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Self-drilling anchor screw and method of using the sameSelf-drilling anchor screw and method of using the same description/claimsThe Patent Description & Claims data below is from USPTO Patent Application 20080008553, Self-drilling anchor screw and method of using the same. Brief Patent Description - Full Patent Description - Patent Application Claims
TECHNICAL FIELD [0001]The present invention generally relates to anchor screws. In one aspect it relates more particularly to a self-drilling anchor screw for placement in concrete, stone, or other masonry materials. BACKGROUND [0002]FIGS. 1-3 show a conventional sleeve-type anchor screw 30, and FIG. 4 shows a conventional wedge-type anchor screw 50. These conventional screws 30, 50 may be found in most hardware stores and are widely used. Turning first to the sleeve-type anchor screw 30 shown in FIGS. 1-3, the sleeve-type anchor screw 30 is made of four separate pieces (see FIG. 3) that work together to provide the function of anchoring the screw 30 into a material (e.g., masonry wall, concrete floor, cinder block, mortar). The sleeve-type anchor screw 30 has a shaft member 32, a sleeve member 34, a nut 36, and a washer 38. FIG. 3 shows the pieces separated and FIGS. 1 and 2 show the pieces operably assembles to form the sleeve-type anchor screw 30. The shaft member 32 has a threaded shaft portion 42 adapted to accept the nut 36. The sleeve 34 and the washer 38 are adapted to fit over the shaft member 32. The shaft member 32 has a transition portion 44 and a flat, blunt end 46. [0003]Next, the typical method of installing and using the sleeve-type anchor screw 30 of FIGS. 1-3 will be described. The installation and use requires a minimum of three steps using three different tools and two devices (a drill bit and the anchor screw 30). First, a hole is drilled using a conventional masonry drill bit (not shown). The hole needs to be the correct diameter corresponding to the sleeve-type anchor screw 30 to be used. Otherwise, the sleeve-type anchor screw 30 will not work properly (i.e., not supporting the specified amount of force) or may not work at all. The masonry drill bit is usually driven with a hammer drill (not shown), but may be driven by a regular drill as well. In such case, the masonry drill bit is held by the drill chuck. Usually a conventional masonry drill is designed for many uses (to drill many holes). A typical masonry bit has a spade-shaped tungsten carbide tip mounted on the tip of a fluted shaft. The flutes help remove the debris (dust) from the hole during drilling. The shaft of the masonry drill bit is usually made from a relatively soft and flexible steel that differs from the hard, more-brittle cutting tip. [0004]Once the hole is drilled, the second step is to insert the sleeve-type anchor screw 30 into the pre-drilled hole. Usually, the sleeve-type anchor screw will need to be driven into the hole (e.g., hammered) due to a desired snug fit. This step typically requires the use of a hammer to slide the sleeve-type anchor screw 30 into the hole. The object that is being fastened to the material (that the hole was drilled into) is usually held in place while the sleeve-type anchor screw 30 is inserted into the hole. If the object is large and/or heavy, this may require a second person to hold the object in place because the first person inserting the sleeve-type anchor screw may need two hands to insert the sleeve-type anchor screw (e.g., one hand to hold the sleeve-type anchor screw 30 and the other hand to swing the hammer). [0005]After the sleeve-type anchor screw 30 is driven into the hole to a desired depth, the third step is to tighten the nut 36 and expand the sleeve 34 within the hole. During this step, the object will still need to be held by the first person and/or the second person. Typically, the first person must set down the hammer and pick up a different tool for tightening the nut. The nut may be tightened with any wrench, but is more preferably tightened with a power tool for speed and less effort, such as an impact gun and socket. As the nut 36 is tightened, the transition portion 44 of the shaft member 32 is drawn toward the sleeve 34 and engages the sleeve 34. The sleeve 34 of the sleeve-type anchor screw 30 shown in FIGS. 1-3, has longitudinal slots 48 formed therein. As the sleeve 34 engages the transition portion 44, the sleeve 34 is flared open at the slots 48. This is shown in FIG. 2. The more the nut 36 is tightened, the more the sleeve 34 is forced over the transition portion 44 of the shaft member 32. This causes the sleeve-type anchor screw 30 to be wedged into the hole very tightly. This wedging configuration within the material (within the hole) provides a very strong and secure anchoring of the sleeve-type anchor screw 30. For example, a typical 3/8 inch diameter sleeve-type anchor screw may be capable of holding up to 2000 pounds of pulling force on it when it is set in the material properly. [0006]The conventional wedge-type anchor screw 50 of FIG. 4 has a sleeve 34 also, but the sleeve 34 in FIG. 4 is smaller than the sleeve 34 of the conventional sleeve-type anchor screw 30 of FIGS. 1-3. The conventional wedge-type anchor screw 50 shown in FIG. 4 is set and used with the same three-tool three-step process described above for the conventional sleeve-type anchor screw 30. Conventional wedge-type anchor screws 50 are preferred by some users, and may have a greater holding strength than a same-diameter sleeve-type anchor screw 30. However, many users find that the sleeve-type anchor screws 30 are easier to install with fewer jams while hammering the anchor screw into the pre-drilled hole. [0007]This three-tool three-step process of setting conventional sleeve-type anchor screws 30 and conventional wedge-type anchor screws 50 is quite time consuming and requires a lot of man hours. Hence, there