Screwdriver with dual cam slot for collated screws

• US 7,341,146 B2
• Filed: 12/08/2004
• Issued: 03/11/2008
• Est. Priority Date: 02/17/1993
• Status: Expired due to Term

• Current Assignee: Simpson Strong-Tie Company Incorporated (Simpson Manufacturing Company Incorporated)
• Original Assignee: Simpson Strong-Tie Company Incorporated (Simpson Manufacturing Company Incorporated)
• Inventors: Habermehl, G. Lyle
• Primary Examiner(s): Yu; Mickey
• Assistant Examiner(s): PICKETT, JOHN G
• Application Number:
  US11/007,739
• Publication Number:
  US 20050097999A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,189 Days
• Field of Search: 206343-347, 206/820, 206/230, 206/231, 206/443, 227135-139, 411/442, 411/443
• US Class Current: 206/347
• CPC Class Codes: B25B 23/045 using disposable strips or discs carrying the screws or nuts
• CPC Class Codes: F16B 25/00 Screws that cut thread in the body into which they are screwed, e.g. wood screws F16B35/065 takes precedence; joining sheets or plates using screws with two separate threads F16B5/0275, using screws with adjustment sleeves F16B5/0283
• CPC Class Codes: F16B 27/00 Bolts, screws, or nuts formed in integral series but easily separable, particularly for use in automatic machines arrangements for feeding screws or nuts in spanners, wrenches or screw-drivers with built-in magazines B25B23/06
• CPC Class Codes: Y10S 206/82 Separable, striplike plural articles

Abstract

A screwdriver for driving collated screws including a slide body coupled to a housing for reciprocal displacement in a cycle including a retraction stroke and an extension stroke. A lever pivotably mounted to the slide body carries at one end a cam pin received in a cam slot in the housing with the other end of the lever advancing successive screws in the screwstrip, the cam slot having first and second camming surfaces for selective engagement by the cam pin to vary the relative positionning of the lever to be different for the same position if the slide body in the housing in the retraction strokes than in the extension stroke.

Claims

1. A screw strip, comprising:

a beam member having a first surface and a second surface, a plurality of holding members mounted on the first surface and capable of securing fasteners having a head and a tip in side-by-side relation, with each head extending beyond a first side of said first surface and each tip extending beyond a second side of said first surface,

the beam member having a rigid, curved shape such that a plurality of fasteners secured in said beam member have heads provided about a first radius, and said plurality of fasteners have tips provided about a second radius greater than the first radius.

2. A screw strip as recited in claim 1, wherein the beam is formed of plastic.

3. A screw strip as recited in claim 1, wherein the beam defines a substantially constant radius.

4. A screw strip as recited in claim 3, wherein the substantially constant radius is between 12 inches and 36 inches.

5. A screw strip as recited in claim 1, wherein a longitudinal axis of each of the plurality of fasteners lie in substantially a single plane.