US3437250A - Fastener driving tool - Google Patents

Description

April 8, 1969 Filed April 7, 1966 Sheet Q. n. Fm: w ww m Wm M Q N w m% M N t H W Kw g N w wwm h W M. .QVN mm mm Q Q. m J

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April 8, 1969 A. FIEDLER FASTENER DRIVING TOOL Filed April 7, 1966 Sheet United States Patent U.S. Cl. 227-127 24 Claims ABSTRACT OF THE DISCLOSURE A magazine assembly for feeding fasteners into the drive track of a fastener driving tool comprising a housing for holding a supply of fasteners and having a longitudinal axis extending angularly outwardly from the driving axis of the drive track. The housing comprises a fixed wall member including one sidewall parallel to the driving axis and a movable wall member including an opposite sidewall parallel to said one sidewall when in a closed position. The movable wall member is slidable rear-wardly away from the drive track to an open position exposing the interior of the housing so that fasteners may be inserted into the housing from one side rather than the ends, top or bottom.

The present invention relates generally to fastener driving tools and, more particularly, to a power actuated, fastener driving tool having a new and improved magazine assembly for holding a supply of fasteners and feeding them into the drive track of the tool for driving.

One of the problems associated with prior fastener driving tools of this type is the difliculty and safety hazards encountered when reloading the magazine assembly with a new supply or strip of fasteners. In some tools the strips of fasteners are inserted from the rear of the magazine and in others the strips are loaded from the bottom. In power actuated tools, there is always the danger that the trigger or actuating mechanism may be accidentally tripped while the drive track of the tool is pointed toward the operator. This is especially true in tools having bottom loading magazines because the natural tendency of the operator is to orient the tool with drive track pointing directly toward him when inserting a new strip of fasteners from the bottom of the magazine. In tools employing rear loading magazines, the strip of fasteners must be carefully inserted in the rear end of the magazine and then moved forwardly with considerable care in order to prevent the strip from fracturing and/or jamming. Also, after the strip is fully inserted, usually it is necessary to carefully insert a staple follower or pusher before closing the end of the assembly and this whole procedure becomes quite burdensome to an operator in an assembly line position wherein a rapid rate of fastener driving is required.

It is therefore an object of the present invention to provide a new and improved fastener driving tool having a magazine assembly that can be easily, rapidly, and safely reloaded with a new supply of fasteners.

More specifically, it is an object of the present invention to provide a new and improved fastener driving too] having a magazine assembly which can be loaded from one side in a manner that naturally tends to make the operator point the nose of the drive track away from himself while loading.

Another object of the present invention is the provision of a new and improved fastener driving tool employing a magazine assembly which can be rapidly and easily loaded with a new supply of fasteners in a foolproof manner so that jam-ups or clogging of the fasteners in the magazine are not likely.

Another object of the present invention is the provision of a new and improved driving tool employing a novel drive track and driver combination whereby problems ice caused by fasteners jamming or hanging up within the drive track are greatly reduced and the fasteners are more easily cleared from the track if a hang-up occurs.

Briefly, the foregoing and other objects of the present invention are accomplished by the provision of a new and improved fastener driving tool having a drive track and a magazine assembly for holding a supply of fasteners and feeding them into the track for driving. The magazine assembly comprises a housing having a forward end in communication with the drive track and extending rearwardly and angularly outward from the longitudinal or driving axis of the track. A supply or strip of fasteners is carried in the housing, and fasteners are fed forwardly into the drive track for downward driving into a workpiece. The housing comprises a fixed member including at least one sidewall generally parallel with the longitudinal axis of the drive track and a movable member including an opposite sidewall parallel to the one sidewall. The movable member is slidable relative to the fixed member between a forward closed position and a rearward open or loading position. When the supply of fasteners in the tool is low, the tool is conveniently placed on its side with the nose of the drive track pointed away from the operator of the tool. The movable member of the housing is moved to a rearward, open or loading position exposing the inner surface of the fixed sidewall, and a strip of fasteners may then be conveniently placed in the magazine without the hazard of having the drive track pointed toward the operator. After the new supply of fasteners has been placed in the open magazine assembly, the movable member is moved to a forward, closed position completely enclosing the magazine and, upon closing the housing, the fasteners are automatically biased forwardly toward the drive track.

