Screw positioning and feeding device

Abstract: An attachment to a power screwdriver for positioning and feeding screws on a plastic tape. The tape advances one screw by reciprocal movement between a slide assembly (2) and a slide housing (1) by means of sprocket wheels (4). According to the present invention the slide assembly is provided with detachable nose piece (3) containing said sprocket wheels. The slide housing (1) has an arm extending therefrom into said slide assembly and nose piece when said nose piece (3) is coupled in place for operation. The arm has a sprocket advancing cross bar (6) at its distal end which follows a cam (7) advancing the sprocket wheels (4) one screw during the return stroke of the slide assembly (2) back out of the slide housing (1).

Description: The present invention relates to a screw positioning and feeding device, comprising a slide assembly engaging a tape or belt holding a plurality of screws, for feeding, by relative reciprocal movement between the slide assembly and a slide housing, said screws one-by-one to a position to be driven in by a screwdriver bit in a power screwdriver coupled to said device, said slide assembly comprising a pair of sprocket wheels, for advancing said screw tape, said slide assembly having a detachable nose piece containing said sprocket wheels, said slide housing having an arm extending therefrom into the region of the nose piece when said nose piece is coupled in place for operation, said arm having sprocket advancing means at its distal end, which upon relative reciprocal movement between the slide assembly and the slide housing acts to advance the sprocket wheels one screw tape step upon return movement of the slide assembly. Devices of the above described type, in the form of a unit which can be mounted on a power screwdriver or power drill with a screwdriver bit, have been available for some fifteen years now, to make the job of setting up gypsum board or plywood with screws go much more quickly and easily. Screws can be sold premounted in plastic tape for easy handling. To position screws one-by-one for screwing, the tape or belt is fed through the device, said tape being aligned to successively bring each screw into position for screwing in. Specially designed perforations in the tape, surrounding each screw shark, allow the tape to rupture and the screw head to pass through the enlarged hole as the screw bit screws in the screw. In this type of feeder attachment, sprocket wheels engage notches in the tape or belt and advance the same one screw for every screw that is screwed in. One example of a previously known device of this type is described in DE 2 541 046 (Helfer). A ratchet wheel 17 cooperates with a sprocket wheel unit 9 to advance a screw tape one screw for each forward movement of the slide housing (see Figs. 1 and 2 in said specification). The ratchet wheel is rotated by a pin 18 following a slot 19 in the slide housing 3. (See Fig. 3). This known device is prone to jamming in the dusty environment in which it is used. Dismantling the device to clean the ratchet wheel, slot and sprocket wheels to remedy this is extremely complicated and time consuming. The ratchet wheel/sprocket wheel coupling is particularly prone to jamming due to dust collection. Also an accidental minimal displacement of the slide assembly into the housing will start to advance the screw tape in the slot and will require that the full movement be completed. Another such screw feeding apparatus is known from EP 0 058 986 , which reveals a screw feed apparatus having the features disclosed in the preamble to Claim 1. Removal of the nose piece for cleaning has however not been described and the advancing arm does not extend into the slide assembly, it being mounted unprotected on the outside of the slide housing. These and other disadvantages of the prior art devices are overcome by a screw positioning and feeding device of the type described by way of introduction which is characterized in that said arm extends into said slide assembly, that said sprocket advancing means follows a cam path to advance the sprocket wheels one screw tape step upon return movement of the slide assembly back out of the slide housing, said nose piece being detachable and replaceable, respectively, by displacement transversely to the slide assembly in grooves, said nose piece having an opening to allow the sprocket advancing means of the distal end of the arm to pass out of and into the nose piece as the nose piece is detached and replaced, respectively. It is thus possible with the device according to the present invention to easily remove the nosepiece to clean the mechanism when dust inevitably has accumulated. The sprocket advancing arm is thus mounted and housed completely separate from the nosepiece. According to a preferred embodiment of the present invention the sprocket advancing arm is articulated in two portions so that the sprocket advancing means can follow the cam path, moving on its forward stroke out of engagement with the sprockets of the sprocket wheels and on its return stroke in engagement with said sprockets. It is thus possible to have the sprocket advancing means of the arm engage the teeth of the sprocket wheels directly, thus eliminating the ratchet wheel and the pin according to the prior art device. This greatly simplifies the advancing mechanism, making the whole device at the same lime much lighter and narrower, this latter feature being particularly important when using a power screwdriver in comers and other confined spaces. This also