The patent badge is an abbreviated version of the USPTO patent document. The patent badge does contain a link to the full patent document.
The patent badge is an abbreviated version of the USPTO patent document. The patent badge covers the following: Patent number, Date patent was issued, Date patent was filed, Title of the patent, Applicant, Inventor, Assignee, Attorney firm, Primary examiner, Assistant examiner, CPCs, and Abstract. The patent badge does contain a link to the full patent document (in Adobe Acrobat format, aka pdf). To download or print any patent click here.
Patent No.:
Date of Patent:
Dec. 01, 1987
Filed:
Jun. 09, 1986
Burnell Wollar, Barrington, IL (US);
Phillips Plastics Corporation, Phillips, WI (US);
Abstract
A hand-held manually-operable tool is disclosed for installing a two-piece expandable plastic fastener (including an expandable body and an insertable pin) in a panel hole. The tool comprises a hand-held housing having a hollow barrel from which a spring-biased hollow plastic sleeve projects. A pushrod within the hollow sleeve is movable with the housing. The sleeve tip releasably engages and supports either the body or pin of a fastener manually mounted thereon and aligns the pin with the pushrod which subsequently forces the pin into the body to effect expansion. The sleeve tip end has either resiliently flexible legs to engage the body or resiliently flexible compressible foam rubber strips to engage the pin. In use, the tool directs the body into the panel hole and is pressed to cause the sleeve to retract so that the pushrod can force the pin into the body to effect body expansion. Thereafter, the tool is moved away from the panel to allow the sleeve to re-extend from the tool barrel and disengage from the fastener. Sleeves of different sizes are provided. A hollow adapter member for the sleeve and an extension member for the pushrod enable a sleeve to handle different sized fasteners. A trigger-operated latch member engages the sleeve to prevent premature sleeve retraction.