US2452423A

US2452423A - Tool for removing wire insulation

Info

Publication number: US2452423A
Application number: US621471A
Authority: US
Inventors: Arthur P Bass
Original assignee: Individual
Current assignee: Individual
Priority date: 1945-10-10
Filing date: 1945-10-10
Publication date: 1948-10-26
Anticipated expiration: 1965-10-26

Description

Oct. 26, 1948. p BASS 2,452,423

TOOL FOR REMOVING WIRE INSULATION Filed Oct. 10, 1945 INVENTORL Patented Oct. 26, 1948 UNITED STATES PATENT. ori ice 2,452,423 TOOL FOR REMOVING WIRE INSULATlON Arthur 1?. Bass, Newark, N.'J.

Application October 10, 1945, Serial No. 621,471

This invention relates to an improved power actuated tool for removing insulation coatings from electrical conductors; and the invention has reference, more particularly, to a novel tool especially adapted to remove insulation coatings of enamel, glass, hard insulation material known to the art under the trade name Formvar, and all other kinds of hard insulation substances.

The invention has for an object to provide a novel tool mechanism for the purposes stated which is adapted to be power driven, preferably by an electric motor; said tool mechanism comprising a rotatable head having an axial pas-sage to receive an end portion of an insulated wire to be operated upon; said head being provided. with opposed movable tool members disposed radially to the axis thereof, and tool controlling lever means suitably weighted to respond to centrifugal force, whereby to automatically move the tool members, when the head is rotated, from a normal initial retracted position into operative engagement with an insulated wire to be operated upon.

The invention has for another object to provide a tool mechanism of the character and for the purposes above stated which is of very simple and compact structure, whereby the, same is especially well adapted to provide a portable tool which can be both easily manipulated in use and conveniently carried about by the user.

An illustrative embodiment of the invention is shown in the accompanying drawings, in which:

Fig. 1 is a front elevational view of the tool according to this invention; Fig. 2 is a fragmentary side elevational view; Fig. 3 is a fragmentary longitudinal sectional View of the tool, with parts shown in elevation, the tool members and controlling lever means being disposed in retracted normal initial position. said view being drawn on an enlarged scale; Fig. 4 is a view similar to that of Fig. 3, but showing the tool members and controlling lever means in operative positions; Fig. 5 is a. fragmentary horizontal sectional view, taken on line 5--5 in Fig. 3; Fig. 6 is a fragmentary horizontal view, taken on line 66 in Fig. 4: and Fig. 7 is a horizontal sectional view similar to that of Fig. 6, but showing modified forms of tool members.

Similar characters of reference are employed in the above described views, to indicate corresponding parts.

The novel tool according to this invention comprises a head member ID of suitable shape having an axially aligned shank portion ll of substan-# tially reduced diameter. Entering from the free 8 Claims. (01. -93) end or top of said head member H3 and extending downwardly therethrough and into said shank portion 1 l for a suitable distance is an axial passage or bore I2, the diameter of which is some what in excess of the maximum diametric size of insulated wire which the tool is designed to operate upon. Where said axial passage or bore !2 opens out of the free end or top of said head l0, the same is preferably shaped to provide an inverted conical or funnel-shaped mouth por;

tion It. Formed in the head member ill to intersect the axial passage or bore 52 and to extend radi ally outward therefrom, respectively from opposite sides thereof, are slideway passages I M. Formed in the head member if! toextend transversely therethrough and downwardly from the respective slideway passages it, in aligned rela tion to the longitudinal axes 'of the latter, bearing slots l5. Mounted in the respective slideway passages it, so as to be longitudinally and reciprocably slidable therein, are opposed tool members it. Each tool member H5 is provided with abifurcated tail end portion at its outer end adapted to'provide a slot portion I! in alignment with the adjacent bearing slot l5,

Connected with the head member l8 and its shank portion l I is a tool controlling lever means so constructed and arranged as to respond to centrifugal force induced by rotation of the head member, whereby to move the tool members from a normal initial retracted position into ope: ve engagement with an insulated wire entered in the passage or bore l2 of said head member. "An illustrative and preferred form of such toolcom trolling lever means, as shown, comprises primary lever members l8 mounted respectively in the respective bearing slots !5, and pivotally related to the head member I'd by fulcrum pins it which extend transversely'through the latter and across said bearing slots. Each primary lever member I8 is provided with an upper arm Elli suitably shaped at'its free end to provide a cam-finger 2| which is entered in the slot portion ll of the adjacent tool Iii, so as to bear against thebo'dy of saidtool. Extending transversely through the tail end portion of each too-1 it, to cross its slot mounted byits'hub portion E l on the-thanlrnporii tion ll of the head member Ill is a cross-head 25, to the oppositely extending arms of which are respectively pivoted secondary lever members 26. The upper ends of said secondary lever members 26 terminate in weighty bifurcated knuckle portions 21 which receive and to which are pivotally connected, by pivoting pins 28, the respective lower end portions 29 of the primary lever members l8. Said pivoting pins 28 project exteriorly from the knuckle connections thus formed, 'and interconnected between corresponding end portions of said pivoting pins are pull-springs 30. Said pull-springs 30 yieldably retract the primary and secondary lever members to normal initial positions substantially parallel to the'longitudinal axis of said head member l and. its shankiportion H, and stopped against the sides of the latter, whereby to normally dispose thet'oolm'embers |'6 in an outwardly retracted normal -initial out of service or inoperative position (see Figs. 3 and 4.).

