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US 6,237,827 B1Granted
Stapler and method for the attachment of steel framing
AssigneeSenco Products, Inc.
InventorJerome E. Reckelhoff
Life of this patent
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AssigneeSenco Products, Inc.
InventorJerome E. Reckelhoff
Estimating the term…
A staple driving tool and a method for clamping and stapling together two or more steel workpiece layers as in light gauge steel framing for residential and commercial buildings, truss assembly, and the like. The stapling tool has a guide body and a jaw assembly supporting an anvil. The jaw assembly is pivoted to a mounting bar extending along and beneath the tool magazine. The jaw is pivotable between a normal open position and a closed position wherein it clamps the steel workpiece layers to be joined between the anvil and the guide body prior to stapling. The jaw is pivotable by an air cylinder actuated toggle mechanism. An air valve normally connects the air cylinder to atmosphere. When actuated, the air valve connects the air cylinder to a source of pressurized air, shifting the jaw to clamping position. The air valve may be actuated by one of the tool safety and the tool trigger. Thereafter, the tool operator may release the trigger or safety to reposition the tool, or the operator may complete actuation of the trigger to drive a staple through the clamped steel layers, causing the anvil the clinch the staple against the steel layers. As the staple approaches the steel layers to be joined, a member enters between the staple legs to prevent buckling thereof until the staple penetrates the steel layers, whereafter the member is shifted by the staple crown and driver from between the legs to accommodate the staple crown and driver.
A staple driving tool for stapling together two or more light gauge steel workpieces, said staple driving tool comprising a handle portion, a main body portion, a driver in said main body portion, a guide body beneath said main body portion having a bottom end and a drive track for said driver, a magazine containing a row of staples and being connected to said drive track, a staple advancing mechanism urging the forwardmost staple of said row into said drive track beneath said driver, a tool actuating trigger, and a safety, said safety being adapted to enable said trigger when said safety is pressed against a workpiece, a jaw assembly supporting an anvil, said jaw assembly being adapted to be selectably pivotable between a normal open position and a closed position wherein said steel workpieces to be joined are clamped between said anvil and said guide body bottom end prior to stapling, each staple of said row comprising a U-shaped staple having a pair of legs in parallel spaced relationship and connected by a crown, a member shiftable between a normal extended position across the lower portion of said drive track and a retracted position out of said drive track, such that during a stapling operation the forwardmost staple of said row approaches said steel workpieces under the urging of said driver and said staple legs straddle said member to prevent buckling of said legs tower each other until they have penetrated said steel workpieces, said drive track having walls precluding buckling of said staple legs in other directions, said member being so configured that it is shifted to said retracted position by said crown and driver enabling said driver and anvil to fully clinch said staple, said anvil comprising a top surface, a rectangular recessed staple-forming pocket located in said top surface of said anvil, said pocket having parallel end walls and parallel side walls extending perpendicularly from said anvil surface and a bottom surface curved between said pocket end walls, said pocket being skewed with respect to said anvil surface such that said pocket sides lie at an angle to the crown of a staple being formed therein, whereby said staple legs during clinching are bent curvalinearly by said curved pocket bottom toward said workpieces being joined and said staple legs are formed at an angle to said staple crown and are parallel to each other.
A mounting bar and anvil bearing jaw assembly for use with a staple driving tool for stapling workpieces together, said staple driving tool being of the type having a guide body with a bottom end, a drive track in said guide body, a driver shiftable in said drive track, a magazine, a tool actuating trigger and a safety, said safety being adapted to enable said trigger when said safety is pressed against a workpiece, said mounting bar being affixed to said tool beneath said magazine, said jaw assembly being pivotally affixed on said mounting bar and being pivotable between a normal open position and a clamping position for clamping workpieces between said anvil and said guide body bottom end, and a mechanism for shifting said jaw and anvil assembly between said open and clamping positions, said anvil comprising a top surface, a rectangular recessed staple-forming pocket located in said top surface of said anvil, said pocket having parallel end walls and parallel side walls extending perpendicularly from said anvil surface and a bottom surface curved between said pocket end walls, said pocket being skewed with respect to said anvil surface such that said pocket sides lie at an angle to the crown of a staple being formed therein, whereby said staple legs during clinching are bent curvalinearly by said curved pocket bottom toward said workpieces being joined and said staple legs are formed at an angle to said staple crown and are parallel to each other.
A method of stapling together at least two workpieces of light gauge steel including the steps of providing a staple driving tool of the type having a guide body with a free end, a driver, a drive track in said guide body for said driver, a magazine connected to said drive track and a row of staples in said magazine, pivotally mounting on said tool an anvil supporting jaw shiftable between a normal open position and a clamping position wherein said anvil is located adjacent said guide body free end, said anvil comprising a top surface, a rectangular recessed staple-forming pocket located in said top surface of said anvil, said pocket having parallel end walls and parallel side walls extending perpendicularly from said anvil surface and a bottom surface curved between said pocket end walls, said pocket being skewed with respect to said anvil surface such that said pocket sides lie at an angle to the crown of a staple being formed therein, whereby said staple legs during clinching are bent curvalinearly by said curved pocket bottom toward said workpieces being joined and said staple legs are formed at an angle to said staple crown and are parallel to each other arranging said workpieces in proper position with respect to each other and said guide body, shifting said jaw to its clamping position, clamping said workpieces between said anvil and said guide body free end, actuating said tool to staple said workpieces together and releasing said jaw to its normal open position.
A method of stapling together at least two workpieces of light gauge steel including the steps of providing a staple driving tool of the type having a guide body with a free end, a driver, a drive track in said guide body for said driver and defined by front, rear and side walls, a magazine connected to said drive track, and a row of staples in said magazine each comprising a pair of legs and a crown, providing an aperture in one of said front and rear drive track walls, providing a member shiftable within said aperture between an extended position wherein a part of said member is located within said drive track and a retracted position wherein said part of said members outside said drive track, biasing said member to said extended position, sizing said member such that said part thereof is of a width approximating the distance between the legs of a staple and providing said member part with a cam surface, aligning said workpieces to be joined, actuating said tool to cause said driver to drive a staple, causing said staple legs to straddle said member part until said legs have penetrated said workpieces to prevent buckling of said legs toward each other, causing said staple crown to thereafter engage said member cam surface to shift said member to said retracted position, and clinching said staple.
A method of stapling together at least two workpieces of light gauge steel including the steps of providing a staple driving tool of the type having a guide body with a free end, a driver, a drive track in said guide body for said driver defined by front, rear and side walls, a magazine connected to said drive track, and a row of staples in said magazine each comprising a pair of legs and a crown, pivotally mounting on said tool an anvil supporting jaw shiftable between a normal open position and a clamping position wherein said anvil is located adjacent said guide body free end, providing an aperture in one of said front and rear drive track walls, providing a member shiftable within said aperture between an extended position wherein a part of said member is located within said drive track and a retracted position wherein said part of said member is outside said drive track, biasing said member to said extended position, sizing said member such that said part thereof is of a width approximating the distance between the legs of a staple, providing said member part with a cam surface, arranging said workpieces in proper position to be stapled, clamping said workpieces between said anvil and said guide body free end, actuating said tool to cause said driver to drive a staple, causing said staple legs to straddle said member part until said legs have penetrated said workpieces to prevent buckling of said staple legs toward each other, causing said staple crown to thereafter engage said member cam surface to shift said member to said retracted position, clinching said staple and releasing said jaw to its normal open position.
Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.