| Rebar fasteners dispensing gun and method for its use -> Monitor Keywords |
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Rebar fasteners dispensing gun and method for its useRelated Patent Categories: Article Dispensing, Captive Article TypeRebar fasteners dispensing gun and method for its use description/claimsThe Patent Description & Claims data below is from USPTO Patent Application 20070284385, Rebar fasteners dispensing gun and method for its use. Brief Patent Description - Full Patent Description - Patent Application Claims
RELATED APPLICATIONS [0001] The present application claims priority from PCT Patent Application Serial No. 05/30270, entitled REBAR JUNCTION CLIP and filed Aug. 26, 2005, and from U.S. Provisional Patent Application Ser. No. 60/610,601, entitled UTILITY CLIP REBAR GUN and filed Sep. 17, 2004, the disclosures of which are incorporated herein in their entirety by this reference. BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION [0002] This invention relates generally to the field of reinforcement bar (rebar) fasteners as they are used to join two or more length of rebar to reinforce a concrete slab, pillar, footing or wall. More particularly, it concerns mechanical means for conveying, dispensing and applying serial ones of such rebar fasteners to sequentially, securely fasten together two length of rebar in various relative orientations at a two-rebar junction. SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION [0003] A device and method for serially dispensing and applying plural reinforcement bar (rebar) fasteners features an elongate frame configured to carry plural rebar fasteners, the frame including a race for guiding the fasteners therealong; a feed mechanism coupled with the elongate frame for urging the fasteners toward a distal end of the frame; and a dispensing head adjacent a distal end of the frame, the frame and the dispensing head configured to serially dispense and apply the plural rebar fasteners at corresponding rebar junctions. The method of automatically applying rebar fasteners features providing a dispenser including an elongate magazine having plural snap-fit rebar fastener capacity, the dispenser further including a cocking mechanism and a feeding mechanism operatively coupled with the magazine; activating the cocking mechanism, the activating including: opening the magazine for loading thereof, loading plural snap-fit rebar fasteners into the magazine, and arming the feeding mechanism to urge the plural snap-fit rebar fasteners toward a dispensing end of the dispenser; pushing the dispensing end of the dispenser containing an ultimate one of the plural snap-fit rebar fasteners onto a rebar junction to fasten the junction; pulling the dispensing end of the dispenser from the rebar junction to permit the auto-feeding of a penultimate one of the snap-fit rebar fasteners to automatically feed into the dispensing end of the dispenser via action thereon by the feeding mechanism; first repeating the pushing and pulling steps until the plural snap-fit rebar fasteners in the magazine are substantially exhausted; and second repeating the activating, pushing and pulling and first repeating steps. BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS [0004] FIG. 1 is an isometric view of the gun made in accordance with one embodiment of the invention, with a nearly full magazine of fasteners. [0005] FIG. 2 is a left-side elevation of the gun of FIG. 1, with a nearly empty magazine of fasteners shown in phantom. [0006] FIG. 3 is a front elevation of the gun of FIG. 1. [0007] FIG. 4 is a bottom view of the gun of FIG. 1. [0008] FIGS. 5A, 5B, 5C, 5D, 5C' and 5D' are enlarged fragmentary views of the gun used in various phases to load, dispense and apply rebar fasteners, in accordance with one embodiment of the invention. Specifically, FIGS. 5A and 5B illustrate loading and `cocking` of the gun adjacent its proximate end, FIGS. 5C and 5D illustrate dispensing and applying a rebar fastener therefrom adjacent its distal end to form a perpendicular rebar junction and FIGS. 5C' and 5D' illustrate dispensing and applying a rebar fastener therefrom adjacent its distal end to form a parallel rebar junction. DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS [0009] The invention in accordance with a preferred embodiment involves a semi-automatic rebar fastener-dispensing applicator or so-called `gun` including a magazine for at least semi-automatically advancing a train of interlocked plural rebar fasteners toward a dispensing head where each successive one in the train is applied by manual pressure to a corresponding rebar junction thereby to fasten two lengths of rebar in a desired relative orientation whether parallel or perpendicular. By semi-automatic is meant broadly either semi-automatic or fully automatic, whereby (respectively) little or no manual effort is required between successive rebar fastener applications. Thus, a fully automatic embodiment is described and illustrated herein whereby only one so-called `cocking` operation is required to dispense and apply an entire magazine of plural, interlocked rebar fasteners. Alternative embodiments are contemplated as being within the spirit and scope of the invention. [0010] Those of skill in the art will appreciate that near and far from the supportive hands of the user of the invented rebar fastener gun will be referred to herein, respectively, as proximal and distal. In other words, the proximal end of the gun is that end