MXPA06000170A - Self-filling fastener and method of making - Google Patents

Abstract

A fastener, such as a nail or staple, includes a fastener body having an impact surface and a plug of filler material joined to the impact surface. The plug of filler material fills the hole made by the fastener body when the fastener is driven into a workpiece. Many types of fasteners can be used, such as nails and staples. In the case of a nail, the plug of filler material would be joined to the nail head. In the case of a U-shaped staple, the plug of filler material would be joined to the cross member joining the staple legs. The filler material can be a wide variety of materials such as wood putty, acrylic sealant, fiberglass resin fillers, epoxy adhesives, and plastic.

Description

AUTORILLING BRAZIER AND METHOD OF DOING IT BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION This invention relates generally to fasteners and more particularly to fasteners that include means for filling part holes. Fasteners such as nails and staples are widely used to join materials. In many applications, such as furniture manufacturing, cabinet manufacturing and finishing work (i.e., the installation of wood moldings, base plate, molding and the like), it is common to introduce the fastener below the surface level of the part. The resulting hole is then covered with a filling material that hides the presence of the fastener. Since skilled labor is usually used to perform this type of work, it is desirable to be as productive as possible. Therefore, the use of automatic nails and staples guns has grown considerably. These devices allow operators to insert fasteners more quickly and with less physical effort compared to manually inserting fasteners with a hammer. Nail guns and staples also typically allow the user to control the depth at which the fasteners are inserted. However, the subsequent surface smoothing work is still slow and therefore very expensive. Typically, after having inserted several fasteners, the operator refills the holes in the fasteners with a filler material such as wood putty. The traditional application requires an operator to fill each individual fastener hole with putty and then wait for the putty to dry. The surface of the piece is then sanded to provide an unblemished appearance. Often additional applications are needed. Therefore, a fastener is needed that reduces the amount of time required for surface smoothing work.

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION The aforementioned need is satisfied by the present invention, which provides a fastener including a fastener body having an impact surface and a plug of filler material attached to the impact surface. The filler plug fills the hole made by the fastener body when the fastener is inserted in one piece. Many types of fasteners, such as nails and staples, can be used. In the case of a nail, the plug of filler material would be attached to the head of the nail. In the case of a U-shaped staple, the plug of filler material would be attached to the transverse element joining the legs of the staple. The filler material can be a wide variety of materials such as wood putty, acrylic sealant, fiberglass resin fillers, epoxy adhesives, and plastic. The present invention and its advantages over the prior art will be more readily understood after reading the following detailed description and the appended claims with reference to the accompanying drawings.

DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS The subject that is considered the invention is pointed out in particular and clearly claimed in the concluding part of the specification. The invention, however, can be well understood by reference to the following description taken in conjunction with the figures of the accompanying drawing in which: Figure 1 is an exploded perspective view of a finishing nail with a block of material of filling. Fig. 2 is a side view of the nail of Fig. 1. Fig. 3 is a sectional view of two pieces joined by the nail of Fig. 1. Fig. 4 is an exploded perspective view of a staple with a cleat Filling material. Figure 5 is a side view of the staple of Figure 4.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION With reference to the drawings where identical reference numerals denote the same elements in all the different views, figures 1 and 2 show a fastener 10. Although the fastener 10 of figures 1 and 2 is a finishing nailIt should be noted that the present invention is not limited to finishing nails and includes many other types of fasteners, such as nails of all types and staples. The fastener 10 includes a one-piece fastener body 12 including an elongated shaft or spike 14 having a head 16 formed at one end and a pointed tip 18 formed at its other end. The fastener body 12 can be made of any suitable material such as hardened aluminum or galvanized steel. As shown in the figures, pin 14 and head 16 have circular shapes in cross section but could have approximately any cross sectional shape including square or rectangular. The cross-sectional area of the head 16 is slightly larger than that of the spike 14. In itself, the fastener body 12 is not necessarily distinguishable from conventional fasteners of the same type, a finishing nail in the illustrated example. Thus, the head 16 defines a substantially flat surface 20 at its outer end. In conventional fasteners, this surface would be hit with a hammer or the like to introduce the fastener in one piece. Accordingly, the surface 20 is referred to herein as the impact surface. As used herein, the term "impact surface" refers to any surface in a fastener body that corresponds to the surface of a conventional fastener that is intended to be struck to introduce the fastener into a part. The fastener 10 further includes a plug 22 of filler material attached to the impact surface 20. As described below, the plug 22 has the purpose of filling the hole made by the fastener body 12 when the fastener 10 is inserted in the fastener 10. one piece. Thus, the plug 22 and the head 16 should have similar shapes in cross section. In the case of a round head, the plug 22 will have a generally cylindrical shape. For a rectangular head, the plug 22 would have a rectangular prismatic shape. The cross-sectional area of the plug 22 is preferably the same or slightly larger than the cross-sectional area of the head 16. The height, h, of the plug 22 will vary depending on the application, but in general it should be at least equal to the depth to which the fastener 10 will typically be inserted into a piece to fill the hole made by the fastener body 12. The plug 22 can be made from various filling materials. In general, the filler material must be hard and capable of being sanded. A possible filler material is putty for wood. As used herein, wood putty refers to a composite material having a binder, such as a wood or glue finish, mixed with a filler such as sawdust, calcium carbonate, gypsum or the like. Commercially available adhesives called "Go-rilla Glue" or "Elmer 's Glue" mixed with sawdust provide a particularly useful filling material. Other possible fillers include an acrylic sealant material, such as any of the sealants sold commercially by Perma-Chink Systems, Inc., of Redmond, Washington, a glass fiber resin filler, such as the BHS All Purpose Fiberglass Resin sold commercially by the Bondo Corporation of Atlanta, Georgia, and epoxy adhesives, such as the BHS Extra Strength Wood Repair Epoxy sold commercially by the Bondo Corporation. The filler material can also be any suitable plastic material such as a polycarbonate. The filling material can be of various colors to match the various wood or plastic finishes. The plug 22 can be attached to the head 16 using glue or another type of adhesive. Depending on the type of filler material from which the plug 22 is made, the plug 22 can also be joined by the inherent adhesive characteristics of the filler material. For example, when using materials such as wood putty or an acrylic sealant for filler material, a drop of uncured filler material can be placed on the impact surface 20 in the desired shape of the plug 22 and then allowed to cure. The hardened material will form the plug 22 and will be attached to the head 16. The head 16, and in particular the impact surface 20, can be made to facilitate the attachment of the plug 22 to it. For example, the roughening of the impact surface 20 will increase the adhesion between the dowel 22 and the head 16. With reference to Figure 3, two wooden feet 24 and 26 fixedly joined by the fastener 10 are represented. hammer, nail gun or any other suitable device, the fastener 10 is introduced (hitting the outer surface 28 of the plug 22 with an insertion force) on a first surface 30 of the first piece 24 so as to extend fully through the first piece 24 and the second piece 26. The fastener 10 is inserted to a depth such that the head 16 is completely below the surface 30 of the first piece 24 and the outer surface 28 of the pad 22 is at ni-vel with or slightly above the surface of the piece 30. Thus, the plug 22 fills the hole in the first piece 24 made by the fastener body 12, that is, the space between the impact surface 20 of the head 16 and the surface of the piece 30. The outer surface 28 of the plug 22 can then be sanded, if necessary, to give the surface of the piece 30 a flawless appearance and hide the presence of the fastener 10. Referring now to FIGS. 5, a fastener 100 according to a second embodiment of the present invention is shown. The fastener 100 is a staple having a one piece U-shaped fastener body 102 including two legs 104 formed on opposite ends of a transverse member 106 and extending outwardly. Each leg 104 terminates at a sharp point 108. The cross member 106 defines an upper surface 110, which functions as the impact surface. The fastener body 102 can be made of any suitable material such as hardened aluminum or galvanized steel. The fastener 100 further includes a plug 112 of filler material attached to the impact surface 110. As described below, the plug 112 has the purpose of filling the hole made by the fastener body 102 when the fastener 100 is inserted into the holder. one piece. Thus, the plug 112 and the transverse element 106 should have similar shapes in cross section. In this case, the plug 112 is an elongated section of length and width substantially equal to, or slightly larger than, the cross member 106. The height, h, of the plug 112 will vary depending on the application, but in general it should be at less equal to the depth that the fastener 100 is typically inserted into a part to fill the hole made by the fastener body 102. The plug 112 can be made from various filling materials, including those described above in connection with the first embodiment. In addition, the plug 112 can be attached to the impact surface 110 in a manner similar to that of the first embodiment, including roughening the impact surface 110 to increase adhesion between the plug 112 and the transverse member 106. Although The present invention has been described in terms of a single fastener, it should be noted that a plurality of such fasteners could be attached to a strip or coil of fasteners for use with an automatic nail gun or staples. Indeed, it is considered that the present invention is especially suitable for use with nail guns or staples. Although specific embodiments of the present invention have been described, it will be apparent to those skilled in the art that various modifications can be made therein without departing from the spirit and scope of the invention defined in the appended claims.

Claims (29)

Re ivindi cac ione s

1. A holder including: a fastener body having an impact surface; and a plug of filler material attached to said impact surface.

The fastener of claim 1, wherein said filler material is a sealant acrylic material.

The fastener of claim 1, wherein said filler material is a wood putty.

4. The fastener of claim 1, wherein said filler material is a fiberglass resin filler.

5. The fastener of claim 1, wherein said filler material is an epoxy adhesive.

The fastener of claim 1, wherein said filler material is a plastic material.

The fastener of claim 1, wherein said impact surface includes means for facilitating the attachment of said pad of filler material to said impact surface.

8. The fastener of claim 1, wherein said impact surface is roughened.

The fastener of claim 1, wherein said pad of filler material is attached to said impact surface with an adhesive.

The fastener of claim 1, wherein said fastener body includes at least two legs.

11. A nail including: a spike having a head formed at one end; and a plug of filler material attached to said head.

The nail of claim 11, wherein said filling material is a sealant acrylic material.

The nail of claim 11, wherein said filling ma- telial is a wood putty.

The nail of claim 11, wherein said filler material is a glass fiber resin filler.

15. The nail of claim 11, wherein said filling ma- telial is an epoxy adhesive.

16. The nail of claim 11, wherein said filling material is plastic.

17. The nail of claim 11, wherein said head includes an impact surface, said plug of filler material attaching to said impact surface.

The nail of claim 17, wherein said impact surface includes means for facilitating the attachment of said plug of filler material to said impact surface.

19. The nail of claim 17, wherein said impact surface is rough.

20. The nail of claim 11, wherein said plug of filling material and said head have similar shapes in cross section.

21. The nail of claim 11, wherein said pad of filler material is attached to said head with an adhesive.

22. A method of making a fastener including: providing a fastener body having an impact surface; and joining a plug of filler material to said impact surface.

23. The method of claim 22, wherein said filling material is a sealant acrylic material.

24. The method of claim 22, wherein said filler material is a wood putty.

25. The method of claim 22, wherein said filler material is a glass fiber resin filler.

26. The method of claim 22, wherein said filling material is an epoxy adhesive.

27. The method of claim 22, wherein said filler material is a plastic material.

28. The method of claim 22, further including roughening said impact surface prior to attaching said pad of filler material to said impact surface.

29. The method of claim 22, further including using an adhesive for attaching said pad to said impact surface.