Patent ID: 6968945

Claim:
A cap assembly for use with an automatic fastener driver wherein caps are fed one at a time into alignment with collated fasteners at a position wherein the fastener driver, when actuated, drives a fastener through the cap and into a substrate, the cap assembly comprising: a plurality of the caps connected to form a strip, the strip being arranged in a coil, with the caps being dispensed from an end of the strip extending away from the coil, the caps being formed of a resilient metal of substantially uniform thickness that is thin enough that a fastener from the fastener driver will pierce the metal without jamming or injuring the driver, each cap having an upper surface with a generally convex portion and a lower surface with a generally concave portion, the caps being interconnected by a flexible adhesive tape that extends along the caps on the lower surfaces thereof, the characteristics of the tape being such that the edge of a cap severs the tape when the cap is penetrated by a fastener driven into a substrate, the tape having a tensile strength sufficient to feed the caps without breaking the tape.