WO2014182463A1

WO2014182463A1 - Fastening device for driving double-headed fasteners

Info

Publication number: WO2014182463A1
Application number: PCT/US2014/035359
Authority: WO
Inventors: Arthur R. WALTERS, Jr.; Eric E. BROWN
Original assignee: Walters Arthur R Jr; Brown Eric E
Priority date: 2013-05-08
Filing date: 2014-04-24
Publication date: 2014-11-13
Also published as: US9573260B2; US20140331474A1; WO2014182463A4

Abstract

An automatic fastening device includes a driving mechanism for driving a double-headed fastener and a magazine for receiving and delivering the double-headed fastener to the driving mechanism. The magazine includes a first channel that receives a first head of the fastener and a second channel that receives a second head of the same fastener. The first and second channels guide the fastener along the magazine and toward an actuation component of the driving mechanism for driving the fastener into an object. A plurality of double-headed fasteners are inserted into the magazine, guided by the magazine to the driving mechanism, and driven one at a time into an object such that the first head of the fasteners extends from the object for easy removal of the fasteners.

Description

FASTENING DEVICE FOR DRIVING DOUBLE-HEADED FASTENERS

BACKGROUND

Technical Field

The present disclosure relates generally to fastening devices, and more particularly, to an automatic fastening device drives double-headed fasteners.

Description of the Related Art

Double-headed fasteners (or "duplex nails") have been used for many years in applications where it is desirable to later remove the fasteners from objects. For example, thousands of double-headed fasteners are manually driven through wood boards/panels when creating forms for a concrete structure. The outer heads of the double-headed fasteners will protrude from the wood boards/panels for easy removal of the double-headed fasteners a later time, such as after concrete has cured adjacent the

boards/panels. Manually driving thousands of double-headed fasteners into wood boards/panels or other objects is very time consuming and inefficient.

Power fastener devices, such as electric, pneumatic, and fuel cell types, have been known for many years. These fastener devices typically include a magazine that is adapted to hold a strip of nails which can be driven one at a time as the strip is advanced through a drive head and engaged by a reciprocating knife or hammer. These magazines are adapted to hold a single- headed nail. Thus, workers are required to manually drive thousands of double-headed fasteners without the aid of a power fastening device.

Currently, nail guns used to build homes and other construction projects are typically pneumatic. A pneumatic nail gun has a long hose connected to an air compressor that provides the compressor air. This hose must be connected to the nail gun at all times. If the pneumatic nail gun is being used around concrete construction, there are many protruding rebars, spikes and other hard items on which the hose might be caught or punctured. Dragging a pneumatic hose around a concrete construction building in which duplex nails are often used is dangerous and may result in damage to either the pneumatic hose system or the user.

Another disadvantage of pneumatic hose nail guns is their limited power. An air compressor must deliver compressed air through a long hose and the amount of drive power is limited based on the compressor pressure and the amount of pressure that can be held in the hose system. As a result, a pneumatic system has trouble driving even 8d nails.

A duplex nail has particular technical issues for being driven a full depth of the first head because power can only be applied to the second head. The driving force must be transmitted from the second head through the shaft and to the first head. The head being driven to be flush with the top surface is not directly impacted by the driving hammer, but rather, the second head is driven.

Accordingly, the inventors realized that it would be beneficial to have a compressed gas cartridge type of nail gun to drive a duplex nail.

BRIEF SUMMARY

According to one aspect of the present disclosure, a fastening device, such as a nail gun, drives a double-headed fastener into an object. The fastening device includes a driving mechanism for driving the fastener and a magazine attached to the driving mechanism that receives the fastener. The magazine includes a first channel that at least partially receives a first head of the fastener and a second channel that at least partially receives a second head of the same fastener. The first and second channels guide the fastener along the magazine and toward an actuation component of the driving mechanism for driving the fastener into an object.

In some aspects, the fastening device includes a nose portion that has an opening positioned adjacent a supply end of the magazine. The opening has a duplex opening sized to receive the double-headed fastener and to position the fastener proximate and in-line with the actuation component for driving the fastener into an object.

