US3177025A

US3177025A - Spring clip type handle for gas cylinder

Info

Publication number: US3177025A
Application number: US246048A
Authority: US
Inventors: Duane F Short
Original assignee: Individual
Current assignee: Individual
Priority date: 1962-12-20
Filing date: 1962-12-20
Publication date: 1965-04-06
Anticipated expiration: 1982-04-06

Description

April 6, 1965 o. F. SHORT SPRING CLIP TYPE HANDLE FOR GAS CYLINDER 2 Sheets-Sheet 1 Filed Dec. 20, 1962 Fig. 2

Fig. 3

Inventor Duane E Short April 1965 D- F. SHORT 3,177,025

SPRING CLIP TYPE HANDLE FOR GAS CYLINDER Filed Dec. 20, 1962 2 Sheets-Sheet 2 Fig 4 Fig. 5

Inven for Duane E Short United States Patent 3,177,025 SPRING CLIP TYPE HANDLE FOR GAS CYLINDER Duane F. Short, 10113 Dellridge Lane, Dellwood, M0. Filed Dec. 20, 1962, Ser. No. 246,048 1 Claim. (Cl. 294-33) This invention relates to a handling implement for gas cylinders, or tanks, and more specifically to a handle with spring clips which is easily attachable to, and detachable from, a refill type of gas cylinder of the kind used for a blow torch. The cylinder, when combined with the torch, is useful in applying solder to a joint, but like any other tool it has a multiple of uses. Gas cylinders of the type referred to contain a charge of fuel under high pressure which, when exhausted, can be replaced by another cylinder. When replacement is necessary, the torch and its connecting fittings are removed from the exhausted tank and screwed onto the connection of a charged one. In most instances, the tank, or cylinder, is held in one hand to direct the flame from the torch onto the work. The other hand of the user is usually occupied by other tasks. Because of the size of the cylinder, it fills the whole hand. Usually not even one finger of that hand is readily available to aid the other hand in its tasks without risk of dropping the cylinder. Accidents of this kind should be avoided because of the explosive nature of the charge stored in the tank at high pressure. It is also possible that the application of the torch requires movement of the tank into and out of a confined space barely adequate to pass the tank let alone the fingers of the hand holding the tank. To maintain a secure hold on the tank under these conditions is awkward and requires both hands for manipulating the tank leaving neither hand free to perform the job.

Accordingly, it is one of the objects of this invention to provide a conveniently sized handle which is equipped with spring clips to be readily attached to, or detached from, a gas cylinder.

It is another object of this invention to provide a handle which securely attaches to a gas cylinder for a torch and which frictionally engages the cylinder in such a way that the cylinder may be turned around in the handle at any time so as to direct the torch at the proper angle to the work.

It is still another object of this invention to provide a handle which can be used as a convenient hanger for suspending the tank when not in use.

Gas cylinders, or tanks, for the purposes described are usually round metal cylinders in the neighborhood of 2 or 3 inches in diameter and about inches long. A tubular neck protrudes from one end of the cylinder. Threads on the end of this neck provide for connection to the fittings of the burner and these threads terminate on the neck at a cylindrical collar on the neck spaced from the top of the cylinder.

According to this invention, the handle is a metal tubular member, preferably an aluminum tube. Opposite ends of the tube carry spring clips formed of loops of springy wire extending laterally from the handle in the same direction and in approximately parallel relationsln'p. One or" the loops is an open ended spring loop with spaced curved legs adapted to be forced apart to receive and grip the cylinder. The other loop is closed and has approximately parallel leg portions adjacent the handle spaced apart to just pass over the neck and collar. The loop has a constricted portion adjacent its closed end into which the neck can be forced by springing the leg portions apart. Within the constricted portion of this loop, the legs have offsets engaging under the collar of the neck to force the closed end of the loop against the top of the tank.

3,l??,@25 Patented Apr. 6, 1%55 Other objects and advantages of this invention will appear from the following detailed description which is in such clear, concise and exact terms as will enable any person skilled in the art to make and use the same when taken with the accompanying drawings, forming a part thereof, and in which:

FIG. 1 is a perspective view illustrating a handle constructed in accordance with this invention applied to a gas cylinder;

FIG. 2 is a similar view illustrating the manner of applying the handle to the gas cylinder;

FIG. 3 is a top plan view of the upper end of handle only, illustrating the form of the spring loop;

FIG. 4 is a side elevational view of the upper end of the handle illustrating the spring loop in further detail;

FIG. 5 is an elevational view of the top part of the handle only, looking in the direction of the cylinder and having parts broken away to illustrate the manner of attachment between the handle and the upper loop;

FIG. 6 is a top plan View illustrating the construction of the lower spring loop before attachment to the handle; and

FIG. 7 is an elevational view looking in the direction of the cylinder and having parts broken away to illustrate the manner of connection between the handle and the lower spring loop.

