Patent Publication Number: US-2006018730-A1

Title: Drywall fastener

Description:
This application is a continuation-in-part of U.S. patent application Ser. No. 10/939,795, filed on Sep. 13, 2004, and of U.S. patent application Ser. No. 10/844,706, filed on May 12, 2004, which claims priority to U.S. Provisional Application No. 60/510,708, filed on Oct. 10, 2003. 
    
    
     BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION  
      1. Field of the Invention  
      The present invention is directed to a drywall fastener for use in a friable material, including a self-drilling drywall fastener to be used in drywall mounted to a stud member or the like.  
      2. Description of the Related Art  
      Because drywall is a friable material, mounting articles thereto can be difficult. In the past, at least three methods have been used. For light weight articles, small plastic expansion anchors have been used. These expansion anchors have typically required three steps to install: first, a hole is drilled into the drywall; second, the drywall fastener insert is driven into the drilled hole; and finally, a threaded fastener is advanced into the drywall fastener, spreading the drywall fastener into engagement with the drywall. However, expansion anchors can typically hold light loads only.  
      For heavy duty applications, toggle bolts have been used. While toggle bolts have been effective, they are also generally expensive because they involve parts which must move relative to one another. Toggle bolts also have been known to be difficult to install.  
      Self-drilling anchors for mounting heavier loads also have been used. These self-drilling anchors typically are installed by drilling into the drywall with the drywall fastener itself. The drywall fastener also includes threading having a high thread height to provide a high pullout in the drywall. Examples of self-drilling anchors include the drywall fastener sold under the trademark E-Z ANCOR manufactured by ITW Buildex, and those disclosed in U.S. Pat. Nos. 4,601,625, 5,190,425, and 5,558,479, all of which are assigned to the assignee of this application.  
      Self-drilling anchors have proved effective for holding higher loads when installed in drywall alone. However, in most cases the drywall is mounted to wood support members, or studs, that are unseen by the user, and typically the location of these support members are unknown and unchecked by the user. When a user of a typical self-drilling fastener attempts to install the drywall fastener in drywall at a location of a support member, the drywall fastener is unable to drill into the support member, causing the drywall fastener to spin in place so that the drywall fastener&#39;s high threading strips out the drywall, resulting in failure of the drywall fastener and creating an unsightly scar on the wall. Even if the drywall fastener is able to drill into the support member slightly, the anchors have been known to tightly engage the support member and break due to torsion on the anchor.  
      To install hooks, holders, or the like in drywall, many consumers use ordinary wood screws. While these may appear to work initially, the threads are generally too closely spaced and too low to achieve adequate contact with the drywall. Most commonly, these types of screws tend to bore a hole in the drywall, rather than gripping the drywall, leading to poor holding ability. Unless the installer locates a stud behind the drywall in which to drive the screw, an unsatisfactory result usually follows. While the use of anchors as described above generally overcomes this problem, existing anchors are usually unable to penetrate and attach to a stud or other structure behind the drywall, and require the multi-step installation process, i.e., initially centering and driving the anchor and then driving the proper fastener into the anchor to hold the object to be mounted to the wall. In some cases, the process may require pre-drilling of a pilot hole for the anchor, adding yet another step to the process. Also, is important to utilize the proper screw or other fastener which properly fits and grips the anchor in order to obtain a secure installation. The provision of a suitable self-drilling drywall screw would greatly simplify this process.  
      What is needed is a self-drilling fastener for use in drywall that can be installed either in drywall, or in drywall and a support member, and is capable of handling a heavy load.  
     BRIEF SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION  
      A novel self drilling drywall fastener is provided for use in a friable material mounted on support member. The self drilling drywall fastener comprises a thin, elongate body having an axis, an exterior thread having a root, a proximal end, and a drilling end opposite the proximal end; wherein the exterior thread and said root together provide sufficient structural support to said body to withstand a torsion force required for the drilling end to penetrate a substrate adjacent the friable material, the substrate having a hardness greater than the hardness of the friable material.  
