Stud Magazine

Abstract

This invention relates to a stud magazine for use with a stud driving device comprising a strip of material having a plurality of apertures therein, and stud means mounted in said apertures in a manner such that the tips thereof do not project beyond the plane of the material.

Description

This invention relates to a stud magazine or holder which is not a part of a driving tool but which rapidly and without delay will present a series of fasteners to the tool in proper position and alignment. The stud magazine of the invention can be used with all types of piston drive powder actuated tools whether manually operated, semi-automatic, or automatic and whether powered by cased or caseless powder loads.

In the device of the present invention, a series of fasteners are premounted in a multiple holder which positions the fasteners accurately at right angles to the work surface. The holder is so constructed that it is flat on the underside to achieve the requirement that the holder may be positioned accurately at right angles to the work surface, as noted above, and it may be provided with bosses or protuberances projecting from the upper surface to accommodate and hold the fasteners.

The holder is so constructed that the bosses will not only firmly hold the fasteners in the vertical position during transportation, handling and positioning on the work surface, but the upper ends of the bosses are so contoured as to provide a "lead" providing easy placement of the powder actuated driving tool over each fastener in preparation for driving immediately after the holder is placed on the work surface. The holder is so constituted as to material and construction that, upon driving the fastener, it will break up or disintegrate, permitting the fastener to be properly driven "home" and, at the same time, "automatically" reducing the length of the holder. A suitable material for the preparation of the holder is any plastic which will break up or disintegrate under the conditions of use.

The length of the holder in its longest dimension is determined by the spacing desired between individual bosses to accommodate the tool and/or application range and its width in the shorter dimension is determined solely by the application range involved so that it may provide both stability assuring the vertical positioning of the fasteners, yet flexibility in its ability to be placed in relatively narrow channels.

The thickness of the base or flat portion of the holder is determined only by the physical requirements of its basic stability and ability to hold and protect the fasteners until driven as well as its requirement to break up or disintegrate upon firing.

The shape of the bosses or protuberances may vary quite widely. For instance, the inside diameters of through vertical holes is determined by the fastener diameters of the fastener's shank to be inserted therein. Ideally, their composition and diameter will be such as to permit both manual and automatic insertion of the fastener, their firm retention in handling and shipping, and the top thereof provides the "lead in" into the tool barrel, as described above. This diameter ideally may not be a constant from top to bottom of the boss and, in fact, may be relieved by flutes, splines, holes, and the like, to assure satisfactory disintegration. The same applies to the flat backing portion of the holder which also may be ribbed, relieved, and the like, to facilitate the dependability of its desired property.

It is an essential feature of the stud magazine of the present invention that the tips of the studs do not project beyond the plane of the holder in which the studs are mounted.

The stud magazine of the invention permits a more rapid positioning and driving of a series of similar powder actuated tool driven fasteners, resulting in substantial savings of time and cost. The magazine also provides a vertical position of such fasteners and maintains such proper vertical position thereof during the driving process by guidance of their insertion in the tool and the guidance of the lower position of the fastener during the driving cycle. The magazine of the present invention also effectively removes itself in sections as each section has completed its designed purpose, the residue, if any, being easily brushed away.

The invention will be further illustrated by reference to the accompanying drawings in which:

FIG. 1 is a perspective view of one embodiment of the stud magazine of the present invention,

FIG. 2 is a perspective view showing one type of boss for supporting a stud in accordance with the present invention,

FIG. 3 is a top view of the boss shown in FIG. 2,

FIG. 4 is a sectional view showing the boss of FIGS. 2 and 3 with a stud mounted therein and the barrel of a driving tool surrounding the boss,

FIG. 5 is a top view of another embodiment of a stud supporting boss,

FIG. 6 is a sectional view in elevation of the boss shown in FIG. 5,

FIG. 7 is a sectional view in elevation of another embodiment of the stud magazine of the invention, and

FIG. 8 is a view in section of yet another embodiment of the stud magazine of the invention.

