Information
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Patent Grant
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6419140
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Patent Number
6,419,140
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Date Filed
Thursday, February 21, 200222 years ago
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Date Issued
Tuesday, July 16, 200222 years ago
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Inventors
-
Original Assignees
-
Examiners
Agents
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CPC
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US Classifications
Field of Search
US
- 227 8
- 227 130
- 227 136
- 227 142
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International Classifications
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Abstract
A nail-driving gun includes a safety rod disposed movably on a front end of a barrel, and a trigger member disposed movably on a handle. Upon actuation of the safety rod and the trigger member, the barrel shoots a nail therefrom. When the safety rod is pressed against a wall prior to actuation of the trigger member, the gun can be operated in a single shot mode, in which the safety rod is prevented from returning to its original position due to a positioning pin that is attached movably to the trigger member. When the safety rod is pressed against the wall after actuation of the trigger member, the gun can be operated in a continuous shooting mode. The safety rod and the trigger member are actuated by one hand that holds the handle.
Description
BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION
1. Field of the Invention
This invention relates to a nail-driving gun, more particularly to a nail-driving gun, which can be operated pneumatically in a single shot mode or a continuous shooting mode that can be selected by controlling the actuation order of a safety rod and a trigger member.
2. Description of the Related Art
The improvement of this invention is directed to a conventional nail-driving gun, which can be operated pneumatically by reciprocating a valve rod in a single shot mode or a continuous shooting mode that are selected by actuating a switching member. When such a nail-driving gun is in use, because a handle of the gun is held with one hand, it is necessary to actuate the switching member with the other hand, thereby resulting in difficulties during operation of the gun. Furthermore, the trigger member is disposed adjacent to the valve rod so that the setback force of the gun may move untimely the valve rod. As such, it is possible to form two consecutive shots even if the switching member is set at the single shot mode.
SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION
An object of this invention is to provide a nail-driving gun for performing a single shot operation and a continuous shooting operation, which can be selected by controlling the actuation order of two members, the members being capable of being actuated easily using one hand that holds a handle of the gun.
Another object of this invention is to provide a nail-driving gun, which can prevent formation of two consecutive shots when the gun is operated in a single shot mode.
According to this invention, a nail-driving gun includes a safety rod disposed movably on a front end of a barrel, and a trigger member disposed movably on a handle. Upon actuation of the safety rod and the trigger member, the barrel shoots a nail therefrom. When the safety rod is pressed against a wall prior to actuation of the trigger member, the gun can be operated in a single shot mode, in which the safety rod is prevented from returning to its original position due to a positioning pin that is attached movably to the trigger member. When the safety rod is pressed against the wall after actuation of the trigger member, the gun can be operated in a continuous shooting mode. The safety rod and the trigger member are actuated by one hand that holds the handle.
BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS
These and other features and advantages of this invention will become apparent in the following detailed description of a preferred embodiment of this invention, with reference to the accompanying drawings, in which:
FIG. 1
is a schematic partly sectional view of the preferred embodiment of a nail-driving gun according to this invention;
FIG. 2
is an exploded perspective view of a portion of the preferred embodiment;
FIG. 3
is a fragmentary sectional view of the preferred embodiment, in which a press member, a trigger member and a valve rod are disposed at their normal positions;
FIG. 4
is a fragmentary sectional view of the preferred embodiment, in which the press member moves to a rear limit position during a single shot operation;
FIG. 5
is a fragmentary sectional view of the preferred embodiment, in which the trigger member moves to an actuated position after the press member moves to the rear limit position during the single shot operation;
FIG. 6
is a fragmentary sectional view of the preferred embodiment, in which the trigger member moves to the actuated position during a continuous shooting operation;
FIG. 7
is a fragmentary sectional view of the preferred embodiment, in which the press member moves to the rear limit position after the trigger member moves to the actuated position during the continuous shooting operation; and
FIG. 8
is a fragmentary sectional view of the preferred embodiment, illustrating how the press member is urged from the position shown in
FIG. 7
to its normal position upon the release of a forward pushing force on a safety rod during the continuous shooting operation.
DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENT
Referring to
FIGS. 1
,
2
and
3
, the preferred embodiment of a nail-driving gun according to this invention is shown to include a gun body
10
, a safety rod
20
, a press member
30
, a positioning seat
40
and a trigger assembly
50
.
The gun body
10
includes a handle
11
and a horizontal barrel
12
. The handle
11
is provided with a spring-biased valve rod
11
that is biased to a non-compressing position shown in FIG.
3
and that is movable to a compressing position shown in FIG.
5
. The barrel
12
has a rear portion that is attached to the handle
11
, and a front portion with a nail-shooting seat
121
that is operably associated with the valve rod
111
in a known manner. When the valve rod
111
moves from the non-compressing position shown in
FIG. 3
to the compressing position shown in
FIG. 5
, a nail is shot from the nail-shooting seat
121
, and is driven into a wall
60
. To perform a subsequent nail shooting operation, it is necessary to return the valve rod
111
to the non-compressing position and to move the same from the non-compressing position to the compressing position one more time.
The safety rod
20
is disposed movably on a front end of the barrel
12
, and has a wall-pressing rod portion
21
that abuts against the wall
60
at a front end
211
, and a connecting rod portion
22
that is connected fixedly to the wall-pressing rod portion
21
at a front end
221
and that is connected fixedly to a front end of the press member
30
at a rear end
222
.
The positioning seat
40
includes two parallel vertical side plates
41
, a horizontal bottom plate
42
, and a limiting member
43
. The side plates
41
are disposed fixedly on the barrel
12
, and are formed respectively with a pair of aligned slide slots
411
that receive slidably a slide rod
45
therein. The bottom plate
42
is connected fixedly to and is perpendicular to the side plates
41
. The limiting member
43
interconnects the side plates
41
fixedly, and is spaced apart from the bottom plate
42
.
The press member
30
includes a front casing element
31
and a rear pressing section
32
, which is shaped as a horizontal plate that is superimposed on the bottom plate
42
of the positioning seat
40
and that is received fittingly and movably within a space
44
between the bottom plate
42
and the limiting member
43
. The rear pressing section
32
has a top surface
322
, which is formed with an upwardly extending integral rear projection
321
that is disposed behind the slide rod
45
, thereby preventing forward removal of the press member
30
from the positioning seat
40
.
The limiting member
43
of the positioning seat
40
has a front surface, which is formed with a recess
431
. A biasing unit is configured as a coiled compression spring
432
, which has a front end that is sleeved fixedly on a rearwardly extending integral front projection
311
of the front casing element
31
of the press member
30
, and a rear end that is confined within the recess
431
in the limiting member
43
so as to bias the press member
30
forward and away from the positioning seat
40
. Accordingly, the press member
30
is biased to a front limit position (A) shown in FIG.
3
. When the front end
211
of the safety rod
20
is pressed forcibly against the wall
60
, the press member
30
moves relative to the barrel
12
to a rear limit position (B) shown in
FIG. 4
, where the front casing element
31
of the press member
30
abuts against the limiting member
43
of the positioning seat
40
so as to prevent further rearward movement of the press member
30
.
The trigger assembly
50
includes an inverted U-shaped pivot member
51
, a trigger member
52
, a gap
53
that is defined within the pivot member
51
for passage of the rear pressing section
32
of the press member
30
, a positioning pin
54
, a pushing plate
55
, and a spring
56
. The pivot member
51
is mounted pivotally on the side plates
41
of the positioning seat
40
by a pivot pin
57
. The trigger member
52
is biased to a non-actuated position (C) shown in
FIG. 3
, and can be pressed so as to rotate to an actuated position (D) shown in
FIG. 5
, which is located behind the non-actuated position (C). The pivot member
51
has an upper portion
511
which is formed with a straight guide slot unit
512
that has closed front and rear ends
5121
,
5122
. The trigger member
52
is formed integrally with a lower portion of the pivot member
51
. The positioning pin
54
is received slidably within the guide slot unit
512
in the pivot member
51
. When the press member
30
is located at the front limit position and when the trigger member
52
is located at the non-actuated position, the positioning pin
54
is disposed at a rear portion of the guide slot unit
512
behind the rear projection
321
of the press member
30
. The pushing plate
55
is formed with two integral lugs
551
that are disposed pivotally on the pivot member
51
, and is located in front of the valve rod
111
. A free end
552
of the pushing plate
55
is biased by a spring
56
forward and away from the valve rod
111
to abut against the rear pressing section
32
of the press member
30
. In addition, the spring
56
biases the trigger member
52
to the non-actuated position (C).