Another novel aspect of the invention is the construction of the drive track and driver whereby problems arising from jam-ups or wedging of deformed fasteners in the drive track are more easily cleared. The drive track is provided with at least one wall thereof disposed in acute angular relation with a longitudinal corner and an adjacent, facing side of the driver so that if the driver encounters a jammed, wedged fastener in the track, the driver and fastener can deflect toward the wider portion of the track, many times resulting in clearing of the fastener from the track or less damage resulting to the tool because of the hung fastener. Camming action between the driver and track tends to free the driver, and the fastener has a little room to move toward the wider portion of the track so that it is not welded to the driver or a sidewall of the track, as was the case sometimes in previous tools. For a better understanding of the invention, reference should be had to the following detailed description taken in conjunction with the drawings, in which:

FIG. 1 is a side elevational view of a new and improved fastener driving tool embodying the present invention;

FIG. 2 is a fragmentary front elevational view looking in the direction of thearrows 22 of FIG. 1;

FIG. 3 is a longitudinal sectional view of the tool taken substantially along line 33 of FIG. 2;

FIG. 4 is a transverse sectional view through the magazine assembly of the tool taken substantially along line 4-4 of FIG. 3;

FIG. 5 is a horizontal, longitudinal, sectional view of the tool taken substantially along line 55 of FIG. 3;

FIG. 6 is a fragmentary rear elevational view of the tool looking in the direction of the arrows 66 of FIG. 3;

FIG. 7 is an enlarged fragmentary, horizontal, sectional view taken substantially along theline 7--7 of FIG. 3;

FIG. 8 is a view looking downwardly on the tool of 3 FIG. 1 when the tool is placed on its side with the nose of the drive track pointed away from the viewer and the magazine assembly is in an open condition for loading with a new supply of fasteners;

FIG. 9 is a fragmentary sectional View of the drive track of the tool taken substantially along line 99 of FIG. 3; and

FIG. 10 is a fragmentary, transverse, sectional view of the drive track of the tool taken substantially along line 10-10 of FIG. 9, but illustrating the driver of the tool in a position partway down the drive track on a driving stroke.

Referring now to the drawings, therein is illustrated a fastener driving tool 10 embodying the present invention and including abody 12 with a downwardly extending forward orhead portion 14 for holding the drive mechanism of the tool (not shown) and a rearwardly extendinghandle portion 16. The drive mechanism may be either pneumatically or electrically powered and it includes a reciprocally movable driver 18 (FIG. 3) which is movable downwardly on a driving stroke to drive fasteners, such as thestaples 20, or the like, which are fed into a drive track orslideway 22. Thedrive track 22 comprises a downwardly extending slot formed in aremovable nosepiece 24 which depends downwardly from the lower end of thehead portion 14. Driving strokes are initiated by the operator of the tool by depressing a trigger member 26 which is pivotally mounted on the underside of thehandle 16. When operating the tool 10, thehandle 16 is grasped by the operator and the tool is positioned with the lower end of thenosepiece 24 against or near a workpiece. The trigger 26 is depressed, actuating thedriver 18 to move downwardly in theslideway 22 and drive a staple into the workpiece. After a driving stroke, thedriver 18 moves up wardly to the position shown in FIG. 3 in preparation for the next driving stroke and another staple is automatically fed into position in the drive track.

A supply or strip ofstaples 20 is housed in amagazine assembly 30 having a forward end in communication with thedrive track 22 and extending angularly and rearwardly with respect to the longitudinal or driving axis of the track. The magazine assembly forms a housing or enclosure for the supply of staples and feeds the staples forwardly, one at a time, into the slideway after each return or upward stroke of the driver. The housing of the magazine is formed by afixed wall member 32 and asliding wall member 34. both of generally L-shaped cross section and slidably engaged with one another to form a generally rectangular cross-sectioned enclosure orguideway 36 for the staples (FIG. 4). Preferably, thefixed wall member 32 is integrally formed with thetool body 12 and the forward end thereof joins the lower end of thehead portion 14. The rear end of the fixed wall member and the rear end of thebody handle 16 are integrally connected by an intermediate leg or handlebutt portion 38, leaving anopen space 39 in the tool body to accommodate the hand of the operator when grasping the tool.

