Fastener feed assembly including fastener size adjusting means

Claim 1

APPARATUS FOR SUPPLYING ELONGATE FASTENERS TO A FASTENING TOOL, SAID FASTENERS BEING OF UNIFORM LENGTH BUT SUBJECT TO CHANGE IN LENGTH FROM TIME TO TIME WHEN FASTENERS OF DIFFERENT LENGTHS ARE REQUIRED, SAID APPARATUS COMPRISING MEANS FORMING A SUPPLY PASSAGE, MEANS FOR FEEDING THE ELONGATE FASTENERS IN END-TO-END RELATIONSHIP INTO SAID PASSAGE, A CONVEYING TUBE IN WHICH THE FASTENERS ARE MOVED ONE AT A TIME TO THE FASTENING TOOL, AN ESCAPEMENT MECHANISM INCLUDING A HOUSING, A CARRIER SLIDABLY SUPPORTED IN SAID HOUSING FOR RECIPROCATORY MOVEMENT THEREIN, SAID CARRIER HAVING AT LEAST ONE TRANSVERSE PASSAGE, SAID HOUSING HAVING AN INLET OPENING COMMUNICATING WITH SAID SUPPLY PASSAGE, SAID HOUSING HAVING AN OUTLET OPENING COMMUNICATING WITH SAID CONVEYING TUBE, MEANS FOR MOVING SAID CARRIER BETWEEN TWO POSITIONS WITH SAID TRANSVERSE PASSAGE ALIGNED WITH SAID INLET OPENING IN ONE POSITION AND WITH SAID TRANSVERSE PASSAGE ALIGNED WITH SAID OUTLET OPENING IN THE SECOND POSITION, A PLUNGER, MEANS SUPPORTING SAID PLUNGER TRANSVERSELY TO SAID SUPPLY PASSAGE AT A DISTANCE FROM THE NEAREST SURFACE OF SAID CARRIER WHICH IS LESS THAN TWICE THE LENGTH OF THE FASTENER TO BE SUPPLIED AND MORE THAN THE LENGTH THEREOF, MEANS FOR OPERATING SAID PLUNGER TO CLAMP AN INTERMEDIATE PART OF A SECOND FASTENER FROM SAID CARRIER FROM ONE POSITION SITE SIDE OF SAID SUPPLY PASSAGE, MEANS FOR ENERGIZING SAID MOVING MEANS TO MOVE SAID CARRIER FROM ONE POSITION TO THE OTHER TO RECEIVE THE FIRST FASTENER, MEANS FOR ENERGIZING SAID OPERATING MEANS TO MOVE SAID PLUNGER TO CLAMP THE SECOND FASTENER, AND POSITIONING MEANS ASSOCIATED WITH SAID SUPPORTING MEANS FOR MOVING SAID PLUNGER AND SAID OPERATING MEANS TO AT LEAST TWO DIFFERENT POSITIONS SPACED LONGITUDINALLY ALONG SAID SUPPLY PASSAGE TO ENABLE SAID PLUNGER TO ENGAGE AN INTERMEDIATE PART OF THE SECOND FASTENER EVEN WHEN A CHANGE IS MADE TO FASTENERS OF DIFFERENT LENGTHS.