When it is desired to perform a single shot operation, the safety rod
20
is pressed against the wall
60
so as to move the press member
30
to the rear limit position (B), as shown in
FIG. 4
, where the free end
552
of the pushing plate
55
rotates clockwise to a position adjacent to the valve rod
111
. Subsequently, the trigger member
52
is pressed rearward to the actuated position (D), as shown in
FIG. 5
, so that the pushing plate
55
contacts and pushes the valve rod
111
rearward to the compressing position, thereby shooting the nail from the seat
121
. Referring to
FIG. 5
, when the trigger member
52
moves from the non-actuated position (C) to the actuated position (D), the pivot member
51
rotates counterclockwise so that the positioning pin
54
moves to the front end
5121
of the guide slot unit
512
. As such, the positioning pin
54
is adjacent to and is located in front of the rear projection
321
, thereby preventing forward movement of the valve rod
111
back to the non-compressing position. At this time, because the valve rod
111
cannot return to the non-compressing position, unintentional subsequent nail shooting resulting from a setback force of the gun after a previous nail shooting operation can be prevented as long as the trigger member
52
is retained at the actuated position (D). Accordingly, two consecutive shots can be avoided during a single shot operation. When the trigger member
52
is released so as to return to the non-actuated position (C), the positioning pin
54
moves to the position shown in
FIG. 4
, where the press member
30
will be biased by the spring
432
to the position shown in
FIG. 3
, thereby permitting a-subsequent single shot operation.
When it is desired to perform a continuous shooting operation, the trigger member
52
is pressed so as to move from the non-actuated position (C) shown in
FIG. 3
to the actuated position (D) shown in FIG.
6
. Referring to
FIGS. 1 and 7
, subsequently, the safety rod
20
is pressed against the wall
60
, thereby permitting movement of the press member
30
from the front limit position (A) to the rear limit position (B), during which the rear projection
321
contacts and pushes the positioning pin
54
rearward to the rear end
5122
of the guide slot unit
512
. When the press member
30
moves to the rear limit position (B), the free end
552
of the pushing plate
55
turns rearward so as to move the valve rod
111
to the compressing position, thereby permitting a nail shooting operation. Thereafter, a forward pushing force applied on the safety rod
20
is released so that the safety rod
20
is removed from the wall
60
such that the press member
30
is biased to the front limit position (A) shown in
FIG. 8
, after which the safety rod
20
can be pressed against the wall
60
so as to once again move the press member
30
to the rear limit position (B) shown in FIG.
7
. In this way, the valve rod
111
can reciprocate between the non-compressing position and the compressing position, thereby shooting nails continuously from the seat
121
.
When performing the single shot or continuous shooting operation, the safety rod
20
and the trigger member
52
can be actuated using only one hand that holds the handle
11
. Accordingly, the gun of this invention can be operated with ease.
With this invention thus explained, it is apparent that numerous modifications and variations can be made without departing the scope and spirit of this invention. It is therefore intended that this invention be limited only as indicated by the appended claims.
