Screw starter

A housing having top and bottom openings is provided with an interior flexible sheet containing a cross-slit for holding a screw in a vertically upright position. The bottom opening is placed over the point into which the screw is to be threaded. A screwdriver may be inserted through the top opening to engage the slot in the screw head so that the screw can be threaded. A plurality of screws can be similarly inserted into a plurality of cross-slits formed along the length of a strip in order sequentially to advance each screw into a position which is vertically aligned with the top and bottom openings. The strip may contain sprocket holes which are engaged by a sprocket mounted in a housing for advancing the strip. The strip may also be provided with detent holes for cooperation with a detent means mounted on the housing for facilitating the positioning of each screw. In addition, a spring-loaded screwdriver may be mounted in the top opening.

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION 
1. Field of the Invention 
This invention relates generally to the field of starters or guides for 
frictional fasteners, such as screws and nails and, in particular, to a 
device for starting or guiding one or a plurality of screws. 
2. Description of the Prior Art 
There are many prior art devices which function as tools for starting, 
guiding, holding and/or positioning a friction fastener of the shank and 
head type, such as a screw or nail. Representative prior art devices are 
shown in the following U.S. Pat. Nos. 874,613; 2,716,750; 2,783,799; 
2,802,211; 3,009,155; 3,060,442; 3,316,949; 3,522,827; 3,946,799, and Re. 
28,159. However, these prior art devices tend to be relatively complicated 
and, therefore, relatively expensive. Furthermore, there are many 
applications wherein it would be desirable to have such a device through 
which a continuous strip of fasteners could be fed, thereby eliminating 
the need for the operator to insert individual fasteners into the device. 
SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION 
Therefore, the primary object of this invention is to provide a novel, 
relatively inexpensive device or tool for starting or guiding frictional 
fasteners, such as screws and nails. 
Another object of this invention is to provide such a device or tool which 
will accommodate a strip of such fasteners such that the strip may be 
advanced through the tool sequentially to position the fasteners at a 
desired point.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS 
FIGS. 1-4 illustrate one basic embodiment of the invention for starting a 
single frictional fastener of the head and shank type, such as a screw or 
nail. 
This embodiment consists of a housing 10 in the form of a hollow truncated 
cone whose surface of revolution forms a wall having a top opening 12 
which is of larger diameter than the bottom opening 14. The housing is 
made of rigid material, such as molded plastic. A rigid handle 16 is fixed 
to the housing and may be molded integrally with the housing 10. A 
circular sheet member 18 is mounted in a horizontal plane within a 
circular slot of the housing 10. This sheet member may be secured in the 
slot by a suitable adhesive. The sheet member may be made of flexible 
plastic or cardboard, for example. A cross-slit 20 is formed in the center 
of the sheet member 18. This cross-slit consists of two slits 22 and 24 
intersecting at right angles in the center of the sheet member 18 to form 
four deformable tab portions 26. 
In operation, a frictional fastener, such as a screw 28 having a threaded 
shank 30 and a head 32 having a screwdriver slot 34 is inserted through 
the center of the cross-slit 20. As the screw is inserted through the 
cross-slit, the tab portions 26 frictionally engage the threaded shank 30 
to hold the screw in a vertically upright position. Since the sheet 18 is 
located in the lower half of the housing 10, the tab portions engage the 
screw at its lower end which has a smaller diameter than the upper body of 
the shank. There may be formed in the center of the cross-slit a small 
hole of approximately the same diameter as the portion of the shank which 
is engaged by the sheet member 18. On the other hand, this hole is not 
necessary, and the screw may be merely inserted through the center of the 
cross-slit, resulting in a slight downward deformation of the tabs 26. 
In any event, when a mechanic begins to drive the screw 28 into the 
workpiece 36 by rotating the screw with a screwdriver, as the screw moves 
downwardly, the larger diameter of the upper portion of the shank 30 and 
of the screw head 32, causes further downward deformation of the tabs 26 
to permit the complete screw to pass through the cross-slit into the work. 
