US2245811A

US2245811A - Wire gripping tool

Info

Publication number: US2245811A
Application number: US360708A
Authority: US
Inventors: O'russa Lorence
Original assignee: Mathias Klein & Sons
Current assignee: Mathias Klein & Sons
Priority date: 1940-10-11
Filing date: 1940-10-11
Publication date: 1941-06-17
Anticipated expiration: 1958-06-17

Description

lune 17, 1941. L O'RQSSA I 2,245,811

WIRE GRI-PPING TOOL Filed Oct. 11, 1940 ma ic 5% Zarezace 0&364

Patented June 17, 1941 WIRE GRIPPING TOOL Lorence ORussa, Princeville, 111., assignor to Mathias Klein & SonS,Chicago, 111., a corporation of Illinois Application October 11, 1940, Serial No. 360,708

6 Claims. (Cl. 24132) My invention relates generally to wire gripping tools, and more particularly to improvements in wire grips whereby the latter will be maintained in engagement with a wire .even

though the gripping jaws arein separated position.

In the use of wire grips by linemen, difli'culty is frequently experienced in that the grip becomes disengaged from the wire as soon as pulling tension on the grip is released and the jaws thereof permitted to separate. Furthermore, difficulty is frequently experienced in safely attaching wire grips to hot wires, that is, wires at high voltage with respect to ground or adjacent wires. To overcome these difficulties, I have provided an improved wire grip. which is automatically latched to the wire so that it will not be unintentionally released and fall therefrom, and which may be attached to an elevated wire by means of an insulating pole with ease and without danger to thelineman.

It is thus an object of my invention to provide an improved wire grip having means for automatically latching the grip into potential gripping position on a wire.

A further object is to provide an improved wire grip which may be easily secured to an elevated wire by means of an insulating pole.

A further object is to provide an improved latching wire grip which will automatically latch itself in engagement with a wire.

A further object is to provide an improved latching wire grip of simple and durable construction, which may be easily operated, and which may be economically manufactured.

Other objects will appear from the following 7 description, reference being bad to the accompanying drawing, in which:

Fig. 1 is an elevational view of the wire grip showing it in the position it assumes when supported by an insulating pole;

Fig. 2 is a similar view showing the parts in the positions assumed upon latching the wire grip to a wire;

Fig. 3 is an elevation showing how the grip may be attached to a wire without the use of a hooked pole tool;

Fig. 4 is a vertical sectional view. taken on the line 4-4 of Fig. 1; and,

Fig. 5 is a vertical sectional view taken on the line 55 of Fig. 4.

The wire grip comprises generally an upper jaw l0 which may be formed integrally with a main frame portion l2 or may be secured thereto. An arm l4 is pivoted to the jaw ID by the use of a shouldered rivet or the like, and carries a lower jaw l8 which is pivoted thereto by a shouldered rivet 28. The lower jaw I8 is maintained in substantial parallelism with the upper jaw ill'by virtue of a stud 22 which projects through an arcuate'slot 24 formed in the main frame portion 52. The lower end of the arm l4 has a pair of links 26 pivotally connected thereto, the opposite ends of the links being pivotally connected to a clevis 28 by a pin 30 which is freely slid'able in an elongated slot 32 formed in the main frame portion I2. From the foregoing, it will be apparent that as a pulling force is applied to the clevis tending to pull the latter to the left (Figs. 1, 2, and 3), the

links

26 and 14 will act as a toggle to force the jaw l8 upwardly with respect to jaw l0 and thereby clampingly engage a wire inserted between the jaws. The structure thus far described is a well known form of wire grip.

As previously stated, such grips frequently become disengaged from the wire as the jaws are released from clamping engagement therewith, and fall with occasional injury to the lineman. Furthermore, such grips are difficult to attach to hot wires, since it is necessary for the lineman to hold the grip in engagement with the wire while preparations are being made for exerting a pull on the clevis to draw the jaws into clamping engagement with the wire. To obviate these defects of the prior wire grips, I have provided a latch 34 which is pivoted upon the shouldered rivet l6 and is held in place by a washer 35 and a stud 36 threaded in the end of the shouldered rivet B6. The extent of the pivotal movement of the latch 34 with respect to the jaw 10 is limited by a stud 38 threaded in the jaw Hi and projecting through an arcuate slot 45 formed in the latch 34. A torsion spring 42 is coiled about the stud 33 between the latch 34 and the upper jaw 10, and has one end hooked about a headed stud 44 on the latch 34, while the other end thereof engages a shoulder 45 forming part of the upper jaw lil. As best shown in Fig. 4, the lower edge of the latch 34 is beveled.

By'virtue of the weight of the latch 34 and the force exerted by the spring 42, the latch will normally assume the position in which it is shown in Fig. 2, Where it obstructs the opening between the jaws l0 and I8.

