US3774288A

US3774288A - Tool for inserting and removing parts in mechanical assemblages

Info

Publication number: US3774288A
Application number: US00117431A
Authority: US
Inventors: R Kuenzel
Original assignee: Individual
Current assignee: Individual
Priority date: 1971-05-21
Filing date: 1971-05-21
Publication date: 1973-11-27
Anticipated expiration: 1990-11-27

Abstract

A tool for use in gripping parts to be inserted in or removed from mechanical assemblages where such parts are positioned in difficultly accessible or confined locations. The tool comprises a tubular body carrying at one end an expansible or contractible gripping member having flexible fingers and mechanism for actuation of the fingers comprising an actuator member movable longitudinally relative to the fingers and shaped for coaction with the fingers upon longitudinal movement of the actuator in one direction to flex the fingers radially in one direction and upon longitudinal movement of the actuator in the other direction to allow flexing of the fingers in the other direction. The actuator is operated by a stem movable longitudinally in the body and having a threadable connection with the actuator to move the actuator longitudinally by rotation of the stem whereby the fingers may be adjusted into more or less close fitting engagement with the object. Lever mechanism is provided on the body which is connected to the stem to move the stem longitudinally in a direction to cause the fingers to grip an object upon swinging movement of the lever toward the stem and to allow movement of the fingers out of gripping engagement with the object upon swinging movement of the lever away from the body.

Description

United States Patent [1 1 Kuenzel TOOL FOR INSERTING AND REMOVING PARTS IN MECHANICAL ASSEMBLAGES [76] Inventor: Rainer Kuenzel, 9606 Meadowglen,

Houston, Tex.

22 Filed: May 21, 1971 21 Appl. No.: 117,431

[52] U.S. Cl. 29/282 [51] Int. Cl. B21d 39/04, B23p/19/04 [58] Field of Search 29/280-283, 7 v. azt i t [56] References Cited UNITED STATES PATENTS 3,479,722 11/1969 Maness 29/280 X 2,497,633 2/1950 Shapiro et al 29/280 X 2,373,064 4/1945 Stelzer 29/265 Primary ExaminerOthell M. Simpson Attorney-Charles E. Lightfoot [57] ABSTRACT A tool for use in gripping parts to be inserted in or re- Nov. 27, 1973 moved from mechanical assemblages where such parts are positioned in difficulty accessible or confined locations. The tool comprises a tubular body carrying at one end an expansible or contractible gripping member having flexible fingers and mechanism for actuation of the fingers comprising an actuator member movable longitudinally relative to the fingers and shaped for coaction with the fingers upon longitudinal movement of the actuator in one direction to flex the fingers radially in one direction and upon longitudinal movement of the actuator in the other direction to allow flexing of the fingers in the other direction. The actuator is operated by a stern movable longitudinally in the body and having a threadable connection with the actuator to move the actuator longitudinally by rotation of the stem whereby the fingers may be adjusted into more or less close fitting engagement with the object. Lever mechanism is provided on the body which is connected to the stem to move the stem longitudinally in a direction to cause the fingers to grip an object upon swinging movement of the lever toward the stern and to allow movement of the fingers out of gripping engagement with the object upon swinging movement of the lever away from the body.

9 Claims, 10 Drawing Figures United States Patent 1 [111 3,774,288 [451 Nov. 27, 1973 Kuenzel Patented Nov. 27, 1973 2 Shani-Shoot 1 FIG. 2

Rainer Kuenze/ INVENTOR ATTORNEY Patented. Nov. 27, 1973 3,774,288

2 Shak -Shut I Rd/nr Kuenze/ IN VENTOR ATTORNEY TOOL FOR INSERTING AND REMOVING PARTS IN MECHANICAL ASSEMBLAGES BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION In the maintenance and repair of mechanical assemblages, such as automotive engines and the like, it is often necessary to remove and replace parts which are located in inaccessible places and which cannot be conveniently reached and gripped with ordinary tools, such as wrenches and pliers.

