Captive screw

Claim 1

A CAPTIVE FASTENER COMPRISING: (A) A SUBSTANTIALLY CYLINDRICAL SCREW MEMBER HAVING A CENTRALLY LOCATED SHANK, A HEAD ON ONE END THEROF AND ENGAGING MEANS ON THE OTHER END THEREOF, SAID SHANK HAVING AN ENLARGED DIAMETER PORTION ADJACENT SAID HEAD TO FORM AN EXTERNAL SHOULDER FACING IN THE DIRECTION OF SAID ENGAGING MEANS; (B) A WASHER-LIKE RETENTION MEMBER ON SAID SCREW MEMBER, SAID RETENTION MEMBER HAVING AN INNER DIAMETER GREATER THAN THE DIAMETER OF SAID SHANK BUT LESS THAN THE DIAMETER OF SAID ENGAGING MEANS AND SAID ENLARGED PORTION, WHERBY SAID RETENTION MEMBERS FITS LOOSELY ON SAID SHANK BETWEEN SAID ENGAGING MEANS AND SAID SHOULDER; (C) A TUBULAR RECEPTACLE MEMBER IN WHICH SAID SCREW MEMBER IS RETAINED, SAID RECEPTACLE MEMBER HAVING HOLDING MEANS COMBINED WITH THE INNER WALL THEREOF OF INTEGRALLY RETAINING SAID RETENTION MEMBER AT A PREDETERMINED POSITION; AND (D) A COMPRESSION COIL SPRING INSTALLED ON SAID SCREW MEMBER BETWEEN SAID HEAD AND SAID RETENTION MEMBER, THE INNER DIAMETER OF SAID COIL SPRING BEING SLIGHTLY GREATER THAN THE DIAMETER OF SAID ENLARGED SHANK PORTION; WHEREBY SAID ENGAGING MEANS IS NORMALLY SPRINGRETRACTED COMPLETELY WITHIN SAID RECEPTACLE MEMBER AGAINST SAID RETENTION MEMBER, AND WHEREBY WHEN SAID SCREW MEMBER IS FORCIBLY INSERTED INTO SAID RECEPTACLE MEMBER, SAID RETENTION MEMBER IS FORCED BY SAID SHOULDER INTO SAID HOLDING MEANS TO CONTAIN SAID SCREW MEMBER MOVABLY CAPTIVE IN SAID RECEPTACLE MEMBER.