USRE19810E - Gas cock - Google Patents

Description

Jan. 7, 1936. E, E, E'U Y Re. 19,810

' GAS cocx Original Filed July 5, 1934 EL/ EHEE M 5115 y as... Jan. 7, 1936 p R 19,819

UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE GAS coon Eugene E. Meusy, Milwaukee, Wis., assignor to Milwaukee Gas Specialty Company, Milwaukee, '15., a corporation of Wisconsin Original No. 1,996,164, dated April 2, 1935, Serial No. 733,829, July 5, 1934. Application for reissue November 11, 1935, Serial No. 49,318

4 Claims. (Cl. 287-53) This invention relates to improvements in gas threaded inlet end 6 connectible to a stringer cocks and refers more particularly to the attach pipe and an outlet provided with a discharge ment of handles to their valve stems. let I. As is customary, the body of the gas cock Heretofore, the handles were generally secured has a tapered bore 8 communicating with the into the valve stems of gas cocks by means of translet end 6 and the discharge jet 1, and receiving 5 verse screws, which by reason of the necessarily therein a tapered plug 9. small dimensions of the stems had to be small. The plug 9 is secured in the tapered bore in Service men called on to service gas cocks found any suitable manner and has an outer projectdifllculty in dealing with these small parts and ing end or stem ill to which a handle II is 10 as a consequence much agitation for either larger secured. I dimensionedarrangements or other suitable re- To preclude relative rotation between'the hanlief developed. die and stem the outer end portion of the stem Also, the screws became loose and were often has one side cut away or slabbed oil so that the lost in service allowing the handles to come 011. end portion of the stem has a substantially 0- l5 The problem became more acute with the reshaped cross section bounded at one side by a quirement ior affording quick removal of the flat surface l2, and the socket l3 in the handle apron which encloses the gas cocks of modern which receives the stem is of corresponding gas ranges. cross sectional shape.

With the foregoing facts in mind, the present The D-shaped outer end portion of the stem invention has as its object to provide a novel is slit longitudinally perpendicularly to the flat 20 and simplified manner oi securing handles to surface I! to divide the same into two spaced valve stems of gas cocks which will completely quadrant-like ,sections or fingers. Prior to the obviate the need for screws or other securing application of the handle to the stem, these means and will afford a secure connection persections are spread apart, and inasmuch as the manently free from play but at the same time stem and tapered plug is formed of hard brass 25 readily detachable. or some suitable material having a considerable Another object of this invention is to provide degree of resiliency, the spaced fingers continue means for securing a handle to a valve stem to exert an outward spring tension after the which is automatically operable to secure the handle is applied thereto, to thus hold the handle handle in position merely by the application of in position. 30 the handle to the stem. In this manner the handle is secured to, the With the above and other objects in view stem in an exceedingly simple and eflicient manwhich will appear as the description proceeds, ner, while at the same time quick detachment this invention resides in the novel construction, for purposes of replacement is permitted, and combination and arrangement of parts substanwhile the disclosure herein is particularly di- 35 tially as hereinafter described and more parrected to the attachment oi handles to the stems ticularly defined by the appended claims, it being 01' gas cocks, it is apparent that the rotatable understood that such changes in the precise emstems of other manually operable devices may bodiment of the hereindisclosed invention may have handles attached thereto in the same man- 40 be made as come within the scope of the claims. ner without deviating from the spirit of the in- 40 The accompanying drawing illustrates one comvention. plete example of the physical embodiment of the What I claim as my invention is:

invention constructed according to the best mode 1. In combination with a rotatable member so far devised for the practical application of having a stem projecting therefrom and a hanthe principles thereof, and in which: die to turn-the same, a. readily detachable con- 45- Figure 1 is a side elevational view of a gas nection between the handle and stem comprising cock having a handle attached to its stem in a substantially D-shaped socket in the handle, accordance with this invention; and a plurality of spring fingers integral with the Figure 2 is a perspective view of the outer end stem and having a composite cross sectional size portion of the valve stem; and and shape to fit the D-shaped socket, said fingers 50 Figure 3 is a perspective view of the handle being yieldingly spread apart toward the ends shown detached from the stem. of their composite D-shapeso that upon being Referring now more particularly to the vacsqueezed toget during e on i o the socket ccmpanying drawing, the numeral 5 designates the coaction between the curved surfaces of the the body of a conventional gas cock having a D shap'ed socket and the fingers guides the fingers.

the stem, portion inwardly of its outer end to provide a in their movement produced by their tendency to spread apart to engage firmly in the corners of the D-shaped socket and thereby provide a firm connection entirely free from play.

2. In combination with a rotatable member having a stem projecting therefrom and a handle to turn the same, a readily detachable connection between the handle and stem comprising a substantially D-shaped socket in the handle to receive part of the projecting portion of an abutment on the projecting stem stop limiting the insertion of the stem into the handle, said part of the projecting stem portion outwardly of the abutment having a cross sectional size and shape to fit the D-shaped socket in the handle, and said projecting portion of the stem being slit longitudinally to divide substantially the entire projecting portion of the stem into spaced sections yieldingly spread apart in a direction substantially parallel to the fiat side of the D so that upon being squeezed together during insertion of said stem end portion into the socket, the tendency of the fingers to spread apart acting in conjunction with the guiding effect of the curved surface to surface engagement between the socket and stem end portion forces the stem sections into firm engagement with the opposite corners of the D-shaped socket to afl'ord a firm connection between the stem and handle entirely free from play.

3. In combination with a rotatable member having a cylindrical stem projecting therefrom and a handle to turn the same, the outer end portion of the stem being slabbed oil to give the same a substantially D-shape in cross section and the handle having a correspondingly D-shaped socket to receive the D-shaped end portion of the stem, said stem also being slit longitudinally to divide the substantially D-shaped end portion thereof into two quadrant-like sections which are yieldingly spread apartso that the D-shaped end portion of the stem is deformed from its normal cross sectional shape and so that the said sections of the stem are squeezed together during insertion thereof into the handle socket and through the coaction of the curved surfaces of the stem sections and socket said sections are driven by their tendency to spread apart into positions firmly engaging in the corners of the D-shaped socket.

4. In combination with a rotatable member having a stem projecting therefrom and a handle to turn the same, the handle having a socket of non-circular shape and comprising curved and straight walls in cross section with opposite corners defined by meeting walls of the socket, a plurality of spring fingers integral with the stem and insertable into the socket, said fingers having a composite non-circular cross sectional shape comprising curved and straight walls with certain meeting walls forming corner edges engageable in the said corners of the socket, and having surfaces arranged to slide on adJacent surfaces of the socket as a result of the tendency of said fingers to spread so as to guide the corner edges of the fingers into snug engagement with said corners of the socket upon application of the handle to the stem.

EUGENE E. MEUSY.

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