Plastic Fastener Dispensing Hand Tool Having a Novel Anvil Design to Reduce Needle Sticks

摘要

An improved hand tool for dispensing plastic fasteners having a novel anvil design that reduces inadvertent user needle sticks during operation of the hand tool and a needle having a novel casing that further reduces inadvertent user needle sticks during the replacement of the hand tool needle. The hand tool has a gun shaped casing with a barrel portion and a handle portion. The casing has a needle assembly opening at the front of the barrel portion and a trigger slot at the front of the handle portion. The hand tool further has a hollow needle disposed on one end of a needle assembly. The needle assembly is slidably movable back and forth between a retracted position disposed substantially within casing and an extend position disposed substantially out of the casing through the needle assembly opening. The hand tool further has a trigger that is pivotally mounted within the casing that extends out from the trigger slot. The trigger is capable of moving the needle assembly between the retracted and extended positions. The hand tool further has an anvil. The anvil has a finger guide portion, a main portion, and a tag slot. The tag slot separates the finger guide portion from the main portion.

主权项

1. A method of transitioning a dual operating mode hand tool for dispensing plastic fasteners for dispensing plastic fasteners between a first operating mode and a second operating mode comprising the steps of:
providing a hand tool having a casing with a barrel portion, a handle portion, and a channel a portion, said casing having a needle assembly opening at a front end of the barrel portion, a hollow needle, a needle assembly, a trigger, a locking switch, and an anvil, said anvil having a front portion and a rear portion; rotating said front portion of said anvil from a first operating mode position near the front of said barrel portion to a second operating mode position near said channel portion; depressing said safety button; moving said safety switch to an unlocked position; actuating said trigger to advance said needle assembly from a first operating mode position at a rear end of said barrel portion to a second operating mode position at the front end of said barrel portion; and releasing said safety switch to lock said needle assembly in said second operating mode position.