A plurality of double-headed fasteners are inserted into the magazine. The plurality of double-headed fasteners, each having first and second heads, are slidably engaged to the first and second channels of the magazine, respectively. The fastener enters the nose of the nail gun via a specially sized duplex opening which ensures the fastener is properly fed into the nail gun such that the fastener is always ensured of being properly aligned for being driven. One of the double-headed fasteners is positioned proximate the actuation component of the automatic fastening device. The nose section of the automatic fastening device is biased against an object to receive the fastener. A trigger is pulled (or other device is actuated) to cause rapid movement of the actuation component toward the fastener, thereby causing impact against the fastener. The fastener is thereby expelled from the automatic fastening device at a high velocity and is at least partially driven into the object. Importantly, the first head of the fastener will at least partially extend from the object so that the fastener may be easily removed at a later time. The fastening device is used repeatedly until all of the fasteners in the magazine are depleted, and then additional fasteners may be inserted into the magazine and driven into an object.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE SEVERAL VIEWS OF THE DRAWINGS

Figure 1 is a side view of a compressed gas, fuel cell fastening device capable of driving a double-headed fastener, according to an

embodiment of the present disclosure.

Figure 2A is an isometric view of a magazine capable of receiving and delivering a double-headed fastener, according to an embodiment of the present disclosure.

Figure 2B is a side view of a strip of double-headed fasteners receivable by the magazines of Figures 1 and 2. Figure 3A is a cross-sectional view of certain components of the fastening device of Figure 1 .

Figure 3B is a cross-sectional view of a fastener partially extending from an object.

Figure 4 is an isometric view of the receiving component of Figure

3A according to an embodiment of the present disclosure.

Figure 5 is a partial isometric view of the nose section of Figure 3A according to an embodiment of the present disclosure.

Figure 6A is a partial isometric view a magazine according to an embodiment of the present disclosure.

Figure 6B is a partial cross-sectional view the magazine of Figure

6A.

Figure 7A is a partial isometric view a magazine according to an embodiment of the present disclosure.

Figure 7B is a partial cross-sectional view the magazine of Figure

7A.

Figure 8A is a partial isometric view a magazine according to an embodiment of the present disclosure.

Figure 8B is a partial cross-sectional view the magazine of Figure 7A.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION

Figure 1 shows an automatic fastening device 10 according to one embodiment. The automatic fastening device 10 is of the compressed gas type which uses a fuel cell cartridge of highly compressed gas that ignites. Such a compressed gas fastener is fully portable. It has no hose, power lines or other connections. The user is able to easily carry the fully portable compressed gas fuel cell fastening device to any floor in the building and any location without the safety problems posed by a pneumatic device with its hose. One type of fastening device sold on the market today is the Senco GT90.

Others include the Hitachi NC40, the Paslode 902600, and the like. These fuel cell gas nail guns as the starting machine must be modified as taught herein to have two spaced apart, specifically located and sized channels to receive each head of a duplex nail and also sized to receive the specially designed magazine as describe herein with respect to this invention.

The automatic fastening device 10 receives and drives double- headed fasteners 12a into an object one at a time, such as from a strip 12 of double-headed fasteners 12a shown in Figure 2B. Figure 1 shows one double- headed fastener 12a as shadow lines at a position ready to be driven into an object to the depth of its first head.

The double-headed fasteners are usually nails, but other types of fasteners that have two heads, one spaced vertically above the other, can also be used with this device. These are sometimes called duplex nails.

The automatic fastening device 10 includes a housing 13 and a magazine 14 attached to the housing 13. The housing 13 contains a driving mechanism 16 for driving the fastener 12a delivered by the magazine 14. The driving mechanism 16 includes a nose section 17 that receives and positions the fastener 12a from the magazine 14. The magazine 14 includes a biasing mechanism 18 slidably coupled to the magazine 14. The biasing mechanism 18 biases the fasteners 12 toward the nose portion 17 of the driving mechanism 16. Such biasing mechanisms may include a spring and are well known in the art.

The driving mechanism 16 includes an actuation component 20 and a trigger 22. The trigger 22 is operable by an operator to cause the actuation component 20 to rapidly impact the fastener 12a for driving into an object. The automatic fastening device 10 is preferably a compressed gas nail gun that drives the fasteners 12. Such a nail gun has particular benefits over a pneumatic nail gun which has the long hose, as explained herein. Such an automatic fastening devices is an actuation component 20 (such as a blade or hammer) that is caused to rapidly impact one fastener 12a at a time of a strip of fasteners 12 delivered by the magazine 14, for example. The actuation component 20 is movable in a direction depicted by Arrow A. An adjustment mechanism 23 is attached to the nose section 17 and is adjustable to control the depth fastener 12a is driven into the object being nailed. A contact head 25 is attached to the nose section 17 and is biasable to an object that the fastener 12a is driven into. Driving components of automatic fastening devices are well known and will not be described in greater detail.