is a need for an easier way to set and use a sleeve-type anchor screw, while still providing the strength of the conventional sleeve-type anchor screw. It would be highly desirable to eliminate one or more of the tools needed to reduce the cumbersome process of switching tools at every step. Man hours or labor costs tend to be much more expensive than the cost of screws. Thus it also would be highly desirable to provide an anchor screw that can be set and used much faster, requiring fewer man hours, even if the screws cost slightly more than conventional anchor screws. SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION [0008]The problems and needs outlined above may be addressed by embodiments of the present invention. In accordance with one aspect of the present invention, a self-drilling anchor screw is provided, which includes a shaft member, a drill bit portion, a threaded shaft portion, a transition portion, a nut, a sleeve, and a nut stop portion. The shaft member includes a first end, second end, and a central portion extending between the first and second ends. The drill bit portion is located at the first end of the shaft member. The threaded shaft portion is located along at least part of the central portion of the shaft member. The transition portion of the shaft member is located between the threaded shaft portion and the drill bit portion. At least part of the transition portion has a larger cross-section area than that of the threaded shaft portion. The nut has nut threads adapted to thread onto the threaded shaft portion of the shaft member. The nut is located on the threaded shaft portion. The sleeve is located about the shaft member. At least part of the sleeve is located adjacent to the transition portion. The sleeve is capable of sliding along the shaft member for engaging the transition portion. The nut stop portion is located at the second end of the shaft member. The nut stop portion is adapted to prevent the nut from being unscrewed from the threaded shaft portion at the second end of the shaft member. [0009]This paragraph describes some embodiments of the aspect of the present invention described in the immediately preceding paragraph. The drill bit portion preferably includes a masonry bit. The drill bit portion preferably includes a tungsten carbide tip. The sleeve may extend over and be adapted to slide over at least part of the threaded shaft portion. The shaft member may include a sleeve-retention portion located adjacent to the transition portion and located between the transition portion and the threaded portion, such that the sleeve is located about the shaft member at the sleeve-retention portion, and such that the sleeve-retention portion includes a sleeve-stop portion adapted to hinder the sleeve from moving past the sleeve-stop portion toward the threaded portion. The sleeve may include a bump portion extending from an outside surface of the sleeve. The nut preferably includes a hexagonal portion and a flared portion, such that the flare portion having a larger diameter than a hexagonal portion. The drill bit portion preferably includes threaded flutes. In such case, the threaded flutes preferably spiral in a first spiral direction, with the threaded portion of the shaft member spiraling in a second spiral direction, and the first spiral direction is opposite the second spiral direction. The drill bit portion may be adapted to cut when rotating in a counter-clockwise direction, and the first spiral direction may be a reverse thread direction. The threaded flutes may spiral in a first spiral direction, and the threaded portion of the shaft member also spiral in the first spiral direction. The screw may further include a washer located about the central portion of the shaft member, such that the washer is located between the nut and the sleeve. The nut stop portion may have an elongated shape extending from the second end of the shaft member. Alternatively, the nut stop portion may have a generally flattened shape. The sleeve preferably includes a longitudinal slit for allowing the sleeve to expand as it is pushed against the transition portion of the shaft member. [0010]In accordance with another aspect of the present invention, a self-drilling anchor screw is provided, which includes a shaft member, a masonry drill bit, a threaded shaft portion, a transition portion, a nut, a sleeve, and a nut stop portion. The shaft member includes a first end, second end, and a central portion extending between the first and second ends. The masonry drill bit is located at the first end of the shaft member. The threaded shaft portion is located along at least part of the central portion of the shaft member. The transition portion of the shaft member is located between the threaded shaft portion and the masonry drill bit. At least part of the transition portion has a larger cross-section area than that of the threaded shaft portion. The nut has nut threads adapted to thread onto the threaded shaft portion of the shaft member. The nut is located on the threaded shaft portion. The nut includes a hexagonal portion and a flared portion. The flare portion has a larger diameter than a hexagonal portion. The sleeve is located about the shaft member and located along part of the central portion between the nut and the transition portion. The sleeve is capable of sliding along the shaft member for engaging the transition portion. The sleeve includes a longitudinal slit for allowing the sleeve to expand as it is pushed against the transition portion of the shaft member. The nut stop portion is located at the second end of the shaft member. The nut stop portion is adapted to prevent the nut from being unscrewed from the threaded shaft portion at the second end of the shaft member. The self-drilling anchor screw may be used in attaching a first object to a second object in a method including the steps of: (i) engaging the nut with a socket wrench; (ii) turning the socket wrench in a reverse or counter-clockwise direction while pressing the socket wrench against the nut toward a surface of a second object into which the self-drilling anchor screw will be installed so that the masonry bit is engaging the surface, wherein the nut engages the nut stop portion so that the nut drives the rotation of the shaft member; (iii) drilling a hole into the second object using the masonry bit during the turning in the counter-clockwise direction, wherein part of the self-drilling anchor screw enters into the hole and into the second object during the drilling; (iv) after the self-drilling anchor screw is drilled into the second object to a desired depth, turning the nut with the socket wrench in a forward or clockwise direction so that the nut presses the sleeve toward the transition portion of the shaft member, thereby expanding the sleeve at the transition portion of the shaft member as the longitudinal slit engages the transition portion and thereby anchoring the self-drilling anchor screw in the second object; and (v) tightening the nut further to attach the first object to the second object using the anchored self-drilling anchor screw. [0011]In accordance with yet another aspect of the present invention, a method of attaching a first object to a second object using a self-drilling anchor screw is provided. This method includes the use of a self-drilling anchor screw including: (i) a shaft member comprising a first end, second end, and a central portion extending between the first and second ends; (ii) a drill bit portion at the first end of the shaft member; (iii) a threaded shaft portion located along at least part of the central portion of the shaft member; (iv) a transition portion of the shaft member located between the threaded shaft portion and the drill bit portion, wherein at least part of the transition portion has a larger cross-section area than that of the threaded shaft portion; (v) the nut having nut threads adapted to thread onto the threaded shaft portion of the shaft member, and the nut being located on the threaded shaft portion; (vi) a sleeve located about the shaft member and at least part of the sleeve being located adjacent to the transition portion, the sleeve being capable of sliding along the shaft member for engaging the transition portion; and (vii) a nut stop portion at the second end of the shaft member, the nut stop portion being adapted to prevent the nut from being unscrewed from the threaded shaft portion at the second end of the shaft member. The method includes the steps of: (i) engaging a nut of the self-drilling anchor screw with a socket wrench; (ii) turning the socket wrench in a first direction while pressing the socket wrench against the self-drilling anchor screw toward a surface of a second object into which the self-drilling anchor screw will be installed so that the masonry bit is engaging the surface, wherein the nut engages the nut stop portion so that the nut drives the rotation of the shaft member; (iii) drilling a hole into the second object using the masonry bit during the turning in the first direction, wherein part of the self-drilling anchor screw enters into the hole and into the second object during the drilling; (iv) after the self-drilling anchor screw is drilled into the second object to a desired depth, turning the nut with the socket wrench in a second direction so that the nut presses the sleeve toward the transition portion of the shaft member, thereby expanding the sleeve at the transition portion of the shaft member as the sleeve engages the transition portion and thereby anchoring the self-drilling anchor screw in the second object, wherein the second direction is opposite the first direction; and (v) tightening the nut further to attach the first object to the second object using the anchored self-drilling anchor screw. The first direction is preferably a counter-clockwise direction and the second direction is preferably a clockwise direction. Alternatively, the first direction may be a clockwise direction and the second direction may be a counter-clockwise direction. [0012]The foregoing has outlined rather broadly features of the present invention in order that the detailed description of the invention that follows may be better understood. Additional features and advantages of the invention will be described hereinafter which form the subject of the claims of the invention. It should be appreciated by those skilled in the art that the conception and specific embodiment disclosed may be readily utilized as a basis for modifying or designing other structures or processes for carrying out the same purposes of the present invention. It should also be realized by those skilled in the art that such equivalent constructions do not depart from the spirit and scope of the invention as set forth in the appended claims. DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS [0013]The following is a brief description of the drawings, which illustrate exemplary embodiments of the present invention and in which: [0014]FIGS. 1-3 show a conventional sleeve-type anchor screw of the prior art; [0015]FIG. 4 shows a conventional wedge-type anchor screw of the prior art; [0016]FIG. 5 shows a self-drilling anchor screw in accordance with a first illustrative embodiment of the present invention; [0017]FIG. 6 is an exploded view of the self-drilling anchor screw shown in FIG. 5; [0018]FIG. 7 is an exploded view of the shaft member of the self-drilling anchor screw of FIG. 5; [0019]FIG. 8 is an unrolled view of the sleeve of the self-drilling anchor screw of FIG. 5; [0020]FIGS. 9-13 show an illustrative method for using the self-drilling anchor screw of the first embodiment; Continue reading about Self-drilling anchor screw and method of using the same... 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