Note: Descriptions are shown in the official language in which they were submitted.
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FASTENER DRIVING DEVICE WITII
SE5~UENTIAL ACqlJATION TRIG~ER ASSEMBLY
This invention relates to fastener driving
devices and, more particularly, to portable power-
actuated fastener driving devices.
Power actuated fastener driving devices of
the type herein contemplated are, for the most part,
of the fluid pressure operated type, although solenoid
operato~ devicos and internal combustion operated
devices are also conte~piàted. `~ost portable power
actuated fastener driving devi~es are provided with an
actuating mechanism which includes two components;
one, a trigger member and two, a contact trip member.
These members are interrelated by an enabling
mechanism which causes an actuating member to ~e moved
when both the contact trip and trigger member~ are
moved from their normal inoperative positions into
their operative positions. The contact trip member is
moved from its normal inoperative position into its
operative position by movement of the portable device
into engagement with the workpiece. The trigger
~o member is moved by a digital pressure by the operator.
It is well known that actuating mechanisms can be
either of the se~uential type or of the concomitant
type. A sequential actuating mechanism requires the
operator to move first the contact trip member into
its operative positivn and then the trigger member
into its operative position in order for the actuating
member to be moved. Tha concomitant type is one in
which the actuating member will move in response to
the movement of both the contact trip and trigger
member into their operative positions irrespective o~
the order in which they are moved therein. The
present invention is particularly directed to the
sequential type o~ actuating mechanisms.
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Examples of sequential type actuating
mechanisms are disclosed in commonly assigned U.S.
Patent No. 3,784,007. In the embodiment shown in
Figures 14-17, a spring pressed lever is pivoted on
the trigger member and has a motion transmitting
relation both with the movable member of the contact
trip assembly and the actuating member. The motion
transmitting connection between the spring pressed
lever pivoted on the trigger and the actuating member
required that a pin be inserted through the actuating
member. It is sometim2s desirable to b~ ~';le to equip
a given fastener driving device ~iterjla~ive]y either
with a sequential actuating arrangement or a
concomitant actuating arrangement. The present
invention is based upon the concept that this
desirability can best be accomplished when the two
alternative mechanisms can be simply substituted for
one another at the factory in a manner which permits
substitution of trigger mechanisms without the
necessity to modify or provide special connections
with the movable member of the contact trip assembly
or the actuating member of the actuating valve
assembly. Trigger assemblies of the concomitant type
are available which meet this criteria.
An object of the present invention is to
provide a sequential trigger assembly which likewise
will meet this criteria. In accordance with the
principles of the present invention, this objective is
accomplished by providing a fastener driving device
which has in addition to the usual movable member of
the work contact assembly and the actuating member of
the power control arrangement, a slide member mounted
on the trigger member for rectilinear sliding movement
thereon between (1) an abutment position with respect
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to the actuating member wherein the slide member is
disposed to engage the actuating member in motion
transmitting relation to m~ve the same from the
inoperative position thereof to the operative position
thereof in response to the manual movement of the
trigger member from the inoperati~e position to the
operative position thereof and (2) a non-abutment
position with respect to the actuating member wherein
the slide member is disposed to be out of engagement
with the actuating member so that the actuating member
remains in the inoperative position there~.;. in
response to the manual movement of the trig~e.r mem~er
from the inoperative position to the operative
position thereof. The first spring is operatively
associated with the slide member for resiliently
biasinq the slide member toward the abutting position
thereof. A slide moving member is mounted on the
trigger member for movement with respect thereto
between first and second positions. A second spring
operatively associated with the slide moving member
for resiliently biasing the slide moving member înto
the first position thereof. The slide moving member
has a motion transmitting relationship both with the
movable member and the slide member for (l~ causing
the slide member to be in the non-abutting position
thereof when the slide moving member is in the first
position thereof so that when the trigger member is
manually moved from the inoperative position to the
operative position thereof without the device being in
cooperating relation with a workpiece the actuating
member remains in the inoperative position thereof and
(2) enabling the slide member to be biased into the
abutting position thereof by the first spring when the
movable member is moved from the inoperative position
into the operative position thereof so that a manual
movement of the trigger member thereafter into the
operative position thereof causes the slide member to
move the actuating member into the operating position
thereof, and (3) causing the actuating member to
remain in the inoperative position thereof when the
movable member is moved from the inoperative position
to the operative position thereof after the trigger
member has been moved into the operative position
thereof.