      In one embodiment, the self drilling drywall fastener comprises the self drilling fastener including an elongated body having an axis, an axial bore adapted to receive an elongated fastener, a enlarged head having torque transmitting surfaces therein, a proximal portion, an intermediate portion, a distal portion, and a drilling tip generally opposite the flared end, wherein the proximal portion has a threaded exterior having a root, a crest diameter, and a thread height, the intermediate portion has a threaded exterior having a root, a crest diameter substantially smaller than the crest diameter of the proximal portion, and a thread height substantially smaller than the thread height of the proximal portion, and the distal portion has a threaded exterior with a root that tapers toward the drilling tip, a crest diameter substantially smaller than the crest diameter of the proximal portion, and a thread height substantially smaller than the thread height of the proximal portion.  
      A method is provided for installing a self drilling fastener in a friable material and a substrate adjacent thereto, the substrate having a hardness greater than the hardness of the friable material. The method comprises the steps of providing an anchor comprised of thin-walled, elongate body having an axis, an exterior thread having a root, a proximal end, and a drilling end opposite the proximal end; and applying a torsion force to said fastener to drive the drilling end through the friable material and into the substrate, wherein the exterior thread and said root together provide sufficient structural support to said body for said body to withstand such torsion force.  
      A method of making a self drilling drywall fastener is also provided having the steps of providing a mold having a cavity with an enlarged head, a proximal section, an intermediate section, a distal section, a second end generally opposite said head; said proximal section having interior threading with a root, a crest diameter, and a thread height; said intermediate section having interior threading with a root, a crest diameter substantially smaller than said crest diameter of said proximal section, and a thread height substantially smaller than said thread height of said proximal section; and said distal section having a root that tapers toward said second end, a crest diameter substantially smaller than said crest diameter of said proximal section, and a thread height substantially smaller than said thread height of said proximal section; feeding molten material into said cavity; setting said molten material to form said anchor; and removing said self drilling fastener from said mold.  
      These and other features and advantages are evident from the following description of the present invention, with reference to the accompanying drawings. 
    
    
     BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE SEVERAL VIEWS OF THE DRAWINGS  
       FIG. 1  is a perspective view of a self drilling drywall fastener according to the present invention.  
       FIG. 2  is a side view of the self drilling drywall fastener of  FIG. 1 .  
       FIG. 3  is a side view of the self drilling drywall fastener, rotated 90° from the view of  FIG. 2 .  
       FIG. 4  is a top view of the self drilling drywall fastener.  
       FIG. 5  is a bottom view of the self drilling drywall fastener.  
    
    
     DETAILED DESCRIPTION  
      Referring to  FIGS. 1-5 , a novel self-drilling drywall fastener  10  is shown. Here, drywall fastener  10  is described in its general aspects and then, below, with respect to several exemplary embodiments, including the break-off tip embodiment shown in  FIGS. 1-5 .  
      Drywall fastener  10  is for use in a friable material, such as drywall, mounted on a member, such as a support member or stud, the novel drywall fastener  10  having an elongated body  12  with an axis  6 , an enlarged head  14  having torque transmitting surfaces  15  therein, a proximal portion  18  proximate enlarged head  14 , an intermediate portion  20 , a distal portion  22 , and a drilling tip  16  generally opposite enlarged head  14 , wherein proximal portion  18  has a threaded exterior, such as drywall gripping threading  19 , having a root  26 , a crest  27  with a crest diameter DC, and a thread height DH, intermediate portion  20  has a threaded exterior, such as member gripping threading  21 , having a root  28 , a crest  29  with a crest diameter MC substantially smaller than drywall gripping threading crest diameter DC, and a thread height MH substantially smaller than drywall gripping thread height DH, and distal portion  22  has a threaded exterior, such as drilling threading  23 , having a root  30  that tapers toward drilling tip  16 , a crest  31  with a crest diameter TC substantially smaller than drywall gripping threading crest diameter DC, and a thread height TH substantially smaller than drywall gripping thread height DH.  
