Detection and cutoff mechanism for power driven devices

Claim 2

A power device for sequentially driving fasteners carried by collating means in strip form, including a body having a bore, a drive piston reciprocably movable in said bore, said piston having one end portion extendable outwardly of said bore, biasing means capable of moving said drive piston from a retracted to an extended position, means controlling said biasing means for actuation of said biasing means, unitary means capable of detecting the positioning of said power device against a workpiece and including means for actuating said control means, said unitary means being provided with means for cutting off said collating means at a predetermined position following the driving of a fastener by the drive piston, said unitary means being spring urged in one direction so that one free extremity is presented in spaced relation to one edge of said power device for contacting said work surface before contact by said power device, movement in the opposite direction by contact with said work surface actuating said control means and means for extending said unitary means in said one direction to actuate the cutoff means.

Claim 3

A device of the type claimed in claim 1 wherein said unitary means includes a flat blade-like member having an aperture adapted to allow said collating means to pass through said unitary means, the aperture including means for disassociating portions of said collating means from those portions still remaining within said power device.

Claim 4

A device of the type claimed in claim 2 wherein the aperture in said flat blade-like member is located adjacent one end thereof and adjustable means is provided at the opposite end thereof for controlling the movement of said blade-like member when urged in said opposite direction.

Claim 5

A device of the type claimed in claim 2 wherein said blade-like member is made of substantially rigid sheet material and is tapered adjacent its free extremity, an elongated second aperture positioned intermediate the extremities of said blade-like member, spring means partially positioned within a cavity of said body and partially within said elongated second aperture and acting against opposite ends of said elongated aperture to center said blade-like means in a predetermined position, means fOr maintaining said blade-like member adjacent said body for rectilinear movement relative thereto.

Claim 6

A device of the type claimed in claim 4 wherein said blade-like body is provided with one or more dogs engageable with lever means extending between said blade-like member and said control means whereby movement of said blade-like member causes said lever means to actuate said control means.

Claim 7

A device of the type claimed in claim 5 wherein said lever means is adapted to operate in response to a secondary means to cause said blade-like member to move against said centering spring for purposes of actuating said cutoff means relative to said collating strip.

Claim 8

A device of the type claimed in claim 1 wherein said body is provided with a surface oriented parallel to the axis of said body, said detection means including a flat blade-like member mounted contiguous to and in sliding relationship to said surface, said surface having an elongated recess therein, said blade-like member including an elongated aperture positioned intermediate its extremities and in communication with said elongated recess, biasing means positioned within said recess and said elongated aperture and serving to normally position said blade-like member relative to said surface, said blade-like member having a portion thereof extending below one edge of said power device, passage means in said blade-like member positioned adjacent to said free extending end allowing the collating means to exit from the device, pressure on said free extending end of said blade-like member causing the member to move on said surface in opposition to said biasing means in the body recess, said blade-like member further including destruction means adjacent the passage means at its extended end for purposes of acting on and destroying the union of a portion of the collated strip relative to the balance of the strip remaining in the power device, said blade-like member including means for transmitting its rectilinear movement to said control means and means adapted to move said blade-like member to actuate the destruction means.

Claim 9

A device of the type claimed in claim 7 wherein said blade-like member includes a reduced free extending portion forming a trapezoidal shaped aperture surrounded by a narrow rigid web, a pair of lugs extending laterally from at least one of the elongated edges of said blade-like member, the end of said blade-like member opposite to said narrow end being angularly disposed other than perpendicularly to the side edges, an adjustable stop means mounted on said body in opposition to said angularly disposed end of said blade-like member for controlling its rectilinear motion in one direction, means engaging said lug means for controlling and manifesting movement of said blade-like member along said surface.

Claim 10

A device of the type claimed in claim 8 wherein said means engaging with said lug means including lever means located between said pair of lugs, said lever means upon movement in one direction actuating switch means for controlling the biasing means on said drive piston, said lever means further having means for actuation of said blade-like member in the opposite direction of actuating said switch to bring the cutoff means into operation, handle means external of said body connected to lever means capable of actuating said control lever means in the opposite direction for actuation of said cutoff means.

Claim 11

A power device for sequentially driving fasteners carried by collating means in strip form, including a body having a bore, a drive piston reciprocably movable in said bore, said piston having one end portion extendable outwardly of said bore, biasing means capable of moving said drive piston from a retracted to an extended position, means controlling said biasing means for actuation of said biasing means, means capable of detecting the positioning of said power device against a workpiece comprising a flat blade-like member having one aperture located adjacent one end thereof and adapteD to allow said collating means to pass through, a second aperture located adjacent the opposite end thereof and adapted to receive spring means operably engaging both the blade-like member and said body to center said blade-like member in a predetermined position, and means responsive to movement of the blade-like member to actuate said control means.

Claim 12

A power device for sequentially driving fasteners carried by collating means in strip form, including a body having a bore, a drive piston reciprocably movable in said bore, said piston having one end portion extendable outwardly of said bore, biasing means capable of moving said drive piston from a retracted to an extended position, means controlling said biasing means for actuation of said biasing means, means capable of detecting the positioning of said power device against a workpiece comprising a flat blade-like member having one aperture located adjacent one end thereof and adapteD to allow said collating means to pass through, a second aperture located adjacent the opposite end thereof and adapted to receive spring means operably engaging both the blade-like member and said body to center said blade-like member in a predetermined position, and means responsive to movement of the blade-like member to actuate said control means.