Granted Patent B2

US 12,661,767 · App. 15/627,450 · Granted Jun 23, 2026

Inventors: James Sareault (Walpole, MA); Jonathan W. Fairbanks (Coventry, RI); Jonathan D. Kalow (East Greenwich, RI); Wai J. Ho (Providence, RI)

Assignee: Black & Decker Inc.

B25C1/043B25C1/008B25C1/041B25C5/1665

Abstract

Claims (62)

1 . A valve assembly, comprising:

a valve assembly housing which is substantially cylindrical and configured for selective insertion into a pneumatic fastening tool to achieve an installed state and selective removal out of the pneumatic tool to achieve an uninstalled state;

an annulus chamber having at least a portion formed into said valve assembly housing which is substantially cylindrical and which has an air feed side guide rib formed into the valve assembly housing and an exhaust side guide rib formed into the valve assembly housing;

a housing exhaust chamber having at least a portion formed at least in part from a surrounding portion of the exhaust side guide rib and a portion of the valve assembly housing and through which an exhaust air flows;

a housing exhaust port having at least a portion formed into said valve assembly housing and through which the exhaust air flows from the housing exhaust chamber;

a stem bore formed into a portion of the valve assembly housing which surrounds at least a portion of a trigger valve stem assembly when in the installed state;

a reservoir line formed into a portion of said valve assembly housing and configured to receive a compressed air which is fed through the reservoir line to the stem bore;

a head valve assembly having a head valve body having at least a portion inserted between the air feed side guide rib and the exhaust side guide rib when in an installed state and which has a sliding movement that is guided by the air feed side guide rib and the exhaust side guide rib when in an installed state and the head valve assembly having an exhaust opening through which the exhaust air flows to the housing exhaust chamber when in a resting state;

a trigger valve assembly surrounded at least in part by a portion of the valve assembly housing when in an installed state and having a distal trigger stem, and

wherein at least a portion of the distal trigger stem is surrounded by the stem bore when in an installed state,

wherein the valve assembly housing is selectively installed in a fastening tool to achieve the installed state,

wherein the valve assembly housing is selectively removeable out of the fastening tool to achieve the uninstalled state,

wherein the valve assembly housing is configured to bear at least a portion of the head valve assembly and at least a portion of the trigger valve assembly when the valve assembly housing is in the installed state and also when the valve assembly housing is in the uninstalled state.

2 . The assembly according to claim 1 , wherein the head valve assembly has a head valve axis and the trigger valve assembly has a trigger valve stem axis which is collinear with the head valve axis.

3 . The assembly according to claim 1 , wherein the annulus chamber is configured to receive the compressed air to achieve a resting state when the trigger valve assembly is in the resting state.

4 . A pneumatic fastening tool, comprising:

a valve assembly which is selectively removable out of the pneumatic fastening tool and which has an installed state and an uninstalled state,

a pressure reservoir chamber having a compressed air fed to the valve assembly when in an installed state;

a valve assembly housing having an annulus chamber having at least a portion formed into the valve assembly housing which is substantially cylindrical and which has an air feed side guide rib formed into the valve assembly housing and an exhaust side guide rib formed into the valve assembly housing;

a reservoir line formed into a portion of the valve assembly housing and configured to receive the compressed air which is fed to a head valve line formed into a portion of the valve assembly housing and configured to feed the compressed air to the annulus chamber;

a head valve assembly having a head valve and having a head valve body slidably inserted between the air feed side guide rib and the exhaust side guide rib when in an installed state and which has a movement that is guided by the air feed side guide rib and the exhaust side guide rib when in an installed state;

a compressed air inlet port against which a portion of the head valve body maintains a seal when the annulus chamber is pressured by the compressed air in a resting state and which is free of a seal against the compressed air inlet port when by a portion of the head valve body in an actuated state;

a housing exhaust chamber formed at least in part from a surrounding portion of the exhaust side guide rib and a portion of the valve assembly housing and through which a purge air flows when in an actuated state from the annulus chamber to exhaust through a housing exhaust port formed at least in part in a portion of the valve assembly housing;

a trigger valve assembly surrounded at least in part by a portion of the valve assembly housing when in an installed state and having a valve stem assembly at least in part surrounded by a stem bore formed in a portion of the valve assembly housing.

