US2737837A - C-washer removing pliers - Google Patents

Description

March 13, 1956 c. E. STILLWELL 2,73 7,837

C-WASHER REMOVING PLIERS Filed July 16, 1953 United States Patent-071cc c-wAsHER REMOVING PILIEiiS Charles E. Stillwell, B'eaverton flregi Application July 16, 1953, Serial No. 368,397

1 Claim. (Cl-81 15) This 'invention'rela'te's generally to'toolsand more'pa'rticularly to hand 'tools' of a specialized nature.

It should be understood" that in electronic apparatus such as radio sets, television'se'ts"; andsi'rnilar apparatus many of thecomponenfpartssucli"ascondehsrs, potentiometers, and the like, are required to be adjustable. Each of these adjustable components are usually designed to have a frame member adapted to be fixed to a support which is equipped with either a reference pointer or a dial. The frame member will then have a cylindrical bearing supported therein and a shaft will be rotatably supported in the bearing and have an end protruding axially from the bearing to carry a pointer or dial to mate with the dial or pointer secured to the support.

It has become almost universal that the above noted component shafts will be of one quarter inch diameter round metal stock and that the shaft will be located axially with respect to the frame or bearing by a C washer set in an annular groove of rectangular section cut circumferentially about the circumference of the shaft. These washers are usually of the simplest possible form being simply cut from a flat sheet of somewhat malleable metal and having a uniform circular outer perifery and a uniform circular inner perifery with a single radial slit between the inner and outer periferies.

When installed such a washer is opened sufficiently at the slit to go over the shaft at the groove cut therein and then the washer is diametrically squeezed into the groove to be closed to a substantially circular shape with the slit substantially closed.

This construction is simple, economical, and takes but little space where space is at a premium. The difficulty with this construction comes when the component must be serviced for any reason and the C washer must be removed.

No previous device known to me has been available for the removal and re-installation of these washers. It is customary for the service engineer to force a relatively sharp screw driver blade into the slit and twist and pry with the screw driver and an additional screw driver or long nosed pliers until the C washer is crowded out of position and can be removed.

I have found this method of removal of the C washer both time consuming and exasperating. It is therefore a principal object of this invention to provide a tool by the aid of which such a C washer can be easily and quickly removed from the shaft.

It is a second object to provide such a tool by the aid of which the C washer can be kept under control while being removed.

It is a third object to provide such a tool by which the C washer can be removed without the mutilation thereof.

It is a fourth object to provide such a tool by which the removed 0 Washer can be replaced on the shaft and pressed back into its original installed position.

It is a fifth object to provide such a tool which can be manipulated by the service engineer with one hand leaving the other free to hold a flash light on for other duties.

2,737,837 Patented Mar. 13, 1956 It is a sixth object-to provide such a tool by which-the pressures applied to the C washer willbe balanced at all times thus eliminating any tendency for the tool to slip out of place and damage the equipment.

How these and other objectsare attained is explained in the following description of my tool referring to the attached drawing, in which Fig. l is a view in perspective of the tool of my'invention with the tool in the operating. position it takes when its wedge shaped nose points are pressed completely into the slit of the 0 washer.

Fig. 2 is a fragmentary plan view of my tool in the operative position of Fig. lb'ut showing. in end view the sh'aft'and the C washer beingremovedther'efrom.

Fig. 3 is a view in perspective of the tool of my invention' with the tool in the operating position it takes when its nose points are spread to open the C Washer.

Fig. 4 is a fragmentary plan view of my tool in the operative position of Fig. 3 but showing'in end view the shaft and the C- washer being removed therefrom.

Like numerals of reference refer to like parts in the several figures of the drawing.

Referring now to the drawing it is seen that my tool includes a pair of handles 11 and 12, hingedly secured together by hinge rivet 13. It is to be noted that handle 12 is offset as at 14 in order that handles 11 and 12 will operate hingedly in the same plane.

