US3362602A

US3362602A - Nailing machine

Info

Publication number: US3362602A
Application number: US530285A
Authority: US
Inventors: Edgar P Anstett
Original assignee: POWERNAILS Inc
Current assignee: POWERNAILS Inc
Priority date: 1966-02-28
Filing date: 1966-02-28
Publication date: 1968-01-09
Anticipated expiration: 1985-01-09

Description

Jams, 1968 E, R ANSTETT 3,362,602

K NAILING MACHINE 2' Sheets-Sheet 1 `Filed Feb. 28, 1956 Jan. 9,1968 E. P. ANSTETT 3,362,602

NILING MACHINE Filed Feb. 28, 1966 2 Sheets-Sheet 2 /yf l O f7k nsea i; mji/wglyjyy United States Patent O 3,362,602 NAILING MACHINE Edgar P. Anstett, Highland Park, lll., assignor to Powernails, Inc., Prairie View, Ill., a corporation of Illinois Filed Feb. 28, 1966, Ser. No. 530,285 10 Claims. (Cl. 227-156) This invention is directed t a nailing machine for separating individual nails from a strip of nails and driving same, which machine is of the general kind disclosed in my prior Patents Nos. 2,5 80,065 and 2,822,544.

The principal object of this invention is to provide a nailing machine of this general kind with an improved compressed air return mechanism for a plunger which is struck by a mallet or hammer or the like to drive a blade that in turn separates a single nail from the strip of nails and drives the nail to eifect a desired nailing operation and, also, provide improved apparatus for compressing air and apparatus for retaining and releasing air used to operate the return mechanism.

Briefly, the nailing machine of this invention includes several components substantially similar to those shown in the above-mentioned patents, and further includes an air return mechanism in the form of a movable plunger or cylinder, a stationary rod serving as a piston and an air seal therebetween permitting relative movement thereof, which mechanism is actu-ated by compressed air. The rod nests at least partially within the plunger or cylinder of the nailing machine. The invention further includes an improved pump having only a few parts and being a compact size readily carried in an artisans pocket for supplying compressed air to the nailing machine. Commercially available tire valves may be used in the nailing machine to reta-in the compressed air therein, and the tire valve is laccessible for movement of the stem thereof by a nail or the likeV to permit escape of the compressed air therefrom. Such construction eliminates springs which have previously been used and which have been subject to fatigue and breakage, provides an yimproved mechanism which permits ready movement of t-he plunger when struck and positive return of `the plunger, and avails a minimum dimension for the nailing machine when not being used whereby the same requires less space in a tool box, shipping carton, or the like.

Further objects of this invention reside in details of construction of the mechanism and apparatus separately and collectively and in the cooperative relationship between the component parts thereof.

Other objects and advantages of this invention will become apparent to those skilled in the art upon reference to the accompanying specification, claims and drawings in which:

FIG. 1 is a side elevational view with parts in section to show details of construction and showing the plunger in retracted position;

FIG. 2 is a partial view similar to the left-hand side of FIG. 1 showing the plunger in extended position under the inuence of compressed air;

FIG. 3 is a detail sectional view of an air Seal gasket such as used in FIGS. 1 and 2 in both the plunger return mechanism and the air compressor pump;

FIG. 4 is a partial view in elevation showing a modication of the nailing machine for nailing at an angle as in flooring and the like; and

3,362,602 Patented Jan. 9, 1968 ICS FIG. 5 is an end elevational view taken generally on line 5 5 of FIG. 4.

The nailing machine of this invention is generally designated at 10 in FIG. l and consists of a pair of generally identical, but opposite hand,

complementary halves

11 and 12, with the nearest half 11 shown broken away to expose a mating surface 13 of the more distant half 12.

rPhe halves

11 and 12 are secured together as by rivets or the like, not shown. In this embodiment of the invention, each of the

halves

11 and 12 has a fiat bottom 14 adapted to engage a at surface such as sub-ooring, for example, through which nails 15 are driven one at a time by the end 16 of a blade 18 wit-hin an end plate 19. The end 16 isshown in its lowermost position, in which position it slightly countersinks each of tops 20 of the nails 15 below the surface engaged by the bottom surfaces 14 of the

halves

11 and 12. The lower position of the blade 18 is guided in a bolstering groove structure, not shown, internally of the end plate 19.