      Drywall fastener  10  is for driving into drywall for mounting an article to drywall. Drywall fastener  10  can be used in a manner similar to traditional fasteners when it is being installed in drywall. However, drywall fastener  10  includes features that allow drywall fastener  10  increase the amount of load that the friable material can withstand, and also allow drywall fastener  10  to penetrate and engage in a support member, such as a wood support stud, and that provide added strength to withstand the large forces of driving drywall fastener  10  into drywall and support member.  
      The friable material can be one of several friable materials used in construction wherein it is desired to mount an article to the friable material in order to increase the amount of load that the friable material can withstand. An example of the friable material is gypsum based drywall, such as the gypsum drywall sold under the trademark SHEETROCK by United States Gypsum. Drywall typically has a thickness T of ½ inch or ⅝ inch, but it can be obtained in other thicknesses, such as ⅜ inch.  
      Typically, friable materials such as drywall are mounted to a member, such as a wood structural support member, plywood, or another friable material, such as another layer of drywall. The member can be a support member, such as a wood support member, for example a 2×4 stud or the like, evenly spaced from other wood studs, e.g. every 16 inches, or a metal support member, such as a steel support stud. Support members are substantially more resistant to pullout than drywall because they are much less likely to break apart. Although drywall fastener  10  can be used on drywall mounted to another sheet of drywall, or other friable materials, the present invention will be described for use with support members such as a wood support stud.  
      Drywall fastener  10  can have different lengths to accommodate different thicknesses of article to be mounted to the drywall. Drywall fastener  10  is designed so that it can be used if the article is relatively thin or relatively thick, in which case drywall fastener  10  may have a greater length to achieve full engagement with the drywall. Ideally, the length of drywall fastener  10  is selected to limit the depth of embedment in the stud or other support member, thereby reducing the associated installation torque, and drive time, so that a user can install a plurality of drywall fasteners  10  in a relatively short period of time with a minimum of effort.  
      Distal Portion  
      Turning back to  FIGS. 1-3 , distal portion  22  allows drywall fastener  10  to drill through drywall and support member as it may be driven manually by a user so that a separate pre-drilling step is not needed. Distal portion  22  includes a drilling tip  16 , and in one embodiment, shown in  FIG. 2 , drilling tip  16  is generally conical in shape and is coaxial with body  12  so that drilling tip  16  comes to point  46  at body axis  6 . The drilling tip  16  includes a sharp point  46  to quickly engage and penetrate the surface of the drywall and the front surface of the stud or support member.  
      Distal portion  22  includes a threaded exterior having drilling threading  23  disposed on distal portion  22  for engaging drywall and support member. Drilling threading  23  includes a root  30  and a crest  31  having a crest diameter TC substantially smaller than drywall gripping threading crest diameter DC, and a thread height TH substantially smaller than drywall gripping thread height DH. Drilling thread height TH is also small enough so that the installation torque into the support member may be achieved manually by the typical user so that drywall fastener  10  can be driven into the support member. Threading  23  can also include a radius of curvature between the base of the thread  23  and root  30 , to prevent the formation of stress concentrations at base of thread  23 .  
      Continuing with  FIGS. 2 and 3 , drilling threading root  30  tapers from intermediate portion  20  toward drilling tip  16  so that the cross sectional area of drilling threading root  30  proximate drilling tip  16  is reduced with respect to the cross sectional area at intermediate portion  20 . Thread height TH of drilling threading  23  remains substantially constant along the length of distal portion  22 . However, because root  30  is relatively small, particularly at drilling tip  16 , thread height TH can be larger, for example larger than thread height MH of member gripping threading  21 , because the small root  30  allows a larger thread height without an overly large crest diameter TC.  
      Distal portion threading  23  and intermediate portion threading  21  engage drywall and drive drywall fastener  10  through drywal. If drywall fastener  10  is driven into a location wherein a support member is located behind drywall, drilling tip  16  hits support member, and if support member is relatively hard with respect to drywall , e.g. a wood support stud, then drywall fastener  10  typically spins within drywall without axially advancing into support member  10 , referred to herein as stalling. As drywall fastener  10  stalls, distal portion threading  23  and intermediate portion threading  21  drill a hole of a predetermined size in drywall while drilling tip  16  drills into support member. Eventually drilling tip  16  drills to a depth into support member, usually between about ⅛ inch and about ¼ inch, that allows distal portion threading  23  to engage support member and begin pulling drywall fastener  10  through support member and drywall so that drywall gripping threading  19  can engage drywall.  
