Back to results
US 6,174,119 B1Granted
Connector with integral nail holder
OwnerTom Orrinventor
Life of this patent
Estimating the term…
Loading patent…
Loading patent…
OwnerTom Orrinventor
Estimating the term…
An improved connector with integrally attached fasteners is disclosed. In the embodiments described, the fasteners are nails and they are held in a sleeve. A flexible member attaches this sleeve to the body of the connector. In a first shipping or storage configuration, the fasteners are held flat against the body of the device. When it is desired to drive the fastener, a user moves one or more of the fasteners into a second, upright position. This aligns the fastener with the aperture present on the connector and the user then drives the nail home. Various rivet type attachments may be employed to secure the sleeve assembly to the apertures present on the connector through which the nail is driven. Additionally, the sleeve may include a corrugated interior to assist in gripping the nail more firmly in place. In another embodiment, this sleeve may be scored so that as the nail is driven, the sleeve splits and falls out of the way. Another contemplated embodiment of the invention is one in which a number of the flexible retainers are attached together such that when the user moves them into the upright position, all the fasteners are aligned with their respective apertures. The flexible retainers can be made of a variety of materials, such as plastic or metal and may further include a press fit clip, rivet, or the like incorporated into the aperture.
A impact driven fastener retaining and guiding apparatus for a connector having at least one aperture, comprising:
A impact driven fastener retaining and guiding apparatus for a connector having at least one aperture, comprising:
A fastener retaining and guiding apparatus for a connector having at least one aperture, each aperture having an associated fastener;
Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.