Screwdriver for operating self-tightening screw

Information

  • Patent Grant
  • 6386078
  • Patent Number
    6,386,078
  • Date Filed
    Thursday, February 24, 2000
    25 years ago
  • Date Issued
    Tuesday, May 14, 2002
    23 years ago
  • Inventors
  • Examiners
    • Hail, III; Joseph J.
    • Thomas; David B.
    Agents
    • Troxell Law Office PLLC
Abstract
Screwdriver for operating self-tightening screw, including a grip; a striking mechanism disposed in the grip for providing a striking force; and a stem body slidably disposed in the grip. The top end of the stem body is drivingly engaged with the striking mechanism. The bottom end of the stem body serves to drive the self-tightening screw. In use, the screwdriver is pressed downward against the self-tightening screw. At this time, the stem body is slided into the grip to drivingly move the striking mechanism. The striking mechanism produces a striking force acting on the self-tightening screw so as to nail the self-tightening screw into a screwing position of a work piece. Then the screwdriver is used to screw the self-tightening screw into the work piece.
Description




BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION




The present invention relates to a screwdriver, and more particularly to a screwdriver for operating self-tightening screw. The screwdriver is able to first nail the self-tightening screw into a screwing position of a work piece and then further screw the self-tightening screw into the work piece.




In a DIY product, self-tightening screws are often used to connect work pieces with each other, such as wooden slats.




The self-tightening screw is driven by a screwdriver to screw into a work piece. Prior to screwing the self-tightening screw, the tip of the self-tightening screw must be first nailed into the work piece. There are generally two measures for nailing the tip of the self-tightening screw into the work piece. One is to use a hammering tool to strike and nail the self-tightening screw in to the work piece. The other is to directly use the screwdriver to exert an axial force onto the self-tightening screw and simultaneously drive the self-tightening screw into the work piece. With respect to the first measure, an operator must pinch the self-tightening screw with one hand and at the same time operate the hammering tool to strike the self-tightening screw with the other hand so as to nail the self-tightening screw into the work piece. During the striking operation, it often takes place that the hammering tool incautiously hits and injures the hand pinching the self-tightening screw. With respect to the second measure, the pressure exerted by the operator onto the self-tightening screw is not so direct and effective as the pressure produced by the hammering tool so that it is laborious for the operator to effectively press the self-tightening screw against the work piece. Moreover, the tip of the self-tightening screw contacts with the work piece at a point with small area so that the self-tightening screw contacts with the work piece in an unstable state and tends to deflect and can be hardly located on the work piece. Therefore, during operation, it often takes place that the screwdriver slips away from the self-tightening screw and the self-tightening screw bounds away to other place. Therefore, it is necessary to repeat the operation many times for nailing the self-tightening screw into the work piece.




SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION




It is therefore a primary object of the present invention to provide a screwdriver for operating self-tightening screw. The screwdriver is able to first nail the self-tightening screw into a work piece to facilitate the screwing of the self-tightening screw.




It is a further object of the present invention to provide a screwdriver for operating self-tightening screw, which is able to first nail the self-tightening screw into work piece without using any other tool and pinching the screw with a hand so that the user's hand is protected from being hit and injured.




It is still a further object of the present invention to provide a screwdriver for operating self-tightening screw, by which during the nailing of the self-tightening screw, the screw will not deflect or randomly bound away.




It is still a further object of the present invention to provide a screwdriver for operating self-tightening screw, which enables a user to quickly and conveniently nail a self-tightening screw.




The present invention can be best understood through the following description and accompanying drawings wherein:











BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS





FIG. 1

is a perspective exploded view of a first embodiment of the present invention;





FIG. 2

is a sectional assembled view of the first embodiment of

FIG. 1

;





FIG. 3

is a sectional view taken along line


3





3


of

FIG. 2

, showing a relationship between the stop member and the stem body;





FIG. 4

is a sectional view according to

FIG. 3

, showing another relationship between the stop member and the stem body;





FIG. 5

shows that a self-tightening screw is to be nailed into a work piece by the screwdriver of the present invention;





FIG. 6

is a view according to

FIG. 5

, showing a state in the instant prior to striking the screw;





FIG. 7

is a view according to

FIG. 6

, showing that the screw is struck;





FIG. 8

is a front partially sectional view of a second embodiment of the present invention;





FIG. 9

is a view according to

FIG. 8

, showing the striking state of the second embodiment;





FIG. 10

is a partially sectional view of a third embodiment of the present invention;





FIG. 11

is a partially sectional view of a fourth embodiment of the present invention;





FIG. 12

is a partially sectional view of,a fifth embodiment of the present invention;





FIG. 13

is a partially sectional view of a sixth embodiment of the present invention;





FIG. 14

is a view according to

FIG. 13

, showing the striking state of the sixth embodiment of the present invention;





FIG. 15

is a partially sectional view of a seventh embodiment of the present invention;





FIG. 16

is a view according to

FIG. 15

, showing the striking state of the seventh embodiment of the present invention;





FIG. 17

is a sectional assembled view of an eighth embodiment of the present-invention;





FIG. 18

is a perspective view of a ninth embodiment of the present invention;





FIG. 19

is a perspective exploded view of the ninth embodiment of

FIG. 18

;





FIG. 20

is a longitudinal sectional view according to

FIG. 18

;





FIG. 21

is a sectional view taken along line


21





21


of

FIG. 20

;





FIG. 22

is a sectional view taken along line


22





22


of

FIG. 20

;





FIG. 23

is a longitudinal sectional view showing that the ratchet mechanism is disposed in the grip;





FIG. 24

is a sectional view taken along line


24





24


of

FIG. 20

;





FIGS. 25 and 26

are longitudinal sectional view according to

FIG. 20

, showing the striking state thereof;





FIGS. 27 and 28

are cross-sectional view according to

FIG. 21

, showing that the stem body is engaged;





FIGS. 29 and 30

are longitudinal sectional view according to

FIG. 23

, showing that the ratchet mechanism: provides a ratchet effect;





FIG. 31

is a side view of a part of the embodiment of

FIG. 18

;





FIG. 32

is a view according to

FIG. 31

, showing that rotary cap is turned for replacing a screwdriver head;





FIGS. 33

to


36


are cross-sectional views according to

FIG. 21

, showing the operation of a part of the tenth embodiment of the present invention;





FIG. 37

is a perspective exploded view of an eleventh embodiment of the present invention; and





FIG. 38

is a longitudinal sectional assembled view of the eleventh embodiment of FIG.


37


.











DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS




Please first refer to

FIGS. 1 and 2

. According to a first embodiment of the present invention, the screwdriver


10


includes:




a grip


20


for a user to hold, the grip


20


being formed with an axial passage


22


passing through a bottom end of the grip; and




a striking mechanism having a resilient energy-reserving member


25


and a striking assembly


30


and disposed in the passage


22


for providing a striking force. The resilient energy-reserving member


25


has a relatively great coefficient of resilience.