      It has been found that the size of the hole drilled into drywall by intermediate portion threading  21  is important in the grip created between drywall and drywall gripping threading  19 , particularly if drywall fastener  10  is driven into drywall only. It has been found that for drywall threading having a crest diameter of about ½ inch, it is ideal for the hole drilled in the drywall to have a diameter of about ¼ inch. Therefore, distal portion  22  is designed to drill out a hole in drywall that generally maximizes to the extent practically attainable the pullout strength of drywall fastener  10  in drywall.  
      Continuing with  FIG. 2 , distal portion  22  can include at least one wing  54  that protrudes radially outwardly from distal portion  22  to ream out drywall to form a hole having a predetermined diameter selected to maximize pullout strength in drywall, particularly when drywall fastener  10  is driven into drywall only, with no support member behind the installation location. The wing  54  may extend to a distance from axis  6  that is approximately equal to the root radius of proximal portion  18  near head  14 , wherein the root radius is half of the root diameter. Wings  54  are designed to break away when they hit support member so that wings  54  do not ream out support member, but only ream out drywall.  
      In the embodiment shown in  FIG. 2 , distal portion  22  includes a pair of wings  54  that protrude radially outwardly from distal portion  22 . Wings  54  are evenly spaced around the perimeter of distal portion  22  so each of a pair of wings  54  are about 180° apart. Wings  54  protrude radially outwardly so that a width across wings  54  is approximately equal to root diameter of proximal portion  18  near head  14 . If the hole reamed out by wings  54  be approximately equal to root diameter, the wings  54  ream out only as much drywall as is necessary, leaving behind a maximum amount of drywall for engagement with drywall gripping threading  19 .  
      If, when drilling tip  16  hits support member, there is a momentary stall as drilling tip  16  drills into support member, as described above, the threading on drywall fastener  10  may begin to strip away a portion of the drywall. For this reason, it is important that drilling threading  23  engage support member and that distal portion  22  drill into support member quickly so that drywall fastener  10  does not excessively strip out drywall before being driven forward. Drilling threading  23  extends to an axial position that is as close to drilling tip  16  as possible so that drilling threading  23  can more quickly engage with support member. In one embodiment, drilling threading  23  extends substantially to said drilling tip  16  so that a lead of drilling threading  23 , is axially spaced from drill tip point  46  by between about 0 inches, wherein drilling threading  23  extends substantially all the way to drilling tip  16 , and about 0.06 inch. Ideally, the drilling threading  23  extends all the way to drilling tip  16 , i.e. no space between tip point  46  and lead, however, it has been found that for a drilling tip that comes to a point, wherein the root essentially has a diameter of 0 inches, the drilling threading actually becomes axial, which can make it difficult for the drilling threading to engage support member. For this reason, the lead of drilling threading  23  can be spaced slightly from drilling tip  16 , e.g. at about 0.02 inch.  
      Continuing with  FIGS. 1 and 2 , external threading  23  of distal portion  22  can include two generally helical threads arranged in a double helix. The double helix configuration of threads provides added support around distal portion  22  to help prevent distal portion  22  from collapsing due to the torsional forces of driving drywall fastener  10  into support member. Double helix threads also provide balanced driving into support member and faster engagement of drilling tip  16  with support member. In addition, the double lead threads extend to an axial position proximate to drilling tip  16  so that drywall fastener  10  can quickly engage and drill into support member.  
      Each thread of the double helix may have substantially the same pitch so that one of the threads does not overtake the other. The second thread may be spaced axially from first thread by approximately half the pitch of threads, ′, i.e. about 0.1 inch for a pitch of about 0.2 inch, so that at every axial position along distal portion  22 , there is a thread on either side providing structural support. The threads of double helix may have substantially the same thread height.  
