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(11) | EP 1 325 795 A2 |
| (12) | EUROPEAN PATENT APPLICATION |
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| (54) | Magazine of fixing elements for pneumatic gun |
| (57) A magazine for fixing elements for pneumatic gun, comprising an elongated box-like
enclosure (7) which is internally hollow and open at both ends and on one of the lateral
surfaces, can be connected to the body (2) of the gun, and is provided on one of the
ends with a first flat and elongated head (14), a guide (8) being slidingly engaged
within the box-like enclosure (7), the guide (8) having, at one end, a second flat
and elongated head (38), the second head (38) and an engagement element (48) adapted
to interact with means for locking the guide in the operating position being rigidly
coupled to the guide by way of detachable connecting elements. |
[0002] In this particular field, magazines for pneumatic guns are known which are constituted by an elongated box-like enclosure, which is rigidly coupled to the body of the gun, is internally hollow and is open at both ends and on one of its lateral surfaces; a guide can slide therein by way of the presence of mutually opposite longitudinal slots on said element. The guide constitutes a supporting base for the fixing elements, which are arranged for example so as to straddle a rib and are expelled by way of the action of a pneumatically actuated striker.
[0003] The box-like enclosure comprises a first flat and elongated head, which is arranged at right angles and so as to cantilever out at one of the ends and is provided, on the wall that faces the inside of the enclosure, with a longitudinal flat incision that has the same width as the fixing elements.
[0004] The guide comprises a second head, which is also flat and elongated and is arranged at right angles and so as to cantilever out at one of the ends of the guide. By fully inserting the guide in the box-like enclosure, in the operating position, the first and second heads are arranged in mutual contact, forming a substantially parallelepipedal volume enclosed by the flat incision on the first head and by the surface of the second head. Such volume constitutes the firing channel of the fixing elements.
[0005] On the guide, at the opposite end with respect to the end where the first head is located, there is an engagement element, on which means for locking said guide in the operating position are meant to engage; such means are arranged on the box-like enclosure.
[0006] The second head and the engagement element are generally connected to the rib by welding; since they are particularly subjected to intense stresses during operation, any damage thereof forces the user to replace the entire guide.
[0007] Moreover, if it is necessary to use fixing elements having a different shape or different dimensions, it is likewise necessary to use another guide, since the geometry of the second head varies according to the geometry of said elements.
[0008] The aim of the present invention is to provide a magazine of fixing elements for pneumatic gun that allows to replace easily any damaged parts of the guide without having to resort to a new guide.
[0009] Within this aim, an object of the present invention is to provide a magazine for fixing elements that allows to replace easily and cheaply the parts whose dimensions and geometries are variable according to the dimensions of such elements.
[0010] Another object of the present invention is to provide a magazine for fixing elements that has a guide whose structure is lightweight and easy to handle.
[0011] Another object of the present invention is to provide a magazine that is simple, relatively easy to provide in practice, safe in use, effective in operation, and has a relatively low cost.
[0012] This aim and these and other objects that will become better apparent hereinafter are achieved by the present magazine of fixing elements for pneumatic gun, comprising an elongated box-like enclosure that is shaped substantially like a parallelepiped, is internally hollow and open at both ends and on one of the lateral surfaces, can be connected to the body of said gun, and is provided on one of said ends with a first flat and elongated head, which is arranged at right angles and so as to cantilever out and has, on the inner face directed toward said enclosure, a flat incision whose width corresponds to the width of said fixing elements, a guide being slidingly engaged within said enclosure and being constituted by an elongated lamina that is provided with a longitudinal supporting rib for said fixing elements, a pusher for said fixing elements being movable on said rib, said guide having, at one end, a second flat and elongated head, which is arranged at right angles and so as to cantilever out and forms, by coupling to the inner face of said first head following the full insertion of said guide in said enclosure in the operating position, a firing channel for said fixing elements that is formed by the volume enclosed within said flat incision, said guide having, at its other end, an engagement element that is suitable to interact with means for locking said guide in the operating position provided on said box-like enclosure, characterized in that said second head and said engagement element are rigidly coupled to said lamina by way of detachable connecting elements.