The magazine 14 includes a supply output end 24 and a receiving end 26. The supply end can also be called the outlet end because the fasteners are output at that end and the receiving end can be termed the inlet end since the fasteners are input at that end. The supply end 24 is attached to the nose section 17. The receiving end 26 receives a strip of fasteners 12 and the supply end 24 supplies the fastener 12a to the nose section 17 and proximate the actuation component 20. Attached to the receiving end 26 is a receiving component 28 that receives a strip of fasteners 12; the strip is typically inserted by hand. The magazine 14 is an elongated body, but it may be a coil-type magazine or other magazine having similar first and second ends 24, 26 for receiving and supplying fasteners 12 to a fastening device.

Figure 2A shows an isometric view of a magazine 14 according to one embodiment. The magazine 14 includes a first channel 30a and a second channel 30b that each extend a length of the magazine 14 (Figure 3A). The first channel 30a and the second channel 30b are sized to receive and guide double-headed fasteners 12a.

Figure 2B shows a strip 12 of such fasteners 12a. Each fastener 12a includes a primary shank 32a and a secondary shank 32b. Each fastener 12a includes a first head 34a and a second head 34b. The primary shank 32a is the portion of the fastener 12a that is driven into an object. The secondary shank 32b is the portion that is separated by the first head 34a and the second head 34b. The fasteners 12a are temporarily attached to each other in the collection of fasteners 12 by a breakable strip 36 that attaches the fasteners 12a to each other in a staggered manner, which is well known in the art.

Accordingly, and with reference to Figure 2A and 3A, the first channel 30a at least partially receives the first head 34a of the fastener 12a and the second channel 30b at least partially receives the second head 34b of the fastener 12a when the strip 12 of fasteners 12a is positioned along the magazine 14.

The magazine 14 includes a support portion 38 disposed between the first and second channels 30a, 30b and that extends a length of the magazine 14 (Figures 3A and 6A). The secondary shank 32b of the fastener 12a is slidably biased to the support portion 38 for additional guidance support for the fasteners 12a as they travel a length of the magazine 14. It will be appreciated that not all fasteners 12a will slide along the support portion 38 because of the differences in tolerances among various strips of fasteners.

The magazine 14 further includes a first frame portion 40a and a second frame portion 40b that are each disposed on either side of the magazine 14. The first frame portion 40a and the second frame portion 40b define a shank slot 42 that receives the primary shank 32a of the fasteners 12. In some embodiments, only a first frame portion 40a is provided and the biasing mechanism 18 acts to bias the fasteners 12 against the first frame portion 40a.

In the example shown in Figures 2A and 3A, the first channel 30a and the second channel 30b are spatially separated from each other and are sized to receive and guide the strip 12 for driving fasteners 12a into an object one at a time (Figure 3A), as discussed above. In other embodiments, such as shown in Figures 6A, 6B, 7A, 7B, 8A, and 8B, magazines of the present disclosure may include various cross-sectional configurations and areas to guide the fasteners 12a along the respective magazines, as will be further described below. It will be appreciated that various magazine shapes and sizes could be (and are) used in the industry. One advantage of the present invention is a magazine having the capability of receiving and supplying double- headed fasteners to a driving component.

Figure 3A shows a cross-sectional view of the magazine 14, the receiving component 28, and the nose portion 17, as also discussed above. The receiving component 28 is attached to the receiving end 26 of the magazine 14. The strip 12 of fasteners 12a is inserted by hand into the receiving component 28. Accordingly, the receiving component 28 includes an opening 44 that receives the fasteners 12a (Figure 4).

As shown in Figure 5, the nose section 17 of the fastening device 10 is attached to the supply end 24 of the magazine 14 and also includes an opening 46 that receives the fasteners 12a from the magazine 14. The nose section is specifically formed to have a shape and size to receive the duplex nails. The nose section 17 is shown here as a specific, unitary component for purposes of illustration.

