Tool with charge advance mechanism
AssigneeIllinois Tool Works Inc.
InventorsThomas James Murdoch, Paul Van De Loo, Kade Richard Turner
Life of this patent
Estimating the term…
Abstract
A powder actuated fastening tool including a charge advance apparatus for advancing a powder charge strip relative to a barrel of the tool, wherein the charge advance apparatus includes a rotatable ratchet having teeth for engaging receptacles formed in the powder charge strip, and a charge advance member coupled to a trigger of the tool, wherein the charge advance member acts on the rotatable ratchet to rotate the ratchet in response to actuation and/or release of the trigger, such that the rotation of the ratchet causes advance of the powder charge strip relative to the barrel.
Claims16
A method of operating a powder actuated fastening tool configured to receive a powder charge strip, the method comprising:
- causing teeth of a rotatable ratchet of a charge advance apparatus to engage the powder charge strip and to advance the powder charge strip relative to a barrel;
- and
- causing the barrel to slidably move from an open position spaced from a powder charge of the powder charge strip to a closed position in which the barrel encloses the powder charge of the powder charge strip, wherein when the barrel slidably moves a distance from the open position to the closed position, the barrel causes an alignment member connected to and extending from the barrel to move a same distance and causes the alignment member to move relative to the rotatable ratchet to ensure the powder charge of the powder charge strip is in alignment with the barrel.
A method of operating a powder actuated fastening tool configured to receive a powder charge strip, the method comprising:
- responsive to movement of a trigger, causing teeth of a rotatable ratchet of a charge advance apparatus to engage the powder charge strip and to advance the powder charge strip relative to a barrel;
- and
- causing the barrel to slidably move from an open position spaced from a powder charge of the powder charge strip to a closed position in which the barrel encloses the powder charge of the powder charge strip, wherein when the barrel slidably moves a distance from the open position to the closed position, the barrel causes an alignment member connected to and extending from the barrel to move a same distance and causes the alignment member to move relative to the rotatable ratchet to ensure the powder charge of the powder charge strip is in alignment with the barrel.
Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.