[0013] Advantageously, the lamina and the rib are provided monolithically by drawing aluminum alloy.
[0014] Further characteristics and advantages of the present invention will become better apparent from the following detailed description of a preferred but not exclusive embodiment of a magazine of fixing elements for pneumatic gun according to the invention, illustrated only by way of non-limitative example in the accompanying drawings, wherein:
Figure 1 is a perspective view of a pneumatic gun with the magazine according to the invention;
Figure 2 is a side elevation view of the box-like enclosure of the magazine;
Figure 3 is a partial plan view of the box-like enclosure of the magazine;
Figure 4 is a sectional view of the box-like enclosure of the magazine, taken along the line IV-IV of Figure 2;
Figure 5 is a perspective exploded view of the guide of the magazine according to the invention;
Figure 6 is a partially sectional side elevation view of the guide;
Figure 7 is a transverse sectional view of the guide, taken along the line VII-VII of Figure 6;
Figure 8 is a partially sectional side elevation view of the magazine according to the invention, with partially inserted fixing elements;
Figure 9 is a partial side elevation view of a second embodiment of the magazine;
Figure 10 is a partially sectional side elevation view of a third embodiment of the magazine.
[0015] With reference to the figures, the reference numeral 1 generally designates a pneumatic gun for fixing elements. The gun is composed, in a known manner, of a gun body 2, which accommodates a pneumatically actuated striker and is generally kept vertical in the operating condition, and of a grip 3, which lies at right angles to the body of the gun and in which there is a tank for accumulating compressed air to be conveyed onto the striker. The grip is provided with an arm 3a that protrudes from the free end of said grip. A coupling 4 is provided on such end for introducing the compressed air into the accumulation tank. The gun further has a button 5 for actuating the striker, which is located at the intersection between the body of the gun 2 and the grip 3.
[0016] The gun is completed by a fixing element magazine, which is generally designated by the reference numeral 6, while the fixing elements are designated by the reference numeral 6a. The magazine is composed of a box-like enclosure 7, in which a guide 8 can slide. The magazine is fixed to the body of the gun 2 at one end and to the arm 3a at the other end. On the arm 3a there is an actuation lever 9, which is suitable to actuate means, provided on the box-like enclosure 7, for locking the guide 8 in said enclosure. The actuation lever, pivoted in a point 9a, is constituted by a trigger 9b and a wing 9c, which are substantially perpendicular to each other.
[0017] The ends 7a and 7b, 8a and 8b are provided respectively on the box-like enclosure 7 and on the guide 8.
[0018] The box-like enclosure 7 is substantially shaped like an elongated parallelepiped, is internally hollow and open at both ends, with external lightening recesses and transverse reinforcement ribs, and has, on one of the lateral surfaces, a longitudinal opening 10 that runs along the enclosure from one end to the other. The opening 10 is extended by a groove 11 that has a rectangular cross-section, penetrates until it skims the opposite lateral surface, and is not as wide as said opening. At the edges 12 of the opening 10 there are slots 13, which are parallel to the bottom of the groove 11 and are arranged symmetrically with respect to it. The slots run along the entire length of the box-like enclosure 7. On the end 7a of the enclosure there is a first head 14, which is substantially trapezoidal, elongated and flat and is rigidly coupled, at right angles and so as to cantilever out, to said element by means of screws 15. The head has a beak-shaped portion 16 and has, on the inner face 16a directed toward the enclosure, a flat incision 17 whose width corresponds to the width of the fixing elements and runs along the entire length of the head. On the opposite side with respect to the beak-like portion 16, the head 14 is provided with holes 18 for fixing the box-like enclosure 7 to the body of the gun 2. On the other end 7b, the box-like enclosure forms a first lug 19 and a second lug 20, which face each other and lie at right angles to the enclosure in the direction of the grip 3; a hollow 20a is formed between the first and second lugs and delimits an opening in the bottom of the groove 11. The first lug 19 is provided with a first eye 21, which is suitable to connect the box-like enclosure to the arm 3a, while the second lug 20 is provided with a second eye 22, which also passes through the first lug and is suitable to fix means for locking the guide 8 within the box-like enclosure 7; such means are constituted by a pawl-like lever 23 that is pivoted in the second eye.