The nose section 17 has an elongated chamber 48 that receives a fastener 12a of the strip 12 of fasteners 12a from the magazine 14. The elongated chamber 48 allows at least a portion of the actuation component 20 to travel therethrough in directions depicted by Arrow A. The elongated chamber 48 is sized to facilitate spatial positioning of the fastener 12a in the path of the actuation component 20. The breakable strip 36 assists to spatially position each fastener 12a one at a time within the chamber 48. The nose section 17 further includes a contact head 50 that is positionable against an object 52 (such as wood or other building material). Once the contact head 50 is biased against the object 52, a trigger 22 is pulled by an operator, which causes the actuation component 20 to rapidly travel through the elongated chamber 48 and impact the first head 34a of the fastener 12a. The fastener 12a is then detached from the strip 12 and is expelled out from the nose section 17 and into the object 52.

As shown in Figure 3B, the automatic fastening device 10 drives the fastener 12a into the object 52 such that the secondary shank 32b and the first head 34a extend from a surface 54 of the object 52. Preferably, the second head 34b stops the travel of the fastener 12a through the object 52. Accordingly, a hand tool or other tool may be used to remove the fastener 12a from the object 52 at a later time by using the first head 34a as a means of pulling out the fastener 12a from the object 52. The particular depth of the fastener 12a into the object 52 may be controlled with the adjustment mechanism 23 of Figure 1 . Thus, if the second head 34b of a particular fastener 12a is driven into the object 52, the adjustment mechanism 23 is used to reduce the amount of force applied to the fastener 12a by the actuation component 20.

With continued reference to the magazine 14 shown in Figure 3A, the first channel 30a and the second channel 30b extend a length of the magazine 14 for guiding the heads 34a, 34b of the fasteners 12a to the nose section 17 along paths depicted by Arrow B and Arrow C, respectively. The magazine 14 is formed to include a variety of surfaces that define the first and second channels 30a, 30b for the fastener strip 12 to slidably guide along (see e.g., Figures 6A-8B). For example, perimeter portions of the first heads 34a of the strip of fasteners 12 guide along a primary guide surface 56a of the magazine 14, and, likewise, perimeter portions of the second heads 34b of the strip of fasteners 12 guide along a secondary guide surface 56b of the magazine 14. Primary and secondary guide surfaces 56a, 56b at least partially define the first and second channels 30a, 30b, respectively. Moreover, perimeter portions of the secondary shank 32b of strip of the fasteners 12a guide along a support surface 58 of the magazine 14; the support surface 58 is an outer surface of the support portion 38 that extends a length of the magazine 14 between the first and second channels 30a, 30b (Figure 6A). In some aspects, the primary guide surface 56a, the secondary guide surface 56b, and the support surface 58 are each formed to have a planar surface that is substantially parallel to a central axis of each fastener 12a. This helps the fastener strip 12 to slide along the magazine 14 without encumbrances and without becoming jammed in the channels, which is important for safe and reliable operation of the automatic fastening device.

Advantageously, a single-headed fastener 60 (and strips of such fasteners) is receivable in either the first channel 30a or the second channel 30b. Figure 3A shows the head of the single-headed fastener 60 slidably engaged to the first channel 30a. Thus, the magazine 14 is formed to guide and supply single-headed fasteners 60 and double-headed fasteners 12a to the nose section 17, depending upon the particular application. Figure 4 shows the receiving component 28 of Figure 3A. The receiving component 28 is attached to the receiving end 26 of the magazine 14 and includes an opening 44 that receives the fasteners 12a for insertion into the magazine 14. The opening 44 is sized to receive both single and double- headed fasteners 12a, 60. The opening 44 includes a first slot 62a to receive the first head 34a of the fastener 12a, and a second slot 62b to receive the second head 34b of the same fastener 12a. The first slot 62a is sized to correspond at least partially to the size of the first channel 30a, and the second slot 62b is sized to correspond at least partially to the size of the second channel 30b. A primary shank slot 64a extends from the second slot 62b along a length of the receiving component 28 to receive a primary shank 32a of the fastener 12a. A secondary shank slot 64b extends between the first slot 62a and the second slot 62b to allow passage of a secondary shank 32b of a fastener 12a. The secondary shank slot 64b is sized to at least partially correspond to the support portion 38 that protrudes between the first channel 30a and the second channel 30b. One purpose of the particular shape and size of the opening 44 is to ensure proper orientation of the fasteners 12a as they are received by the first and second channels 30a, 30b of the magazine 14 and guided toward the nose section 17. In other embodiments, the opening 44 includes an opening having only a single slot that is sufficiently wide and long enough to receive double-headed fasteners 12.

