Patent Publication Number: US-2023136712-A1

Title: Alignment Attachment for Screw Gun

Description:
This invention is directed toward tools for accurately setting the placement of workpiece members such as supports and framing members for installation of walls and ceilings. This tool may be removably mounted on another device, such as an electric drill or power driver used in connection with installation of steel framing strips for ceiling drywall. The tool of this invention may be embodied in a three-part attachment for a power driver, e.g., power drill or screw gun, for use when installing parallel elongated strips, such as the metal strips, and when positioning the metal strips parallel to one another on the ceiling joists at a predetermined spacing. This tool also facilitates installation around obstacles such as a ceiling light electrical box. 
     The invention more particularly concerns a three-part tool in which one part clamps onto a power tool, e.g., screw gun, power nailer, or similar, and has snap-in clamping capability for holding the adjustable length portion. Favorably, a swing-out wire probe is placed at one end of the two-part spacing portion. 
     In a described embodiment, there is a clamp portion “A” that attaches to the body of the screw gun, and this has a pair of cut flex rings for holding an outer tubular member “B” in which a smaller-diameter inner tubular slide member “C” slides in and out and can be held or clamped in position. 
     The clamp&#39;s part A can be of any of a number of configurations so as to be held securely in place on the drill or screw gun (or other device or tool). 
     The part B is configured to snap into and out of the clamp portion A. The B part has a swing-out pin at a front end to help in locating the device in a previously installed framing strip. The C part is adjusted in the B part so that the distance from one end to the other of B and C is adjustable to a nominal 12 or 16 inches. The spacing may be outside these settings, although 12 inch and 16 inch spacings are standard. 
     The spacing tool of this invention may be installed or clamped on the screw gun or other device. The combination places the properly calibrated spacing device right on the screw gun, and avoids having to use a tape rule and pencil to mark the position for the framing strips. A metal device on the back end of the tubular member C helps stabilize the whole attachment while spacing the framing members. This speeds the installation of the framing members, and also ensures that the spacing is everywhere proper. 
     SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION 
     A practical solution according to the main principles of this invention is disclosed and illustrated herein. The alignment tool is designed to ensure proper and uniform spacing of framing members in a building structure during installation, and permits the installer to place the framing accurately without having to set the power driver down during installation and without having to use a ruler or tape measure to set the location of each framing piece. 
     This tool includes a bracket that removably attaches to the power tool. A pair of snap-in clamp devices are mounted on the bracket. A generally tubular gauge body is configured to snap-attach into place in the clamp device or devices. The gauge body has a slide member that is slidably disposed within the tubular gauge body and is extendible for a sufficient distance so that the combined length of the tubular gauge body and the extended portion of the slide member at a given length corresponds to the proper spacing of the framing members. Favorably, the slide can be locked in place at that spacing distance. That may involve a slide lock for holding the slide member at that setting. 
     In a favorable embodiment, the bracket is C-shaped and is adapted for securing to a case or shell of a power driver, which may have channels or indentations on its sides. A support member that supports the snap-in clamps may include an elongated planar member that is affixed onto the bracket, with the pair of snap-in clamp devices affixed to respective ends of the elongated planar member. 
     The gauge body can be in the form of an elongated tube within which the slide member can travel for at least a limited distance. A clamp at a proximal end of the elongated tube can permit travel of the slide member but can close against the slide member and block its travel when in a closed condition. The slide member may have a stop member e.g. a right angle piece, at a proximal end thereof adapted for seating against a framing member when placing the same in relation to existing installed work. The right angle member can have a pair of teeth that project proximally. 
     The gauge body member of this invention can include a swing-out probe member pivotally attached to its distal end. The swing-out probe member can be a stiff wire member or other rigid finger pivotally mounted on a collar located at the distal end of the gauge body member. 
     While the framing tool of this invention can be used with any of a number of power installation devices, including power nailers, power screw drivers, and the like, the described example tool according to this invention is used on a power driver or screw gun that has a rotary spindle extending distally from its main body with a strut extending downward from the elongated planar member, and a spindle collar affixed at a lower end of the strut and adapted to fit over the spindle. In that case, where the power driver has a casing with recesses on left and right sides, the C-shaped bracket has left and right fastener members positioned at respective ends, and these can be extended toward one another to engage the casing within the respective left and right recesses. 
     The foregoing and other features and advantages of this invention will become apparent from the following detailed description of a preferred embodiment, described in connection with the following Drawing figures. 
    
    
     
       BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWING 
         FIGS.  1  to  3    are perspective views of the support member, tubular or cylindrical gauge body, and slide member, respectively; these together form the framing tool of an embodiment of this invention. 
         FIGS.  4  and  5    illustrate the gauge body and slide member as individual elements and combined with the slide member extending partly from the gauge body, respectively. 
         FIG.  6    is a side view of the framing tool of this invention mounted onto one type of screw gun, and with its gauge body and slide not yet installed into the snap-in clamps on the support member. 
         FIGS.  7  and  8    are side views showing the guide ember installed onto the support member, with the swing-out probe member in an extended position ( FIG.  7   ) and in a withdrawn or swung-back position ( FIG.  8   ). 
         FIG.  9    is a side view illustrating an alternative embodiment. 
         FIGS.  10 ,  11 , and  12    illustrate practical applications of the installation and framing tool of this invention, shown during framing installations. 
     
