Patent Publication Number: US-6711974-B1

Title: Positioning device for holding a hook screw

Description:
FIELD OF THE INVENTION 
     The present invention relates to a positioning device for holding a hook screw which is inserted in a slot of the device and attracted by a magnet so that the user needs not to hold the hook screw by his hand. 
     BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION 
     A conventional hook screw generally includes a hook portion and a shank portion which extends from the hook portion and includes threads defined in an outer periphery of the shank. The hook screw is fixed to a wall by the threaded shank and the hook portion is convenient for hooking an object. It is inconvenient to fix the hook screw on walls because the hook portion is flat and large that is not easily to be held by hand and the other hand of the user operates the tool to rotate or punch the hook screw on walls. The shank is not easily to be maintained perpendicularly to the wall not only because the length of the shank is short, but also the hook portion affecting the force applying on the hook portion. This is more obvious when the operation for fixing the hook screws at a distance from the floor, the users need to hold the hook screws by one hand and to use the tool by the other hand. 
     The present invention intends to provide a positioning device that holds the hook screw in the device so that the user simply holding the tubular device without problem of positioning the hook screws. 
     SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION 
     In accordance with one aspect of the present invention, there is provided a positioning device for holding hook screws and the positioning device comprises a tubular body having a passage and a first slot is defined through a wall of the body and communicates a first open end of the body. A second slot is defined through a wall of the body and has two closed ends. A magnet is embedded in the wall of the body and located close to the first open end. A ring is received in a second open end of the body. 
     A holding assembly comprises a first piece movably mounted to the body and a second piece is fixedly mounted to the body. A spring is mounted to the body and biased between the first piece and the second piece. A rod is movably inserted into the passage via the second open end of the body and extends through the ring. A magnet is connected to a distal end of the rod and located in the body. 
     The present invention will become more obvious from the following description when taken in connection with the accompanying drawings which show, for purposes of illustration only, a preferred embodiment in accordance with the present invention. 
    
    
     BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS 
     FIG. 1 is an exploded view to show the hook screw positioning device of the present invention; 
     FIG. 2A shows a side view of the body of the hook screw positioning device of the present invention; 
     FIG. 2B shows the other side view of the hook screw positioning device of the present invention; 
     FIG. 3 shows a cross sectional view of the body of the hook screw positioning device of the present invention; 
     FIG. 4 shows a hook screw is positioned by the hook screw positioning device of the present invention, and 
     FIG. 5 shows another type of hook screw positioned by the hook screw positioning device of the present invention. 
    
    
     DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENT 
     Referring to FIGS. 1,  2 A,  2 B and  3 , the A positioning device for holding hook screws  31  of the present invention comprises a tubular body  1  which has a polygonal passage  10  defined longitudinally therethrough and a first slot  11  is defined through a wall of the body  1  and communicates with a first open end  13  of the body  1 . A second slot  12  is defined through a wall of the body  1  and has two closed ends. A magnet  14  is embedded in the wall of the body  1  and located close to the first open end  13 . A grove  15  is defined in an inner periphery of the passage  10  and located close to a second open end of the body  1 . A ring  3  is received in the groove  15 . 
     A holding assembly  4  comprises a first piece  41  movably mounted to the body  1  and a second piece  43  fixedly mounted to the body  1 . The first piece  41  has a tapered opening  411  defined in a first end thereof and a groove  413  defined in a second end of the first piece  41 . The second piece  43  has a shoulder  431  extending inward from an inner periphery thereof. A spring  42  is mounted to the body  1  and biased between the groove  413  of the first piece  41  and the shoulder  431  of the second piece  43 . A length of the holding assembly  4  is the same as a length of the body  1 . 
     A rod  2  having a polygonal outer periphery  20  is movably inserted into the passage  10  via the second open end of the body  1  and extends through the ring  3 . A magnet  23  is connected to a first end of the rod  2  and located in the body  1 . A first groove  22  is defined in the rod  2  and close to the first end of the rod  2 . An outer diameter of the periphery of the first groove  22  is smaller than an inner diameter of the ring  3  so that once the rod  2  is inserted in the passage  10  by the first end that has the first groove  22 , the rod is not disengaged from the passage  10 . A second groove  21  is defined in outer periphery of the rod  2  and located at a second end of the rod  2  so as to be engaged with a tool which is not shown. 
     As shown in FIGS. 4 and 5, the hook screw  31  includes a hook portion  311  and a threaded shank portion  312 . A width of each of the first slot  11  and the second slot  12  is larger than a diameter of a hook portion  311  of the hook screw  31 . Therefore, the hook portion  311  can be slid into the first slot  11  and the second slot  12  with the shank portion  31  extending from the first open end  13 . In the meanwhile, the first piece  41  is pushed to compress the spring  42  so that a force pushes the hook screw  31  forward. The tapered opening  411  of the first piece  41  is engaged the hook portion  311  of the hook screw  31  which is then positioned relative to the body  1 . The magnet  14  attracts the shank portion  312  and the magnet  23  attracts the hook portion  311 . By the device, the hook screw can be well positioned so that the user can concentrate his attention on the operation of a tool that fixes the hook screw  31  on the wall. 
     While we have shown and described the embodiment in accordance with the present invention, it should be clear to those skilled in the art that further embodiments may be made without departing from the scope of the present invention.