The striking assembly


30


includes:




a hammering body


40


which is a column-like metal body, a bottom end of the hammering body


40


being formed with an inward extending shaft hole


42


, the hammering body


40


being slidably received in the passage


22


, one end of the energy-reserving member


25


abutting against the inner wall of the passage, while the other end thereof abutting against the hammering body for downward pushing the hammering body, when the hammering body


40


is not subject to external force, the hammering body


40


being kept located at a locating section


23


of the passage


22


;




a hammering bar


50


, a top end of the hammering bar


50


being a rod section


52


with smaller diameter, while a bottom end of the hammering bar


50


being a striking section


54


, a body of the hammering bar


50


between the rod section


52


and the striking section


54


being formed with a conic guide sect ion


56


having an upward tapered outer diameter, the hammering bar


50


being slidably received in the passage


22


under the hammering body


40


, the maximum outer diameter of the body of the hammering bar being smaller than the inner diameter of the passage


22


so that in a normal state, the hammering bar will naturally tilt and an angle is contained by the axes of the hammering bar


50


and the passage


22


, in this embodiment, the passage being formed with a rectifying section


24


under the locating section


23


corresponding to the guide section


56


for rectifying the hammering bar;




a resilient member


57


having less coefficient of resilience and fitted around the hammering bar


50


, one end of the resilient member


57


abutting against the inner wall of the passage, while the other end thereof abutting against the hammering bar, whereby when not subject to external force, the hammering bar is kept sliding downward and the rod section


52


is prevented from extending into the shaft hole


42


; and




a stem body


60


, in this embodiment, the stem body


60


having a polygonal cross-section, an inner side of the top end of the stem body


60


being formed with a recessed stop section


62


, a bottom end thereof being formed with a hexagonal socket


64


for fitting with a screwdriver head


65


having a driving section


651


. Different screwdriver heads can be replaceably fitted in the socket


64


. The top end of the stem body is slidably fitted into the passage


22


. The top end of the stem body is formed with a stop: sect ion


66


engaged with an engaging section


201


formed on the inner wall of the passage, serving as a lower stop point of the sliding of the stem body for preventing the stem body from dropping out. The bottom end of the hammering bar


50


abuts against the stem body to locate the hammering bar


50


. The top face of the stem body


60


is formed with an eccentric concave


68


or convex, whereby when the arched striking section


54


contacts with the concave


68


, the hammering bar


50


will be surely deflected. However, the concave


68


is omissible. The hammering bar will still naturally tilt without the concave.




The bottom end of the passage


22


is formed with a hole


202


having a shape identical to that of the cross-section of the stem body


60


, whereby a torque can be transmitted from the grip


20


to the stem body


60


.




A stop member


70


which can have various patterns such as a ring body fitted on the circumferential face of the grip for a user's hand to rotate. Alternatively, the stop member


70


can be an arched plate body as shown in FIG.


1


. The pattern of the stop member is not limited to the pattern of this embodiment. The stop member


70


has an engaging section


72


and is disposed at a mounting section


26


formed on the circumferential face of the bottom end of the grip


20


for a user's hand to shift between two positions. The engaging section


72


extends from a window


28


into the passage


22


corresponding the stop section


62


of the stem body


60


for engaging with the stop section


62


. When the stop member


70


is shifted to one of the two positions, the engaging section


72


is engaged with the stop section


62


to prevent the stem body from sliding toward the passage.




When shifted to the other position, the engaging section is disengaged from the stop section, permitting the stem body to slide iwnard the passage.




The present invention provides a preceding operation prior to screwing the self-tightening screw into a screwing position of the work piece. Before the self-tightening screw


75


is screwed, the stop member


70


is first shifted to the second position as shown in

FIG. 4

, making the engaging section


72


disengaged from the stop section


62


of the stem body


60


. Then the driving section


651


at front end of the stem body is fitted with the head


76


of the self-tightening screw


75


as shown in

FIG. 5

with the tip of the self-tightening screw pressed against the surface of the work piece.




Thereafter, the operator downward presses the screwdriver. At this time, the self-tightening screw


75


and the stem body


60


will suffer a reaction force to slide into the passage


22


. The hammering bar


50


and the hammering body


40


are driven to slide toward the top end of the passage


22


as shown in FIG.


6


. At this time, the energy-reserving member


25


is compressed to reserve a resilient energy. In a normal state, the hammering bar is tilted so that when the hammering bar pushes the hammering body, the top end of the rod section


52


abuts against the bottom face of the hammering body


40


without inserting into the shaft hole


42


.




When the operator continuously exerts a force, the members


60


,


50


,


40


are further moved inward so that the resilient energy reserved in the energy-reserving member


25


is gradually increased. When the guide section


56


of the hammering bar


50


contacts with the rectifying section


24


, the hammering bar is guided by the rectifying section


24


to gradually deflect to an upright position. At this time, the rod section


52


is gradually aligned with the shaft hole


42


. In the instant of alignment of the rod section with the shaft hole, the hammering body


40


is free from the pushing force of the hammering bar


50


and the hammering bar is inserted into the hammering body. In this instant, the hammering body is temporarily suspended and the resilient energy of the energy-reserving member


25


is instantaneously released to act on the hammering body. At this time, the hammering body instantaneously strikes the hammering bar


50


as shown in FIG.


7


. The impacting force is transmitted from the hammering bar


50


to the stem body


60


, making the tip of the self-tightening screw


75


nail into the screwing position of the work piece.




When the screwdriver is released from the pressing force, the energy-reserving member


25


restores the hammering body


40


to the locating section


23


and the resilient member


57


downward pushes the hammering bar


50


, making the rod section


52


separate from the shaft hole


42


into a state as shown in FIG.


5


.




The operation of

FIGS. 5

to


7


is repeated several times so as to truly and fixedly nail the tip of the self-tightening screw


75


into the work piece by a certain depth.




After the self-tightening screw


75


is nailed, the stop member


70


is shifted to the first position as shown in FIG.


3


and the stop section


62


of the stem body


60


is engaged with the engaging section


72


of the stop member


70


. At this time, the stem body is located and prevented from sliding into the passage and restored to a state as shown in FIG.


2


. Then, the screwdriver


10


can be used to screw the self-tightening screw


75


. The torque is transmitted from the grip to the stem body so that the self-tightening screw


75


can be smoothly screwed into the work piece.




It should be noted that in the embodiment of

FIG. 2

, the transmission of torque between the grip and the stem body is achieved by the hole


202


and the stem body


60


having polygonal cross-section. However, the transmission of torque can be achieved otherwise. For example, the engaging section


72


can be engaged with the stop section


62


to provide a transmission effect for the torque. Accordingly, the stem body and the hole


202


is no more necessary to suffer any torque.




Furthermore, in the structure of

FIG. 2

, the stop member


70


serves to locate the stem body and prevent the stem body from retracting so as to drive the self-tightening screw. However, the energy-reserving member


25


has greater resilient energy so that the stem body is uneasy to retract and slide inward. Therefore, even if the stop member is omitted, the screwdriver


10


can still drive the self-tightening screw with the stem body.





FIG. 8

shows another embodiment of the present invention, in which the stop member


82


is a rod member formed with a through hole as an engaging section


83


. One end of the stop member


82


extends from the window


81


into the grip


80


, while the other end thereof protrudes outside the grip and is radially slidable. The stem body


85


is passed through the engaging section


83


. A resilient member


88


is compressed between the grip and the stop member


82


for resiliently pushing the stop member outward in a not forced state. Therefore, the engaging section


83


is engaged with the stop section


86


of the stem body


85


.




