US 4,305,538 AGranted

Portable apparatus for assembling frame structures

AssigneeRobert Schultz

InventorsBethel F. Schultz, deceased, by Marjorie Schultz, executrix

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Abstract

Portable apparatus for automatically constructing prefabricated stud walls or other frame structures from standard materials. Elongate studs are placed transversely at spaced intervals between a pair of elongate wall plate members by a reciprocatingly rotating stud-selecting mechanism and a linearly reciprocating spacer mechanism. As each stud is placed between the plate members, it is automatically nailed thereto, forming a portion of the wall frame, after which the completed portion of the frame is advanced an incremental distance along an assembly structure by the spacer mechanism, which pushes on the newly nailed stud to advance the frame to a position for nailing the next succeeding stud, and so forth in automatic cyclic fashion. A semi-automatic sheathing fastener mechanism includes a plurality of fastener guns and an automatically controlled actuation mechanism for placing fasteners at predetermined locations. Apparatus is provided for varying the spacing between wall plates and for reducing overall width of the apparatus for legal highway transport. The apparatus includes self-contained electrically-powered pneumatic and hydraulic systems, and fluid-operated control systems.

Claims12

Dependent claims

A self-contained portable apparatus for constructing a building wall, said building wall having a wall frame comprising a pair of elongate parallel plate members and a plurality of parallel elongate studs disposed transversely between said plate members at predetermined intervals, said apparatus comprising:

(a) frame means including wheels for transporting said apparatus;
(b) elongate support means mounted on said frame means for supporting said plate members in horizontally disposed positions spaced apart from and parallel to one another and extending along the length of said support means;
(c) fastening means located at a predetermined fastening station along the longitudinal sides of said elongate support means, for fastening studs to said plate members;
(d) stud-placement means disposed in predetermined relation to said support means, for placing studs one-at-a-time upon said support means at said fastening station such that said studs extend transversely between said plate members for fastening thereto by said fastening means, said stud-placement means comprising at least a pair of stud-selecting plates mounted for rotation about an axis oriented transverse to said elongate support means, each of said stud-carrying plates including an arcuate surface for supporting studs, and each of said stud-carrying plates defining a stud-receiving recess having a width sufficient to receive a stud having a predetermined width, said stud-placement means further comprising means for rotating said stud-selecting plates between a stud-receiving position and a stud-fastening position;
(e) drive means attached to said elongate support means for reciprocating forwardly and rearwardly along the length of said elongate support means and engaging a stud after it has been fastened to said plate members so as to push against said stud and thereby move said stud and plate members longitudinally of said elongate support means through a predetermined distance;
and
(f) adjustable means for varying the overall width of said apparatus between a narrow width for legal highway transport of said apparatus and a greater width corresponding to the height of a building wall being constructed.

4 more elements

Apparatus for constructing a building wall, said building wall having a wall frame comprising a pair of elongate parallel plate members and a plurality of parallel elongate studs disposed transversely between said plate members at predetermined intervals, said apparatus comprising:

(a) elongate support means for supporting said plate members in horizontally disposed positions spaced apart from and parallel to one another and extending along the length of said support means;
(b) fastening means located at a predetermined fastening station along the longitudinal sides of said elongate support means, for fastening studs to said plate members;
(c) stud-placement means disposed in predetermined relation to said elongate support means, for placing studs one-at-a-time upon said elongate support means at said fastening station such that said studs extend transversely between said plate members for fastening thereto by said fastening means, said stud-placement means comprising at least a pair of stud-selecting plates mounted for rotation about an axis oriented transverse to said elongate support means, each of said stud-carrying plates including an arcuate surface for supporting studs, and each of said stud-carrying plates defining a stud-receiving recess having a width sufficient to receive a stud having a predetermined width, said stud-placement means further comprising means for rotating said stud-selecting plates between a stud-receiving position and a stud-fastening position;
and
(d) drive means attached to said elongate support means for reciprocating forwardly and rearwardly along the length of said elongate support means and engaging a stud after it has been fastened to said plate members so as to push against said stud and thereby move said stud and plate members longitudinally of said elongate support means through a predetermined distance.

2 more elements

Apparatus for constructing a building wall, said wall having a wall frame comprising a pair of elongate parallel plate members and a plurality of parallel elongate stud members disposed transversely between said plate members at predetermined intervals, said apparatus comprising:

(a) frame means;
(b) elongate support means mounted on said frame means for supporting said plate members in horizontally disposed positions spaced apart from and parallel to one another and extending along the length of said support means;
(c) fastening means located at a predetermined fastening station along the longitudinal sides of said support means for fastening one of said studs to said plate members;
(d) drive means attached to said elongate support means for reciprocating forwardly and rearwardly along part of the length of said elongate support means and engaging said one of said studs after it has been fastened to said plate members so as to move said one of said studs and said plate members longitudinally of said support means through a distance corresponding to one of said predetermined regularly spaced intervals;
and
(e) stud-placement means disposed in predetermined relation to said support means for placing studs one-at-a-time upon said support means at said fastening station such that said studs extend transversely between said plate members for fastening thereto by said fastening means;
(f) said stud-placement means comprising at least a pair of stud-selecting plates mounted for rotation about an axis oriented transverse to said elongate support means, each said stud-selecting plate including an arcuate surface for supporting studs, and each said stud-selecting plate defining a stud-receiving recess having a width sufficient to receive a stud having at least a predetermined width, said recess having a depth which is no greater than about equal to the thickness of each stud;
(g) said stud-placement means further comprising means for rotating said stud-selecting plates between a stud-receiving position and a stud-fastening position;
and
(h) said stud-placement means further comprising a stud-holder dog for holding a stud within said stud-carrying recess during rotation of said stud-selecting plate from said stud-receiving position to said stud-fastening position.

7 more elements

Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.