EP0024021B1

EP0024021B1 - Auxiliary support body for use with a workpiece support device

Info

Publication number: EP0024021B1
Application number: EP80104539A
Authority: EP
Inventors: William Harvey O'connor, Iii; Richard Lee Hurn
Original assignee: Black and Decker Inc
Current assignee: Black and Decker Inc
Priority date: 1979-08-10
Filing date: 1980-07-31
Publication date: 1984-02-01
Also published as: CA1160257A; ATE6040T1; DE3066390D1; AU6118980A; EP0024021A1

Abstract

An improved auxiliary support body (46, 48) for use with a workpiece support device (16, 22, 24) is described. The support body includes a plurality of workpiece (40) gripping surfaces (60, 64, 69), a workpiece gripping surface (64, 68) which is positioned beyond a support surface (36) of the device, and means (66, 74) for inhibiting excape of a workpiece (40) from a gripped surface.

Description

This invention relates to devices for supporting workpieces. The invention relates more particularly to an improved auxiliary support means for extending the usefulness of such devices.
Workpiece support devices are known for gripping and supporting a workpiece during working operations. A device of this type generally comprises a vise having a pair of jaw members and a means for adjusting the spacing between the jaw members for gripping and releasing the workpiece. The size of a workpiece which can be gripped by the device is limited principally by the maximum spacing between gripping faces of the jaw members when the jaws are adjusted to a maximum opening. The gripping spacing for a workpiece has been increased by the use of demountable, auxiliary support bodies, referred to as swivel pegs, which are mounted to the gripping members and which are adapted to receive and engage a workpiece. A swivel peg includes a mounting segment which is positioned in an aperture of the gripping member and is supported on a surface of the member. The auxiliary support body is adapted to engage an edge of a workpiece while a similar swivel peg on another gripping member of the device similarly engages and grips another edge of the workpiece. Since the swivel bodies are set back from the jaw faces of the gripping member, they thereby effectively provide an enlarged jaw opening for gripping workpieces larger than the spacing between the jaw members can accommodate.
An improved form of portable vise for supporting a workpiece during relatively moderate to light working operations which is of relatively light weight and which can be fabricated relatively economically is described in copending EP-A 0019903 which was filed on May 28, 1980 and published 10.12.80. In that workpiece support arrangement the jaw members are formed by elongated bodies each having a first jaw gripping surface which engages a workpiece, a second generally planar surface extending transversely from the first surface, and a third surface extending at an angle from the second surface. The latter surface which is beveled with respect to the second surface facilitates positioning of work tools in close proximity to the workpiece being supported. It is generally desirable to position the auxiliary support body on a relatively flat surface and this jaw member configuration provides a flat, second surface of relatively limited width (w) on which an auxiliary support body can be mounted. In prior arrangements, the width of the jaw member is relatively large, and, known, rotatably mounted, auxiliary support bodies have presented a workpiece gripping surface which is positioned between the jaw opening and the rotatable mounting of an auxiliary support body in the same manner on the flat surface of relatively limited width of the aforementioned jaw member will, while advantageously increasing the effective jaw opening device, provide a substantially lesser increase in jaw opening than is desired.
The workpiece support device as disclosed in the afore-mentioned EP-A is economically fabricated principally of plastic elastomer materials and the fabrication tolerances are accordingly not rigid. While this workpiece support device has provided satisfactory operation, the application of a substantial gripping force to the workpiece through the auxiliary support bodies has caused a slight deflection of these bodies and contact between the gripped workpiece and the support body is reduced. This latter, in addition to the relatively smooth surface of the plastic elastomer support body reduces the gripping characteristics of the support body and, at times, a gripped workpiece will escape the grip of the auxiliary bodies. In DE-C 356 219 an apparatus for supporting a workpiece is described comprising:

a workpiece support device having first and second workpiece gripping jaw members and means for varying the spacing between said jaw members for gripping a workpiece therebetween;
said jaw members each having a first gripping surface extending in a first plane and a second surface extending transversely to said plane upon which first and second auxiliary support bodies demountably are supported, having a first mounting segment extending into an aperture for supporting said body on said jaw members and gripping surfaces parallel to the first plane for engaging a workpiece between them, said aperture being spaced apart from and extending parallel to the first plane. It would be advantageous to provide a means for increasing the effective jaw opening of the afore-mentioned workpiece gripping device and to enhance the gripping characteristics of the workpiece auxiliary support bodies.