As shown in

FIG. 8

, when the stop member


82


is positioned at the first position, the stem body is engaged and located for driving the self-tightening screw.




When an operator presses the stop member and makes it move to the second position as shown in

FIG. 9

, the engaging section


83


is aligned with the stem body


85


and the stem body


85


is disengaged. At this time, the stem body can slide toward the passage


89


into a state for striking the self-tightening screw.





FIG. 10

shows still another embodiment of the present invention, in which the grip


80


is formed with a radial cut


81


. This embodiment further includes a pressing lever


87


the body of which is pivotally connected to the circumferential face of the grip


80


. One end of the pressing lever


87


is connected with the stop member


82


for driving the stop member to slide. This embodiment further includes a resilient member


88


disposed between the pressing lever


87


and the grip. When not subject to external force, the resilient member


88


serves to resiliently make the pressing lever


87


keep the stop member


82


at the first position for engaging with and locating the stem body.




When the stop member


82


is positioned at the first position, the engaging section


83


is not aligned with the stem body


85


and the passage


89


so that the stem body is engaged and located for driving the self-tightening screw.




When the operator presses the pressing lever


87


and drives the stop member


82


to slide to the second position, the engaging section


83


is aligned with the stem body and disengaged from the stem body. At this time, the stem body can slide toward the passage


89


for striking the self-tightening screw.





FIGS. 11 and 12

shows two other embodiments of the present invention, in which a tilting member


92


is disposed in the grip


90


. In

FIG. 11

, the tilting member is a resilient member extending into the passage


94


for pushing the hammering bar


95


, whereby the hammering bar


95


is kept tilted before rectified. The tilting member


92


of the

FIG. 11

can be a spring disposed in the grip. In

FIG. 12

, the tilting member


92


is a resilient rib integrally formed with the grip


90


for pushing the hammering bar.





FIG. 13

shows still another embodiment of the present invention, in which the passage


90


is free from the locating section as the first embodiment. The rectifying section


91


is positioned at a height of the hammering body


92


. The inner side of the bottom end of the hammering body


92


is formed with a radial tunnel


93


communicating with the shaft hole


94


. An aligning member


95


is slidably fitted in the tunnel


93


. The body of the aligning member


95


is formed with a hole


96


corresponding to the shaft hole


94


. The aligning member is positioned under the rectifying section


91


by a predetermined distance. A resilient member


97


is disposed in the tunnel


93


for pushing the aligning member


95


and making one end thereof protrude out of the hammering body in a not forced state. Also, the hole


96


is disaligned from the shaft hole


94


. The rod section


99


of the hammering bar


98


extends into the shaft hole


94


and abuts against the aligning member


95


.




In operation, when the hammering bar


98


and the hammering body


92


suffer external force and move inward, the protruding end of the aligning member


95


contacts with the rectifying section


91


and is guided thereby to move inward along the tunnel


93


. In the instant of aligning of the hole


96


with the shaft hole


94


, the rod section


99


of the hammering bar


98


is totally aligned with the hole


96


without abutting against the aligning member. In this instant, the hammering body


92


is disengaged from the hammering bar and the hammering body


92


is driven by the resilient energy of the energy-reserving member to strike the hammering bar as shown in FIG.


14


. At this time, the self-tightening screw suffers a striking force and is nailed into the screwing position.





FIG. 15

shows another embodiment which is different from the embodiment of

FIG. 13

in that the passage


91


of the grip


90


is not disposed with the rectifying section and the circumferential wall of the passage


91


is formed with a slot


93


corresponding to the up and down travel of the aligning member


95


. The protruding end of the aligning member


95


protrudes from the slot


93


out of the grip for a user's hand to press. In a normal state, the aligning member


95


is pushed by the resilient member


97


to disalign the hole


96


from the shaft hole


94


. The aligning member


95


is disposed with an engaging section engaged with the grip


90


. The engaging section can be a stepped engaging section


901


for preventing the aligning member


95


from dropping out of the grip.




In operation, when the hammering bar


98


and the hammering body


92


suffer external force and upward slide in a direction as shown in the drawings, the energy-reserving member reserves a resilient energy. Thereafter, the operator can inward press the aligning member


95


to align the hole


96


with the shaft hole


94


so as to provide a striking effect as shown in FIG.


16


.





FIG. 17

shows still another embodiment of the present invention, in which a ratchet mechanism is disposed on the stem body


92


as shown by phantom line A. Alternatively, a ratchet mechanism is disposed on the grip


90


corresponding to the stem body as shown by phantom line B. The ratchet mechanisms A, B pertain to prior art and will not be further described herein. Accordingly, the screwdrivers of the above embodiments has a ratchet effect. In the case that the ratchet mechanism is disposed in the grip


90


as the ratchet mechanism B, the torque which the grip and the stem body suffer is bridged by the ratchet mechanism B and no torque-suffering state exists between the hole


941


of the bottom end of the passage


94


and the stem body


92


.





FIGS. 18

,


19


and


20


show a ninth embodiment of the present invention, in which the screwdriver


10


includes:




a grip


20


including an outer grip


21


and an inner grip


25


and a rotary cap


23


, the rotary cap


23


being formed with a cavity inward extending from bottom face of the rotary cap


23


, multiple receptacles


24


being formed in the cavity for receiving various kinds of screwdriver heads


26


such as flat, cross-shaped, plum blossom-shaped and star-shaped screwdriver heads, two sides of the rotary cap being formed with through holes


231


for pivotally connecting the rotary cap with two cylindrical sections


221


of two resilient ribs


22


projecting from the top end of the outer grip


21


side by side, the body of the inner grip


25


being fixedly inserted in a fitting hole


211


of the outer grip


21


by way of tight fit, a head section


28


of bottom end of the inner grip


25


protruding out of the outer grip, the inner grip


25


being formed with an axial passage


30


passing through the bottom end of the inner grip, the head section


28


being formed with two radial slots, the first slot


31


inward extending and communicating with the passage


30


as shown in

FIG. 21

, a ring body


33


being received in the passage


30


and located at a shoulder section


301


, a sleeve body


34


being fitted in the passage


30


, the circumference of the sleeve body


34


being formed with a cut


341


aligned with the first slot


31


, an end cap


36


being fixed disposed at bottom end of the head section


28


to locate the ring body


33


and the sleeve body


34


in the passage


30


; and




a striking mechanism


40


disposed in the passage


30


for providing a striking force, the striking mechanism


40


being substantially identical to the above striking mechanism, including:




a resilient energy-reserving member


41


having a relatively great coefficient of resilience;




a hammering body


42


, a bottom end of the hammering body being formed with an inward extending shaft hole


43


, the hammering body


42


being slidably received in the passage and resiliently pushed by the energy-reserving member


41


, whereby the bottom end of the hammering body is located at a locating section formed by the ring body


33


;




a hammering bar


44


, a top end of the hammering bar being a rod section


45


with smaller diameter, while a bottom end of the hammering bar


44


being a striking section


46


, an inclined guide section


47


being disposed between the rod section


45


and the striking section


46


, the hammering bar


44


being slidably received in the passage


22


under the hammering body


42


, a resilient member


48


being fitted on the hammering bar


44


for downward pushing the hammering bar


44


, whereby in a normal state, the hammering bar will naturally tilt and the rod section