Pivotably secured to handles 11 and 12 by hinge rivets 15 and 16 respectively are tongs 17 and 18 formed at their outer ends with nose points 19 and 20 respectively.

In Figs. 2 and 4 is shown a shaft 21 from which a C washer 22 is in the process of being removed.

Tongs 17, 13 are formed with flat abutment faces 23 and 24 adapted to abut in a plane including the axis of rivet 13.

Tension spring 25 hooked at one end, as shown, to tong 17 and at the other end to tong 18 urges the free ends of tongs 17 and 18 towards each other, their movement being stopped in certain positions of handles 11 and 12 by abutment somewhere along faces 23 and 24 and in other positions of handles 11 and 12 by abutment of tongs 17 and 18 against pins 26, 27, respectively, fixed to handles 11 and 12.

With the tool of this invention when it is desired to remove C washer 22 from shaft 21 the handles 11, 12 are brought together as shown in Figs. 3 and 4, the tool is moved towards the C washer with tongs 1'7, 18 in the plane thereof until faces 23, 24 of tongs 17, 18 arrive tangent to the outer perifery of the C washer 22. Then on further movement of the tool towards the C washer, spring 25 yields and faces 23, 24 advance along the perifery of C washer 22 until the concave ends 28, 29 of handles 11, 12 respectively, strike the C washer or shaft. At this time spreading of handles 11, 12 advances tongs 17, 18 until the free ends of tongs 17, 18 are beyond the C washer where under the urge of spring 25 they abut along faces 23, 24. Then on gradual closure of handles 11, 12 with ends 23, 29 pressed against 0 washer 22 or shaft 21 tongs 17 and 18 retract until points 19 and 20 meet at the outer end of the radial slit in the C washer.

On further closure of handles 11 and 12 points 19 and 20 of tongs 17, 18 are forced into the C washer to the inner diameter thereof and tongs 17, 18 abut stop pins 26 and 27 as shown in Figs. 1 and 2. Still further closure of handles 11, 12 until their free ends abut as shown in Fig. 3 causes the free ends of tongs 17, 18 to spread the C Washer slit open until the washer can be removed from the groove in shaft 21.

When the component part being serviced is reassembled the opened 6 washer can again be slid over the shaft in the groove provided for the washer and the washer can be replaced into its original assembled condition on the component part by engaging the C washer between the concave ends 30 and 31 of handles 11, 12 and squeezing handles 11, 12 together.

Having thus explained some of the objects of my invention, described and illustrated the construction of one form thereof, and explained its operation, I claim:

A tool adapted to remove a C-washer from an annular groove formed in the periphery of a shaft, said C-washer comprising a circular disk with a central hole therethrough concentric with the periphery of said disk and a radial slit between said hole and said periphery, and said tool comprising a first handle member, a second handle member, a first tong member and a second tong member, said handle members being pivotally engaged near one of their respective ends, said first tong member being pivotally engaged near one of its ends to said first handle member intermediate the ends of said first handle memher, said second tong member being pivotally engaged near one of its ends to said second handle member intermediate the ends of said second handle member, the free ends of said tong members extending outwardly from the pivoted ends of said handle members to surround said C-washer in its plane, said free ends of said tong members at one relative position of said handle members forming a split wedge extending inwardly to engage said C-washer at said slit, the pivoted ends of said handles having means to urge said C-washer at said slit onto said split wedge as their free ends are moved towards each other from said one relative position in the plane of said C-washer, and means adapted as said free ends of said handles are moved still closer to each other to separate the free ends of said tong member to open said slit in said C-washer to pass said shaft.

References Cited in the file of this patent UNITED STATES PATENTS 1,435,131 Jacobson Nov. 7, 1922 2,166,089 Brenner July 11, 1939 2,542,201 McDonald et al. Feb. 20, 1951 2,553,620 Yeazell May 22, 1951 2,594,789 Morin Apr. 29, 1952 2,651,227 Kennington Sept. 8, 1953

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