An Improved Screw-driver.
Year: 1891

page_text: Date of Application, 19th Aug., 1891
Complete Specification Left, 19th May, 1892-Accepted, 25th June, 1892
PROVISIONAL SPECIFICATION.
An Improved Screw-driver.
I WILLIAM WILSON HORN of the firm of Horn & Son of 151 Strand in the
County of Middlesex Patent Agent do hereby declare the nature of this invention
(a communication to me from Walter A. Church of Binghamton, Benjamin F.
Watson and Edward A. Eggert both of Buffalo and all in the State of New York,
United States of America Inventors) to be as follows
The object of my invention is to produce rotary motion in a screw-driver by
means of helical grooves in the spindle in connection with a handle and two pairs of
jaws having inclined projections adapted to enter said grooves, one pair being
inclined in one direction and the other pair in the opposite direction to rotate the
spindle in corresponding directions at the will of the operator to either drive or
draw a screw by substantially the same operation. I attain these by the construc-
tion hereinafter described.
The spindle of the screw-driver is provided with helical grooves running in
opposite directions upon its surface. The spindle has its point flattened to be
readily received in the slot of a screw-head.
Said spindle is loosely fitted within the interior of an inner tube and to retain its
connection therewith it carries loosely mounted on its inner end a sleeve and
washer, and said sleeve and washer are rotained in position by flanging or riveting
the upper end of the spindle. A screw radially inserted in the sleeve extends
into a groove made lengthwise of the tube to limit the longitudinal play of the
spindle.
To rotate the spindle by moving it lengthwise of the tube the latter carries in
four grooves made lengthwise of the lower portion of its periphery two pairs of jaws.
They are provided with a rib or feathers projecting diagonally across their inner
face said rib being inclined in one direction on the jaws and in the opposite
direction on the other jaws so that when one pair is in engagement with the spindle
and the latter is moved lengthwise it will rotate said spindle in one direction;
but when the other pair is in engagement it will rotate the spindle in the opposite
direction.
To retain the jaws connected to the tube each one has projecting from its sides
pins that are received in grooves formed in the body of said tube alongside of the
four grooves that receive the jaws; but there is enough space between the upper
portion of the jaws and the inner surface of the tube or enough resilience in the
upper portion of said jaws to allow them to be opened and closed, as will be herein-
after described.
To keep the ribs or feathers of either pair of jaws in engagement with the
spindle a second tube is placed upon the inner tube and adapted to slide freely
thereon.
This second tube has projecting from its lower end and on opposite sides thereof
two segments of substantially the same width as either one of the jaws, and they
press upon said jaws when advanced upon the beveled or rounded portion of the
aws.
The jaws are also provided with a transverse rib on their outer surface which
bears against the interior surface of the second tube and is used as a pivot for the
aws.
To permit the engagement of one pair of jaws with the grooves of the spindle,
but also cause the disengagement of the other pair, a cap is used, secured by screws
to the lower end of the inclosing tube of the device and has its upper edge crenelled
having two rectangular notches in said edge to receive the end of the two engaged

page_text: jaws without spreading them from engagement with the spindle, while the longer
portions enter into engagement between said spindle and the second pair of jaws,
spreading said jaws apart and rendering them inactive, as the cut-away portions of
the lower end of the tube do not press upon the back of the jaws.
To the upper end of the outer tube the handle is secured by means of one or
more screws which also extend into screw perforations in the upper end of the
second tube so that practically the second tube, the outer tube, its cap, and handle
operate as if they were a single piece against the movable innermost tube, and its
jaws and also the spindle.
To permit this jaw-carrying tube to be moved lengthwise to grasp or release the
spindle, or to be rotated one-fourth of a revolution to transform the device from a
screw-driving to a screw-drawing tool, a ring is mounted upon the inclosing tube
adjacent to its handle, and is secured to the inner tube by means of a screw, that
passes through suitable slots in the inclosing tubes and enter into engagement with
a screw-threaded perforation in the side of the inner tube.
As the said slots are similar, I will only describe one. It is simply a horizontal
passage for the screw, between two slots that are formed lengthwise of the tube to
permit the screw and its operating-ring to be moved up to cause the jaws to enter
into engagement with the grooves of the spindle or to be moved down to cause said
jaws to be opened by coming in contact with the beveled upper edge of the cap.
A spring secured to the side of the handle may be used, if desired, to insure the
retention of the ring in whatever position it may be placed by having the lower end
of said spring made to press against or to engage into grooves in the periphery of
said ring.
Dated this 19th day of August 1801
HORN & SON,
Applicant's Agents.
COMPLETE SPECIFICATION.
An Improved Screw-driver.
I, WILLIAM WILSON HORN of the firm of Horn & Son of 151 Strand in the
County of Middlesex Patent Agent do hereby declare the nature of this invention
(a communication to me from Walter A. Church of Binghamton and Benjamin F.
Watson and Edward A. Eggert both of Buffalo all in the State of New York
United States of America Inventors) and in what manner the same is to be per-
formed, to be particularly described and ascertained in and by the following
statement :-
The object of my invention is to produce rotary motion in a screw driver by
means of helical grooves in the spindle in connection with a handle and two pairs of
jaws having inclined projections adapted to enter said grooves, one pair being
inclined in one direction and the other pair in the other direction to rotate the
spindle in corresponding directions at the will of the operator to either drive or
draw a screw by substantially the same operation. I attain these by the construc-
tion illustrated in the accompanying drawings, in which
Fig. 1 is a longitudinal section on line of Figs. 2 & 3 through the operative
portion of a screw driver constructed in accordance with my invention.
Fig. 2 is a perspective view of the two concentric inner cylinders, the innermost
cylinder carrying the operating jaws.
Fig. 3 is a perspective view of the cap of the outer cylinder, showing its crenelled
and beveled inner edge to spread the jaws apart.
Fig. 4 is a perspective of the innermost cylinder and the jaws thereon with a
portion of the grooved spindle between them.
Fig. 5 is a side view of the screw driver on a smaller scale.
Fig 6 is a perspective view showing the outer side of one of the jaws.
Fig. 7 is a view of the inner side of the same.