45


will contact with the bottom end of the hammering body


42


without extending into the shaft hole


43


thereof;




a stem body


60


having a polygonal cross-section, the top end of the stem body


60


being formed with a groove-like stop section


62


, as shown in

FIG. 19

, the stop section


62


being formed on a member


61


which is fixedly connected with the top end of the stem body, the top end of the stem body


60


extending through the through hole


361


of the end cap


36


into the passage


30


and being telescopically slidable along the passage


30


, the top end of the stem body


60


con contacting with the bottom end of the hammering bar


44


, in a normal state, the engaging section


62


being right aligned with the first slot


31


and the cut


341


as shown in

FIGS. 20

,


21


, the body of the stem body being clipped by a C-shaped latch member


65


for engaging with the end cap


36


to prevent the stem body from dropping out of the inner grip


25


;




an engaging member


70


which is a substantially U-shaped plate body, two engaging sections


72


,


74


respectively outward projecting from two sides of the body of the engaging member


70


, the engaging member


70


being received in the first slot


31


, the body of the engaging member


70


being stopped by a post-like stop section


311


disposed in the slot


31


and located as shown in

FIG. 21

, the engaging member being shiftable to change its position, whereby the engaging sections


72


,


74


are positioned in the slot


31


or extend into the passage


30


;




a ratchet mechanism


80


including: two tunnels


82


axially formed in the head section


28


and communicating with the second slot


32


as shown in

FIG. 22

; two detents


83


,


84


each having a ratchet


85


at bottom end, the detents


83


,


84


being slidably received in the two tunnels


82


; two resilient members


86


respectively disposed in the tunnels


82


as shown in

FIG. 23

for resiliently pushing the detents, whereby in a not forced state, the detents are kept sliding downward, when the detents are resiliently pushed, the wider bodies thereof being stopped in the tunnels without detaching therefrom, the ratchet


85


downward protruding out of the end cap


36


from the through hole


362


thereof; and an engaging disc


87


which is formed with a central polygonal engaging hole


88


, multiple engaging perforations


89


being formed along the outer circumference of the engaging hole


88


at equal intervals, the engaging disc


87


being received in a barrel


90


and located right under the head section


28


, the stem body


60


extending through the engaging hole


88


as shown in

FIGS. 23

,


24


and engaging with the engaging hole


88


as shown in

FIG. 24

, the ratchets


85


of the detents being engaged in two engaging perforations


89


; and




a rotary controlling member which is the above barrel


90


, the barrel


90


being fitted on the head section


28


for locating the engaging disc


87


under the head section and keeping the engaging disc


87


drivingly connected with the stem body and the detents, the barrel


90


being rotatable around the outer circumference of the head section


28


, the inner circumferential wall of the barrel being disposed with three locating sections


91


,


92


,


93


, a locating assembly


29


embedded in the head section


28


abutting against the locating sections to locate the barrel, two driving sections


95


,


96


which are insertion pins in this embodiment; being inserted in the circumferential wall of the barrel and projecting from the inner circumferential face of the barrel, the first driving section


95


extending into the first slot


31


as shown in

FIG. 21

for driving the engaging member


70


, the second driving section


96


extending into the second slot


32


as shown in

FIG. 22

for driving the two detents


83


,


84


.





FIG. 20

shows the use of this embodiment. A suitable screwdriver head


26


is installed at the front end of the stem body


60


and aligned with a self-tightening screw


102


. A screw-clamping mechanism


100


can be additionally mounted on the system body as shown by the phantom line for clamping the self-tightening screw, whereby the self-tightening screw is struck by the screwdriver


10


and nailed into the screwing position. The clamping mechanism


100


is not the subject of this invention and thus will not be further described herein.




When it is desired to strike the self-tightening screw, the barrel


90


is first turned to a first position as shown in

FIG. 21

, whereby the first locating section


91


is located by the locating assembly


29


. At this time, the engaging member


70


is driven by the first driving section


95


to the central position where the two engaging sections


72


,


74


will not extend into the passage


30


, whereby the stop section


62


of the stem body


60


is not engaged with the engaging member


70


and is slidable. Also, as shown in

FIGS. 22 and 23

, the second driving member


96


is positioned between the two detents


83


,


84


without driving any of them. At this time, both the ratchets


85


of the detents are engaged in two engaging perforations


89


of the engaging disc


87


as shown in

FIGS. 23

,


24


so that the engaging member cannot be rotated. Also, the circumference of the stem body


60


is engaged in the engaging hole


88


of the engaging disc


87


without rotating. Therefore, at this time, the ratchet mechanism


80


is unable to provide a ratchet effect.




Then, as shown in

FIG. 25

, the tip of the self-tightening screw


102


is pressed against the surface of the work piece and the operator further downward presses the screwdriver. At this time, the stem body


60


slides into the passage


30


and the hammering bar


44


and the hammering body


42


are driven to move into the passage


30


to compress the energy-reserving member


41


for reserving a resilient energy.




When the operator further exerts a force onto the screwdriver, the members


60


,


44


,


42


are further moved inward to increase the resilient energy reserved in the energy-reserving member


41


. When the guide section


47


of the hammering bar


44


contacts with the rectifying section


331


formed by the bottom edge of the inner hole of the ring body


33


, the hammering bar is guided to gradually deflect to an upright position. In the instant of alignment of the rod section


45


with the shaft hole


43


of the hammering body


42


, the hammering body is free from the pushing force of the hammering bar


44


and the hammering bar is inserted into the hammering body. In this instant, the resilient energy of the energy-reserving member


41


is instantaneously released to act on the hammering body. At this time, the hammering body instantaneously strikes the hammering bar


44


as shown in FIG.


26


. The impacting force acts on the stem body


60


, making the tip of the self-tightening screw


102


nailed into the work piece.




When the screwdriver is released from the pressing force, the grip


20


is slightly moved upward and the resilient member


48


downward pushes the hammering bar


44


and the stem body


60


, whereby the striking mechanism


40


is restored to a state as shown in FIG.


20


.




The operation of

FIGS. 20

,


25


and


26


is repeated several times so as to truly and fixedly nail the tip of the self-tightening screw into the work piece by a certain depth.




After the self-tightening screw is nailed, the barrel


90


is turned to the second position as shown in

FIG. 27

where the second locating section


92


is located by the locating assembly


29


. At this time, the engaging member


70


is driven by the first driving section


95


and deflected, making the first engaging section


72


extend into the passage


30


to engage with the stop section


62


of the stem body


60


. At this time, the stem body is engaged and fixed without sliding and the stem body can exert an axial force onto the self-tightening screw. Also, when the barrel is located at the second position, as shown in

FIG. 29

, the second driving section


96


pushes an inclined push section


831


disposed on the body of the first detent


83


, making the detent


83


slide into the tunnel


82


. At this time, the ratchet


85


is moved out of the engaging perforation


89


of the engaging disc


87


and only the ratchet


85


of the second detent


84


remains engaged in the engaging perforation of the engaging disc. Therefore, the first detent


83


is unable to act on the engaging disc


87


.




