Patents Examined by James P Calve
  • Patent number: 6012622
    Abstract: An improved fastener driving tool is provided that is especially adapted to the application of fasteners in trim applications, such as the fastening of wood trim and decorative pieces. The preferred embodiment is a combustion tool, and includes an incrementally adjustable fastener driving depth setting mechanism. The incremental control permits an operator to select from a number of discrete depth settings over a limited range. The preferred tool also includes a distance amplifying fastener lockout. The lockout amplifies a fastener follower movement permitting the blocking of movement of a linkage necessary to tool operation in response to the movement associated with an individual small fastener being dispensed. A trigger and handle of the preferred tool are proximate to the driver blade axis, and the trigger is disposed within an imaginary extension of a fuel canister held within the tool housing.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: April 20, 1998
    Date of Patent: January 11, 2000
    Assignee: Illinois Tool Works Inc.
    Inventors: Murray Weinger, Patrick J. Driscoll, Robert S. Buetow, William E. Richardson
  • Patent number: 6009957
    Abstract: In the arrangement, a feed beam made of an aluminum profile comprises a slide guide frame, whereby the outer surface of the slide guide frame and respectively, the inner surface of the slide guide are shaped and dimensioned in such a manner that when the slide guide is on the slide guide frame, they are tight against one another. The other edge of the slide guide flame and respectively, the corresponding edge of the slide guide are shaped in such a manner that when the slide guide is mounted in place, its edge is shape-locked relative to the slide guide frame. The slide guide is also secured by separate securing mechanism to the feed beam in such a manner that it cannot move either in the cross or longitudinal direction relative to the feed beam.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: November 20, 1997
    Date of Patent: January 4, 2000
    Assignee: Tamrock Oy
    Inventors: Mauri Esko, Heikki Jantunen, Timo Laitinen, Leo Hakkinen
  • Patent number: 6003619
    Abstract: A driver hammer for driving an elongated member into the earth and for extracting the member from the earth includes a hammer body and a forward driving anvil slidably mounted in the body that is engaged directly with the elongated member when the latter is driven into the earth. A conventional hammer drive mechanism is used to repeatedly impact the forward driving anvil to drive the member into the earth. When the member is to be extracted from the earth, a back driving lever, which is pivotally mounted on the hammer body, is pivoted into the position where the forward driving anvil can strike an impact surface on one side of the pivot point of the lever and a back driving anvil is engaged with a second impact surface on the opposite side of the pivot point of the lever and which is attached to the elongated member.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: May 28, 1998
    Date of Patent: December 21, 1999
    Inventor: James E. Lange
  • Patent number: 6000596
    Abstract: An apparatus for feeding rivets for riveting guns comprises a first duct for transporting the rivets to a front arming device of a riveting gun; the first duct is connected to a source of compressed air supplying the compressed air at a first determined pressure, and a first pressure reducing element to impart the air flowing along the first duct a second determined pressure, and a first solenoid valve to control the outflow of compressed air through the first pressure reducing element; it also comprises a second duct connected at one of its ends to a source of compressed air and with its other end connected to a portion of the first duct positioned in proximity of the front arming device, along the second duct flowing compressed air at the first determined pressure higher than the second determined pressure which flows inside the first duct.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: September 16, 1997
    Date of Patent: December 14, 1999
    Assignee: Far S.r.l.
    Inventor: Vincenzo Cariati
  • Patent number: 5996875
    Abstract: The barrel of a power actuated tool for driving a fastener into a substrate upon detonation of an explosive charge, comprises front (4) and rear (2) barrel sections mounted for telescopic movement to absorb recoil upon firing. The sections are held in assembled relation by a retainer element (14) and are such that assembly and disassembly can occur by manipulation of one barrel section relative to other without the need to remove the retainer element (14).