The length of the slits 22 and 24 is such that a circle circumscribing the 
cross-slit has a larger diameter than the diameter of the screw head 32. 
As can be seen, during positioning and starting of the screw, the screw is 
firmly held in the desired upright position over the point of the 
workpiece into which the screw is to be driven. 
FIGS. 5-10 show another embodiment of a novel screw starter which will 
accommodate a strip of screws. 
More specifically, there is shown an elongated hollow housing 40 of 
substantially rectangular cross-section and having a lower horizontal 
portion 42 and an upwardly inclined portion 44. A flexible strip 46, made 
of plastic or cardboard, for example, has a plurality of spaced 
cross-slits 20 into each of which is inserted a frictional fastener, such 
as screws 28. In operation, the strip 46 is pulled by the operator in the 
direction of the arrow 48. 
Formed in the right-hand end of housing 40 is a top opening 50 of larger 
diameter than that of the screw head. Formed in the bottom of the housing 
40 is a bottom opening 52 in vertical alignment with the opening 50. These 
top and bottom openings 50 and 52 correspond with the top and bottom 
openings 12 and 14 in FIG. 2. 
There is formed in the top surface of the portions 42 and 44 of housing 40 
an elongated slot 54 which is in communication with the top opening 50. 
This slot has downwardly and inwardly inclined walls to form a slot which 
has a smaller width than the diameter of the screw heads so that the screw 
heads are supported in the slot without falling through the slot. 
For supporting the strip 46 and permitting sliding movement thereof through 
the housing 40, there are formed in the opposite walls of the housing 40, 
slots 58 and 60 which are slightly wider than the thickness of the strip 
46 in order to permit the strip to slide easily through these slots. The 
widths of these slots are reduced in the area of the top and bottom 
openings 50 and 52 in order to eliminate any wobbling of the strip and 
screw when the screw is in position for driving into a workpiece. 
Secured in the bottom opening 52 is a circular flexible sheet member 62, 
also having a cross-slit 20. This sheet member corresponds to the sheet 
member 18 in FIG. 2. 
In operation, the strip 46 carrying a plurality of screws 28 is manually 
pulled through the housing by the operator sequentially to place the 
screws into alignment with the top and bottom openings 50 and 52 where 
they may be driven by a screwdriver into a workpiece which is in contact 
with the horizontal portion 42 of the housing 40. The inclined portion 44 
of the housing 40 serves as a handle for the operator. 
FIGS. 11-15 illustrate another embodiment of the invention wherein a 
screw-carrying strip is provided with sprocket holes for permitting the 
strip to be advanced through the screw starter housing by means of a 
sprocket wheel. 
More specifically, this embodiment includes a hollow rectangular housing 66 
having a top opening 68 for receiving a screwdriver and a bottom opening 
70 which is placed in contact with the workpiece at the point at which a 
frictional fastener, such as a screw 72, is to be driven. A screw carrier 
76 is adapted to be advanced through the housing 66 in the direction of 
the arrow 78. This carrier includes two horizontal flexible strips 80 and 
82 joined together by a pair of substantially rigid vertical side walls 84 
and 86. The flexible strips 80 and 82 contain horizontally spaced pairs of 
vertically aligned cross-slits 20 of the same type as used in the previous 
embodiments. A screw 72 is inserted through each pair of vertically 
aligned cross-slits. This embodiment is particularly useful for long 
screws, as the double-strip configuration of the carrier will maintain 
such screws in a vertically upright position. The outer edges of the 
strips 80 and 82 slide in appropriately dimensioned corresponding pairs of 
slots 88 and 90 formed in the inner walls of the housing 66. 
A sprocket wheel assembly 92 is mounted in the right side wall 94 of the 
housing by means of a spring clip 96 having a curved portion 98 which 
biases the shaft 100 of the sprocket assembly inwardly against the housing 
wall 94, thereby clamping the sprocket assembly against the wall while 
permitting rotation of the assembly. Two sprocket wheels 102 and 104 are 
fixed to opposite ends of this shaft and protrude inwardly of the housing 
through corresponding slots 106 and 108. 
