Sealing assembly for an inlet valve of a power nailer

Information

  • Patent Grant
  • 6173963
  • Patent Number
    6,173,963
  • Date Filed
    Tuesday, May 11, 1999
    25 years ago
  • Date Issued
    Tuesday, January 16, 2001
    23 years ago
Abstract
A sealing assembly for an inlet valve of a power nailer includes a fixed frame and a movable member which has a tubular portion movably inserted through the central hole of the fixed frame and is biased by a spring. The movable member is connected to the cylinder so as to push the piston of the cylinder. The fixed frame has a flange with a tapered distal edge so that a seal is mounted to the flange and the seal has a tongue portion rested on the tapered distal edge. The tongue portion movably contacts the tubular portion. The movable member has a tapered distal edge on which a tongue portion of another seal is rested and movably contacts a flange of the fixed frame.
Description




FIELD OF THE INVENTION




The present invention relates to a sealing assembly for a valve in a power nailer, wherein the movable member of the valve has two seals mounted thereto and each seal has an inclined and flexible portion so as to seal the portion between the movable member and the fixed frame when the movable member is moving.




BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION




A conventional sealing assembly for an inlet valve of a power nailer is shown in

FIG. 1

, wherein the inlet valve generally includes a fixed frame


200


which fixedly attached to the end opposite to the nail ejecting end of the barrel, and a movable member


300


which is movably engaged with the fixed frame


200


and biased by a spring


330


. The fixed frame


200


is a ring-shaped member and has a first annular flange


210


extending from the outside thereof and a second annular flange


220


extending from one of two sides of the fixed frame


200


. The movable member


300


has a shape similar to that of the fixed frame


200


and includes a third annular


320


flange extending from the outside thereof so as to movably engage with the inside of the first annular flange


210


, and a fourth annular flange


310


which is inserted through the central hole of the ring-shaped fixed frame


200


. The spring


330


is biased between the end cap


400


and one of two sides of the movable member


300


. A first seal


600


is received between the second annular flange


220


and the fourth annular flange


310


, and a second seal


500


is engaged with the distal edge of the first annular flange


210


and the other side of the movable member


300


. The first seal


600


has two contact points


610


,


630


movably contact the fourth annular flange


310


of the movable member


300


, and the other two contact points


620


,


640


contact the second annular flange


220


of the fixed frame


200


. The second seal


500


has a deformable portion


530


which allows the second seal


500


to be deformed without disengaging from the fixed frame


200


or the movable member


300


while the movable member


300


is moved reciprocatingly.




A piston


700


with a driving shaft


710


is movably received in the cylinder


720


. The cylinder


720


has one end thereof that the nails (not shown) are ejected by the driving shaft


710


, and the other end thereof which is connected to the movable member


300


. When the trigger (not shown) is pulled, the high pressure air enters into the space between the movable member


300


and the piston


700


so as to push the piston


700


to eject the nail and, in the same time, the movable member


300


is moved to compress the spring


330


. When the trigger is released, the movable member


300


is biased by the spring


330


to be moved toward the cylinder


720


.




When the high pressure air enters into the barrel, the first seal


600


is expanded and the inner periphery including the two contact points


610


,


630


is attached to the fourth annular flange


310


so that the frictional force between the first seal


600


and the fourth annular flange


310


of the movable member


300


is large.




Furthermore, when the movable member


300


is moving, the second seal


500


is stretched between the distal edge of the first annular flange


210


and the movable member


300


. The second seal


500


could be broken after being used for a period of time.




The present invention intends to provide a seal assembly which includes two seals respectively connected between the movable member and the fixed frame, and provides less frictional force between the movable member and the fixed frame.




The present invention has arisen to mitigate and/or obviate the disadvantages of the conventional sealing assembly of a power nailer.




SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION




In accordance with one aspect of the present invention, there is provided a combination of a sealing assembly and an inlet valve of a power nailer, comprising a fixed frame having a central hole and a first flange extending from the outside of the fixed frame. A second flange extends from one of two sides of the fixed frame and a third flange extends from the periphery defining the central hole through which the tubular portion of a movable member extends, The third flange has a first tapered distal edge.




The movable member is movably engaged with the first flange at an outer periphery thereof and biased by a spring. The movable member has a second tapered distal edge defined in one of two sides thereof and the second tapered distal edge is located near the outer periphery of the movable member.




A first seal is received between the second flange and the third flange of the fixed frame. The first seal has a first tongue portion extending radially inward therefrom and rested on the first tapered distal edge of the movable member so that the first tongue portion movably contacts the tubular portion of the movable member. A second seal is engaged with the movable member and has a second tongue portion extending radially outward therefrom. The second tongue portion is rested on the second tapered distal edge and movably contacts the first flange.




The primary object of the present invention is to provide a sealing assembly which provides less frictional force between the fixed frame and the movable member.




Further objects, advantages, and features of the present invention will become apparent from the following detailed description with appropriate reference to the accompanying drawings.











BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS





FIG. 1

is a side elevational view, partly in section, of the rear end of a power nailer and shows the arrangement of the conventional seals;





FIG. 2

is a side elevational view, partly in section, of the rear end of a power nailer and shows the arrangement of the sealing assembly in accordance with the present invention;





FIG. 3

is a perspective view of the movable member in accordance with the present invention;





FIG. 4

is a perspective view of the second seal mounted to the movable member in accordance with the present invention, and





FIG. 5

is a side elevational view, partly in section, of the rear end of a power nailer and shows another embodiment of the arrangement of the sealing assembly in accordance with the present invention.











DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS




Referring to

FIGS. 2

to


4


, a structure of the rear end of a power nailer is shown in FIG.


1


and an inlet valve comprising a fixed frame


20


and a movable member


30


is disposed in the rear end of the barrel of the power nailer. The movable member


30


is moved by pulling the trigger (not shown) of the power nailer so as to let the high pressure air enter the desired chamber in the rear end of the power nailer to push the piston


70


and the driving shaft


71


connected to the piston


70


so that a nail (not shown) can be ejected form the front end of the power nailer.




The fixed frame


20


has a central hole


201


, and a first flange


23


and a second flange


22


respective extend from the first side of the fixed frame


20


. A third flange


24


extends from the periphery defining the central hole


201


of the first side of the fixed frame


20


and toward the same direction of the first flange


23


and the second flange


22


. The third flange


24


has a first tapered distal edge


241


.




Referring to

FIG. 3

, the movable member


30


has a fourth flange


33


extending from the first side thereof and the fourth flange


33


movably contacts the inside of the first flange


23


of the fixed frame


20


. A tubular portion


31


extends from the first side of the movable member


30


and extends through the central hole


201


of the fixed frame


20


. The movable member is biased by a spring


32


by the same manner as that disclosed in FIG.


1


. The movable member


30


has a second tapered distal edge


331


defined in the second side thereof and the second tapered distal edge


331


is located on the opposite end of the fourth flange


33


. An L-shaped lip


340


extends from the second side of the movable member


30


so as to define a groove


34


between the lip


340


and the second side of the movable member


30


.




A first seal


80


is received between the second flange


22


and the third flange


24


of the fixed frame


20


. The first seal


80


has a first tongue portion


82


extending radially inward therefrom and rested on the first tapered distal edge


241


of the movable member


20


. The first tongue portion


82


has a spherical distal edge


83


so that the spherical edge


83


of the first tongue portion


82


movably contacts the tubular portion


31


of the movable member


30


.




Referring to

FIG. 4

, a second seal


50


is engaged with the groove


34


of the movable member


30


and has a second tongue portion


51


extending radially outward therefrom. The second tongue portion


51


has a spherical distal edge


510


and the second tongue portion


51


rested on the second tapered distal edge


331


so that the spherical distal edge


510


movably contacts the first flange


23


.




Accordingly, the contact area between the first seal


80


and the tubular portion


31


of the movable member


30


, and between the second seal


50


and the inside of the first flange


23


are very limited so that the frictional force therebetween while the movable member


30


is moving is therefore effectively reduced. During the period that the movable member


30


is moving, the second seal


50


is moved with the movable member


30


so that the second seal


50


can be used for a long time.




Referring to

FIG. 5

, in order to more secure the second ring


50


′, the second seal


50


′ has a groove


501


and an O-ring


90


is securely received in the groove


501


of the second seal


50


′.




The invention is not limited to the above embodiment but various modification thereof may be made. It will be understood by those skilled in the art that various changes in form and detail may made without departing from the scope and spirit of the present invention.



Claims
  • 1. A combination of a sealing assembly and an inlet valve of a power nailer, comprising:a fixed frame having a central hole, a first flange and a second flange respectively extending from one of two sides of said fixed frame, a third flange extending from the periphery defining said central hole and toward the same direction of said first flange, said third flange having a first tapered distal edge; a movable member movably engaged with said first flange of said fixed frame at an outer periphery thereof and said movable member being biased by a spring, a tubular portion extending from a first side of said movable member and engaged with said central hole of said fixed frame, said movable member having a second tapered distal edge defined in a second side thereof and said second tapered distal edge located near said outer periphery of said movable member; a first seal received between said second flange and said third flange of said fixed frame, said first seal having a first tongue portion extending radially inward therefrom and rested on said first tapered distal edge of said third flange, said first tongue portion movably contacting said tubular portion of said movable member, and a second seal engaged with said movable member and having a second tongue portion extending radially outward therefrom, said second tongue portion rested on said second tapered distal edge and movably contacting said first flange.
  • 2. The combination as claimed in claim 1, wherein said movable member has a fourth flange extending from the first side thereof and said fourth flange movably contacts the inside of said first flange of said fixed frame.
  • 3. The combination as claimed in claim 1, wherein said movable member has an L-shaped lip extending from the second side thereof so as to define a groove between the lip and said second side of said movable member so that said second seal is received in said groove.
  • 4. The combination as claimed in claim 1, wherein said first tongue portion has a spherical distal edge.
  • 5. The combination as claimed in claim 1, wherein said second tongue portion has a spherical distal edge.
  • 6. The combination as claimed in claim 1 further comprising an O-ring securely mounted to the second seal.
  • 7. The combination as claimed in claim 6 further comprising a groove defined in said second seal so that said O-ring is securely received in said groove of said second seal.
US Referenced Citations (5)
Number Name Date Kind
5131579 Okushima et al. Jul 1992
5671880 Ronconi Sep 1997
5829660 White Nov 1998
5860447 Chu Jan 1999
5927584 Akiba Jul 1999