High capacity magazine for automatic feed blind rivet setting tool

Abstract

A magazine for holding a larger quantity of blind rivets ready for use in an automatic rivet setting tool. The rivets are connected in spaced relation along the length of an elongated flexible rivet carrying strip or ribbon by having a distal portion of each mandrel inserted or pierced through the carrying strip. The magazine preferably includes an upwardly tapering conical or truncated conical shaped support surface held for rotation about a preferably upright central spool axis on a support stand. The carrying strip is loaded with rivets and spiral-wound around and flat against the outer support surface with the head of each rivet extending away from the spool axis and the distal portion positioned against the outer surface so that each rivet is automatically positioned in an outwardly extending fashion from the support surface.

Description

CROSS-REFERENCE TO RELATED APPLICATIONS

Not applicable

STATEMENT REGARDING FEDERALLY SPONSORED RESEARCH OR DEVELOPMENT

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INCORPORATION-BY-REFERENCE OF MATERIAL SUBMITTED ON A COMPACT DISC

Not applicable

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION

1. Field of the Invention

This invention relates generally to automatic riveting devices, and more particularly to a high capacity rivet magazine for an automatic feed blind or pop-rivet setting device used in a production setting.

2. Description of Related Art

Considerable technological effort has been expended in developing blind or pop or mandrel-type rivets, hereinafter collectively referred to as blind rivets, and the associated manually operated devices for setting such rivets. The primary requirement for setting blind rivets is to support the enlarged flange of the rivet body against an anvil or rivet table with the rivet body inserted through a closely mating hole in a work surface. The mandrel extends axially through the rivet table and is gripped by jaws which tension and pull the mandrel rearwardly, expanding the body of the rivet to a point where the mandrel is fractured away. Thus, blind rivets are particularly useful in situations where a conventional riveting tool does not have access to both sides of the working surfaces to be rivet-connected together.

What appears to be a second stage in the development of blind rivets has been toward the automatic setting of the rivet wherein a source of power such as a motor, a pneumatic actuator or hydraulics are utilized to replace manual effort in expanding and setting the rivet through mandrel pull.

This riveting technology has also expanded into the development of automatic riveting devices which include an automatic feed means for the rivets themselves. Prior to such development, the user has been required to manually insert each fresh rivet into the rivet table one at a time. Because these devices still require the user to depress an actuator or trigger to set each rivet, these devices are referred to as “semi-automatic” rivet machines having an automatic feed.

The bulk of these automatic feed rivet devices fall generally into two categories. The first category is one wherein the nosepiece and/or rivet table is pivotally or arcuately connected wherein these components swing apart radially outwardly from one another so that a new rivet may be passed forward longitudinally from behind this arrangement into position, whereupon the nosepiece and/or rivet table components are closed around the rivet body and mandrel with the flange of the rivet against the distal end surface of the rivet table.

The second general category of automatic rivet feed means is directed to an external arm arrangement which swings or pivots a fresh rivet into coaxial alignment forwardly of the rivet anvil and then either automatically draws or allows the rivet to be manually moved rearwardly wherein the mandrel enters the longitudinal aperture of the rivet anvil.

Despite this considerable effort and incentive in developing such an automatic feed rivet setting device, only one such machine has successfully been marketed and is disclosed in U.S. Pat. No. 5,136,873. A rivet magazine is also disclosed in U.S. Pat. No. 5,184,497.

The present invention provides an improved feed magazine for compactly holding a large quantity of blind rivets for such a rivet setting device, preferably in a production assembly situation. This invention offers fully automatic rivet magazine feed means for an accompanying the automatic rivet setting device which will set rivets automatically as quickly as an operator can act to position each new rivet head into another hole in the work surface and activate the riveter.

BRIEF SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION

This invention is directed to a magazine for holding a larger quantity of blind rivets ready for use in an automatic rivet setting tool. The rivets are connected in spaced relation along the length of an elongated flexible rivet carrying strip or ribbon by having a distal portion of each mandrel inserted or pierced through the carrying strip. The magazine preferably includes an upwardly tapering conical or truncated conical shaped support surface held for rotation about a preferably upright central spool axis on a support stand. The carrying strip is loaded with rivets and spiral-wound around and flat against the outer support surface with the head of each rivet extending away from the spool axis and the distal portion positioned against the outer surface so that each rivet is automatically positioned in an outwardly extending fashion from the support surface.

It is an object of this invention to provide an improved economically manufactured magazine for holding a large quantity of rivets on a flexible carrying strip wound onto the magazine for automatic blind rivet feed into an automatic rivet setting tool.

In accordance with these and other objects which will become apparent hereinafter, the instant invention will now be described with reference to the accompanying drawings.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE SEVERAL VIEWS OF THE DRAWING(S)

FIG. 1 is a perspective view of the improved high capacity magazine holding a large quantity of rivets each of which is held on an elongated rivet carrying strip of flexible material.

FIG. 2 is a perspective view of the high capacity magazine of FIG. 1 absent the carrying strip.

FIG. 3 is a broken view of FIG. 2.

FIG. 4 is a perspective view of an alternate embodiment of FIG. 2.

FIG. 5 is an upper interior perspective view of the magazine of FIG. 1 partially loaded with rivets carried on the rivet carrying strip.

FIG. 6 is a side elevation view of FIG. 5.

FIG. 7 is an enlarged perspective view of the upper portion of the magazine of FIG. 1.

FIG. 8 is a further enlarged view of FIG. 7.

FIG. 9 is a still further enlarged view of FIG. 8.