Certain internal combustion engines, for example, have rotating elements by which the distributor or other rotatably driven mechanism is operated, and which are located in close proximity to surrounding parts or within openings or recesses in which they are more or less closely fitted so that they cannot be gripped by wrenches, pliers, or the like, for removal or reinsertion. Most such parts, however, have reduced end portions or bores or cavities which could be used for gripping the same by a suitable implement designed to fit in such cavities or over such reduced portions and to be expanded or contracted into gripping engagement with the part.

At times, the accumulation of dirt and grease or the like in assemblages of this kind causes sticking of the parts and prevents the removal of the parts by ordinary means, so that much time may be consumed in disassembling the mechanism. The reassembling of such mechanism is often a difficult and time consuming task, particularly when the parts must be carefully brought into axial alignment or held in a particular position, as in the case of rotatable members having splines, gears, or the like, which must be positioned in intermeshing relation within a confined space, bore, or cavity.

Various makeshift devices, such as pliers, whose jaws are adjustable to accommodate different sizes of openings, or to grip the exterior of objects of different sizes, have been employed for the removal of parts of the kind mentioned, but these have not proven satisfactory due to the tendency of implements of this kind to slip off the object, as well as the difficulty of manipulating the same in closely confined places.

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION The present invention, briefly described, comprises a gripping tool adapted to be used in confined locations or inserted into openings and which is expansible and contractible into and out of gripping engagement with a part positioned in such a location to allow the part to be removed or replaced. The tool of the invention has an elongated, tubular body forming a handle by which the tool may be manipulated and which carries at one end a gripping member which is expansible or contractible, as the case may be, into gripping engagement with an object having a cavity into which the member may be inserted or a portion over which the member may be positioned in surrounding relation thereto.

The gripping mechanism of the tool includes the gripping member, which is of generally tubular configuration, having flexible fingers and an actuator member, slidably mounted in the body and shaped for coaction with the fingers to flex the fingers radially outwardly or inwardly, as the case may be, into gripping engagement with the object to be held, upon longitudinal movement of the actuator in one direction and to allow flexing of the fingers radially out of such gripping engagement to release the object upon longitudinalmovement of the actuator in the other direction.

The actuator member is operated by a longitudinally movable stem disposed in the body, which is attached to the actuator to move the same longitudinally with the stem and which is also threadably connected to the actuator to move the actuator in either direction longitudinally by rotation of the stem.

The tool also includes lever means pivotally carried by the body externally thereon for lateral swinging movement relative to the axis of the body, and linkage mechanism forming a connection between the lever and stem, whereby the stem may be moved in a direction to release the gripping member upon swinging movement of the lever away from the body and in a direction to grippingly engage the gripping member with the object upon swinging movement of the lever toward the body.

The stem is adapted to be rotated in the body to move the gripping fingers into close fitting engagement with the object with the lever in an outward position relative to the body whereupon the lever may be moved inwardly toward the body to move the fingers into tight gripping engagement with the object.

The lever acts as a quick acting mechanism for moving the gripping mechanism into tight gripping engagement with the object and releasing the same therefrom, while the rotation of the stem serves as an adjustment for moving the gripping mechanism to a position for such quick acting operation by the lever.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE VIEWS OF THE DRAWINGS FIG. 1 is a side elevational view, partly broken away and partly in central, longitudinal cross section, of a preferred embodiment of the invention, illustrating the construction and manner of use of the same, and showing the device in its expanded or gripping condition;

FIG. 2 is a side elevational view of the invention as illustrated in FIG. 1, showing the same in its retracted or releasing condition;

FIG. 3 is a fragmentary elevational view looking at the left-hand side of the device of the invention as illustrated in FIG. 1;

FIG. 4 is a cross sectional view taken along the line 4 4 of FIG. 1, looking in the direction indicated by the arrows;