Accordingly, it is an object of this invention to provide an improved arrangement of a workpiece gripping device and auxiliary support bodies to support a workpiece at a location extending beyond a relatively flat support surface of a jaw member, whereby the auxiliary support body is adapted to provide a plurality of increased jaw openings and provides a means for reducing undesired release of a workpiece by an auxiliary support body having a relatively smooth gripping surface.
Another object of the invention is to provide a means for enhancing the gripping characteristics of a plastic elastomer auxiliary support body.
Still another object of the invention is to provide means for increasing frictional engagement between a workpiece and an auxiliary workpiece support device having a relatively smooth gripping surface.
The apparatus according to the precharacterizing part of claim 1 is characterized by said mounting segments of the support bodies being rotatable in the apertures and further characterized by a body mounted adjacent to said workpiece gripping surface for increasing friction between said workpiece gripping surface and a workpiece.
In a particular embodiment, the friction increasing body comprises a body of resilient material which is mounted to the auxiliary support body.
In accordance with more particular features of the invention, an auxiliary support body includes a first segment shaped for extending into and engaging an aperture formed in the surface of the jaw member, a second parallelepiped shaped segment having a relatively flat surface extending transversely to the first segment, and a third buttress segment which is positioned at a distal part of the second segment. The parallelepiped shaped second segment includes a first workpiece gripping surface for the body and the buttress shaped segment includes a second workpiece gripping surface for the body.
These and other objects and features of the invention will become apparent with reference to the drawing and to the specification wherein:

Fig. 1 is a side elevational view of a workpiece support device and auxiliary support body arrangement constructed in accordance with features of the present invention;
Fig. 2 is a fragmentary view of the device of Fig. 1 illustrating an alternative workpiece gripping arrangement;
Fig. 3 is an enlarged, fragmentary view, partly in section of the workpiece gripping arrangement of Fig. 1;
Fig. 4 is an enlarged, fragmentary, sectional view of the buttress segment of the auxiliary support body of Fig. 1 illustrating a resilient body mounted thereto;
Fig. 5 is a fragmentary, perspective view of the body of the auxiliary support body of Fig. 4 having the resilient body removed and illustrating an aperture for mounting the resilient body to the support body; and,
Fig. 6 is an enlarged, fragmentary sectional view of the buttress segment of the auxiliary support body illustrating an alternative resilient body mounted thereto.