    Type: Grant
    Filed: November 3, 1997
    Date of Patent: December 7, 1999
    Assignee: Ramset Fasteners (Aust.) Pty, Limited
    Inventors: Philip Charles Clark, Brian Diener, Brian Douglas Renshaw
  • Patent number: 5992540
    Abstract: An air ratchet hand tool has an elongated, generally cylindrical handle portion with an axial air inlet passage therethrough, and having an outer surface with two longitudinally extending channels formed therein, each communicating with the air motor. A thermoplastic grip jacket covers the handle portion and cooperates with the channels to form therebetween two exhaust air passages which exit at the distal end of the handle. Longitudinal ribs on the jacket project radially inwardly into engagement with longitudinal recesses in the handle portion to inhibit relative rotational movement, while a lug on the handle portion extends through an opening in the jacket to inhibit relative axial movement. A flexible and resilient trigger cover covers the valve trigger and the jacket opening through which it projects.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: March 6, 1998
    Date of Patent: November 30, 1999
    Assignee: Snap-on Tools Company
    Inventors: Gerald J. Smolinski, Dale R. Landree
  • Patent number: 5992537
    Abstract: A pneumatic downhole impact drill has a backhead for mounting an inlet check valve and a mounting hub for mounting a fluid delivery tube. A split ring has an interior circumferential groove forming upper and lower shoulders and comprises two substantially identical semi-circular ring segments. The ring segments are positioned around flanges on the backhead and the mounting hub such that the upper shoulder of the split ring slidably engages the upper surface of the backhead flange and the lower shoulder slidably engages the lower surface of the mounting hub flange to mount the backhead to the mounting hub. A first gap is formed between the outside surface of the split ring and the inside surface of the casing. A second gap is formed between the inside surface of the groove and the outside surfaces of the mounting hub and backhead flanges. Taken together, the gaps allow lateral relative movement between the mounting hub and backhead flanges.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: May 29, 1998
    Date of Patent: November 30, 1999
    Assignee: Numa Tool Company
    Inventor: Jack H. Pascale
  • Patent number: 5992131
    Abstract: There is provided a superhigh-speed filling and packaging apparatus having a high performance capable of manufacturing more than 8,000 packs per hour without leaving fluid at sealed parts of the containers. The filling and packaging apparatus fills a packaging material web formed in a tubular shape with fluid to manufacture package containers. The apparatus includes a lateral sealing apparatus for laterally sealing the tubular web filled with the fluid at intervals, each corresponding to one container, and a cutting apparatus, disposed under and remote from the lateral sealing apparatus, for cutting sealed parts of the containers while the containers are suspended to separate the containers.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: September 9, 1997
    Date of Patent: November 30, 1999
    Assignee: Shikoku Kakoki Co., Ltd.
    Inventors: Fumiyuki Iwano, Hiroshi Katayama, Tetsuya Iuchi, Masafumi Fujimoto, Michio Ueda
  • Patent number: 5988298
    Abstract: A drilling device has a drilling mast and a movable drifter thereon with a drill rod stabilizing device for stabilizing drill rods in position during drilling. The stabilizer travels along the mast along with the drifter, and includes a locking arm that automatically opens and closes the stabilizer to allow passage of drill rods into an out of the drill line from storage, while supporting the drill rods during drilling. In a substantially vertical drilling position, the stabilizer is moved downwardly by gravity, and upwardly by the drifter's drive chain, which is retained in contact with the stabilizer by a pick-up link on the drive chain contacting stop blocks on the stabilizer. In a substantially horizontal drilling position, the stabilizer is moved in a return direction by the pick-up link and stop block combination.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: September 16, 1997
    Date of Patent: November 23, 1999
    Assignee: Ingersoll-Rand Company
    Inventors: Eugene Y. T. Cheng, J. George Land, III
  • Patent number: 5987856
    Abstract: A sealing machine and process for sealing loaded bags of a novel web of side connected bags are disclosed. The web is fed through the sealer by a pair of grooved main transport belts. A holding belt is disposed in the groove of an associated main belt and extends into the groove of the other main belt as the belts move through the seal station. Processes of transporting and sealing side connected bags are also disclosed.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: July 31, 1997
    Date of Patent: November 23, 1999
    Assignee: Automated Packaging Systems, Inc.
    Inventor: Hershey Lerner
  • Patent number: 5988477
    Abstract: A combustion powered tool for driving fasteners including a housing with a main chamber. Within the main chamber is a power source having a combustion end and a lower end. The combustion end of the power source drives a rod. Fasteners are sequentially fed to the rod for driving engagement with the rod. Depending from the lower end of the power source is a nosepiece having a tool end, and a workpiece end opposite the tool end. The nosepiece is configured for receiving the rod and for guiding the rod to a workpiece. To protect the nosepiece, a protective shield envelops the nosepiece.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: June 3, 1998
    Date of Patent: November 23, 1999
    Assignee: Illinois Tools Works, Inc.
    Inventors: Tony Deieso, Mohamed K. Wagdy
  • Patent number: 5988297
    Abstract: A vibratory hammer for use in driving a work piece such as a pile, pipe, caisson or plate into the earth includes a support frame 10 adapted to be suspended from a crane or the like, and a vibrator assembly 12 that is suspended from the frame. The vibrator assembly includes at least one pair of laterally spaced, parallel rotary shafts 40 that are rotatable in opposite directions to one another, and a weight 46 is supported on each shaft. Each weight is shiftable radially relative to the corresponding shaft between a balanced position in which the center of mass of the weight is collinear with the longitudinal axis of the shaft, and an eccentric position in which the center of mass of the weight is offset radially from the longitudinal axis of the shaft. Preferably, a fluid-actuated piston-and-cylinder assembly 54 is supported between each weight and the corresponding shaft for selectively carrying out the shifting movement of the weights. However, other types of shifting mechanisms could also be employed.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: March 24, 1998
    Date of Patent: November 23, 1999
    Assignee: Hydraulic Power Systems, Inc.
