Screw holding device

A screw driving apparatus including a cylindrical tube having a plurality of radial bristles attached to the inner cylinder wall for receiving a driver and a screw to assist in driving the screw and to assist in removing a screw which has been driven.

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION 
Screw holding devices are common tools, used in situations where there is 
limited room to work, where the screw is likely to be irretrievable if 
dropped, or in any other situation where the person driving the screw 
needs help in getting the screw "started", and in driving or removing the 
screw. 
While several devices have been patented which are designed to aid the 
person driving the screw in the above mentioned situations, the patented 
devices suffer from several common deficiencies. The patents found which 
had similar objectives as the invention are U.S. Pat. No. 3,245,446 issued 
to Morifuji, U.S. Pat. No. 2,954,809 issued to Loewy, and U.S. Pat. No. 
2,985,208 issued to Hibbard and Berry. These patents have a number of 
drawbacks which, if corrected, would greatly enhance the ease with which a 
screw could be started and the convenience of using the device. All of the 
patented devices attempt to hold a screw only by its head and put no 
pressure or constraint on the length of the shaft of the screw, allowing 
the screw to be dislodged by a sideward displacement. Also, the patented 
devices hold onto the screwhead by a member that contains one or a few 
holding elements. This makes it more difficult for the screw to be placed 
perfectly into the holder in the first place, because the small number of 
holding elements are bulky and inflexible. Moreover, the patented devices 
have little tolerance as to the size of the screw that they will hold. 
Some of the variations of the patented devices require the screw holder to 
be permanently attached to the screwdriver, which makes the screwdriver 
more bulky for carrying and storage. The patents which do not have the 
screw holder permanently attached to the screwdriver require that the 
screw holder be stored separately from the screw driver, increasing the 
chance that the holder will be lost or misplaced. The patented devices 
must also be removed from the screwdriver when not in use, also increasing 
chances that the device will be misplaced or lost. Finally, existing 
devices are not practical to use from start to finish in the process of 
driving a screw or regardless of the tension required to drive the screw. 
It is believed that the invention solves these problems and the invention 
is much more different from previously patented devices than the devices 
are from each other. 
SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION 
The invention is a cylindrical tube, open at both ends, filled with a large 
number of small "bristles" which are attached to the cylinder wall and 
oriented toward the center of the axis of the cylinder. The bristles are 
sufficiently close together and stiff so that they will hold in place a 
screw inserted into one end of the cylinder. The tube and bristles may be 
constructed of a clear material so that the person driving the screw can 
see when the tip of the screwdriver is in alignment with the head of the 
screw. The advantages of the invention over prior devices are: 
1. The invention holds the entire length of the screw, both the head and 
the shaft, so that the screw cannot be dislodged by sideward displacement. 
2. The screw is held by a large number (up to several hundred) of holding 
bristles, so that it cannot be dislodged by the imperfect placement of one 
or a few holding members. 
3. The invention has considerable tolerance as to the size of the screw and 
size of the screwdriver that may be used. 
4. The invention holds the screw in perfect alignment with the shaft of the 
screwdriver and thus in alignment with the driving force of the 
screwdriver so that it cannot be diverted laterally and cannot be twisted 
or dislodged. 
5. The invention holds the tip of the screwdriver in proper position in 
contact with the head of the screw so that it will not slide out of the 
groove or otherwise become disengaged from the screw while driving or 
removing the screw. 
6. The invention is a free standing device and is not permanently attached 
to the screwdriver. 
7. The invention may be stored on the shaft of the screwdriver or 
separately so that it may be readily placed in use when needed. 
8. The invention holds a screw with sufficient tension along its length to 
be used as a screwdriver itself when the screw is easily driven. 
9. The screw and the screwdriver can be inserted in the invention from 
either end or both from the same end. 
10. Both the screwdriver and the screw are held securely in position and 
alignment by the invention, but either can be manipulated easily so that 
the screwdriver will seat itself into the slot on the screw head without 
dislodging the screw. 