Referring now to the drawing and particularly to Fig. 1, the vise 16 is shown supported on a surface 17 of a workbench or a support table. The vise 16 includes first and second workpiece gripping jaw members 18 and 20 and a means for supporting these members. The vise support means comprises a support body 22 and a base body 24. The support body comprises an integrally formed frame member 26 and an integrally formed bowl shaped member 28. A means including manually rotatable crank arms, one of which is referred to in Figure 1 by reference numeral 30, is provided for varying spacing between the jaw members 18 and 20 in order to grip and release a workpiece. The vise 16 and the means for varying the spacing between the jaw members 18 and 20 is disclosed in greater detail in the afore- mentioned copending EPC-Patent Application, the disclosure of which relating to the vise structure and a means for varying the spacing and angularity of the jaw members is incorporated herein by reference.
The jaw member 18 is elongated and includes a first surface 32 providing a workpiece gripping face extending in a plane 34, as illustrated in Fig. 1 and which plane is perpendicular to the drawing and extends out of the paper as viewed in Fig. 1. The jaw member 18 further includes a second, generally planar surface 36 which extends transversely to the surface 32 and the plane 34 and which has a relatively narrow width (w) (Fig. 3). A third bevelled surface 38 extends transversely at an angle from the surface 36. This bevel is provided in order to facilitate the positioning of work tools adjacent to a supported workpiece 40. The surface 36 has a relatively narrow width (w) with respect to the overall width of the jaw member 18. In an exemplary arrangement which is not deemed limiting in any respect, the jaw member 18 has a total width measured between the surface 36 and a fourth surface 42 of about 5 cm while the surface 36 has a width (w) of about 2 cm. The jaw member 20 is similarly constructed.
The maximum spacing which can be achieved between the surface 32 of jaw member 18 and a similar surface 44 of jaw member 20 when the jaws are adjusted to a maximum opening is indicated by the distance (m). In order to increase the effective maximum spacing between the jaw members, first and second auxiliary support bodies 46 and 48 are provided and are demountably supported on the jaw members 18 and 20 respectively. As illustrated in Fig. 1, the support bodies 46 and 48 are adapted to grip and engage the workpiece 40 which has a dimension greater than the maximum spacing (m). It can also be seen from Fig. 1 that the workpiece 40 has a dimension which extends beyond the relatively flat surface segment 36 of jaw member 18 and beyond a similar relatively flat surface segment 50 of the jaw member 20.
Referring now to Fig. 3, the auxiliary support body 46 is shown in greater detail. While the following discussion describes the support body 46, and the jaw member 18, it will be understood that the description also applies to the support body 48 and its mounting to jaw member 20 as well as to other auxiliary support bodies which can be mounted to the jaw members 18 and 20. The support body 46 comprises a first, elongated, generally cylindrically shaped mounting segment 52 having a longitudinal axis 54. This segment is positioned in a keyhole shaped aperture which is formed in the jaw member and extends from the flat surface 36 parallel to the plane 34 and the axis 54. A tab or foot 56 extends from a distral part of the segment 52 and engages a lower surface 59 of the jaw member for inhibiting motion of the body 46 in the direction of the longitudinal axis 54. The auxiliary support body 46 includes a second integrally formed, parallelpiped shaped segment 58 which extends transversely to the mounting segment 52 and has a relatively flat surface 60 which receives and supports the workpiece 40. Support body 46 also includes a third buttress segment 62 which is positioned at a distance location of the second segment 58 and includes a workpiece gripping surface 64. The gripping surface 64 extends transversely to the surface 60 and preferably normal to this surface and, with the orientation on the jaw member shown in Fig. 3, preferably parallel to the plane 34 of the gripping surface 32. Body 46 is rotatably mounted to a jaw member 18 and, upon gripping irregular shaped workpieces, the surface 64 may be orientated non-parallel to the plane 54. A body 66 which is described in greater detail hereinafter is mounted adjacent the surface 64. The workpiece 40 is positioned adjacent a workpiece gripping surface 68 of the support body 48 and adjacent similar gripping surfaces of auxiliary support bodies, for gripping the workpiece therebetween. Gripping is effected by supporting the workpiece 40 on the flat surface 60 and rotating the vise crank arms to establish gripping contact between the support , bodies and workpieces.
It will be observed from Figs. 1 and 3 that the gripping face 64 is positioned at a location beyond the width (w) of the relatively flat surface segment 36 and is positioned above the beveled surface 38. The auxiliary support body 46 thus provides for positioning of a workpiece gripping surface at a location spaced transversely beyond the mounting position indicated by the axis 54 by a distance (L). Axis 54 is spaced transversely from the jaw face 32 by the distance (I) and the effective jaw opening is increased by the distance 2x(I+L). The described arrangement thus advantageously provides for effectively increasing the jaw opening in a device having a relatively narrow width (w) jaw surface and which increase is greater than the width (w) of the surface.
In addition to the gripping surface 64 provided by the buttress segment 62, the second integrally formed parallel piped shaped segment 58 includes a surface 69 which provides a gripping surface for a workpiece. The use of the surface 69 in gripping a workpiece is illustrated in Fig. 2. The surface 69 which extends parallel to the jaw face 32 is positioned intermediate the jaw face and the mounting location indicated by the axis 54 whereas the surface 64 is positioned outwardly from the mounting location. Similar to surface 64, the body 46 may be rotated and the surface 69 may be positioned in a non-parallel orientation with respect to plane 54 when gripping n irregular shaped workpiece. Auxiliary support body 46 thus provides two alternative gripping surfaces 64 and 69 which are used in conjunction with similar gripping surfaces of an auxiliary body on jaw member 20 to provide two separate, effectively enlarged jaw openings for the workpiece support device 16.
Body 66 which is illustrated in greater detail in Fig. 4 increases frictional engagement between the workpiece and the surface 64. The gripping surface 64 of the support body 62 is formed of a smooth material such as a polymer plastic and in order to reduce undesired escape of a workpiece from the grip of a pair of auxiliary support bodies, the body 66 is provided and is mounted adjacent the surface 64. Body 66 is formed of a material for enhancing gripping as for example, a resilient material or an abrasive material. When a resilient material is used, the workpiece contacts the body 66 and this body is slightly deformed thereby effectively providing a gripping surface which assumes the configuration of the workpiece. Frictional engagement between the workpiece and the gripping surface 64 is thus enhanced. The body 64 can be formed of various materials which operate to increase the frictional engagement between the surface 64 and the workpiece. A preferred material is a resilient material as for example a resilient material such as rubber. Other nonresilient, non-slip materials can also be provided, as for example a body of an abrasive material such as sandpaper which is supported adjacent the surface 64. The body 64 is also supported adjacent surface 69 for similarly inhibiting escape of a workpiece which is gripped by this surface. In Fig. 4, the body 66 is formed of a rubber and is shown to include an integral segment 70 which conforms with and engages a cutout 72 formed in the buttress body 62. The cutout is also illustrated in Fig. 5 with the body 66 demounted. Alternatively, as illustrated in Fig. 6, an alternative body 74 for increasing the friction is mounted adjacent the gripping surface 64 by an adhesive 76.
An improved arrangement of a workpiece support device and auxiliary support bodies has thus been described. The arrangement provides for effectively increasing the jaw opening of the device when the device includes a jaw member having a planar body of relatively narrow width. The auxiliary support device provides a gripping surface which is spaced transversely from the mounting location of the auxiliary body. The auxiliary body is further advantageous in that the body provides two gripping surfaces which provide two differing, enlarged jaw openings. A means is also provided in the form of a body mounted adjacent to gripping surfaces of the auxiliary support body for increasing the frictional contact with the gripped body and inhibiting escape of a gripped work body.

