Patent Publication Number: US-2006006087-A1

Title: Strip for holding fasteners

Description:
BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION  
      1. Field of the Invention  
      This invention relates to a strip for holding fasteners, such as screws, nails, and the like, more particularly to a strip with slit-opened tongues for flexibly and frictionally engaging shanks of fasteners thereamong.  
      2. Description of the Related Art  
      Referring to  FIGS. 1 and 2 , a conventional screw strip  1  is shown to include an elongated strip  11  having a plurality of positioning holes  12  displaced from one another, and a plurality of sleeves  13  extending downwardly and respectively from the positioning holes  12 . Screw fasteners  2  are inserted through the positioning holes  12  and are retained by the sleeves  13 . In a screwing operation, each of the screw fasteners  2  is driven by an electric-powered driving tool (not shown) such that the sleeve  13  is ruptured by a head of the screw fastener  2  during passage of the screw fastener  2  therethrough. However, as such a screw strip  1  is made by a plastic injection molding process, the manufacturing cost is relatively high.  
      Referring to  FIG. 3 , another conventional screw strip  3  is shown to include a plurality of strap-like holding rings  32  disposed on a major wall surface of an elongated strip  31  for holding screw fasteners  2 . However, since the rings  32  are formed on the elongated strip  31  by heat sealing or by plastic injection molding process, the manufacturing cost is also relatively high.  
     SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION  
      The object of the present invention is to provide a strip for holding fasteners, which can be manufactured at a relatively low manufacturing cost.  
      According to this invention, the strip includes a strip body having upper and lower major wall surfaces which extend in a longitudinal direction and opposite to each other in a transverse direction relative to the longitudinal direction, and a plurality of inner peripheral portions which are displaced from one another in the longitudinal direction. Each of the inner peripheral portions extends from the upper major wall surface in the transverse direction through the lower major wall surface, and surrounds a central line in the transverse direction. A plurality of holding members are disposed to be associated with the inner peripheral portions, respectively. Each of the holding members includes a plurality of tongues made from a flexible material and displaced angularly from one another about the central line and along a respective one of the inner peripheral portions. The tongues extend inwardly from the respective inner peripheral portion to terminate at distal ends, respectively. The distal ends are angularly displaced from one another about the central line to define a central hole through which the central line passes. The tongues are configured such that when a shank of a fastener is squeezed through the central hole in the transverse direction, the distal ends are forced to incrementally flare outward in the transverse direction to thereby acquire a biasing force that acts against squeezing movement of the shank of the fastener and that culminates in a sufficient retaining force for holding the distal ends and the shank in frictional engagement, thereby retaining the shank in the central hole. 
    
    
     BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS  
      Other features and advantages of the present invention will become apparent in the following detailed description of the preferred embodiments of the invention, with reference to the accompanying drawings, in which:  
       FIGS. 1 and 2  are fragmentary perspective and side views of a conventional screw strip;  
       FIG. 3  is a fragmentary perspective view of another conventional screw strip;  
       FIG. 4  is a fragmentary perspective view of a first preferred embodiment of a strip according to this invention;  
       FIG. 5  is a fragmentary sectional view of the first preferred embodiment;  
       FIG. 6  is a fragmentary perspective view of a second preferred embodiment of a strip according to this invention;  
       FIG. 7  is a fragmentary perspective view of a modified form of the second preferred embodiment shown in  FIG. 6 ;  
       FIG. 8  is a fragmentary perspective view of a third preferred embodiment of a strip according to this invention;  
      FIGS.  9  to  11  are fragmentary perspective views of different modified forms of the third preferred embodiment shown in  FIG. 8 ;  
       FIGS. 12 and 13  are fragmentary sectional views showing the third preferred embodiment holding two different types of screw fasteners;  
       FIG. 14  to  17  are fragmentary plan views of other alternative forms of the third preferred embodiment shown in FIGS.  8  to  11 ;  
       FIG. 18  is a fragmentary perspective view of a fourth preferred embodiment of a strip according to this invention;  
       FIG. 19  is a fragmentary perspective view of a fifth preferred embodiment of a strip according to this invention;  
      FIGS.  20  to  22  are fragmentary perspective views of different modified forms of the fifth preferred embodiment shown in  FIG. 19 ;  
       FIG. 23  is a fragmentary perspective view of a sixth preferred embodiment of a strip according to this invention;  
      FIGS.  24  to  26  are fragmentary perspective views of different modified forms of the sixth preferred embodiment shown in  FIG. 23 ;  
       FIG. 27  is a fragmentary perspective view of a seventh preferred embodiment of a strip according to this invention; and  
      FIGS.  28  to  30  are fragmentary perspective views of different modified forms of the seventh preferred embodiment shown in  FIG. 27 . 
    
