Fastener driving tool

Claim 2

A power-actuated tool comprising: a. a housing; b. a barrel mounted in said housing; c. first opposed wall means in said barrel forming a first portion of a split firing chamber; d. second opposed wall means in said housing forming a second portion of said split firing chamber; e. said first and second wall means being operative to be moved into circumferentially adjacent positions to provide at least four-sided close confinement of a propellant charge positioned for firing in said split firing chamber, and further being operative to be moved into offset positions to permit a propellant charge to be inserted from a lateral direction into frictional engagement with one of said first and second means; and f. means in said housing operative to ignite a propellant charge positioned in said split firing chamber.

Claim 3

A power-actuated tool comprising: a. a housing; b. a barrel mounted in said housing for reciprocal movement therein; c. a pair of opposed shoulders in said barrel providing first opposed wall means forming a first portion of a split firing chamber; d. a pair of opposed forwardly protruding prongs mounted in said housing to provide second opposed wall means forming a second portion of said split firing chamber, said prongs being telescoped between said opposed shoulders when said barrel is in a rearwardmost position whereby said first and second wall means circumferentially adjacent and operative to provide four-sided confinement of a propellant pellet positioned for firing in said split firing chamber; and e. means in said housing operative to ignite a propellant pellet positioned in said split firing chamber.

Claim 4

A power-actuated tool comprising: a. a housing; b. a barrel mounted in said housing for reciprocal movement therein; c. a pair of opposed shoulders in said barrel providing first opposed wall means forming a first portion of a split firing chamber; d. a pair of opposed forwardly protruding prongs mounted in said housing to provide second opposed wall means forming a second portion of said split firing chamber, said prongs being telescoped between said opposed shoulders when said barrel is in a rearwardmost position whereby said first and second wall means circumferentially adjacent and operative to provide four-sided confinement of a propellant pellet positioned for firing in said split firing chamber; and e. means in said housing operative to ignite a propellant pellet positioned in said split firing chamber.

Claim 5

A power-actuated tool comprising: a. a housing; b. a barrel mounted in said housing, said barrel having a rearward portion including a cavity opening into said housing; c. first opposed wall means in said barrel cavity forming top and bottom portions of a split firing chamber; d. bolt means mounted in said housing, said bolt means having a nose portion sized for telescoping containment in said barrel cavity; e. prong means formed on said bolt nose and extending therefrom to form lateral side portions of said split firing chamber, said prong means being sized for telescoping extension between said first wall means to combine therewith to provide a four-sided split firing chamber; f. one of said barrel and said bolt means being movable with respect to the other thereof to displace said first wall means from said prong means to open said split firing chamber for insertion of a caseless propellant pellet; and g. means in said housing operable to ignite a propellant pellet.

Claim 6

A power-actuated tool comprising: a. a housing; b. a barrel mounted in said housing, said barrel having a rearward portion including a cavity opening into said housing; c. first opposed wall means in said barrel cavity forming top and bottom portions of a split firing chamber; d. bolt means mounted in said housing, said bolt means having a nose portion sized for telescoping containment in said barrel cavity; e. prong means formed on said bolt nose and extending therefrom to form lateral side portions of said split firing chamber, said prong means being sized for telescoping extension between said first wall means to combine therewith to provide a four-sided split firing chamber; f. one of said barrel and said bolt means being movable with respect to the other thereof to displace said first wall means from said prong means to open said split firing chamber for insertion of a caseless propellant pellet; and g. means in said housing operable to ignite a propellant pellet.

Claim 7

The tool of claim 3, further including means on said prong means operative to deform a propellant pellet to grip the latter.

Claim 8

A power actuated tool comprising: a. a housing; b. a barrel slidably connected to said housing and movable between a cocked position and a fired position; c. a firing pin slidably mounted in said housing and movable between a cocked position and fired position; d. firing spring means contacting said firing pin to bias the latter toward said fired position; e. slide means mounted in said housing and movable between a forward position and a rearward cocked position, said slide means including a portion aligned with said barrel to contact the latter when said barrel is moved rearwardly whereby said slide means is driven rearwardly to its cocKed position by said barrel; f. sear means pivotally mounted on said slide means and operable to engage said firing pin to cock the latter when said slide means is cocked; g. trigger means pivotally mounted on said housing, said trigger means including a plate projecting therefrom toward said slide means; and h. lug means projecting from said sear means for alignment with said trigger plate only when said slide means is in its cocked position, said trigger plate being operative to engage said sear lug, when said trigger is pulled, to pivot said rear means out of engagement with said firing pin to release the latter for movement toward its fired position.