Thestaple guideway 36 is defined by atop wall 32a and onesidewall 32!), which comprise inner wall surfaces on thefixed wall member 32. These walls are perpendicular to each other and thesidewall 32b is generally parallel to the longitudinal or driving axis of thedrive track 22. Thesliding wall member 34 includes an inner bottom wall surface 344: opposite and parallel to thetop wall 32a and an inner sidewall surface 34b which is opposite and parallel to thefixed sidewall 32a. Thefixed wall member 32 is provided with a pair of longitudinally extending slots opening on the top andsidewall surfaces 32a and 32b, respectively, to slidably receive the outer longitudinal edges of thesliding wall member 34, as best shown in FIGS. 2 and 4. Thesliding wall member 34 is slidable toward and away from thedrive track 22 between a forward position (FIGS.

4 1 and 3) wherein the housing is completely closed and a rearward or open position (FIG. 8) to permit loading of a new strip ofstaples 20 into the magazine assembly.

The forward end of the magazine housing andstaple guideway 36 is open to permit the staples to be fed, one at a time, into thedrive track 22. The strip ofstaples 20 is guided during forward movement in the magazine housing by an upstanding, longitudinally extendingguide rail 40 which is secured to thebottom wall 34a of thesliding wall member 34. As illustrated in FIG. 3, theguide rail 40 includes several depending lugs ortabs 40a which extend through openings formed in thebottom wall 34a and the tabs are deformed on the underside of the bottom wall to hold the guide rail rigidly in place in an upright position. Forward movement of the strip of staples in the magazine is also guided by the fixed sidewall surface 3212 which is spaced from theguide rail 40 to permit legs of thestaples 20 to slide therebetween. Thefixed top wall 32a also aids in guiding the staples during forward movement in the magazine assembly and is provided with a longitudinally extendingrecess 42 which accommodates the upper or bight portion of the staples. The upper edge of theguide rail 40 extends upwardly a short distance into the open mouth of therecess 42 in the top wall so that the staples are secured against vertical or lateral movements on the guide rail but may move freely in a direction longitudinally along the guide rail and into the drive track at the forward end. The intersecting corner or edge between therecess 42 and thetop wall surface 32a is chamfered or beveled as at 42a t provide for easier insertion of a strip of staples into the magazine assembly.

The forward end of theguide rail 40 is provided with a downwardly depending wedge-shapedsegment 44 which forms a portion of the rear wall of thedrive track 22, and the wedge-shapedsegment 44 is stiffened by a pair of gussets 45 (FIGS. 4 and 8) secured to opposite sides of the segment. The forward edges of the wedge-shapedsegment 44 and thegussets 45 form the rear wall of the drive track when themagazine housing 30 is in a forward or closed position, as shown in FIGS. 3, 5, and 10. When the magazine is in the closed position, aforward end 340 of the slidingwall member 34 abuts a rear face 24a of thenosepiece 24, as best shown in FIG. 5; however, the forward edge portions of thesegment 44 andgussets 45 project forwardly beyond the face 24a into anenlarged recess 27 formed in the rear face of the nose piece adjacent the lower end of the drive track, as best illustrated in FIGS. 9 and 10. Therecess 27 includes a pair of outwardly divergingopposite sidewalls 27a (FIG. 10) which are engaged by the forward outer corners of thegussets 45 when the magazine is fully closed, and this engagement serves to insure that the forward end of the magazine assembly is accurately centered and aligned with thenosepiece 24. When the sliding wall member is retracted to the open position (FIG. 8) for reloading, thedrive track 22 is opened and, should a staple become wedged o-r jammed in the drive track at any time, it can be easily cleared and removed by opening the magazine assembly, as described.

