Fastener insertion device with transition collar

Abstract

An apparatus for inserting a heavy-duty fastener into a ground substrate includes an elongated support having a substrate contact portion, an upper stop distal to the substrate contact portion, and a lower stop proximal to the substrate contact portion. The apparatus has a plunger manually movable relative to the support and a fastener movement portion configured to move the fastener along a guide of the apparatus toward a guide outlet. An axial movement control portion is located about the plunger.

Description

[Technical Field]

[0001] FIELD OF THE INVENTION The present invention relates generally to devices for inserting fasteners into the ground for the purpose of securing sheet-like materials such as civil engineering mats in the soil, or stabilizing or agricultural netting for protecting crops. [Background technology]

[0002] Soil erosion can be a serious problem, causing damage to water sources, landscaping, and wildlife. During construction work on residential and commercial infrastructure projects, vegetation that protects soil from erosion is often removed. Exposing soil to the erosive forces of wind and rain can carry soil, sediment, organic matter, and nutrients into stormwater. Soil erosion and sedimentation are considered one of the largest pollutants in stormwater and runoff in general.

[0003] Similarly, there has been growing interest in revegetating natural ecosystems and controlling weeds or other undesirable flora. Weeds can often compete with productive crops or pastures, be harmful to cultivated plants and livestock, and turn productive land into unusable scrub. The use of chemical treatments or herbicides, while often effective, is recognized as potentially damaging to fragile soil systems or otherwise harmful to those exposed during application.

[0004] It has been recognized that repairing damage caused by soil erosion and weed management is not only difficult but also time-consuming. The use of blankets or mats for either erosion control or regrowth management has been proposed as a potential solution to these problems. These systems can be highly effective in reducing runoff during rainfall events when compared to other forms of management, such as mulch. Generally, such mats or blankets, constructed from biodegradable materials such as straw, coconut, or wood fiber, are placed over prepared soil and areas to prevent them from washing away. The mats or blankets are typically anchored to the ground.

[0005] Netting and similar barriers are often used to exclude birds and other animals from food crops. These physical barriers provide significant benefits to the farmer or agriculturist by improving the yield of viable, marketable crops. Bird netting installation is generally accomplished by spreading the netting over the desired crop. To ensure complete coverage, the netting is typically anchored to the ground.

[0006] Installing mats and nets as described above is time-consuming and laborious. Typically, mats are secured by inserting fasteners through the mat and into the underlying soil. These fasteners can take the form of nails, pins, staples, U-shaped wire, stakes, or other similar objects. While fastener insertion is often the most straightforward securing method, it is a labor-intensive process, whereby each fastener is introduced by hand or in combination with a hammer, depending on the hardness of the underlying topsoil. Furthermore, because erosion control blanket installation is often performed on sloped areas, installing fasteners by hand can often cause excessive strain to the operator (e.g., injury to the operator's back, joints, muscles, or other areas of the operator's body due to the repetitive nature of the operation). This is particularly true when the underlying ground topography is uneven, sloped, or the underlying soil is quite hard.

[0007] It is recognized that portable and semi-portable manually operable devices exist in the art for inserting fasteners to secure mats and nets to the ground. These devices serve to automate fastener insertion by forcing the fasteners into the ground upon activation of a plunger, hammer, shaft, piston, or similar structure that contacts the fastener. While such devices offer advantages over manually inserting fasteners with a hammer, these devices are prone to jamming. Typically, fasteners are fed into the manually operable device by a spring-loaded magazine. However, the magazine can misfeed fasteners into the device, such that the presence of multiple fasteners can result in a jam. Once a jam occurs, the operator must disassemble the device, remove the fastener that caused the jam, and reassemble the device before returning to work. It is clear that repeated jamming negatively impacts the productivity of operators installing mats and nets and also leads to the waste of many fasteners. Jamming problems are known to be particularly prevalent among novice operators of these devices.

[0008] The prior art provides fastener insertion devices that are specifically configured to avoid the entry of multiple fasteners, thereby mitigating jamming problems. Such devices can be complex, have many parts, be prone to failure, be expensive to manufacture, or require frequent maintenance.

