Patent ID: 7967538

Claim:
A captured screw assembly for locating a fixture plate with an opening therethrough relative to a base plate with a threaded hole, the assembly comprising: a screw having an elongated threaded body with a head at one end, the head having a diameter larger than a diameter of the threaded body to form an outwardly directed shoulder and having a tool engaging feature at an externally accessible portion; a bushing designed to be frictionally engaged in the opening in the fixture plate and including an inner wall thereof defining a central opening extending through the bushing and the fixture plate, the central opening being formed to receive the screw coaxially therethrough, the bushing including an inwardly directed shoulder formed in the inner wall extending into the central opening; the screw and bushing being designed to cooperate to accurately position the fixture plate relative to the base plate with the screw extending through the central opening of the bushing and threadedly engaged in the threaded hole in the base plate, the bushing is formed to have the outwardly directed shoulder formed by the screw head in abutting engagement with the inwardly directed shoulder in the central opening when the screw is fully engaged in the threaded hole; and the screw and bushing including a capture feature formed therebetween to retain the screw within the bushing when the screw is disengaged from the threaded hole, wherein the capture feature includes a V-groove formed in the inner wall of the bushing, the V-groove being formed with a lower relatively shallow tapered wall section and an upper relatively sharply tapered wall section, the capture feature further includes at least a ball positioned in an opening in the screw head and biased outwardly toward the inner wall of the bushing and into engagement with the V-groove when the screw is disengaged from the threaded hole, the ball being positioned and biased to cooperate with the V-groove to draw the screw upwardly into the bushing when the screw is disengaged from the threaded hole.