS
`
`TECHNICAL FIELD
`
`5,071,279
`
`2
`jections will enter the spherical body and lock the same.
`Another advantage is that there is no risk of the spheri-
`cal body wedging in the recess, therewith enabling the
`set position of the object to be readily changed.
`The advantage afforded by manufacturing the spheri-
`cal body from a polyester elastomer is that this material
`is sufficiently soft to enable the spherical body to be
`affixed over the wedges and is, at the same time, so hard
`that the spherical body need not be elastic, which af-
`fords stable attachment of the object in the absence of
`swinging.
`Because the nut is provided with outwardly project-
`ing arms which function as a handgrip, the nut can be
`readily tightened by hand, without requiring tools here-
`for.
`The invention will now be described in more detail
`with reference to an exemplifying embodiment thereof '
`and also with reference to the accompanying drawing.
`
`BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWING
`
`FIG. 1 is a perspective, exploded view of the compo-
`nents of a pivotal attachment means according to the
`invention.
`.
`FIG. 2 is a sectional view of the pivotal attachment
`shown in FIG. 1 when assembled.
`
`BEST MODE FOR CARRYING OUT THE
`INVENTION
`
`FIG. 1 is a perspective view of the components of an
`inventive pivotal attachment means. The attachment
`comprises a lower part 1 which is intended to be se-
`cured to a supporting surface, for instance by means of
`screws which pass through screw holes 2, and an upper
`part 3 which includes an attachment plate 4, a spacer
`bolt 5, an attachment nut 6 and a spherical body 7. The
`attachment plate 4 is intended to be secured to an object
`in some suitable manner, for instance with the aid of
`screws passing through screw holes 8.
`The lower part includes an outwardly projecting or
`upstanding part which is configured with a central
`dished recess 10. The outer surface of the projecting
`part 9 has formed thereon an external screw thread 11
`for engagement with a corresponding screw thread on
`the nut 6. The radius of the recess 10 is somewhat larger
`than the radius of the spherical body 7 and is provided
`with vertically extending wedge-shaped projections 12,
`which lie against the spherical body. As is evident from
`FIGS. 1 and 2, the projections 12 are elongated and
`converge toward a longitudinal axis L of the screw
`threads in a direction away from the bevel 17.
`The spacer bolt 5 is moulded in the attachment plate
`4 so that it cannot be twisted relative to the plate, or is
`attached to said plate in some other suitable manner.
`The outer end of the spacer bolt has an hexagonal con-
`figuration, or some other non-circular configuration,
`and is attached in the spherical body 7 in a correspond-
`ing cavity 13 therein, with the aid of a screw 14 accom-
`modated in a recessed hole 15 in the spherical body, as
`clearly shown in FIG. 2. The nut 6 is passed over the
`bolt 5, prior to securing the spherical body 7 on said
`bolt. The nut 6 is provided with an edge 16 which
`projects out over the spherical body and which is pro-
`vided with a dish-shaped chamfer or bevel 17 which lies
`against the spherical body and holds said body firm.
`The nut is also provided with radially and outwardly
`projecting arms 18 which function as a handgrip when
`tightening and loosening the nut.
`
`The present invention relates to a pivotal attachment
`means for attaching an object to a supporting surface,
`said attachment means comprising a lower part which is
`intended to be fastened to the supporting surface and
`which includes an outwardly projecting part having a
`central, dished recess and a surrounding screw thread,
`and an upper part which includes an attachment plate
`intended to be fastened to the object, a spacer bolt
`which projects out from the attachment plate, an at-
`tachment nut which is placed around the spacer bolt
`and which is screwed firmly to the outwardly project-
`ing part on the lower part of said pivotal attachment
`and provided with an inwardly projecting edge having
`a dish-shaped chamfer, and further comprising a spheri-
`cal body which is attached to the outer end of the
`spacer bolt and which is located in the space between
`the lower part of said attachment and the attachment
`nut.
`
`BACKGROUND ART
`
`5
`
`10
`
`15
`
`20
`
`30
`
`It is known to use so-called pivotal attachments of 25
`this kind for the purpose of attaching an object to a
`supporting surface while enabling the object
`to be
`moved to different positional settings and angular posi-
`tions in relation to the supporting surface. The known
`attachments, however, are encumbered with certain
`drawbacks. For instance, it is necessary with these at-
`tachments to screw down the nut very tightly in order
`to achieve a stable attachment, i.e. in order to ensure
`that the object will not move out of its set position.