A further obje~t of the present invention ~s
the provision of an actuating mechanism of the type
described which is simple in construction, ef~ective
in operation and economical to manufacture.
These and other objects of the present
invention will become more apparent during the course
of the following detailed description and appended
claims.
The invention may best be understood with
reference to the accompanying drawings wherein an
illustrative embodiment is shown.
IN THE DRAWINGS:
Figure 1 is a side elevational view, with
parts broken away for purposes of clear illustration,
of a portable power operated fastener dxiving device
embodying the principles of the present invention;
Figure 2 is an enlarged fragmentary vertical
sectional view showing the improved actuating
mechanism of the present invention with the parts in
their inoperative position;
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.
Figure 3 is a sectional view taken along the
line 3-3 of Figure 2;
Figure 4 is a fragmentary elevational view
of the actuating mechanism with parts broken away for
purposes of clear illustration showing the parts in
the position assumed following the movement of the
device into cooperating relation with a wvrkpiece;
Figure 5 is a view similar to Figure 2
showing the position of the par 5 ~ter ~ecluential
actuation; and
Figure 6 is a view similar to Figure 4
showing the position of the parts when the trigger is
actuated but the device has not been moved into
cooperating relation with a workpiece.
Referring now more particularly to the
drawings, there is shown in Figure 1 thereof a
portable power operated fastener driving device,
generally indicated at 10, which embodies the
principl~s of the present invention. The power
operated device illustrated is of the fluid pressure
operated ~ype and includes the usual portable housing,
generally indicated at 12, which includes a handle
grip portion 14 of hollow configuration which
constitutes a reservoir for air under pressure coming
from a source which is communicated therewi~h. The
forward end of the grip portion intersects with a
vertical housing portion 16, Mounted within tha
housing portion ~6 is a cylindrical member 18 defining
a cylindrical chamber within which a piston 20 is
slidably sealingly mounted for movement from an upper
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position, as shown, through a drive stroke into a
lowermost position and from the lowermost position
through a return stroke back into its upper limiting
position. A main valve, generally indicated at 22, is
provided for controlling communication of the
reservoir pressure to the upper end of the cylinder to
effect the driving movement of the piston. ~he main
valve 22 is pilot pressure operated and the pilot
pressure chamber thereof is under the control of an
actuating valve mechanism, generally indicated at 2~.
Means is provided within the housing 12 to effPct ~he
return stroke of the piston 20. For example, such
means may be in the form of a conventional plenum
chamber return system such as disclosed in U.S. Patent
No. 3,708,096, the disclosure of which is hereby
incorporated into the pre~ent specification.
In accordance with the usual practice, a
fastener driving element 26 is suitably conneoted with
the piston 20 and is slidably mounted within a drive
track 28 (see Figure 3) formed in a nosepiece
assembly, generally indicated at 30, forming a fixed
part of the housing 12. ~he nosepiece assembly 30 as
illustrated includes a jam-clearing mechanism 32
similar to that disclosed in commonly assigned U.S.
25 `l~ Patent No. 3,934,778, the disclosure of which is
~21 hereby incorporated by reference into the present
specification. The jam-clearing mechanism 32 embodied
in the nosepiece assembly is movable only when it is
desired to clear the drive track of a jammed fastener.
In normal operation, the nosepiece assembly including
the jam-clearing mechanism 32 is operationally rigid.
It will be understood that a fully rigid nosepiece
assembly without a jam-clearing mechanism may be
utilized if desired.
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Fixed to the nosepiece assembly 30 is a
magazine assembly, generally indicated at 34, which is
operable to receive a supply of fasteners and to feed
the leading fastener of the supply into the drive
track to be driven therefrom by the fastener driving
element.
The present invention is more particularly
concerned with an improved sequential actuating
mechanism 36 for initiating the drive stroke of the
~astener driving element 26. The actuating mechanism
36 includes essentially two manually operable
assemblies, one of which is a trigger assembly,
generally indicated at 38, and the other of which is
a work~engaging or contacting assembly, generally
indicated at 40. The work-engaging or contacting
assembly may assume a variety of different
configurations. However, a preferred construction is
in accordance with the teachings contained in oommonly
assigned U.S. Patent No. 4,767,043, the disclosure of
which is hereby incorporated by reference into the
present specification. As shown, the assembly 40
includes a work-engaging member which is spring
pressed as by spring 41 into a normal inoperative
position extending below the end of the nosepiece
assembly 30 and movable therefrom when the ~evice is
moved into cooperating relatisn with a workpiece into
an operative position against the bias o~ the sprin~.