      A first thread of the double helix may continue as a thread  21  on intermediate portion  20  while a second thread is only present on distal portion  22 . Both threads can also continue in a double helix on intermediate portion  20  (not shown) to provide structural support for intermediate portion  20  as well as distal portion  22 . If second thread is extended onto intermediate portion  20 , it provides improved grip with the support member.  
      Intermediate Portion  
      Returning to  FIGS. 2 and 3 , member gripping threading  21  is disposed on intermediate portion  20  and includes a root  28  and a crest  29  having a crest diameter MC substantially smaller than drywall gripping threading crest diameter DC. In the embodiment shown in  FIG. 2 , root  28  of intermediate portion  20  may taper slightly toward distal portion  22  so that the torque required to install drywall fastener  10  will be minimized, particularly in wood support members, because it allows the root diameter and crest diameter MC of intermediate portion  20  to be smaller. In one embodiment, member gripping threading root  28  tapers at an angle of between about ½ degree and about 4 degrees, and in one embodiment, about 2¼ degreeS.  
      The largest crest diameter MC of intermediate portion  20  may be selected to maximize the gripping between drywall gripping threading  19  and drywall, particularly when drywall fastener  10  is to be installed in drywall only. For example, for a drywall fastener  10  to have a drywall gripping threading crest diameter DC of about ½ inch, it is desired that the largest member gripping crest diameter MC be about ¼ inch or smaller.  
      In contrast to drywall gripping threading  19 , described below, member gripping threading  21  has a thread height MH that is substantially smaller than the thread height DH of drywall gripping threading  19 . The crest diameter MC of intermediate portion  20  is also substantially smaller than the crest diameter DC of proximal portion  18  so that the required installation torque in a support member, such as a wood stud, is not excessive. The crest diameter MC and thread height MH of member gripping threading  21  may be selected so that it is small enough that it does not scar or tear drywall when drywall fastener  10  stalls when drilling into support member, described above, and so that member gripping threading  21  does not engage drywall during stalling, which could jack drywall away from support member.  
      Although larger thread heights MH, TH of intermediate portion  20  and distal portion  22  would result in higher pullout strength within support member, it would also greatly increase the torque required to drive drywall fastener  10  into wood or other support member materials, making it difficult for a user to install drywall fastener  10 , particularly with a hand-driven screwdriver. Therefore, thread height MH, TH should be chosen to allow for an acceptable torque in the event that some part of the intermediate portion  20  is driven into support member.  
      In the embodiment shown in  FIG. 1 , threading  21  of intermediate portion  20  is one generally helical thread  21  and is a continuation of drilling thread and extends on to drywall engaging thread  19  (described below). External threading  21  of intermediate portion  20  can also be a double helix similar to the double helix shown in distal portion  22  to provide added structural support on intermediate portion  20 . Intermediate threading  21  can also have a radius of curvature between the base of thread  21  and root  28  to prevent the formation of stress concentration along the base of thread  21 .  
      The combined length of intermediate portion  20  and distal portion  22  is larger than the thickness of the drywall so that when drywall fastener  10  stalls before beginning to drill into support member, the larger crested threading  19  of proximal portion  18  (described below) is not engaged with drywall, which would tend to strip out the drywall. This length should also be long enough so that distal portion  22  completes its drilling of drywall before drywall gripping threading  19  begins to engage drywall, particularly when drywall fastener  10  is driven into drywall only. This is desirable because drilling into a material tends axially advance through the material substantially slower than driving through the material with threading. For example, drywall fastener  10  is driven axially through drywall by drywall gripping threading  19  much faster than drywall fastener  10  can drill into drywall. If the drilling step is not completed before drywall gripping threading  19  begins to engage drywall, it is likely that drywall gripping threading  19  will strip out drywall rather than drive drywall fastener  10  through it. Additionally, it is important to properly proportion the lengths of intermediate portion  20  and distal portion  22  to the installation torques required to drive drywall fastener  10 , particularly into support member.  