[0009] One aspect of the present invention is to provide an improvement over prior art fastener insertion devices. The improvement may be reduced complexity, reduced part count, less prone to failure, cheaper to manufacture, or requiring less frequent maintenance. Alternatively, an aspect of the present invention is to simply provide a useful alternative to prior art fastener insertion devices.

[0010] The discussion of documents, acts, materials, devices, articles and the like is included in this specification solely for the purpose of providing a context for the present invention. No suggestion or representation is made that any or all of these matters formed part of the prior art or were common general knowledge in the art relevant to this invention by virtue of existing before the priority date of each claim of this application. Summary of the Invention

[0011] In a first aspect, not necessarily its broadest aspect, the present invention provides a manually operable apparatus for inserting heavy-duty fasteners into a ground substrate, the apparatus comprising: an elongate support having a substrate contacting portion, an upper stop distal to the substrate contacting portion, and a lower stop proximal to the substrate contacting portion; a plunger manually movable relative to the support and having a fastener moving portion configured to move a fastener along a guide of the device toward a guide outlet; an axial movement control portion located around the plunger, the axial movement control portion being configured to selectively assume one of a first state and a second state; When the axial movement control section is in the second state, the plunger is prevented from being retracted sufficiently to allow the fastener movement section to open a fastener entry space around the guide, thereby causing the fastener movement section to block passage of a fastener into the guide; when the axial movement control section is in the first state, the plunger is allowed to be retracted sufficiently to allow the fastener movement section to open the fastener entry space, thereby allowing the fastener to pass into the guide; Contact between the axial movement control unit or associated structure and the lower stop causes the axial movement control unit to transition from the second state to the first state, and contact between the axial movement control unit or associated structure and the upper stop causes the axial movement control unit to transition from the first state to the second state.

[0012] In one embodiment of the first aspect, the axial movement control is configured to be latchable between a first state and a second state.

[0013] In one embodiment of the first aspect, the device comprises a latch configured to facilitate transition of the axial movement control between the first state and the second state and / or to maintain the axial movement control in the first state or the second state.

[0014] In an embodiment of the first aspect, the axial movement control and / or the latch portion are movable across or on a surface of the plunger.

[0015] In one embodiment of the first aspect, all or a portion of the plunger has a curved or planar surface, and the axial movement control portion and / or latch portion are shaped to abut or rest above the surface.

[0016] In one embodiment of the first aspect, the axial movement control portion and / or the latch portion is a collar or collar portion, the collar or collar portion having a central axis, the plunger having a central axis, and the central axis of the collar or collar portion being coaxial with the central axis of the plunger.

[0017] In an embodiment of the first aspect, the axial movement control portion and / or the latch portion are rotatable about the axis of the plunger.

[0018] In one embodiment of the first aspect, the axial movement control portion and / or the latch portion is a plate portion, the plate portion has a plane, and the plunger has a plane that is coplanar with or parallel to the plane of the plate portion.

[0019] In an embodiment of the first aspect, the axial movement control portion and / or the latch portion are movable on the plunger surface.

[0020] In one embodiment of the first aspect, the axial movement control portion and / or the latch portion are movable relative to the plunger and are biased toward one end of the plunger.

[0021] In one embodiment of the first aspect, one end of the plunger is an end toward the fastener outlet.

[0022] In an embodiment of the first aspect, the axial movement control portion and / or the latch portion are rotatable about the plunger axis and biased towards the rotated position.

[0023] In one embodiment of the first aspect, the bias is provided by a spring.

[0024] In one embodiment of the first aspect, the bias is counteracted by a stop on or around the plunger, or on or around the axial movement control and / or latch portion.

[0025] In one embodiment of the first aspect, movement of the latch portion is limited or controlled by (i) a substantially linear slot formed in or around the latch portion that receives a pin extending from or around the plunger, or (ii) a slot formed in or around the plunger that receives a pin extending from or around the latch portion.

[0026] In one embodiment of the first aspect, when the pin is away from the end of the slot, the axial movement control portion is in a first state, and when the pin is at the end of the slot, the axial movement control portion is in a second state.

[0027] In one embodiment of the first aspect, movement of the axial movement control is limited or controlled by (i) a substantially “L” shaped slot formed in or around the axial movement control that receives a pin extending from or around the plunger, or (ii) a slot formed in or around the plunger that receives a pin extending from or around the axial movement control.

