US2617914A

US2617914A - Device for splicing strands of thermoplastic material

Info

Publication number: US2617914A
Authority: US
Inventors: Gerald B Keller; Loua D Holmes
Original assignee: Individual
Current assignee: Individual
Priority date: 1951-04-27
Filing date: 1951-04-27
Publication date: 1952-11-11
Anticipated expiration: 1969-11-11

Description

Nov. 11,1952 6. B. KELLER ETAL DEVICE FOR SPLICING STRANDS OF THERMOPLASTIC MATERIAL Filed April 27, 1951 INVENTORS 3. //a4 MA'S zmua 8.142445? WZm Qmm v flan/2214027,

Patented Nov. 11,1952

DEVICE FOR- SPLICING STRANDS OF THERMOPLASTIC MATERIAL Gerald B. Keller and Loua D. Holmes,

Syracuse, N. Y.

Application April 27, 1951, Serial No. 223,379

4 Claims. 1

This invention relates to devices for splicing strands and more particularly to a device in the form of an attachment for a pyrographic tool for heat splicing strands of thermoplastic material.

It is among the objects of the invention to provide an improved device for heat splicing strands of thermoplastic material which device is provided as an attachment for a pyrographic tool and may be easily assembled with a tool and disassembled therefrom with no modification of the tool construction; which includes a manually operated clamp or vise for securely holding ends of strands together while the same are fused together by heat generated by the pyrographic tool; which provides for the easy placement of the strand ends in the vise and removal of the spliced strand therefrom; and which is simple and durable in construction, economical to manufacture and easy to use.

Other objects and advantages will become apparent from a consideration of the following description and the appended claims in conjunction with the accompanying drawing, wherein:

Figure 1 is a side elevational view of a splicing device illustrative of the invention, a portion being broken away and shown in cross section to illustrate the manner in which ends of strands of thermoplastic material are spliced together by the device;

Figure 2 is a longitudinal cross sectional view on the line 22 of Figure 1 and showing the splicing device mounted on a pyrographic tool of known construction;

Figure 3 is a transverse cross sectional view on the line 33 of Figure 2;

Figure 4 is a transverse cross sectional view on the line l-fl of Figure 2; and

Figure 5 is a perspective view of a pair of relatively movable jaw elements of the splicing device.

With continued reference to the drawing, the splicing device comprises a body IQ of elongated, cylindrical shape having a bore ll extending coaxially therethrough, an opening l2 of rectangular cross sectional shape extending transversely thereof intermediate its length and substantially symmetrically of the longitudinal center line of the body and a notch l3 extending around approximately one-half of the cylindrical surface of the body and from the body surface to the opening [2, this notch constituting, in effect, a reduced portion of the opening.

At one end of the body the bore H is provided with a screw threaded counterbore M which re- .ceives the screw threaded heating element housing is projecting from one end of the handle it of a pyrographic tool. The tool handle carries a collar or sleeve ll of heat insulative material at its end from which the heating element housing [5 projects and an abutment washer 18, also of heat insulative material, surrounds the heat element housing at the adjacent end of the handle it. An extension cord l9 extends through the hollow handle [6 to the heating element in the heating element housing [5 and a plane portion 223 of. the heating element housing extends from the outer end of the screw threaded portion of this housing through the corresponding portion of the bore 1 I to the adjacent end of the opening I2.

The externally screw threaded heating element housing is of the pyrographic tool constitutes a threaded shank upon which the interchangeable points of the tool are selectively mounted and, when it is desired to mount the splicing device of the present invention on the pyrographic tool, the tool shank is simply threaded into the corresponding end of the body it, the splicing device taking the place of a working point usually threaded onto the shank of the tool.

A fixed jaw 2! of rectangular cross sectional shape and having arcuately rounded ends conforming to the cylindrical surface of the body ii? is mounted in the opening l2 at the end of the opening adjacent the screw threaded portion of the bore ii and this jaw is provided in its side at the corresponding end of the opening with a circular recess 22 which receives the distal end portion of the tool shank 15 to provide a good heat conductive contact between the fixed jaw and the corresponding end of the tool shank carrying the heating element of the tool.