`Another drawback is the risk that these known attach-
`ments will fasten in one set position from which the
`attachment cannot be moved, due to the fact that the
`spherical body has become clamped or pinched in the
`lower part of the attachment assembly, partly as a result
`of the large tightening force applied to the nut and
`partly because of the unsuitable configuration of the
`dished recess.
`
`35
`
`DISCLOSURE OF THE INVENTION
`
`The object of the present invention is to overcome
`the drawbacks associated with known pivotal attach-
`ment means and to provide a pivotal attachment means
`which can be readily adjusted to different angular posi-
`tions and setting positions and with which the risk of the
`spherical body being clamped firmly in the recess is
`minimized. This is achieved by providing the dished
`recess of the lower part of the attachment means with
`wedge-shaped projections against which the spherical
`body rests, and by manufacturing the spherical body
`from an inelastic material which is softer than the mate-
`rial from which said lower attachment part and said nut
`are made.
`
`The spherical body is preferably manufactured from
`‘ a polyester elastomer.
`-
`The attachment nut is advantageously provided with
`radially projecting arms which function as a handgrip.
`The inventive pivotal attachment means provides
`several advantages. One advantage is that the nut need
`not be tightened with unreasonable force while never-
`theless providing a sufficiently stable attachment with-
`out disturbing the setting of the object. Because the
`spherical body is made of a softer material than the nut
`and the lower attachment part, the wedge-shaped pro-
`
`45
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`50
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`55
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`65
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`

`
`5,071,279
`
`3
`When the nut 6 is tightened against the lower part 1,
`the edge 16 presses the spherical body 7 into abutment
`with the projections 12 in the recess 9 of the lower
`attachment part, therewith causing the projections to
`penetrate into the spherical body and positively lock
`said body in an adjusted position, as illustrated in FIG.
`2. The wedge-shaped projections also function to en-
`sure that the spherical body will not fasten in the lower
`attachment part, therewith enabling the pivotal attach-
`ment to be readily loosened in order to change the
`setting of said object. In order to achieve positive set-
`tings, the spherical body 7 is configured from a material
`which is softer than the material from which the lower
`attachment part 1 and the attachment nut 6 are made,
`for instance, of a polyester elastomer, which is suffi-
`ciently soft to permit the projections to penetrate into
`the spherical body but, at the same time, sufficiently
`rigid to ensure that
`the pivotal attachment will not
`swing when load is applied. The lower attachment part
`and the attachment nut are preferably made of a poly-
`amide material, which is sufficiently hard to provide
`satisfactory strength to the pivotal attachment.
`It will be understood that the invention is not re-
`stricted to the aforedescribed and illustrated embodi-
`ment and that modifications can be made within the
`scope of the accompanying claims.
`l claim:
`
`l0
`
`15
`
`20
`
`25
`
`4
`a first attachment part intended for attachment to said
`supporting surface and including an outwardly
`projecting part having a central dished recess and a
`surrounding first screw thread defining a longitudi-
`nal axis;
`a second attachment part including an attachment
`plate adapted to be fastened to the object;
`a spacer bolt projecting from the attachment plate;
`a nut disposed around the spacer bolt and including a
`second screw thread screwed firmly to the first
`screw thread, said nut including an inwardly facing
`beveled edge;
`a spherical body attached to the outer end of the
`spacer bolt and positioned in a space between the
`first attachment part and the nut,
`the spherical
`body being pushed toward the first attachment part
`by the beveled edge; and
`a plurality of circumferentially spaced, wedge-spaced
`projections projecting into the recess from a sur-
`face of the recess, the projections being elongated
`and converging toward the longitudinal axis in a
`direction away from the beveled edge, the spheri-
`cal body bearing against the projections.
`2. A pivotal attachment according to claim 1, charac-
`terized in that the spherical body is made from a polyes-
`ter elastomer.
`
`3. A pivotal attachment according to claim 1, charac-
`terized in that the nut is provided with radially and
`outwardly projecting arms which define a handgrip.
`I
`II
`8
`I
`t
`
`’
`
`1. A pivotal assembly for attaching an object to a
`supporting surface, comprising:
`
`30
`
`35
`
`45
`
`50
`
`55
`
`65