[0019] The lever, which is shaped so as to have a substantially U-shaped cross-section, is articulated in the second eye 22 by means of a pivot 24 with the interposition of a torsion spring, not shown in the drawings, and has at one end a curved tab 25 that protrudes toward the wing 9c of the actuation lever 9 and has, at the opposite end, two protrusions 26 that protrude toward the inside of the groove 11, through the hollow 20a.
[0020] According to the invention, the guide 8 comprises a lamina 27, which is equal in length to the box-like enclosure 7 and forms at right angles a longitudinal rib 28 for supporting the fixing elements. The lamina 27 is folded at its edges, forming two longitudinal fins 27a, while the rib 28 is provided with a longitudinal slit 29 that crosses it from one end to the other. At the end 8a there is, on the rib, a bend 30 that forms a flap 31 on which there is a through orifice 32. On the rib 28, proximate to the bend 30, there is a slot 33 that runs parallel to the lamina 27. On the plate there is also a first flared hole 34, which is connected to the bend 30. A cutout 35 is formed at the end 8b in the rib and forms a wall 35a on the rib and a surface 35b on the lamina 27, the wall 35a and the surface 35b being mutually perpendicular. A second flared hole 36 and a third flared hole 37 are provided in the surface 35b and are longitudinally aligned.
[0021] At the end 8a, according to the invention, there is a second head 38, which is flat and elongated and forms a firing surface 39 which, in the active position, lies in contact with the inner face 16a of the first head 14, thus delimiting the firing channel 17a together with the flat incision 17. The second head 38 has a first projection 40 and a second projection 41, which delimit a slit 42. The first projection 40 is crossed by a longitudinal groove 40a, which is parallel to the firing surface 39. The second projection 41, provided with a first female thread 43 whose axis is parallel to the firing surface, forms a narrower region 44 on which there is a through hole 45. In the interlocking between the lamina 27 and the second head 38, the projection 41, in its widest portion, enters the bend 30 and the hole 45 is aligned with the opening 32. The second head is fixed to the lamina by detachable connecting elements, preferably by a first screw 46, which engages in the first female thread 43, and by an elastic cylindrical pin 47, which passes through the opening 32 and the hole 45.
[0022] According to the invention, at the end 8b of the guide 8 there is an engagement element 48, which is locked by means of detachable connecting elements.
[0023] In greater detail, the element has, on the resting surface 48a, a second female thread 49 and a third female thread 50, which provide respectively for the engagement of a second screw 51 and a third screw 52, which pass through the second flared hole 36 and the third flared hole 37, thus locking the engagement element with its base surface 48a on the surface 35b.
[0024] The engagement element 48 comprises a tooth 53 that in particular has a saw-tooth shape and from which a crest 54 protrudes; the crest ends with an expansion 55, which lies at right angles to the supporting surface 48a and to the crest. This forms two abutments 56 at the tooth 53 and two stop protrusions 57 on the expansion 55. Moreover, on the portion of the engagement element that is affected by the tooth 53 there is, in a lower region, a hollow 58 that affects the corresponding edge of the base surface 48a and runs along the entire length of the element. By placing the engagement element 48 in the cutout 35, the tooth 53 lies in contact with the wall 35a, while the stop protrusions 57 rest on the edge of the lamina 27.
[0025] A pusher 59 can slide on the rib 28 and is preferably constituted by a U-shaped folded metal plate, in the concavity of which said rib is inserted. In the space formed by said concavity there is a stroke limiter lamina 60, obtained by cutting and bending a portion of said metal plate, and there is a hook 61, which is formed in the metal plate. The pusher is arranged on the rib 28 so that the portion provided with the hook 61 is directed toward the end 8b.