A movable jaw 23, also of rectangular cross sectional shape, is received in the opening I2 at the other end of the opening for movement toward and away from the fixed jaw 2i. The movable jaw 23 has its ends arcuately rounded to conform to the cylindrical surface of the body l0 and has at the mid-length location of its side remote from the fixed jaw 21 a tapped well or recess 24. The jaws 2i and 23 are provided in their adjacent or opposed faces with longitudinally extending grooves, as indicated at 25 and 26 respectively, which grooves register with each other when the jaws are brought together and provide a bore extending longitudinally of the abutting faces of the jaws and of a size and shape to closely receive the strands to be spliced.

grooves

25 and 28.

The fixed jaw 21 has a thickness less than the thickness of the movable jaw 23 and somewhat less than the distance from the corresponding end of the opening I2 to the adjacent end of the notch l3 to facilitate heating of the fixed jaw and to permit the movable jaw to slide under the formation at the end of the notch adjacent the fixed jaw to positively align-the grooves "25 and 26 when the'jaws are closed.

The jaws may be provided in interchangeable sets so that bores of different shapes and sizes can be provided for strands of difierent sizes and shapes. As a major purpose of the device is splicing strands of gimp, a lacing material made of thermoplastic resin, at least one set'of laws would be provided having grooves which, when the jaws are brought together, provide an aperture, as indicated at 2'! in Figure 2 having a cross sectionalshape substantially the same as the cross sectional shape of the gimp to be spliced.

v-Attheend of the opening I2 remote from the .tool shank 1-5 the bore l l is provided with a portion-28 of reduced diameter and a screw 29 extends-through this portion of the bore and has .a diametersubstantially the same as the diameter of'the body H! is threaded onto the boss 3%. This nut has at one end an end wall 33 provided with a centrally located tapped hole 35 which receives the screw 29 and is threadedly engaged therewith.

The threads on the boss 31 and the correspondl ing internal threads in the nut 32 are right hand threads while the threads on the screw 29 and the corresponding threads in the tapped hole 35 are left hand threads so that when the nut is turned on the boss 31 in a direction to thread the'boss inwardly oi the nut the screw 29 is threaded through the nut inwardly of the body Hi jaw 2!. 'When the nut is rotated in the opposite direction the screw 29 is moved outwardly of :thebody it moving the movable away from the fixed jaw.

The nut 32 is provided with a beveled outer .edge. 35 and with an annular knurled or rough- .ened band 36 to afi'ord a good hand grip on the nut for. rotating the nut relative to the body it and the body is provided with a knurled or roughenedannular band 37 to provide a good hand grip for holding the body while the nut is rotated relative thereto.

In using the device, after a heating element such as the heating element of the pyrographic tool It has been secured in the screw threaded end of the bore il, with the movable jaw separated from the fixed jaw the ends of two strands to be spliced, as indicated at 38 and 39 in Figure 1, are placed between the jaws and in the A nut 32 is then rotated on the body it to force the movable jaw against the fixed jaw and firmly compress the strand ends together in the aper ure 2?. l-Ieat'irom the heating element is now applied to the fixed jaw 2| until the compressed ends of the strands are completely fused together whereupon the nut may be rotated to move the movable jaw away and forces the movable jaw 23 against the fixed essential characteristics thereof.

4 from the fixed jaw and the spliced strand moved from between the jaws through the notch l3.

While the splicing device has been illustrated and described as an attachment for a pyrographic tool, it is to be understood that a suitable heating element may be permanently secured in the body of the device, if desired, and provided with its own extension cord, preferably; including a switch for controlling thesupplyofheating current to the heating element.

The invention may be embodied in other specific forms without departing from the spirit or The present embodiment is, therefore, to be considered in all respects as illustrative and not restrictive, the

scope of the invention being indicated by the appended claims rather than by the foregoing description, and all changes which come within the meaning and range of equivalency of the claims are, therefore, intended to be embraced therein.

