Tool and tool attachment

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-11020843-B2
Application number	US-201615759013-A
Country	US
Kind code	B2
Filing date	Sep 20, 2016
Priority date	Sep 21, 2015
Publication date	Jun 1, 2021
Grant date	Jun 1, 2021

Abstract

A tool for fastening an insulator to a support, the insulator including an insulator body having a front and back, a formation for supporting a barrier, and at least one mounting formation having a front and a back by which the insulator is attached to a support, the back of the mounting formation in use being proximal to the support, at least one of the at least one mounting formation including at least one passage extending transversely through the mounting formation from the front to the back of the mounting formation, and at least one alignment member, the tool including a driver blade for driving a staple, and at least one passage alignment member, in use the at least one passage alignment member aligning at least one passage of the insulator, with one leg of a staple.

First claim

The invention claimed is:

1. A tool for fastening an insulator to a support, the insulator including an insulator body having a front and back, a formation configured to support a barrier, and a mounting formation having a front and a back, the back of the mounting formation configured to be proximal to the support, the mounting formation defining a plurality of staple leg passages extending transversely through the mounting formation from the front to the back of the mounting formation, the mounting formation including an alignment member, the tool comprising:
a driver blade configured to drive a staple having two legs; and
a passage alignment member insertable into one of the plurality of staple leg passages defined by the mounting formation to cause one of the two legs of the staple to be aligned with one of the plurality of staple leg passages defined by the mounting formation.

2. The tool of claim 1 , further comprising:
a power source configured to drive the driver blade;
a housing enclosing the driver blade, the housing including a nosepiece configured to accept the staple and configured to axially guide the driver blade in a driving direction toward impact with the staple; and
an insulator securing member configured to cooperate with a securing member of the insulator to secure the insulator to the tool.

3. The tool of claim 2 , which further comprises a movable workpiece contact element configured such that the staple is prevented from being driven by the driver blade until the workpiece contact element is moved into a firing position, and wherein the insulator securing member is configured to be attached to the workpiece contact element.

4. The tool of claim 3 , wherein the insulator securing member includes a protrusion, and the securing member of the insulator defines an aperture.

5. The tool of claim 4 , wherein the insulator securing member extends in the driving direction.

6. The tool of claim 4 , wherein the protrusion is tapered toward a distal end.

7. The tool of claim 6 , wherein the protrusion includes a ball plunger aligned transverse to the driving direction and the ball plunger is proximal to the distal end of the protrusion.

8. The tool of claim 1 , wherein the staple is selected from the group consisting of: a common staple, barbed staple, a divergent staple, and a barbed divergent staple.

9. The tool of claim 1 , wherein the mounting formation defines four staple leg passages, each of the staple leg passages extending transversely through the mounting formation, the four staple leg passages being positioned so that the staple can be driven through two of the four staple leg passages such that each leg of the staple is in a different one of said two staple leg passages, and wherein the passage alignment member is configured to ensure the two legs of the staple are aligned with said two staple leg passages.

10. The tool of claim 1 , wherein the passage alignment member is movable to a first position in which the staple is prevented from being driven, and to a second position in which the staple may be driven, the second position requiring one of the plurality of staple leg passages defined by the mounting formation to be aligned with a path of one of the legs of the staple.

11. The tool of claim 1 , which comprises a securing member configured to cooperate with the alignment member of the insulator such that the insulator is rotatable with respect to the tool.

12. The tool of claim 11 , wherein insulator is rotatable up to 360 degrees with respect to the tool.

13. The tool of claim 1 , which is selected from the group consisting of a pneumatically powered tool, an electrically powered tool, a battery powered tool, and a gas powered tool.

14. An attachment for a fastening tool, the fastening tool including a driver blade configured to drive opposing legs of a staple through one or two of a plurality of staple leg passages of an insulator, the insulator including an insulator body having a front and back, a formation configured to support a barrier, and a mounting formation having a front and a back attachable to a support, the back of the mounting formation configured to be proximal to the support, the mounting formation defining the plurality of staple leg passages extending transversely through the mounting formation from the front to the back of the mounting formation, the attachment comprising:
a mounting portion configured to mount the attachment to the fastening tool; and
a passage alignment member insertable into one of the plurality of staple leg passages of the mounting formation to cause alignment of at least one of the legs of the staple with one of the plurality of staple leg passages defined by the mounting formation of the insulator.

15. The attachment of claim 14 , wherein the fastening tool includes a movable workpiece contact element configured such that the staple is prevented from being driven from the fastening tool until the workpiece contact element has been moved into a firing position, and wherein the mounting portion is attachable to the workpiece contact element.

16. The attachment of claim 15 , wherein the fastening tool further comprises a driver blade and a power source configured to drive the driver blade, and a housing enclosing the driver blade, the housing including a nosepiece configured to accept the staple and to axially guide the driver blade in a driving direction toward impact with the staple, and wherein the attachment further comprises a securing member configured to cooperate with an alignment member of the insulator to aliqn the attachment with the insulator.

17. The attachment of claim 16 , wherein the alignment member of the insulator extends from the mounting portion of the insulator in the driven direction of the staple.

18. The attachment of claim 17 , wherein the securing member of the attachment includes a protrusion and the alignment member of the insulator defines an aperture.

19. The attachment of claim 18 , wherein the protrusion is tapered away from a mounting portion end.

20. The attachment of claim 18 , wherein the protrusion includes a ball plunger aligned transversely to the driven direction and proximal to distal end of the protrusion.

21. The attachment of claim 14 , wherein the staple is selected from the group consisting of a common staple, a barbed staple, a divergent staple, and a barbed divergent staple.

22. The attachment of claim 14 , wherein the plurality of staple leg passages are positioned so that the legs of the staple can be driven through two of the plurality of staple leg passages, each leg of the staple in a separate one of the plurality of staple leg passages, and wherein the passage alignment member is configured to ensure that the two legs of the staple are aligned with two of the plurality of staple leg passages.

23. The attachment of claim 14 , wherein the passage alignment member is movable to a first position in which the staple is prevented from being driven and to a second position in which the staple may be driven, the second position requiring at least one of the plurality of staple leg passages defined by the mounting formation to be aligned with the path of the staple.

24. The attachment of claim 14 , which comprises a securing member configured to cooperate with an alignment member of the insulator to align the attachment with the insulator such that the insulator is rotatable with respect to the attachment.

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Assignees

• Illinois Tool Works

Inventors

• Young Graeme Laurence
• Irving Gordon Douglas
• Hall Simon Gerard
• Memon Ashif Iqbal

Classifications

• E04H17/017

  Fencing provided with electric elements or components, e.g. fencing member or component, such as fence strands, post, panel or rail, provided with electric elements or components · CPC title

• B25C7/00 Primary

  Accessories for nailing or stapling tools, e.g. supports (for tools operated by detonation of a cartridge B25C1/18) · CPC title

• B25C5/15

  operated by electric power · CPC title

• B25C5/13

  operated by fluid pressure · CPC title

• A01K3/005

  Electrified fencing for pastures · CPC title