Cable tie tool

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-12509260-B2
Application number	US-202318152894-A
Country	US
Kind code	B2
Filing date	Jan 11, 2023
Priority date	Jan 11, 2022
Publication date	Dec 30, 2025
Grant date	Dec 30, 2025

Abstract

A tool for tensioning and severing a cable tie comprising, inter alia, a reel magazine assembly, configured to retainingly receive at least one cable strap reel and provide for a spring-biased rotation of said at least one cable strap reel about a cable strap reel center axis, wherein said spring-biased rotation is directed so as to wind up a cable tie strap coiled up onto said cable strap reel; a feeder guide mechanism, provided within said barrel portion, configured to guidingly receive an end portion of said cable tie strap of said cable strap reel and move said cable tie strap from said cable strap reel through said barrel portion towards said distal housing end portion, but prevent movement of said cable tie strap back towards said cable strap reel; a locking heads magazine assembly, configured to store a plurality of locking heads and supply one locking head at the time for use with said cable tie strap, and a blade guard, operably coupled between said cut-off mechanism and said locking heads magazine assembly, configured to receive and move said locking head from said locking heads magazine assembly into a loading position, ready for engagement with said cable tie strap.

First claim

The invention claimed is:

1 . A tool for tensioning and severing a cable tie, the tool comprising:
a pistol-shaped housing having a barrel portion extending between a distal housing end portion and a proximal housing end portion along a longitudinal axis, and a handle portion extending away from said barrel portion in a direction different to said longitudinal axis; a trigger mechanism comprising an elongate trigger member extending away from said barrel portion operably forward of said handle portion and configured to move toward and away from said handle portion; a tension mechanism comprising a pawl link provided slidably reciprocatingly within said barrel portion along said longitudinal axis, operably coupled to said trigger mechanism, and configured to grippingly engage the cable tie and apply tension to a tie tail of the cable tie when moving said elongate trigger member toward said handle portion; a locking mechanism in said barrel portion, operably coupled with said tension mechanism, and configured to stop operation of and lock said tension mechanism at a predetermined tension of the tie tail; a cut-off mechanism in said barrel portion, operably coupled with said trigger mechanism and said locking mechanism, and configured to cut the tie tail when said locking mechanism is lockingly actuated; a reel magazine assembly configured to retainingly receive at least one cable strap reel and provide for a spring-biased rotation of said at least one cable strap reel about a cable strap reel center axis, wherein said spring-biased rotation is directed so as to wind up a cable tie strap coiled up onto said cable strap reel; a feeder guide mechanism in said barrel portion and configured to guidingly receive an end portion of said cable tie strap of said cable strap reel and move said cable tie strap from said cable strap reel through said barrel portion towards said distal housing end portion, but prevent movement of said cable tie strap back towards said cable strap reel; a locking heads magazine assembly configured to store a plurality of locking heads and supply one locking head at a time for use with said cable tie strap; and a blade guard operably coupled between said cut-off mechanism and said locking heads magazine assembly and configured to receive and move said locking head from said locking heads magazine assembly into a loading position, ready for engagement with said cable tie strap.

2 . The tool of claim 1 , wherein said blade guard is moveable between a first position, retaining said locking head in said loading position, and a second position, releasing said locking head through an aperture of said blade guard, while moving another one of said plurality of locking heads into said loading position.

3 . The tool of claim 2 , wherein said blade guard comprises a blade member configured to cut through said cable tie strap when moved into said second position.

4 . The tool of claim 3 , wherein movement of said blade guard is actuated by said cut-off mechanism.

5 . The tool of claim 1 , wherein said reel magazine assembly comprises a reel biasing mechanism configured to provide said spring biased rotation and selectively releasably couplable with a hub member receiving said cable strap reel.

6 . The tool of claim 5 , wherein said reel magazine assembly comprises a release mechanism configured to disengage said reel biasing mechanism from said hub member.

7 . The tool of claim 1 , wherein said feeder guide mechanism comprises a roller guide configured to enable movement of said cable tie strap towards said distal housing end portion and prevent movement of said cable tie strap back towards said cable strap reel.

8 . The tool of claim 1 , wherein said feeder guide mechanism comprises a manual slider mechanism, configured to grippingly engage with a portion of said cable tie strap and slidingly move between a first trigger position, adjacent to said roller guide, and a second trigger position, spaced apart from said roller guide towards said distal housing end portion.

9 . The tool of claim 8 , wherein said manual slider mechanism is biased towards said first trigger position.

10 . The tool of claim 1 , wherein said locking heads magazine assembly is configured to bias said plurality of locking heads towards said blade guard.

11 . The tool of claim 10 , wherein said locking heads magazine assembly is configured to retain two parallelly arranged rows of said plurality of locking heads, such that one row of said plurality of locking heads is axially offset relative to another one of the rows of said plurality of locking heads, by a distance equivalent to half of a thickness of one of said plurality of locking heads.

12 . The tool of claim 11 , wherein said locking heads magazine assembly further comprises a level indicator, configured to indicate the number a quantity of locking heads left in said locking heads magazine assembly.

13 . The tool of claim 12 , wherein said locking heads magazine assembly further comprises a pivot cover, movable between a closed position, covering said plurality of locking heads, and an open position, enabling access to said plurality of locking heads.

14 . The tool of claim 13 , wherein said pivot cover is biased towards said open position and lockingly engaged with a releasable hook mechanism when in said closed position.

Assignees

• Illinois Tool Works

Inventors

• Cabrele Federico
• Sala Michele
• Altarino Lorenzo
• Lucon Michele

Classifications

• B65B13/027 Primary

  for applying straps having preformed connecting means, e.g. cable ties · CPC title

• B65B13/22 Primary

  Means for controlling tension of binding means · CPC title