Abstract:
A tin tag dispensing attachment for roofing guns and the like includes a housing containing a chamber for receiving a cylindrical cartridge containing a stack of disk-shaped tin tags. The cartridge includes a vertical tubular resilient wall containing a longitudinal slit running the length thereof, the bottom end of the cartridge being expandable by an expansion device carried by the housing, thereby to release the tin tag stack for longitudinal displacement relative to the cartridge wall from a supported position to a released position, whereupon the lowermost tin tag of the released stack is positioned for displacement from the tag feeding station to the tag nailing station.

Description:
SPECIFICATION 
     BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION 
     1. Field of the Invention 
     An attachment for feeding tin tags from a cartridge to a nailing gun is disclosed, including means for radially expanding the longitudinally-split cartridge wall to release the stack of cartridges contained therein, whereby successive tin tags may be fed from the bottom of the stack from the tin tag dispensing station to the nailing station. 
     2. Brief Description of the Prior Art 
     Tin tag dispensing attachments for nailing guns are well known in the patented prior art, as evidenced by the earlier McGuinness U.S. pat. Nos. 5,634,583 and 5,791,546. In these prior tin tag dispensing systems, the attachment systems serve to automatically displace successive tin tags from the bottom of a stack to a nailing station relative to the nailing gun to which the devices are attached. 
     In the aforementioned McGuinness, et al., U.S. pat. No. 5,791,546, the use of tin tag cartridge means has been proposed for supplying the tin tags to the attachment. 
     The present invention was developed to provide an improved tin tag cartridge which is readily inserted into, and easily removed from, the working chamber of the tin tag dispensing housing that is attached to the gun. The invention provides an inexpensive and positive way for supplying a stack of tin tags to the loading station of the attachment. 
     SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION 
     Accordingly, a primary object of the present invention is to provide a nailing gun attachment having a housing containing a dispensing chamber for receiving a tin tag cartridge including a resilient longitudinally split cartridge wall within which is supported a stack of tin tags, expansion means being provided on the housing for radially expanding the bottom portion of the cartridge wall, thereby to release the stack of tin tags contained therein. 
     According to a more specific object of the invention, the expansion means comprises an annular upwardly directed pointed edge having an internal diameter which is greater than the diameter of the tin tags, but less than the inner diameter of the tubular cartridge wall. Spring biasing means bias the cartridge longitudinally downwardly toward the pointed edge, thereby to expand the cartridge wall radially outwardly to release the stack of tin tags supported therein. 
     A further object of the invention is to provide a sectional housing including a cover section that is outwardly pivotable toward an open loading position at which a cartridge carrying a stack of tin tags may be loaded thereon. After the cover means is returned to the closed position and thereby introduce the tin tag cartridge into the housing chamber, latching means are operable to lock the cover section in the closed position. Spring means initially bias the cartridge and tin tag stack downwardly forward the cartridge wall expansion means, and following expansion of the cartridge, subsequently bias the stack downwardly relative to the cartridge wall toward the tin tag loading station arranged therebelow. 
    
    
     BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS 
     Other advantages and objects of the invention will become apparent from a study of the following specification when viewed in the light of the accompanying drawings, in which: 
     FIG. 1 is an elevation view of the prior art tin tag attachment for roofing guns shown in the aforementioned McGuinness, et al., U.S. pat. No. 5,634,583; 
     FIG. 2 is a sectional view illustrating the tin tag attachment of the prior art shown in the McGuinness, et al., U.S. pat. No. 5,791,546; 
     FIG. 3 is a sectional view of the tin tag attachment of the present invention with the cover section of the housing in the open position and with the tin tag cartridge mounted thereon; 
     FIG. 4 illustrates the attachment with the cover member pivoted to the locked closed position, and with the cartridge arranged in the housing chamber prior to the radial expansion of the longitudinally split cartridge wall; 
     FIG. 5 is a front perspective view of the cartridge wall; 
     FIG. 6 is a detailed rear view of the top portion of the cartridge wall, and 
     FIG. 7 is a sectional view taken along line  7 — 7  of FIG. 6; 
     FIG. 8 is a sectional view taken along line  8 — 8  of FIG. 3; and 
     FIG. 9 is a detailed sectional view of the punched out support ledge on the internal surface of the tubular cartridge wall. 
    