The work-engaging assembly 40 includes a movable
member 42 which is connected with the work engaging
member to move therewith so that it too moves betwe0n
a normal inoperative position and an operative
position.
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The valve-actuating mechanism 24 may
likewise assume any desired configuration. However,
as best shown in Figures 2 and 5, the mechanism 24
includes a valve housing 44 sealingly engaged within
a recess 46 formed in the handle portion 14 of tha
housing 12. Mounted within the valve housing 44 is a
tubular valve member 48. The valve member 48 is
resiliently biased, as by a spring 49, into a normal
inoperative position as shown in Figure 2 wherein a
lo supply of air under pressure within the hollow handle
: portion 14 of the housing 12 is enabled to pass
through an inlet opening 50 in the valve housing 44
and around the tubular valve memb2r 48 through central
openings 52 in the valve housing 44 and into a passage
54 which communicates with the pilot pressure chamber
for the main valve 22. When the pilot pressure
chamber is under pressure, the main valve 22 is in a
closed position as shown in Figure 1. The main valve
22 is pressure biased to move into an open position
when the pressure in the pilot pressure chamber is
relieved. The pilot pressure is relieved when the
tubular valve member 48 moves from the inoperative
position shown in Figure 2 into the operative position
shown in Figure 5. This movement is under the control
of an actuating member 56 which is biased by the
spring 49 into a normally inoperative position as
shown in Figure 2. The actuating member 56 is mounted
for rectilinear movement in a direction toward and
away from the trigger assembly 38 which is disposed
therebelow within a valve housing section 58 which is
mounted within the lower portion o~ the valve housing
in such a way as to provid~ a vent to atmosphere
around the periphery of the valve housing section 58~
As shown, the actuating member 5S includes a slide-
engaging portion which extends exteriorly of the
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housing section 58. In the normal inoperative
position shown in Figure 2, an O-ring seal 60 serves
to peripherally seal the actuating member 56 within an
opening 62 leading to a control chamber 64 formed in
the housing section 158.
As shown, the tubular valve member 48
includes a lower portion having a peripheral seal 66
is mounted within the control chamber 64 and which
serves to trap air under pressure within the control
l~o chamber 64 entering through the inlet 50 and through
- the hollow interior of the valve member 48. Pressure
from the supply within the hollow handle portion 14 of
the housing 12 thus works with the bias of the spring
49 to maintain the tubular valve member 48 in the
inoperative position shown in Figure 2. In this
position, a central O-ring seal 68 engages an annular
valve seat 70 on the valve housing to prevent the
pressure within the passage 54 and openings 52 from
escaping the atmosphere beyond the periphery of the
housing section 58.
It will be noted that when the actuating
member 56 is moved from the normal inoperative
position shown in Figure 2 to the operative position
shown in Figure 5, the seal 60 moves out of sealing
relation within opening 62 so that the pressure within
the control chamber 64 is allowed to exhaust to
atmosphere beyond the periphery of the actuating
member 58 through the opening 62 to the atmosphere.
This enables the pressure within passage 54 and
openings 52 acting on the O-ring seal 68 carried by
the central portion of the tubular valve member 48 in
engagem~nt with an annular valve housing seat 70 to
move the valve member 48 from the position shown in
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Figure 2 downwardly toward the position shown in
Figure 5. The upward movement of the actuating member
56 carries with it a second 0-ring seal 72 on the
upper portion of the actuating member which engayes
within the hollow interior of the tubular valve member
48 and seals of~ the pressure supply to the control
chamber 64. The downward movement of tubular valve
member 48 carries with it an upper 0-ring seal 74 on
the valve member 48 into sealing engagement with the
adjacent interior of the valve housing 44. In this
wa~,~, 'he supply pressure acts upon the tubular valve
member 48 to maintain it in its operative position.
At the same time, the pressure within passage 54 and
openings 52 is relieved through the vent past the
periphery of housing section 58. However, it will be
noted that the spring 49 is stressed and serves to
bias the actuating member downwardly for movement out
of its operative position back into the inoperative
position thereof shown in Figure 2. This allows
supply pressure to enter the control chamber 64 to
return the valve member into its inoperative position
wherein pilot pressure passage 54 is pressurized and
the main valve 22 is moved into its closed position to
permit the piston 20 and fastener driving element 2Ç
to move through a return stroke.