The strips ofstaples 20 positioned on theguide rail 40 are biased toward the forward end of themagazine assembly 30 by means of apusher 46 slidably mounted on the guide rail and connected to anelongated biasing spring 48. One end of thespring 48 is connected to a laterally extendinglug 46a at the rear end of the pusher and the spring extends forwardly thereof for engagem nt around anidler pulley 50 mounted at the forward end of the slidingwall member 34 on anaxle 52. Theaxle 52 comprises a rivet, or the like, extending from the sidewall 34b of the slidingwall member 34, and thepulley 50 is mounted for free rotation thereon. Thespring 48 also extends rearwardly from the pulley to the rear end of the magazine assembly where the other end of the spring is connected to abracket assembly 54. The

length of thespring 48 is such that even when the forward edge of the pusher is even with, or slightly forward of, the forward end of theguide rail 40, there is some tension in the spring. This insures that a forward force is always maintained on the strip of staples on the guide rail when the magazine assembly is closed, regardless of the number of staples in the strip. Thepusher 46 is prevented from extending forwardly into thedrive track 22 by means of a small lug or projection 46b on one side of the pusher which comes in contact with the rear face of thenosepiece 24 when the pusher is in a full forward position. When the magazine is opened by rearward movement of the slidingwall member 34, the pusher moves forward to a position wherein the forward end thereof is slightly beyond the forward end of theguide rail 40. This position is maintained as long as the magazine is open and the pusher is not engaging any staples by the action of thespring 48.

In order to limit the rearward sliding travel of the slidingwall member 34 so that it does not become disengaged from the fixedwall member 32,U-shaped stop member 56 is mounted on thetool body 12 adjacent the rear end of themagazine assembly 30. Thestop member 56 includes a pair of spaced-apart,upstanding legs 56a which are secured to thebody 12 by abolt 58 extending through thehandle butt portion 38. Thelegs 56a are integrally joined by alower bight portion 56b which underlies the slidingbottom wall 34a of the magazine assembly, as best shown in FIG. 6, and is engageable with thesegment 44 to limit rearward travel of the slidingmember 34. If it is desired to completely disassembly themagazine assembly 30, thestop member 56 is disassembled from thetool body 12 by removing thebolt 58, and the slidingwall member 34 and parts carried thereon can then be withdrawn rearwardly from the tool and separated completely from the fixedwall member 32.

In addition to its function in holding thestop member 56 in place, thebolt 58 also serves as a locking pin for a latchingassembly 60 adjacent the rear end of the slidingwall member 34. Thebolt 58 extends through arecess 38a formed in thehandle butt portion 38 to accommodate the forward end of a pivotally mountedlatch member 62. Thelatch member 62 is supported on a pivot pin 64 which, in turn, is supported on a pair of spaced-apart,upstanding legs 54a of thebracket 54, as best shown in FIGS. 3 and 6.

Thebracket 54 comprises a pair of generally Z-shaped members (FIG. 6) having lower leg portions 5417 joined together and to the sidewall 34b of slidingwall member 34 by spot welding or other means. The Z-shaped members also include horizontally extending middle portions 54c and the upper spaced-apart legs 54a. Thelatch member 62 is formed by a pair of identical parts preferably spot welded together after they are stamped out of sheet material and bent to shape. The forward end of the latch member is provided with adownwardly opening recess 62a for engagement with thelatch bolt 58 and an inclined, forwardcarrrming surface 62b, which rides upwardly over the latch bolt during closure of the magazine assembly. The rear end of the latch member includes a pair of outwardly extending ears 620 which form a handle or push buttonlike area so that an operator may depress the rear end of the latching member and release it from engagement with thelatch bolt 58. The latch member is biased toward a latch position by means of anupstanding latch spring 70 which bears upwardly against the rear end portion of the latch member. Thelatch spring 70 is held in position between opposed facing indentations formed in theupstanding legs 54a of the Z-shapedbracket assembly 54. The lower end of the latch spring bears against the middle portion 540 of one member forming thebracket 54, and the upper end of the spring is received in arecess 62d formed in the under edge of the latchingmember 62.

