IP Library › Granted Patent US 10,082,169
Granted Patent B2
US 10,082,169 · App. 15/228,833 · Granted Sep 25, 2018

Captive mounting hardware

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Quick Facts
Patent No.
US 10,082,169
App. No.
15/228,833
Filed
Aug 4, 2016
Granted
Sep 25, 2018
Kind
B2
Art Unit
3677
USPC
411/352
Abstract

In embodiments, a mounting bracket may facilitate an attachment of a first device to an enclosure of a second device. A shoulder screw may be inserted through a grommet which is mounted in a bracket, and the shoulder screw may be threaded into an opening within the first device. The grommet may have an axial through-hole with a counter bore. A portion of the shoulder screw may be threaded to mate with a threaded opening of the first device and may be designed to compress the grommet for secure mounting. A raised cylindrical section on the shoulder of the screw may be captured within the counter bore of the grommet when pressed into position and another raised section of the shoulder may prevent the screw from being pulled out of the counter bore when the screw is unthreaded from the corresponding opening of the first device.

Claims (14)

1. A system for mounting a first device to an enclosure of a second device, the system comprising:

a grommet comprising a top opening, a bottom opening, and an interior cylindrical cavity, wherein the grommet is affixed to a mounting bracket attached to the second device;

a shoulder screw comprising a knob, a shoulder section, and a threaded section, wherein:

the shoulder section comprises an upper raised section and a lower raised section, the upper raised section having rounded top and bottom edges and the lower raised section having a rounded bottom edge and a squared top edge;

the outside diameters of the upper raised section and the lower raised section are greater than the outside diameter of the shoulder section and the inside diameter of the top opening of the grommet;

the shoulder section is located between the knob and the upper raised section; and

the threaded section comprises thread that corresponds with a threaded opening on the first device.

2. The system of claim 1 , wherein the first device comprises a storage device.

3. The system of claim 1 , wherein the second device comprises a set-top box.

4. The system of claim 1 , wherein the knob comprises an oversized knob having an outside diameter that is greater than the outside diameter of the shoulder.

5. The system of claim 1 , wherein the outer radial surface of the knob is knurled.

6. The system of claim 1 , wherein the inside diameter of the top opening of the grommet and the outside diameter of the shoulder are equivalent when the grommet is in an uncompressed state.

7. The system of claim 1 , wherein the grommet is made of a pliable material such that the upper raised section of the shoulder may be passed through the top opening of the grommet to within the interior cylindrical cavity of the grommet when the threaded section of the shoulder is mated with the threaded opening of the first device.

8. The system of claim 1 , wherein the top opening, the bottom opening, and the interior cylindrical cavity of the grommet form a counter bore.