1. Field of the Invention
The present invention generally relates to rivets, and particularly to structures using rivets.
2. Discussion of the Related Art
In recent years, there has been an increase in demand for electronic devices, such as computers, video compact disk (VCD) players, and digital video disk (DVD) players. In the majority of cases the housings of these electronic devices are made of a plurality of sheet-like elements.
Generally, the sheet-like elements are directly fixed or connected to each other by fasteners, such as screws. However, the sheet-like elements are mostly thin sheets, and threaded holes defined in the sheet-like elements are relatively thin or shallow. Consequently, the interacting area of the female threads of the sheet-like elements and the male threads of the screws in the threaded hole is limited. Therefore, joint strength between the sheet-like elements of the housing connected directly by the screws might be unduly low. In addition, the screw usually protrudes from the surface of the sheet-like elements. This may affect the appearance of the housing and may also be hazardous.
What is needed, therefore, is a rivet and a riveted structure using the rivet that can overcome the above-mentioned shortcomings.
USPTO Backgrounds
USPTO Backgrounds