FIG. 5 is a view similar to that of FIG. 1, illustrating a modification of the invention;

FIG. 6 is a cross sectional view, taken along the line 6 6 of FIG. 5, looking in the direction indicated by the arrows;

FIG. 7 is a view similar to that of FIG. 5 illustrating a further modification of the invention;

FIG. 8 is a cross sectional view, taken along the line 8 8 of FIG. 7, looking in the direction indicated by the arrows;

FIG. 9 is a view similar to that of FIG. 5, illustrating a still further modification of the invention; and,

FIG. 10 is a cross sectional view, taken along the line 10 10 of FIG. 9, looking in the direction indicated by the arrows.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF PARTICULAR EMBODIMENTS OF THE INVENTION Referring now to the drawings in greater detail, the tool of the invention includes a generally tubular outer body or housing part 10, which serves as a handle, and which is formed at one end with an externally reduced portion or neck 12, to provide an external shoulder 14, and which is externally threaded at its end beyond the shoulder.

The neck portion 12 has a central bore 16 forming a guideway which opens into an enlarged internal counterbore 18.

An expansible gripping member 20 is threadedly attached to the externally threaded end of the neck 12, which member has an internally threaded nut portion 22, and is formed with a plurality of longitudinal slots 24 forming flexible, expandible fingers 26 having externally thickened end portions 28 provided with external, peripheral teeth 30.

A rotatable and longitudinally slidable stem 32 is positioned in the body extending into the guideway 16 and into the counterbore 18, and which is internally threaded at one end for the threadable connection thereto of the elongated, externally threaded end portion 33 of an expander element 34 having a tapered end portion 36 movably extended into the gripping member 20 for coaction with the fingers 26 to expand the fingers upon movement of the element in one direction and to allow the same to contract upon movement of the element in the other direction.

A pin 35 is carried by the expander member 34, projecting externally therefrom into one or more of the slots 24 to hold the gripping member against rotation relative to the expander 34, but which allows longitudinal movement of the expander in the gripping member.

The stem 32 carries at its other end a knob 38 rotatably fitted into the counterbore 18 and which extends from the body to permit manual rotation of the stem whereby the expander element 34 may be actuated to expand the fingers 26 or to allow the same to retract.

The stem 32 is provided with an external annular groove 40 located within the counterbore 18, and a cylindrical block 42 surrounds the stem around the groove 40 in the counterbore, which block carries a pin 44, loosely extending into the groove to cause the block and stem to move together longitudinally in the counterbore, but to allow the stem to rotate freely in the block.

The pin 44 extends through longitudinally elongated 50 toward the body, to exert a pull on the stem 32 to move the expander member in a direction to expand the fingers into gripping engagement with the object. With the object thus securely gripped by this tool, the object may be readily withdrawn from or inserted in the cavity C.

The tapered portion 36 of the expander member 34 may be of any convenient length and degree of taper and is of elongated cone shape whose taper is preferably of the order of 8 to 10, so that the member is easily withdrawn without stricking to allow the fingers 26 to retract and whereby an increased gripping force may be applied by the swinging movement of the lever 50.

It will also be apparent that the gripping force applied may be readily adjusted by rotation of the knob 38 to move the fingers 26 into more or less close fitting engagement with the object to be handled with the lever 50 swung outwardly away from the body to a greater or lesser extent, whereupon the object will be tightly gripped when the lever is moved toward the body.

The external teeth 30 may, of course, be positioned longitudinally of the portions 28, not shown, instead of peripherally thereon, to adapt the tool for gripping objects which it is desired to rotate rather than to move longitudinally in an inaccessible location.

A somewhat modified form of the invention is illustrated in FIGS. 5 and 6, wherein the gripping member 20 is of similar construction to the member 20, previously described, but wherein the thickened portions 28' of the gripping fingers 26 are externally recessed, as seen at 54, to receive an expansible, split ring 56 surrounding these portions in position to be expanded into gripping engagement with a surrounding object upon expansion of the fingers.

