Faceted fastener driver bumper with cooling slots

Abstract

A bumper sized to fit a cylinder of a fastener driving tool includes a side profile of the bumper defined by a plurality of flat regions and a plurality of convex regions around an outer periphery of the bumper. Included in the bumper are an inner peripheral surface and an outer peripheral surface. The flat and convex regions are disposed on the outer peripheral surface of the bumper in an alternating pattern.

Claims

1. A fastener-driving tool bumper comprising: a body at least partially positionable in a cylinder of a fastener-driving tool, the body having an inner peripheral surface, an outer peripheral surface, an upper force-receiving end configured to be contacted by a piston slidably disposed in the cylinder, and a lower end opposite the upper force-receiving end, wherein the inner peripheral surface defines a central opening, wherein multiple spaced apart cooling slots defined in the body are in fluid communication with the central opening through the body and terminate within the body, wherein the multiple cooling slots are adjacent to the lower end, wherein the multiple cooling slots each comprise a first portion and a second portion transverse to and in fluid communication with the first portion, and wherein the second portion has a greater length than the first portion.

2. The fastener-driving tool bumper of claim 1, wherein the first portion extends radially outwardly from the inner peripheral surface.

3. The fastener-driving tool bumper of claim 2, wherein the first portion is perpendicular to a longitudinal axis of the body.

4. The fastener-driving tool bumper of claim 3, wherein the second portion is parallel to the longitudinal axis of the body.

5. The fastener-driving tool bumper of claim 1, wherein the first portion is cylindrical.

6. The fastener-driving tool bumper of claim 1, wherein the second portion is cylindrical.

7. The fastener-driving tool bumper of claim 1, wherein the cooling slots are circumferentially arranged.

8. The fastener-driving tool bumper of claim 1, wherein the outer peripheral surface comprises multiple flat regions and multiple convex regions disposed in an alternating pattern.

9. A fastener-driving tool comprising: a cylinder; a piston slidably disposed in the cylinder; a driver blade attached to the piston; and a bumper at least partially in the cylinder and comprising a body having an inner peripheral surface, an outer peripheral surface, an upper force-receiving end configured to be contacted by the piston, and a lower end opposite the upper force-receiving end, wherein the inner peripheral surface defines a central opening, wherein multiple spaced apart cooling slots defined in the body are in fluid communication with the central opening through the body and terminate within the body, wherein the multiple cooling slots are adjacent to the lower end, and wherein the outer peripheral surface comprises multiple flat regions and multiple convex regions disposed in an alternating pattern.

10. The fastener-driving tool of claim 9, wherein the multiple cooling slots comprise a first portion and a second portion transverse to and in fluid communication with the first portion.

11. The fastener-driving tool of claim 10, wherein the first portion extends radially outwardly from the inner peripheral surface.

12. The fastener-driving tool of claim 11, wherein the first portion is perpendicular to a longitudinal axis of the body.

13. The fastener-driving tool of claim 12, wherein the second portion is parallel to the longitudinal axis of the body.

14. The fastener-driving tool of claim 10, wherein the second portion has a greater length than the first portion.

15. The fastener-driving tool of claim 10, wherein the first portion is cylindrical.

16. The fastener-driving tool of claim 10, wherein the second portion is cylindrical.

17. The fastener-driving tool of claim 9, wherein the cooling slots are circumferentially arranged.

18. A fastener-driving tool bumper comprising: a body at least partially positionable in a cylinder of a fastener-driving tool, the body having an inner peripheral surface, an outer peripheral surface, an upper force-receiving end configured to be contacted by a piston slidably disposed in the cylinder, and a lower end opposite the upper force-receiving end, wherein the inner peripheral surface defines a central opening, wherein multiple spaced apart cooling slots are defined in the body, are in fluid communication with the central opening through the body, and terminate within the body, wherein the multiple cooling slots are adjacent to the lower end, and wherein the outer peripheral surface comprises multiple flat regions and multiple convex regions disposed in an alternating pattern.

19. A fastener-driving tool comprising: a cylinder; a piston slidably disposed in the cylinder; a driver blade attached to the piston; and a bumper at least partially in the cylinder and comprising a body having an inner peripheral surface, an outer peripheral surface, an upper force-receiving end configured to be contacted by the piston, and a lower end opposite the upper force-receiving end, wherein the inner peripheral surface defines a central opening, wherein multiple spaced apart cooling slots are defined in the body, are in fluid communication with the central opening through the body, and terminate within the body, wherein the multiple cooling slots are adjacent to the lower end, and wherein the multiple cooling slots comprise a first portion and a second portion transverse to and in fluid communication with the first portion, and wherein the second portion has a greater length than the first portion.