normally nearer to the user's hand or hands and the distal end of the gun is that end normally farther from the user's hand or hands. Generally speaking, the proximal end of the gun in accordance with one embodiment of the invention is a rebar fastener feeding and gun holding end and the distal end of the gun in accordance with the one embodiment of the invention is a rebar fastener dispensing end near the site of the rebar junction to be fastened. Those of skill also will appreciate that the invented gun is useful for dispensing and applying fasteners of the type described for joining any two or more elongate, generally cylindrical objects (e.g. solid or hollow and relatively stiff pins, rods, tubes, pipes, electrical cords, etc.) relative to one another in a parallel or perpendicular orientation to one another, only one illustrative example of which is two lengths of rebar used in concrete construction. [0011] FIG. 1 is an isometric view of rebar fastener gun or applicator (device) 10 dimensioned and configured to apply rebar fasteners at ground level, with gun 10 in a generally vertical orientation. Gun 10 includes an elongate frame 12 configured to carry plural rebar fasteners F (shown in phantom), the frame including one or more elongate, preferably opposing races 14a, 14b for smoothly and securely guiding the fasteners therealong. Gun 10 further includes a feed mechanism 16 coupled with frame 12 for urging the fasteners toward a distal end 12a of the frame. Gun 10 further includes a dispensing head 18 adjacent the distal end of the frame. In accordance with one embodiment of the invention, elongate frame 12 is configured adjacent distal end 12a thereof to curve approximately 90 degrees, such that forces exerted generally along the long axis of the elongate frame are transmitted outwardly therealong in a distal direction from dispensing head 18. Those of skill in the art will appreciate that frame 12 and dispensing head 18 are configured to dispense and apply plural fasteners F one at a time at corresponding rebar junctions, as will be described below by reference to FIGS. 5C, 5D, 5C' and 5D'. [0012] In accordance with one embodiment of the invention, feed mechanism 16 includes an elongate coil spring 20 and a slide member 22. Elongate frame 12 in accordance with one embodiment of the invention includes one or more formed channel members 24a, 24b that include the opposing races 14a, 14b. Opposing races 14a, 14b will be understood to extend substantially along the entire length of elongate frame 12 from distal end 12a to a proximal end 12b, thereby to smoothly and securely guide rebar fasteners F from an open feed inlet 26 to a closed feed outlet 28 within dispensing head 18. Thus, it will be understood that races 14a, 14b are configured within channel members 24a, 24b to capture, for elongate advancement therealong, the plural rebar fasteners F by engagement with oppositely extending guide pins thereof. [0013] Those of skill in the art will appreciate that such fasteners having such guide pins preferably are manufactured in accordance with the teachings of the above-referenced PCT Patent Application Serial No. 05/30270. It will also be appreciated that, also in accordance with the teachings of that patent application, adjacent ones of the fasteners F in the so-called `train` are interlocked with one another so that they remain securely in a train as they travel from the proximal end 12b of frame 12 to the distal end 12a thereof. In FIG. 1, it may be seen that preferably applicator 10 is dimensioned such that a full magazine capacity is preferably approximately twenty-four (shorter gun) or thirty-nine (longer gun) fasteners F sized to accommodate 4-guage (1/2 inch) rebar lengths. Those skilled in the art will appreciate that larger gauge fasteners F proportionately reduce the magazine's capacity. [0014] In accordance with one embodiment of the invention, it can be seen that straight and elongate channel member 24a and curved channel member 24b are affixed to one another effectively to produce a single, contiguous, elongate channel member that includes an approximately 90 degree curved distal end. Those of skill in the art will appreciate that elongate channel members 24a, 24b alternatively can be integrally or unitarily formed, as by casting or milling, within the spirit and scope of the invention, to produce a substantially equivalent structure serving a substantially equivalent function in a substantially equivalent manner. [0015] Referring still to FIG. 1, it may be seen that gun 10 preferably includes an elongate rod 30 extending along and in parallel with and outer surface of channel member 24a between two frame-mounted capture mechanisms 32 and 34. It will be appreciated that a preferably tensile coil spring 20 (one that, when expanded, has a tendency to contract back to its original, normally compressed, relatively short extent) is coiled around a distal region of rod 30 and is captured between a frame-mounted stop member 36 and slide member 22. Those of skill in the art will appreciate that opposite extreme ends of coil spring 20 are captured within slide member 22 and within stop member 36 so that, when a knob 38 mounted on slide member 22 is pulled by the user toward the proximal end of frame 12, coil spring 20 is extended and stores potential energy. Thus, when knob 38 is released by the operator, slide member 22 and a pivotal gate 40 coupled therewith (the latter being in its first closed position illustrated in FIG. 1) are