The trigger assemhly 38 includes a trigger
member 76 which is of generally U-shaped cross-
sectional configuration and includes forwardly
extending mounting portions through which a piYot pin
78 is engaged so as to mount the trigger member 76 ~or
pivotal movement about the axis of the pivot pin 7B
between a normal inoperative position as shown in
Figure 2 and an operative position as shown in Figure
5. The trig~er member 76 is bias~d into its normal
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inoperative position by a spring 80 which is connected
between the valve housing section 58 and the upper
portion oE the trigger member 76. The trigger member
76 also includes a generally L-shaped rear wall
portion which serves to define a rearward chamber
therein within which is mounted a slide member 82 for
rectilinear movement with respect to the trigger
member 76. As shown, the slide member 82 includes a
counterbore in one end thereof within which one end of
a compression coil spring 84 is mounted, the opposite
end of which engages a leg of the L-shaped wall
portion. -The coil spring 84 thus serves to
resiliently bias the slide member 82 into an abutting
position with respect to the actuating member 56
which abutting position is shown in Figure 2.
A slide moving lever member 86 is pivotally
mounted on the trigger member 76 in a position
forwardly of the slide member 82 by a shaft 88
providing a pivotal axis which is parallel with the
pivotal axis of the trigger member 76. The valve-
moving member 86 includes a central hub portion which
is journalled on the shaft 88 and a first lever arm 90
extending outwardly from the pivotal axis. The
outwardly extending end of the lever arm 90 is formed
into a slide surface which is adapted to engage a
cooperating slide surface 92 on the lower Porward
portion of the slide member 82. The slide sur~ace 92
of the slide member 92 terminates upwardly in an
abutment sur~ace 94 which is engaged by the lever arm
90 of the slide moving member 86. A torsional coil
spring 96 is positioned around the hub portion of the
slide moving member 86 and has one end anchored to the
trigger member 76 and an opposite end anchored to a
laterally extending portion of a second lever arm 98
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of the member 86 which extends outwardly from the
pivotal axis thereof. It will be understood that the
strength of the torsional spring 96 in relation to the
strength of the coil spring 84 is such as to cause the
slide moving member 86 to pivot into a ~irst position,
such as shown in Figure 2, wherein the engagement of
the first lever arm 90 thereof with the sliding
surface 92 serves to move the slide member 86 into a
non-abutting position wherein the a~utment surface 94
is engaged by lever arm 30. The laterally extending
portion of the second lever arm 98 is disposed in a
position to be engaged and moved into a second
position as shown in Figure 5 by the upper end o~ the
movable member 42 of the work contacting assembly 40
when the latter is moved from its inoperative into its
operative position.
OPERATION
Figure 2 illustrates the position of the
parts of the actuating mechanism 36 in its normal at-
rest condition preparatory to use. It will be notedthat the movable member 42 of the work contacting
assembly 40 is maintained by spring 41 in its normal
operative position and that spring serves to bias the
actuating member in its normal inoperative position.
Similarly, spring 80 serves to bias the trigger member
76 into its normal inoperative position. Finally, it
will be noted that the torsion spring 96 serves to
bias the slide moving member 86 into its first
position which retains the slide member 82 in its non-
abutting position against the bias o~ spring 84.
The actuating mechanism 36 is operable toactuate the main valve 22 only when a predetermined
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sequence of manual actuating procedural steps are
performed by the operator. The first of these
actuating procedural steps is for the operator to move
the device lO into cooperating relation with the
workpiece which is to receive the fastener. When this
relationship has been established, the movable member
42 moves from the normal inoperative position thereo~
into the operative position, which is shown in Figure
4. During this movement, the upper end of th~ movable
member 42 engages the laterally extending portion of
the s2cond lever arm 98 o~ the ~'.i.de m~ving member 86
and serves to move the sIid~ mcving member 86, in a
clockwise direction as viewed in Figure 4, from its
~irst position, as shown in Figure 2, into the second
position, which is shown in Figure 4. During this
movement, the first lever arm 90 also moves in a
clockwise direction as viewed in Figure 4 along the
sliding surface 92 of the slide member 82 to allow it
to be moved from its non-abutting position, as shown
in Figure 2, into its abutting position, as shown in
Figure 4, under the bias of the spring 84. It will be
noted that the direction of the sliding rectilinear
movement of the slide member 82 under the bias of
spring 84 when in motion transmitting relation with
the slide moving member 86 is in a direction generally
transverse to the rectilinear direction of movement of
the actuating member 56. On the other hand, the
central portion of the trigger member 76 moves in a
direction which is generally the same as th~ direction
of movement of the actuating member 56.
