Mechanism For Feeding Washer-carrying Fasteners

Abstract

A fastener driving tool is provided at its muzzle end with a circular magazine slidably carrying washer-bearing fasteners, and a spring-urged follower in the magazine is arranged to position the fasteners successively in driving position in the tool. The magazine is preferably mountable for rotation about the driving axis to enable the fasteners to be conveniently supplied regardless of restricted space in which to operate the tool. The magazine preferably is detachably mountable to enable a similar feeding device to supply a different size of washer-carrying fastener.

Description

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION

This invention relates to mechanism for feeding washer-carrying fasteners successively into driving position in a tool.

More particularly the invention is concerned with providing a device for feeding studs with their concentrically supported washers from a magazine into the muzzle end of a manual or power driven tool, the magazine being shiftable about the driving axis.

It is old, of course, in the field of desk-type staplers to provide in the base of such devices a straight guide track for U-shaped staples which are fed therealong as by an elongated coil spring. Also, it is known to provide arcuate raceways as in eyeletting means for feeding eyelets by gravity and/or vibration to a position between cooperative setting dies.

In the construction industry explosively operated tools are widely used for driving washer-carrying fasteners into hard structures of steel, concrete, and the like. The fasteners may be headed or not, and are used in different stem lengths and diameters. The washers chiefly serve the important function of preventing overdrive since the driving power generated may not be constant and the resistance to penetration afforded by different structures may vary considerably. It has commonly been the practice of a worker employing a power driven tool to thrust each fastener into the muzzle endwise, a detent or friction fit with the washer being relied upon to hold it in position to be driven. He must also load a charge in the tool, and then, to cock it, he usually must press the muzzle against the structure in which the fastener is to be driven. Repeat fastener driving in adjacent localities of a structure, and often in confined space, can be facilitated and expedited if the operator can give little or no attention to the loading of individual washer-fasteners and interference by the structure with his tool is avoided; hence the advantageous incorporation of the present invention.

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION

It accordingly is a main object of this invention to provide a tool having mechanism for driving washer-carrying fasteners with a fastener feeding device having magazine means for successively positioning each fastener in axial operative relation to the fastener driving mechanism.

Another object of this invention is to provide, for mounting on the muzzle end of a power operated driving tool, an arcuate magazine adapted to be relatively positioned selectively about an axis of the muzzle end whereby successive fasteners respectively having enlarged mid-portions may be supplied thereto in any orientation of the tool about that axis.

To these ends, and as herein shown, a feature of the invention resides in providing a magazine formed with a circular raceway for the stems of a series of side-by-side washer-carrying headed fasteners, the delivery end of the raceway terminating in a tubular nosepiece detachably mountable in coaxial relation on the muzzle end of a fastener driving tool, and spring means bearing on one of the fasteners remote from the delivery end for urging them successively from the raceway into the nosepiece in position to be axially driven by the tool.

Whether the fasteners be headed or not, the washers telescoped thereon generally are of larger diameter than the fastener stems and usually larger than the diameters of the headed portions, the penetrating ends of the fasteners being pointed.

Accordingly, the raceway has a circular curvature largely dictated by the difference in diameters of the heads and of the washers, both preferably being slidably accommodated in corresponding laterally enlarged raceway portions. A slider block controlled by the aforementioned spring means and guided by the lateral raceway portions preferably has a contact face disposed at an angle to the axis of the adjacent fastener stem determined by the difference in radii of the circular head and washer portions, the slider block face thus being enabled to advance the series of fasteners in a circular path without incurring raceway blockage. The yieldable action of the slider block also aids in retention of the endmost washer-carrying fastener in its ready-to-be-driven position regardless of orientation of the tool.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

The foregoing and other features of the invention will now be more particularly described in connection with an illustrative embodiment, and with reference to the accompanying drawings thereof, in which:

FIG. 1 is a view in side elevation, and partly in axial section, illustrating mounting of a feeder device for washer-carrying fasteners to be driven by an explosive tool;

FIG. 2 is an exploded perspective view of a portion of the feeder mechanism shown in FIG. 1, and a slider block being in raceway-loaded position;

FIG. 3 is a plan view of the detachable feeder means shown in FIGS. 1 and 2, the slider block now being in raceway substantially empty position;

FIG. 4 is a view in end elevation of the feeder means of FIGS. 1-3, and

FIG. 5 is a section taken on the line V-V in FIG. 4.

DESCRIPTION OF PREFERRED EMBODIMENT

FIG. 1 shows a typical explosive fastener driving tool generally designated 10 comprising a grip portion 12, a housing 14 which may be largely enclosed by a silencer 15, and a tubular nosepiece 16. The tool 10 is shown as including a driving ram 17 coaxial with the nosepiece, but it will be apparent that the tool may be any of a wide variety of types including those wherein fasteners are driven directly by the explosive gases of combustion.

It is herein assumed that fasteners F to be driven have pointed end portions 18, heads 20, and larger washers 22 frictionally mounted on the respective fasteners intermediate the portions 18 and the heads 10. The term "washer" is used herein in a comprehensive sense intended to include any radially enlarged mid-portion of an elongated fastener.

