Fastener driving device particularly suited for use as a roofing nailer

A fastener driving device for driving successive fasteners from a fastener package of the type including an array of interconnected fasteners wound in a coil formation, said device comprising:

• a housing including a handle portion enabling a user to manually operate said device in portable fashion and a drive portion disposed forwardly of said handle portion;
• power operated means in said housing drive portion operable to be selectively moved through successive operating cycles each of which includes a drive stroke and a return stroke;
• a nosepiece and magazine assembly carried by said housing including a movable structure defining an elongated drive track in cooperation with said housing, a feed track leading into said drive track, and a coil container leading into said feed track;
• a fastener driving element slidably mounted in said drive track and operatively connected with said drive means so as to drive a leading fastener fed into said drive track from said feed track outwardly of said drive track and into a workpiece during the drive stroke of said drive means;
• said nosepiece and magazine assembly movable structure including a unitary movable structure defining a side portion of said drive track, a side portion of said feed track and a side and top portion of said coil container;
• said unitary movable structure having a longitudinal axis extending generally in the direction of extent of said feed track, said unitary movable structure being pivotably connected to said housing along said longitudinal axis and being movable when a fastener package has been depleted from a closed operating position in cooperating relation with said housing into an open loading position wherein (1) said drive track is accessible along the side portion defined by said unitary movable structure so as to enable a leading fastener of a new fastener package to be positioned therein, (2) said feed track is accessible along the side portion defined by said unitary movable structure so as to enable a leading portion of the array of the new fastener package to be positioned therein, and (3) said container is accessible along the side and top portions defined by said unitary movable structure so as to enable the coil formation of the new fastener package to be positioned therein, and from said open loading position after a new package has been positioned as aforesaid into said closed operative position;
• and
• a releasable latch mounted for manual movement from an operative position retaining said unitary movable structure in said closed operative position into a releasing position,
• wherein the position of said longitudinal axis of said unitary movable structure being such that when said device is held by said handle portion in a position such that a fastener would be moved out of said drive track in a substantial downward direction, said unitary movable structure will be moved by gravity from said closed operative position into said open loading position in response to the manual movement of said latch into said releasing position.

A fastener driving device for driving successive fasteners from a fastener package of the type including an array of interconnected fasteners wound in a coil formation comprising:

• a housing including a handle portion enabling a user to manually operate said device in portable fashion and a drive portion disposed forwardly of said handle portion;
• power operated drive means in said housing drive portion actuatable to be moved through successive operating cycles each of which includes a drive stroke and a return stroke;
• a nosepiece and magazine assembly carried by said housing including a movable structure defining an elongated drive track in cooperation with said housing, a feed track leading into said drive track, and a coil container leading into said feed track;
• a fastener driving element slidably mounted in said drive track and operatively connected with said drive means so as to drive a leading fastener fed into said drive track from said feed track outwardly of said drive track and into a workpiece during the drive stroke of said drive means;
• said nosepiece and magazine assembly movable structure defining a side portion of said drive track, a side portion of said feed track and a side and top portion of said container;
• said movable structure being mounted for movement when a fastener package has been depleted from a closed operating position in cooperating relation with said housing into an open loading position wherein (1) said drive track is accessible along the side portion defined by said movable structure so as to enable a leading fastener of a new fastener package to be positioned therein, (2) said feed track is accessible along the side portion defined by said movable structure so as to enable a leading portion of the array of the new fastener package to be positioned therein, and (3) said coil container is accessible along the side and top portions defined by said movable structure so as to enable the coil formation of the new fastener package to be positioned therein, and from said open loading position after a new package has been positioned as aforesaid into said closed operating position;
• an actuating mechanism for actuating said power operated drive means to move through an operating cycle;
• and
• an actuating prevention mechanism for preventing the actuation of said power operated means by said actuating mechanism in response to the movement of said movable structure from said closed operating position to said open loading position;
• wherein said actuating mechanism includes a contact trip element mounted for movement adjacent said nosepiece for movement from an inoperative position to an operative position when said nosepiece is normally moved into engagement with a workpiece and a trigger member mounted on said housing adjacent said handle portion for movement from an inoperative position into an operative position, and
• wherein said actuating mechanism includes an actuating member carried by said housing for movement from a normal inoperative position into an operative position for selectively actuating said power operated means to move through an operating cycle in response to the movement of said contact trip element and said trigger member into their respective operative positions, and
• wherein said actuating mechanism further includes a linkage operatively associated with said contact trip element, said trigger member and said actuating member for (1) enabling movement of said trigger member into its operative position when said contact trip element is in its inoperative position without movement of said actuating member into its operative position, (2) enabling movement of said trigger member into its operative position when said contact trip element is in its operative position to effect movement of said actuating member into its operative position, and (3) enabling movement of said contact trip element when said trigger member is in its inoperative position without movement of said actuating member into its operative position, said actuating prevention mechanism including an interlocking member mounted for movement in response to the movement of said movable structure between the closed operating and open loading position thereof between (a) a normal inoperative position enabling said contact trip element to undertake the aforesaid movements (2) and (3) when said movable structure is in said closed operating position, and (b) an operative position preventing said contact trip element from being moved into said operative position from said inoperative position when said movable structure is in said open loading position.