[0028] In one embodiment of the first aspect, when the pin is in the vertical portion of the "L" shape, the plunger can extend fully upward to enter the fastener into the fastener guide.

[0029] In an embodiment of the first aspect, the axial movement control portion and / or the latch portion each include a ramp surface terminating in a tooth.

[0030] In one embodiment of the first aspect, one of the inclined surfaces is oriented generally toward the guide outlet and the other of the inclined surfaces is oriented generally away from the guide outlet, and the inclined surfaces do not contact each other when the axial movement control is in the first state, and the inclined surfaces contact each other when the axial movement control is in the second state.

[0031] In one embodiment of the first aspect, the teeth oppose each other and are intermeshed when the axial movement control is in the first state and are not intermeshed when the axial movement control is in the second state.

[0032] In one embodiment of the first aspect, when the axial movement control portion transitions from the first state to the second state, the teeth are or are separated to cause the axial movement control portion and / or the latch portion to rotate axially relative to each other until the teeth cease to interlock, and then the ramp surfaces are or are brought into contact with each other.

[0033] In one embodiment of the first aspect, when the axial movement control portion transitions from the second state to the first state, the ramped surfaces are caused or allowed to slide against one another, thereby causing or allowing the axial movement control portion and / or the latch portion to rotate axially relative to one another until the ramped surfaces stop contacting each other, at which point the teeth are caused or allowed to intermesh.

[0034] In an embodiment of the first aspect, the apparatus further comprises a magazine of fasteners, the individual fasteners being held together using at least one of wire, adhesive, rubber, and tape.

[0035] In one embodiment of the first aspect, each fastener has a length of at least about 50 mm, or at least about 100 mm, or at least about 150 mm, or at least about 200 mm.

[0036] In one embodiment of the first aspect, each fastener is substantially staple-shaped or substantially T-shaped.

[0037] In one embodiment of the first aspect, each fastener is constructed from a metal or a high density polymer.

[0038] In a second aspect, the present invention provides a method of inserting a fastener into a ground substrate, the method comprising use of an apparatus according to any embodiment of the first aspect.

[0039] In one embodiment of the second aspect, a method includes inserting a magazine of fasteners into the apparatus and actuating the plunger such that fasteners are inserted into a substrate. [Brief explanation of the drawings]

[0040] [Figure 1A]1 shows a highly schematic side view of the device of the invention, with the handle (located at the top end of the plunger) and the magazine (containing the fasteners) not shown, and the collar shown in a first state. [Figure 1B] 1A, but showing the collar in a second state. [Figure 2] 1 is a photograph of a preferred collar having a latching mechanism for alternately holding the collar in a first and second state. The photograph shows the collar in the second state. A portion has been cut away from the shaft for illustration purposes only to visualize the mechanism. [Figure 3] It contains a series of photographs of the preferred color shown in Figure 2 in a first state (left column), an unstable intermediate state (middle column), and a second state (right column). For each column, the first (top) photograph is a view from the left, the second photograph is a view from the front, and the third photograph is a view from the right. [Figure 4] 10A-10C illustrate the relative spatial arrangement of the fasteners in the magazine, the next fastener entering the guide, and the fastener in the guide that the hammer is contacting. [Figure 5A] Shows the complete version of the device as it would be used in the field. [Figure 5B] 5B shows the device of FIG. 5A with the magazine removed.

[0041] Unless otherwise indicated in the specification, features in the drawings labeled with the same numerals when used across different drawings are considered to be the same features, or at least functionally similar features.

[0042] The drawings are not made to any particular scale or dimensions, and are not intended to be entirely accurate representations of various embodiments. DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION

[0043] After considering this description, it will be apparent to those skilled in the art how the present invention may be implemented in various alternative embodiments and applications. However, while various embodiments of the present invention are described herein, it is understood that these embodiments are presented by way of example only, and not by way of limitation. Accordingly, this description of various alternative embodiments should not be construed as limiting the scope or breadth of the present invention. Furthermore, statements of advantages or other aspects apply to particular exemplary embodiments and not necessarily to all embodiments, or indeed to any embodiments encompassed by the claims.

[0044] Throughout the description and claims of this specification, the word "comprise" and variations of this word such as "comprising" and "comprises" are not intended to exclude other additives, ingredients, integers or steps.