When it is desired to open themagazine assembly 30,

6 the tool 10 is placed on its side with thenosepiece 24 pointing away from the operator for safety reasons, as shown in FIG. 8. When in this position, should the trigger 26 be accidentally depressed, the staples would fire in a direction away from rather than directly toward the operator. Thelatch 62 is then depressed to release the forward end thereof from engagement with thelatch bolt 58, and the slidingwall member 34 can then be withdrawn rearwardly of the fixedwall member 32 until thesegment 44 strikes the bottom orbight 56b of the stop member. As the slidingwall member 34 is moved rearwardly with respect to the fixedwall member 32, theguide rail 40 is also moved rearwardly, and any staples in the magazine at this time remain in their previous position resting on the fixedsidewall 32b. Thepusher 46 moves to its full forward position on theguide rail 40 until the tension in thespring 48 is relieved somewhat.

Additional staples can now be loaded into themagazine assembly 30 from the open side directly in view of the operator. A new strip ofstaples 20 is laid against the fixedwall 32b behind the strip already in the magazine. The new strip is orientated with legs or pointed ends of the staples extending away from the operator, and the strip is moved toward the operator so that the bight portion of the staples extends into theslot 42 in the fixedupper wall 32a of the magazine assembly. After the new strip has been positioned in this manner, the slidingwall member 34 is moved forwardly to the closed position (FIG. 3) and is latched in'place by thelatch 62 andlatch pin 58. During this forward movement, theguide rail 40 slides between the legs of the strips of staples and thepusher 46 engages the rearwardmost staple in the strips, urging the strips forwardly toward thedrive track 22. Therecess 42 in thetop wall 32a aids in maintaining the strips of staples in position during closing movement of the slidingwall member 34. Because the staples are stationary and the guide rail and pusher move during closing of the magazine assembly, there is little chance of a jam-up or rupturing of the strip occurring.

As the slidingwall member 34 approaches the closed position, theforward surface 62b of thelatch member 62 engages thelatch bolt 58 and cams the forward end of the latch member upward until therecess 62a is adjacent the latch bolt, and at this point the latch member moves to the latching position, as shown in FIG. 3, under the influence of thelatch spring 70. When in a latched position, the spring urges thelatch member 62 to pivot in a counterclockwise direction about the mounting pin 64. The counterclockwise bias on the latch member tends to force the slidingwall member 34 forwardly because of the slope on the forward surface of therecess 62a which engages thelatch bolt 58. Accordingly, the slidingwall member 34 and the components carried thereon are continuously urged in a forward direction when thelatch member 62 is in a latched condition.

Another aspect of the invention is the new and unique construction of the drive track and driver of the tool to reduce tool damage caused by a wedged fastener and facilitate clearing thereof after a hang-up has occurred. As illustrated in FIGS. 9 and 10, thedrive track 22 comprises a slot or track formed in the rear face of thenose piece 24 and a rear wall of the track is formed by the forward faces of thesegment 44 andgussets 45 of themagazine assembly 30 when in a forward, closed position. The slot or track includes a forward wall or face 220: parallel to the rear wall of the track and a pair of opposite sidewalls or faces 2212 which diverge outwardly away from each other at obtuse angles with respect to thefront face 22a. Accordingly, thedrive track 22 is somewhat trapezoidal in cross section, and is wider at the rear wall than it is at thefront wall 22a. Thedriver 18, which slides in thedrive track 22, preferably is rectangular in cross section and includes a pair of wide faces or sides 18a (FIGS. 3 and 10), parallel with the forward and rear walls of the drive track, and a pair of narrow faces orsides 18b, perpendicular or normal thereto. As shown in FIG. 10, thenarrow sides 18b of the driver are in acute, angular relation with the sidewalls 22b of the drive track and, in a tool built in accordance with the invention, these angles were approximately eight degrees. Thedriver 18 is dimensioned in cross section so that its wider sides 18a are slightly less in width than thefront wall 22a of the drive track, and thenarrower sides 18b of the driver are slightly less in width than the distance between the front and rear walls of the drive track. This provides for easy sliding movement of thedriver 18 in thetrack 22 under normal conditions, although the clearance between the driver and drive track, as illustrated in FIG. 10, is somewhat exaggerated for clarity.

In prior high-powered tools of the general type as that of the present invention, when a fastener becomes wedged in the drive track, the energy delivered by the driver on a driving stroke is sometimes high enough to actually weld the wedged fastener to the driver or gouge a wall of the track. When driving U-shaped staples, the crown or bight of a wedged staple is sometimes deformed to the extent that it wedges tightly between the drive track wall and driver and is diflicult toclear. In many cases, the driver must be removed and replaced, and this is also true of the drive track itself when it has been excessively damaged because of the wedged fastener.