In'one form thereofpas shown in Figs. 1 to 6 inclusive, the toolmembers are respectively so formed thatone thereof constitutes a work embracing and backing tool, 'for which purpose its forward operative end is indented to provide a work-receiving seat 3| having convergent sides, said seat being aligned with the longitudinal axis of an insulated wire entered in the passage or bore l2 for treatment. The other tool member is formed at its forward end to provide a beveled insulation shaver or cutter element -32 havin a sharp cutt ng edge also al gned with the longitudinal axis of an-insulated wire entered in the passage or bore 12 for treatment.

The tool is adapted to be driven by suitable application of power to the shank portion ll thereof, whereby to rapidly rotate the same. Preferably, and especially in the portable type of the tool as shown, the power source is provided by an electric motor 33, to the armature shaft of which said shank portion H issuitably connected or coupled, as e. g.-by a coupling connection 34 as shown (see Fig.1). The motor is provided with any suitable-form of manually operative switch 35, wherebyservice of current thereto from a power source may-be controlled.

In the use of the tool, the insulated wire W to-be treated is: inserted in the passage or-bore 42, so that the end portion thereof from which the insulation is to be removed passes downwardly between the outwardly retracted tool members It. The wire W being thus positioned in the tool, powerisapplied to the latter whereby to rapidly rotate the same while the operator holds the wire against rotation. In the electric motor driven type of-the tool as shown, afterthe wire W is inserted and held-against rotation, the operator closes the swit'ch 35, whereby the motor functions to rapidly rotate'the shank portion H and head member ID about the axis of'the wire. Such rotation of the shank portion and head member subjects the weighty knuckle Joined ends of the primary and secondary lever members |826 to the eifectsof centrifugal force, whereby said knuckle joined ends are impelled to swing outwardly; thus rocking the primary levermembers about their fulcrum pins I9, and thereby causing an in-swinging movement of the cam fingers 2| thereof.

The in swinging movement of said-cam fingers 2| exerts inward thrust upon thetool members I6, whereby to o'peratively engage the wire W. One tool member engages "one side ofsaidwire Wksoasto receive the same in the seat 3| thereof, whereby to embrace and back the wire subject to the insulation shaving or cutting action of the other tool member, as the shaver or cutter element 32 of the latter bears against the opposite side of the wire. As the tool members i6 revolve about the wire, while subjected to the constant inward thrust exerted by the centrif ugally impelled lever members 18-46, the shaver or cutter element 32 will rapidly shave or cut awa the hardinsulation coating so .a'sto' quickly bare the underlying metal wire. During such operative action of the tool members IS, the user gradually draws the wire W outwardly from the lpassageorbore-LZ so that the end portion thereof is "caused 'to traverse the zone of action of the tooli'memb'ers, and consequently so that the latter may efiectively attack and remove the insulation "alongthe'entire length of the end portion of the wire which is desired to be bared.

After a wire has been treated and withdrawn from the tool as above described, the operator releases the switch 35 to interrupt service of current to and thus stopping the motor, whereupon :the springs 33 retract the lever members |8?.6 to normal initialpositions, thus-out-swinging the cam-fingers '2 I. Out-swinging movement of the cam fingers zl engages the same with the retractor cross-pins 22 of thetool members It, whereby the outward movement :of said cam fingers is transmitted to the latter so as to withdraw or retract the same to normal inoperative or out of service positions.

The opera-tive ends of the tool members l6 may be variously modified. For example, instead of the cooperative shaver and seat arrangement above described, the operative ends of the tool members maybe in the form of abrasive'elements or grinder members36, as shown in Fig. 7.

It will be understood that some changes'could be made in the construction and "arrangement of 'the tool without"departing'from the scope "of this invention as de'finedin the following claims. It is therefore intended that all matter contained in the foregoing description or shown the accompanying drawings shall be interpreted as illustrativeand not in a limiting sense.