    
     DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS  
      Before the present invention is described in greater detail, it should be noted that same reference numerals have been used to denote like elements throughout the specification.  
      Referring to  FIGS. 4 and 5 , the first preferred embodiment of a strip according to the present invention is shown to comprise a strip body  4  elongated in a longitudinal direction. The strip body  4  has upper and lower major wall surfaces  40 ,  45  which extend in the longitudinal direction and which are opposite to each other in a transverse direction relative to the longitudinal direction, and a plurality of inner peripheral portions  46  which are displaced from one another in the longitudinal direction. Each of the inner peripheral portions  46  extends from the upper major wall surface  40  in the transverse direction through the lower major wall surface  45 , and surrounds a central line (L) in the transverse direction.  
      A plurality of holding members  41  are disposed to be associated with the inner peripheral portions  46 , respectively. Each of the holding members  41  includes a plurality of tongues  44  (three in this embodiment) displaced angularly from one another about the central line (L) and along a respective one of the inner peripheral portions  46 . The tongues  44  extend inwardly from the inner peripheral portion  46  to terminate at distal ends  441 , respectively. The distal ends  441  are angularly displaced from one another about the central line (L) to define a central hole  42  through which the central line (L) passes. In particular, each tongue  44  has two lateral sides, each of which is spaced apart from one of the lateral sides of an adjacent one of the tongues  44  by a slit  43  that extends from the inner peripheral portion  46  inwardly and that terminates at the corresponding distal end  441 . Therefore, when a shank of a fastener  5 , such as a screw  5 , is squeezed through the central hole  42  in the transverse direction, the distal ends  441  of the tongues  44  are forced to incrementally flare outward in the transverse direction to thereby acquire a biasing force that acts against squeezing movement of the shank of the fastener  5  and that culminates in a sufficient retaining force for holding the distal ends  441  and the fastener  5  in frictional engagement, thereby retaining the fastener  5  in the central hole  42 .  
      It is noted that the strip body  4  is formed from a composite material of plastic material and paper pulp and optionally sawdust by extrusion, and is subsequently punched or hot-pressed to form the holding members  41  and to acquire a desired measure of flexibility.  
      In the first embodiment, the slits  43  in each holding member  44  extend radially to meet at the central line (L). Alternatively, in the strip body  4 ′ of the second preferred embodiment shown in  FIG. 6 , the central hole  42 ′ has a triangular shape, and the slits  43 ′ in each holding member  41 ′ respectively extend to terminate at apices of the triangular shape of the central hole  42 ′. In the strip body  4 ″ of a modified form of the second preferred embodiment shown in  FIG. 7 , the central hole  42 ″ has a rectangular shape, and the slits  43 ″ in each holding member  41 ″ respectively extend to terminate at apices of the rectangular shape.  
      Referring to  FIG. 8 , the third preferred embodiment of the strip according to this invention is shown to be similar to the first preferred embodiment in construction. FIGS.  9  to  11  illustrate alternate forms of the third preferred embodiment. As shown, each holding member  61  of the strip body  6  further includes a plurality of ribs  65  which are concentrically disposed on the tongues  64  relative to the respective inner peripheral portion  66  and about the central line (L) to serve to enhance the frictional engagement between the distal ends  641  of the tongues  64  and the screw threads  51  on the shank of the screw  5  when the shank is squeezed through the central hole  62 . As best shown in  FIG. 12 , the ribs  65  engage the screw threads  51  so as to strengthen retention of the shank in the central hole  62 .  
      Also, referring to  FIG. 13 , the third preferred embodiment can also be adapted to hold a screw fastener  5 ′ of another construction. As shown, the ribs  65  engage an enlarged head of the screw fastener  5 ′, which has an uppermost screw thread  51 ′ that is perpendicular to the shank and that can abut against the distal ends  641  of the tongues  64 , thereby enabling the screw fastener  5 ′ to be held in the central hole  62  more firmly.  
      It is noted that the number of the slits  63  in each holding member  61  of the third embodiment can vary.  
      FIGS.  14  to  17  illustrate other alternative forms of the third preferred embodiment of a strip according to this invention, in which the ribs  65  are arranged in concentric triangles, squares, etc.  
      Referring to  FIG. 18 , the fourth preferred embodiment of a strip according to this invention is shown to be similar to the first preferred embodiment in construction. As shown, the slits  73  of each holding member  71  of the strip body  7  extend radially from the respective inner peripheral portion  77  to terminate at an inner circumferential wall  761  which defines a circular central hole  76 . FIGS.  19  to  22  show the fifth preferred embodiment of a strip according to this invention, and modified forms of the fifth preferred embodiment. As shown, the central hole  76  is defined by a circular inner surrounding wall  761 . The slits  73  extend tangentially from the circular inner surrounding wall  761  to the inner peripheral portion  77 .  
      Referring to  FIG. 23 , in the sixth preferred embodiment of a strip according to this invention, which is similar to the fourth preferred embodiment, each holding member  81  of the strip body  8  further includes a plurality of ribs  85  which are concentrically disposed on the tongues  84  and which are substantially the same as those of the third embodiment. FIGS.  24  to  26  illustrate alternative forms of the sixth preferred embodiment.  
      FIGS.  27  to  30  illustrate the seventh preferred embodiment of a strip according to this invention, and modified forms thereof. In this embodiment, the slits  93  in each holding member  91  of the strip body  9  extend radially from the inner peripheral portion  97  to terminate at an inner surrounding wall of a polygonal shape which defines the central hole  96 .  
      As illustrated, since the strip body of the strip according to this invention is punched or hot-pressed to form a plurality of the tongues after extrusion of the strip body, manufacture of the strip of this invention is convenient. It is noted that as the strip of this invention can be used to hold a variety of fasteners due to the configuration of the slits, there is no need to prepare different molds to match fasteners of different sizes, thereby achieving cost savings.  
      While the present invention has been described in connection with what is considered the most practical and preferred embodiments, it is understood that this invention is not limited to the disclosed embodiments but is intended to cover various arrangements included within the spirit and scope of the broadest interpretations and equivalent arrangements.