The heads 20 of the nails 15 may be inverted L-shaped, shown also in dotted lines of FIG. 5, which heads ride in a channel internal of the mating half 11 of the nailing machine 10 forming a magazine for a strip of nails 15 which are suitably adhered together in manufacture. A feed bar 21 has a flange 22 also riding the channel, not shown, internally of the half 11. The end of the feed bar 21 has a tab 23 engaged by a hook 24 connected to and biased by a spring 25 toward the left as viewed in FIG. 1 for applying pressure on the feed bar 21 for feeding the strip of nails 15. The spring 25 is suitably housed in a shield 26 secured to the half 11 by suitable screws 27. The left-hand end 28 of the spring 25 is hooked through a hole 29 at the side of the shield 26. A suitable stop, not shown, for the feed bar 21 is provided so that the lefthand end 30 of the feed bar 21 will be stopped prior to coming into registry beneath the end 16 of the blade 18. Structure such as described briey above is disclosed in more detail in the above-mentioned patents.

The above-mentioned patents each discloses spring biased return means for the blade that drives the individual nails, corresponding to the blade 18 of the present invention. Such springs render a normal position for the -driving bla-de and plunger completely upward, such as the position illustrated in FIG. 2 of this invention. Contrary to this, the blade and plunger of this invention have a normal position as shown in FIG. 1 with the blade 18 and plunger in the lowermost position, which normal position is compact requiring minimum of storage and/ or shipping space.

The compressed air blade return of this invention is shown in section in FIGS. 1 and 2, with FIG. l showing the bottom 16 of the blade 1S in its lowermost position and FIG. 2 showing the same in the uppermost position. The blade 18 is carried in a groove along the left-hand side of a generally square plunger 32, in general the same manner as taught in the aboveementioned patents. An upper end 33 of the blade 1S abuts the bottom of a shoulder 34 of a button head generally indicated at 35 forming the top of the plunger 32. A resilient buffer 36, that may be of a reasonably high durometer rubber-like compound, is shaped by a generally square inner perfora. tion 38 to secure the upper end 33 of the blade 18 in the position shown in FIGS. 1 and 2. The top 39 of the button head 35 is adapted to be struck by a resilient headed mallet or maul for driving a nail engaged by the end 16 of the blade 18. lf an artisan desires to use a hard headed hammer for driving the nails, a suitably resilient cap 39 can be snapped over the end 39 of the button head 35.

The plunger 32 is of rectangular exterior in crosssection and is freely movable axially in a rectangular hole 40 formed by companion slots in the

complementary halves

11 and 12, which slots terminate in a bottom abutment surface 40 to be described more fully below. The plunger 32 is driven down to the position shown in FIG. l from the position shown in FIG. 2. 'Upward motion of the plunger 32 is limited by a milled groove 41 having a bottom end surface 42 which engages the periphery of a roll 43 carried on a pin 44 that passes transversely through the two

halves

11 and 12 and is suitably secured by a cotter key 45, shown in FIG. 4, to permit ready removal of the plunger 32 and blade 18 such as for making replacement of parts. Suitable cavities 46 are provided in each of the

halves

11 and 12 of the nailing machine 10 to accommodate and limit sidewise movement of the roller 43 when the nailing machine 10 is in use.

The compressed air return structure includes a bored cylinder 48 in the plunger 32 extending upardly from the bottom end 32' thereof to a closed end 49 in the button head 35. The cylinder 48 may conveniently be ritle-bored to assure straightness of bore. As will appear below, close tolerances are not required, although a reasonably smooth surface finish of the cylinder 48 is desirable. A cylindrical rod 50 may conveniently be cut ntf from round rod stock with the mill iinish surface left on the exterior thereof.

If a liner iinish is desired the rod 50 can be centerless ground conveniently, or otherwise suitably surface rinished. An upper end 51 of the rod 50 is positioned, preferably a distance corresponding to at least two rod 50 diameters with the parts in the position shown in FIG. 2. The lower end 52 of the rod 58 abuts the surface 40 whereupon it exerts force caused by pressure of compressed air. The upper and

lower ends

51 and 52 of the rod 50 are identical and are shown as chamfered so either end of same can be introduced readily into the cylinder 48 past a resilient sealing gasket 54 which is fitted in a radial recess 55 internal of the lower end 32 of the plunger 32..

The sealing gasket 54 is generally U-shaped cross-sectionally as best illustrated in FIG. 3. It is to be noted that an internal lip 56 and an external lip 5-7 of the gasket 54 iiare away from each other so that the internal lip 56 will have an interference t with the exterior of the rod 50 and the external lip 57 will have an interference iit with the major diameter of the recess 55 in the plunger 32. Air pressure within the cylinder 48 will bear upon and increase the flaring action of the

lips

56 and 57 to provide an air-tight and leak-proof seal which will still permit free relative movement of the rod 5t) in the cylinder 48. The sealing gasket 54 may be made of suitable resilient plastic material having a low coetiicient of surface friction to enhance this attribute of the invention.

