Carrier strip system and method for different diameter fasteners

Fastener setting tools have become a well-known tool in the construction industry. The ability to fully drive the fasteners by simply pulling the trigger is significantly more efficient than hammering or screwing the fasteners. Traditionally, setting tools have had to load fasteners one at a time in place on the setting tool before driving it into the workpiece. Modern setting tools include a magazine with several fasteners spring-loaded for autoloading, which significantly increases the speed at which a large number of fasteners can be driven. The functional aspects of such magazines have been enhanced by the advent of fastener holders in the form of carrier strips.

A wide variety of fasteners for use with setting tools are now available on the market. The need for such a wide variety is to meet the specific demand for workpieces to be joined. One common variate of fasteners is their diameter. Fasteners of different diameters are used for different magazines or different setting tools. Each requires the best and different magazines to ensure an adequate supply of fasteners. Such an arrangement would require the user to use different diameter fasteners to have multiple magazines or multiple setting tools, and would take additional time to replace the magazines to accommodate the different diameter fasteners. It also becomes. This creates inefficiencies and is therefore undesirable.

As used herein, it comprises a plurality of separate carrier strips, each of which accepts fasteners of substantially different dimensions, the strip having internal features and configured to engage complementaryly with the fasteners. Disclosed are carrier strip systems that have substantially the same external dimensions for acceptance within a single setting tool magazine.

Further, in the specification of the present application, different dimensions are provided in a single setting tool magazine for assembling separate carrier strips having substantially the same external dimensions and different internal dimensions complementary to each fastener having different dimensions. With substantially the same external dimensions that make it easy to accept each of the strips in a single setting tool magazine, and different internal dimensions that are complementary to each of the fasteners. Disclosed is a method of loading the fasteners having substantially different dimensions into each of the carrier strips having the same.

With reference to the figures below, similar elements are assigned similar numbers in some drawings.

In connection with the above-mentioned drawbacks of the prior art, the concepts disclosed in the present invention allow fasteners of different diameters to fit into the same magazine of setting tools. To enable such applications, the outer diameters of the fastener carrier strips must remain the same for different fastener diameters and the fasteners must be held more firmly in place. In addition, if a smaller diameter fastener is used in the same setting tool magazine, the setting tool magazine will use the diametrical surface of the fastener as an additional guide surface, which is more likely to be the case when using a smaller diameter fastener. There must be capacity to guide the outer diameter of the large diameter fasteners.

Referring to FIG. 1, a large diameter fastener 2 and a large diameter headend break-free strip 4 consisting of several head-end segments 5 and a large-diameter point-end break-free strip 6 consisting of several point-end segments 7 are A large diameter carrier strip assembly 1 is shown. Carrier strip assembly 1 is shown ready to be loaded into fastener setting tools such as combustion driven fastening systems.

Hereinafter, referring to FIG. 2, each head end segment 5 has a through hole 12, and each point end segment 7 has a through hole 14. The distance between segment 5 and segment 5 of the head-end break-free strip 4 is equal to the distance between segment 7 and segment 7 of the point-end break-free strip 6, and the distance between the hole 12 and the hole 12 is the distance between the hole 14 and the hole 14. It becomes the same as the interval with. The size of the holes 12 and 14 results in a tight fit with the outer diameter 3 of the large diameter fastener 2. The tightening keeps the relative positions of the large diameter head end break free strip 4, the large diameter point end break free strip 6, and the large diameter fastener 2 relative to each other.

As mentioned above, there are several strip registers in the magazine (not shown), both diametrically and axially. These registers are surfaces on the components that make up the large diameter carrier strip assembly 1 to ensure that the large diameter carrier strip assembly 1 is properly guided and indexed within the magazine and setting tool (not shown). Contact with. Diameters 8 and 9 are aligned in the magazine to ensure proper alignment of fastener 2 prior to launch from the fastener setting tool. Diameter 8 is just beyond the radial surface 16 of the headend segment 5 in the direction of the fastener 2 point end, and diameter 9 is the radial surface of the pointend segment 7 in the direction of the fastener 2 point end. It's just over 20. Axial surfaces 18 and 20 are also aligned within the magazine to properly position Fastener 2 before firing from the Fastener Setting Tool. The radial surface 18 is formed from the head end of segment 7, and the radial surface 20 is formed from the point end of segment 7. Since the surface 18 and the surface 20 are formed on the segment 7 which is the same component, the distance between them can be accurately controlled.