[0045] Throughout this specification, reference to "one embodiment" or "an embodiment" means that a particular feature, structure, or characteristic described in connection with the embodiment is included in at least one embodiment of the invention. Thus, the appearances of the phrase "in one embodiment" or "in an embodiment" in various places throughout this specification do not necessarily all refer to the same embodiment, but may.

[0046] As used herein, terms relating to position such as "lateral," "across," "above," "below," "higher," "lower," "upward," "downward," "plan view," and the like, should be considered with reference to the device of the present invention being used in its normal upright position with fasteners inserted downward into the ground.

[0047] Applicant has discovered that jamming of fastener insertion devices is often caused by an operator not fully ejecting a fastener from the device into the ground with a single movement of the plunger. Therefore, an operator (especially a novice operator) may perform multiple downstrokes and upstrokes of the device plunger to fully seat the fastener in the ground. However, in the process of performing multiple strikes, the hammer is pulled upward by the operator, thereby leaving a fastener guide that can accept a new fastener from the magazine. The operator then performs a further downstroke in an attempt to fully seat the first fastener, but instead engages a second fastener. The second fastener is then forced downward toward the first fastener (which has not yet been fully ejected from the device), and both fasteners are forced to occupy a space within the device designed to accommodate a single fastener. This cycle may be repeated so that three, four, five, or more fasteners occupy a space together. It will be appreciated that existing devices have relatively tight tolerances, and therefore, the device easily becomes blocked in the aforementioned situation.

[0048] The present invention is based, at least in part, on the inventors' discovery that an apparatus can be configured such that the movement of the plunger is relatively restricted when the fastener is in the fastener guide (i.e., in the process of being inserted into the substrate), but is relatively free when the fastener is released (and fully seated in the substrate).

[0049] The relatively limited travel prevents the plunger from being withdrawn completely upward, preventing a portion of the plunger (typically the portion responsible for contacting and moving the fastener along the guide) from clearing a space to allow fastener entry. Thus, a new fastener cannot enter the guide until the previous fastener has been released, thereby preventing jamming due to the presence of multiple fasteners in the guide.

[0050] The relatively free movement of the plunger allows it to be withdrawn fully upwardly so that no part of the plunger obstructs the passage of a new fastener into the guide. Given that the device allows relatively free movement only when the previous fastener has been pushed out, a new fastener will only be accepted when the guide is empty.

[0051] In the present invention, selective control of plunger movement is achieved through the use of an axial movement control on the plunger that can alternate between a first state and a second state and may be lockable in either state depending on whether the fastener has already been fully driven into the ground and the fastener guide is empty.

[0052] When the axial movement control is in the first state, the plunger has relatively free movement, and in one embodiment, the plunger can be fully retracted on the upstroke. This ability to fully retract on the upstroke allows the fastener entrance of the guide to open at the top of the upstroke, thereby allowing the fastener to pass into the guide.

[0053] When the axial control portion is in the second state, the plunger has relatively limited travel, and in one embodiment, the plunger is prevented from being fully withdrawn on the upstroke. This inability to fully withdraw ensures that the fastener entrance of the guide remains blocked at the top of the upstroke, thereby preventing a fastener from entering the guide.

[0054] The transition of the axial movement control portion between the first and second states can be effected by a first stop and a second stop. The first stop can be in an upper position of the device, and the second stop can be in a lower position. Thus, when the plunger is moved up or down by the user, the collar is moved between the two stops, transitioning between the first and second positions in the process. The second stop, in the lower position, can effect the transition between states only when the plunger is pushed downward by the user sufficiently to release the fastener (possibly requiring multiple downward strokes of the plunger). As a result, the axial movement control portion transitions from the second state (relatively limited movement) to the first state (relatively free movement) only when the fastener is fully released into the ground and the guide therefore does not contain the fastener.

[0055] After ejecting the fastener, the user performs an upstroke, and the axial movement control is in a first state (relatively free movement) to allow the plunger to make a full upstroke, thereby clearing the fastener entrance and allowing a new fastener to be accepted. Typically, the fasteners start from a spring-loaded magazine and are pushed into the guide by the spring bias.

