Lever-Arm Cage Nut Fastener for Tool-Free Frame Mounting
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Solution Overview
Problem
Conventional cage nut fasteners require tools for installation and removal, making the process cumbersome and time-consuming, especially when large quantities are needed for electronic equipment racks and cabinets.
Innovation Solution
A cage nut fastener design featuring a spring cage with lever arms that can be compressed to facilitate tool-free installation, allowing the nut to be securely clamped onto a frame member without the need for tools.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Reliability
If conventional cage nut fasteners use a spring cage with outwardly-extending tabs, then the nut can be locked in place behind the aperture, but a separate tool is required to compress the spring cage for installation and removal
Solution Approach 1:
The patent combines the spring cage and lever arm into a single integrated unit. The lever arm is positioned such that when rotated, it directly compresses the spring cage arms, eliminating the need for external tools. This merging of components allows the fastener to be installed and removed by hand manipulation of the lever arm alone.
Solution Approach 2:
The lever arm provides dynamic mechanical advantage through rotation. By rotating the lever arm from an initial position to a compressed position, the user dynamically transforms rotational motion into linear compression of the spring cage, enabling tool-free operation while maintaining reliable locking.
2Ease of manufacture
If conventional cage nut fasteners require a flat-bladed tool to force the cage arm through the aperture, then the installation can be completed, but the process becomes cumbersome and time-consuming
Solution Approach 1:
The lever arm is designed to be manipulated directly by the user's hand without requiring external tools. The user applies force directly to the lever arm, which self-compresses the spring cage and guides the cage arm through the aperture, making the fastener self-installing and significantly reducing installation time.
3Reliability
If the spring cage is designed to lock securely against the frame member, then the fastener remains stable during use, but removal requires significant force applied through a tool
Solution Approach 1:
The lever arm enables dynamic control of the spring cage compression state. During installation, rotating the lever arm compresses the spring cage to lock the fastener securely. During removal, rotating the lever arm in reverse releases the compression, allowing easy removal without requiring significant force or external tools.
Applied Scientific Principles
This section explains which scientific principles are used to turn an abstract innovation direction into a practical engineering solution.
Function Achieved in This Case
Enables efficient and rapid installation and removal of cage nut fasteners, reducing assembly and relocation time and costs by eliminating the need for tools.
Implementation Method 1
a spring cage having at least one cage arm and at least one lever arm and further includes a nut retained within the spring cage by the at least one cage arm. Application of a force upon the lever arm manipulates the spring cage to a compressed state
Data Source
AI summary
A cage nut fastener, capable of installation against a frame member without the aid of tools, includes a spring cage and a nut retained within a space defined by the spring cage and prevented from rotation therein. The spring cage includes a back wall with a wall aperture therethrough, a cage arm extending in a forward direction from a side of the back wall, and a lever arm disposed at a side of the back wall that is opposite the cage arm. The nut includes a nut aperture therethrough that is generally aligned with the wall aperture of the back wall. The lever arm includes an extension portion that extends in a rearward direction behind the back wall of the spring cage. Application of a compression force upon the lever arm, without the aid of tools, manipulates the spring cage to a compressed state that facilitates positioning of a distal end of each of the cage arm and the lever arm through an aperture of a frame member so that, upon release of the compression force, the spring cage and the nut are secured against the frame member.