In the tool of the present invention, many of these problems are reduced or eliminated by the unique construction of the driver and drive track. Should afastener 20 become wedged or hung up in thedrive track 22, thedriver 18 will tend to bend or buckle around a transverse axis as it encounters the wedged fastener on a driving stroke. When this occurs, the lower end of the driver, if deflected against one or the other of the diverging sidewalls, is cammed by the wall toward the wider portion of the drive track. Because of the diverging sidewalls, the fasteners also can move more easily toward the wider portion of the track and hang-ups are less likely to occur wherein the fastener becomes welded to the driver or wedged between the blade and the walls of the drive track.

Because theforward wall 22a of the drive track is still only slightly larger than the width of the fasteners and thedriver 18, good guiding action on the fastener during a driving stroke is not sacrificed by making the rear wall of the drive track slightly wider because of the divergent opposing sidewalls 22b. The divergingsidewalls 22b function as camrning surfaces to move thedriver 18 toward the wider rear wall of the drive track and, additionally, provide for increased clearance between thenarrow sides 18b of the driver and the drive track sidewall to reduce the possibility of fasteners becoming jammed in the track.

The unique construction of the drive track and driver of the tool greatly reduces the number of hung-up fasteners encountered during normal operation and, in addition, reduces the possibility of damage to the tool should a fastener hang-up occur. This is a distinct and time-saving advantage over previous tools and provides for increased utility of the tool. In addition, the tool provides for easy and rapid side loading of the magazine with fasteners in a manner that is safe to the operator, as previously pointed out. Because of these features, the tool is extremely useful where high production rates are required and is simple in operation, economical to manufacture, and foolproof in operation.

While there has been illustrated and described a single embodiment of the present invention, it will be appreciated that numerous changes and modifications will occur to those skilled in the art, and it is intended in the appended claims to cover all those changes and modifications which fall within the true spirit and scope of the present invention.

What is claimed as new and desired to be secured by Letters Patent of the United States is:

1. A magazine assembly for feeding fasteners into the drive track of a fastener driving tool, said magazine assembly comprising a housing for holding a supply of fasteners and having a longitudinal axis extending angularly outwardly from the driving axis of said drive track, said housing comprising a fixed wall member including one sidewall parallel to said driving axis and a movable wall member including an opposite sidewall parallel to said one sidewall when in a closed position and movable to an open position permitting the insertion of fasteners into said housing from the opposite side thereof.

2. The magazine assembly of claim 1 wherein said movable wall member is longitudinally slidable relative to said fixed member between a forward closed position toward said drive track and a rearward open position away from said drive track.

3. The magazine assembly ofclaim 2 wherein said fixed wall member includes a wall portion generally normal to said one sidewall and said movable wall member includes an opposite wall portion generally normal to said opposite wall.

4. The magazine assembly ofclaim 2 wherein said fixed wall member and said movable wall member are generally L-shaped in transverse cross section and are in direct, longitudinal, sliding engagement with each other.

5. The magazine assembly of claim 3' wherein the wall portion of said fixe wall member forms a top wall of said housing remote from the lower end of said drive track and the wall portion of said movable wall member includes a bottom wall of said housing opposite said top wall.

6. The magazine assembly of claim '5 wherein said top wall is formed with a longitudinally extending recess on the inner surface thereof, said recess defining the upper wall of a fastener guideway extending longitudinally in said housing and communicating at its forward end with said drive track.

7. The magazine assembly of claim 6 including a fastener guide rail carried by said movable wall member and extending longitudinally in said housing, said guide rail having an upper portion extending into said recess to define a portion of said fastener guideway therebetween.

8. The magazine assembly ofclaim 7 including pusher means slidably mounted on said guide rail and biasing means between said guide rail and said opposite sidewall connected with said pusher means for biasing fasteners into said drive track.