A chamber 58 is provided by the difference in elongate `dimensions of the rod 50 and the cylinder 48, which chamber 58 is adapted to receive a charge of compressed air. The button head 35 is cross drilled and suitably tapped at 59 to receive a bicycle tire valve core 60. The tire valve core 60 may be one of several commercially available kinds such as that made by Bridgeport Brass Company, No. 790S; Schroeder Valve, No. 8500V; or Milton Manufacturing Company, No. 405. Of course, other suitable valves having operating characteristics of tire valve cores may also be used in the plunger return mechanism. The tire valve core 60 is suitably inserted well within the tapped hole 59 to prevent accidental discharge of air.

However, it is an important attribute of this invention that a nail or the like can be used to depress the stern of the valve core 60 for exhausting air from the chamber 58 to deflate the plunger mechanism to the position shown in FIG. 1 thereby providing minimum size for the equipment when not in use or for being shipped in cartons or the like.

A conveniently portable pump 62 is generally indicated by the reference character 62. However, even with the compact size desired to enable an artisan to carry the same around in a pocket, the volumetric capacity of the pump `62 is approximately three or four times the capacity of the chamber 58 in its extended position, in its maximum size dimensions illustrated in FIG. 2.

The pump 62 comprises a barrel 63 formed as a generally tubular sleeve preferably made of thin-Wall tubular stock or the like. The left-hand end 64 of the barrel 63 is gathered to secure a plastic pump seal 65 which in turn secures a connector spud 66. The spud 66 is externally threaded at 67 to screw into the tapped hole 59 to the extent that the plastic seal `65 engages the side surface 68 in air sealing relationship with the cross drilled side of the button head 35. The spud 66 is centrally apertured by a hole '70 which is sized large enough to extend over the valve stem of the valve core 60.

The right-hand end of the barrel 63 is formed in a peripheral bead 72 which provides an interior cam surface 73 for a purpose to be described hereinbelow. In addition, the bead 7 2 acts as a stop for a ring shaped plastic shoulder 74 which is frictionally carried by the barrel and which may be engaged by the first and second ingers of an operator to aid in the pumping operation to be described more fully below.

A piston for the pump 62 is generally indicated by the reference character 75. The piston 75 may lbe suitably molded or machined from plastic stock and c-omprises a plunger 76, an enlarged head 77 adapted to be engaged by a users thumb or the ball of the hand, and an annular gasket retaining recess 78 adjacent the left-hand end thereof. A sealing gasket 79, of substantially the same con struction and shape as the gasket 54 of FIG. 3, but of different size, is arranged to tit into the annular recess 78. The internal lip of the gasket engages the peripheral surface of the annular recess 78 in air sealing relationship therewith. The external lip of the sealing gasket 79 is adapted to engage upon and slide within the cam surface 73 and be squeezed inwardly thereby, to the sealing position shown at 79 in dotted lines, when the knob 77 is moved toward the dotted line position 77' wherein about half of a pumping stroke will have been made.

With the parts of the compressed air return mechanism of the nailing machine 10 in the not-in-use position shown in FIG. 1, the following procedure is suggested:

Step 1: Cheek the valve core to assure that the core is in proper operating condition. Step 2: Screw the spud 66 fully into the threads 59 to seal the plastic seal 65 of the pump 62 against the side 68 of the button head 35. Step 3: Pull the air pump piston 75 completely out of the cylinder to approximately the position shown in full lines in FIG. 1. Step 4: Push the plunger back into the cylinder the full depth and apply pressure as by the fingers and ball of the hand spanning the shoulder 74 and the head 77 respectively. Such pressure will cause the valve in the tire valve 60 to open and the charge of air to pass from the interior of the pump 62 through the aperture 70 into the chamber 58. The air under pressure will be sealed in the chamber 58 by the valve 60 and cause the plunger 32 to rise from the position shown in FIG. 1. Steps 5 et seq.: Repeat steps 3 and 4, above, tive or six times by pulling the piston 75 completely out of the barrel 62 and reinserting same and exerting pressure. Compressed air introduced into the chamber 58 will cause the plunger 32 to rise to the position shown in FIG. 2 and stay there with the stop surface 42 at the bottom of the groove 41 in engagement with the periphery of the roller 43.