Referring to FIG. 3, a small diameter fastener 22 and a small diameter headend break-free strip 24 consisting of several head-end segments 25 and a small-diameter point-end break-free strip 26 consisting of several point-end segments 27. A small diameter carrier strip assembly 10 is shown. The carrier strip assembly 10 is shown ready to be loaded into a fastener setting tool such as a combustion driven fastening setting tool.

Hereinafter, referring to FIG. 4, each headend segment 25 has a through hole 42, and each point end segment 27 has a through hole 44. The distance between segment 25 and segment 25 of the head-end break-free strip 24 is equal to the distance between segment 27 and segment 27 of the point-end break-free strip 26, and the distance between hole 42 and hole 42 is between hole 44 and hole 44. It is the same as the distance between the holes 12 and the holes 12 of the large-diameter headend break-free strip 4. The size of the holes 42 and 44 results in a tight fit with the outer diameter 23 of the small diameter fastener 22. The tight fit maintains the relative positions of the small diameter head end break free strip 24, the small diameter point end break free strip 26, and the small diameter fastener 22 relative to each other.

As mentioned above, there are several registers for guiding the large diameter carrier strip assembly 1 within the fastener setting tool magazine. Therefore, the surface on the part of the small diameter carrier strip assembly 10 that interacts with the registers in the magazine is the large diameter carrier strip assembly so that the small diameter carrier strip assembly 10 is properly fed into the magazine of the fastener setting tool. Must match the one from 1.

Therefore, the segment 27 constituting the small diameter point end carrier strip 26 has a surface that coincides with the surface of the segment 7 of the large diameter point end carrier strip 6. Specifically, the radial surface 48 and the radial surface 50 are aligned within the magazine, such as the radial surface 18 and the radial surface 20 for the large diameter headend segment 5. Further, the axial distance separating the radial surface 48 and the radial surface 50 of the segment 27 coincides with the axial distance separating the radial surface 18 and the radial surface 20 of the segment 7. This allows either the large diameter fastener carrier strip 1 or the small diameter fastener carrier strip 10 to be axially aligned within a single magazine.

Similarly, the diametrically aligned surfaces match. Specifically, the diameter 28 of the segment 25 coincides with the diameter 8 of the large diameter fastener shaft 8. The fact that diameter 28 is formed as part of segment 25, whereas diameter 8 is formed as part of fastener 2, affects alignment within the magazine as long as the diameters are the same. Absent.

The other diametrically aligned surface from the large diameter carrier strip 1 is the diameter 9 of the large diameter fastener shaft 8. Therefore, the diameter 29 of segment 27 matches that of diameter 9 of the large diameter fastener 2.

Although the present invention has been described with reference to exemplary embodiments, those skilled in the art can make various modifications and replace the elements with equivalents without departing from the scope of the invention. You will understand. In addition, many modifications may be made to adapt a particular situation or matter to the teachings of the invention without departing from the essential scope of the invention. Therefore, the present invention is not limited to the specific embodiment disclosed as the best mode devised for carrying out the present invention, and the present invention is within the scope of the appended claims. It is intended to include embodiments.

<figref num="1">It is a front view of the large diameter carrier strip assembly of one embodiment of the present invention.</figref><figref num="2">It is a side view of the carrier strip assembly of FIG.</figref><figref num="3">It is a front view of the small diameter carrier strip assembly of one embodiment of the present invention.</figref><figref num="4">It is a side view of the carrier strip assembly of FIG.</figref>