[0056] With the plunger in its fully retracted position (i.e., at the top of its upstroke), the first (upper) stop transitions the axial movement control portion from its intermediate state and unlatches it from the first state to a second state (relatively limited movement) only after a single fastener is engaged by the plunger. In the second state, even at the top of the upstroke, the fastener entrance is not cleared, thereby preventing the entry of a second fastener. The user presses the plunger downward (possibly multiple times), thereby forcing the fastener down through the guide and out of the device onto the substrate. In the process of striking the fastener multiple times, new fasteners cannot enter the fastener guide, thus avoiding blocking of the guide by multiple fasteners.

[0057] The process of the axial movement control transitioning between the first and second states continues alternately as fasteners are ejected from the device and new fasteners are received from the magazine.

[0058] In one embodiment, the device includes a latch portion that acts on the axial movement control portion to maintain the axial movement control portion in either the first state or the second state until a transition is made. Latching between the first and second states can be effected by contact of the axial movement control portion or the latch portion with one of the stops. For example, contact of the axial movement control portion or the latch portion with an upper stop can transition the axial movement control portion from the first state to the second state. Contact of the axial movement control portion or the latch portion with a lower stop can transition the axial movement control portion from the second state to the first state.

[0059] One or both of the axial movement control and the latching portion may be a collar or the like that surrounds or partially surrounds the plunger, hi some embodiments, the collar is coaxial with the plunger.

[0060] In yet another embodiment, the axial movement control portion and the latch portion are configured to provide a mechanism for the axial movement control portion to alternately latch between a first state and a second state, and then latch from the second state back to the first state.

[0061] The present invention will be more fully described by reference to the following non-limiting embodiments as illustrated in the accompanying drawings.

[0062] Referring initially to Figure 1A, device (10) comprises shaft (15) which functions to support plunger (20) and allows plunger (20) to slide bidirectionally through shaft (15). Shaft (15) supports first stop (25) and second stop (30), which function to limit axial movement of plunger (20) and also to support and maintain plunger (20) in coaxial alignment with shaft (15).

[0063] The plunger 20 has a hammer portion 35. The hammer portion 35 can be considered part of the plunger 20. The hammer portion 35 is disposed on the outside of the shaft 15 and moves along a guide 36. The lower end of the hammer portion 35 contacts a fastener (not shown) in the guide 36 and presses the fastener downward toward and into the base plate 37.

[0064] The device 10 has a spring-loaded magazine (not shown) that supports an array of heavy-duty fasteners 38, which in this embodiment are staples. The fasteners 38a can enter the guides through inlets 39a, 39b and are driven into the substrate 37 through outlets 40 by the action of the hammers 35.

[0065] An axial movement control collar 45a and a latch collar 45b are shown around plunger 20. Latch collar 45b is latched between a first state (shown in FIG. 1A) in which latch collar 45b maintains axial movement control collar 45a in the illustrated position on plunger 20, and a second state (shown in FIG. 1B) in which latch collar 45b maintains axial movement control collar 45a in the illustrated position on plunger 20.

[0066] The difference in position of the axial control collar (45a) may be less than about 50 mm, 40 mm, 30 mm, 20 mm, or 10 mm.

[0067] 1A and 1B, when axial movement control collar (45a) is in the first state (FIG. 1A), and the user withdraws plunger (20) fully upward (i.e., until axial movement collar (45a) hits first stop (25)), hammer (35) can clear fastener entry spaces (39a, 39b), thereby allowing fastener (38a) to enter guide (36). However, when in the second state (FIG. 1B), the user cannot withdraw plunger (20) fully upward because the higher position of axial movement control collar (45a) prevents movement of collar (45a) relative to the plunger at the top of its upward stroke, and therefore hammer (35) cannot fully clear fastener entry spaces (39a, 39b), thereby preventing entry of fastener (38a) into guide (36). Preventing the entry of fasteners prevents two fasteners from jamming within guide (36).