makes it possible to move the tape freely in engagement with the sprocket wheels when the sprocket advancing means is in its central neutral position. This facilitates insertion of a new tape and advancement of the tape past defective screws or screws of the wrong length, something which is not possible in the prior art device. According to a preferred feature of the invention, that portion ion of the articulated arm having the sprocket advancing means is spring biased to a central position extending straight from the other portion of the arm. This simplifies the cam path greatly, and makes possible the use of a simple wing shaped cam element since the distal portion of the arm always strives to return to its central straight position at the forward and rear ends of the cam path. This advantage over the prior art device will be explained in more detail below. Another important and very advantageous embodiment of the present invention is characterized in that the proximal end of said arm is held by friction in a slot in the slide housing said friction being overcome upon continued relative movement of the slide assembly into the slide housing after the sprocket advancing means has reached its forwardmost position in its cam path, whereupon the proximal end of the arm moves in said slot during said continued relative movement. By having the proximal end of the arm held by friction in a slot it is possible to adjust for different lengths of screws by an extension adjustably fixed to the nose piece. All lengths of screws within a wide range are automatically accommodated for by the friction slot, in contrast to the prior art device which requires a special adapter between the power screwdriver and the screw positioning and feeding device, thus adding considerably to the length and weight of the device. Said special adapter according to the prior art device also prevents rotation of the screw positioning and feeding device relative to the power screwdriver, a feature possible according to the present invention and which is particularly advantageous when screwing screws into corners. A detailed description of one preferred embodiment of the invention will now be given with reference to the accompanying drawings of which: Fig. 1 shows a longitudinal section through a screw positioning and feeding device according to the invention for mounting on a power screwdriver, Fig. 2 shows a sectional view (II-II in Fig. 1) from above of the device shown in Fig. 1 without the screwdriver bit, Fig. 3 shows on a larger scale the encircled nosepiece of Fig. 2, and Fig. 4 shows the functioning of the arm with its sprocket advancing means, the cam and the sprocket wheels. Fig. 1 shows the screw positioning and feeding device which can be snap mounted on a power screwdriver. The screwdriver bit is held in a chuck. A slide housing 1 holds a slide assembly 2. When a screw is screwed in, the slide assembly, which includes the nosepiece 3, is pushed into the slide housing 1 against the force of the spring 11, as the screwdriver bit rotates, forces the screw head through the tape and drives home the screw. The slide assembly 2 and the slide housing 1 then begin their extension stroke driven by the force of the spring 11. During this stroke the tape is advanced one screw by the sprocket wheels 4 which engage notches spaced on both sides of the tape. The mechanism for advancing the sprocket wheels 4 will be described in detail below. The arm comprises a forward portion 13 with sprocket advancing means in the form of a cross bar 6 which can engage both sprocket wheels 4 at the same time. The forward portion 13 is articulated at 15 to the rear portion 14 which consists of a rod 16 and a block 10 which can be displaced in a groove 9. The forward end of said groove has inward projections from the sides to delimit the forward movement of the block 10. The wedge-shaped forward portion 13 has a flat rear surface 17 resting, in the neutral position flush against a steel washer 18. A compression spring 19 surrounds the rod 16 and extends compressed inside a tube 20 integral with the slide assembly 2 from the steel washer 18 to the end of the tube 20, which has a hole in it to allow the rod 16 to pass through to the block 10 resting against said inward projections from the sides of the groove. The pressure of the compression spring 19 against the steel washer in contact with the flat rear surface 17 of the wedge-shaped forward portion 13 thus biases the forward portion 13 with its cross bar 6 to a central straight position to which it always strives to return. Fig 4 shows at A the position of the cross bar 6 at start, when the slide assembly is in its extended rest position. As the nosepiece 3 is pressed against the surface of a sheet of gypsum board for example, the cross bar will ride up the upper surface of the wing-shaped cam 7 since the friction holding the block 10 in the groove is greater than the friction of the cross bar 6 against the cam 7. When the cross bar reaches the forward surface of the wing-shaped cam 7 it will again return to its central straight position B and continue forward until it strikes the forward wall 22 in the nosepiece 3. There the friction of the block 10 in the groove is overcome during continued forward movement of the slide housing and the block 10 will slide backwards in its groove 9 until the screw is fully driven home. This construction with the block in the groove allows for the use of different dimensions of screws using only a slide extension 25 (see Fig. 2) adjustably screwed to the nosepiece. As