In other respects, the tool illustrated in FIGS. 5 and 6 is of similar construction and is operated in a similar manner to that illustrated in FIGS. 1 4.

slots 46 in the body and is pivotally connected at its ends externally of the body to links 48, which are in turn pivotally connected to an actuating lever 50, pivotally mounted on the body, as by means of a pin 52. The lever may be conveniently formed of sheet metal, in one piece, shaped to conform generally to the external shape of the body 10, so that the lever may fit compactly against the body.

The body 10 may be formed with cut away portions forming opposite external flat faces 56 to accommodate the links 48 and handle 50.

In making use of the invention, the expander 36 may be moved to an extended position, as shown in FIG. 2, by rotation of the knob 38, with the lever 50 swung outwardly away from the body 10, to allow the fingers 26 to retract radially inwardly, whereupon the externally toothed thickened portions 28 of the gripping member may be grippingly engaged with an object to be manipulated, such as the object shown at O in FIG. 1 positioned in a cavity C in a mechanical assembly, and which has an end counterbore B threin, by inserting the portions 28 in the counterbore B and moving the lever By providing split rings 54 of different thicknesses, the tool may be adapted for use in openings of greatly varying diameters. Moreover, the rings may be replaced when necessary for purposes of repair and may be formed of materials of any desired hardness and consistency for gripping delicate objects whose surface may be marred by hard objects or for gripping objects having hard surfaces.

A further modification of the invention is illustrated in FIGS. 7 and 8, wherein the thickened portions 28" of the fingers 26 are formed with external, peripheral grooves or notches 58, and a generally cylindrical, externally toothed, expansible gripping element surrounds the fingers and is provided with an internal annular projection or bead 62 which fits into the notches 58 to releasably hold the gripping cylinder on the fingers.

The gripping cylinder 60 may be formed with longitudinal slots 64 located at peripherally spaced intervals therein and extending from one end of the cylinder toward the other end thereof to render the cylinder expansible.

By providing expansible cylinders 60 of various external sizes, which may be replaceably used on the gripping member, the tool may be adapted for use in openings of widely varying sizes.

In other respects, the tool of FIGS. 7 and 8 is similar to those previously described, and is used in a similar manner.

A still further modification of the invention is illustrated in FIGS. 9 and 10, which is designed for gripping objects externally instead of internally. In this form of the invention, the stem 32 is threadably attached to a gripping member 70 which is formed with fingers 26" provided by longitudinal slots 24, and whose lower ends are formed with external, upwardly tapering end portions 78 providing an internally enlarged expansible and contractible cavity 80 into which an object may be inserted which is to be gripped externally.

The gripping member 70 is longitudinally movable in an external actuator member 82, having a reduced portion 84 which is threadedly connected to the externally threaded end of the neck portion 12 of the body 10, and an enlarged end portion 86 formed with an upwardly tapering end counterbore 88 whose internal surface conforms to the external taper of the finger portion 78 to cause the fingers to contract radially into gripping engagement with the object 0' upon movement of the member 70 in the counterbore 80 and to allow the fingers to retract radially outwardly from downward movement of the member 70 in the counterbore. The actuator member 82 has a pin 90 extending inwardly into one of the slots 24' between the fingers 26" to prevent relative rotation of the actuator member and gripping member, but which allows free movement of the gripping member longitudinally in the actuator.

The actuator 82 and gripping member 70 are connected to and operated by the same body and linkage mechanism as that previously described.

In making use of the form of the invention illustrated in FIGS. 9 and 10, the object O is inserted in the cavity 80 between the fingers 26" with the fingers in their expanded condition, the gripping member being in a lower position in the actuator 82 and the lever 50 being in an outwardly swing position relative to the body 10. By swinging the lever 50 inwardly, the gripping mem ber may then be drawn upwardly in the cavity 88 to contract the fingers radially inwardly into tight gripping engagement with the object.