urged by conversion of stored energy into kinetic energy (i.e. by tensile force producing contraction) of spring 20 toward the distal end of frame 12 for the continuous feeding and dispensing of consecutive ones of plural interlocked fasteners F. While in accordance with one embodiment of the invention, spring 20 provides approximately five pounds of force, those of skill in the art will appreciate that alternative spring forces are contemplated as being within the spirit and scope of the invention. Those of skill in the art also will appreciate that gate 40 normally is in a first, closed position against stop fingers 40a, 40b (refer briefly to FIG. 4). Those of skill in the art will also appreciate that gate 40 alternatively can be pivoted into a second, open position (refer briefly to FIG. 5A) for loading the magazine in a region thereof that is distal on frame 12 to slide member 22. [0016] Those of skill in the art will appreciate that coil spring 20 alternatively can be a compressile spring (one that, when compressed, has a tendency to expand back to its original, normally expanded, relatively long extent) that is coiled around a distal region of rod 30, as between fixed mounting member 32 and movable slide member 22. Instead of coil spring 20, the means for leveraging for urging slide member 22 toward the distal end of frame 12 can take the form of a durable, reliable elastic member such as a woven elastic cord or hollow tube having adequate spring force. A sufficient force for feed mechanism to exert on the slide member will be understood to be that which quickly and reliably urges the train of interlocked fasteners F toward the distal end of frame 12 and snaps the penultimate fastener into dispensing position within dispensing head 18 of gun 10 when the ultimate fastener therein is removed (refer briefly to FIGS. 5C, 5D, 5C' and 5D'), regardless of the mass or orientation of the gun or the mass of the fastener clips. (It will be appreciated that the invented gun alternatively may be used in a vertical orientation with the handle-end up and with the dispensing end up, e.g. to fasten rebar junctions in preparation for forming a concrete ceiling or roof, in which case the force of gravity must be overcome). Thus any suitable alternative embodiments of the feed mechanism are contemplated as being within the spirit and scope of the invention. [0017] As may be seen from FIG. 1, open face 28 of dispensing head 18 includes transverse channels 42, 44 configured to receive therein two lengths of rebar in either parallel or perpendicular relative orientation, thus facilitating the dispensing and application of a distal one of plural rebar fasteners F therearound to form a rebar junction. This operation of dispensing and applying a rebar fastener F to a rebar junction will be discussed in further detail below by reference to FIGS. 5C, 5D, 5C' and 5D'. Those of skill in the art will appreciate that generally U-shaped channel 42 is configured temporarily to receive therein one or more lengths of rebar extending along one or more axes C1, C2 while generally U-shaped channel 44 transverse (and preferably perpendicular) thereto is configured temporarily to receive therein a length of rebar extending along axis C3. [0018] Gun 10 preferably includes one or more handles and preferably two or more handles, e.g. 46, 48, as shown, adjacent proximal end 12b of elongate frame 12. It can be seen that preferably the handles include comfortable grips, e.g. those made of durable, contoured rubber. One of the preferably two handles, e.g. handle 46, is adjacent a proximal end of frame 12 and is fixedly positioned, as shown, to extend downwardly at a slight angle (refer briefly to FIG. 2), i.e. to form a slightly acute angle with the long axis of frame 12. The other of the preferably two handles, e.g. handle 48, is pivotally adjustably positionable inwardly from proximal end 12b of elongate frame 12. Thus, in use, gun 10 can be held by the user with left or right hands on handles 46, 48 to `point` the gun and to force dispensing head 18 against a rebar junction to dispense and apply the distal rebar fastener thereat to securely capture two lengths of rebar in parallel orientation (along axes C1, C2) or in perpendicular orientation (along axes C3 and C2) relative to one another. Those of skill in the art will appreciate that handle 48 is pivotally adjustable through 360 degrees to accommodate various user preferences and to increase force and torque efficiencies and to render the use of the gun as quick, effective and ergonomically strain- and repetitive motion-free as possible. [0019] Referring briefly to FIG. 2, it will be appreciated that the magazine is nearly empty, that is only approximately nine fasteners remain therein and the slide member is against the stop. Thus, FIG. 2 represents what will be referred to herein as an empty gun that needs to be refilled in accordance with the method illustrated in FIGS. 5A-5B. It will also be appreciated that FIG. 2 illustrates the variable overall length L of gun 10 for accommodating different methods of use thereof, e.g. a greater length L of a gun in a generally vertical orientation for applying fasteners to horizontal junctions for concrete slabs or a lesser length L of a gun in a generally horizontal orientation for applying fasteners to vertical junctions for concrete walls or pillars. Continue reading about Rebar fasteners dispensing gun and method for its use... 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