Patent 7377734 was granted and assigned to Illinois Tool Works on May, 2008 by the United States Patent and Trademark Office.
A self-tapping screw includes a head, a shaft, a tapered end and a rounded distal tip. A thread includes a thread start on the tapered end. The axial position of the thread start and a first full thread, the radius of the round distal tip and the diameter of the tapered end at the thread start are controlled in relation to the screw size for consistent, improved screw performance.