When the object has been moved to the desired position, it may be readily released by swinging the lever 50 outwardly to allow the fingers to retract radially outwardly.

It will thus be apparent that the invention provides a tool for gripping objects located in inaccessible places which cannot be reached with wrenches, pliers, or other commoly employed devices for removing and inserting objects to be positioned in openings.

Having thus clearly shown and described the invention, what is claimed as new and desired to secure by Letters Patent is:

l. A tool for releasably gripping an object to be manipulated, comprising:

a hollow handle;

an elongate pin positioned in said handle and extending from one end thereof;

a plurality of gripping fingers carried at one end of said handle, said fingers being shaped on an exposed surface to engage and grip an object which is controllably brought into contact with said fingers;

a second surface on said fingers at least partially opposed by said exposed exterior surface;

an elongately movable co-acting surface adjacent to said fingers and co-acting with said second surface to cause said fingers to expand and grip an object, said co-acting surface being connected to said pin and said co-acting surface is relatively fixed at least temporarily with respect to said pin such that rotation advances said pin relative to said coacting surface;

said fingers and said co-acting surface include a cooperative tapered surface such that said fingers are flexed radially on rotation of said pin;

means on said elongate pin connecting said pin to said co-acting surface;

means for rotating said pin to adjust said co-acting surface relative to said fingers and adjust the gripping action relative to an object; and,

means for moving said pin longitudinally of said handle to change said co-acting surface and said fingers between a gripping position and a nongripping position.

2. The invention of claim 1 wherein said last named means includes means forcibly pulling said pin lengthwise of said handle.

3. The invention of claim 1 wherein said last named means includes a lever operated mechanism moving said pin longitudinally of said handle.

4. The invention of claim 3 wherein said mechanism includes a lever rotatable about a pivot point; and,

a link extending from said lever to pin, said link pushing said pin on rotation of said lever about said pivot point.

5. The invention of claim 4 wherein said link is connected to an enlargement which is received in an encircling groove in said pin, said enlargement and said groove cooperating to permit rotation of said pin while maintaining their engagement.

6. The invention of claim 5 wherein said link and said enlargement are at least partly surrounded by a plug received slidably within said handle, and said handle has a lengthwise slot for receiving said link in cooperative relationship to said handle.

7. The invention of calim l inlcuding a threaded and removable sub-assembly joined to said handle and including said fingers.

8. The invention of claim 1 wherein said pin connects at its opposite end with an exposed means which is rotatably extended from said handle.

9. The invention of claim 1 wherein said fingers flex outwardly to grip an object.

Claims

1. A tool for releasably gripping an object to be manipulated, comprising: a hollow handle; an elongate pin positioned in said handle and extending from one end thereof; a plurality of gripping fingers carried at one end of said handle, said fingers being shaped on an exposed surface to engage and grip an object which is controllably brought into contact with said fingers; a second surface on said fingers at least partially opposed by said exposed exterior surface; an elongately movable co-acting surface adjacent to said fingers and co-acting with said second surface to cause said fingers to expand and grip an object, said co-acting surface being connected to said pin and said co-acting surface is relatively fixed at least temporarily with respect to said pin such that rotation advances said pin relative to said co-acting surface; said fingers and said co-acting surface include a cooperative tapered surface such that said fingers are flexed radially on rotation of said pin; means on said elongate pin connecting said pin to said co-acting surface; means for rotating said pin to adjust said co-acting surface relative to said fingers and adjust the gripping action relative to an object; and, means for moving said pin longitudinally of said handle to change said co-acting surface and said fingers between a gripping position and a non-gripping position.

4. The invention of claim 3 wherein said mechanism includes a lever rotatable about a pivot point; and, a link extending from said lever to pin, said link pushing said pin on rotation of said lever about said pivot point.

7. The invEntion of calim 1 inlcuding a threaded and removable sub-assembly joined to said handle and including said fingers.