Patent ID: 7040417

Claim:
A system for providing cyclical impacts, said system comprising a housing with a longitudinal axis, an impact member adjacent the housing, a movable member movably disposed within the housing, the movable member movable within the housing transversely to the longitudinal axis of the housing, the movable member positioned within the housing with a first space on a first side thereof and a second space on a second side thereof, gas in the first space and gas in the second space, the first space substantially fluidly isolated from the second space by the movable member, the movable member movable to compress gas in one of the first space and the second space while decompressing gas in the other of the first space or second space so that a charge of compressed gas exits from the housing to move the impact member, the movable member movable continuously to provide a series of a plurality of movements of the impact member, the system thereby providing a series of a plurality of impacts.