Fastening device with captive, axial floating nut

Claim 1

A clip-nut for locating and retaining a nut in alignment within an opening in a workpiece to receive a screw advanced through the opening, said clip-nut comprising: a clip including a first arm having a first aperture therein and a second arm juxtaposed with said first arm and integral therewith, said second arm having a second aperture aligned axially with said first aperture, said first and second arms being capable of resilient deflection away from one another to receive said workpiece between the first and second arms with said apertures in alignment with the opening in the workpiece; a nut having a tubular body with an internally threaded axial bore in which the thread extends axially along a substantial portion of the bore and includes a plurality of convolutions along the axial length of the thread, said body including a clamping surface; and means cApturing the nut upon one of said first and second arms for axial displacement between a first position wherein the clamping surface of the nut is spaced axially from said one arm and a second position wherein the clamping surface of the nut is in clamping engagement with respect to said one arm; the axial spacing between the clamping surface of the nut and the one arm when the nut is in said first position being at least in the order of magnitude of the length of travel of the nut necessary to thread the entire length of the thread of the nut into engagement with the screw and to bring the nut into said second position without exceeding the limit of resilient deflection available between the first and second arms when the clip-nut is installed upon the workpiece.