Patent Publication Number: US-2006006088-A1

Title: Screw strip

Description:
CROSS-REFERENCE TO RELATED APPLICATION  
      This is a Continuation-in-Part (CIP) of U.S. patent application Ser. No. 10/886,840, filed on Jul. 8, 2004. 
    
    
     BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION  
      1. Field of the Invention  
      This invention relates to a screw holder, and more particularly to a screw strip for holding a plurality of screws thereon.  
      2. Description of the Related Art  
      Referring to  FIG. 1 , a conventional screw strip  1  includes an elongated strip body  11  having a plurality of equidistant positioning holes  12 , and a plurality of sleeves  13  extending downwardly from the strip body  11  and in spatial communication with the positioning holes  12 , respectively. Screws  2  are inserted respectively through the positioning holes  12 , and are retained respectively within the sleeves  13 . Use of the screw strip  1  involves driving the screws  2  by a powered driving tool (not shown) such that the sleeves  13  are ruptured by heads of the screws  2  during passage of the screws  2  therethrough. However, since the screw strip  1  is made by a plastic injection-molding process, the manufacturing costs are relatively high.  
      Referring to  FIG. 2 , another conventional screw strip  3  includes a plurality of strap-like holding rings  32  disposed on a major wall surface of an elongated strip body  31  for holding screws  2 . However, since the rings  32  are formed on the elongated strip body  31  by heat sealing or by a plastic injection-molding process, the manufacturing costs associated with this conventional screw strip  3  are also relatively high.  
     SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION  
      The object of this invention is to provide a screw strip that can be manufactured at a relatively low cost.  
      According to this invention, a screw strip for holding a plurality of screws is provided. Each of the screws has a shank and a head. The screw strip is flexible, and includes a plurality of interconnected screw-holding strip portions, each of which comprises:  
      an annular planar top wall having a circular inner periphery, the inner periphery defining a hole that is sized so as to prevent passage of the head of a respective one of the screws therethrough; and  
      a plurality of pressed and spaced-apart holding tongues extending integrally, downwardly and inwardly from the inner periphery of the planar top wall so as to define a screw-clamping space thereamong, which is adapted to clamp the respective one of the screws therewithin.  
      Since the holding tongues are formed by a pressing process, the screw strip can be easily mass-produced so as to reduce the manufacturing costs of the screw strip. 
    
    
     BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS  
      These and other features and advantages of this invention will become apparent in the following detailed description of the preferred embodiments of this invention, with reference to the accompanying drawings, in which:  
       FIG. 1  illustrates a conventional screw strip;  
       FIG. 2  illustrates another conventional screw strip;  
       FIG. 3  is a perspective view of the first preferred embodiment of a screw strip according to this invention;  
       FIG. 4  is a fragmentary side view of the first preferred embodiment;  
       FIG. 5  is a sectional view of a screw-holding strip portion of the first preferred embodiment and a screw;  
       FIG. 6  is a fragmentary side view of the second preferred embodiment of a screw strip according to this invention;  
       FIG. 7  is a sectional view of a screw-holding strip portion of the second preferred embodiment and a screw;  
       FIG. 8  is a fragmentary side view of the third preferred embodiment of a screw strip according to this invention;  
       FIG. 9  is a sectional view of a screw-holding strip portion of the third preferred embodiment and a screw;  
       FIG. 10  is a fragmentary side view of the fourth preferred embodiment of a screw strip according to this invention;  
       FIG. 11  is a sectional view of a screw-holding strip portion of the fourth preferred embodiment and a screw;  
       FIGS. 12, 13 ,  14  and  15  show radial arrangements of slits in the screw strip of this invention, slits in each of the screw-holding strip portions extending radially and outwardly from a central line of a screw-clamping space; and  
       FIGS. 16, 17 ,  18  and  19  show tangent arrangements of slits in the screw strip of this invention, slits in each of the screw-holding strip portions extending outwardly and tangentially from a circular opening that is located at the center of the screw-clamping space. 
    