    
    
     DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF A PREFERRED EMBODIMENT 
     With initial reference to  FIGS.  1  to  5    of the Drawing, a preferred embodiment of the framing installation or spacing tool  18  of this invention is shown being composed of three separate parts ( FIGS.  1 ,  2 , and  3   ), which fit together to mount upon a power driver  10  or screw gun ( FIGS.  6 - 8   ) of the type having a pistol-grip body  12 , with a chuck  14 , spindle  16  and driver bit  17  that extend distally (here, to the left) from the body of the screw gun. 
     The spacing tool  18  includes a support member  20  as shown in  FIG.  1    which has a body clamp  22 , here in the form of C-shaped rigid hemispherical band, with thumb screws or wing nuts  24  at each end and which extend toward one another. An elongated generally planar bar  26  is affixed onto the clamp  22 , and at proximal and distal ends of the bar there are C-shaped spring clamps  28  for the front and back ends of the spacing gauge to be described shortly. Also shown at the distal end of the bar  26  is a strut  30  that descends form the bar, and at the lower end of the strut  30  a spindle collar  32  is positioned to fit over the spindle  16  in a loose fit over the spindle  16 . 
     As shown in  FIG.  2    a spacing gauge  40  is made up of a gauge body or barrel  42  in combination with a slide  50  ( FIG.  3   ). The barrel is hollow so that the slide  51  can fit inside and move proximal-distally. The gauge body  42  is dimensioned to snap-fit into the spring clamps  28  of  FIG.  1   , and has a ring clamp  44  with an associated thumb screw  45  at its proximal (here, right) end. A collar  46  is located at the distal end of the gauge body and a swing-out probe or wire finger  48  is pivotally mounted on the collar. An end bumper  49  is also located on the distal end of the gauge body. 
     The slide  50  is formed of an elongated straight rod  51  (or tube or other elongate stiff member), and a stop member  52  is located at the proximal end of the rod  51  in the form of a right angle piece. This is provided to engage an edge of the framing member (not shown) to be spaced and installed. In this embodiment, the stop member  52  has two axial teeth spaced from one another, but the stop member could have any of a variety of configurations, depending upon the dimensions and material of the workpiece. 
     As shown in  FIG.  4    and  FIG.  5   , the slide or slide rod  50  may be inserted into the proximal end of the barrel or gauge body  42  and its position may be adjusted to match the spacing of the framing members. This position may be locked by turning the thumb screw  45 . Once the length of the assembled spacing gauge  40  is set, it can be snapped into place in the spring clamps  28  of the support member  20 . In this case, as shown in  FIG.  6   , the clamp  28  mounts onto the body or casing of the power driver  10 . The thumbscrews or wing nuts engage respective recesses along each side of the housing of the power driver. As shown in  FIG.  6    and following drawing figures, the spindle collar  32  portion of the spacing attachment fits over the spindle  16  of the power driver to ensure correct alignment and positioning of the attachment on the power driver. 
       FIG.  7    shows the power driver and attachment combination as in  FIG.  6   , but with the gauge body  42  positioned and mounted on the support member  20  and held in the spring clamps  28 . The swing-out wire finger  48  is positioned to extend distally to assist in alignment and positioning of the power driver bit or screw head on components of the framing being installed. 
       FIG.  8    shows the power driver and attachment as in  FIG.  7   , but with the finger  48  swung back or retracted and positioned along the top of the gauge body  42 . 
       FIG.  9    shows a similar arrangement where the parts and elements correspond to those in  FIGS.  1  to  8   , except that the wire finger  48  has been replaced with a finger member  148  that is affixed to a pivotable L-shaped flange member 149  so that a flat vertical surface is presented at the distal end of the gauge body when the finger member is in its swung-back or retracted position. The finger member  148  may be a wire finger or a flat, elongated plate or flange. Also a right-angle flat plate member  152  is positioned at the proximal end of the rod or slide  50  in this embodiment. 
     The installation device in use on a screw gun is shown in  FIG.  10    in an overhead, or ceiling framing application. Hee the wire finger helps establish the proper spacing between two overhead parallel framing members.  FIG.  11    shows another mode, with the wire finger rotated back and engaging one framing member with the distal bumper of the gauge barrel, and with the proximal end of the slide establishing the correct spacing for another framing member.  FIG.  12    shows a similar application, but with the slide rotated ninety degrees so that the framing member is engaged between the two fingers or teeth of the stop member at the proximal end of the slide. 
     Many modifications and variations of the spacing tool  18  of this invention are possible, beyond the embodiments presented here as examples, without departing from the scope and spirit of this invention, as defined in the appended claims.