Self-tapping screw having its thread interrupted by longitudinally extending and circumferentially spacedapart flutes

Claim 1

A SCREW FASTENER COMPRISING A LONGITUDINALLY EXTENDING SHANK INCLUDING A SUBSTANTIALLY CYLINDRICAL MAIN BODY PORTION AND A FORWARDLY TAPERED PILOT END PORTION TERMINATING IN A POINT, A CONTINUOUS THREAD CARRIED BY SAID SHANK AND INCLUDING A PLURALITY OF BODY TURNS DISPOSED ON SAID BODY PORTION AND TWO PILOT END TURNS DISPOSED ON SAID PILOT END PORTION, AND A PLURALITY OF SUBSTANTIALLY LONGITUDINALLY EXTENDING AND CIRCUMFERENTIALLY SPACEDAPART FLUTES PROVIDED IN SAID THREAD, THE BOTTOM OF ONE OF SAID FLUTES LYING SUBSTANTIALLY ALONG THE MINOR DIAMETER OF A PLURALITY OF SAID BODY TURNS AND ALSO SUBSTANTIALLY ALONG THE MINOR DIAMETER OF BOTH OF SAID PILOT END TURNS AND EXTENDING FORWARDLY TO SAID POINT, WHEREBY SAID ONE FLUTE INTERRUPTS BOTH A PLURALITY OF SAID BODY TURNS AND BOTH OF SAID PILOT END TURNS FORMING CORRESPONDING LONGITUDINALLY SPACED-APART PAIRS OF LEADING-FOLLOWING FACES ON SAID INTERRUPTED TURNS, THE BOTTOM OF EACH OF THE OTHER OF SAID FLUTES LYING SUBSTANTIALLY ALONG THE MINOR DIAMETER OF A PLURALITY OF SAID BODY TURNS AND ALSO SUBSTANTIALLY ALONG THE MINOR DIAMETER OF ONLY THE REARMOST OF SAID PILOT END TURNS AND TERMINATING REARWARDLY OF SAID POINT, WHEREBY EACH OF SAID OTHER FLUTES INTERRUPTS BOTH A PLURALITY OF SAID BODY TURNS AND ONLY THE REARMOST OF SAID PILOT END TURNS FORMING CORRESPONDING LONGITUDINALLY SPACED-APART PAIRS OF LEADING-FOLLOWING FACES ON SAID INTERRUPTED TURNS, EACH OF SAID LEADING FACES CONSTITUTING A CUTTING FACE WITH RESPECT TO AN ASSOCIATED WORKPIECE, THE REAR END OF EACH OF SAID FLUTES TERMINATING SUBSTANTIALLY IN THE ROOT BETWEEN AN ADJACENT PAIR OF SAID BODY TURNS AND THE FRONT END OF EACH OF SAID OTHER FLUTES TERMINATING SUBSTANTIALLY IN THE ROOT BETWEEN SAID TWO PILOT END TURNS.