Description

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE FIGURES

(1) FIG. 1 is a fragmentary vertical section of the present pneumatic fastening tool, featuring the present faceted bumper;

(2) FIG. 2 is a top perspective view of the present faceted bumper of FIG. 1;

(3) FIG. 3 is a bottom perspective view of the present faceted bumper of FIG. 1;

(4) FIG. 4 is a plan view of the present faceted bumper of FIG. 2;

(5) FIG. 5 is a bottom view of the present faceted bumper of FIG. 3;

(6) FIG. 6 is an enlarged plan view of the present faceted bumper of FIG. 2, featuring hidden elements located at a bottom portion of the bumper;

(7) FIG. 7 is a plan view of the present faceted bumper of FIG. 6;

(8) FIG. 8 is a vertical cross-section taken along the line 8-8 of FIG. 7 and in the direction generally indicated;

(9) FIG. 9 is a left side view of the present faceted bumper of FIG. 4; and

(10) FIG. 10 is a right side view of the present faceted bumper of FIG. 4.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION

(11) Referring now to FIG. 1, there is fragmentarily illustrated a pneumatic fastener driving tool, generally designated 10, which includes a cylinder 12, a driver blade 14 attached to a piston assembly (not shown), and a bumper 16 sized to fit within the cylinder. General features of the driving tool 10 are known in the art. An exemplary driving tool, such as a pneumatic nailer, is disclosed in commonly assigned U.S. Pat. No. 4,932,480, and U.S. Patent Application Publication Nos. 2012/0223120 and 2013/0206811; all of which are incorporated by reference. As mentioned above, it is also contemplated that the present bumper 16 is employable in a combustion powered tool.

(12) In a preferred embodiment, the driving tool 10 includes a plurality of outlet ports 18 defined by the cylinder 12 for exchanging air during reciprocal movement of the driver blade 14 in the cylinder. A spaced array of outlet ports 18 is provided around the cylinder 12, and the shape of the ports, preferably oval, may vary to suit the situation. As the piston assembly travels downwardly toward the bottom of the cylinder 12, the air in the cylinder escapes through the ports 18, and the piston assembly will impact the bumper 16, causing it to be compressed and stressed. With conventional bumpers, after repeated and extensive use of the tool 10, a shock absorbing performance of the bumper 16 deteriorates, and a structural integrity or rigidity of the bumper is also compromised. Further, heat generated by internal material friction due to the repeated impacts on the bumper 16 shortens the working lifespan of the bumper.

(13) Referring now to FIGS. 1-3, the present bumper 16 enhances its structural integrity by employing an arrangement of alternating flat and convex surfaces or regions, preferably located around an entire outer periphery of the bumper. In a preferred embodiment, the present bumper 16 includes an inner peripheral surface 20 and an outer peripheral surface 22. It is contemplated that the inner and outer peripheral surfaces 20, 22 are generally cylindrical except at an upper end 24 and a lower end 26 of the bumper 16. The upper end 24 is rounded, arched, or curved as shown, having a convex shape in the direction from which the piston is received. A plurality of flat or faceted regions 28 separated by a plurality of convex regions 30 are disposed on the outer peripheral surface 22 of the bumper 16.

(14) Preferably, the present bumper 16 is made of a resilient or elastomeric material, such as cast polyurethane, in an annular shape, allowing the drive blade 14 to pass through a central opening 32 of the bumper in driving and return strokes of the piston assembly. An annular flange 34 is provided extending outwardly at the lower end 26 of the bumper 16 for fitting between a bottom surface 36 of the cylinder 12 and an annular ring 37 in the nosepiece (FIG. 1), thereby securing the bumper against the cylinder. An annular protrusion 38 is also provided extending outwardly from a bottom side 39 of the bumper 16 for nesting into the annular ring 37 by fitting into an annular recess 40 (FIG. 1) located in a nosepiece 41 located at a lower end of the cylinder 12. A nosepiece seal 42 is located between the bumper 16 and the nosepiece 41, and has a central aperture 43 for slidably accommodating the driver blade 14.