Claim 9

A power actuated tool comprising: a. a housing; b. a barrel slidably connected to said housing and movable between a cocked position and a fired position; c. a firing pin slidably mounted in said housing and movable between a cocked position and fired position; d. firing spring means contacting said firing pin to bias the latter toward said fired position; e. slide means mounted in said housing and movable between a forward position and a rearward cocked position, said slide means including a portion aligned with said barrel to contact the latter when said barrel is moved rearwardly whereby said slide means is driven rearwardly to its cocKed position by said barrel; f. sear means pivotally mounted on said slide means and operable to engage said firing pin to cock the latter when said slide means is cocked; g. trigger means pivotally mounted on said housing, said trigger means including a plate projecting therefrom toward said slide means; and h. lug means projecting from said sear means for alignment with said trigger plate only when said slide means is in its cocked position, said trigger plate being operative to engage said sear lug, when said trigger is pulled, to pivot said rear means out of engagement with said firing pin to release the latter for movement toward its fired position.

Claim 10

The tool of claim 5, further comprising spring means contacting said slide means to bias the latter toward its forward position.

Claim 11

The tool of claim 5, further comprising second spring means contacting said firing pin to bias the latter a short predetermined distance away from its fired position after the tool is fired.

Claim 12

A power-actuated tool comprising: a. housing means; b. barrel means slidably carried by said housing means, said barrel means including a relatively narrow slot extending longitudinally thereof; c. piston means mounted in said barrel means and movable between a fired position and a firing position; d. a firing chamber rearward of said piston means; e. pawl means mounted on said housing means and operative to engage said piston means to move the latter from its fired position to its firing position when said barrel means is moved forwardly with respect to said housing means, said pawl means extending through said barrel slot; and f. cylindrical means mounted on said housing for rotation about its own axis and operable independently of said pawl for engagement with an end wall of said slot in said barrel means to stop forward movement thereof at a plurality of selectable locations to position said piston means at any one of a number of different distances from said firing chamber to vary the power output of the tool with a given propellant load.

Claim 13

A power-actuated tool comprising: a. housing means; b. barrel means slidably carried by said housing means, said barrel means including a relatively narrow slot extending longitudinally thereof; c. piston means mounted in said barrel means and movable between a fired position and a firing position; d. a firing chamber rearward of said piston means; e. pawl means mounted on said housing means and operative to engage said piston means to move the latter from its fired position to its firing position when said barrel means is moved forwardly with respect to said housing means, said pawl means extending through said barrel slot; and f. cylindrical means mounted on said housing for rotation about its own axis and operable independently of said pawl for engagement with an end wall of said slot in said barrel means to stop forward movement thereof at a plurality of selectable locations to position said piston means at any one of a number of different distances from said firing chamber to vary the power output of the tool with a given propellant load.

Claim 14

The tool of claim 8, wherein said cylindrical means is a drum rotatably mounted on said housing, said drum having an end surface including steps longitudinally offset one from another, each of said steps being positionable in said barrel slot by rotation of said drum to align a step with said end wall of said barrel slot to stop forward movement of said barrel at a different location forward of said housing.

Claim 15

The tool of claim 9, further comprising detent means operable to fix said drum against accidental rotational movement once a predetermined step is aligned with said barrel slot end wall.

Claim 16

A power-actuated tool comprising: a. a housing; b. a barrel connected to said housing, said barrel having a muzzle portion adapted to receive a fastener device; c. a handle secured to said housing and extending laterally therefrom; said handle including a slot for receiving a magazine containing a plurality of propellant charges; d. follower means movably mounted in said handle slot and operative to push propellant charges through said slot and toward said housing; e. first opposed wall means in said barrel forming a first portion of a split firing chamber; f. second opposed wall means in said housing forming a second portion of said split firing chamber; g. plunger means movably mounted in said handle and movable between a propellant pick-up position and a propellant loading position, said plunger means being operable to receive a propellant charge from said handle slot and wedge a propellant charge between one of said first and second opposed wall means independently of said follower means; and h. means in said housing operative to ignite a propellant charge positioned in said split firing chamber.