    Inventors: Robert J. Zimmerman, Kurt N. Winters
  • Patent number: 5984021
    Abstract: A pneumatic downhole impact drill has a porting system for automatically supplying pneumatic pressure fluid from a fluid delivery tube received within an axial bore in the impact piston to the opposite ends of the piston operating cylinder as the piston reciprocates. A flange on the delivery tube is slidably mounted in a cavity in a mounting hub assembly. Passageways provide fluid communication between the pressure fluid inlet plenum and the operating chamber side of the cavity and between the back chamber and the inlet plenum side of the cavity. Fluid pressure forces acting on the opposite faces of the flange and on the top end surface of the delivery tube reciprocate the delivery tube between upstroke and downstroke positions. Positioning the delivery tube in the upstroke position increases the axial distance that the piston must travel before the pressure fluid supply is connected to the back end of the operating chamber on the piston upstroke.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: January 27, 1998
    Date of Patent: November 16, 1999
    Assignee: Numa Tool Company
    Inventor: Jack H. Pascale
  • Patent number: 5974769
    Abstract: A turret assembly for use in a container manufacturing apparatus which comprises a rotatable hub, at least one arm extending radially from the rotatable hub and having a medium reception portion thereon for transferring and inserting at least one medium to a location between a first and second portion of container material.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: August 1, 1997
    Date of Patent: November 2, 1999
    Assignee: Uniflex, Inc.
    Inventor: Kurt W. Vetter
  • Patent number: 5975399
    Abstract: Apparatus for driving fastening elements (9), such as nails, bolts, screws, clips and alike, includes a magazine (3) extending laterally from a guide (1) from which the fastening elements are driven. A transport slide (4) is mounted on the magazine (3). A guide channel (31) in the magazine (3) opens into the guide (1) and is open at its opposite end located at a free end of the magazine. The transport slide (4) is movable along the magazine (3) towards its free end into a release position and in the release position can be fixed against movement toward the guide (1). In the release position, the transport slide (4) has a transport latch (41), and a retaining element (6) is positioned on the magazine (3), and both are displaced out of the clear opening in the guide channel (31).
    Type: Grant
    Filed: February 24, 1998
    Date of Patent: November 2, 1999
    Assignee: Hilti AKtiengesellschaft
    Inventors: Kurt Oehri, Matthaus Hoop, Harald Geiger
  • Patent number: 5975398
    Abstract: A button attaching system for securing buttons to clothing by utilizing an I-shaped fastener projecting through the button and the clothing without requiring additional sewing equipment. The system includes a plunging structure, a plunger member slidably movable in the interior of the plunging structure, a hollow needle shaft attached to the plunging structure, and an I-shaped connector securing a button to clothing.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: February 19, 1998
    Date of Patent: November 2, 1999
    Inventor: Paul A. Evans
  • Patent number: 5975401
    Abstract: A hammer-type stapler in which the staple driving element and the staple drive track defining structure are constructed and arranged with respect to the frame structure to move through a drive stroke incident to an operator grasping a handle portion and manually impacting the staple drive track defining structure on a workpiece to arrest the movement of the drive track structure on the workpiece while the frame structure and the staple driving element continue to move toward the workpiece with respect to the arrested drive track structure.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: May 22, 1998
    Date of Patent: November 2, 1999
    Assignee: Stanley Fastening Systems, LP
    Inventor: William S. Fealey
  • Patent number: 5970682
    Abstract: To improve the efficiency of powerful packaging machines for cigarettes or the like, the blanks (10) for wrapping the cigarettes or the like are monitored in respect of correct formation whilst being conveyed along a blanks path (27) to a revolving folding unit (28). Bifurcate photoelectric barriers are positioned on side regions of the blanks path (28) as monitoring units (40, 41). These barriers monitor the state of folding flaps (19. .24), arranged at the side, of the transported blanks (10).
    Type: Grant
    Filed: February 26, 1997
    Date of Patent: October 26, 1999
    Assignee: Focke & Co. (GmbH & Co.)
    Inventors: Heinz Focke, Martin Stiller
  • Patent number: 5971083
    Abstract: Pressure fluid operated impact mechanism having a reciprocating working member (5), a stop member (17) and, formed between said members, a drive chamber (18) with seals (15, 16) and a regulating valve (21) co-operating with a supply opening (25) for pressure fluid, in which opening a sleeve (24) can be arranged for the journalling of the valve. The valve blocks the opening when the working member (5) and the stop member (17) have moved a distance away from each other and is open when they are close to each other. Through the valve and the working member, a discharge channel (33, 31, 20, 32) for pressure fluid is provided which is closed when its inlet opening (33) is inside the stop member and is freed when the working and stop members have moved a distance away from each other.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: July 15, 1998
    Date of Patent: October 26, 1999
    Inventor: Henry Wiklund
  • Patent number: 5960892
    Abstract: The invention relates to an automatically driven pile-driver drilling device for drilling into the earth with a percussion piston moving axially inside a casing, driven by a pressure medium and changeable from a forward stroke to a backstroke, with a working space having radial control openings, a guide pipe with radial control openings extending into the working space and forming a rigid part of the housing, and a control box guided into an annular chamber of the guide tube and axially adjustable in a spring-pneumatic manner.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: August 23, 1996
    Date of Patent: October 5, 1999
    Assignee: Tracto-Technik Paul Schmidt Spezialmaschinen
    Inventors: Gerhard Balve, Franz-Josef Puttmann, Alfons Hesse