Consequently, when the slide member 82 is in its non-
abuttinq position as shown in Figure 2, a movement of
the trigger member 76 will move the slide member 82
along a path which is alongside the actuating member
56 and out of abutting engagement therewith. However,
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when the slide member 82 has moved into the abutting
position as shown in Figure 4, a pivotal movement o~
the trigger member 76 will move the slide member 82
through a path which will engage the actuating member
56 in motion transmitting relation thereto.
The next manual actuating procedural step in
the sequential actuation is for the operator to
digitally effect a movement of the trigger member 76
from its normal inoperative posit.ion, as shown in
Figure 2, into the operative position ~helreof, ~.~uch as
shown in Figure 5. As previously indicated, during
this movement, since the slide member 82 is in its
abutting position, the slide member 82 will engage the
lower end of the actuating member 56 and move the same
from its inoperative position into the operative
position thereof, as shown in Figure 5. As previously
indicated, when the actuating member 56 is moved into
its operative position, the supply pressure wlthin the
control chamber 64 is dumped to atmosphere and the
tublllar valve member 48 moves downwardly under the
supply pressure into the position shown in Figure 5
wherein the supply pressure within the handle portion
14 is sealed from the passage 54 and the passage 54 is
communicated past the periphery of housing section 58
to atmosphere. As previously indicated, when the
pilot pressure from the passage 54 is allowed to dump
to atmosphere, the pressure acting on the main valve
22 moves the same into its open positlon which
communicates the air pres ure supply with the piston
60 to drive the same through its drive stroke together
with the fastener driving element 26. The fastener
driving element 26 moves thc fastener which has been
moved into the drive track 28 from the magazine
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assembly 34 outwardly through the drive track 28 and
into the workpiece.
The drive stroke of the piston 20 and
fastener driving element 26 causes the device lo to
rebound from the workpiece which has the effect of
moving the movable member 42 from its operative
position into its inoperative position. This moYement
allows the torsional spring 96 to pivot the slide
moving member 86 back into its~first position which
has the effect of movinl~ the slide m~mber ~2 back lnto
its non~abutting position thus allowing the actuatint3
member 56 to return to its inoperative position even
though the operator may still be retaining the trigger
member 76 in its operative position. This condition
is illustrated in Figure 6 and it will be noted that,
even though the operator should retain the trigger
member 76 in its operative position and then move the
devlce 10 back into cooperating relation with a
workpiece, the slide member 82 is prevented from
moving into its abutting position and, in fact, any
movement under the bias of the spring 84 when the
slide moving member 86 is moved into its second
position will not move the actuating member 56. ThUs,
the arrangement is ~uch that the operator must return
the trigger member 76 into its inoperative position
before another actuation can take place.
It will also ~e noted that Figure
illustrates the position which the parts will assume
in the event that the trigger member 76 is moved
initially from its inoperative position into its
operative position when the device 10 has not been
moved into cooperating relationship with the workpiece
so that the movable member 42 is in the inoperative
207~
position thereof as shown in Figure 6. Under these
conditions, the slide member 82 remains in its non-
abutting position and simply moves with the trigger
member 76 along a path which is alongside the
actuating member 56 and out of engagement and motion
transmitting relation with respect thereto. Here
again, unless the correct sequence of the two manual
movements are observed, actuation will not occur. It
is important to note that the arrangement is such that
neither the movable member 42 of.the work contacting
assembly 40 nor the ac.~uatin~ member 56 of the
actuating valve mechanism 24 require any adaptatiGn
or connection in order for the trigger assemkly 38 to
effect the desired operation. Thus, the trigger
assembly 38 of the present invention enables the
manufacturer to replace the sequential trigger
assembly 38 of the present invention with a trigger
assembly of the concomitant type in which khere is a
single lever arm carried by the trigger member or vice
versa.
It thus will be seen that the objects of
this invention have been fully and effectively
accomplished. It will be realized, however, that the
foregoing preferred specific embodiment has been shown
and described for the purpose of this invention and is
subject to change without departure from such
principles. Therefore, this invention includes all
modifications encompassed within the spirit and scope
of the following claims.
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