US3810290A
Expired / Lapsed
US
⏱️ 0.0 years remaining
Application tool for pierce nuts in strip form
Assignee: MacLean Fogg Lock Nut Co
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Filing: 1972-09-18
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Granted: 1974-05-14
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Expires: 1992-09-18
Abstract
Abstract Disclosed is a tool for advancing pierce nuts to a position under a punch which is to attach the nuts to a sheet of metal. The tool is constructed in a manner to advance the nuts to such position upon the upward or return stroke of the punch rather than upon the power stroke thereof, the power for advancing the nuts being derived from a preloaded resilient member incorporated into the tool. A feature of the tool is the locating of the nut under the punch by indexing from the trailing edge of the nut rather than from the leading edge to avoid the inadvertent cutting of fractions of successive nuts should the nuts be initially improperly positioned under the punch. Another feature is the narrowness of the tool housing which permits the simultaneous application of two or more closely spaced nuts to a sheet of metal.
Inventors
- 👤 W Grube
Bibliographic Details
Application Number
—
Jurisdiction
US
Data Source
google_patents
Last Synchronized
2026-10-23 01:47
CPC Classifications
B; B23; B23P; B23P19/00; B23P19/04; B23P19/06; B23P19/062; Y; Y10; Y10T; Y10T29/00; Y10T29/51; Y10T29/5176; Y10T29/5177; Y10T29/53; Y10T29/5343; Y10T29/53478; Y10T29/53487; Y10T29/53513
Claims Analysis
Total Claims: 12
Claim 1
Independent Claim
172 words
A tool for applying pierce nuts to a panel, said tool comprising a housing having guide means therein, a reciprocable punch disposed in said guide means and extending to the exterior of the housing for engagement with a reciprocable power source, a track in the housing intersecting the guide means for the punch and adapted to receive a series of aligned and similarly oriented pierce nuts therein, pawl means for urging the nuts along said track toward said guide means for the punch, resilient means for supplying power to the pawl means to urge the nuts toward said guide means, said resilient means being preloaded to supply power to the pawl means at all positions of said pawl means and being fixed at its one end to the housing and at its other end to said pawl means, and means connecting the pawl means and the punch for moving the pawl means away from the punch against the action of the resilient means when said punch is moving toward a pierce nut.
Claim 2
Dependent Claim
172 words
A tool for applying pierce nuts to a panel, said tool comprising a housing having guide means therein, a reciprocable punch disposed in said guide means and extending to the exterior of the housing for engagement with a reciprocable power source, a track in the housing intersecting the guide means for the punch and adapted to receive a series of aligned and similarly oriented pierce nuts therein, pawl means for urging the nuts along said track toward said guide means for the punch, resilient means for supplying power to the pawl means to urge the nuts toward said guide means, said resilient means being preloaded to supply power to the pawl means at all positions of said pawl means and being fixed at its one end to the housing and at its other end to said pawl means, and means connecting the pawl means and the punch for moving the pawl means away from the punch against the action of the resilient means when said punch is moving toward a pierce nut.
Claim 3
Dependent Claim
51 words
A tool as described in claim 1, said pierce nuts being spaced from one another, metallic means connecting said spaced nuts and maintaining the spacing between the nuts, and a shear plate in the track under said metallic connecting means and cooperable with said punch to shear the metallic connecting means.
Claim 4
Dependent Claim
27 words
A tool as described in claim 1, and means on said pawl for indexing a nut relative to the punch from a rear surface on the nut.
Claim 5
Dependent Claim
53 words
A tool as described in claim 3, said means for indexing said nut comprising an abutment on said pawl and adapted to contact a predetermined surface on the housing to arrest the pawl when the pawl has moved the said rear surface of said nut to a desired location relative to said punch.
Claim 6
Dependent Claim
22 words
A tool as described in claim 1, said resilient means comprising a spiral wound torsion spring, and means for preloading said spring.
Claim 7
Dependent Claim
58 words
A tool as described in claim 5, said means connecting the pawl means and the punch comprising means pivoted on said housing and having an abutment adjacent said punch, an anvil on said punch engageable by said abutment on the pivoted means, and means on the pivoted means angularly displaced from said abutment and pivotally supporting said pawl.
Claim 8
Dependent Claim
75 words
A tool as described in claim 5, said means connecting the pawl means and the punch comprising a pair of pivoted plates disposed one on each side of said torsion spring, means connecting both plates to cause them to move together, one end of said spring bearing against said connecting means, an abutment on the punch engageable by said connecting means, and a pin fixed to said plates and comprising the pivot for said pawl.
Claim 9
Dependent Claim
75 words
A tool as described in claim 1, said track comprising a pair of spaced shear plates supporting said nuts, means pivoting said shear plates on the housing, and a pivoted support on the housing for the shear plates, said housing having an opening therein through which the support and shear plates can pass, whereby access may be gained to said nUts in the tool by swinging said support and shear plates away from said nuts.
Claim 10
Dependent Claim
33 words
A tool as described in claim 8, said pivoted support for the shear plates extending under the punch and having an opening therein aligned with the punch through which sheared nuts may pass.
Claim 11
Dependent Claim
56 words
A tool as described in claim 9, said pivoted support having a downwardly directed hollow extension in which sheared nuts are accumulated and which serve to transmit the force of the punch to the bottom nut in the extension, both ends of said hollow extension being accessible when said support is rotated away from said housing.
Claim 12
Dependent Claim
85 words
A tool as described in claim 1, said resilient means comprising a spirally wound flat spring, a hub for said spring, said hub having a slot therein to receive the inner end of said spring, an opening in said housing for rotatably supporting the hub, means in the housing for limiting rotation of the outer end of said spring in an unwinding direction, and means fixing said hub to the housing angularly relative to the said outer end of said spring to preload said spring.
References Cited (Backward Citations)
USPTO Annuity & Maintenance Windows
| Annuity Stage | Window Opens | Payment Deadline | Surcharge Period Until | Estimated Fee | Status |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 3.5 Years (Year 4) | 1977-05-13 | 1977-11-12 | 1978-05-14 | $2000.00 | Window Closed / Lapsed |
| 7.5 Years (Year 8) | 1981-05-13 | 1981-11-12 | 1982-05-14 | $3760.00 | Window Closed / Lapsed |
| 11.5 Years (Year 12) | 1985-05-13 | 1985-11-12 | 1986-05-14 | $7700.00 | Window Closed / Lapsed |