page_text: In said drawings, A represents the spindle of the screw driver. It is provided
with helical grooves a, running in opposite directions upon its surface. This spindle
has its point a flattened to be readily received in the slot of a screw head. Said
spindle is loosely fitted within the interior of the innermost tube B and to retain it
connected therewith it carries loosely mounted on its inner end a sleeve a³ and a
washer, and said sleeve and washer are retained in position by flanging or
riveting the upper end of the spindle. A screw a³, radially inserted in the sleeve a³,
extends into a groove B2, made lengthwise of the tube B to limit the longitudinal
play of the spindle A.
To rotate the spindle A by moving it lengthwise of the tube B, the latter carries
in four grooves made lengthwise of the lower portion of its periphery two pairs of
jaws C and C. They are provided with a rib or feather projecting diagonally
across their inner face, said rib being inclined in one direction upon the jaws C and
in the opposite direction on the jaws C2, so that when the pair C is in engagement
with the spindle and the latter is moved lengthwise it will rotate said spindle in one
direction; but when the pair C2 is in engagement it will rotate the spindle in the
opposite direction.
To retain the jaws C C2 connected to one tube B, each one has projecting from
its sides pins c², that are received in grooves b, formed in the body of said tube
alongside of the four grooves that receive the jaws; but there is enough space
between the upper portion of the jaws C C² and the inner surface of the tube D or
enough resilience in the upper portion of said jaws to allow them to be opened and
closed, as will be hereinafter described.
To keep the ribs or feathers c of either pair of jaws in engagement with the
spindle A, a tube D is placed upon the tube B and adapted to slide freely thereon.
This tube D has projecting from its lower end and on, opposite sides thereof two
segments d, of substantially the same width as either one of the jaws, and the press
upon said jaws when advanced upon the beveled or rounded portion c³ of the jaws,
as shown in Figs. 1 and 2. The jaws C C² are also provided with a transverse rib C³
on their outer surface which bears against the interior surface of the tube D and is
used as a pivot for the jaws.
To permit the engagement of one pair of jaws with the grooves of the spindle A,
but also cause the disengagement of the other pair, the cap E2 is used. Said cap
is secured by screws e to the lower end of the inclosing tube E of the device, and
has its upper edge crenelled, having two rectangular notches e in said edge to
receive the end of the two engaged jaws without spreading them from engagement
with the spindle A, while the longer portions e³ enter into engagement between said
spindle and the second pair of jaws spreading said jaws apart and rendering them
inactive, as the cut away portions d² of the lower end of the tube D' do not press
upon the back of the jaws.
To the upper end of the tube E the handle F is secured by means of one or more
screws f, which also extend into screw perforations d³ in the upper end of the tube D,
so that practically the tube D, the tube E, its cap E2, and handle F operate as if
they were a single piece against the movable innermost tube B and its jaws and also
the spindle A. To permit this jaw-carrying tube B to be moved lengthwise to
grasp or release the spindle, or to be rotated one fourth of a revolution to transform
the device from a screw driving to a screw drawing tool, a ring G is mounted upon
the inclosing tube E adjacent to its handle, and is secured to the tube B by means
of a screw g, that passes through slots d' e' of similar form that are coincident in the
tubes D E and enter into engagement with a screw threaded perforation in the side
of the tube B.
As the slots det are similar I will only describe the slot d. It is simply a
horizontal passage, for the screw g between two slots d³ ³, that are formed length-
wise of the tube to permit the screw g and its operating ring G to be moved up to
cause the jaws C to enter into engagement with the grooves of the spindle or to be
moved down to cause said jaws to be opened by coming in contact with the beveled

page_text: upper edge of the cap E². A spring f*, secured to the side of the handle F, may be
used, if desired, to insure the retention of the ring G in whatever position it may be
placed by having the lower end of said spring made to press against or to engage
into grooves in the periphery of said ring.
Having now particularly described and ascertained the nature of my said inven-
tion and in what manner the same is to be performed I declare that what I
claim is :-
1. In a screw driver the combination of a helically-grooved spindle, its inclosing
tube B, and two pairs of jaws carried by said tube, with the surrounding tube D,
having its lower end adapted to bear upon one pair of jaws substantially as
described.
2. In a screw driver, the combination of its central spindle having a collar a³ at
one end and a screw projecting radially therefrom, the inclosing tube B having a
longitudinal groove for the reception of said screw, jaws carried by said tube, and
means, as described, for retaining said jaws in engagement with the spindle, sub-
stantially as set forth.
3. The combination of the helically grooved spindle of a screw driver, its
inclosing tube B, jaws carried by said tube, and projecting screw g to actuate said
tube, with the tube D having the extended segment d and the cap E2, substantially
as and for the purpose described.
Dated thin 10th day of May 1900
HORN & SON,
Applicant's Agents.