Fastener element
OwnerMark A. Farrellinventor
Life of this patent
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Abstract
A fastener for use in securing wallboard such as drywall to a supporting structure includes a shank having a bugle head at one end and a tapered point at an opposite end, an annular ring flange and anti-clockwise threads disposed on the shank adjacent the head portion to auger and recompact particulate material which exhausts from the tapping threads during insertion of the fastener, and to tuck the outer sheeting layer evenly beneath the bugle head of the fastener.
Claims8
A fastener, comprising a shank and a head at a first end of the shank and a tapered point at an opposite end, the shank having a first portion including the tapered point and a second portion disposed axially toward the head of the fastener, the first portion having thread convolutions extending from the tapered point spirally in a first direction and terminating prior to the second portion, and the second portion having thread convolutions spiraling in a direction which is reverse to that of the threads on the first portion;
- wherein the head of the fastener is a bugle head having a lateral surface which diverges outwardly from the axis of the fastener and toward the first end, and wherein the fastener further includes an annular ring flange disposed on the shank prior to the divergence of the lateral surfaces of the head, the flange having a diameter which is greater than the major diameter of the reverse threads on the second portion and less than the maximum diameter of the bugle head.
A fastener, comprising a shank, a bugle head having lateral surfaces which diverge outwardly from the shank toward a first end of the fastener, and a tapered point at an opposite end, the shank having continuous tapping thread convolutions extending spirally from the tapered point, and an annular ring flange disposed on the shank prior to the divergence of the lateral surfaces of the bugle head, the flange having a diameter which is greater than the major diameter of the tapping threads and less than the maximum diameter of the bugle head.
A method for securing a section of wallboard including particulate matter enclosed, in part, by an outer layer of sheeting to a supporting structure, the method comprising the steps of:
- introducing into the wallboard, through the outer sheeting layer, a fastener having a shank with a head at a first end and a tapered point at an opposite end, the shank of the fastener having a first portion including the tapered point and a second portion disposed axially toward the head of the fastener, the first portion having tapping thread convolutions extending from the tapered point and spiraling in a first direction and terminating prior to the second portion;
- the second portion having thread convolutions spiraling in a reverse direction to the threads on the first portion;
- the fastener further including an annular ring flange disposed on the shank prior to the divergence of the lateral surface of the head;
- rotating the fastener so that the tapered point proceeds through the wallboard toward the supporting structure;
- causing the reverse threads on the second portion of the fastener to engage the particulate material in the wallboard and auger the particulate material around the shank toward the supporting structure;
- and
- causing the flange to tuck the outer layer of sheeting away from the head portion during the initial penetration of the head portion beneath the exterior surface of the wallboard.
Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.