Patent ID: 6974289

Claim:
A threaded fastener, comprising: a shank having a head end and a lead end; a head at said head end; a thread disposed about said shank, said thread having a drive flank facing said lead end and a pressure flank facing said head end, said drive flank and said pressure flank extending from said shank to meet and form a continuous, uninterrupted, helical outer edge crest such that said continuous outer edge crest is configured to include a substantially formed peak at each point along its length, said drive flank having a generally flat surface extending from said shank to said outer edge crest of said thread along substantially a length of said thread from said lead end to said head end; and a series of spaced apart depressions in said pressure flank along at least a portion of the length of said thread, wherein said depressions are formed from said outer edge crest of said thread generally radially inwardly towards said shank in such a manner so as to retain said continuous outer edge of said thread, said depressions being further formed so as to extend inwardly along said pressure flank from said outer edge of said thread at least part of a width of said pressure flank between said shank and said outer edge of said thread, said depressions located entirely below the plane of the pressure face, in the direction of said lead end and having no projections extending above the plane of the pressure face in the direction of the head end.