Blind rivet assembly

Claim 2

In a blind rivet assembly, a blind rivet carrier element comprising a malleable metallic strip having said plurality of rivet bodies uniformly disposed thereon, said rivet bodies comprising a preformed rivet head having a top and bottom surface coplanar with the top and bottom surfaces of said blind rivet carrier strip, said preformed rivet head being coupled to said carrier strip by breakable bridging elements therebetween, said preformed rivet head being depended into a cylindrical body having a uniform inner and outer diameter, said inner diameter being extended through said preformed rivet head and the end of said cylindrical body opposite said preformed rivet head being countersunk downwardly from the outer to the inner diameter thereof, said carrier element further including registration means for aligning said rivet bodies being disposed in opposition to one another along the transverse edges of said strip intermediate said rivet bodies and including perforation means for bending said carrier element interposed between said opposed registration means.

Claim 3

A blind rivet assembly as defined in claim 1, said assembly including a mandrel comprising: a. a cylindrical body having first and second portions, said portions having a breakable annular groove disposed therebetween, said cylindrical body being slidably disposed within said rivet body; b. a rivet forming head depending from a first end of said mandrel external to said rivet body and having an outer diameter coextensive with the outer diameter of said rivet body, said rivet forming head having a beveled surface adjacent said mandrel body adapted to cooperatively engage the countersunk surface of said rivet body; and c. a pulling head depending from the second end of said mandrel, said pulling head having a diameter greater than the diameter of said mandrel and being spaced from said preformed rivet head.

Claim 4

A blind rivet assembly comprising a malleable, metallic rivet body carrier strip having a uniform transverse width and including a plurality of rivet bodies uniformly disposed therein, said rivet bodies comprising a pre-formed rivet head having a top and bottom surface coplanar with the top and bottom surfaces of said carrier strip, said preformed rivet head being coupled to said carrier strip by breakable bridging elements therebetween, said preformed rivet head being extended into a cylindrical body having a uniform inner and outer diameter, said inner diameter being extended through said pre-formed rivet head, and the end of said cylindrical body opposite said preformed rivet head having a reduced diameter from the outer to the inner diameter thereof, the transverse edges of said strip having registration indicia disposed therein at uniform longitudinal intervals along said strip and in transverse opposition to one another, opposed pairs of registration indicia being coupled by perforations disposed in said carrier strip whereby said carrier strip can be positioned at and deflected about the registration indicia and the coupling perforations.

Claim 5

A blind rivet assembly comprising a malleable, metallic rivet body carrier strip having a uniform transverse width and including a plurality of rivet bodies uniformly disposed therein, said rivet bodies comprising a pre-formed rivet head having a top and bottom surface coplanar with the top and bottom surfaces of said carrier strip, said preformed rivet head being coupled to said carrier strip by breakable bridging elements therebetween, said preformed rivet head being extended into a cylindrical body having a uniform inner and outer diameter, said inner diameter being extended through said pre-formed rivet head, and the end of said cylindrical body opposite said preformed rivet head having a reduced diameter from the outer to the inner diameter thereof, the transverse edges of said strip having registration indicia disposed therein at uniform longitudinal intervals along said strip and in transverse opposition to one another, opposed pairs of registration indicia being coupled by perforations disposed in said carrier strip whereby said carrier strip can be positioned at and deflected about the registration indicia and the coupling perforations.

Claim 6

A blind rivet assembly as defined in claim 3, said assembly including a mandrel comprising: a. a cylindrical body having first and second portions of uniform diameter separated by a third portion of reduced diameter, said cylindrical body being slidably disposed within said rivet body; b. a rivet forming head depending from a first end of said mandrel external to said rivet body and having an outer diameter coextensive with the outer diameter of said rivet body, said rivet forming head having a beveled surface adjacent said cylindrical body and being adapted to cooperatively engage the end of said rivet body having a reduced inner diameter; and c. a pulling head depending from the second end of said mandrel, said pulling head having a diameter which is greater than said mandrel and being spaced from said preformed rivet head.

Claim 7

A blind rivet assembly comprising a blind rivet carrier element and a plurality of uniformly spaced rivet bodies, said blind rivet carrier element comprising a malleable metallic strip having said plurality of rivet bodies uniformly disposed thereon, said rivet bodies comprising a preformed rivet head being coupled to said carrier strip by breakable bridging elements therebetween, said preformed rivet head being depended into a cylindrical body having a uniform inner and outer diameter, said inner diameter being extended through said preformed rivet head and the end of said cylindrical body opposite said preformed rivet head being countersunk downwardly from the outer to the inner diameter thereof and including rivet forming means for expanding the end of said cylindrical body to form a blind rivet head, said rivet forming means being disposed within the inner diameter and being in contact with said countersunk portion, said rivet forming means including a cylindrical head coextensive with the outer diameter of said cylindrical body.

Claim 8

A blind rivet assembly comprising a blind rivet carrier element and a plurality of uniformly spaced rivet bodies, said blind rivet carrier element comprising a malleable metallic strip having said plurality of rivet bodies uniformly disposed thereon, said rivet bodies comprising a preformed rivet head being coupled to said carrier strip by breakable bridging elements therebetween, said preformed rivet head being depended into a cylindrical body having a uniform inner and outer diameter, said inner diameter being extended through said preformed rivet head and the end of said cylindrical body opposite said preformed rivet head being countersunk downwardly from the outer to the inner diameter thereof and including rivet forming means for expanding the end of said cylindrical body to form a blind rivet head, said rivet forming means being disposed within the inner diameter and being in contact with said countersunk portion, said rivet forming means including a cylindrical head coextensive with the outer diameter of said cylindrical body.