Elongated-member-driving apparatus – With means to move or guide member into driving position – Including supply magazine for constantly urged members
Reexamination Certificate
2002-08-05
2004-01-20
Rada, Rinaldi I. (Department: 3721)
Elongated-member-driving apparatus
With means to move or guide member into driving position
Including supply magazine for constantly urged members
C227S135000, C227S136000, C227S019000, C227S127000, C206S345000, C206S346000, C206S347000
Reexamination Certificate
active
06679415
ABSTRACT:
FIELD OF THE INVENTION
The present invention relates generally to fastener collation strips, and more particularly to a new and improved fastener collation strip for effectively supporting a plurality of fasteners within a magazine portion of a fastener driving tool in a substantially friction-reduced manner, as the plurality of fasteners are transported or conveyed through the magazine portion of the fastener-driving tool and toward the nosepiece portion of the fastener-driving tool so as to be driven into an underlying substrate by means of a suitable driver mechanism movably disposed within a drive bore of the fastener-driving tool, thereby effectively reducing the risk that the fasteners would otherwise be undesirably retarded or “hung-up” within the magazine, or become jammed within the drive bore of the fastener-driving tool, whereby such malfunctions of the fastener-driving tool would correspondingly lead to an improper and unsuitable discharge of the fasteners from the fastener-driving tool and an undesirably improper insertion of one or more fasteners into the underlying substrate.
BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION
Fastener-driving tools, which may comprise pneumatically-operated, combustion-powered, or powder actuated tools, are well-known in the industry and are conventionally utilized for driving fasteners, having a point at a first end of a shank portion and a head upon a second opposite end of the shank portion, into an underlying substrate so as to secure a suitable workpiece to or upon the underlying substrate. Typical fasteners may comprise, for example, nails which may be forcibly driven into wood substrates, or drive pins which may be forcibly driven into concrete, masonry, or steel substrates. Typical fastener-driving tools usually comprise a magazine within which fastener collation strips, comprising a serial arrangement of the fasteners, are movably supported so as to convey the serially arranged fasteners from the magazine portion of the fastener-driving tool to a drive bore portion of the fastener-driving tool within which a suitable driver mechanism is movably disposed for impacting a leading one of the fasteners disposed within the collation strip so as to serially discharge the fasteners from the fastener-driving tool. Examples of fastener-collation strips for disposition within magazine portions of fastener-driving tools are disclosed within U.S. Pat. No. 6,044,972 which issued to Rohrmoser et al. on Apr. 4, 2000, U.S. Pat. No. 5,069,340 which issued to Ernst et al. on Dec. 3, 1991, U.S. Pat. No. 4,932,821 which issued to Steffen et al. on Jun. 12, 1990, U.S. Pat. No. 4,718,551 which issued to Whitledge on Jan. 12, 1988, U.S. Pat. No. 4,106,618 which issued to Haytayan on Aug. 15, 1978, U.S. Pat. No. 3,954,176 which issued to Haytayan on May 4, 1976, and U.S. Pat. No. 3,927,459 which issued to Haytayan on Dec. 23, 1975.
With reference being made to
FIG. 1
, which corresponds to FIG. 17 of the aforenoted Ernst et al. patent, a plurality of fasteners
12
, each having a shank portion
18
, a head portion
22
, and a transition portion
24
interconnecting the head portion
22
to the shank portion
18
, are respectively disposed within a collation strip comprising a plurality of sleeve members each of which comprises an upper breakable portion
36
and a lower annular portion
34
. Adjacent sleeve members of the collation strip are integrally connected together by means of upper and lower frangible bridge members
74
,
76
, and the axially central portion of each sleeve member comprises a pair of concave recesses
40
,
42
within which a pair of windows
44
,
48
are defined and through which shank portions
46
,
50
are visible. The collation strip is adapted to be movably supported within a magazine section, not shown, of the fastener-driving tool, and the magazine section of the fastener-driving tool supplies the collation strip and plurality of fasteners
12
to a guiding device which comprises grooved portions
164
,
166
for accommodating the lower annular portion
34
of each sleeve member of the collation strip, and a pair of oppositely disposed rail or rib members
160
,
162
. The rail or rib members
160
,
162
correspond to similar rail members, not shown, provided within the magazine section of the fastener-driving tool and are adapted to be disposed within the recessed portions
40
,
42
of the collation strip so as to receive and guide each collation strip of fasteners
12
as the same is moved from the magazine section of the fastener-driving tool and toward the nosepiece section and guiding device of the fastener-driving tool. A driving mechanism of the fastener-driving tool can then impact the first or leading one of the fasteners
12
in order to discharge the fastener
12
from the fastener-driving tool and thereby drive the fastener
12
into an underlying substrate.
While the aforenoted fastener-driving tools have been commercially successful and have performed quite satisfactorily in the field, it is desirable to ensure that, as the collation strips of fasteners are transported or conveyed through the magazine section of the fastener-driving tool and toward the nosepiece section of the fastener-driving tool such that the fasteners can be serially discharged from the fastener-driving tool and driven into an underlying substrate at predetermined locations thereof, the risk of the collation strips of fasteners being undesirably retarded or “hung-up” within the magazine section of the fastener-driving tool, or of becoming jammed within the drive bore of the fastener-driving tool, is effectively reduced. As can readily be appreciated or understood, if any of the collation strips of fasteners do become retarded or “hung-up” within the magazine section of the fastener-driving tool, or do become jammed within the drive bore of the fastener-driving tool, such malfunctions of the fastener-driving tool would correspondingly lead to an improper and unsuitable discharge of the fasteners from the fastener-driving tool and an undesirably improper insertion of one or more fasteners into the underlying substrate. More particularly, it is desirable to effectively reduce, as much as possible, any frictional contact generated between the collation strips of fasteners and the rail members of the magazine section of the fastener-driving tool whereby the conveyance or transportation of the collation strips of fasteners through the magazine section of the fastener-driving tool is effectively facilitated or positively enhanced so as to render such conveyance or transportation of the collation strips of fasteners through the magazine section of the fastener-driving tool as smooth as possible. In view of the fact that the frictional forces, generated between any two members disposed in contact with each other, are directly proportional to the area of contact defined between the two members disposed in contact with each other, it is desirable to effectively reduce the contact area defined between the collation strips of fasteners and the rail members of the magazine section of the fastener-driving tool as the collation strips of fasteners are conveyed or transported along the rail members of the magazine section of the fastener-driving tool.
A need therefore exists in the art for a new and improved fastener collation strip which is adapted to be supported upon the rail members of the magazine section of the fastener-driving tool in such a manner the frictional forces generated between the fastener collation strip and the rail members of the magazine section of the fastener-driving tool will be effectively reduced so as to accordingly ensure that the fastener collation strip, carrying the plurality of fasteners therewithin, is conveyed or transported through the magazine section of the fastener-driving tool with a minimum amount of friction whereby the fastener collation strip does not become retarded or “hung-up” within the magazine section of the fastener-driving tool, or does not become jammed within the drive bore of the fastener-driving tool whereby such ma
Croll Mark W.
Illinois Tool Works Inc.
Lo{acute over (p)}ez Michelle
Pilarski John H.
Rada Rinaldi I.
LandOfFree
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