The gas tank 1, shown in FIG. 1, is a refillable type containing a gas fuel under high pressure. This type of tank has a cylinder-like body closed at its lower end 2 and provided with an outlet at its upper end 3. At tached to the upper end 3 is a tubular neck 4 threaded at 5, and provided with a collar 6 at which the threads 5 terminate. These threads are provided for the attachment to a burner and its fittings. The burner contemplated in this case is one in the form of a blow torch. The cylinder 1 is a refillable cylinder in the sense that after the fuel has been consumed by the burner, the fittings are removed and placed upon a freshly charged cylinder. Consequently, any handling implement attached to the cylinder 1 must be one which also can be detached from a cylinder which has become exhausted and reattached to a freshly charged cylinder.

The handling implement, here contemplated, is composed of several parts. As shown in FIGS. 1 and 2, there is a handle part It) which is preferably formed of aluminum tubing of suitable size. The aluminum tube 10 is flattened from opposite sides at its upper end to form a pair of spaced

sockets

11 and 12. At its lower end, the handle ill is also flattened to form a pair of spaced sockets 14 and T15. Sockets l4 and 15 in turn receive the spaced

apart legs

17 and 18 of a spring clip part 20, shown more in detail in FIG. 6. The parallel leg portions 17 and i8 merge into

curved leg portions

21 and 22, respectively, which are in facing relation and extend laterally from the handle part 10 to receive and grip the tank 1. The manner in which the

leg portions

17 and 18 are anchored in the handle it) is shown in PEG. 7. Leg

portions

17 and 18 are joined by loop portion 25 and, as can be seen in FIG. 7, loop portion 25 is anchored in the handle 10 by being angularly deformed with respect to the

leg portions

17 and 18 so that the loop portion 25 lies within the handle part it} at an angle to the sockets l4 and 15 in the flattened portion of the handle 10.

Sockets

11 and 12 receive the spaced legs of a second spring clip part 26. Socket 11 receives one leg 28 and socket 12 receives the other leg 29 of the spring clip 26. As shown in FIG. 5, the

legs

28 and 29 are angularly deformed at 30 and 31, respectively, so as to be firmly anchored within the upper flattened end of the handle part 1i Referring specifically to FIGS. 3 and 4, the parallel leg portions 2% and 2? are spaced apart far enough to pass over the collar 6 of the tank 1. The ends thereof are joined by the loop 31 having the constricted portion formed by inwardly directedbends, such as 32 in

leg

28 and 33 in leg 23. These bends confine the neck portion 4, shown in phantom lines, within the loop 31; Legs 23 and 29 also have

offset portions

34 and 35, better shown in FIG. 4. These olfset portions wedgingly engage beneath the collar 6 to hold the portions of the loop 31 including the

inward bends

32 and 33 against the top 3 of tank 1.

FIG. 2 illustrates best how the handle is applied to the tank 1. Spring clip 26 is placed in the position shown in FIG. 2 with the

legs

28 and 29 straddling the neck 4. While in this position, spring clip 20 is forced onto the cylinder-like body of the tank 1 so that it securely grips the bottom of the tank. While the tank 1 is held stationary, handle 10 is then manipulated to force the neck 4through, or past, the restriction at 32 and 33 in the

legs

28 and 29 so that the neck portion 4 is held firmly between the legs in the loop 31. Offsets 34A and 35 at this point will be wedged beneath the collar 4 holding the loop 31 against the end 3 of the tank 1. This operation secures the handle to the tank but, since the tank is only clamped by the spring clips, it can be turned with respect to the handle so as to bodily aim the blow torch at the most convenient angle with respect to the handle for the particular application.

Changes in and modifications of the construction described may be made without departing from the spirit ofmy invention or sacrificing its advantages.

' Having thus described the invention, what is claimed and desired to be secured by Letters Patent is:

A handle for a gastank of the kind having a cylinderlike body closed atone end and provided with an outlet at its opposite end including a tubular neck protruding axially from the outlet end of said cylinder-like body,'

a threaded end on said neck to provide'for connection to a gas burner and terminating at an annular collar on the neck spaced from the top end of the cylinder-like body,

7 said handle having a means for ready attachment to, and

(2) a first spring clip part forrned by an open loop of; springy wirehaving spaced legs individually held at one end, one of said legs in each of said first pair of sockets and extending into said handle part, and anchored in said sockets by-an angular deformation of said sockets and the portion of said legs in said sockets with respect to said handle part and the portion of said legs in said handle part, said spring clip part having facing curved leg portions extending laterally of said handle part to grip opposite sides of said cylinder-like tank body, and

(3) a second spring clip' part formed by a loop of springy wire having spaced legs with substantially parallel portions individually held at one end, one of said legs of said second clip part in each of said second pair of sockets in said handle part and extending into said handle part, and anchored in said sockets by angular deformation of the portion of said legs extending into said handle part with respect to the portion of said legs in said pair of sockets, said loop having a constricted portion at its closed end to said handle part to be forced onto said body by move-.

rnent of said handle part in a direction away from said body to interconnect said handle part with said body and frictionally resist rotation between handlepart and said body.