9. A magazine assembly for feeding fasteners into the drive track of a fastener driving tool, said magazine assembly including a housing for holding a supply of fasteners and extending angularly outwardly with respect to the longitudinal axis of said drive track, said housing comprising a fixed wall member including one sidewall and a top wall, and a movable wall member slidably mounted on said fixed member including an opposite sidewall parallel to said one sidewall and to said axis of said drive track.

10. The magazine assembly ofclaim 9 wherein said top wall includes a longitudinally extending recess formed on the inner surface thereof defining the upper surface of a fastener guideway extending longitudinally of said housing.

11. The magazine assembly of claim 10 including a fastener guiding rail secured to said movable wall member, said rail including an upper portion extending into said recess but spaced from said upper surface of said guideway.

12. The magazine assembly of claim 11 including pusher means slidably mounted on said guide rail and biasing means extending between said guide rail and said opposite sidewall for biasing said pusher means toward said drive track. a

113. A fastener driving tool comprising a drive track and a driver slidably disposed therein to move along the longitudinal axis of said track for driving a fastener, said driver including a longitudinally extending corner formed by the intersection of a pair of sides thereof, said drive track including at least one wall disposed to face one side and said corner of said driver, said one side of said driver and said one wall of said drive track disposed to lie in planes in angular relation with respect to one another.

'14. The fastener driving tool of claim 13 wherein said drive track includes a second wall intersecting said one wall and lying in obtuse angular relation with said one wall.

:15. The fastener driving tool ofclaim 14 wherein the other side of said driver is disposed to slide in parallel facing relation with said second wall of said drive track.

16. The fastener driving tool of claim 113- wherein said drive track is trapezoidal in transverse cross section and said driver is rectangular in cross section, said drive track including a third wall opposite said one wall, said one wall and said third wall disposed in outwardly divergent planes and in acute angular relation to respective opposite sides of said driver.

17. (The fastener driving tool of claim 13 wherein said drive track includes a second intersecting wall with the included angle between said second wall and said one wall being an obtuse angle, the other side of said driver disposed in facing relation with said second wall and said driver being laterally deflectable to engage the corner thereof with said one wall of said drive track camming said driver away from said second wall.

18. A fastener driving tool comprising structure defining a drive track and a driver slidably mounted therein, a magazine assembly slidable toward and away from said drive track to feed fasteners thereto for driving by said driver, slot means defined in said structure facing a forward end of said magazine assembly and including a pair of opposing diverging surfaces extending outwardly toward said magazine assembly, and centering means adjacent the forward end of said magazine assembly and slidable therewith into projecting engagement against said divergent surfaces of said slot means for accurately aligning said magazine assembly and said drive track.

19. A magazine assembly for feeding fasteners into the drive track of a driving tool comprising a housing for said fasteners having a longitudinal axis extending angularly outward from the axis of said drive track, said housing comprising a fixed wall member and a movable wall member longitudinally slidable thereon toward and away from said drive track between a closed and an open position for loading fasteners therein, one of said wall members defining a longitudinal groove forming spaced, parallel side portions of different depth and a surface between said side portions forming one interior wall of a guideway for said fasteners.

20. The magazine assembly of claim 19 wherein said other wall member includes a pair of adjacent wall por tions angularly intersecting one another and one of said wall portions is spaced opposite the deeper of the side portions of said one wall member.

21. The magazine assembly ofclaim 20 wherein the other of said wall portions of said other wall member is spaced opopsite said surface between said side portions on said one wall member.

22. The magazine assembly of claim 19 wherein the longitudinal edge portion of at least one wall member is slidably disposed within longitudinal recess means in the other.

23. The magazine assembly of claim '21 including guide rail means for supporting a row of fasteners and mounted on said other wall portion of said other wall member, said guide rail means projecting into said groove between said spaced, parallel side portions on said one wall member.

24. The magazine assembly of claim 23 including pusher means slidably disposed on said guide rail means and biased forwardly thereon to advance fasteners toward said drive track.

References Cited UNITED STATES PATENTS 2,733,440 2/1956 Jenny 227123 2,910,698 '11/195-9 Paxton. 2,940,079 6/ 1960 Langford 227-l 20 2,991,476 7/ 1961 Seiter 227109 3,056,137 10/ 1962 Wandel et al 227-127 GIRANVILLE Y. CUSTER, 111., Primary Examiner.

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