Case No. IP-2018-000199
Intellectual Property Enterprise Court

Case No. IP-2018-000199

Fecha: 25-Mar-2021

Claim 1

8 is the only method claim, taking the form of a method of using the claim 1 fastener. The parties divided claim 1 into convenient integers: Claim 1 (1)A removable blind fastener comprising (2)(a) a first member having an elongate body (3)with a head at one end, (4)(b) a second member having an elongate body (5)extending from and adapted to slide relative to the first member, (6)said second member having at least one flexible finger (7)with a finger head at one end remote from the first member, (8)(c) a screw member having a screw head adjacent the first member head (9)and a screw shaft (10)which passes through a restriction in the head end of the first member, (11)wherein the restriction prevents removal of the second member from the head end of the first member, (12)and wherein the screw member engages with a threaded aperture on the second member, (13)rotation of the screw member in one direction sliding the second member towards the first member (14)and biasing the or each flexible finger radially outward (15)and rotation of the screw member in the other direction sliding the second member away from the first member (16)and allowing the or each flexible finger to move radially inwards, (17)and wherein, in use, the fastener comprising a unit of the first member, second member and screw member (18)is insertable and removable through an aperture in each of two workpieces which need joining together (19)with the head of the first member located against a face of one workpiece, (20)and rotation of said screw causing the or each flexible finger to expand radially outward (21)so the finger head on the or each finger engages a face of the other workpiece and causing the two workpieces to be drawn together as said second member slides towards the first member. 31.Claim 8 requires the planar surface of the finger heads of the second member, as shown in the Figures: “8. A removable blind fastener in accordance with any preceding claim, wherein each finger head provides a planar surface to engage with a planar surface of a workpiece face to prevent damage to a workpiece.” 32.Claim 16 further requires the head of the first member to be adapted to receive a tool to prevent it from rotating: “16. A removable blind fastener in accordance with any preceding claim, wherein the first member head is adapted to receive a tool to prevent it from rotating whilst said screw head is rotated.” 33.It is sufficient to characterise claim 18 as being a claim to the method of using a fastener of claim 1.