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AssigneeHenrob Limited
InventorsRUPERT ANDREW CRAYTHORN, Ralph Fuhrmeister, Shane Peter Matthews, Wojciech Gostylla, Stuart Edmund Blacket, Nicholas Richard Clew, Michael Butler
Estimating the term…
Fastener delivery apparatus for automatically selecting and delivering fasteners such as rivets to a setting tool. The fasteners are pre-loaded in a package and dispense via at least one fastener delivery tube that interconnects the setting tool to a fastener feeder device. The fastener feeder device releases selected fasteners from the package into the delivery tube. The fasteners are transportable individually or in groups in the tube from the feeder device to the tool. A transfer station attached to the tool or the delivery tube transfers a fastener from the delivery apparatus into the tool, transfer station is adjacent to the tool so that a delivered fastener may be inserted by the transfer station into the tool and a second position in which it is clear of the tool so as to permit the tool or a portion thereof to move towards a workpiece to insert a smooth, rapid and reliable delivery of fasteners of various sizes and types to the nose of a setting tool in any particular order and provides all the fastener types for any particular work cycle.
A method for delivering fasteners to a tool via an intermediate buffer for the temporary storage of fasteners, comprising selectively transporting fasteners from a reservoir of fasteners, individually or in groups, through at least one delivery tube towards the intermediate buffer, moving the at least one delivery tube relative to the intermediate buffer from an undocked position where the tube and intermediate buffer are separated to a docked position in which they are releasably connected and a fastener path between the at least one delivery tube and the intermediate buffer is established, transferring the fasteners from the delivery tube into the intermediate buffer, temporarily storing at least some of the fasteners in the intermediate buffer, selectively releasing a fastener from an outlet of the buffer and delivering the released fastener to the tool.
Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.