[0068] The axial movement control collar 45a transitions between the first and second states by contacting the collar 45a with the first stop 25 and then the latch collar 45b with the second stop 30. In the first state, as shown in FIG. 1A, the guide 36 has no fasteners installed therein (because the user has just driven a fastener into the base plate 37), and therefore the guide is free to receive a new fastener. When the user pulls the plunger 20 upward, the top of the axial movement control collar 45a contacts and compresses the first stop 25. This bearing force transitions the axial movement control collar 45a to the second state, as shown in FIG. 1B. The axial movement control collar (45a) is latched in the second state until the fastener is fully driven into the base plate (37) by the hammer (35), thereby allowing the bottom of the latch collar (45b) to contact and abut the second stop (30), transitioning the axial movement control collar (45a) back to the first state, thereby allowing the entry of a new fastener upon the next full upward withdrawal of the plunger (20).

[0069] Reference is now made to Figure 2, which shows a preferred arrangement of the device of the present invention shown in a second state.

[0070] Axial movement control collar (45a) is seen to have a generally cylindrical configuration and is coaxial with plunger (20). A cutout area defines a ramp surface (48) that terminates in teeth (50). Also, an "L" shaped slot (52) is provided generally laterally of teeth (50) to allow limited vertical and axial rotational movement.

[0071] Latch collar 45b is similarly generally cylindrical and includes a ramp 55 terminating in teeth 60. Latch collar 45b further includes a vertical slot 65 that allows for vertical movement of plunger 20 relative to latch collar 45b.

[0072] A pin support 70 is disposed within both the axial movement control collar 45a and the latch collar 45b and has pins 75 and 80 extending therefrom into the slots 52 and 65, respectively. The pin support 70 is fixed to the plunger 20 and is immovable relative to the plunger 20.

[0073] A coil spring (85) is included to bias the axial movement control collar (45a) toward the second condition.

[0074] Reference is now made to Figure 3, which illustrates the transition of axial movement control collar (45a) from a first state (left column), through an intermediate unstable configuration (middle column), to a second state (right column).

[0075] In the first state, the teeth (50) and (60) are in mesh.

[0076] Pin 75 is shown midway along slot 52, at which point it allows plunger 20 to move further upward a short distance. That short distance provides relatively free plunger movement, as described herein. Furthermore, this short distance is sufficient to move the lower edge of hammer 35 away from the upper edge of fastener entrance 39a. The upward movement stops when pin 75 strikes the top of slot 52 at the top of its upward stroke, at which point a new fastener 38a can be inserted into guide 36. This further upward movement also transitions axial movement control collar 45a from the first state to the second state through the action of latch collar 45b.

[0077] It will be appreciated that the extent of plunger axial movement is controlled by collar 45a, which engages pin 75 and "L"-shaped slot 52. When pin 75 is in the horizontal portion, away from the corner of "L"-shaped slot 52, further upward movement of plunger 20 is prevented at the top of its upward stroke by upper stop 25. This relative restriction in plunger movement prevents hammer 35 from passing through fastener entrance 36. When pin 80 is midway along vertical slot 65, hammer 35 passes through fastener entrances 39a, 39b.

[0078] In the first state, pin 75 is shown at the corner of "L" shaped slot 52 in axial movement control collar 45a, which strikes upper stop 25 at the top of its upstroke to transition axial movement control collar 45a from the first state to the second state.

[0079] Plunger 20 is pulled upward by the user, causing the top surface of axial movement control collar 45a to contact upper stop 25, causing a transition to the intermediate state (center row). Teeth 55 and 60 are opposed and no longer interlock. Pin 80 is at the top of vertical slot 65 and cannot move any further. Pin 75 is halfway along the vertical portion of "L"-shaped slot 52. When pin 75 is halfway, pin 80 has not reached its maximum upward travel and is therefore not limited in its travel. At this point, the mechanism is unstable and is artificially constrained in this configuration for illustrative purposes only.

[0080] Further upward withdrawal of the plunger (20) and further bearing of the upper end of the axial movement control collar (45a) on the upper stop (25) and subsequent downward movement of the plunger towards the lower stop (30) causes the axial movement control collar (45a) to transition to a second state (see right column) and remain in that state.

[0081] In the second state, the inclined surfaces (48) and (55) are in contact with each other. The pin (80) is at the top of the vertical slot (65) and cannot move any further. The pin (75) is in the horizontal portion of the "L"-shaped slot (52), thereby preventing vertical movement of the axial movement control collar (45a) relative to the plunger (20), so that when the plunger (20) is pushed fully downward in the second state, the hammer (35) can fully compress the fastener in the guide (36) and eject it from the guide into the ground.