The state of

FIG. 29

provides a one-way ratchet effect. According to the direction of the drawing, when the engaging disc


87


is moved left, the ratchet


85


(vertical face thereof) of the second detent


84


will be engaged in the engaging perforation


89


, we preventing the engaging disc from moving toward left corner. Accordingly, under such circumstance, when the grip is turned, the engaging disc


87


will drive the stem body


60


to rotate for screwing the screw. Reversely, when the engaging disc is moved right, the engaging perforation


89


thereof will push the inclined face


851


of the ratchet


85


of the detent


84


, making the detent


84


slide into the tunnel


82


as shown by the phantom line. At this time, the ratchet of the detent is disengaged from the engaging perforation


89


, permitting the engaging disc to move toward the right corner. Under such circumstance, when turning the grip, the engaging disc


87


will idle and the stem body cannot drive the screw.




When the barrel


90


is rotated to the third position, as shown in

FIG. 28

, the third locating section


93


is located by the locating assembly


29


. At this time, the engaging member


70


is driven and deflected by the first driving section


95


and the second engaging section


74


is engaged with the stop section


62


of the stem body


60


for fixing the stem body. Also, the second driving section


96


as shown in

FIG. 30

pushes the inclined push section


841


of the second detent


84


, making the detent


84


slide into the tunnel


82


. At this time, the ratchet


85


of the detent is disengaged from the engaging perforation


89


of the engaging disc and only the ratchet


85


of the first detent


83


remains engaged in the engaging disc.




The state of

FIG. 30

provides a one-way ratchet effect in another direction. When the engaging disc


87


is moved right, the ratchet


85


of the first detent


83


will be engaged in the engaging perforation


89


, preventing the engaging disc from moving toward right corner. Accordingly, under such circumstance; when the grip is turned, the stem body


60


can screw the screw. Reversely, when the engaging disc is moved left, the engaging perforation


89


thereof will push the inclined face


851


of the ratchet


85


of the detent


83


, making the detent


83


slide into the tunnel


82


as shown by the phantom line. At this time, the engaging disc can move toward the left corner. Under such circumstance, when turning the grip, the engaging disc


87


will idle and the stem body cannot drive the screw.




By means of the above one-way ratchet effect, the screwdriver can tighten or untighten the screw.




Multiple shapes and sizes of screwdriver heads


26


are loaded in the rotary cap


23


disposed on the grip


20


as shown in

FIG. 31

for a user to choose. When replacing the screwdriver head, the rotary cap


23


is turned left or right and opened as shown in

FIG. 32

to expose the bottom opening of the rotary cap. Then, a necessary screwdriver head


26


is taken out from the receptacle


24


to fit with the bottom end of the stem body for use. Thereafter, the rotary cap is turned back to the close position as shown in, FIG.


31


and located. There can be two types of fixing structures for the rotary cap. One includes a projecting section


232


formed on the bottom edge of the rotary cap and a recessed section


201


formed on the top edge of the grip


20


. The projecting section


232


is latched in the recessed section


201


to locate the rotary cap. The other is such that, as shown in

FIG. 31

, the edge of the end of each cylindrical section


221


is disposed with several projections


222


, while the circumference of the through hole


231


of the rotary cap is disposed with several recesses


233


. Two press buttons


105


are inserted with the cylindrical sections


221


from outer sides of the through hole. When the rotary cap


23


is positioned in a close position, the projections


222


are engaged in the recesses


233


. When it is desired to turn open the rotary cap, the two press buttons


105


are pressed inward to inward deflect the two resilient ribs


22


. At this time, the projections


222


are disengaged from the recesses


233


of the rotary cap, permitting the rotary cap to be turned open. When the rotary cap is turned back, the ribs


22


are resiliently restored to again fix the rotary cap.





FIGS. 33

to


36


show a tenth embodiment which is substantially identical to that of FIG.


21


. Only the barrel, engaging member and stem body of this embodiment are shown. The other components of this embodiment are identical to those of the ninth embodiment.




In this embodiment, the barrel


120


has four stages of locating positions. When the first locating section


121


of the barrel is located by the locating assembly


115


in the grip


110


as shown in

FIG. 33

, the engaging member


130


is located by the first driving section


126


at the center. At this time, the two engaging sections


132


,


134


of the engaging member are disengaged from the stop section


136


of the stem body


135


so that the stem body


135


can slide into the grip for providing a striking effect. The second driving section of the barrel will not drive the two detents so that no ratchet effect is provided.




When the second locating section


122


of the barrel


120


is located by the locating assembly


115


as shown in

FIG. 34

, the engaging member


130


is driven and deflected by the first driving section


126


, whereby the first engaging section


132


is engaged with the stop section


136


of the stem body


135


. At this time, the stem body cannot move inward and is unable to provide a striking effect. Also, the second driving section of the barrel will not drive the two detents so that no ratchet effect is provided. At this time, the stem body can exert an axial force onto the screw and when the grip


110


is turned in any direction, the stem body is synchronously rotated to tighten or untighten the screw.




When the third locating section


123


of the barrel


120


is located by the locating assembly


115


as shown in

FIG. 35

, the first engaging section


132


of the engaging member


130


is still engaged with the stop section


136


of the stem body


135


so that the stem body cannot provide a striking effect. Also, the second driving section of the barrel will drive one of the detents to provide a one-way ratchet effect.




When the fourth locating section


124


of the barrel


120


is located by the locating assembly


115


as shown in

FIG. 36

, the second engaging section


134


of the engaging member


130


is engaged with the stem body


135


so that the stem body cannot provide a striking effect. Also, the second driving section of the barrel will drive the other of the detents to provide a one-way ratchet effect in another direction.





FIGS. 37 and 38

show an eleventh embodiment of the present invention, which is almost entirely identical to the ninth embodiment and only little difference exists therebetween.




In this embodiment, the grip


20


is free from the first slot


31


and the stop section


311


, the sleeve body


34


is free from the cut,


341


, the stem body


60


is free from the stop section


62


and the barrel


90


is free from the driving section


95


and the engaging member


70


.




In use, as shown in

FIG. 38

, in a not striking state, the screwdriver


10


can still drive the self-tightening screw


102


. Even if the screwdriver of this embodiment is in the striking state as shown in

FIG. 26

, it can be still used to screw the self-tightening screw.




The present invention has the following functions:




1. The primary function of the, screwdriver of the present invention is to nail the self-tightening screw at a screwing position. Therefore, the screwdriver of the present invention has double effects of nailing the screw and screwing the screw. After the self-tightening screw is nailed, the self-tightening screw can be screwed. This is convenient to a user.




2. The nailing of the self-tightening screw is directly achieved by the screwdriver without using any other hammering tool and without pinching the self-tightening screw with a hand. Therefore, the hand is protected from being hit and injured by the hammering tool and the safety in operation can be ensured. Moreover, the present invention enables a user to screw the self-tightening screw with one single hand so that the operation is facilitated.




In addition, the screwdriver of the present invention is able to provide a striking effect so that a suitable tool can be installed at the front end of the stem body to provide a punching effect.




The above embodiments are only used to illustrate the present invention, not intended to limit the scope thereof. Many modifications of the above embodiments can be made without departing from the spirit of the present invention.



