Patent Application
20120298716
None.
I. Field of the Disclosure
The present disclosure relates generally to a collation of fasteners suitable for feeding into the driving end of a powered fastener-driving tool which includes a collation of alignment caps for aligning the tips of the fasteners such that fasteners can be precisely driven by the tool through apertures in a workpiece being fastened to another workpiece. In particular, the alignment cap collation comprises a series of alignment caps, arranged in a stair-step configuration and joined together by frangible connecting bridges. The caps having bores in one end into which the pointed tips of a like number of parallel-spaced fasteners such as nails are inserted, and a convex pointed surface on the other end adapted to seat in the workpiece apertures. After the alignment cap in which the next fastener to be driven is inserted has been aligned over the workpiece aperture, the fastener driving tool is actuated to drive the fastener through the aperture. At the same time, the alignment cap breaks away from the remaining alignment caps of the cap collation to allow the next to be driven fastener to move into position in the tool.
II. Description of the Prior Art
Commonly, a pneumatically-powered or combustion-powered fastener driving tool is used by a tradesperson for driving a fastener, such as a nail, through an aperture in a first workpiece, such as a metal channel, into a second workpiece, such as a wooden beam, which underlies the first workpiece. Typically, fastener driving tools incorporate a nosepiece, which functions to guide the driven fastener into the aperture of the underlying workpiece. Because the tool itself tends to obscure the aperture from the tradesperson, it can be difficult to align the nosepiece so that the fastener is precisely driven through the aperture. This alignment issue is particularly problematic during the installation of clips, straps and other metal workpieces using nails and a power driven tool because such metal workpieces require precise nail placement with respect to the apertures in the workpieces.
Using the nail tip itself as the locating device has the potential advantage of enabling the tradesperson to visually confirm that the nail tip is aligned with the aperture. However, as metal connectors are typically similar in color to nails, it can be difficult in poorly lit work environments to visually confirm alignment, resulting in improper alignment of the nail and/or compromise of the nail collation. Moreover, once the tip of the nail has been seated in the aperture, the tradesperson may move the nail circularly and fore and aft prior to actuation of the nail driving tool. This action can result in the nail falling out of the tool, mis-aligning with the aperture, or jamming in the tool.
The use of an alignment probe in a powered fastener-driving tool is shown in U.S. Pat. No. 5,052,607 and in U.S. Pat. No. 5,238,167, which are incorporated herein by reference.
These additional probe mechanisms add to the complexity and cost of manufacture of the fastener-driving tools. Furthermore, the greater complexity increases the possibility of part failure and malfunction of the fastener-driving tool.
Accordingly, it is a general object of the present disclosure to provide an improved fastener collation for feeding fasteners to a powered fastener driving tool.
It is a more specific object of the present disclosure to provide a fastener collation which includes a collation of alignment cps which position the fasteners in the collation and align the fastener being driven relative to an underlying workpiece aperture.
It is another specific object of this disclosure to provide a collation of alignment caps for a fastener collation which retains the fasteners in the collation and enables the fasteners of the collation to be precisely aligned with and driven through an underlying aperture in a workpiece.
It is another specific object of this disclosure to provide an alignment cap which fits over the pointed end of the fastener to align the fastener with an underlying aperture.
These and other objects, features and advantages of the disclosure will be clearly understood through a consideration of the following detailed description.
According to one embodiment of the present disclosure, there is provided a fastener collation for a powered fastener-driving tool. The fastener collation includes a collation of alignment caps arranged in a stair-step configuration and including a bore on one end dimensioned to receive a pointed shank end of a fastener, and a convex pointed surface on the other end dimensioned to seat in an underlying aperture. Adjacent alignment caps preferably have a frangible interconnection adapted to hold the caps in the stair-step configuration while allowing the caps to separate when penetrated by the shank of a driven nail.
There is also provided an alignment cap collation for use in a fastener collation for use with a powered fastener-driving tool. The alignment cap collation includes a plurality of individual alignment caps arranged in a stair-step configuration which each include a bore on one end dimensioned to receive the pointed shank end of an associated fastener and a convex pointed end for indexing the cap in an aperture on the other end, and which are interconnected by a series of frangible bridge sections.
There is further provided a system for aligning the tip of a fastener positioned on the driving end of a powered fastener-driving tool to enable the fastener to be precisely driven by the tool through an aperture in a workpiece to be fastened to another workpiece. The tool receives a collation of fasteners wherein the fasteners are arranged in a stair-case fashion and are held in parallel-spaced alignment by a collation of alignment caps. The cap collation includes a plurality of individual caps each provided with a bore on one end dimensioned to receive the pointed shank of an associated fastener and a convex point on the other end for engaging an underlying aperture, and which are interconnected by a frangible connection.
There is further provided an alignment cap having a bore on one end dimensioned to receive the pointed end of a fastener, such as a nail, and a convex point on the other end for aligning the fastener with an underlying aperture.
The present disclosure will be more fully understood by reference to the following detailed description of one or more preferred embodiments when read in conjunction with the accompanying drawings, in which like reference characters refer to like parts throughout the views and in which:
One or more embodiments of the subject disclosure will now be described with the aid of the drawings. As shown in
The conventional art mechanism 14 is more specifically shown in
The tool 10 is similar to known pneumatically powered fastener-driving tools. Thus, the tool 10 has an actuator 40 mounted operatively to the nosepiece 16 and linked operatively to a lever 42, which is mounted pivotally to a trigger 44. The alignment probe 30 is connected to the actuator 40 so as to be conjointly movable with the actuator 40 so as to be pivotally movable, and is adapted to be pressed firmly against the workpiece 20 to move the actuator upwardly so as to lift the lever 42. Upon actuation of the trigger 44, a nail 32 is driven by the ram 46 and its shank 48 is driven along the groove 50, defined by the alignment probe 30 facing laterally, until its head 36 engages the rounded surface 52 of the alignment probe 30, whereupon the nail 32 moves the probe 30 laterally and from the opening 18 as the tool 10 recoils.
The conventional art fasteners typically used by such tools 10 are nails such as shown in
Referring now to
As shown in
Turning now to
As shown, a collation of alignment caps 72 connected via frangible bridge sections 76 form a strip-like assembly to complement the strip of nails. The collation of alignment caps 72 can be made from known techniques, including, for example, injection molding. The collation can be molded independently from the nails and then presented and assembled to the nails. Alternatively, the caps can be formed simultaneously over the shanks of the nails in a strip with the upper collation media (paper or plastic collation). Ideally, a single plastic material could be used to form the upper collation media and the cap at the same time.
The collation of alignment caps 72 is designed to be sufficiently strong to maintain the integrity of the collation and at the same time sufficiently frangible so as to permit penetration and separation of the individual caps. Additionally, the collation is preferably a molded colored polypropylene, such as, for example a so-called Paslode® Orange, which aids in visual contrast when placing the tip in the aperturte. When the convex tip is registered with the aperture, the cap collation (due to the tip connectors 76) permits circular, fore and aft, left to right adjustment prior to nail penetration.
The foregoing detailed description has been given for clearness of understanding only and no unnecessary limitations should be understood therefrom. Accordingly, while one or more particular embodiments of the disclosure have been shown and described, it will be apparent to those skilled in the art that changes and modifications may be made therein without departing from the disclosure if its broader aspects, and, therefore, the aim in the appended claims is to cover all such changes and modifications as fall within the true spirit and scope of the present disclosure.
