Apparatus and method for installing roofing fasteners

Claim 1

An apparatus for installing a roofing fastener in a roof deck, said roofing fastener including a screw having a head and a threaded body, said body including an axial internal channel communicating with an opening in said head and at least one opening in the side wall of said body communicating with said internal channel and a mechanism for engaging said roof deck after threaded engagement of said screw and deck in response to an axial force applied thereto, said apparatus comprising: a casing, said casing including an internal chamber and a casing head for engaging said screw; a drive shaft disposed within said casing internal chamber for slidable motion between a retracted position and an extended position wherein said drive shaft includes a threaded tip and at least one thread stripper disposed above said threaded tip to facilitate removal of said shaft from said screw internal channel; and means for selectively rotationally coupling and decoupling said casing and said shaft.

Claim 2

An apparatus for installing a roofing fastener in a roof deck, said roofing fastener including a screw having a head and a threaded body, said body including an axial internal channel communicating with an opening in said head and at least one opening in the side wall of said body communicating with said internal channel and a mechanism for engaging said roof deck after threaded engagement of said screw and deck in response to an axial force applied thereto, said apparatus comprising: a casing, said casing including an internal chamber and a casing head for engaging said screw; a drive shaft disposed within said casing internal chamber for slidable motion between a retracted position and an extended position wherein said drive shaft includes a threaded tip and at least one thread stripper disposed above said threaded tip to facilitate removal of said shaft from said screw internal channel; and means for selectively rotationally coupling and decoupling said casing and said shaft.

Claim 3

An apparatus for installing a roofing fastener in a roof deck, said roofing fastener including a screw having a head and a threaded body, said body including an axial internal channel communicating with an opening in said head and at least one opening in the side wall of said body communicating with said internal channel and a mechanism for engaging said roof deck after threaded engagement of said screw and deck in response to a axial force applied thereto, said apparatus comprising: a casing, said casing including an internal chamber and a casing head for engaging said screw, wherein said casing internal chamber includes a passage of polygonal configuration; a drive shaft disposed within said casing internal chamber for slidable motion between a retracted position and an extended position, wherein said drive shaft includes first, second and third sections, said first section being nonengagingly receivable through said passage, said second section conforming in cross section to said passage configuration, and said third section including a threaded tip at the end thereof; said drive shaft being disposed for axial movement relative to said casing between a retracted position and an extended position, such that when said shaft is in said retracted position said shaft second section is engagingly received in said casing passage such that rotation of said shaft is transmitted to said casing, and such that when said shaft is in said extended position said shaft second section is disengaged from said casing passage to rotationally decouple said shaft from said casing and said shaft threaded tip extends exteriorly of said casing head; and means for selectively rotationally coupling and decoupling said casing and said shaft.

Claim 4

An apparatus for installing a roofing fastener in a roof deck, said roofing fastener including a screw having a head and a threaded body, said body including an axial internal channel communicating with an opening in said head and at least one opening in the side wall of said body communicating with said internal channel and a mechanism for engaging said roof deck after threaded engagement of said screw and deck in response to a axial force applied thereto, said apparatus comprising: a casing, said casing including an internal chamber and a casing head for engaging said screw, wherein said casing internal chamber includes a passage of polygonal configuration; a drive shaft disposed within said casing internal chamber for slidable motion between a retracted position and an extended position, wherein said drive shaft includes first, second and third sections, said first section being nonengagingly receivable through said passage, said second section conforming in cross section to said passage configuration, and said third section including a threaded tip at the end thereof; said drive shaft being disposed for axial movement relative to said casing between a retracted position and an extended position, such that when said shaft is in said retracted position said shaft second section is engagingly received in said casing passage such that rotation of said shaft is transmitted to said casing, and such that when said shaft is in said extended position said shaft second section is disengaged from said casing passage to rotationally decouple said shaft from said casing and said shaft threaded tip extends exteriorly of said casing head; and means for selectively rotationally coupling and decoupling said casing and said shaft.

Claim 6

An apparatus for installing a fastener, said fastener including a head and a threaded body, said body including an axial internal channel communicating with an opening in said head and an engagement mechanism actuable through said channel, said apparatus comprising: a casing; a casing head, rotationally coupled to said casing, configured for engaging said fastener head; a drive shaft journaled through said casing, releasably coupled to said casing to selectively impart rotary motion to said casing, said drive shaft being rotationally decoupled from said casing by application of axial force to said shaft relative to said casing in excess of a predetermined value, wherein said drive shaft includes a threaded tip and at least one threaded stripper disposed above said threaded tip to facilitate removal of said shaft from said fastener axial internal channel.

Claim 7

An apparatus for installing a fastener, said fastener including a head and a threaded body, said body including an axial internal channel communicating with an opening in said head and an engagement mechanism actuable through said channel, said apparatus comprising: a casing; a casing head, rotationally coupled to said casing, configured for engaging said fastener head; a drive shaft journaled through said casing, releasably coupled to said casing to selectively impart rotary motion to said casing, said drive shaft being rotationally decoupled from said casing by application of axial force to said shaft relative to said casing in excess of a predetermined value, wherein said drive shaft includes a threaded tip and at least one threaded stripper disposed above said threaded tip to facilitate removal of said shaft from said fastener axial internal channel.