Claims
  • 1. Screwdriver for operating a self-tightening screw, comprising:a grip for a user to hold, the grip being formed with an axial passage passing through a bottom end of the grip; a striking mechanism disposed in the passage for providing a striking force acting onto the bottom end of the grip; and a step body, a top end of the stem body being slidably disposed in the passage without dropping out, a bottom end of the stem body protruding out of the grip for engaging with a self-tightening screw, a torque being transmitted between the stem body and the grip, the top end of the stem body being drivingly connected with the striking mechanism, a striking force provided by the striking mechanism acting on the stem body, wherein an inner side of the top end of the stem body has a stop section, the screwdriver further comprising a stop member having an engaging section, the stop member being disposed on a circumferential face of the grip and movable between two positions, whereby when the stop member is positioned at a first position, the engaging section is engaged with the stop section to locate the stem body, while when the stop member is positioned at a second position, the stop section is disengaged from the engaging section, permitting the stem body to slide, whereby, when the self-tightening screw is engaged with the stem body and the screwdriver is pressed downward against the self-tightening screw, making the self-tightening screw and the stem body move toward the passage, the striking mechanism provides the striking force which acts on the self-tightening screw to nail the self-tightening screw into a screwing position of a work piece and then the screwdriver can be turned to screw the self-tightening screw into the work piece.
  • 2. Screwdriver for operating self-tightening screw as claimed in claim 1, wherein the striking mechanism includes an energy-reserving member disposed in the passage and a striking assembly slidably disposed in the passage, when the striking assembly suffers an external force to slide inward the passage, the energy-reserving member reserving a resilient energy which is transmitted to the striking assembly, after the striking assembly slides through a predetermined distance, the energy-reserving, member releasing the resilient energy to provide a downward striking force, in a not forced state, the striking assembly being positioned at a lower stop point of the sliding travel thereof.
  • 3. Screwdriver for operating self-tightening screw as claimed in claim 1, wherein the circumferential face of the bottom end of the grip is formed with a window communicating with the passage, the engaging section extending from the window into the passage.
  • 4. Screwdriver for operating self-tightening screw as claimed in claim 3, wherein the stop member is an arched plate body having an engaging section.
  • 5. Screwdriver for operating self-tightening screw as claimed in claim 3, wherein the stop member is a ring body, an inner circumferential wall of the ring body being disposed with an engaging section, the stop member being fitted around the outer circumference of the grip for a user's hand to turn.
  • 6. Screwdriver for operating self-tightening screw as claimed in claim 1, wherein the passage is formed with a hole at the bottom end of the grip, the hole having a cross-section with a shape corresponding to the shape of the cross-section of the stem body.
  • 7. Screwdriver for operating self-tightening screw as claimed in claim 1, further comprising a ratchet mechanism disposed on the stem body to provide a ratchet effect for the screwdriver.
  • 8. Screwdriver for operating self-tightening screw as claimed in claim 1, further comprising a ratchet mechanism disposed between the grip and the stem body to provide a ratchet effect for the screwdriver and serve as a torque transmitting mechanism between the grip and the stem body.
  • 9. Screwdriver for operating self-tightening screw as claimed in claim 3, wherein the stop member is a rod member, a body of the stop member being formed with an engaging section, one end of the stop member extending from the window into the grip, while the other end thereof protruding outside the grip and being radially slidable, the stem body being passed through the stop member, a resilient member being disposed between the grip and the stop member for resiliently pushing the stop member outward from the grip in a not forced state, whereby the engaging section is engaged with the stop section of the stem body.
  • 10. Screwdriver for operating self-tightening screw as claimed in claim 3, wherein the grip is formed with a radial cut and the stop member is a rod member passed through the radial cut of the grip and radially slidable, the stem body being passed through the stop member, the screwdriver further comprising a pressing lever the body of which is pivotally connected to the circumferential face of the grip and movable between two positions, one end of the pressing lever being connected with the stop member for driving the stop member to slide, the screwdriver further comprising a resilient member disposed between the pressing lever and the grip, when the pressing lever is not subject to external force, the resilient member serving to resiliently make the pressing lever keep the stop member at the first position for engaging with and locating the stem body, when the stop member is shifted to the second position, the stop member is disengaged from the stem body.
  • 11. Screwdriver for operating self-tightening screw as claimed in claim 1, wherein the bottom end of the stem body is a screwdriver head.
  • 12. Screwdriver for operating self-tightening screw as claimed in claim 1, wherein the bottom end of the stem body is formed with a socket in which a screwdriver head is fitted.
  • 13. Screwdriver for operating self-tightening screw as claimed in claim 2, wherein the energy-reserving member is disposed at the top end of the passage, the striking assembly including: a hammering body disposed under the energy-reserving member and pushed thereby; and a hammering bar disposed under the hammering body, whereby when the striking assembly slides inward, the energy-reserving member is compressed and during the sliding, the relationship between the hammering body and the hammering bar is changed from an engaged state into an insertion state so as to release the resilient energy reserved in the energy reserving member.
  • 14. Screwdriver for operating self-tightening screw as claimed in claim 13, wherein a bottom end of the hammering body is formed with an inward extending shaft hole and a top end of the hammering bar is a rod section with smaller diameter, in a normal state, the rod section being not fitted into the shaft hole, while after the striking assembly slides inward by a predetermined travel, the rod section being inserted into the shaft hole for releasing the resilient energy.
  • 15. Screwdriver for operating self-tightening screw as claimed in claim 14, wherein the inner wall of the passage is formed with a guide section and the body of the hammering bar is formed with a rectifying section under the rod section on lower side of the guide section, the hammering bar being tilted in the passage rather than in an upright state, when the hammering bar pushes the hammering body to slide upward, the top end of the rod section abutting against the bottom end of the hammering body, when the guide section contacts with the rectifying section, the hammering bar being rectified into an upright state with the rod section aligned with the shaft hole for inserting therein to, a resilient member being disposed between the grip and the hammering bar for downward pushing the hammering bar, whereby when not forced, the hammering bar is restored to a state in which the hammering bar abuts against the hammering body.
  • 16. Screwdriver for operating self-tightening screw as claimed in claim 15, wherein the diameter of the hammering bar is smaller than the inner diameter of the passage for tilting the hammering bar.
  • 17. Screwdriver for operating self-tightening screw as claimed in claim 15, further comprising a tilting member disposed in the grip and resiliently abutting against the hammering bar, whereby prior to rectifying, the hammering bar is kept tilted.
  • 18. Screwdriver for operating self-tightening screw as claimed in claiming 14, wherein the bottom end of the hammering body is formed with a radial tunnel communicating with the shaft hole, the screwdriver further comprising an aligning ember slidably fitted in the tunnel, a body of the aligning member being formed with a hole corresponding to the shaft hole, a resilient member being disposed between the hammering body and the aligning member for resiliently pushing the aligning member to slide outward from the tunnel and making the hole disaligned from the shaft hole, the rod section of the hammering bar abutting against the aligning member from the bottom end of the shaft hole, whereby after the hammering bar and the hammering body are moved upward by a predetermined distance, the aligning member is slided into the tunnel to make the hole aligned with the shaft hole, permitting the rod section to insert into the shaft hole.