[0026] The pusher 59 is fixed to the rib 28 by means of a traction spring 62, which lies within the slit 29 of the rib. The spring has an end that is anchored to a pin 63, which is inserted in the hollow 58, while the other end is rigidly coupled to the hook 61 by means of a guiding wheel 64, which is accommodated in the slot 33 with its own shoulders 64a. The traction spring 62 keeps the pusher 59 in the upper stroke limit position proximate to the end 8a by way of the abutment of the lamina 60 on the narrower portion 44 of the second projection 41 of the second head 38.
[0027] The operation of the magazine according to the invention is as follows. The fixing elements, gathered in the form of a rigid pack, are arranged so as to straddle the rib 28, after retracting the pusher 59 to free said rib, overcoming the contrast offered by the traction spring 62. When the pusher is released, by way of the reaction of the traction spring it makes contact with the last fixing element of the pack. In order to insert the guide in the box-like enclosure 7, by way of the engagement of the fins 27a in the slots 13, it is necessary to act on the actuation lever 9, i.e., to press on the trigger 9b so that the wing 9c acts on the curved tab 25 of the pawl-like lever 23, so that the raised portions 26 of said lever, by rising, allow the passage of the tooth 55 of the engagement element 48. Following the release of the actuation lever 9, the protrusions 26 mesh on the tooth 53 and in particular on the abutments 56, being locked thereon by the torsion spring, determining and ensuring in this manner the operating position. Accordingly, the second head 38 moves into contact with the first head 14, while the pack of fixing elements, pressed by the pusher, rests with the first one of its elements on the flat incision 17. By doing so, the firing surface 39 remains in contact with the inner face 16a of the first head 14, forming the firing channel 17a, which constitutes a gap in which the outgoing fixing elements can move.
[0028] By acting on the button 5 of the gun, the compressed air accumulated in the tank enclosed in the grip 3 actuates the striker, which strikes the fixing element that lies at the firing channel, projecting it outward along said channel.
[0029] Once the first element has been removed, the pressure applied by the pusher 59 to the pack makes the pack slide along the rib 28, filling the void formed as a consequence of the expulsion of said first element. A new fixing element now faces the firing channel, and one continues in this fashion until the pack is used up. To insert a new pack of fixing elements, one acts again on the actuation lever 9, allowing the extraction of the guide 8 and its subsequent reinsertion as described above.
[0030] A second embodiment of the magazine, shown in Figure 9, provides, in order to simplify assembly, for the provision on the rib 28 of an open recess 65 that extends from the bend 30 parallel to said lamina 27 and in which the guiding wheel 64 engages.
[0031] A third embodiment of the magazine, shown in Figure 10, has a claw 66 that is pivoted to the pin 63 and to which the traction spring 62 can be anchored. Advantageously, in this manner it is possible to replace the spring 62 without having to disassemble the engagement element 48 and the pin 63.
[0032] It has thus been shown that the invention achieves the intended aim and objects. In particular, the connection of the second head and of the engagement element to the lamina by means of screws allows their replacement in case of damage and also if fixing elements having different dimensions and geometries are used.
[0033] The provision of the lamina by drawing aluminum alloy allows it to be particularly lightweight and easy to handle during the loading of the fixing elements in the gun.
[0034] The invention thus conceived is susceptible of numerous modifications and variations, all of which are within the scope of the inventive concept.
[0036] In practice, the materials used, as well as the shapes and the dimensions, may be any according to requirements without thereby abandoning the scope of the protection of the appended claims.
[0037] The disclosures in Italian Patent Application No. BO2001A000543 from which this application claims priority are incorporated herein by reference.
[0038] Where technical features mentioned in any claim are followed by reference signs, those reference signs have been included for the sole purpose of increasing the intelligibility of the claims and accordingly such reference signs do not have any limiting effect on the scope of each element identified by way of example by such reference signs.