I claim:

1. In a'tool for the'purposesdescribed, a head member having-an axial shank, said'head member and shank being adapted to be rotated about the longitudinal axis thereof, said head member and shank having an axial wire receiving bore and diametrically aligned slideway passages radial to said bore,-cpposed tool members slidably mounted in. said slideway passages, toolm'ember controlling lever means. pivotally connected with said head member adjacently below said slideway passages, whereby to provide upper and lower. arms, and means to connect said tool mem bers respectively with said upper arms subject to movement thereby toward and from said bore, the lower arms'of said lever means being responsiveito outswinging centrifugal force when the-head member is rotated, whereby said upper arms automatically move said tool members from a normal initialretracted position into operative engagement with a wire insertedin said-bore.

2. Atom for the purposes described as defined in claim 1, wherein said tool members are "provided at their operative ends with abrasive grinder members.

3. In a tool for-'the'purposes described as defined-in claim 1, wherein the tool member controlling lever means is provided with spring means for yi'eldably retracting the same to normal initial position.

4. In a tool for the purposes described, a. head member having an axial shank, said head member and shank being adapted to be rotated about the longitudinal axis thereof, said head member and shank having an axial wire receiving bore and diametrically aligned slideway passages radial to said bore, opposed tool members slidably mounted in said slideway passages, a lever member for each tool member pivotally connected with said head member adjacently below said slideway passages, each lever member having a short upper arm cooperative with the tool member served thereby for moving the latter into and out of operative engagement with a wire inserted in said bore, and each lever member having a relatively long and weighty lower arm adapted to respond to outswinging centrifugal force when the head member is rotated, whereby to swing the upper arm in direction to move the tool member served thereby into operative wire engaging position.

5. In a tool for the purposes described, a head member having an axial shank, said head member and shank being adapted to be rotated about the longitudinal axis thereof, said head member and shank having an axial wire receiving bore and diametrically aligned slideway passages radial to said bore, opposed tool members slidably mounted in said slideway passages, a lever member for each tool member pivotally connected with said head member adjacently below said slideway passages, each lever member having a short upper arm cooperative with the tool member served thereby for moving the latter into and out of operative engagement with a wire inserted in said bore, each lever member having a relatively long and weighty lower arm adapted to respond to outswinging centrifugal force when the head member is rotated, whereby to swing the upper arm in direction to move the tool member served thereby into operative wire engaging position, and spring means for retracting said lower arms whereby to return said lever members and the tool members served thereby to normal initial positions when rotation of said head member is interrupted.

6. In a tool for the purposes described, a head member having an axial shank, said head member and shank being adapted to be rotated about the longitudinal axis thereof, said head member and shank having an axial wire receiving bore and diametrically aligned slideway passages radial to said bore, opposed tool members slidably mounted in said slideway passages, a primary lever member for each tool member pivotally connected with said head member adjacently below said slideway passages, each primary lever comprising an upper arm and a lower arm, said upper arm terminating in a cam finger cooperative with the tool member served thereby for moving the latter into and out of operative engagement With a wire inserted in said bore, a cross-head slidably mounted on the shank of said head member, secondary lever members respectively pivoted to the ends of said cross-head, and weighty knuckle connections to pivotally interconnect corresponding secondary lever members and the lower arms of said primary lever members, whereby said connected lever members are adapted to respond to centrifugal force for movement in direction to ad- Vance the tool members served thereby into operative wire engaging positions.

'7. In a tool for the purposes described, a head member having an axial shank, said head member and shank being adapted to be rotated about the longitudinal axis thereof, said head member and shank having an axial wire receiving bore and diametrically aligned slideway passages radial to said bore, opposed tool members slidably mounted in said slideway passages, a primary lever member for each tool member pivotally connected with said head member adjacently below said slideway passages, each primary lever comprising an upper arm and a lower arm, said upper arm terminating in a cam finger cooperative with the tool member served thereby for moving the latter into and out of operative engagement with a wire inserted in said bore, a cross-head slidably mounted on the shank of said head member, secondary lever members respectively pivoted to the ends of said cross-head, weighty knuckle connections to pivotally interconnect corresponding secondary lever members and the lower arms of said primary lever members, whereby said connected lever members are adapted to respond to centrifugal force for movement in direction to advance the tool members served thereby into operative wire engaging positions, and spring means connected between the joined ends of said primary and secondary lever member sets whereby to retract the same and the tool members served thereby to normal initial positions when rotation of said head member is interrupted.

8. A tool for the purposes described as defined in claim 7, wherein said tool members are provided at their operative ends with abrasive grinder members.

ARTHUR P. BASS.

REFERENCES CITED The following references are of record in the file of this patent:

UNITED STATES PATENTS