Abstract:
A hand-operated rivet setting tool for setting blind rivets in tight access spaces. The tool has a long and slender slim-line profile which allows a user installing a vehicle bumper to set blind rivets in the space between the tire and the vehicle&#39;s wheel well without removing the tire. The tool is also characterized by a simple single pivot lever actuating mechanism for the handles that avoids the need for more complicated linkages.

Description:
This application claims the benefit of U.S. Provisional Application Ser. No. 60/831,639, filed Jul. 18, 2006, incorporated herein by reference. 
    
    
     FIELD OF THE INVENTION 
     This invention relates generally to a hand operated rivet setting tool to facilitate the setting of plastic blind rivets in especially tight access situations such as when setting rivets in the space between the tire wheel and wheel well during the installation of vehicle bumpers. 
     BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION 
     In many automobile maintenance and repair shops, especially body shops where repairs to damaged auto bodies are made, it is often desirable or necessary to remove and/or replace the vehicle bumpers. Part of the installation process for installing the bumpers typically requires a series of plastic blind rivets to be set to attach the bumper inside the vehicle&#39;s wheel wells. Usually, this step requires the vehicle to be place on jacks and lifted so that the tires may be removed to allow sufficient work space to be made available to permit body shop personnel to operate the rivet setting tool inside the wheel well without access being prevented by the presence of the tire. The disadvantage of this procedure is that the extra steps of jacking the vehicle, removing the tires and then reinstalling the tires and lowering the vehicle after the bumper is installed is all fairly time consuming. The result is that extra labor time is required to perform the bumper installation and the need to use the shop&#39;s repair bay which space is always at a premium in a repair shop. 
     While there are a number of different hand operated plastic blind rivet setting tools on the market, all are sufficiently bulky in design that they cannot be fit into the maximum several inch space between the tire and the surrounding wheel well, thus requiring the tire&#39;s removal to carry out the installation process. The design constraints are further complicated by the fact that blind rivets made of plastic require a longer pull stroke to set the rivet as opposed to comparable blind rivets made of metal materials such as steel or aluminum. One example of a hand operated plastic blind rivet setting tool is disclosed in U.S. Pat. No. 4,520,648 to Gregory. While this particular tool&#39;s design provides access to narrow spaces so long as the nose of the tool can be oriented along the direction of the restriction, this is not possible when setting rivets in the space between the tire and wheel well. Another example is disclosed in U.S. Pat. No. 6,115,900 to Cerulo et al. This tool exhibits a more bulky design required by the compound link mechanism used to provide a variable mechanical advantage for different applications. 
     The present invention provides an improved rivet setting tool designed to have a long and slender profile for smoothly and quickly setting plastic blind rivets into the relatively tight access space of a conventional passenger vehicle&#39;s wheel well without having to remove the tire. 
     SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION 
     It is an object of the present invention to provide a hand operated rivet-setting tool of a particularly slim-line design to permit the setting of plastic blind rivets into the relatively tight interior access space between the tire and wheel well of a conventional passenger vehicle during the installation of vehicle bumpers without removal of the tire. Further objects, features and advantages of the present invention shall become apparent from the detailed drawings and descriptions provided herein. 
    
    
     
       BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS 
         FIG. 1  is an elevation view, partially in section, showing the hand operated plastic blind rivet setting tool of the present invention in its open position. 
         FIG. 2  is an exploded perspective view of the hand operated plastic blind rivet setting tool of the present invention. 
         FIG. 3  is a fragmentary schematic section view, enlarged relative to  FIG. 1 , showing the tool with a conventional blind plastic rivet inserted therein. 
         FIG. 4  is an elevation view of the rear portion of a typical passenger vehicle showing the restricted space “x” between the tire and wheel well available for inserting a rivet setting tool. 
     
    
    