the return extension stroke commences, the block 10 moves forward in the groove 9, until it reaches its forward end position abutting against the inward side projections of the groove. The cross piece then begins its return stroke moving first along the forward lower surface of the cam until it reaches point C. At this point, the driver bit 8 has been completely retracted from the tape and the rotation of the sprocket wheels feeding the tape can begin. The cross bar 6 follows the undersurface of the cam 7 until it reaches point D, having pushed the sprocket wheels 4 an angle corresponding to one screw on the tape. At point D, the cross bar is no longer restrained by the cams and returns to its starting position A. In this starting position A it is possible to freely move the tape in either direction, thereby rotating the sprocket wheels. This makes the tape easier to insert and makes it possible to move the tape past defective screws or screws of the wrong type or dimension. This is impossible in the prior art device. Fig. 3 reveals the open, easily cleaned construction of the nosepiece 2. The sprocket wheels 4 are mounted on opposite inside walls of the nosepiece with an open interior therebetween. The nosepiece is also open at the bottom and top so that dust will not become trapped therein. The entire nosepiece with sprocket wheels is pulled downwards relative to the rest of the slide assembly and the slide housing to easily remove it therefrom. During removal the crossbar exits through the opening in the top of the nosepiece. To reassemble the device, after cleaning for example, the nosepiece is slotted into grooves in the slide assembly, is pushed upwards and snaps into place. By virtue of this construction, with a minimum of moving components, i.e. two sprocket wheels 4 in the nosepiece driven directly by the crosspiece 6 on the arm, the entire device can be made much narrower, a feature which is very important especially for screwing in screws in an interior corner. Returning to Fig. 1, the device is easily snap mounted on the power screwdriver by means of a snapring mounted in a groove 21 at the proximal end of the slide housing 1. This makes the entire device much shorter than the prior art device. This is only possible because the adjustment screws for different lengths of screws can be eliminated from this portion of the device, such adjustment being effected according to the present invention by the adjustment plate 25 on the nosepiece and by the block 10 being able to slide in the groove 9 after the cross piece has reached its forwardmost position B (see Fig. 4).

Claims: Screw positioning and feeding device, comprising a slide assembly (2) engaging a tape or belt holding a plurality of screws, for feeding, by relative reciprocal movement between the slide assembly (2) and a slide housing (1), said screws one-by-one to a position to be driven in by a screwdriver bit (8) in a power screwdriver coupled to said device, said slide assembly comprising a pair of sprocket wheels (4), for advancing said screw tape, said slide assembly having a detachable nose piece (3) containing said sprocket wheels, said slide housing having an arm extending therefrom into the region of the nose piece (3) when said nose piece is coupled in place for operation, said arm having sprocket advancing means (6) at its distal end, which upon relative reciprocal movement between the slide assembly (2) and the slide housing (1) acts to advance the sprocket wheels (4) one screw tape step upon return movement of the slide assembly (2) chararacterized in that said arm extends into said slide assembly, that said sprocket advancing means follows a cam path to advance the sprocket wheels (4) one screw tape step upon return movement of the slide assembly (2) back out of the slide housing (1), said nose piece being detachable and replaceable, respectively, by displacement transversely to the slide assembly in grooves, said nose piece having an opening to allow the sprocket advancing means (6) of the distal end of the arm to pass out of and into the nose piece as the nose piece is detached and replaced, respectively. Screw positioning and feeding device according to Claim 1, characterized in that said arm is articulated in two portions so that the sprocket advancing means can follow the cam path, moving on its forward stroke out of engagement with the sprockets of the sprocket wheels (4) and on its return stroke in engagement with said sprockets. Screw positioning and feeding device according to Claim 2, characterized in that the portion of the articulated arm having the sprocket advancing means is spring biased to a central position extending straight from the other portion of the arm. Screw positioning and feeding device according to Claim 1, characterized in that the proximal end of said arm is held by friction in a slot (12) in the slide housing said friction being overcome upon continued relative movement of the slide assembly into the slide housing after the sprocket advancing means has reached its forwardmost position in its cam path, whereupon the proximal end of the arm moves in said slot during said continued relative movement. Screw positioning and feeding device according to Claim 4, characterized in that different lengths of screws are accommodated by an extension adjustably fixed to the nose piece.

Inventors: CHEN ABRAHAM, CHEN, ABRAHAM
Applicants: CHEN ROYALTY N V, SHEH FUNG SCREWS CO LTD, CHEN ROYALTY N.V., SHEH FUNG SCREWS CO., LTD.
Application year: 1993
Main classification: B25B23
IPC codes: B23P19, B25B23