Figure 5 shows a side view of the nose section 17 of Figure 3A. The nose section 17 of the automatic fastening device 10 that is attached to the supply end 24 of the magazine 14 and includes an opening 46 that receives the fasteners 12 from the magazine 14. The opening 46 is sized to receive either single or and double-headed fasteners 12. The opening 46 includes a first slot 66a to receive the first head 34a of the fastener 12a and a second slot 66b to receive the second head 34b of the same fastener 12a. The first slot 66a is sized to correspond exactly to the size and position of the first channel 30a, and the second slot 66b is sized to correspond exactly to the size and position of the second channel 30b. A primary shank slot 68a extends from the second slot 66b along a length of the nose section 17 to receive a primary shank 32a of the fastener 12a. A secondary shank slot 68b extends between the first slot 66a and the second slot 66b to allow passage of a secondary shank 32b of a fastener 12a. One purpose of the particular shape and size of the opening 46 is to ensure proper, vertical orientation of the fastener 12a in the elongated chamber 48 of the nose section 17 so that the actuation component 20 will impact the fastener 12a approximately along a central axis of the fastener 12a to ensure accurate, repeatable drivability of the automatic fastening device 10. The dual slots 66a, 66b are sized to particularly guide the duplex nails into correct alignment with the actuation component 20. The use of two slots 66a, 66b and a narrow shank receiving region 68b ensures that the duplex fastener 12a is exactly guided into the correct position and cannot be aligned incorrectly.

Figures 6A-8B show magazines having various cross-sectional configurations and areas to guide fasteners 12a along said magazines. It will be appreciated that the magazines of Figures 6A-8B may include other features, such as the primary and secondary frame portions and other features discussed with reference to Figures 1 and 2.

Figure 6A shows a supply end 24 of a magazine 14 having a first channel 30a and a second channel 30b that receive a first head 34a and a second head 34b, respectively, of a fastener 12a. Figure 6B shows a partial cross-sectional view of the magazine 14 in a modified version. In the modified version of Figure 6B, a steel or hard steel liner 57 is positioned on the inside of slots 30a, 30b. The nails 12a are usually made of iron. The magazine 14 is made of aluminum, which will be worn away by the iron nails riding in aluminum the slots 30a, 30b. Aluminum is lighter in weight and lower cost than an all steel magazine 14. Thus, a preferred compromise is a thin liner 57 that is affixed onto the surface regions of an aluminum magazine 14 where the iron nail might contact the magazine. This provides both light weight and long life. The liner 57 can be made of steel, a steel/nickel alloy, a hardened steel, or other material that is harder and more durable than iron, to extend the life of the magazine 14 for many years. As previously discussed with reference to Figure 3A, the magazine 14 is formed to include a variety of surfaces that define the first and second channels 30a, 30b for the fasteners 12 to slidably guide along. With particular reference to Figure 6B, the first channel 30a of the magazine 14 is defined by the liner 57 having a primary guide surface 56a and a primary head surface 70a formed perpendicular to each other. A radial perimeter portion of the first head 34a of the fastener 12a is slidably engaged to the primary guide surface 56a. A lower portion of the first head 34a of the fastener 12a is slidably engaged to the primary head surface 70a. Similarly, the second channel 30b of the magazine 14 is defined by the liner 57 having a secondary guide surface 56b and a secondary head surface 70b formed perpendicular to each other. A radial perimeter portion of the second head 34b of the fastener 12a is slidably engaged to the secondary guide surface 56b, and a lower planar portion of the second head 34b of the fastener 12a is slidably engaged to the secondary head surface 70b.

The magazine 14 includes a shank support portion 38 covered by liner 57 that extends from the planar surfaces of the primary guide surface 56a and the secondary guide surface 56b. The support portion 38 includes a support surface 58 that extends a length of the magazine 14 between the first and second channels 30a, 30b. A radial perimeter portion of the secondary shank 32b of the fastener 12a is slidably engaged to the support surface 58. As can be appreciated from Figure 6A, at least a portion of the first head 34a is positioned within the first channel 30a and at least a portion of the second head 34b is position within the second channel 30b.

In some aspects, the magazine 14 includes a shank surface 72 that is an elongated surface parallel to the support surface 58. The shank surface 72 is the surface that may be slidably engaged to by a radial portion of the primary shank 32a of the fastener 12a to provide additional stability to the fastener 12a as it slides along the magazine 14. Figure 7A shows a supply end 124 of a magazine 140 having a first channel 130a and a second channel 130b that receive a first head 34a and a second head 34b, respectively.