[0082] Further downward pressure on plunger 20 by the user causes the lower end of latch collar 45b to contact and abut second stop 30, causing axial movement control collar 45a to transition to the unstable intermediate configuration shown in the center column and then back to the first state shown in the left column. The upward movement of latch collar 45b resulting from contact with lower stop 20 rotates axial movement control collar 45a and positions pin 75 within the vertical section of slot 52, thereby transitioning the assembly directly from the second state to the first state. Latch collar 45b assists in the process, latching axial movement control collar 45a in the first state.

[0083] 4, an array of fasteners 38 as typically provided in a magazine is shown. With the collar (not shown) in the second position, fastener 38a is prevented from moving into the lower guide, and therefore hammer 35 cannot be withdrawn upwardly enough to clear the top of fastener 38a. Fastener 38a is therefore prevented from entering the lower guide and therefore from jamming against already-existing fasteners 39.

[0084] Figure 5A shows the complete fastener insertion device (10) resting on the ground (37) as it would appear when a fastener is about to be inserted. The plunger (20) has a fastener magazine (90) and a handle (92) on top for user engagement.

[0085] Figure 5B shows the device of Figure 5A with the magazine removed, revealing the hammer (35) within the guide. This view shows the hammer (35) and the entry space for fasteners in front of the guide, allowing fasteners waiting to enter the guide to contact the face of the hammer (35). This contact prevents the fastener from entering the guide. However, when the hammer (35) is pulled sufficiently upward by the user (as is possible when the collar is in the first position), the fastener no longer contacts the face of the hammer (35) and is therefore allowed to enter the guide.

[0086] Those skilled in the art will appreciate that the invention described herein is susceptible to further variations and modifications other than those specifically described, and it is to be understood that the invention includes all such variations and modifications that are within its spirit and scope.

[0087] The present invention will be described primarily with reference to a manually operable device in which the plunger is axially movable by a human operator. Given the benefit of this disclosure, those skilled in the art will be able to create powered versions in which the plunger is movable by electrical, hydraulic, pneumatic, mechanical, or any other power means capable of moving the plunger axially.

[0088] Furthermore, the present invention will be described primarily with reference to embodiments having a plunger with a circular cross section and latching elements that are curved to match the curved surface of the plunger and rotate about their respective axes during use. This configuration can be modified to a flat configuration in which the plunger has a flat surface over which a flat latching element (such as a plate) slides laterally.

[0089] The spirit and scope of the present invention is not intended to be limited by the foregoing examples, but is to be understood in the broadest sense permitted by law.

Claims

1. 1. An apparatus for inserting heavy-duty fasteners into a ground substrate, said apparatus comprising: an elongated support having a substrate contact portion, an upper stop distal to the substrate contact portion, and a lower stop proximal to the substrate contact portion; a plunger manually movable relative to the support and having a fastener moving portion configured to move a fastener along a guide of the device toward a guide outlet; an axial movement control portion located around the plunger, the axial movement control portion being configured to selectively assume one of a first state and a second state; When the axial movement control section is in the second state, the plunger is prevented from being retracted sufficiently to allow the fastener movement section to open a fastener entry space around the guide, thereby causing the fastener movement section to block passage of a fastener into the guide; when the axial movement control section is in the first state, the plunger is allowed to be retracted sufficiently to allow the fastener movement section to open the fastener entry space, thereby allowing the fastener to pass into the guide; wherein contact between the axial movement control or associated structure and the lower stop transitions the axial movement control from the second state to the first state, and contact between the axial movement control or associated structure and the upper stop transitions the axial movement control from the first state to the second state.

2. The apparatus of claim 1 , wherein the axial movement control is configured to be latchable between the first state and the second state.

3. 2. The device of claim 1, comprising a latch configured to facilitate transition of the axial movement control between the first state and the second state and / or to maintain the axial movement control in the first state or the second state.

4. The device of claim 3 , wherein the axial movement control portion and / or the latch portion are movable across or on a surface of the plunger.

5. 4. The device of claim 3, wherein all or a portion of the plunger has a curved or planar surface, and the axial movement control portion and / or the latch portion are shaped to abut or lie above the surface.