A series of the fasteners F is accommodated side-by-side in a magazine 24 having a circular raceway the curvature of which is determined by the difference in radii of the heads 20 and the washers 22, their respective rims being in contact. It will be accordingly understood that different circular magazines 24 appropriate to the particular washer-carrying fasteners F would be provided for detachable mounting on the tool 10 as will be described. The magazine 24 comprises a pair of complemental circular side plates 26,26 secured by, for instance, a set screw 28 and a clamp screw 30. The latter secures delivery ends of the raceway side plates 26 to opposite sides, respectively, of a tubular fastener receiving portion 32. This portion 32 is accordingly partly open along one side as at 34 (FIGS. 4 and 5) for receiving the fasteners F successively from the raceway, and is preferably detachably mounted in relatively rotatable, axial telescoping relation on the nosepiece 16. For this purpose, as shown in FIGS. 1 and 2, a retaining ring 36 is nested internally in complemental grooves extending circumferentially in the nosepiece 16 and the portion 32. It will be understood that the receiver portion 32 extends with its exit mouth 38 always normal to the raceway and coaxial with driving means of the tool 10.

While the fasteners F are individually loadable in the magazine 24, it is contemplated that they may also be pre-assembled as by adhesive tape not shown, or equivalent, and loaded as a package in fastener clip fashion in an open end 40 of the raceway. For supporting and guiding the heads of the fasteners, the plates 26 are respectively formed with shoulders 42 defining laterally enlarged raceway portions, and similar shoulders 44 arranged to slidably receive the washers 22.

For urging the series of loaded fasteners F along the raceway and successively into the receiver portion 32 as shown in FIG. 5, a coiled tension spring 46 detachably anchored at one end to a pin or latch 48 projecting from one of the plates 26 and secured at its other end to a slider block 50, extends about a pulley 52 pivoted on a pin 54 in the delivery end portion of one of the plates 26. The spring 46 may be retained on the pulley by an arm 56 (FIGS. 1-3) secured to the portion 32. The slider block 50 has arcuate guide ribs 58,60 arranged to ride on the raceways shoulders 42,44, respectively, and a fastener contacting face 62 preferably disposed to abut both the washer and head of that fastener most remote from the delivery end of the magazine.

In operation a feeder unit comprised of the magazine 24, its spring 46, the block 50, and the receiver portion 32, all as appropriate to the particular size and shape of the fasteners F to be driven, will be detachably mounted on the nosepiece 16 on the tool 10. The spring 46 will assert force through the row of fasteners to urge an endmost fastener into alignment axially in the receiver portion 32. For insuring yieldable retention of the endmost fastener a latch spring 64 seated in an axial slot in the portion 32 has a projection engageable with the underside of the endmost washer 22. Upon firing the tool this endmost fastener will be driven, pointed end 18 foremost, from the mouth 38 of the portion 32 and into a structure. The next-to-endmost fastener F is momentarily blocked from entering the portion 32 by the driven ram 17, which may also sever any fastener linking means (when used, but not shown herein) such as a paper tape, or merely fracture an adhesive bonding the fastener heads and/or washers.

In the event it becomes awkward or inconvenient because of space limitations to direct the muzzle end of the tool 10 against a particular locality of a structure wherein a fastener F must be driven, the magazine 24 is suitably shifted angularly about the driving axis of the portion 32 and of the ram 17. This enables the operator better to view the intended fastener receiving surface to properly aim the driving force which is usually desired to be normal thereto.

Claims

Having thus described my invention, what I claim as new and desire to secure by Letters Patent of the United States is:

1. A feeder for washer-carrying fasteners comprising a magazine having an at least partly circular raceway the curvature of which is determined by the difference in radii of the respective fastener heads and their washers.

2. In a tool for driving headed washer-carrying fasteners and having fastener driving means operable along an axis, a device for feeding successive washer-carrying fasteners into a delivery position on said axis to be driven by the driving means, the device comprising a magazine having a circular raceway laterally enlarged to slidably accommodate the fastener heads and the washers in a row, a slider block in the raceway and formed with guide ribs received in the laterally enlarged raceway portions, and spring means acting on the block to advance the washer-carrying fasteners successively into the delivery position.

3. A feeder as in claim 1 wherein a delivery end portion of the magazine is connected in communicating relation to a tubular receiver adapted to be detachably secured to the muzzle of a power driven tool, the receiver extending normal to the path of the raceway of said magazine, the magazine extending away from the muzzle end of the tool in coextensive relation therewith, and a spring actuated means for urging the fasteners in the raceway to advance successively into the receiver.

4. A feeder as in claim 3 wherein the spring actuated means includes a slider block having a leading face adapted to simultaneous engaging the rims of the washer and head of an endmost fastener in the magazine, spaced side portions of the block projecting for guidance by circularly extending formations on the magazine.

5. Mechanism for storing and feeding headed, washer-carrying fasteners for successive alignment within a fastener driving tool, comprising a circularly extending magazine having its delivery end in communication with the tool, the magazine comprising a complemental pair of side plates, each of said plates having confronting internal surfaces for slidably supporting a series of the fasteners by their heads and washers in side-by-side relation and with their penetrating ends correspondingly projecting therefrom, follower means slidable on the internal confronting surfaces of said plates, a pulley member mounted on the magazine, and a tension coil spring arranged over the pulley and interconnecting one of the plates with the follower means for urging the fasteners along the confronting surfaces toward said delivery end.

6. Mechanism as in claim 5 wherein the delivery end of said magazine comprises a tubular member radially secured to the side plates, the tubular member being rotatable about the fastener driving axis of the tool, and a spring latch mounted on the member for yieldingly retaining therein a fastener to be driven when received from the magazine.