5 . The pneumatic fastening tool according to claim 4 ,

wherein the annulus chamber is configured to provide the compressed air to at least a portion of the head valve body when the head valve body is in a resting state.

6 . The pneumatic fastening tool according to claim 4 , further comprising:

a compressed air inlet port,

wherein, when the head valve assembly is in the resting state, at least a portion of the head valve assembly is sealed against at least a portion of the pressure reservoir chamber preventing a flow of compressed air into the compressed air inlet port.

7 . The pneumatic fastening tool according to claim 4 , wherein when the head valve assembly is in an actuated state the exhaust air flow through the head valve assembly is inhibited.

8 . The pneumatic fastening tool according to claim 4 , further comprising:

at least one of an exhaust opening formed in the head valve and configured to feed the exhaust air to the housing exhaust chamber,

wherein the housing exhaust chamber is formed into a portion of the valve assembly housing, and

wherein the exhaust air flows through the exhaust opening when the head valve assembly is in the resting state.

9 . The pneumatic fastening tool according to claim 4 ,

wherein the annulus chamber is configured to provide the compressed air to maintain a position of the head valve body when the head valve assembly is in the resting state.

10 . The pneumatic fastening tool according to claim 4 , wherein the head valve has a substantially circular circumference,

wherein the exhaust seal has a substantially circular circumference, and

wherein the head valve and the exhaust seal form a seal when the head valve assembly is in the actuated state.

11 . A method, comprising the steps of:

providing a pneumatic fastening tool;

providing a valve assembly housing which is substantially cylindrical and configured for selective insertion into the pneumatic fastening tool to achieve an installed state and selective removal out of the pneumatic tool to achieve an uninstalled state;

providing a trigger valve assembly surrounded at least in part by a portion of the valve assembly housing when in an installed state;

providing a stem bore formed into the valve assembly housing which surrounds at least a portion of a trigger valve stem assembly when in the installed state;

providing a reservoir line formed into the valve assembly housing and configured to receive a compressed air which is fed through the reservoir line to the stem bore;

providing a housing exhaust chamber having at least a portion formed at least in part from a surrounding portion of the exhaust side guide rib and a portion of the valve assembly housing and through which an exhaust air flows;

providing a head valve assembly having a head valve body having at least a portion inserted between the air feed side guide rib and the exhaust side guide rib when in an installed state and which has a sliding movement that is guided by the air feed side guide rib and the exhaust side guide rib when in an installed state and the head valve assembly having an exhaust opening through which the exhaust air flows to the housing exhaust chamber when in a resting state;

providing a cavity of the pneumatic fastening tool configured to receive the valve assembly housing to achieve the installed state;

sliding the valve assembly housing bearing the head valve assembly and bearing the trigger valve assembly into the cavity of the pneumatic fastening tool to selectively achieve the installed state which is selectively reversible by a removal of the valve assembly housing bearing the head valve assembly and bearing the trigger valve assembly by an operator to achieve the uninstalled state;

providing a compressed air to the reservoir line;

providing a trigger to selectively actuate the trigger valve assembly;

providing a drive piston configured to selectively drive a fastener when the trigger valve assembly is actuated;

feeding the compressed air through the reservoir line to a portion of the stem bore;

selectively achieving a resting state of the head valve assembly by feeding the compressed air to exert a force upon at least a portion of a head valve body;

forming a seal between at least a portion of the head valve assembly and at least a portion of the pressure reservoir chamber to block the compressed air from flowing through a compressed air inlet port when the head valve assembly is in the resting state;

selectively triggering the trigger valve assembly to achieve an actuated state;

selectively providing the compressed air to the drive piston to drive a fastener.

12 . The method according to claim 11 , further comprising the steps of:

allowing a flow of a purge air to flow through a stem exhaust port;

applying the compressed air to move the head valve body from a resting configuration to an actuated configuration;

flowing the compressed air through the compressed air inlet port; and

driving a fastener.

Assignments (1)

Continuity (5)

References Cited (400)