    
     DETAILED DESCRIPTION 
     Referring first more particularly to FIGS. 1 and 2, the prior tin tag attachment means  2  are adapted for use with conventional nailing guns  4  and include linkage means  6  that are operable to displace tin tags  8  in succession from the bottom of a stack thereof from a loading position toward a nailing station  10  opposite the location at which the nails  12  are supplied from the magazine  14  of the nailing gun. As shown in FIG. 2, the tin tags  8  may be supplied from a tin tag cartridge  20  that is introduced within the chamber  22  of the housing  24  via the opening defined by housing cover member  26 . Thus, when the cover  26  is closed, the stack S is biased downwardly by the pusher rod  28  and spring biasing means  30 . Successive tin tags  8  are supplied from the bottom of the stack to the nailing station  32  by the slide member  34  that is operable by the linkage means  6 . 
     Referring now to FIGS. 3 and 4, according to the present invention, a novel tin tag cartridge  40  is provided which includes a tubular wall member  42  that is longitudinally split throughout its length to define a slot  44 , as best shown in FIG.  5 . As will be described in greater detail below, the tubular wall  42  is formed of a resilient material such as spring steel, and is provided at its lower end with a plurality of circumferentially spaced inwardly directed ledge projections  46  that support a stack  48  of circular disk-shaped circular tin tags  50 . The cover section  56   a  is connected to the main body section  56   b  of the housing  56  by the pivot means  58  that in turn is supported by the base portion  56   c  of the housing  56 . The cover section  56   a  is pivotally movable from the open position of FIG. 3 toward the closed position of FIG. 4 at which the cover sections cooperate to define the cartridge chamber  60 . The cover section  56   a  is locked in the closed position of FIG. 4 by means of a latch member  62  that is biased by spring  64  toward the locked position in which the extremity of the latch  62  extends within corresponding recess  66  contained in the upper portion of the housing section  56   b.    
     As shown in FIG. 3, the base portion  56   c  of the housing  56  contains a first opening  70  in which is mounted the expansion member  72  having a sharp annular edge portion  72   a  that extends upwardly concentrically within the first through bore  70 . The annular extension edge  72   a  is carried by a plate portion  72   b  that is fastened to the bottom surface of the base portion  56   c  by the fastener devices  74 . The inner surface of the expansion edge  72   a  is vertical and has a diameter that is slightly larger than the diameter of the tin tags  50 , but slightly smaller than the internal diameter of the tubular cartridge wall  42 . 
     As best shown in FIGS.  5 — 7 , the upper and lower extremities  42   a  and  42   b  of the cartridge wall are flared slightly outwardly. The tubular cartridge wall  42  is provided with a plurality of circumferentially spaced rib portions  42   c  that are formed by depressions in a wall, as best shown in FIG.  7 . The side wall opposite the through slot  44  is provided with generally V-shaped supporting rib portions  42   d , as best shown in FIG.  6 . 
     Referring now to FIG. 4, the cartridge  40  containing the stack  48  of tin tags  50  is normally biased downwardly relative to the housing  56  by compression spring  80  that is mounted concentrically about the push rod  82 . At its lower end, the push rod  82  supports a push member  84  that engages the top tin tag of the stack  48 , and at its upper end, the push rod is provided with a threadably connected knob  86 . Adjacent its lower end, the push rod  82  is provided with an enlargement  88  that is adapted for displacement through the slot  90  contained in the upper end of the housing  56 . Thus, when the push rod is displaced vertically upwardly to the retracted position shown in FIG. 3, the helical spring  80  is compressed between the push portion  84  and the upper end of the housing chamber  60 . Upon rotation of the shaft  82  to a position normal to the access of the slot  90 , the push rod  82  is locked in its uppermost position, as shown in FIG.  3 . 
     In accordance with a characterizing feature of the present invention, when the chamber section  56   a  carrying the tin tag cartridge  40  is pivoted from the open position of FIG. 3 toward the closed position of FIG. 4, and when the pusher rod  82  is rotated 90 degrees to the released position of FIG. 4, the compression spring  80  biases the push member  84  downwardly to bias the tin tag stack  48  and the cartridge wall  42  downwardly relative to the upwardly directed edge portion  72   a  of expansion means  72 . Owing to the outwardly inclined surfaces of the expansion edge  72   a , the lower end portion of the tubular cartridge wall  42  is expanded radially outwardly, whereupon the support ledges wall are displaced outwardly from beneath the lowermost tin tag  50   a , whereupon the tin tag stack  48  is free for downward displacement toward the tin tag dispensing position shown in phantom in FIG.  4 . The nailing gun  4  may be displaced downwardly relative to the base portion  56   c , whereupon the vertically shiftable operating collar C attached to the nailing gun is displaced downwardly by the user against the restoring force of spring means F, thereby to displace the tin tag feeding member  90  to the left by means of the slide actuator linkage  92 . The tin tag is then displaced to the nailing position  50   a  ″ shown in phantom, whereupon the nailing gun is actuated to shoot the nail  12  through the tin tag. 
     Referring now to FIGS. 3 and 8, in order to retain the cartridge  40  on the cover section  56   a  when the cover section is in the open position, the internal surface of the upper portion of the cover section is provided with a pair of radially inwardly projecting locator pins  96 , which pins extend through corresponding locator openings  98  contained in the upper portion of the tubular cartridge wall  42 . The locator openings  98  are so arranged that the longitudinal slot  44  is diametrically opposite the side of the tubular cartridge wall  42  that is adjacent the pivot access  58  of the cover section  56   a.    
     Referring to FIG. 9, the ledge support  46  is partially punched inwardly from the tubular wall  42 , thereby to engage the outer peripheral portion of the lower most tin tag  50   a  of the stack  48 . 
     While in accordance with the provisions of the patent Statutes, the preferred forms and embodiments of the invention have been illustrated and described, it will be apparent to those skilled in the art that various changes may be made without deviating from the inventive concepts set forth above.