6. 4. The device of claim 3, wherein the axial movement control section and / or the latch section is a collar or collar section, the collar or collar section having a central axis, the plunger having a central axis, and the central axis of the collar or collar section being coaxial with the central axis of the plunger.

7. The device according to claim 6 , wherein the axial movement control portion and / or the latch portion are rotatable about the axis of the plunger.

8. The device according to claim 3 , wherein the axial movement control portion and / or the latch portion is a plate portion, the plate portion having a flat surface, and the plunger having a flat surface that is coplanar with or parallel to the flat surface of the plate portion.

9. The device of claim 8 , wherein the axial movement control portion and / or the latch portion are movable on a surface of the plunger.

10. The device according to claim 3 , wherein the axial movement control portion and / or the latch portion are movable relative to the plunger and are biased toward one end of the plunger.

11. The device of claim 10 , wherein the one end of the plunger is the end toward the fastener outlet.

12. The device of claim 3 , wherein the axial movement control portion and / or the latch portion are rotatable about a plunger axis and biased toward a rotated position.

13. The device of claim 10 , wherein the bias is provided by a spring.

14. 11. The device of claim 10, wherein the bias is counteracted by a stop on or around the plunger, or on or around the axial movement control and / or latch portion.

15. 4. The device of claim 3, wherein movement of the latch portion is limited or controlled by (i) a substantially linear slot formed in or around the latch portion that receives a pin extending from or around the plunger, or (ii) a slot formed in or around the plunger that receives a pin extending from or around the latch portion.

16. 16. The apparatus of claim 15, wherein the axial movement control is in the first state when the pin is away from the end of the slot, and the axial movement control is in the second state when the pin is at the end of the slot.

17. 4. The device of claim 3, wherein movement of the axial movement control is limited or controlled by (i) a substantially "L" shaped slot formed in or around the axial movement control that receives a pin extending from or around the plunger, or (ii) a slot formed in or around the plunger that receives a pin extending from or around the axial movement control.

18. 18. The device of claim 17, wherein when the pin is in the vertical portion of the "L" shape, the plunger can extend fully upward to enter a fastener into a fastener guide.

19. The device of claim 3 , wherein the axial movement control portion and / or the latch portion each include a ramp surface terminating in a tooth.

20. 20. The apparatus of claim 19, wherein one of the inclined surfaces is oriented generally toward the guide outlet and the other of the inclined surfaces is oriented generally away from the guide outlet, the inclined surfaces do not contact each other when the axial movement control is in the first state, and the inclined surfaces contact each other when the axial movement control is in the second state.

21. 20. The device of claim 19, wherein the teeth oppose each other and intermesh when the axial movement control is in the first state and do not intermesh when the axial movement control is in the second state.

22. 20. The device of claim 19, wherein when the axial movement control portion transitions from the first state to the second state, the teeth are caused or allowed to separate to rotate the axial movement control portion and / or the latch portion relative to each other about an axis until the teeth cease to interlock, and then the inclined surfaces are caused or allowed to contact each other.

23. 20. The device of claim 19, wherein when the axial movement control portion transitions from the second state to the first state, the ramped surfaces are caused or allowed to slide over one another, thereby causing or allowing the axial movement control portion and / or the latch portion to rotate about an axis relative to one another until the ramped surfaces cease to contact each other, at which point the teeth are caused or allowed to intermesh.

24. 4. The device of claim 3, configured to be operable by manual means, power means, or a combination of manual and power means.

25. further comprising a magazine of fasteners; The device of claim 3 , wherein the individual fasteners are held together using at least one of wire, adhesive, rubber, and tape.

26. 26. The device of claim 25, wherein each fastener has a length of at least about 50 mm, or at least about 100 mm, or at least about 150 mm, or at least about 200 mm.

27. 26. The device of claim 25, wherein each fastener is substantially staple-shaped or substantially T-shaped.

28. 26. The apparatus of claim 25, wherein each fastener is constructed from metal or a high density polymer.

29. A method of inserting a fastener into a ground substrate, said method comprising the use of an apparatus according to any one of claims 1 to 28.

30. A method comprising the steps of inserting a magazine of fasteners into an apparatus according to any preceding claim and actuating a plunger so that the fasteners are inserted into a substrate.

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