      Proximal Position  
      Returning to  FIGS. 1-4 , proximal portion  18  includes an exterior thread for engagement with drywall when drywall fastener  10  is installed so that the load of an article (e.g., if the article is a hook or holder, the load to be suspended or supported by the hook or holder) to be held by the fastener will be supported by drywall, particularly if drywall fastener  10  is driven into drywall only. Drywall gripping threading  19  taps a mating thread in drywall so that an engagement between drywall gripping threading  19  and drywall is accomplished. The threaded exterior includes threading  19  disposed on proximal portion  18  having a crest  27  with a crest diameter DC and a root  26 . Drywall gripping threading  19  is high threading wherein the distance between crest  27  and root  26 , or the thread height DH, is large relative to member gripping threading  21  and drilling threading  23 . High drywall gripping threading  19  helps to maximize the surface area of drywall gripping threading  19  encountered by drywall, increasing the pullout strength. The thread height DH of drywall gripping threading  19  is substantially larger than the thread heights MH, TH of member gripping threading  21  and drilling threading  23 , which provides for higher pullout strength in drywall. The diameter DC of drywall gripping threading crest  27  can remain essentially the same along the entire length of proximal portion  18 . In one embodiment, the diameter DC of crest  27  is at least twice the diameter of root  26 .  
      Turning to  FIG. 5 , approximately ¾ of a turn of drywall gripping threading  19  may be engaged behind drywall so that drywall engaging threading engages the paper on the rear surface of drywall. Engaging paper on drywall rear surface is particularly desirable when driving drywall fastener  10  into drywall only, because it has been found that engagement with the paper provides a substantial portion of the grip between drywall fastener  10  and drywall. Drywall gripping threading  19  is not intended to be driven into support member because the high drywall gripping threading  19  would require a very high torque to drive drywall fastener  10  into support member.  
      Returning to  FIGS. 2 and 3 , the root  26  of proximal portion  18  can be tapered toward intermediate portion  2 , and so that the diameter of root  26  at the top of proximal portion  18  is larger than the diameter of root  26  at the bottom of proximal portion  18 . In the embodiment shown in  FIG. 2 , tapered root  26  of proximal portion  18  and tapered root  28  of intermediate portion  20  are generally continuous and taper at approximately the same angle.  
      In the embodiment shown in  FIGS. 1-3 , exterior threading  19  of proximal portion  18  is one thread  19  that is a continuation of member gripping thread  21 , except that drywall gripping threading  19  has a substantially larger crest diameter DC and a substantially larger thread height DH than the crest diameter MC and thread height MH of intermediate portion  20 . In one embodiment, crest diameter DC of proximal portion  18  is about twice the crest diameter MC of intermediate portion  20 .  
      There may be a transition zone between intermediate portion  20  and proximal portion  18  wherein the crest diameter and thread height enlarge from member gripping thread  21  to drywall gripping thread  19 . In one embodiment, the transition zone extends for about ¾ of a thread turn. Drywall gripping threading  19  is generally helical, as best shown in  FIG. 1 . Drywall gripping threading  19  can also be a double helix of two threads, as described above, wherein one of the threads of the double helix can be a fine thread having a substantially smaller thread height than the thread height DH of drywall gripping thread  19 . This second thread would provide added strength to drywall fastener  10 . Drywall gripping thread  19  can also include a radius of curvature between the base of the thread  19  and root  26  to minimize stress concentration at the base of drywall thread  19 .  
      The length of proximal portion  18 , including head  14 , may be slightly larger than the thickness T of drywall, as shown in  FIG. 4 , so that there is a portion of drywall gripping threading  19  behind drywall rear surface to engage rear surface paper. The length DL of proximal portion  18  may be selected to balance the length of drywall gripping threading  19  engaging the paper on the rear surface of drywall with the torque required to drive that length of drywall gripping threading  19  into a support member, if drywall fastener  10  is driven into a location where a support member is located. In addition, it is desirable that drywall fastener  10  be usable with different thicknesses of drywall , so that a certain length of proximal portion  18  may allow threading  19  to engage rear surface paper in one thickness of drywall, but may be too short to engage rear surface paper in a thicker drywall, or conversely, proximal portion  18  may be too long so that too much of drywall gripping threading  19  must be driven into a support member for a thinner drywall, resulting in a higher required installation torque.  