Referring to FIG. 1, the stud magazine is formed from the strip of material 2 which may be of any suitable material, such as plastic, for example polystyrene, which may be of any desired length and which may have an up-turned end 4 thereon for facilitating the handling thereof. In the embodiment shown in FIG. 1, a plurality of bosses 6 may be mounted at spaced intervals along the strip of material 2 in apertures provided therein, as shown in FIG. 4. These bosses also are fabricated from plastic or other disintegratable material. As shown in FIGS. 2 and 3, the bosses have a central aperture 8 extending therethrough and a plurality of splines 10 on the exterior thereof which provide strength to the bosses but yet permit the bosses to be destroyed or disintegrated upon use with a powder actuated driving tool. As shown in FIG. 4, the bosses 6 may be seated in the strip of material 2 by means of a press fit or cementing or in any other manner which will ensure that they are sufficiently bonded to the base strip 2. Also as shown in FIG. 4, a stud 12 is seated in the boss 6 and is surrounded by the barrel 14 of a powder actuated driving tool. Upon actuation of the driving tool, the stud 12 is driven downwardly through the boss 6 and into the work, not shown, with the result that the boss 6 is destroyed or disintegrated. A plurality of studs 12 thus can be driven in succession using a suitable driving tool.

It is a feature of the stud magazine of the present invention that the tips of the studs 12 do not project beyond the plane of the strip of material 2 so that the strip of material 2 containing the stud to be driven may be easily moved across the work without any drag thereon or any marring of delicate surfaces.

FIGS. 5 and 6 illustrate another embodiment of a boss which may be employed in the present invention and, in the embodiment shown in these figures, the boss has a lower part 16 which may be press-fitted into the strip 2 and an upper portion 18. The lower portion 16 is provided with a plurality of flutes 20 in order to facilitate disintegration of the boss when the stud 12 is driven therethrough. Also, as shown in FIG. 5, the lower surface of the strip 2 may be provided with a series of longitudinal grooves 22 to facilitate disintegration of the strip in use, and FIG. 3 shows a plurality of transverse grooves 24 for the same purpose.

As shown in FIG. 6, the lower surface of the strip 2 may be provided with an adhesive layer 26 to prevent slippage of the strip upon the work and this lower adhesive layer may be covered with a strippable film 28, of polyethylene for example, which film may be stripped off immediately prior to use of the magazine.

FIG. 7 shows another embodiment of the stud magazine of the invention in which the strip 2 is provided on the lower surface thereof with a plurality of ribs 28 which form a series of fracture lines or points 30 between adjacent ribs. In this embodiment, the stud 12 can be mounted directly in the supporting strip 2 as shown in FIG. 7 or it can be mounted in a supporting boss, if desired.

FIG. 8 shows another embodiment of the magazine of the present invention in which the supporting strip 2 also is provided with a plurality of ribs 28 providing the fracture points or lines 30 therebetween. In this embodiment, the stud 12 is positioned so that it is supported by one of the ribs 28, thereby providing a longer area of contact between the supporting strip 2 and the stud.

From the foregoing it is apparent that the stud magazine of the present invention will greatly facilitate the driving of a plurality of studs with any type of piston drive powder actuated driving tool. Further, since in the magazine of the invention the stud tips do not project beyond the plane of the material supporting the studs, there is no marring or damage to a work surface.

It will be obvious to those skilled in the art that many modifications may be made within the scope of the present invention without departing from the spirit thereof, and the invention includes all such modifications.

Claims

What is claimed is:

1. A stud magazine for use with a stud driving device comprising a

strip of plastic material having a plurality of apertures therein, sleeve-like stud support means in said apertures, and stud means mounted in said support means in a manner such that

the tips thereof do not project beyond the plane of the material, said support means extending from the side of the material away from the stud tips.

2. A magazine according to claim 1 in which the support means are destroyable under the conditions of use.

3. A magazine according to claim 1 in which the support means enclose the stud area immediately adjoining the apex area of said stud means.

4. A magazine according to claim 1 including supporting rib means on said support means, said rib means projecting essentially radially from the center of said support means.

5. A magazine according to claim 1 in which the exterior diameter of the supporting rib means corresponds to the inside diameter of the barrel of a driving tool.

6. A magazine according to claim 1 in which the strip has an adhesive layer on the surface thereof adjacent the stud tips.

7. A magazine according to claim 6 in which the adhesive layer is covered with a strippable foil.