Powered fastener driver

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-11065749-B2
Application number	US-201916363635-A
Country	US
Kind code	B2
Filing date	Mar 25, 2019
Priority date	Mar 26, 2018
Publication date	Jul 20, 2021
Grant date	Jul 20, 2021

Abstract

A pneumatic fastener driver is operable in a single sequential mode and a bump-fire mode. The pneumatic fastener driver includes a housing, a nosepiece extending from the housing from which fasteners are ejected, and a trigger moveable between a default position, in which a drive cycle is inhibited from initiating, and a depressed position, in which the drive cycle is permitted to be initiated. The pneumatic fastener driver further includes a contact arm movable relative to the nosepiece between an extended position and a retracted position, and a timeout mechanism operable in the bump-fire mode to inhibit the drive cycle from being initiated in response to inactivity of the contact arm over a preset time interval that begins once the trigger is actuated from the default position to the depressed position.

First claim

What is claimed is:

1. A pneumatic fastener driver operable in a single sequential mode and a bump-fire mode, the pneumatic fastener driver comprising:
a housing;
a nosepiece extending from the housing from which fasteners are ejected;
a trigger moveable between a default position, in which a drive cycle is inhibited from initiating, and a depressed position, in which the drive cycle is permitted to be initiated;
a contact arm movable relative to the nosepiece between an extended position and a retracted position; and
a timeout mechanism operable in the bump-fire mode to inhibit the drive cycle from being initiated in response to inactivity of the contact arm over a preset time interval that begins once the trigger is actuated from the default position to the depressed position.

2. The fastener driver of claim 1 , further comprising a counting assembly that defines the preset time interval when the counting assembly is in an unexpired state, and wherein the counting assembly is in an expired state during inactivity of the counting assembly.

3. The fastener driver of claim 2 , wherein the counting assembly is maintained in the unexpired state in response to actuation of the contact arm from the extended position to the retracted position before the preset time interval has elapsed.

4. The fastener driver of claim 3 , wherein the timeout mechanism includes a mainspring, a gear train that is driven by the mainspring during the unexpired state, and a lockout linkage moveable via the gear train to interfere with a portion of the trigger when the counting assembly is in the expired state.

5. The fastener driver of claim 4 , wherein the counting assembly includes a hairspring assembly and an escapement wheel to control the energy release of the mainspring.

6. The fastener driver of claim 5 , further including a palette lever that intermittently engages with the escapement wheel to decrementally release the energy from the mainspring.

7. The fastener driver of claim 4 , wherein the counting assembly includes a gas spring assembly to control the energy release of the mainspring.

8. The fastener driver of claim 7 , further comprising a cylinder containing compressed gas and a piston rod sealed within the cylinder that resists external forces applied parallel to the direction of the piston rod in response to the piston rod translating through the compressed gas.

9. The fastener driver of claim 3 , wherein the timeout mechanism includes a mainspring, a female barrel pivotably coupled around a pivot shaft of the trigger and driven by the mainspring during the unexpired state, and a lockout linkage moveable via the female barrel to interfere with a portion of the trigger when the counting assembly is in the expired state.

10. The fastener driver of claim 9 , wherein the counting assembly includes a damping grease disposed between the pivot shaft and the female barrel to effectively control the angular velocity at which the female barrel rotates relative to the pivot shaft.

11. The fastener driver of claim 3 , further comprising a trigger arm pivotably coupled to the trigger, wherein the trigger arm is selectively urged by the contact arm to initiate a drive cycle when the trigger is in the depressed position.

12. The fastener driver of claim 1 , further comprising a trigger valve assembly disposed adjacent the trigger, wherein high air pressure is released to atmosphere through the trigger valve assembly to initiate the drive cycle.

13. The fastener driver of claim 12 , further comprising an air supply chamber disposed in the housing that stores the high air pressure, which is released through the trigger valve assembly to initiate the drive cycle.

14. The fastener driver of claim 12 , further comprising a timeout air chamber that fills with pressurized air in response to the trigger moving to the depressed position, thereby causing an air-lock pin to be biased towards an unblocking position where the high air pressure is permitted to escape through the trigger valve assembly.

15. The fastener driver of claim 14 , further comprising a sled disposed within the timeout air chamber biased toward an extended position by a spring and toward a retracted position by the pressurized air that selectively fills the timeout air chamber, wherein the air-lock pin is urged towards the unblocking position when the sled is in the retracted position.

16. The fastener driver of claim 15 , wherein the timeout air chamber includes an orifice through which the pressurized air slowly leaks over the preset time interval, causing the lockout pin to gradually move towards the blocking position.

17. The fastener driver of claim 1 , wherein the timeout mechanism is deactivated in the single sequential mode.

18. A pneumatic fastener driver operable in a single sequential mode and a bump-fire mode, the pneumatic fastener driver comprising:
a housing;
a nosepiece extending from the housing from which fasteners are ejected;
a trigger moveable between a default position, in which a drive cycle is inhibited from initiating, and a depressed position, in which the drive cycle is permitted to be initiated;
a contact arm movable relative to the nosepiece between an extended position and a retracted position; and
a timeout mechanism operable in the bump-fire mode to inhibit actuation of the contact arm towards the retracted position in response to inactivity of the contact arm over a preset time interval that begins once the trigger is actuated from the default position to the depressed position.

19. The fastener driver of claim 18 , further comprising a counting assembly that defines the preset time interval when the counting assembly is in an unexpired state, and wherein the counting assembly is in an expired state during inactivity of the counting assembly.

20. The fastener driver of claim 19 , wherein the counting assembly is maintained in the unexpired state in response to actuation of the contact arm towards the retracted position before the preset time interval has elapsed.

Assignees

• Tti Macao Commercial Offshore Ltd

Inventors

• Knight Tyler
• Moody Miles R
• Jenkins J Luke
• Conner Matthew W
• Sadkowski William E
• Cheatham Reid
• Moylan Justin

Classifications

• B25C1/008 Primary

  Safety devices · CPC title

• B25C1/043 Primary

  Trigger valve and trigger mechanism · CPC title

• B25C1/047

  Mechanical details · CPC title

• B25C1/005

  for rows of contiguous nails · CPC title