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US 5,813,114 AGranted
Fastening tool including fastener-supporting nodes in the nose thereof
AssigneeHenrob Limited
InventorsStuart Edmund Blacket, Ralph Fuhrmeister
Life of this patent
Estimating the term…
Abstract
A fastening machine (1) includes a guide block (11) with a rivet delivery passage (12). Rivets (17) are supplied from a source via a tube (22) and are delivered through a rivet supply passage (20) to the rivet delivery passage. The rivet delivery passage includes a plurality of spring-loaded balls (60) on the inside thereof to maintain the heads of the rivets in alignment with a punch (16).
Claims39
A setting tool for a fastening machine, the setting tool being operable without a preclamp function and comprising:
- a nose piece with a fastener delivery passage therein and a fastener feed mechanism to advance fasteners to the delivery passage;
- a fastener actuator slidably mounted for movement through the delivery passage to move a fastener therefrom to a work piece to be fastened thereby;
- an actuator advancer to advance the fastener actuator through the fastener delivery passage to deliver fasteners to an opening in an end of the fastener delivery passage;
- a fastener supporter comprising a plurality of rows axially aligned with the fastener delivery passage, each row presenting a series of resiliently actionable nodes therealong, the plurality of rows being spaced angularly about a circumference of the fastener delivery passage;
- said fastener supporter being provided along a side wall of the fastener delivery passage to guide and maintain orientation of the fastener while the fastener is moved through the fastener delivery passage by the fastener actuator, the fastener supporter extending axially along the fastener delivery passage and presenting a series of contact points at which an extended head portion of a fastener is contacted upon passing through the fastener delivery passage to guide and orient the fastener, and
- wherein each row of nodes is formed by a series of balls mounted resiliently in a wall of the fastener delivery passage along slots in the wall of the fastener delivery passage, with a portion of each ball projecting into the fastener delivery passage, each ball being pressed towards the fastener delivery passage by a spring or block of resilient material extending behind the ball, a first ball of each series of balls along the fastener delivery passage being free to move along an axial direction of the fastener delivery passage and being resiliently biased to adjoin a second ball in its respective series of balls.
3 more elements
A setting tool for a fastening machine, the setting tool being operable without a preclamp function and comprising:
- a nose piece with a fastener delivery passage therein and a fastener feed mechanism to advance fasteners to the delivery passage;
- a fastener actuator slidably mounted for movement through the delivery passage to move a fastener therefrom to a work piece to be fastened thereby;
- an actuator advancer to advance the fastener actuator through the fastener delivery passage to deliver fasteners to an opening in an end of the fastener delivery passage;
- a fastener supporter comprising a plurality of rows axially aligned with the fastener delivery passage, each row presenting a series of resiliently actionable nodes therealong, the plurality of rows being spaced angularly about a circumference of the fastener delivery passage, said fastener supporter being provided along a side wall of the fastener delivery passage to guide and maintain orientation of the fastener while the fastener is moved through the fastener delivery passage by the fastener actuator, the fastener supporter extending axially along the fastener delivery passage and presenting a series of contact points at which an extended head portion of a fastener is contacted upon passing through the fastener delivery passage to guide and orient the fastener;
- and
- wherein each row of nodes is formed by a series of balls mounted resiliently in a wall of the fastener delivery passage along slots in the wall of the fastener delivery passage, with a portion of each ball projecting into the fastener delivery passage, a first pair of balls in a row of balls adjoining each other and the remaining balls being spaced apart by a distance which is smaller than an axial length of the fastener.
3 more elements
A setting tool for a fastening machine, the setting tool being operable without a preclamp function and comprising:
- a nose piece with a fastener delivery passage therein and a fastener feed mechanism to advance fasteners to the delivery passage;
- a fastener actuator slidably mounted for movement through the delivery passage to move a fastener therefrom to a work piece to be fastened thereby;
- an actuator advancer to advance the fastener actuator through the fastener delivery passage to deliver fasteners to an opening in an end of the fastener delivery passage;
- and
- a fastener supporter comprising a plurality of rows axially aligned with the fastener delivery passage, each row presenting a series of resiliently actionable nodes therealong, the plurality of rows being spaced angularly about a circumference of the fastener delivery passage, the fastener supporter being provided along a side wall of the fastener delivery passage to guide and maintain orientation of the fastener while the fastener is moved through the fastener delivery passage by the fastener actuator, and wherein the fastener supporter is a series of balls arranged to project into the fastener delivery passage, at least one uppermost ball being axially movable with respect to the fastener delivery passage by an air blast or a solenoid.
2 more elements
Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.