In the upper position of the plunger 32 the heads 20 of the nails 1S will pass successively one after another beneath the end 16 of the driving blade 18 so that the force of a mallet or hammer struck against the button Ihead top 39 will cause the end 16 to descend, engage a head 20 of a nail, separate same from the strip of nails 15, and drive same into flooring or the like, not shown. Upon retraction of the end 16 to the position shown in FIG. 2, a succeeding nail will Ibe fed into the position illustrated in FIG. 2 to present a succeeding nail head 20 to the end 16 for the succeeding operation.

The air in the chamber 58 will remain under substantially the compression charged therein by the five or six strokes through the complete stroke of the piston 76 in the barrel 62 of the pump. It has been found that the nailing machine need be charged -only once a day for normal operations. In the event leaks should occur, the tire valve 60 can be readily replaced in known manner. In addition, the sealing gasket 54 can be readily replaced by partial disassembly of the nailing machine to remove the plunger 32 whereupon the rod 50 can be withdrawn and the gasket 54 removed by a suitable hook and replaced and reassembled into the nailing machine.

FIGS. 4 and 5 are side and front views respectively of an embodiment of the invention for installing ooring or the like by driving nails at an angle with respect to the flooring. Like reference characters refer to like or Igenerally identical parts and the description of the parts will not be repeated. The modification of FIGS. 4 and 5 differs mainly in that the opposite hand halves 11 and 12 have complementary bottom extensions 111', only one being shown. The bottom extensions 111 secure a plate 90 at generally 45 degrees with respect to the direction of motion of the blade 18 driving the nails 15, FIG. 5. This modification of the invention is also equipped with a compressed air return within the plunger 32 supplied through a tap opening 59. The details of construction of the air return mechanism are not illustrated, being identical to those described above in connection with FIGS. 1, 2 and 3.

While for the purpose of illustration one form of this invention has been disclose-d, other forms thereof may Ibecome apparent to those skilled in the art upon reference to this disclosure and, therefore, this invention is to be limited only by the scope of the appended claims.

I claim as my invention:

1. In a nailing machine having means for feeding a strip of nails, a reciprocatable blade for separating individual nails from said strip of nails and driving the same and an outwardly extending reciprocatafble plunger carrying said blade and adapted to be manually struck inwardly for operating said 'blade to drive the nails, a compressed air return mechanism for said plunger for outwardly returning said ,plunger after it has been manually struck inwardly comprising, an axially extending bore in said reciprocatelble plunger having a closed outer end and an open inner end and forming a movable cylinder, a normally stationary elongated rod extending into the bore of the plunger through its open end and forming a variable Ivolume air chamber in the movable cylinder, an air sealing gasket between said bore and said rod for sealing said variable volume air chamber, and means for supplying compressed air into said variable volume air chamber to establish a resilient force for outwardly urging said plunger to effect outward return movement thereof after being manually struck inwardly.

2. A nailing machine as defined in claim 1 wherein said reciprocatable plunger and blade are longitudinally outwardly removable from the nailing machine, and including releasable sto-p means for limiting the outward movement of said plunger.

3. A nailing machine as defined in claim l wherein said elongated rod is movable and longitudinally guided by the axial bore of the plunger, and including an abutment engageable by said rod under the influence of the compressed air in the variable volume .air chamber for no1'- 6 mally maintaining said rod stationary during nailing operations.

4. A nailing machine as defined in claim 1 wherein said elongated rod as well as said reciprocatable plunger and blade are longitudinally outwardly removable from the nailing machine.

5. A nailing machine as defined in claim 1 which includes means for exhausting compressed air from said variable volume chamber to allow said plunger to move inwardly and remain in an inward position.

6. A nailing machine as defined in claim 1 wherein said means for supplying compressed air into said variable volume chamber includes an opening in said plunger communicating with said variable volume chamber, a tire valve having an outwardly directed stem secured in said opening for normally sealing said variable volume chamber against escape of air therefrom, a pump adapted to be detachably secured in said opening for compressing air and supplying the compressed air through said tire valve into said variable volume chamber, said stem of said tire valve being manually manipulatable when said pump is removed from said opening for exhausting compressed air from said variable volume chamber to allow said plunger to move inwardly and remain in an inward position.