Claims

1. An apparatus for supporting a workpiece (40) comprising:

a. a workpiece support device (16, 22, 24) having first and second workpiece gripping jaw members (18, 20) and means (30) for varying the spacing between said jaw members (18, 20) for gripping a workpiece (40) therebetween;

b. said jaw members (18, 20) each having a first gripping surface (32, 44) extending in a first plane (34) and a second surface (36, 50) extending transversely to said plane upon which first and second auxiliary support bodies (46, 48) demountably are supported, having a first mounting segment (52) extending into an aperture for supporting said body (46, 48) on said jaw members (18, 20) and gripping surfaces (64, 68) parallel to the first plane (34) for engaging a workpiece (40) between them, said aperture being spaced apart from and extending parallel to the first plane, characterized by said mounting segments (52) of the support bodies (46, 48) being rotatable in the apertures and characterized by a body (66, 74) mounted adjacent to said workpiece gripping surface (64, 68) for increasing friction between said workpiece gripping surface and a workpiece (40).

2. The apparatus of claim 1 characterized by the auxiliary support bodies (46, 48) having first and second workpiece gripping surfaces (64, 68, 69).

3. The apparatus of claim 1 characterized by the second surfaces (36, 50) of the jaw members (18, 20) extending a predetermined distance (w) and said gripping surface (64, 68) of said auxiliary body workpiece (46, 48) extends beyond said second surface (36, 50) in a transverse direction.

4. The apparatus of claim 2 or 3 characterized by the auxiliary support bodies (46, 48) comprising a second integrally formed parallelpiped shaped segment (58) having the second workpiece gripping surface (69) extending parallel to said plane (34), a buttress shaped segment (62) positioned at a distal end of said second segment (58), said buttress segment (62) having the first workpiece gripping surface (64, 68).

5. The apparatus of claim 1 wherein said body (66, 74) comprises a body of resilient material.

6. The apparatus of claim 1 including adhesive means (76) for mounting said resilient body (74) to said auxiliary body (46, 48).

7. The apparatus of claim 6 wherein said body (66) of resilient material includes an integrally formed mounting segment (70) for engaging said auxiliary body (46, 48) and said auxiliary body (46, 48) includes an aperture (72) formed therein for receiving and engaging said mounting segment (70).

8. The apparatus of claim 1 wherein said auxiliary bodies (46, 48) are arranged at predetermined locations (54) spaced in a transverse direction from said plane (34) a distance (I) and the effective jaw opening of said device for a workpiece (40) gripped by said auxiliary bodies (46, 48) is increased by a distance 2x(l+L) where L is the distance between a first workpiece gripping surface (64) and the axis (54) of said aperture.

9. The apparatus of claim 1 characterized by means (30) for varying the spacing between the jaw members (18, 20) which include means for varying the angle between said gripping surfaces (32, 44) of said jaw members (18, 20) and means for demountably supporting said auxiliary support bodies (46, 48) which enable rotation of said bodies about said mounting location (54).

10. The apparatus of claim 4, wherein the second parallelpiped shaped segment (58) having a flat surface (60) extending transversely to said plane (34), a third buttress segment (62) positioned at a distal part of said flat surface (60), said buttress segment (62) having a workpiece gripping surface (64) spaced apart a distance (L) from the axis (54) of said aperture whereby the effective jaw opening for gripping a workpiece (40) between the buttress workpiece engaging surfaces (64) is increased by the distance 2x(I+L).

11. The apparatus of claim 10, wherein said buttress workpiece engaging surface (64) extends transversely to said flat surface (60).

12. The apparatus of claim 11, wherein said buttress workpiece engaging surface (64) extends normal to said flat surface (60).