Hammer ignition explosive tools with safety means

Claim 2

In an explosively operated fastener driving tool, the combination with a barrel of a bolt housing relatively pivotal about an axis parallel to that of the barrel for movement between breech-open and breech-closed positions, of a grip associated with the barrel for manually brining the muzzle end of the tool yieldingly into ready-to-fire relation to a work piece wherein the fastener is to be driven, and a safety mechanism extending at least partly in the grip and movable during operation of the grip to lock the barrel and bolt housing in breech-closed relation while rendering a charge in the breech impact ignitable by the bolt of said housing.

Claim 3

In an explosively operated tool for driving fasteners, a barrel, a bolt yieldingly cooperative with the breech end of the barrel to impact ignite a charge, one of the bolt and the barrel breech end being adapted to receive and hold the charge until its gases of combustion exhaust into the barrel, a grip connected to the barrel, a tubular member coaxially telescoped in the grip and yieldingly urged to project muzzleward for engagement with a work piece, a bolt housing hinged on the grip and slidably carrying the bolt into and out of operative sealing relation to the breech end of the barrel when the housing is in breech-closed relation to the barrel, interlock means movably mounted in the housing for preventing relative movement together of the bolt and the barrel, and manually operable safety means movably mounted in the grip and effectively operable to render the interlock means inoperative only when the tubular member is forced against the work piece by relative movement of the grip and said member.

Claim 4

In an explosively operated tool for driving fasteners, a barrel, a bolt yieldingly cooperative with the breech end of the barrel to impact ignite a charge, one of the bolt and the barrel breech end being adapted to receive and hold the charge until its gases of combustion exhaust into the barrel, a grip connected to the barrel, a tubular member coaxially telescoped in the grip and yieldingly urged to project muzzleward for engagement with a work piece, a bolt housing hinged on the grip and slidably carrying the bolt into and out of operative sealing relation to the breech end of the barrel when the housing is in breech-closed relation to the barrel, interlock means movably mounted in the housing for preventing relative movement together of the bolt and the barrel, and manually operable safety means movably mounted in the grip and effectively operable to render the interlock means inoperative only when the tubular member is forced against the work piece by relative movement of the grip and said member.

Claim 5

A tool as set forth in claim 2 wherein the bolt housing is pivotally mounted on a hinge axis parallel to and offset from the axis of the barrel.

Claim 6

A tool as set forth in claim 3 wherein a hinge pin extending in the grip and the bolt housing serves as fulcrum for the latter, and the safety means is arranged to displace the hinge pin relative to the interlock means to render the interlock means inoperative.

Claim 7

A tool as set forth in claim 3 wherein the housing slidably carries a cap for receiving a blow for impacting the bolt with the barrel, and the interlock means includes a safety block yieldingly urged into an interference position between the cap and the housing to bar operation of the bolt.

Claim 8

A tool as set forth in claim 4 wherein the safety means comprises a grip lever pivoted on the grip, and a safety lever pivoted on the grip lever, the safety lever having at one end cam engagement with the hinge pin and at the other end a pivot actuator, the arrangement being such that said pivot actuator only has operative engagement with a wall of the tool to displace the hinge pin when said tubular member forcibly engages the work piece.

Claim 9

A tool as set forth in claim 6 wherein the interlock means includes a safety block spring biased into interference position and having a cam surface arranged to be engaged by the hinge pin to displace the block from said position in response to actuation of the grip lever in the grip.

Claim 10

In an explosively actuated fastener driving tool of the type having a barrel provided with a fastener driving ram and a bolt slidable in a bolt housing closeable on the barrel to cooperate with the barrel in impact igniting an explosive charge between the ram and the bolt, a tubular ram guide axially telescoped in the barrel and having a forwardly projecting muzzle end for receiving different lengths of the respective fasteners to be driven into a work piece, an adapter tube telescoped on the barrel and yieldinGly urged forwardly thereof, the ram guide and the adapter tube being connected for joint axial movement relative to the barrel and independently of the ram, an element movably mounted in the housing between a first position wherein the bolt and barrel are prevented from cooperating and a second position wherein they can cooperate when the housing is closed on the barrel, and a safety control mechanism including a pivot actuator and effectively operable manually to shift said element to its second position only when the adapter tube is sufficiently retracted relative to the barrel by engagement of the ram guide with the work piece to provide a resistance point for the pivot actuator.

Claim 11

In an explosively actuated fastener driving tool of the type having a barrel provided with a fastener driving ram and a bolt slidable in a bolt housing closeable on the barrel to cooperate with the barrel in impact igniting an explosive charge between the ram and the bolt, a tubular ram guide axially telescoped in the barrel and having a forwardly projecting muzzle end for receiving different lengths of the respective fasteners to be driven into a work piece, an adapter tube telescoped on the barrel and yieldinGly urged forwardly thereof, the ram guide and the adapter tube being connected for joint axial movement relative to the barrel and independently of the ram, an element movably mounted in the housing between a first position wherein the bolt and barrel are prevented from cooperating and a second position wherein they can cooperate when the housing is closed on the barrel, and a safety control mechanism including a pivot actuator and effectively operable manually to shift said element to its second position only when the adapter tube is sufficiently retracted relative to the barrel by engagement of the ram guide with the work piece to provide a resistance point for the pivot actuator.

Claim 12

A tool as set forth in claim 8 wherein the safety control mechanism includes a grip connected to the barrel, a lever pivotally mounted in the grip, a safety lever pivoted to the grip lever and carrying said pivot actuator, and cam means operable by the safety lever for controlling the movement of the element.

Claim 13

A tool as set forth in claim 9 wherein said cam means includes a hinge pin on which said housing may be turned between breech-open and breech-closed positions relative to the barrel.