Open chamber gas powered tool and gas generating charge therefor

Abstract

An open chamber gas powered tool and gas generating charge for the tool. The charge has a hollow open-ended plastic jacket of uniform noncircular cross-section from end to end containing a propellant, such as nitrocellulose, which may be electrically ignited through an open end of the jacket by a spark, hot wire or the like or ignited by detonation of a dab of priming compound contained within a recess in one end of the jacket. The tool has an open chamber breech mechanism including a cylinder containing a firing chamber opening through the cylinder circumference for transporting charges to firing position wherein the chamber is closed by the breech frame, a trigger actuated firing means for firing the charges in firing position, and operating means powered by the gas generated by each fired charge for performing a work function. The particular tool described is a fastener driving tool having an electrical firing circuit which is conditioned for operation to fire charges by pressing the tool against a workpiece, and a plunger which is propelled through a working stroke by the pressurized gas generated by the fired charges to drive fasteners, such as nails or studs, into the workpiece. The invention also provides a novel method of fabricating and packaging the charges in a magazine with the charges fixed to a web or band for feeding the charges to the tool.

Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.