1. A magazine of fixing elements for pneumatic gun, comprising an elongated box-like
enclosure (7) that is shaped substantially like a parallelepiped, is internally hollow
and open at both ends and on one of the lateral surfaces, can be connected to the
body (2) of said gun, and is provided on one of said ends with a first flat and elongated
head (14), which is arranged at right angles and so as to cantilever out and has,
on the inner face (16a) directed toward said enclosure (7), a flat incision (17) whose
width corresponds to the width of said fixing elements (6a), a guide (8) being slidingly
engaged within said box-like enclosure (7) and being constituted by an elongated lamina
(27) that is provided with a longitudinal supporting rib (28) for said fixing elements
(6a), a pusher (59) for said fixing elements (6a) being movable on said rib (28),
said guide (8) having, at one end, a second flat and elongated head (38), which is
arranged at right angles and so as to cantilever out and forms, by coupling to said
inner face (16a) of said first head (14) following the full insertion of said guide
(8) in said enclosure (7) in the operating position, a firing channel (17a) for said
fixing elements (6a) that is formed by the volume enclosed within said flat incision
(17), said guide (8) having, at its other end, an engagement element (48) that is
suitable to interact with means for locking said guide (8) in the operating position
provided on said box-like enclosure (7), characterized in that said second head (38) and said engagement element (48) are rigidly coupled to said
lamina (27) by way of detachable connecting elements.
2. The magazine for fixing elements according to claim 1, characterized in that said lamina (27) and said rib (28) are formed monolithically by drawing aluminum
alloy.
3. The magazine for fixing elements according to claim 1, characterized in that said second head (38) is provided with a first projection (40) and with a second
projection (41) that protrude at right angles and form between them a slit (42), said
second projection (41) abutting in a bend (30) formed on said rib (28) and providing
an interlocking of said lamina (27) in said slit (42), said second projection (41)
being provided with a first female thread (43) whose axis is perpendicular to said
lamina (27).
4. The magazine for fixing elements according to claim 1, characterized in that said engagement element (48), which comprises a tooth (53) on which said locking
means can be engaged, is provided with a second female thread (49) and a third female
thread (50), with axes perpendicular to said lamina (27).
5. The magazine for fixing elements according to one of the preceding claims, characterized in that said detachable connecting elements comprise a first screw (46), a second screw (51)
and a third screw (52), which are respectively engaged on said first, second and third
female threads (43, 49, 50) by way of corresponding first, second and third flared
holes (34, 36, 37) formed in said lamina (27).
6. The magazine for fixing elements according to claim 1, characterized in that said rib (28) comprises a longitudinal slit (29) that passes through it from one
end to the other.
7. The magazine for fixing elements according to one of the preceding claims, characterized in that said pusher (59) is constituted by a metal plate which is curved in a U-like shape
and is arranged so as to straddle said rib (28), said pusher (59) being provided with
a stroke limiter lamina (60) that abuts on said second head (38) and with a hook (61),
said lamina (60) and said hook (61) residing within said longitudinal slit (29).
8. The magazine for fixing elements according to one of the preceding claims, characterized in that said rib (28) comprises, at one end, a cutout (35) that forms a wall (35a) that is
perpendicular to said lamina (27) and, at the opposite end, a slot (33) that lies
parallel to said lamina (27).
9. The magazine for fixing elements according to one of the preceding claims, characterized in that said pusher (59) is connected to a traction spring (62), which is contained within
said slit (29) of said rib (28), is anchored to said hook (61) at one end and, at
the other end, to a pin (63) that abuts against said wall (35a) of said cutout (35),
said spring (62) being wound on a guiding wheel (64) that engages in said slot (33).
10. The magazine for fixing elements according to one of the preceding claims, characterized in that said rib (28) is provided, at the end connected to said second head (38), with an
open recess (65) that extends from said bend (30) parallel to said lamina (27).
11. The magazine for fixing elements according to one of the preceding claims, characterized in that said traction spring (62) is anchored to said hook (61) of said pusher (59) at one
end and, at the other end, to a claw (66) that is pivoted on said pin (63).
12. The magazine for fixing elements according to one of the preceding claims, characterized in that said traction spring (62) is wound on said guiding wheel (64), which is engaged in
said open recess (65).