7. A nailing machine as defined in claim 6 wherein said pump includes a tubular sleeve, an apertured connector secured to one end ofthe tubular sleeve and having means for detachably securing the same in said opening in said plunger, the other end of said sleeve being outwardly flared to form a tapered inlet, an elongated piston adapted to be freely received through the tapered inlet and longitudinally moved in said tubular sleeve, a resilient air seal gasket carried by said piston adjacent the inner end thereof and having a free outer diameter greater than the interior diameter of said ared end of the tubular sleeve, the inner end of said piston carrying said resilient sealing gasket being withdrawn from and inserted into said tubular sleeve through the [dared end thereof to effect pumping operation of the pump, said resilient sealing gasket being peripherally compressed by said flared end of said tubular sleeve upon being inserted therein, said tubular sleeve and piston being sized to attain an air pressure in said pump when said piston is manually manipulated which is suiiicient to open said tire valve and supply compressed air to said variable volume chamber.

8. A nailing machine as defined in claim 7, including a hand engageable first grip member on said tubular sleeve adjacent said tapered inlet end thereof, and a hand engageable second grip member on the outer end of said piston, said first and second grip members being so spaced apart to facilitate one-hand squeezing thereof toward each other to effect compression of air in said pump.

9. In a machine using compressed air and having a compressed air chamber, an opening communicating with said chamber, a tire valve in said opening for sealing the same against escape of air from said chamber, a pump for supplying compressed air through said tire valve and opening into said chamber comprising, a tubular sleeve, an apertured connector secured to one end of the tubular sleeve and having means for detachably securing the same in said opening, the other end of said sleeve being outwardly ared to form a tapered inlet, an elongated piston adapted to be freely received through the tapered inlet and longitudinally moved in said tubular sleeve, a resilient air seal gasket carried by said piston adjacent the inner end thereof and having a free outer diameter greater than the interior diameter of said tubular sleeve but less than the diameter of said ared end of the tubular sleeve, the inner end of said piston carrying said resilient sealing gasket being withdrawn from and inserted into said tubular sleeve through the flared end thereof to effect pumping operation of the pump, said resilient sealing gasket being peripherally compressed by said flared end of said tubular sleeve upon being inserted therein, said tubular sleeve and piston being sized to attain an air pressure in said pump when said piston is manually manipulated which is suicient to open said tire valve and supply compressed air to said chamber.

10. A machine as defined in claim 9, including a hand engageable rst grip member on said tubular sleeve adjacent said tapered inlet end thereof, and a hand engageable second grip member on the outer end of said piston, said rst and second grip members being so spaced apart to facilitate one-hand squeezing thereof toward each other to effect compression of air in said pump.

References Cited UNITED STATES PATENTS Chellis 227--130 XR Anstett 227--147 XR Goldring et a1. 227-130 XR Juilfs 227-130 Powers et al 227--130 XR GRANVILLE Y. CUSTER, I R., Primary Examiner.

Claims

1. IN A NAILING MACHINE HAVING MEANS FOR FEEDING A STRIP OF NAILS, A RECIPROCATABLE BLADE FOR SEPARATING INDIVIDUAL NAILS FROM SAID STRIP OF NAILS AND DRIVING THE SAME AND AN OUTWARDLY EXTENDING RECIPROCATABLE PLUNGER CARRYING SAID BLADE AND ADAPTED TO BE MANUALLY STRUCK INWARDLY FOR OPERATING SAID BLADE TO DRIVE THE NAILS, A COMPRESSED AIR RETURN MECHANISM FOR SAID PLUNGER FOR OUTWARDLY RETURNING SAID PLUNGER AFTER IT HAS BEEN MANUALLY STRUCK INWARDLY COMPRISING, AN AXIALLY EXTENDING BORE IN SAID RECIPROCATABLE PLUNGER HAVING A CLOSED OUTER END AND AN OPEN INNER END AND FORMING A MOVABLE CYLINDER, A NORMALLY STATIONARY ELONGATED ROD EXTENDING INTO THE BORE OF THE PLUNGER THROUGH ITS OPEN END AND FORMING A VARIABLE VOLUME AIR CHAMBER IN THE MOVABLE CYLINDER, AN AIR SEALING GASKET BETWEEN SAID BORE AND SAID ROD FOR SEALING SAID VARIABLE VOLUME AIR CHAMBER, AND MEANS FOR SUPPLYING COMPRESSED AIR INTO SAID VARIABLE VOLUME AIR CHAMBER TO ESTABLIH A RESILIENT FORCE FOR OUTWARDLY URGING SAID PLUNGER TO EFFECT OUTWARD RETURN MOVEMENT THEREOF AFTER BEING MANUALLY STRUCK INWARDLY.