    
     DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS  
      Before the present invention is described in greater detail in connection with the preferred embodiments, it should be noted that similar elements and structures are designated by like reference numerals throughout the entire disclosure.  
      Referring to  FIGS. 3, 4  and  5 , the first preferred embodiment of a screw strip according to this invention is provided for holding a plurality of screws  5  thereon. Each of the screws  5  has a shank  51  and a head  52 . The screw strip is flexible, and includes a plurality of interconnected screw-holding strip portions  6 . Each of the strip portions  6  includes an annular planar top wall  61 , a plurality of slits  62  and three pressed and spaced-apart holding tongues  63 . One of the strip portions  6  and the corresponding screw  5  will be described in the succeeding paragraph.  
      The top wall  61  has a circular inner periphery  611  defining a hole that is sized so as to prevent passage of the head  52  of the screw  5  therethrough. The holding tongues  63  extend integrally, downwardly and inwardly from the inner periphery  611  of the top wall  61  along a curved path to define a screw-clamping space  64  thereamong. The screw-clamping space  64  is adapted to clamp the screw  5  therewithin, and has a diameter that reduces downwardly. With the slits  62  formed in the screw-holding strip portions  6 , the screw strip of this invention is suitable for holding the screws  5  of different sizes.  
      It is noted that the screw strip of this invention is formed by extrusion using a composite material comprised of a plastic material and paper pulp, and optionally sawdust, and is subsequently punched and pressed to form the holding tongues  63  and to acquire a desired measure of flexibility. As a result, the screw strip of this invention can be easily mass-produced.  
       FIGS. 6 and 7  show the second preferred embodiment of a screw strip according to this invention. In contrast to the first preferred embodiment, each of the screw-clamping spaces  64  in this embodiment is frustoconical, and has a diameter that reduces downwardly.  
       FIGS. 8 and 9  show the third preferred embodiment of a screw strip according to this invention. In contrast to the first preferred embodiment, each of the screw-clamping spaces  64  in this embodiment has a cylindrical larger-diameter top end portion  641 , a frustoconical intermediate portion  642  and a cylindrical smaller-diameter bottom end portion  643 . The top end portion  641  is proximate to the top wall  61 . The bottom end portion  643  is distal from the top wall  61 , and has a diameter smaller than that of the top end portion  641 . The intermediate portion  642  has a top end connected to a bottom end of the top end portion  641 , and a bottom end connected to a top end of the bottom end portion  643 .  
       FIGS. 10 and 11  show the fourth preferred embodiment of a screw strip according to this invention. In contrast to the first preferred embodiment, each of the screw-clamping space  64  in this embodiment includes a frustoconical top end portion  644 , a frustoconical intermediate portion  645  and a cylindrical bottom end portion  646 . The top end portion  644  is proximate to the top wall  61 , and has a downwardly increasing diameter. The bottom end portion  646  is distal from the top wall  61 , and has a diameter smaller than a minimum diameter of the top end portion  644 . The intermediate portion  645  has a top end connected to a bottom end of the top end portion  644 , and a bottom end connected to a top end of the bottom end portion  646 .  
       FIGS. 12, 13 ,  14  and  15  show radial arrangements of the slits  62 . In these arrangements, the slits  62  in each of the screw-holding strip portions  6  extend radially and outwardly from a central line  640  (see  FIGS. 5 and 12 ) of the corresponding screw-clamping space  64  (see  FIG. 5 ) toward the inner periphery  611  of the corresponding top wall  61 .  
       FIGS. 16, 17 ,  18  and  19  show tangent arrangements of the slits  62 . In these arrangements, the holding tongues  63  of each of the screw-holding strip portions  6  define cooperatively a circular opening  647  thereamong, and each of the slits  62  in each of the screw-holding strip portions  6  extends tangentially from the circular opening  647  toward the inner periphery  611  of the top wall  61 .  
      The number of the slits  62  in each of the screw-holding strip portions  6  can be varied, as shown in FIGS.  12  to  19 .  
      With this invention thus explained, it is apparent that numerous modifications and variations can be made without departing from the scope and spirit of this invention. It is therefore intended that this invention be limited only as indicated by the appended claims.