Patent Application
20220213918
The present invention relates generally to the field of double-headed fasteners. More specifically, the present invention relates to a screw featuring a male nut driver head or end that extends outwardly from the seated head. The screw replaces double-headed nails and standard female head screws, thereby eliminating the problems associated with the female head becoming stripped and/or getting filled with dirt and debris, which can make it difficult to install or retract. The uniquely designed screw allows a female-style nut driver tool having a square or torque-style head that can fit over the screw to be used for application and removal of the screw. Accordingly, the present disclosure makes specific reference thereto. Nonetheless, it is to be appreciated that aspects of the present invention are also equally applicable to other like applications, devices and methods of manufacture.
By way of background, fasteners and screws, and double-headed nails in particular, are commonly used in various construction-related tasks, such as attaching a first object to a second object, bracing of a constructed wall to be kept level, footings with stakes, kickers and spreaders, concrete forms where basements are being poured, slab on grade forms, etc. Typically, such double-headed nails are comprised of a nail portion, a first head portion and a second head portion, positioned inwardly from the first head portion and along the nail portion. Such nails are commonly driven into an object by striking the first head portion with a tool, such as a hammer, until such time that the second head is relatively flush with the outer surface of the object into which the nail is being driven. Upon such installation, the first head portion remains extended outwardly from the second head portion, and is useful for extracting the nail with, for example, a claw-like hammer or roofing bar. These types of nails are particularly useful as temporary fasteners that will eventually be removed after having served their purpose. However, such nails are also time consuming and laborious to install and extract, thereby making their usefulness somewhat limited. Further, such nails, lacking any threads, oftentimes become prematurely loose or begin to back out of the object to which they were initially driven into, thereby failing to serve their purpose over time.
Similarly, female-headed screws have an elongated body portion having a relatively sharp or pointed tip at a distal end that can be inserted into an object, such as wood, and a head structure for driving or retracting the screw into and out of the object. The body portion is typically comprised of a cylindrical or tapered core, having a helical thread along its exterior surface and either a variable or a constant major diameter extending along the entire length of the screw or a partial length of the screw. The head structure is positioned at a proximal end of the screw (i.e., the end nearest the individual driving/retracting the screw), and is typically a female-type structure having an opening therein that is capable of receiving or matingly engaging with a corresponding male driver portion.
Unfortunately, given the amount of torsional forces that are required to drive or retract the screw from an object, the female structure can become worn or stripped over time, thereby making it impossible to further utilize the male driver portion to insert or retract the screw from the object. Further, while using such screws during construction-related tasks and for other similar purposes, the female head may also become filled with debris such as, but not limited to, dirt, concrete, mud, etc., thereby making it difficult to apply a male driver from a hand tool or power drill to the screw. In such scenarios, the screw becomes inaccessible to the user. Individuals may then attempt to remove the obstruction, but doing so, particularly removing those female portions of a screw filled with concrete, can be both time consuming and laborious.
Therefore, there exists a long felt need in the art for a modified screw structure that allows the screw to be driven and/or extracted using a female nut driver or other tool, and that can be used for various purposes such as, but not limited to, fastening a first object to a second object, creating bracing for a constructed wall to be kept level, footings with stakes, kickers and spreaders, concrete forms where basements are being poured, slab on grade forms, etc. Additionally, there is a long felt need in the art for a modified screw structure that is easily accessible at all times, and that will not become filled with debris such as, but not limited to, dirt, concrete, mud or the like, thereby making it difficult or impossible to use. Moreover, there is a long felt need in the art for a modified dual-headed screw structure that will not easily strip or become worn over time when repeatedly used with a driver device, and that will not prematurely back out of the object into which it was driven. Finally, there is a long felt need in the art for a modified screw structure that is relatively inexpensive to manufacture, and that is both safe and easy to use.
The subject matter disclosed and claimed herein, in one embodiment thereof, comprises a double or dual-headed screw having a shaft with a plurality of threads positioned along the exterior of the surface of the shaft in a helical fashion, a base head and a male nut driver member. The base head is comprised of two surfaces, wherein the shaft is joined to the first surface and the male nut driver member is joined to the second opposing surface. The male nut driver member is a generally square or torque-style head that extends outwardly from the second surface and replaces the standard female head screw opening. The male nut driver member can fit in a female driver of a standard hand tool or a power drill for application and removal of the double head screw. The double head screw may replace both a double head nail and a conventional screw.
In this manner, the novel dual head screw structure of the present invention accomplishes all of the forgoing objectives, and provides a relatively convenient and efficient solution to the myriad of problems associated with prior art double-headed nails and standard construction screws. The dual head screw of the present invention is also user friendly, as it is relatively easy to install and/or extract, and does not easily strip with repeated use.