Claims
- 1. A pneumatic nail-driving gun comprising:a gun body including a handle with a movable valve rod that is biased to a non-compressing position and that is movable to a compressing position, and a horizontal barrel having a rear portion that is attached to said handle, and a front portion with a nail-shooting seat that is adapted to shoot a nail therefrom when said valve rod moves from the non-compressing position to the compressing position; a safety rod disposed movably on a front end of said barrel and having a wall-pressing rod portion that is adapted to abut against a wall, into which the nail is to be driven; a press member connected fixedly to said safety rod and having a rear pressing section with an upwardly extending integral rear projection; a biasing unit for biasing said press member to a front limit position relative to said barrel, said press member being movable relative to said barrel to a rear limit position when said wall-pressing rod portion of said safety rod is pressed forcibly against the wall; and a trigger assembly including a pivot member disposed pivotally on said barrel and having a lower portion and an upper portion which is formed with a guide slot unit that has a closed front end and a closed rear end, a trigger member connected fixedly to said lower portion of said pivot member and biased to a non-actuated position relative to said barrel, said trigger member being rotatable to an actuated position that is located behind the non-actuated position, a horizontal positioning pin received slidably within said guide slot unit in said pivot member and disposed at a rear portion of said slide slot behind said rear projection of said press member when said press member is located at the front limit position and when said trigger member is located at the non-actuated position, a pushing plate disposed pivotally on said trigger member and located in front of said valve rod, said pushing plate having a free end, and a spring for biasing said free end of said pushing plate away from said valve rod to abut against said rear pressing section of said press member, said pushing plate being pushed rearward by said press member and said trigger member against biasing action of said spring, thereby contacting and moving said valve rod to the compressing position when said press member moves to the rear limit position and when said trigger member moves to the actuated position; wherein when said safety rod is first pressed forward against the wall so as to move said press member to the rear limit position and when said trigger member is subsequently pressed rearward to the actuated position for moving said valve rod from the non-compressing position to the compressing position so as to perform a nail shooting operation, said positioning pin moves forward within said guide slot unit in said pivot member to a position adjacent to and in front of said rear projection of said press member so as to prevent forward movement of said rear projection, thereby retaining said press member at the rear limit position to prevent forward movement of said valve rod from the compressing position and thus a subsequent nail shooting operation so as to result in a single shot operation; wherein when said trigger member is first pressed rearward to the actuated position and when said safety rod is subsequently pressed forward against the wall, thereby moving said valve rod so as to perform the nail shooting operation, said rear projection contacts and moves said positioning pin rearward within said guide slot unit to push said pushing plate rearward for moving said valve rod from the non-compressing position to the compressing position so as to perform a nail shooting operation, after which said safety rod can be once again pressed against the wall, thereby permitting movement of said press member from the front limit position to the rear limit position, with said trigger member being maintained at the actuated position, to commence with a subsequent nail shooting operation so as to result in a continuous shooting operation.
- 2. The nail driving gun as claimed in claim 1, further comprising a positioning seat, which includes two parallel side plates that are disposed fixedly on said barrel and that are formed respectively with a pair of aligned slide slots, a bottom plate that is connected fixedly to and that is perpendicular to said side plates, a limiting member that interconnects said side plates fixedly and that is spaced apart from said bottom plate, and a slide rod that is received slidably within said slide slots in said side plates, said rear pressing section of said press member being shaped as a plate, which is superimposed on said bottom plate of said positioning seat and which is received fittingly and movably within a space that is defined between said bottom plate and said limiting member, said slide rod being disposed in front of said rear projection, thereby preventing forward removal of said press member from said positioning seat.
- 3. The nail driving gun as claimed in claim 2, wherein said limiting member has a front surface, which is formed with a recess, said press member including a front casing element, which is connected fixedly to a front end of said rear pressing section and which abuts against said limiting member so as to prevent further rearward movement of said press member when said press member is disposed at the rear limit position, said front casing element being formed with a rearwardly extending integral front projection, said biasing unit being configured as a coiled compression spring, which has a front end that is sleeved fixedly on said front projection of said front casing element, and a rear end that is confined within said recess in said limiting member of said positioning seat so as to bias said press member forward and away from said positioning seat.
- 4. The nail driving gun as claimed in claim 1, wherein said guide slot unit in said pivot member is straight, and is inclined forwardly and upwardly when said press member is located at the front limit position and when said trigger member is located at the non-actuated position, said guide slot unit being generally horizontal when said safety rod is first pressed forward against the wall and when said trigger member is subsequently pressed rearward to the actuated position.
US Referenced Citations (11)