Clip applicator tool
AssigneeCliptie Corporation
InventorsWayne Edson, Mike Gehrke, Daniel T. Chiles
Life of this patent
Estimating the term…
Abstract
A tool for applying clip fasteners which are bent around thin objects to tie them together. The tool has a housing that presents a load opening through which the clip fasteners are loaded. A retractable clip follower is urged by spring action against the fasteners to feed them toward a receiver having a slot for holding the fasteners one at a time. A jaw mechanism operated by a handle is moved toward a fastener held by the receiver and initially bends the fastener about two elbow joints. After a jaw plate carrying the jaws reaches the limit of its motion, continued movement of the jaw mechanism causes the jaws to pivot closed and make a final bend at a center hinge joint of the clip fastener.
Claims10
An applicator tool for a clip fastener having a plurality of joints about which the fastener can be bent around objects to be fastened, said applicator tool comprising:
- a housing having an infeed opening for receiving the clip fastener;
- a clip receiver in the housing situated to receive and hold the clip fastener at a predetermined location therein;
- a feed mechanism operable to feed the clip fastener from said infeed opening to said clip receiver and
- a jaw mechanism mounted in said housing for movement therein to effect bending of a clip fastener held in said clip receiver about said joints of the fastener to apply the fastener around said objects to be fastened.
An applicator tool for clip fasteners each having two elbow joints about which the fastener can be bent, a hinge joint between the elbow joints about which the fastener can be bent, and mating ends arranged to come together and connect when the fastener is bent about the elbow joints and hinge joint around objects to be fastened, said applicator tool comprising:
- a housing having an infeed opening through which the clip fasteners can be loaded;
- a clip receiver in the housing situated and arranged to receive and hold the clip fasteners one at a time in succession and having a surface presenting edges adjacent the elbow joints of a clip fastener held by said receiver;
- a feed mechanism arranged in the housing to deliver the clip fasteners from said infeed opening to said receiver one at a time;
- and
- a jaw mechanism engageable with a clip fastener held by said receiver to effect bending of the fastener about said elbow joints along said edges of said surface of the receiver, said jaw mechanism being further operable to effect bending of the clip fastener about said hinge joint to apply the fastener around the objects to be fastened and bring said mating ends together for connection thereof.
An applicator tool for clip fasteners each having a plurality of joints about which the fastener can be bent around objects to be fastened, said applicator tool comprising:
- a housing having an infeed opening through which the clip fasteners can be loaded in groups arranged one behind the other;
- a clip receiver in said housing spaced away from said infeed opening and situated to receive and hold the clip fasteners one at a time at a predetermined location;
- a guide surface in said housing extending from said infeed opening to said clip receiver;
- a clip follower arranged on said guide surface to push each group of clip fasteners along the guide surface toward said clip receiver;
- a releasable catch element on said housing acting to releasably hold said clip follower in a retracted position clear of said infeed opening to allow loading of clip fastener therethrough onto said guide surface ahead of said clip follower, said catch element being releasable from said clip follower to allow the follower to push the clip fasteners toward and onto said receiver along said guide surface;
- a jaw mechanism mounted in said housing for movement therein to effect bending of a clip fastener held in said clip receiver about said joints of the fastener to apply the fastener around the objects to be fastened.
An applicator tool for applying tie fasteners connected side to side in a sheet around objects that are to be fastened together, said applicator tool comprising:
- a housing having an infeed opening for receiving the sheet and accommodating a leading tie fastener in the sheet at a selected position for application to said objects;
- a jaw mechanism in said housing operable to detach said leading fastener from the sheet and apply said leading fastener around said objects in a stroke of said jaw mechanism, said jaw mechanism being retractable at the end of each said stroke;
- and
- a feed mechanism arranged to feed said leading fastener to said selected position while attached to said sheet and, after said leading fastener has been detached from the sheet and applied around said objects, to advance said sheet to situate the next fastener thereon in said selected position when said jaw mechanism is retracted at the end of each said stroke thereof.
A fastening assembly for fastening thin objects together, comprising:
- a plurality of substantially identical fastening elements connected side by side in a substantially flat sheet having adjacent elements connected together;
- each fastening element having a body extending in a substantially straight shape in an undeformed condition and terminating in ends formed to interlock when said body is extended around said objects;
- each fastening element including a pair of end legs and a pair of center legs connected with the respective end legs to flex relative thereto about elbow joints when said body is extended around said objects, said center legs being connected together to flex about a hinge joint;
- and
- a plurality of frangible connecting pins connecting said end legs with corresponding end legs of adjacent elements in said sheet and connecting said center legs with corresponding center legs of adjacent elements in said sheet to hold the elements together in said sheet, said pins being frangible to release each element from said sheet for application to said objects.
A method of securing radiant heating tubing to a thin object by a human operator using an applicator tool having a handle on one end and an applicator head on the other end and a holding tool having a hand grip on one end and a hook on the other end, comprising the steps of:
- grasping said hand grip in one hand and, while in a standing position, applying said hook to the tubing to hold the tubing adjacent to the object;
- and
- grasping said handle in the other hand and, while in a stranding position, applying said applicator head to the tubing and object and operating said head in a manner to apply a fastening tie around the tubing and object.
Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.