FIG. 10 is a still further enlarged view of FIG. 9.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION

Referring now to the drawings, the invention is there shown generally at numeral 10 as best seen in FIG. 1 and includes a truncated conical magazine assembly 12 and an upright floor or horizontal surface-supported portable support stand 42 having a weighted disc-shaped base 20 and an upright stanchion 22 defining an upright spool axis B. The magazine assembly 12 includes the magazine 14 itself and a rivet supply 28 including a length of flexible plastic strip 26, preferably MYLAR, loaded with blind rivets 30. The magazine 14 preferably includes a truncated conical or conical outer support surface 44 having a smaller upper end 16 and an enlarged lower end 18. The magazine assembly 12 is mounted for substantially free rotational movement in the direction of arrow A about the upright spool axis B defined by the upright stanchion 22 of support stand 42. The lower end of the stanchion 22 is connected to a weighted disc-shaped base 20 which is supportable atop e.g. a floor of an assembly area or other generally horizontal support surface. As best seen in FIG. 5, the upper end 40 of the stanchion 22 freely supports the magazine hub 36 which is supported by radially extending wire members 38 extending between the upper end 16 and the hub 36.

The blind rivets are shown generally at 30 and are of a conventional nature having an elongated separable mandrel and a rivet head. The distal tip of each mandrel is pierced through an elongated flexible plastic or MYLAR® strip 26 preferably having a thickness of about 0.02″-0.03″ and a width of about 0.4″ as more completely described in U.S. Pat. No. 5,136,873. When this high capacity magazine assembly 12 is utilized in a production setting, the MYLAR® strip 26 is of sufficient length to hold approximately 250 to 1000 rivets 30 in spaced relationship one to another. The spacing is preferably about 2″ apart for timing and convenient smooth feeding from the magazine 14 into the mandrel or nose of the rivet setting tool again described in the '873 patent.

As best seen in FIGS. 2 and 5, an array of evenly spaced carrying strip support shafts or prongs 32 substantially rigidly and substantially permanently extend outwardly from the conical surface 44 of the magazine 14. These support shafts 32 in one embodiment shown in FIGS. 2 and 5 are rigidly connected to backing plates 24 by threaded or riveted engagement therebetween. Thus, to maintain the spiral wound arrangement of the rivet loaded carrying strip assembly 28 laid in spiral wound fashion atop the truncated conical surface 44 in a generally evenly spaced array from the bottom 18 to the top 16 of the magazine 14, two features of this invention cooperatively interact for this purpose. The upwardly conically shaped support surface 44 serves by gravity to at least partially prevent the spiral upwardly wound carrying strip assembly 28 in the spaced position shown in the drawings. Additionally, the support shafts 32 spaced evenly and incrementally around and along the lengths of the support surface 44 maintain this spaced array of spiral windings of the rivet carrying strip assembly 28 so that the upper distal end portion 46 thereof may be easily unwound and fed into the rivet setting tool in the direction of arrow C which causes the rotation of the magazine assembly 12 in the direction of arrow A.

An alternate form of the support prongs or tabs 32′ are shown in FIG. 4 wherein the support surface 44′ is formed of material which may be easily deformed by punch or die cut in spaced arrays such that the pierced segments are outwardly deformed to form each of the support prongs or tabs 32′. These support tabs 32′ extend evenly over the magazine surface 42 from the lower end 18′ to the upper end 16′ of the magazine 14′.

While the instant invention has been shown and described herein in what are conceived to be the most practical and preferred embodiments, it is recognized that departures may be made therefrom within the scope of the invention, which is therefore not to be limited to the details disclosed herein, but is to be afforded the full scope of the claims so as to embrace any and all equivalent apparatus and articles.

Claims

1. A magazine for holding a larger quantity of blind rivets ready for use in an automatic rivet setting tool, the rivets being connected in spaced relation along the length of an elongated flexible rivet carrying strip by having a distal portion of each mandrel inserted or pierced through the carrying strip, said magazine comprising: a conical or truncated conical shaped support surface held for rotation about an upright central spool axis on a support stand; each rivet being carried on the carrying strip so that, when said carrying strip loaded with rivets is spiral-wound around and flat against said support surface with the head of each rivet extending away from the spool axis and the distal portion thereof positioned against and extending outwardly from the outer surface.

2. A magazine as set forth in claim 1, wherein: said support surface includes a plurality of rivet carrying strip support shafts or prongs which outwardly extend from, and rigidly attached to, or are formed as a part of said support surface; said support shafts or prongs support and maintain against gravity a spaced array of the spiral wound arrangement of said rivet carrying strip from the bottom to the top of said support surface.

3. A magazine holding a larger quantity of blind rivets ready for use in an automatic rivet setting tool, comprising; an elongated flexible rivet carrying strip; said rivets being held in spaced relation along the length of said carrying strip by having a distal portion of each mandrel inserted or pierced through said carrying strip; said magazine including a conical or truncated conical shaped support surface held for rotation about an upright central spool axis on a support stand; each rivet being carried on the carrying strip, said carrying strip being spiral-wound around and flat against said outer support surface with said distal portions being positioned against said outer surface wherein each rivet is automatically positioned in radially extending fashion away from said outer surface.

4. A magazine as set forth in claim 2, wherein: said support surface includes a plurality of rivet carrying strip support shafts or prongs which outwardly extend from, and rigidly attached to, or are formed as a part of said support surface; said support shafts or prongs support and maintain against gravity a spaced array of the spiral wound arrangement of said rivet carrying strip from the bottom to the top of said support surface.