      The pitch of drywall gripping threading  19  is chosen so that there is at least one full turn of drywall gripping threading  19  in drywall. This pitch (of drywall gripping threading  19 ) may be chosen so that between about 1¾ turns and about 2¼ turns, and ideally about 2 full turns of drywall gripping threading  19  may be embedded in drywall. In one embodiment, for drywall having a thickness of ½ inch or ⅝ inch, the pitch P of drywall gripping threading  19  is between about ⅛ inch and about 0.3 inch, and in one embodiment, about 0.2 inch. Preferably, the pitch of drywall gripping thread  19  is generally equal to the pitches of member gripping threading  21  and drilling thread  23 . In one embodiment (not shown) the pitch of drywall gripping threading  19  proximate intermediate thread  20  has a larger pitch than the remaining thread  19  proximate enlarged head  14 . When this larger pitched threading engages drywall, it pulls drywall fastener  10  into drywall relatively fast, helping to counteract any jacking that may tend to occur.  
      Head  
      Turning to  FIGS. 1-4 , a surface  64  on the underside of the enlarged head  14  of drywall fastener  10  has an enlarged outer diameter with respect to drywall gripping threading root  26  to allow head  14  to grip an article to be fastened on drywall front surface  48 . In one embodiment, head  14  has a head diameter of between about 0.45 inch and about 0.6 inch, and in one embodiment, about 0.515 inch. The head  14  also includes torque transmitting surfaces  15  so that drywall fastener  10  can be rotated with a driver by the user. The head  14  can include a recess  15  for receiving the tip of a driver wherein recess  15  is configured with torque transmitting surfaces  15  for a particular kind of driver. Illustrated recess  15  is a Phillips-type recess for receiving the tip of a Phillips-type driver.  
      Method of Installation  
      The method by which a user installs an drywall fastener  10  in drywall comprises the steps of providing an elongated drywall fastener  10  having an axis  6 , an enlarged head  14  having torque transmitting surfaces  15  therein, a drilling tip  16  generally opposite enlarged head  14 , a proximal portion  18  proximate enlarged head  14 , an intermediate portion  20 , and a distal portion  22  extending to drilling tip  16 , wherein the proximal portion  18  has a threaded exterior, with a crest diameter and a thread height, the intermediate portion has a threaded exterior, with a crest diameter substantially smaller than the proximal portion threading crest diameter, and a thread height substantially smaller than the proximal portion thread height, and the distal portion  22  has a threaded exterior with a crest diameter substantially smaller than the proximal portion threading crest diameter, and a thread height substantially smaller than the proximal portion thread height; positioning drilling tip  16  on drywall surface, and driving drywall fastener  10  into drywall so that the distal portion  22  drills through drywall and into any stud or other support member present, and the drywall gripping threading  19  engages a major portion of the thickness of the drywall.  
      Method of Making  
      A method of making a drywall fastener  10  comprises the steps of providing a mold having a cavity which has the same shape as drywall fastener  10  so that when the material sets, drywall fastener  10  is formed; feeding molten material, such as a zinc alloy, into the mold cavity, setting the molten material to form a drywall fastener, and removing the drywall fastener from the mold.  
      The novel drywall fastener of the present invention allows a user to install the drywall fastener in drywall without being concerned about whether or not a stud member is located behind the drywall at the drywall fastening location or, as may be the case, when it is known that there is a stud member present.  
      While the foregoing written description of the invention enables one of ordinary skill to make and use what is considered presently to be the best mode thereof, those of ordinary skill will understand and appreciate the existence of variations, combinations, and equivalents of the specific exemplary embodiment and method herein. The invention should therefore not be limited by the above described embodiment and method, but by all embodiments and methods within the scope and spirit of the invention as claimed.