Claim 8

An apparatus for installing a fastener, said fastener including a head and a threaded body, said body including an axial internal channel communicating with an opening in said head and an engagement mechanism actuable through said channel, said apparatus comprising: a casing including an axial passage of polygonal configuration; a casing head, rotationally coupled to said casing, configured for engaging said fastener head; a drive shaft journaled through said casing, releasably coupled in said casing to selectively impart rotary motion to said casing, said drive shaft being rotationally decoupled from said casing by application of axial force to said shaft relative to said casing in excess of a predetermined value; said drive shaft including first, second and third sections, said first section being nonengagingly receivable through said passage, said second section conforming in cross section to said axial passage configuration, and said third section including a threaded tip at the end thereof; wherein said drive shaft is disposed for axial movement relative to said casing between a retracted position and an extended position, such that when said shaft is in said retracted position said shaft second section is engagingly received in said casing passage such that rotation of said shaft is transmitted to said casing, and such that when said shaft is in said extended position said shaft second section is disengaged from said casing passage to rotationally decouple said shaft from said casing and said shaft threaded tip extends exteriorly of said casing head.

Claim 9

An apparatus for installing a fastener, said fastener including a head and a threaded body, said body including an axial internal channel communicating with an opening in said head and an engagement mechanism actuable through said channel, said apparatus comprising: a casing including an axial passage of polygonal configuration; a casing head, rotationally coupled to said casing, configured for engaging said fastener head; a drive shaft journaled through said casing, releasably coupled in said casing to selectively impart rotary motion to said casing, said drive shaft being rotationally decoupled from said casing by application of axial force to said shaft relative to said casing in excess of a predetermined value; said drive shaft including first, second and third sections, said first section being nonengagingly receivable through said passage, said second section conforming in cross section to said axial passage configuration, and said third section including a threaded tip at the end thereof; wherein said drive shaft is disposed for axial movement relative to said casing between a retracted position and an extended position, such that when said shaft is in said retracted position said shaft second section is engagingly received in said casing passage such that rotation of said shaft is transmitted to said casing, and such that when said shaft is in said extended position said shaft second section is disengaged from said casing passage to rotationally decouple said shaft from said casing and said shaft threaded tip extends exteriorly of said casing head.

Claim 12

An apparatus for installing a fastener, said fastener including a head and a threaded body, said body including an axial internal channel communicating with an opening in said head and an engagement mechanism actuable through said channel, said apparatus comprising: a casing; a casing head, rotationally coupled to said casing, configured for engaging said fastener head; a drive shaft journaled through said casing, releasably coupled to said casing to selectively impart rotary motion to said casing, said drive shaft being rotationally decoupled from said casing by application of axial force to said shaft relative to said casing in excess of a predetermined value and including means for coupling said apparatus to a rotary device and for actuating said fastener engagement mechanism through said channel; wherein said means for releasably coupling said shaft to said casing comprises: an axial passage of polygonal configuration formed in said casing; and a section conforming in cross section to said passage configuration, formed in said shaft intermediate of said proximal and distal ends disposed such that when said shaft is in said retracted position said shaft second section is engagingly received in said casing passage to transmit rotation of said shaft to said casing, and when said shaft is in said extended position said shaft polygonal section is disengaged from said casing passage to rotationally decouple said shaft from said casing; and means for releasably maintaining said shaft in said retracted position, such that said shaft is released from said retracted position in response to an axial force in excess of a predetermined threshold value.

Claim 13

An apparatus for installing a fastener, said fastener including a head and a threaded body, said body including an axial internal channel communicating with an opening in said head and an engagement mechanism actuable through said channel, said apparatus comprising: a casing; a casing head, rotationally coupled to said casing, configured for engaging said fastener head; a drive shaft journaled through said casing, releasably coupled to said casing to selectively impart rotary motion to said casing, said drive shaft being rotationally decoupled from said casing by application of axial force to said shaft relative to said casing in excess of a predetermined value and including means for coupling said apparatus to a rotary device and for actuating said fastener engagement mechanism through said channel; wherein said means for releasably coupling said shaft to said casing comprises: an axial passage of polygonal configuration formed in said casing; and a section conforming in cross section to said passage configuration, formed in said shaft intermediate of said proximal and distal ends disposed such that when said shaft is in said retracted position said shaft second section is engagingly received in said casing passage to transmit rotation of said shaft to said casing, and when said shaft is in said extended position said shaft polygonal section is disengaged from said casing passage to rotationally decouple said shaft from said casing; and means for releasably maintaining said shaft in said retracted position, such that said shaft is released from said retracted position in response to an axial force in excess of a predetermined threshold value.