Claim 17

A power-actuated tool comprising: a. a housing; b. a barrel connected to said housing, said barrel having a muzzle portion adapted to receive a fastener device; c. a handle secured to said housing and extending laterally therefrom; said handle including a slot for receiving a magazine containing a plurality of propellant charges; d. follower means movably mounted in said handle slot and operative to push propellant charges through said slot and toward said housing; e. first opposed wall means in said barrel forming a first portion of a split firing chamber; f. second opposed wall means in said housing forming a second portion of said split firing chamber; g. plunger means movably mounted in said handle and movable between a propellant pick-up position and a propellant loading position, said plunger means being operable to receive a propellant charge from said handle slot and wedge a propellant charge between one of said first and second opposed wall means independently of said follower means; and h. means in said housing operative to ignite a propellant charge positioned in said split firing chamber.

Claim 18

A power actuated tool comprising: a. a housing; b. a barrel connected to said housing, said barrel having a muzzle portion adapted to receive a fasteNer device; c. a handle secured to said housing and extending laterally therefrom, said handle including a slot for receiving a magazine containing a plurality of propellant charges, and at least a portion of said slot opening outwardly through a side wall of said handle; d. follower means movably mounted in said handle slot and operative to push propellant charges through said slot and toward said housing, said follower means further including a protuberance portion projecting through said slot opening for manual manipulation by an operator; e. a bolt assembly mounted in said housing, said bolt assembly having a nose portion of reduced diameter, and said nose portion having opposed wall means providing a side wall portion of a split firing chamber, said opposed wall means being operative to frictionally engage a propellant charge for positive positioning thereof; f. plunger means movably mounted in said handle and operative to transfer a propellant charge from said handle slot to said opposed wall means; and g. means in said bolt assembly operative to ignite a propellant charge positioned in said split firing chamber.

Claim 19

A power actuated tool comprising: a. a housing; b. a barrel connected to said housing, said barrel having a muzzle portion adapted to receive a fasteNer device; c. a handle secured to said housing and extending laterally therefrom, said handle including a slot for receiving a magazine containing a plurality of propellant charges, and at least a portion of said slot opening outwardly through a side wall of said handle; d. follower means movably mounted in said handle slot and operative to push propellant charges through said slot and toward said housing, said follower means further including a protuberance portion projecting through said slot opening for manual manipulation by an operator; e. a bolt assembly mounted in said housing, said bolt assembly having a nose portion of reduced diameter, and said nose portion having opposed wall means providing a side wall portion of a split firing chamber, said opposed wall means being operative to frictionally engage a propellant charge for positive positioning thereof; f. plunger means movably mounted in said handle and operative to transfer a propellant charge from said handle slot to said opposed wall means; and g. means in said bolt assembly operative to ignite a propellant charge positioned in said split firing chamber.

Claim 20

The tool of claim 12, wherein said handle slot includes a straight line portion and a terminal curvilinear portion extending from said straight line portion toward said plunger means, and said follower means includes a pivotally mounted propellant follower operative to move into said curvilinear portion to force a last remaining propellant charge from said slot to said plunger means.

Claim 21

The tool of claim 12, wherein said plunger means includes a springy member operative to grasp a propellant charge issuing from said slot, and further includes reciprocating means operative to force a propellant charge from said springy means and toward said opposed wall means.

Claim 22

The tool of claim 14, further comprising means operative to rotate said plunger means through substantially a ninety degree angle as said plunger means moves longitudinally from a propellant pickup position adjacent said slot, to a propellant feeding position adjacent said opposed wall means.

Claim 23

The tool of claim 15, further comprising spring means operating to bias said plunger means toward said propellant pickup position.

Claim 24

The tool of claim 12, further comprising means in said slot operative to latch said follower means in a position remote from said housing to permit insertion and removal of a magazine to and from said slot.

Claim 25

The tool of claim 13, further comprising magazine means mounted in said straight line portion of said handle slot, said magazine means including a longitudinally extending gap in substantial registry with said slot opening to permit said propellant follower to pass through said magazine.

Claim 26

A power-actuated tool comprising: a. a housing; b. barrel means carried by said housing; c. first wall means in said barrel means forming a first lateral portion of a firing chamber; d. second wall means in said housing forming a second lateral portion of said firing chamber; e. said first and second wall means being operative to be moved into circumferentially adjacent positions to provide side walls for said firing chamber and to further provide lateral contact with and support for a propellant charge positioned for firing in said firing chamber; and f. means operative to ignite a propellant charge positioned in said firing chamber.

