Automatic screwdriver

Claim 1

An automatic screw-driving and feeding apparatus comprising: (i) a screwdriver body including a tubular housing axially movable with respect to the remainder of the body; (ii) a plurality of screw holding elements mounted in said tubular housing; (iii) means for resiliently biasing said screw holding elements inwardly such that they may hold a screw in axially disengageable manner; (iv) drive means in the screwdriver body adapted, upon axial inwards movement of the tubular housing, the engage with the screw and apply rotary drive thereto; (v) a feed tube merging with the housing at an acute angle rearwardly of the holding elements; (vi) feed means which supply screws one at a time to said feed tube, said feed means including: (a) a feed housing, and a block reciprocable therein, the block having a recess of a size to receive a screw therein and reciprocable between a first position in which the recess can receive a screw from screw supply means, and a second position in which the screw can pass from the recess into the feed tube, and the feed housing having a portion of its side wall cut away so that screws supplied along a track and hanging by their heads therefrom can pass through the cut away in the wall of the housing and enter said recess one at a time when the slide block is in said first position; (b) support means extending into said recess, such support means being removed from the recess when the slide block moves into its second position, the support means supporting the tip of the screw in a desired position when the block is in its first position but not obstructing exit of the head of the screw axially from the recess when the block moves to its second position.