Figure 7B shows an alternative embodiment to Figure 7A in which a liner 59 is provided, shown in a partial cross-sectional view of the magazine 140. In this embodiment, the second channel 130b is an elongated channel without a secondary head surface as discussed with reference to Figures 6A and 6B. With particular reference to Figure 7B, the first channel 130a of the magazine 140 is partially defined by a liner 59 on a primary guide surface 156a and a primary head surface 170a that are formed perpendicular to each other. A radial perimeter portion of the first head 34a of the fastener 12a is slidably engaged to the primary guide surface 156a. A lower portion of the first head 34a of the fastener 12a is slidably engaged to the primary head surface 170a. Similarly, the second channel 130b of the magazine 140 is partially defined by a secondary guide surface 156b. A radial perimeter portion of the second head 34b of the fastener 12a is slidably engaged to the secondary guide surface 156b.

The magazine 140 includes a support portion 138 of the liner 59 that extends from the planar surfaces of the primary guide surface 156a and the secondary guide surface 156b. The support portion 138 includes a support surface 158 that extends a length of the magazine 140 between the first and second channels 130a, 130b. A radial perimeter portion of the secondary shank 32b of the fastener 12a is slidably engaged to the support surface 158. As can be appreciated from Figure 7A, at least a portion of the first head 34a is positioned in the first channel 130a, and at least a portion of the second head 34b is position in the second channel 130b. The secondary shank 32b of the fastener 12a is slidably engaged to the support portion 138 to provide additional stability and guidability as the fastener 12a slides along the magazine 140. This particular shape is light in weight and yet guides the duplex nails 12a properly. In the alternative of 7B, the liner 59 is lighter in weight and covers less area that the liner 57 of Figure 6B. The liner of 7B is located at those positions where either of the heads or the shank of duplex nail 12a may contact.

Figure 8A shows a supply end 224 of a magazine 240 having a channel 230 that receives both a first head 34a and a second head 34b of a fastener 12a. Figure 8B shows an alternative partial cross-sectional view of the magazine 240. This includes guide corners 61 a, 61 b. These guide corners 61 a, 61 b are present at the two locations that the heads 34a, 34b contact the magazine 14 to provide a steel contact edge for the iron nails 12a. The embodiment of Figures 8A and 8B is the lightest in weight since there is no shank contact region in the magazine 14, only an open space. The magazine 14 will still have a long life because in the only place the iron nails 12a will contact the magazine 14, strips 61 a, 61 b of steel or hardened steel are present.

In this embodiment, the channel 230 is an elongated channel that extends a length of the magazine 240. With particular reference to Figure 8B, the channel 230 of the magazine 240 is partially defined by a guide surface 256 and a head surface 270 formed perpendicular to each other. Radial perimeter portions of the first head 34a and the second head 34b of the fastener 12a are slidably engaged to the guide surface 256. A lower planar portion of the second head 34b of the fastener 12a is slidably engaged to the head surface 270. The magazine 240 includes a shank surface 272 that is an elongated surface parallel to the guide surface 256. A radial portion of the primary shank 32a of the fastener 12a is slidably engaged to the shank surface 272 to provide additional stability to the fastener 12a as it slides along the magazine 240.

It will be appreciated that, with any magazine discussed herein, the hardened liner is positioned in both sides of the magazine in those embodiments in which it is used, even though only one side of the magazine is shown in such embodiments of Figures 6B, 7B and 8B. Further, one or both of the two channels may be formed as part of a separate component that is removably attached or otherwise attached or secured to the magazine to receive and guide double-headed fasteners. For example, existing magazines only have one elongated channel to receive the head of a single-headed fastener. A second channel could be provided by attaching a separate, elongated member to the magazine and adjacent and parallel to the one elongated channel so that double-headed fasteners may be used with the magazine.

The various embodiments described above can be combined to provide further embodiments. Aspects of the embodiments can be modified, if necessary to employ concepts of the various patents, applications and publications to provide yet further embodiments.

These and other changes can be made to the embodiments in light of the above-detailed description. In general, in the following claims, the terms used should not be construed to limit the claims to the specific embodiments disclosed in the specification and the claims, but should be construed to include all possible embodiments along with the full scope of equivalents to which such claims are entitled. Accordingly, the claims are not limited by the disclosure.