The following presents a simplified summary in order to provide a basic understanding of some aspects of the disclosed innovation. This summary is not an extensive overview, and it is not intended to identify key/critical elements or to delineate the scope thereof. Its sole purpose is to present some general concepts in a simplified form as a prelude to the more detailed description that is presented later.
The subject matter disclosed and claimed herein, in one embodiment thereof, comprises a double head screw having a thread section, a shaft, a base head and a male nut driver member. The base head having two opposing surfaces, wherein the shaft is joined to, and extends outwardly from, a first surface, and the male nut driver member is joined to, and extends outwardly from, a second surface. The thread section comprises a plurality of threads along an elongated axis and positioned on an external surface of the shaft. The male nut driver member is preferably a substantially square or torque-style head, and replaces a standard female head screw. The male nut driver member can fit in a female driver of a standard hand tool or a power drill for application and removal of the double head screw in an object or through a surface.
In a further embodiment of the present invention, an improved screw designed to replace a standard female head screw and to function as a securement screw in a plurality of construction and joining tasks is disclosed. The improved screw comprises an integrally formed shaft and a substantially square or torque-style head attached to a base head that is in turn attached to the shaft, wherein the square head extends outwardly from a first surface of the base head, and the shaft extends outwardly from a second surface of the base head that is opposite the first surface. The square head is capable of being matingly engaged by a female bit or attachment of at least one of a nut driver tool, a nut driver drill bit or a power drill for the purposes of driving or retracting the improved screw from an object or a surface. The shaft of the improved screw further comprises a threaded section having a plurality of threads positioned along an exterior surface of the shaft in a helical fashion and at a desired pitch and/or thread count. In use, the improved screw of the present invention is inserted into a surface until the second surface of the base head contacts the exterior surface of the object into which it is being driven.
The primary advantage of the dual head screw of the present invention is that it replaces the standard female head screws, which tend to strip over time and/or become clogged or compacted with concrete, dirt and other debris, thereby rendering the same useless. The dual head screw of the present invention may be applied with a standard hand tool or a power drill without concern for stripping or the screw head becoming filled or caked with debris. The dual head screw of the present invention also eliminates the need for a user to use a nut driving bit to engage a nut-driving screw.
In all embodiments, the dual head screw comprises a male member that extends outwardly from a base head and whose size, shape and/or diameter may change as per the requirements of the user. The size, type and pitch of the thread section of the shaft of the screw may also be altered. The dual head screw may be used for any type of construction project including, without limitation, log home construction, forms for concrete walls and other structures, barn construction and any other task that requires the securement of a first object to a second object. Further, the dual head screw of the present invention is also useful for hanging picture frames and other objects on a wall, as further described below.
To the accomplishment of the foregoing and related ends, certain illustrative aspects of the disclosed innovation are described herein in connection with the following description and the annexed drawings. These aspects are indicative, however, of but a few of the various ways in which the principles disclosed herein can be employed and are intended to include all such aspects and their equivalents. Other advantages and novel features will become apparent from the following detailed description when considered in conjunction with the drawings.
The description refers to provided drawings in which similar reference characters refer to similar parts throughout the different views, and in which:
The innovation is now described with reference to the drawings, wherein like reference numerals are used to refer to like elements throughout. In the following description, for purposes of explanation, numerous specific details are set forth in order to provide a thorough understanding thereof. It may be evident, however, that the innovation can be practiced without these specific details. In other instances, well-known structures and devices are shown in block diagram form in order to facilitate a description thereof. Various embodiments are discussed hereinafter. It should be noted that the figures are described only to facilitate the description of the embodiments. They are not intended as an exhaustive description of the invention and do not limit the scope of the invention. Additionally, an illustrated embodiment need not have all the aspects or advantages shown. Thus, in other embodiments, any of the features described herein from different embodiments may be combined.
As noted above, there is a long felt need in the art for a modified screw structure that allows the screw to be driven and/or extracted using a female nut driver or other tool, and that can be used for various purposes such as, but not limited to, fastening a first object to a second object, creating bracing for a constructed wall to be kept level, footings with stakes, kickers and spreaders, concrete forms where basements are being poured, slab on grade forms, etc. Additionally, there is a long felt need in the art for a modified screw structure that is easily accessible at all times, and that will not become filled with debris such as, but not limited to, dirt, concrete, mud or the like, thereby making it difficult or impossible to use. Moreover, there is a long felt need in the art for a modified dual-headed screw structure that will not easily strip or become worn over time when repeatedly used with a driver device, and that will not prematurely back out of the object into which it was driven. Furthermore, there is a long felt need in the art for a modified dual-headed screw structure that can be driven or extracted with a plurality of different drivers, thereby increasing its functionality and versatility. Finally, there is a long felt need in the art for a modified screw structure that is relatively inexpensive to manufacture, and that is both safe and easy to use.