  • 19. Screwdriver for operating self-tightening screw as claimed in claim 18, wherein the wall face of the passage is formed with a rectifying section, one of the aligning member protruding out of the hammering body, whereby when the hammering body is moved upward and the aligning member contacts with the rectifying section, the aligning member is guided by the rectifying section to slide into the tunnel.
  • 20. Screwdriver for operating self-tightening screw as claimed in claim 18, wherein the circumferential wall of the grip is formed with a slot corresponding to the up and down travel of the aligning member, one end of the aligning member protruding out of the grip from the slot for a user's hand to press and make the aligning member slide into the tunnel.
  • 21. Screwdriver for operating self-tightening screw as claimed in claim 15, wherein the circumferential wall of the passage is disposed with a locating section above the guide section, the lower travel of the hammering body being located at the locating section, the resilient member making the hammering bar located at the lowers top point and making the rod section separate from the shaft hole.
  • 22. Screwdriver for operating self-tightening screw comprising:a grip formed with an axial passage passing through a bottom end of the grip; a striking mechanism disposed in the passage for providing a striking force due to external force; a stem body slidably disposed in the passage, a bottom end of the stem body protruding out of the grip, a top end of the stem body being drivingly connected with the striking mechanism, whereby when the stem body suffers a force to slide into the passage, the striking force provided by the striking mechanism acting on the stem body; a rotary controlling member disposed on the grip for a user's hand to shift; an engaging member disposed between the stem body and the rotary controlling member; and a ratchet mechanism disposed between the grip and the stem body, whereby when operating the rotary controlling member, the rotary controlling member is drivingly connected with the engaging member and the ratchet mechanism, the rotary controlling member cooperating with the engaging member to fix the stem body and prevent the stem body from being drivingly connected with the striking mechanism or disengage the stem body and control whether the ratchet mechanism provides a ratchet effect for the stem body.
  • 23. Screwdriver for operating self-tightening screw as claimed in claim 22, wherein the rotary controlling member has two driving sections, the first driving section corresponding to the engaging member, while the second driving section corresponding to the ratchet mechanism, the first driving section controlling the shifting of the engaging member, making the engaging member engaged with the stem body or disengaged herefrom, the second driving section switching the ratchet mechanism between a ratchet effect-providing state and a not providing state.
  • 24. Screwdriver for operating self-tightening screw as claimed in claim 22, wherein the engaging member is directly connected with the rotary controlling member and movable along therewith.
  • 25. Screwdriver for operating self-tightening screw as claimed in claim 22, wherein the body of the stem body is disposed with a stop section, when the engaging member is moved to engage with the stop section, the stem body is located.
  • 26. Screwdriver for operating self-tightening screw as claimed in claim 22, wherein the circumferential wall of the grip is formed with a radial first slot communicating with the passage, the body of the stem body being disposed with a stop section, in a natural state, when the stem body is not forced, the stop section being aligned with the first slot, the engaging member being movably disposed in the slot, the engaging member being driven by the rotary controlling member to extend into the passage and engage with the stop section or driven by the rotary controlling member to disengage from the stop section.
  • 27. Screwdriver for operating self-tightening screw as claimed in claim 26, wherein the rotary controlling member is disposed with a first driving section positioned in the first slot for driving the engaging member to shift.
  • 28. Screwdriver for operating self-tightening screw as claimed in claim 22, wherein the ratchet mechanism is disposed in the grip, the grip being formed with a second slot communicating with the interior of the ratchet mechanism, the rotary controlling member being disposed with a second driving section positioned in the second slot, when operating the rotary controlling member, the second driving section switching the ratchet mechanism between a ratchet effect-providing state and a not providing state.
  • 29. Screwdriver for operating self-tightening screw as claimed in claim 22, wherein the grip is formed with a first and a second radial slots, the first slot communicating with the passage, the body of the stem body being disposed with a stop section corresponding to the first slot, the engaging member being disposed in the first slot, the ratchet mechanism being disposed in the grip, the second slot communicating with the ratchet mechanism, the stem body extending into the ratchet mechanism, whereby the ratchet mechanism provides a ratchet effect for controlling the operation of the stem body, the rotary controlling member having two driving section, the first driving section being positioned in the first slot for controlling the engaging member to engage with the stop section, the second driving section being positioned in the second slot for switching the ratchet mechanism between a ratchet effect-providing state and a not providing state.
  • 30. Screwdriver for operating self-tightening screw as claimed in claim 26, wherein two sides of the body of the engaging member are respectively disposed with two engaging sections, when the engaging member is shifted to one position, the engaging sections being kept in the first slot without engaging with the stem body, when the engaging member is shifted to the other position, one of the engaging sections being engaged with the stop section of the stem body.
  • 31. Screwdriver for operating self-tightening screw as claimed in claim 23, wherein the stem body has a polygonal cross-section, the ratchet mechanism including: two tunnels axially formed in the grip; two detents each having a ratchet at bottom end, the detents being slidably received in the two tunnels; two resilient members respectively disposed in the tunnels for resiliently pushing the detents, whereby in a not forced state, the detents are kept sliding downward; and an engaging disc which is formed with a central polygonal engaging hole, multiple engaging perforations being formed along the circumference of the engaging hole at equal intervals, the engaging disc being disposed under the detents, the stem body extending through the engaging hole to engage with the stem body, the ratchets of the detents being engaged in two engaging perforations of the engaging disc, the rotary controlling member having at least three shifting positions, whereby when the rotary controlling member is shifted to one of the positions, the second driving section will not drive the two detents and when the rotary controlling member is shifted to the other position, one of the detents is pushed upward and the ratchet thereof is disengaged from the engaging perforation of the engaging disc.
  • 32. Screwdriver for operating self-tightening screw as claimed in claim 31, wherein the rotary controlling member is a barrel fitted on the grip.
  • 33. Screwdriver for operating self-tightening screw as claimed in claim 22, wherein-the striking mechanism includes an energy reserving member disposed in the passage and a striking assembly slidably disposed in the passage, when the striking assembly is driven by the stem body to slide inwards the passage, the energy-reserving member reserving a resilient energy, after the striking assembly slides through a predetermined distance, the energy-reserving member releasing the resilient energy to provide a downward striking force which is transmitted from the striking-assembly to the stem body, in a not forced state, the striking assembly being positioned at a lower stop point of the sliding travel thereof.
  • 34. Screwdriver for operating self-tightening screw as claimed in claim 33, wherein the striking assembly including: a hammering body disposed under the energy-reserving member and pushed thereby; and a hammering bar disposed under the hammering body to abut against the hammering body, whereby when the striking assembly slides inward, the energy-reserving member is compressed and during the sliding, the hammering body and the hammering bar is released from the engaged state so as to release the resilient energy.
  • 35. Screwdriver for operating self-tightening: screw as claimed in claim 34, wherein a bottom end of the hammering body is formed with an inward extending shaft hole and a top end of the hammering bar is a rod section with smaller diameter, in a normal state, the rod section being not fitted into the shaft hole, while after the striking assembly slides inward by a predetermined travel, the rod section being inserted into the shaft hole for releasing the resilient energy.
