Special receptacle or package – For a fastener – Flaccidly or integrally connected
Reexamination Certificate
2000-09-29
2002-05-28
Bui, Luan K. (Department: 3728)
Special receptacle or package
For a fastener
Flaccidly or integrally connected
Reexamination Certificate
active
06394268
ABSTRACT:
FIELD OF THE INVENTION
The present invention relates generally to collation strips for fasteners which are adapted to be disposed within power tool magazine assemblies so as to be driven by means of suitable driver blade assemblies of the power tools into any one of a variety of substrates, such as, for example, masonry, concrete, steel, wood, or the like, and more particularly to a new and improved nail collation strip which is provided with fastener guide rings for respective use in conjunction with each one of the nail-type fasteners so as to define a new and improved collation strip assembly which is able to be supported upon the rail members or shear blocks provided within the power tool magazine assembly and to ensure that the nail-type fasteners are driven and guided in a substantially coaxial manner within the nosepiece bore of the power tool whereby the nail-type fasteners are driven along axes which are disposed substantially perpendicular to the face of the substrate into which the nail-type fasteners are to be driven.
BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION
Nail-type fasteners, to be driven into an underlying substrate such as, for example, masonry, steel, concrete, wood, or the like, are usually fed within magazine assemblies of fastener-driving power tools in the form of collated strips. The strips of fasteners are moved along the magazine assembly by means of, for example, well-known spring-biasing mechanisms so as to serially dispose or present an endmost one of the fasteners coaxially within a nosepiece bore whereby a driver blade assembly of the power tool can then impact the endmost one of the fasteners, cause separation of the endmost one of the fasteners from the remaining portion of the collated strip of fasteners, and subsequently drive the endmost one of the fasteners through the nosepiece bore and into the substrate.
One important objective, to always be achieved in conjunction with the driving of such nail-type fasteners into a particular substrate by means of such fastener-driving tools, is to ensure as best as possible that the longitudinal axis of each nail-type fastener is disposed substantially perpendicular to the face or surface of the substrate upon which the tool nosepiece is disposed during the fastener-driving operation. This not only ensures that the nail-type fastener is completely or fully driven into the substrate so as to correspondingly achieve full or complete penetration into the substrate and thereby enhance withdrawal resistance of the nail-type fastener from the substrate, but in addition, such disposition of each nail-type fastener further ensures proper seating of the fastener upon the substrate so as to in turn ensure, for example, proper clamping or attachment of components or work elements to the substrate. In particular, if the fastener is inserted into the substrate in a non-perpendicular or askewed or tilted manner, one side portion of the fastener head can in effect be embedded within, for example, a sheet-type component to be secured to the underlying substrate, while the diametrically opposite side portion of the fastener head can be disposed slightly above the surface of the sheet-type component. Wind forces can then cause portions of the sheet-type component to be pulled or blown over the fastener head eventually leading to dislodgment or disengagement of the sheet-type component from its secured state upon the substrate. Accordingly, it is essential or imperative that such nail-type fasteners not only be presented or disposed in a substantially coaxial manner with respect to the nosepiece bore of the fastener-driving tool, but in addition, it is also essential or imperative to retain such coaxial disposition of the nail-type fastener within the nosepiece bore of the fastener-driving tool throughout the entire driving movement of the nail-type fastener through the nosepiece bore of the fastener-driving tool.
One manner or means for dealing with this problem of properly presenting the nail-type fasteners to the nosepiece bore of the tool such that the nail-type fasteners will be disposed or oriented in a substantially coaxial manner with respect to the nosepiece bore of the fastener-driving tool has been alluded to or briefly disclosed within U.S. Pat. No. 5,931,622 which issued to Gupta et al. on Aug. 3, 1999. As disclosed within
FIG. 10
of such patent, the angling or “cocked” disposition of the fastener assembly
50
is reduced or substantially eliminated by minimizing the distance defined between the head portion
62
of the fastener
60
and the upper inner wall
212
of the magazine holder
210
. While such means has adequately addressed the problem or difficulty of properly presenting, disposing, or orienting the nail-type fasteners with respect to the nosepiece bore
220
of the tool prior to the actual disposition of each nail-type fastener
60
within the nosepiece bore
220
, a need still exists for maintaining such proper disposition or orientation of the nail-type fastener within the nosepiece bore of the tool throughout the entire fastener driving operation.
Still further, as has been noted hereinbefore, it is also known that conventional fastener-driving power tools have magazine structures incorporated therein wherein the collated strips of nail-type fasteners are moved along magazine rail members or shear blocks by means of the aforenoted spring-biasing mechanisms. In accordance with a conventional type of magazine assembly or rail system, the nail-type fasteners are supported upon the magazine rails or shear blocks by means of their head structures. If, however, substantially long or elongated nail-type fasteners are being employed, it is conceivable that as a result of such nail-type fasteners being supported upon the magazine rail members by means of their head structures, the shank portions of the nail-type fasteners may no longer be disposed or presented to the nosepiece bore of the tool in a coaxial manner. Accordingly, when the nail-type fasteners are subsequently individually driven into and through the nosepiece bore of the tool by means of the tool driver blade assembly, it is likely that such nail-type fasteners may not be driven through the nosepiece bore in a coaxial manner whereby proper insertion of the nail-type fasteners into the substrate will not be achieved. The components to be attached to the substrate may therefore not in fact be properly or securely attached, and in addition, the pull-out or withdrawal resistance of the fasteners with respect to the substrate may be compromised.
Still yet further, while collated strips of fasteners are of course well known, one of the most common methods of forming such collated strips of fasteners is to firstly form the collated strips from a suitable plastic material by means of suitable injection molding techniques, and subsequently, to either insert the nails into recesses or pockets specially formed within a single one the strips, or to insert the nails between a pair of collation strips which are then, for example, heat-sealed together. Either one of such collation strip processing techniques, however, is quite tedious and time-consuming, and is therefore not particularly desirable from an economical manufacturing point of view.
A need therefore exists in the art for a new and improved collated strip of nail-type fasteners wherein the collation strip is to be integrally disposed or formed upon the multiple shanks of serially arranged nail-type fasteners so as to render the fabrication of the collated strip of nail-type fasteners economical from a manufacturing point of view. In addition, a need exists in the art for a new and improved collated strip of nail-type fasteners wherein the collation strip could in effect simultaneously perform a plurality of functions such as, for example, to support the collated strip of nail-type fasteners upon the rail members or shear blocks of the tool fastener magazine so as to guide the collated strip of nail-type fasteners through the tool fastener magazine, and to cooperate with the head structures of the nail-t
Dill Michael C.
Gabriel William L.
Bui Luan K.
Illinois Tool Works Inc.
Schwartz & Weinrieb
LandOfFree
Nail-type fastener collation strip with fastener guide... does not yet have a rating. At this time, there are no reviews or comments for this patent.
If you have personal experience with Nail-type fastener collation strip with fastener guide..., we encourage you to share that experience with our LandOfFree.com community. Your opinion is very important and Nail-type fastener collation strip with fastener guide... will most certainly appreciate the feedback.
Profile ID: LFUS-PAI-O-2911201