Claims

1 . A device, comprising:

a driving mechanism having an actuation component for driving a fastener; and

a magazine attached to the driving mechanism and that receives the fastener, the magazine having an outlet end adjacent the driving

mechanism and an inlet end spaced from the outlet end;

a first channel located inside the magazine and extending from the outlet end to the inlet end along a first direction;

a second channel spatially separated a selected distance from the first channel in a direction generally perpendicular to the first direction; the first channel being positioned to receive a first head of the fastener and the selected distance for the second channel being of the distance to receive a second head of the same fastener.

2. The device of claim 1 wherein one of the first channel and the second channel receives a fastener having only one head.

3. The device of claim 1 wherein the magazine includes a support portion disposed between the first and second channels, the support portion positionable between at least a portion of the first head and the second head of the fastener and prohibiting either the first head or the second head from entering the support portion.

4. The device of claim 1 , comprising a fastener supply component attached to the inlet end of the magazine, the fastener supply component having an opening that receives the fastener for insertion into the magazine.

5. The device of claim 1 , comprising a fastener receiving component attached to the inlet end of the magazine, the fastener receiving component having an opening that receives the first head and the second head of the fastener from the magazine.

6. The device of claim 1 , comprising a fastener receiving component attached to the inlet end of the magazine, the fastener receiving component having an opening with a first slot and a second slot, the first slot in communication with the first channel and the second slot in communication with the second channel, wherein the fastener inlet component receives the fastener from the magazine and positions the fastener adjacent the actuation component for driving the fastener out from the device and into an object.

7. The device of claim 6 wherein the driving mechanism includes an adjustable mechanism operable to control an amount of force applied by the actuation component against the fastener such that the first head extends from a surface of the object for removal of the fastener from the object.

8. The device of claim 1 further including a nose section in the driving mechanism having two inlet slots that match with the first channel and the second channel.

9. The device of claim 1 in which the actuation component is positioned to impact only the first head of the fastener and not the second head of the fastener.

10. A magazine coupleable to an automatic fastening device for supplying a plurality of fasteners to the automatic fastening device, the magazine having a first channel and a second channel spatially separated from each other, the first channel at least partially receives a first head of each of the plurality of fasteners and the second channel at least partially receives a second head of the same one fastener of each of the plurality of fasteners.

1 1 . The magazine of claim 10 wherein the magazine is an elongated body having a receiving end that receives the plurality of fasteners and a supply end that delivers the plurality of fasteners proximate the automatic fastening device for driving the plurality of fasteners one at a time.

12. The magazine of claim 1 1 wherein the first and second channels extend a length of the magazine between the receiving end and the supply end.

13. The magazine of claim 10 wherein the magazine includes a support portion disposed between the first and second channels, the support portion positionable between at least a portion of the first head and the second head of each fastener of the plurality of fasteners.

14. The magazine of claim 10 further including a hardened liner positioned on an interior surface at those locations in which a nail will contact the magazine, the hardened liner being composed on either a steel or a steel alloy.

15. A method, comprising:

inserting a plurality of double-headed fasteners into a magazine attached to an automatic fastening device, the magazine having a first channel and a second channel that respectively receive and guide a first head and a second head of each double-headed fastener of the plurality of double-headed fasteners;

positioning one double-headed fastener of the plurality of double- headed fasteners proximate an actuation component of the automatic fastening device; positioning a portion of the automatic fastening device against an object to receive the one double-headed fastener;

causing rapid movement of the actuation component toward the one double-headed fastener; and

causing impact against the one double-headed fastener upon said rapid movement of the actuation component, thereby causing the one double- headed fastener to be expelled from the automatic fastening device and at least partially driven into the object.

16. The method of claim 15 wherein positioning the one double-headed fastener includes causing the plurality of double-headed fasteners to slide along the first and second channels of the magazine.

17. The method of claim 15, comprising repeating the steps of positioning one double-headed fastener and causing impact against the one double-headed fastener until all of the plurality of double-headed fasteners are depleted.

18. The method of claim 17, comprising inserting additional pluralities of double-headed fasteners and repeating the operations of claim 17 until all of the additional pluralities of double-headed fasteners are depleted.

19. The method of claim 15 wherein causing rapid movement of the actuation component toward the one double-headed fastener comprises pulling a trigger of the automatic fastening device.

20. The method of claim 15, comprising attaching the automatic fastening device to one of a compress gas source, a fuel cartridge, or an electrical storage device.