Fastener driver
AssigneeHoneywell Federal Manufacturing & Technologies, LLC
InventorsJoshua Michael Schnitzler, Donald Conrad Branson
Life of this patent
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Abstract
A driver for non-magnetic gripping of a socketed fastener head. The driver includes a shank and two cantilever beams. Each cantilever beam has an end and a basal segment adjacent the shank opposite the end. The driver also includes a gap defined by the two cantilever beams in resting positions. The gap extends between the two cantilever beams from an open end toward the shank. The ends of the two cantilever beams are configured to bend into the gap from the resting positions.
Claims16
A driver for gripping a socketed fastener head, the driver comprising:
- a shank;
- two spaced-apart cantilever beams extending from the shank and defining a longitudinal gap between them, each cantilever beam having an end and a basal segment adjacent the shank;
- a sliding shim positioned in the gap;
- and
- a track of protrusions extending inside the gap and defining cradles therebetween for receipt of the sliding shim and incremental movement of the sliding shim with respect to the track of protrusions and along the gap,
- wherein the cantilever beams are configured to narrow the gap between the ends when transitioning from resting positions to assembled positions.
A driver for gripping a socketed fastener head, the driver comprising:
- a shank;
- two spaced-apart cantilever beams extending from the shank and defining a longitudinal gap between them, each cantilever beam having a basal segment adjacent the shank and an end terminating at a tip;
- a sliding shim positioned in the gap;
- and
- a track of protrusions extending inside the gap and defining cradles therebetween for receipt of the sliding shim,
- wherein the sliding shim and cantilever beams are configured such that moving the sliding shim toward the tips, when the driver is assembled to the socketed fastener head, causes the sliding shim to incrementally traverse the track of protrusions and causes the ends to apply outward pressure on the socketed fastener head.
A method for installing a fastener having a socketed head presenting a top surface and a socket formed in and below the top surface, the method comprising:
- providing a driver having two cantilever beams, each cantilever beam including an outward-facing surface;
- aligning the driver with a socket of the socketed fastener head;
- applying a force to a shank of the driver generally in the direction of the socketed fastener head causing the cantilever beams to move toward one another to permit at least partial insertion into the socket;
- applying a force to a sliding shim in a gap between the cantilever beams generally in the direction of the socketed fastener head to press the sliding shim in a translational movement over a protrusion of a track of protrusions extending inside the gap, thereby applying a pressure on the socket;
- and
- settling the sliding shim in a cradle between the protrusion and a next-adjacent protrusion of the track of protrusions.
Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.