     DETAILED DESCRIPTION 
     For the purposes of promoting an understanding of the principles of the invention, reference will now be made to the embodiments illustrated and specific language will be used to describe the same. It will nevertheless be understood that no limitation of the scope of the invention is thereby intended, such alterations, modifications, and further applications of the principles of the invention being contemplated as would normally occur to one skilled in the art to which the invention relates. 
     A preferred embodiment of the present invention provides a hand operated rivet setting tool of an especially slim-line design to facilitate the installation of plastic rivets in the area involving the vehicle&#39;s wheel well such as in the mounting of vehicle bumpers. Illustrated in  FIGS. 1-3  is one preferred embodiment of hand operated plastic blind rivet setting tool  10 . Located at the rearward portion of the tool  10  is a pair of upper and lower handles  14  and  15 , respectively, which are normally biased apart by a coil spring  16 . The handles  14  and  15  are pivotally attached together by a pivot pin  18  held in place inside aligned apertures at fulcrum  19  by a pair of spring clips  20 . At the forward end of tool  10  formed integrally with lower handle  15  is a housing  11  which slidably receives the rivet setting subassembly  12 . The housing  11  is open at the top to allow for the travel of the rivet setting subassembly  12 . At the lower end of housing  11  is a threaded aperture  22  which removably receives a conventionally designed nose piece  24  that accommodates a plastic blind rivet to be set using tool  10 . An alternate sized nose piece  24 ′ is housed in the lower handle  15  which may be substituted for the nose piece  24  to accommodate different sized plastic blind rivets. The rivet setting subassembly  12  includes a jaw carrier  25  in which is received a pair of jaws  26  adapted to grip the shank of a conventional plastic blind rivet  23 . The jaws  26  are normally biased together by coil spring  27  captured between retaining rings  29  and secured inside the carrier  25  by a spring clip  31 . The interior facing end of nose piece  24  urges against the jaws  26  with the handles  14  and  15  in their open position and forces the jaws  26  open slightly against the bias of spring  27 . The carrier  25  has opposed recesses  28  (only one of which can be seen in the drawings) that receive a pair of arms  30  extending from upper handle  14  forward of the fulcrum  19 . 
     In order to reduce the amount of space needed to operate the tool  10 , the handles are oriented so that their long dimension “l” extends transverse to the profile dimension “d” at the working end of the tool  10 . Further, the handles themselves have a slim-line shape such that their span or width “w” does not exceed the profile dimension “d” (or increase the profile dimension) for several inches rearward of the forward end of tool  10 . The arrangement just described allows for a very slim-line profile of the tool  10  which permits it to be used in the very restricted work space between the tire  40  and wheel well  50  of a passenger vehicle  60 . Typically, there is minimally only about 2 to 4 inches of workspace (shown as dimension “x” in  FIG. 4 ) between the tire and wheel well and the tool  10  has a forward profile “d” in the area around housing  11  of only about 1 and ½ inches when the handles  14  and  15  are in their open position. Since there are a number of conventionally sized plastic rivets having a pre-setting profile length of between about ¾ to about 1 and ¼ inches, the total profile of the tool and rivet combination prior to rivet setting is within this range and can therefore access this space. When the handles are squeezed close together to actuate the setting of a rivet  23 , the rivet setting subassembly  12  will move outwardly of the housing  11  in the direction of arrow “A” in  FIG. 1 , thereby effectively increasing the profile dimension “d” at the forward end of the tool by about ½ inch to a maximum dimension of about 2 inches. It should also be understood that the handles  14  and  15  are constructed to have a long and slender profile so that the tool  10  may be inserted into the access space at least several inches without the opened handles exceeding the forward profile “d” dimension. Preferably, the long dimension “1” is at least about 8 inches, the transverse profile dimension “d” does not exceed about 2-3 inches at the forward working end of tool  10 , and the ratio between them is at least about 4 to 1, respectively. In one preferred embodiment of the depicted drawings, the long dimension “l” is about 9 and ½ inches, the transverse profile dimension “d” is about 1 and ½ inches. 
     In the typical operation, the plastic blind rivet body is inserted through the workpiece with the shank  32  of the rivet  23  extending into the nosepiece  24 . The jaws  26  are slightly spread apart against the bias of the spring  27  to accept the shank  32  of the rivet  23 . Manually squeezing together handles  14  and  15  causes the cam surface  30   a  on the arms  30  to raise the carrier  25  inside housing  11  and allows the jaws  26  to grip close on the shank of the rivet and exert a pulling force needed to set the rivet  23 . 
     Referring now to  FIG. 4 , use of the present invention allows the operator to set plastic blind rivets attaching a bumper&#39;s mounting flange  33  to the vehicle body by accessing the area adjacent the wheel well  50  with the tire  40  still mounted to the vehicle  60 . The result is a more easy installation of vehicle bumper  35  without having to undertake the extra steps of jacking the vehicle  60 , removing the tires  50  and then reinstalling the tires and lowering the vehicle  60  after the bumper  35  is installed. The tool allows easier installation and a labor savings in installation time. 
     While the invention has been illustrated and described in detail in the drawings and foregoing description, the same is to be considered as illustrative and not restrictive in character, it being understood that only the preferred embodiment has been shown and described and that all changes and modifications that come within the spirit of the invention are desired to be protected.