Claim 27

A power-actuated tool comprising: a. a housing; b. barrel means carried by said housing; c. first wall means in said barrel means forming a first lateral portion of a firing chamber; d. second wall means in said housing forming a second lateral portion of said firing chamber; e. said first and second wall means being operative to be moved into circumferentially adjacent positions to provide side walls for said firing chamber and to further provide lateral contact with and support for a propellant charge positioned for firing in said firing chamber; and f. means operative to ignite a propellant charge positioned in said firing chamber.

Claim 28

A power-actuated tool comprising: a. a housing; b. a barrel carried by said housing for reciprocal movement thereon; c. first wall means in said barrel forming a first lateral portion of a firing chamber; d. at least a pair of forwardly protruding prongs mounted in said housing to provide second wall means forming a second lateral portion of said firing chamber, said prongs being positioned adjacent to said first wall means when said barrel is in a rearwardmost position whereby said first and second wall means are operative to proviDe lateral confinement of a propellant pellet positioned for firing in said firing chamber; and e. means operative to ignite a propellant pellet positioned in said firing chamber.

Claim 29

A power-actuated tool comprising: a. a housing; b. a barrel carried by said housing for reciprocal movement thereon; c. first wall means in said barrel forming a first lateral portion of a firing chamber; d. at least a pair of forwardly protruding prongs mounted in said housing to provide second wall means forming a second lateral portion of said firing chamber, said prongs being positioned adjacent to said first wall means when said barrel is in a rearwardmost position whereby said first and second wall means are operative to proviDe lateral confinement of a propellant pellet positioned for firing in said firing chamber; and e. means operative to ignite a propellant pellet positioned in said firing chamber.

Claim 30

A power-actuated tool comprising: a. a housing; b. a barrel carried by said housing, said barrel having a rearward portion including a cavity opening into said housing; c. first means in said barrel cavity forming a first lateral portion of a split firing chamber; d. bolt means mounted in said housing, said bolt means having a nose portion sized for telescoping disposition in said barrel cavity; e. second means formed on said bolt nose and extending therefrom to form a second lateral portion of said split firing chamber, said second means being sized for adjacent positioning between said first means to combine therewith to provide a side wall of said split firing chamber; f. one of said barrel and said bolt means being moveable with respect to the other thereof to displace said first means from said second means to open said split firing chamber for lateral insertion of a propellant pellet into frictional engagement with one of said first and second means; and g. means operable to ignite a propellant pellet.

Claim 31

A power-actuated tool comprising: a. a housing; b. a barrel carried by said housing, said barrel having a rearward portion including a cavity opening into said housing; c. first means in said barrel cavity forming a first lateral portion of a split firing chamber; d. bolt means mounted in said housing, said bolt means having a nose portion sized for telescoping disposition in said barrel cavity; e. second means formed on said bolt nose and extending therefrom to form a second lateral portion of said split firing chamber, said second means being sized for adjacent positioning between said first means to combine therewith to provide a side wall of said split firing chamber; f. one of said barrel and said bolt means being moveable with respect to the other thereof to displace said first means from said second means to open said split firing chamber for lateral insertion of a propellant pellet into frictional engagement with one of said first and second means; and g. means operable to ignite a propellant pellet.

Claim 32

The tool of claim 21, further including means on said one of said first and second means operative to deform a propellant pellet to grip the latter.

Claim 33

A power-actuated tool comprising: a. housing means; b. barrel means carried by said housing means; c. handle means secured to said housing means and extending laterally therefrom, said handle means including a slot, at least a portion of said slot opening outwardly through a side wall of said handle means; d. hollow open ended magazine means mounted in said handle means slot, said magazine means including a longitudinally extending gap in registry with said slot opening; and e. follower means movably mounted in said handle means slot for sliding movement into the interior of said magazine means, said follower means being operative to move through said magazine to push propellant charges through said magazine and toward said housing, said follower means including a protuberant portion projecting through said slot opening and said magazine gap for manual manipulation by an operator.

Claim 34

A power-actuated tool comprising: a. housing means; b. barrel means carried by said housing means; c. handle means secured to said housing means and extending laterally therefrom, said handle means including a slot, at least a portion of said slot opening outwardly through a side wall of said handle means; d. hollow open ended magazine means mounted in said handle means slot, said magazine means including a longitudinally extending gap in registry with said slot opening; and e. follower means movably mounted in said handle means slot for sliding movement into the interior of said magazine means, said follower means being operative to move through said magazine to push propellant charges through said magazine and toward said housing, said follower means including a protuberant portion projecting through said slot opening and said magazine gap for manual manipulation by an operator.