Referring initially to the drawings,
The double-headed screw 100 and its various components may be comprised of a galvanized steel, a mild steel for heavy load operations such as drilling into concrete, a plastic, lightweight metal, or any other suitable material and may also be manufactured using additive manufacturing techniques. The double-head screw 100 may be used for construction, landscaping and the like, and is compatible with all forms of building materials including, without limitation, concrete, wood, plastic, etc.
As best shown in
In one embodiment, the double-head screw 100 preferably has roughly the same dimensions (i.e., length, thickness, etc.) of conventional double-head nails and/or female headed screws. However, in the present embodiment, the male nut driver 108 has a substantially square cross-section and a width or diameter that is larger than a diameter of the shaft 104, but less than the diameter of the head base 106. Nonetheless, the screw device 100 of the present invention is not so limited, and the male nut driver 108 may be of any shape or size that accommodates user need and/or preference and that is capable of withstanding/exerting the torsional forces necessary to repeatedly drive/insert or withdraw/extract the shaft portion 104 of the dual-headed screw 100 into an object without failing or stripping. A explained more fully below, the screw 100 may be driven into, or extracted from, an object with a hand or power-driven tool or implement.
For example, in
Any type of female-style nut driver tool with a square or torque-style head that can fit over the male member 108 of the double-head screw 100 is appropriate for application and removal. It should be appreciated that the double-head screw 100 replaces the standard female head screws, thereby eliminating the historical problems of the same becoming stripped and/or filled with dirt and debris. The double-head screw 100 of all the embodiments of the present invention may function as a securement screw in numerous construction projects such as bracing walls, securing kickers for a footing, and much more.
The torque style head 802 has the same properties and characteristics of the square male member 108 of the other embodiments of the present invention described above, and offers the same utility and convenience to a user while applying or removing the screw 100, 800. The double-head screw 100, 800 of the present invention can be used for additional purposes such as for hanging items such as pictures, shovels, brooms, rakes, coats, etc. and can be used to press fit different objects to it. For example, the presence of the groove 803 may be used to press fit, for example, a picture frame or other object thereon if the screw 800 is driven into a wall as described above. Further, if the screw has first and second cross sections 1080, 1082 as described above, the groove 803 is preferably positioned between the first cross section 1080 and the second cross section 1082. Nonetheless, the screw of the present invention is not so limited and the groove 803 may be positioned anywhere along the first or second cross sections 1080, 1082.
Certain terms are used throughout the following description and claims to refer to particular features or components. As one skilled in the art will appreciate, different persons may refer to the same feature or component by different names. This document does not intend to distinguish between components or features that differ in name but not structure or function. As used herein “double-head screw”, “screw”, “improved screw”, and “screw with male head member” are interchangeable, and refer to the dual-head screw 100, 800 of the present invention.
Notwithstanding the forgoing, the dual-head screw 100, 800 of the present invention and its various components can be of any suitable size and configuration as is known in the art without affecting the overall concept of the invention, provided that the same accomplish the above-stated objectives. One of ordinary skill in the art will appreciate that the size, configuration and material of the dual-head screw 100, 800 as shown in the FIGS. are for illustrative purposes only, and that many other sizes and shapes of the dual-head screw 100, 800 are well within the scope of the present disclosure. Although the dimensions of the dual-head screw 100, 800 are important design parameters for user convenience, the dual-head screw 100, 800 may be of any size that ensures optimal performance during use and/or that suits the user's needs and/or preferences.
Various modifications and additions can be made to the exemplary embodiments discussed without departing from the scope of the present invention. While the embodiments described above refer to particular features, the scope of this invention also includes embodiments having different combinations of features and embodiments that do not include all of the described features. Accordingly, the scope of the present invention is intended to embrace all such alternatives, modifications, and variations as fall within the scope of the claims, together with all equivalents thereof.
What has been described above includes examples of the claimed subject matter. It is, of course, not possible to describe every conceivable combination of components or methodologies for purposes of describing the claimed subject matter, but one of ordinary skill in the art may recognize that many further combinations and permutations of the claimed subject matter are possible. Accordingly, the claimed subject matter is intended to embrace all such alterations, modifications and variations that fall within the spirit and scope of the appended claims. Furthermore, to the extent that the term “includes” is used in either the detailed description or the claims, such term is intended to be inclusive in a manner similar to the term “comprising” as “comprising” is interpreted when employed as a transitional word in a claim.
The present application claims priority to, and the benefit of, U.S. Provisional Application No. 63/134,385, which was filed on Jan. 6, 2021 and is incorporated herein by reference in its entirety.
| Number | Date | Country | |
|---|---|---|---|
| 63134385 | Jan 2021 | US |