"What is claimed is:

l. in combination with a 'pyrcgraphic tool having a handle and an externally screw threaded heating-element housing projecting from one end of the handle, a device for splicing strands. of thermoplastic material comprising an elongated body having a bore'extending therethrough and provided at one end of said body with internal screw threads, saidbody being threaded, at said one endonto-said heating element housing and having intermediate its length a transversely extending opening intercepting said borexand including a portion of reduced sizeextending to the surface'of'said body, a fixed jaw, received in said opening at the end of the latter adjacent said-heating element housing and disposed in heat transferring engagement with the adjacent end of said housing, a movable jaw slidably disposed in said housing in opposition to said fixed jaw, a screw extending into said bore at the end of said body remote from said housing and secured at its end adjacentsaid movable jaw to the latter, and a nut rotatably mounted onsaid bodyat the end of the latter remote from said housing and :having a tapped hole therein through which said screw is threaded for moving said movable jaw toward and away from. said fixed jaw upon rotation of said nut relative to said body.

2. In combination with a pyrographic tool having a handle and-an externally screw threaded heating element housing projecting from oneend of the handle, a device for splicing strands of thermoplastic material comprising an elongated body having a bore extending therethrough and provided at one end: of said body with internal screw threads, saidbody being threaded at said one end onto said heating element housing and having intermediate its length a transversely extending opening intercepting said bore and including a portion of reduced size extending to the surface of said body, a fixed jaw received in said opening at the end of the latter adjacentsaid heating element housing anddisposed in heat transferring engagement with the adjacent ,end of said housing, a movable jaw slidably disposed in the opening in said housing in opposition to said fixed jaw, a screw extending into said bore at the, end of said body remote from said housing and secured at its end adjacent said movable jaw threaded onto saidextension and havingia tapped hole therein through which said screw is threaded for moving said movable jaw toward and away from said fixed jaw upon rotation of said nut relative to said body.

3. In combination with a pyrographic tool having a handle and an externally screw threaded heating element housing projecting from one end of the handle, a device for splicing strands of thermoplastic material comprising an elongated body having a bore extending therethrough and provided at one end of said body with internal screw threads, said body being threaded at said one end onto said heating element housing and having intermediate its length a transversely extending opening of rectangular cross sectional shape intercepting said bore and including a portion of reduced size extending to the surface of said body, a fixed jaw received in said opening at the end of the latter adjacent said heating element housing and disposed in heat transferring engagement with the adjacent end of said housing, a movable jaw disposed in said opening in opposition to said fixed jaw, a screw extending into said bore at the end of said body remote from said housing and secured at its end adjacent said movable jaw to the latter, and a nut rotatably mounted on said body at the end of the latter remote from said heating element housing and having a tapped hole therein through which said screw is threaded for moving said movable jaw toward and away from said fixed jaw upon rotation of said nut relative to said body, said jaws having longitudinally extending grooves in their opposed faces which grooves register to provide a strand receiving aperture extending longitudinally of said jaws when the jaws are closed together.

i. In combination with a pyrographic tool having a handle and an externally screw threaded heating element housing projecting from one end of the handle, a device for splicing strands of thermoplastic material comprising an elongated body having a bore extending therethrough and provided at one end of said body with internal screw threads, said body being threaded at said one end onto said heating element housing and having intermediate its length a transversely extending opening intercepting said bore and including a portion of reduced size extending to the surface of said body, a fixed jaw received in said opening at the end of the latter adjacent said heating element housing and disposed in heat transferring engagement with the adjacent end of said housing, a movable jaw slidably disposed in the opening in said housing in opposition to said fixed jaw, a screw extending into said bore at the end of said body remote from said housing and secured at its end adjacent said movable j aw to the latter, said body having at its end remote from said housing an externally screw threaded extension of reduced diameter, and a nut threaded onto said extension and having a tapped hole therein through which said screw is threaded for moving said movable jaw toward and away from said fixed jaw upon rotation of said nut relative to said body, said body being of elongated cylindrical shape with said bore extending substantially coaxially therethrough and said nut being of cylindrical shape of substantially the same outside diameter as the outside diameter of said body.

GERALD B. KELLER. LOUA D. HOLMES.

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

UNITED STATES PATENTS Number Name Date 475,115 Inglesby et a1 May 1'7, 1892 1,850,338 Abegg Mar. 22, 1932 1,955,351 Tenant Apr. 17, 1934 2,453,761 Schoonmaker Nov. 16, 1948 2,551,636 Ratigan May 8, 1951 FOREIGN PATENTS Number Country Date 172,767 Great Britain 1921