11. The invention may be used in any application of a screw driving 
principle, including screwdriver attachments to electric drills. 
12. The invention is effective in removing screws as well as driving 
screws. As the head of the screw is removed from its contact with the 
material in which it is embedded, the invention can be slipped down the 
shaft of the screwdriver to engage the screw and hold it securely when it 
is completely removed. 
It should be understood that when the term "screw" is used, it is not 
intended to be limited to wood screws and that any screw, bolt, or other 
cylindrical mechanical piece which has threads may be used by the 
invention.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF PREFERRED EMBODIMENT 
The screw holding apparatus 10 as shown in FIGS. 1, 2, and 3 will hold a 
screw, bolt, or other mechanical piece 11 in contact with the screwdriver 
12 in position to be driven. As the screw 11 is driven as shown in FIGS. 4 
and 5, the apparatus 10 will retract onto the shaft of the screwdriver 12. 
The apparatus 10 will hold a screw, bolt, or similar mechanical piece of 
substantial variance in shape or length and will work with numerous size 
screwdrivers. The apparatus may be made in a few sizes to fit a wide range 
of screwdrivers. 
The apparatus itself, is a cylindrical tube 14 of clear non-opaque 
material, open at both ends 15 and 16, filled with a large number of small 
bristles 17 attached to the inner cylinder wall 18 along its entire length 
and oriented radially towards the center of the axis of the cylinder 14. 
The bristles 17 are sufficiently close together and made of a material 
sufficiently stiff to hold in place a screw inserted into one end of the 
cylinder. A small passageway 19 is formed by the termination of the ends 
of the bristles 17 to facilitate insertion of a screw and screwdriver. The 
diameter of the cylinder 14 and the stiffness of the bristles 17 is such 
that a screw can be easily inserted as shown in FIG. 4 and so that the 
screw is firmly held in place with a screwdriver or the like retained in 
the head or driving portion of the screw. The bristles may take the form 
of the hook portion of hook and loop fastening means sold under the brand 
name Velcro. The tube is preferably cylindrical but may include grip means 
on the outer surface. The grip means may include a roughened surface or 
square grip means. 
The operation and use of the apparatus 10 is best shown in FIGS. 4 and 5. A 
screw 11 is inserted in the device through the passageway 19. The inner 
ends of the bristles 17 provide numerous contact points with the screw to 
hold it over a substantial portion of its length. Accordingly the screw is 
held along the center line of the device 11 due to the numerous contact 
points of the bristles. The screwdriver 12 is inserted so that the end of 
the screwdriver easily engages the head of the screw 11. The screw 11 is 
then positioned to engage the work piece W. Pressure is then applied to 
the end of the screwdriver and it is rotated to force the screw into the 
work piece W as shown in FIG. 5. Numerous bristles engage the screwdriver 
along its outer surface throughout the length of the screwdriver which is 
inserted into the apparatus 10. Accordingly the screwdriver is held in a 
centered position so that the end of the screwdriver will stay engaged 
with the head of the screw 11. After the screw 11 is completely driven 
into the work piece W, the ends of the bristles 17 will no longer grip the 
screw and the screwdriver and apparatus 10 may be removed. In order to 
start another screw, one need merely slip the apparatus 10 part way off of 
the screwdriver and insert another screw into it and then engage the screw 
with the screwdriver. The screwdriver then may be rotated relative to the 
apparatus 10 to position the screw so that the end of it sticks outwardly 
from the apparatus 10 as best shown in FIG. 4. 
It is possible that in some instances one or more of the bristles may be 
caught between the head of the screw and the wood when the screwdriver is 
fully driven. In this event, the bristles at the end of the tube could be 
trimmed back for a distance approximately equal to one-half the length of 
the bristles. 
Although the invention has been described in conjunction with the foregoing 
specific embodiment, many alternatives, variations and modifications will 
be apparent to those of ordinary skill in the art. Those alternatives and 
modifications are intended to fall within the spirit and scope of the 
appended claims.