In attaching the grip to an overhead line which is at high potential, the lineman will insert a hook 48 in a hole 56 formed in the latch 34. The hook 48 is secured at the end of an insulating pole 60. By means of this pole, the grip may be placed in position on the wire to be gripped without danger of shock to the lineman. Upon disengaging the hook from the latch 34, the latter will be swung downwardly from the position in which it is shown in Fig. 1 to the position in which it is shown in Fig. 2 by the force of gravity and the force of the spring 42. The hole 50 is so located in the latch 34 that when the grip is supported upon a hook, such as 48, extending through the hole 50, the center of gravity of the whole grip will lie substantially beneath the center of the hole 50, with the result that the grip will hang in a position such that it may be coneniently attached to an overhead wire. After the grip has been thus initially attached to a wire, such as the wire 52 shown in Fig. 2, the jaws may be brought into gripping engagement by a pull on a rope (not shown) attached to the clevis 28, the pull being directed toward the left in Figs. 1, 2, and 3.

Vi hen it is desired to remove the grip from the wire, the pole 60 may be used to disengage the grip from the wire by inserting its hook 48 in the hole 59 of the latch 34, whereby the latch will be swung clockwise on its pivot to the position shown in Fig. 1, making it possible easily to remove the grip from the wire.

It will be noted that in order to have the latch operate in this manner, it is necessary that the spring 42 shall be insufiiciently strong to overcome the weight of the grip as a whole so that whenever the grip is supported by the latch 34, the latter will always swing to the position in which it is shown in Fig. 1.

The fact that the lower edge of the latch is beveled is of advantage when it is desired to attach the grip to a wire or table without the use of a hook or other tool engaging the latch 34. Under such circumstances, the lineman need merely slide the grip to the right as he pushes the jaws toward the wire, as indicated in Fig. 3. Such movement to the right, while pressing the grip toward the wire, causes the wire to engage the beveled sloping lower edge of the latch 34 and swing the latter clockwise away from obstructing position. Thus, the latch 34 does not in any way interfere with the manual attachment of the grip to a wire.

While I have shown and described a particular form of my invention, it will be apparent to those skilled in the art that numerous variations and modifications may be made without departing from the essential principles of the invention. I therefore desire, by the following claims, to include within the scope of my invention all such variations and modifications by which substantially the results of my invention may be obtained through the use of substantially the same or equivalent means.

I claim:

1. In a wire grip, the combination of a pair of relatively movable jaws, means for supporting and actuating said jaws, said means being connected to corresponding sides only of said jaws to provide an opening at the opposite sides of said jaws for the insertion of a wire of unlimited length between said jaws, a latch pivotally secured to one of said jaws, and resilient means operating between said latch and the jaw to which it is secured to move said latch to a position partly obstructing said opening.

2. In a wire grip, the combination of a pair of relatively movable jaws having a free space along the side thereof for the insertion of a wire of unlimited length between the jaws, a latch movably mounted on one of said jaws, and re silient means operative between said latch and the jaw to which it is pivoted to move said latch into position obstructing said free space and preventing the grip from accidental disengagement from a wire positioned between said jaws.

3. In a wire grip, the combination of a pair of relatively movable jaws, having a side opening therebetween for the insertion of a wire of unlimited length, and a pivoted latch on one of said jaws, said latch having an opening for receiving a grip supporting member, said opening being substantially directly above the center of gravity of the grip sothat when said grip is supported by a member engaged in said latch opening, said jaws will be in a generally horizontal position for ready engagement with a generally horizontal wire.

4. In a wire grip, the combination of a pair of relatively movable jaws having generally parallel gripping surfaces engageable with a wire to be gripped, means for moving said jaws into gripping engagement with a wire, a latch pivoted to one of said jaws, a means cooperating with said jaw for limiting the pivotal movement of said jaw, said jaw having an edge portion extending diagonally across the projection of the space between the gripping surfaces of said jaws when in one extreme position and being removed from said space when in its opposite extreme position, and resilient means for moving said latch to position obstructing the insertion of a wire between said jaws.

5. In a wire grip, the combination of a pair of relatively movable jaws, having a side opening therebetween for the insertion of a wire of unlimited length, a pivoted latch on one of said jaws, said latch having an opening for receiving a grip supporting member, said opening being substantially directly above the center of gravity of the grip so that when said grip is supported by a member engaged in said latch opening, said jaws will be in a generally horizontal position for ready engagement with a generally horizontal wire, and a spring operating between said latch and the jaw to which it is pivoted to move said latch to latching position, said spring being of insuificient strength to hold said latch in latching position against the weight of the grip when the latter is supported by said latch.

6. In a wire grip, the combination of a pair of relatively movable jaws having a free space along the side thereof for the insertion of a wire of unlimited length between the jaws, a latch movably mounted on one of said jaws, and resilient means operative between said latch and said last named jaw to move said latch into position obstructing said free space and preventing the grip from accidental disengagement from a wire positioned between said jaws, said resilient means being of insufiicient strength to overcome the weight of the grip when the latter is supported by said latch.

LORENCE ORUSSA.