A fastener driving device for driving successive fasteners from a fastener package of the type including an array of interconnected fasteners wound in a coil formation comprising:

• a housing including a handle portion enabling a user to manually operate said device in portable fashion and a drive portion disposed forwardly of said handle portion;
• power operated drive means in said housing drive portion actuatable to be moved through successive operating cycles each of which includes a drive stroke and a return stroke;
• a nosepiece and magazine assembly carried by said housing including a movable structure defining an elongated drive track in cooperation with said housing, a feed track leading into said drive track, and a coil container leading into said feed track;
• a fastener driving element slidably mounted in said drive track and operatively connected with said drive means so as to drive a leading fastener fed into said drive track from said feed track outwardly of said drive track and into a workpiece during the drive stroke of said drive means;
• said nosepiece and magazine assembly movable structure defining a side portion of said drive track, a side portion of said feed track and a side and top portion of said container;
• said movable structure being mounted for movement when a fastener package has been depleted from a closed operating position in cooperating relation with said housing into an open loading position wherein (1) said drive track is accessible along the side portion defined by said movable structure so as to enable a leading fastener of a new fastener package to be positioned therein, (2) said feed track is accessible along the side portion defined by said movable structure so as to enable a leading portion of the array of the new fastener package to be positioned therein, and (3) said coil container is accessible along the side and top portions defined by said movable structure so as to enable the coil formation of the new fastener package to be positioned therein, and from said open loading position after a new package has been positioned as aforesaid into said closed operating position;
• an actuating mechanism for actuating said power operated drive means to move through an operating cycle;
• an actuating prevention mechanism for preventing the actuation of said power operated means by said actuating mechanism in response to the movement of said movable structure from said closed operating position to said open loading position;
• resilient guard structure on opposite sides of the periphery of a main drive portion of said housing and extending outwardly therefrom, said resilient guard structure having outwardly facing surfaces disposed outwardly of the opposite sides of the periphery of said housing main drive portion, said device being capable of being supported on a support surface when an area of a corresponding outwardly facing surface of the resilient guard structure is in engagement with the support surface, and
• mechanical structure for fixedly mounting said resilient guard structure to said housing main drive portion, said mechanical mounting structure including J-shaped hooks embedded in opposite ends of said resilient guard structure and extending outwardly thereof and bolts entering said J-shaped hooks, said bolts also serving to detachably fixedly mount a cap on an open upper end of a drive portion of said housing disposed forwardly of the handle portion thereof.

A fastener driving device for use in installing roofs comprising:

• a housing including a handle portion enabling a user to manually operate said device in portable fashion, a main drive portion disposed forwardly of said handle portion and a nose portion defining a fastener drive track aligned with that of said drive portion;
• a fastener driving element slidably mounted in said drive track;
• a fastener magazine assembly for feeding successive fasteners laterally into said drive track;
• power operated drive means actuatable to move said fastener driving element through successive operating cycles each of which includes a drive stroke during which a fastener fed to said drive stroke is driven outwardly thereof into a workpiece and a return stroke;
• said housing main drive portion including a periphery having opposite sides;
• resilient guard structure on opposite sides of the periphery of said housing main drive portion and extending outwardly therefrom, said resilient guard structure having outwardly facing surfaces disposed outwardly of the opposite sides of the periphery of said housing main drive portion;
• said device being capable of being supported on a support surface when an area of a corresponding outwardly facing surface of the resilient guard structure is in engagement with the support surface;
• and
• mechanical structure for fixedly mounting said resilient guard structure;
• said mechanical mounting structure includes J-shaped hooks embedded in opposite ends of said resilient guard structure and extending outwardly thereof and bolts entering said J-shaped hooks, said bolts also serving to detachably fixedly mount a cap on an open upper end of a drive portion of said housing disposed forwardly of the handle portion thereof.

A fastener driving device for driving successive fasteners from an array of interconnected fasteners comprising:

• a housing including a handle portion enabling a user to manually operate said device in portable fashion;
• a nosepiece having means defining an elongated drive track and a magazine assembly having means defining a nail feed track which communicates laterally with said drive track;
• a fastener driving element slidably mounted within said drive track for movement through a drive stroke to drive a fastener in said drive track outwardly into a workpiece and through a return stroke;
• means within said housing defining a return air plenum chamber for effecting said fastener driving element return stroke;
• nail feeding means mounted for movement only within said feed track so as to successively move the leading nails of the array into said drive track and to thrust the last nail of the array into said drive track at the end of said return stroke;
• pneumatic drive means operable to move said piston selectively through successive drive strokes;
• a piston mounted within said drive chamber and operatively connected with said fastener driving element for movement through a drive stroke and a return stroke;
• said pneumatic drive means including a cylindrical drive chamber having one end arranged for communication with said plenum chamber so that air under pressure in said plenum chamber can effect the return stroke of said piston;
• last nail holding means for retaining the last nail of the array within said drive track such that the last nail of the array is driven outwardly of said drive track and into a workpiece during the drive stroke of said fastener driving element;
• said last nail holding means including a magnet mounted to said nosepiece and extending to the periphery of said drive track for receiving and holding the head of the last nail when thrust into said drive track by said nail feeding means and means for dissipating the air under pressure within said plenum chamber so that air under pressure within said plenum chamber which effects the return stroke of said piston is exhausted through said drive track to the atmosphere at the end of the return stroke of said piston so that the last nail being held by said magnet is not blown off of said magnet by air exhausting said plenum chamber.