(15) It is preferred that the bumper upper end 24 includes an annular planar middle section 44 disposed between an exterior angled or radiused edge 46 of the bumper 16 and the inner peripheral surface 20. The edge 46 connects the planar middle section 44 with the flat regions 28 and the convex regions 30. As a result, a first diameter of the edge 46 near the upper end 24 is less than a second diameter of the edge near the lower end 26.

(16) Referring now to FIGS. 1, 3 and 5, further included in the bumper 16 is a plurality of cooling slots 48 disposed on the bottom side 40 of the bumper arranged in a circumferential direction for cooling the bumper during operation. Each cooling slot 48 extends radially from the inner peripheral surface 20 of the central opening 32, and also extends continuously axially at one end 50 of the radial cooling slot spaced from the inner peripheral surface 20 and toward the exterior angled edge 46 at a predetermined height. In a preferred embodiment, the cooling slots 48 are in fluid communication with the central opening 32, such that air can be drawn from the cylinder 12 to each slot for cooling the bumper during cycling of the piston assembly. A more detailed description of the slots 48 is provided in discussion relating to FIGS. 7 and 8 below.

(17) Referring now to FIG. 4, an important aspect of the present bumper 16 is that the plurality of flat regions 28 has an identical total number of regions as the plurality of convex regions 30, where the total number of each region is an odd number. In a preferred embodiment, the bumper 16 has nine flat regions 28a-28i and nine convex regions 30a-30i disposed alternatively on the outer peripheral surface 22 of the bumper 16. Although the nine flat regions 28a-28i and convex regions 30a-30i are shown for illustration purposes, it is also contemplated that any odd number greater than one can be used for the bumper 16.

(18) Another important aspect of the present bumper 16 is that because the total numbers of the flat and convex regions 28a-28i, 30a-30i are odd numbers, each flat region is disposed directly or diametrically opposite a corresponding convex region across a longitudinal axis 52 of the bumper. As shown in FIG. 4, the flat region 28a is disposed directly opposite the convex region 30a across the axis 52, and similarly the convex region 30f is disposed directly opposite the flat region 28f across the axis 52. In this configuration, it has been found that the odd numbers of flat and convex regions 28a-28i, 30a-30i provide an enhanced stress relief by distributing the impact stresses between the regions, and exhibit less fatigue during operation.

(19) Referring now to FIGS. 5 and 6, the cooling slots 48a-48i are positioned in an identical radial direction with the convex regions 30a-30i relative to the longitudinal axis 52. As shown in FIG. 6, the plurality of cooling slots 48a-48i has an identical total number of slots as the plurality of convex regions 30, where the total number of slots, and of regions (counted separately from the slots), is an odd number. As an example, the cooling slot 48a and the convex region 30a are arranged radially relative to the longitudinal axis 52. The cooling slots 48a-48i promote internal cooling of the bumper 16 during operation.

(20) Referring now to FIGS. 7 and 8, detailed illustrations of the cooling slots 48a-48i are provided. It is preferred that each slot, e.g. 48a, has a horizontal cavity 54 that extends radially from the inner peripheral surface 20 of the central opening 32, and ends near the annular protrusion 38. Also, the slot 48a has a vertical cavity 56 in communication with the horizontal cavity 54 and extending continuously axially at one end 50 of the slot spaced from the inner peripheral surface 20 and toward the exterior angled edge 46 and terminating at a blind end at a predetermined height H within a body of the bumper 16, as illustrated in FIG. 8. Preferably, a length of the vertical cavity 56 is greater than the length of the horizontal cavity 54. The geometry of the slots 48a-48i, preferably cylindrical, may vary to suit the situation. For example, the slots 48a-48i optionally have curvy, wavy, slanted, straight, inclined, or other suitable shapes of cavities, depending on the application.

(21) Referring now to FIGS. 4, 9 and 10, a left side of the present bumper 16 (FIG. 4) is shown in FIG. 9, and a right side of the present bumper 16 (FIG. 4) is shown in FIG. 10. Notably, the left side shown in FIG. 9 has the convex region 30a at a center of the side view, but the right side shown in FIG. 10 has the flat region 28a at the center of the side view. As compared to a conventional bumper, impact-related fatigue relief is achieved by this arrangement of flat and convex regions on opposite sides, e.g., 28a, 30a. As a result, the fastener driving tool 10 equipped with the present faceted bumper 16 exhibits an improved bumper lifespan considerably.

(22) While a particular embodiment of the present bumper has been shown and described, it will be appreciated by those skilled in the art that changes and modifications may be made thereto without departing from the present disclosure in its broader aspects.