A series of appropriately spaced sprocket holes 110 and 112 are formed in 
the left wall 84 of the carrier 76 for engagement by the two sprocket 
wheels 102 and 104. Consequently, it can be seen that clockwise rotation 
of the sprocket assembly 92 will advance the carrier 76 in the direction 
of the arrow 78, sequentially to present successive screws to a position 
vertically aligned with the top and bottom openings 68 and 70 of the 
housing 66. 
There may also be provided in the opposite vertical wall 86 a series of 
spaced detent holes 114 aligned along the center of the side wall. 
Mounted on the side wall 94 is a detent arm 116 made of spring steel and 
having an inwardly biased loop portion 118 carrying a small projection 120 
which is adapted to snap into the detent holes 114 as they move past the 
opening 122 in the side wall. The detent holes 114 are aligned with the 
centers of the cross-slits 20 and spaced the same distance apart as the 
cross-slits so that a detent hole appears opposite the opening 122 each 
time a screw is vertically aligned with the top and bottom openings 68 and 
70. When the operator feels the momentary resistance to advancement of the 
screw carrier because of the action of the detent lever 116, he knows that 
a screw is properly positioned for driving. Optional sprocket holes 110', 
112' and detent holes 114' may be formed in side walls 86 and 84, 
respectively. 
If desired, a flexible sheet having a central cross-slit may be inserted in 
the opening 70 of housing 66 in the manner shown in FIG. 7 wherein the 
flexible sheet 62 is inserted in the bottom opening 52 of the housing 
portion 42. 
FIGS. 16 and 17 illustrate another embodiment of the invention wherein a 
spring loaded screwdriver is mounted within the top opening in the housing 
of the starter device. More specifically, FIG. 16 shows a housing 130 
which is a modified version of the housing 66 of the previous embodiment. 
The modification can be easily seen by comparing the cross-sectional views 
shown in FIGS. 13 and 16. The housing 130 is made higher at least in the 
area of the top opening 68 to accommodate a screwdriver 132 which extends 
through a bore hole in the top of the housing into an opening 134 above 
the opening 68. A collar 136 is fixed to the screwdriver shaft 138 just 
above the screwdriver blade 141 to prevent the screwdriver from being 
withdrawn from the housing 130. The screwdriver shaft is inserted through 
a spring 140 which is slightly under compression by virtue of its being 
confined between the top wall of the housing 130 and the lower end of the 
screwdriver handle 142. 
Because of the force of the spring 140, the screwdriver is normally 
maintained in its upwardmost position as illustrated in FIG. 16. When a 
screw 72 is in position to be driven into a workpiece, the mechanic merely 
presses the screwdriver downwardly against the force of spring 140 to 
engage the slot in the screw head. 
FIGS. 16 and 17 also illustrate a detent assembly 146 which may be 
substituted for the detent lever 116 and associated elements of the 
previous embodiment. Detent assembly 146 includes a threaded hollow 
bushing 148 which is threaded into the side wall 150 of the housing 130. 
Mounted within the hollow bore of the bushing is a plunger 152 having a 
tip 154 which is dimensioned to fit within the detent holes 114 in the 
screw carrier 76. The outer end of the bushing 148 has interior threads 
for receiving a threaded adjusting bolt 156. Disposed between the piston 
152 and the adjusting bolt 156 is a spring which is maintained under 
compression to bias the plunger 152 inwardly of the housing 130. The bias 
force against the plunger 152, and thus the stiffness of the detent 
action, is controlled by rotating the adjusting bolt 156 so that it moves 
inwardly or outwardly to adjust the compression, and thereby the force, of 
the spring 158. 
There have been disclosed above several embodiments of the invention which 
also includes obvious variations and modifications of the disclosed 
embodiments. The scope of the invention is defined by the following 
claims.