Patent ID: 6558059
Filing Date: 2003-05-06
Classification: B05C

Abstract:
In a glue gun, the combination of:a gun casing with a base adapted to receive electrical power from an electrical power source and a barrel with a longitudinal axis terminating in a nozzle assembly through which melted glue may be selectively dispensed; a heater element assembly disposed within the barrel adjacent the nozzle assembly and including an electrical heater element adapted to heat a glue stick selectively removably contained within the heater element assembly; a drive motor; electrical circuit means for applying the electrical power to the heater element and, selectively, to the drive motor; a feed roller disposed within the casing so as to be transverse to and in longitudinal alignment with the barrel and operable, in response to the selective application of electrical power to the drive motor, to be rotated thereby in a preselected direction; a generally cylindrical glue stick holder disposed within the heater element assembly in axial alignment with and between the nozzle and the feed roller and operable to permit the manual selective removal of the glue stick from the heater assembly, whereby the glue stick, when disposed within the glue stick holder, normally extends from adjacent the nozzle through the heater element assembly onto and beyond the feed roller; pinch roller means normally operable to press the glue stick, when so disposed, against the feed roller, whereby the glue stick is urged toward the nozzle in response to rotation of the feed roller in the preselected direction; the barrel has a hinge extending longitudinally along a portion of a barrel top, the barrel having a first barrel side which is fixed with respect to the heater assembly and a second barrel side which is connected to said hinge so as to be selectively rotatable through an arc between: a first disposition which is adjacent the heater assembly, and a second disposition which is remote from the heater assembly to permit access to the glue stick holder; wherein the pinch roller means comprises: (a) first and second roller elements which are mirror images of one another and whose outer glue stick engaging surfaces are complementary to their respective peripheral portions of the glue stick to be pinched, (b) first axle means on which the first roller element is rotatably mounted so as to be fixed with respect to the first barrel side and transverse to the glue'stick, and (c) second axle means on which the second roller element is rotatably mounted so as to be fixed with respect to the second barrel side, the first and second axles being in axial alignment with one another when the second barrel side is in the first disposition; and a trigger assembly disposed within the casing and having a trigger extending externally thereof for manual actuation, said trigger assembly, when manually actuated, being operable to selectively apply electrical power to the drive motor.