  • 36. Screwdriver for operating self-tightening screw as claimed in claim 35, wherein the inner wall of the passage is formed with a guide section and the body of the hammering bar is formed with a rectifying section under the rod section on lower side of the guide section, when the hammering bar pushes the hammering body to slide upward, the top end of the rod section abutting against the bottom end of the hammering body, when the guide section contacts with the rectifying section, the hammering bar being rectified into an upright state with the rod section aligned with the shaft hole for inserting therein to, a resilient member being disposed between the grip and the hammering bar for downward pushing the hammering bar, whereby when not forced, the hammering bar is restored to a state in which the hammering bar abuts against the hammering body.
  • 37. Screwdriver for operating self-tightening screw as claimed in claim 31, wherein the grip includes an outer grip formed with a fitting hole and an inner grip having a head section at bottom end, the inner grip being fixedly disposed in the fitting hole, the head section being exposed outside the bottomend of the outer grip, the passage being formed in the inner grip, the ratchet mechanism and the rotary controlling member being disposed at the head section.
  • 38. Screwdriver for operating self-tightening screw as claimed in claim 22, wherein at least two rib sections project from the top end of the grip, the screwdriver further comprising a rotary cap, the rotary cap being formed with a cavity inward extending from bottom face of the rotary cap, multiple receptacles being formed in the cavity for receiving various kinds of screwdriver heads, the rotary cap being pivotally connected with the rib sections.
  • 39. Screwdriver for operating self-tightening screw comprising:a grip formed with an axial passage passing through a bottom end of the grip; a striking mechanism disposed in the passage for providing a striking force acting onto the bottom end of the grip due to external force; a stem body slidably disposed in the passage, a bottom end of the stem body protruding out of the grip, a top end of the stem body being drivingly connected with the striking mechanism, whereby when the stem body suffers an external force to slide into the passage, the striking mechanism providing the striking force acting on the stem body; a rotary controlling member disposed on the grip for a user's hand to shift; and a ratchet mechanism disposed between the grip and the stem body; whereby when operating the rotary controlling member, the rotary controlling member is drivingly connected with the ratchet mechanism to control whether the ratchet mechanism provides a ratchet effect for the stem body.
  • 40. Screwdriver for operating self-tightening screw as claimed in claim 39, wherein the rotary controlling member has a driving section, the driving section corresponding to the ratchet mechanism, the-driving section being drivingly connected with the ratchet mechanism to control the ratchet effect of the ratchet mechanism.
  • 41. Screwdriver for operating self-tightening screw as claimed in claim 39, wherein the ratchet mechanism is disposed in the grip, the grip being formed with a slot communicating with the interior of the ratchet mechanism, the rotary controlling member being disposed with a driving section positioned in the slot, when operating the rotary controlling member, the driving section switching the ratchet mechanism between a ratchet effect-providing state and a not providing state.
  • 42. Screwdriver for operating self-tightening screw as claimed in claim 39, wherein the ratchet mechanism is disposed in the grip, the stem body extending into the ratchet mechanism, whereby the ratchet mechanism provides a ratchet effect for controlling the operation of the stem body, the grip being formed with a radial slot communicating with the ratchet mechanism, the rotary controlling member having a driving section positioned in the slot for switching the ratchet mechanism between a ratchet effect-providing state and a not providing state.
  • 43. Screwdriver for operating self-tightening screw as claimed in claim 40, wherein the stem body has a polygonal cross-section, the ratchet mechanism including: two tunnels axially formed in the grip; two detents each having a ratchet at bottom end, the detents being slidably received in the two tunnels; two resilient members respectively disposed in the tunnels for resiliently pushing the detents, whereby in a not forced state, the detents are kept sliding downward; and an engaging disc which is formed with a central polygonal engaging hole, multiple engaging perforations being formed along the circumference of the engaging hole at equal intervals, the engaging disc being disposed under the detents, the stem body extending through the engaging hole to engage with the stem body, the ratchets of the detents being engaged in two engaging perforations of the engaging disc, the rotary controlling member having at least three shifting positions, whereby when the rotary controlling member is shifted to one of the positions, the second driving section will not drive the two detents and the two detents are kept engaged with the engaging disc and when the rotary controlling member is shifted to the other position, one of the detents is pushed upward and the ratchet thereof is disengaged from the engaging perforation of the engaging disc.
  • 44. Screwdriver for operating self-tightening screw as claimed in claim 39, wherein the rotary controlling member is a barrel fitted on the grip.
  • 45. Screwdriver for operating self-tightening screw as claimed in claim 39, wherein the striking mechanism includes an energy-reserving member disposed in the passage and a striking assembly slidably disposed in the passage, when the striking assembly is driven by the stem body to slide inward the passage, the energy-reserving member reserving a resilient energy, after the striking assembly slides through a predetermined distance, the energy-reserving member releasing the resilient energy to provide a downward striking force which is transmitted from the striking assembly to the stem body, in a not forced state, the striking assembly being positioned at a lower stop point of the sliding travel thereof.
  • 46. Screwdriver for operating self-tightening screw as claimed in claim 45, wherein the striking assembly including: a hammering body disposed under the energy-reserving member and pushed thereby; and a hammering bar disposed under the hammering body to abut against the hammering body, whereby when the striking assembly slides inward, the energy-reserving member is compressed and during the sliding, the hammering body and the hammering bar is released from the engaged state so as to release the resilient energy.
  • 47. Screwdriver for operating self-tightening screw as claimed in claim 46, wherein a bottom end of the hammering body is formed with an inward extending shaft hole and a top end of the hammering bar is a rod section with smaller diameter, in a normal state, the rod section abutting against the bottom end of the hammering body and being not fitted into the shaft hole, while after the striking assembly slides inward by a predetermined travel, the rod section being inserted into the shaft hole for releasing the resilient energy.
  • 48. Screwdriver for operating self-tightening screw as claimed in claim 47, wherein the inner wall of the passage is formed with a guide section and the body of the hammering bar is formed with a rectifying section under the rod section on lower side of the guide section, when the hammering bar pushes the hammering body to slide upward, the top end of the rod section abutting against the bottom end of the hammering body, when the guide section contacts with the rectifying section, the hammering bar being rectified into an upright state with the rod section aligned with the shaft hole for inserting therein to, a resilient member being disposed between the grip and the hammering bar for downward pushing the hammering bar, whereby when not forced, the hammering bar is restored to a state in which the hammering bar abuts against the hammering body.
  • 49. Screwdriver for operating self-tightening screw as claimed in claim 39, wherein the grip includes an outer grip formed with a fitting hole and an inner grip fixedly disposed in the fitting hole, the passage being formed in the inner grip.
  • 50. Screwdriver for operating self-tightening screw as claimed in claim 43, wherein the grip includes an outer grip formed with a fitting hole and an inner grip having a head section at bottom end, the inner grip being fixedly disposed in the fitting hole, the head section being exposed outside the bottomend of the outer grip, the passage being formed in the inner grip, the ratchet mechanism and the rotary controlling member being disposed at the head section.
  • 51. Screwdriver for operating self-tightening screw as claimed in claim 39, wherein at least two rib sections project from the top end of the grip, the screwdriver further comprising a rotary cap, the rotary cap being formed with a cavity inward extending from bottom face of the rotary cap, multiple receptacles being formed in the cavity for receiving various kinds of screwdriver heads, the rotary cap being pivotally connected with the rib sections.
Priority Claims (2)
Number Date Country Kind
088105172 Mar 1999 TW
088114010 Aug 1999 TW
US Referenced Citations (8)
Number Name Date Kind
3366187 Von Tersch Jan 1968 A
3435862 Rainey Apr 1969 A
3783956 Schultz Jan 1974 A
3900058 McArdle Aug 1975 A
4708209 Aspinwall Nov 1987 A
5012709 Su May 1991 A
5321999 Lin Jun 1994 A
6250187 Ju et al. Jun 2001 B1