References Cited by the Examiner UNITED STATES PATENTS 1,179,856 4/16 McLeod 220-94 1,430,525 9/22 Webber 24s 311 1,723,588 8/29 True 24 247 FOREIGN PATENTS 221,276 4/10 Germany.

ROBERTB. REEVES, Acting Primary Eraminer.

RAPHAEL M. LUPO, SAMUEL F. COLEMAN,

' p Examiners.

Claims

1. HANDLE FOR A GAS TANK OF THE KIND HAVING AN CYLINDERLIKE BODY CLOSED AT ONE END AND PROVIDED WITH AN OUTLET AT ITS OPPOSITE END INCLUDING A TUBULAR NECK PROTRUDING AXIALLY FROM THE AXIALLY END OF SAID CYLINDER-LIKE BODY. A THREADED END ON SAID NECK TO PROVIDE FOR CONNECTION TO A GAS BURNER AND TERMINATING AT AN ANNULAR COLLAR ON THE NECK SPACED FROM THE TOP END OF THE CYLINDER-LIKE BODY, SAID HANDLE HAVING A MEANS FOR READY ATTACHMENT TO, AND DETACHMENT FROM SAID CYLINDER-LIKE BODY AND FOR MOUNTING SAID HANDLE IN SPACED RELATION TO SAID CYLINDER-LIKE BODY WHEN ATTACHED THERETO, SAID MEANS COMPRISING, (1) A TUBULAR METAL HANDLE PART FLATTENED AT OPPOSITE ENDS TO FORM A PAIR OF SPACED SOCKETS AT EACH OF SAID ENDS, (2) A FIRST SPRING CLIP PART FORMED BY AN OPEN LOOP OF SPRINGY WIRE HAVING SPACED LEGS INDIVIDUALLY HELD AT ONE END, ONE OF SAID LEGS IN EACH OF SAID FIRST PAIR OF SOCKETS AND EXTENDING INTO SAID HANDLE PART, AND ANCHORED IN SAID SOCKETS BY AN ANGULAR DEFORMATION OF SAID SOCKETS AND THE PORTION OF SAID LEGS IN SAID SOCKETS WITH RESPECT TO SAID HANDLE PART AND THE PORTION OF SAID LEGS IN SAID HANDLE PART, SAID SPRING CLIP PART HAVING FACING CURVED LEG PORTIONS EXTENDING LATERALLY OF SAID HANDLE PART TO GRIP OPPOSITE SIDES OF SAID CYLINDER-LIKE TANK TODAY, AND (3) A SECOND SPRING CLIP PART FORMED BY A LOOP OF SPRINGY WIRE HAVING SPACED LEGS WITH SUBSTANTIALLY PARALLEL PORTIONS INDIVIDUALLY HELD AT ONE END, ONE OF SAID LEGS OF SAID SECOND CLIP PART IN EACH OF SAID SECOND PAIR OF SOCKETS IN SAID HANDLE PART AND EXTENDING INTO SAID HANDLE PART, AND ANCHORED IN SAID SOCKETS BY ANGULAR DEFORMATION OF THE PORTION OF SAID LEGS EXTENDING INTO SAID HANDLE PART WITH RESPECT TO THE PORTION OF SAID LEGS IN SAID PAIR OF SOCKETS, SAID LOOP HAVING A CONSTRICTED PORTION AT ITS CLOSED END INTO WHICH SAID NECK CAN BE FORCED BY SPRINGING SAID LEGS OF SAID SECOND CLIP PART APART AND SAID LOOP HAVING OFFSETS WITHIN SAID CONSTRICTED PORTION ENGAGING UNDER SAID COLLAR ON SAID NECK TO FORCE THE CLOSED END OF SAID LOOP AGAINST THE TOP OF SAID TANK, SAID FIRST SPRING CLIP PART BEING ARRANGED WITH RESPECT TO SAID HANDLE PART TO BE FORCED ONTO SAID BODY BY MOVEMENT OF SAID HANDLE PART IN A DIRECTION TOWARD SAID BODY AND SAID SECOND SPRING CLIP PART BEING ARRANGED WITH RESPECT TO SAID HANDLE PART TO BE FORCED ONTO SAID BODY BY MOVEMENT OF SAID HANDLE PART IN A DIRECTION AWAY FROM SAID BODY TO INTERCONNECTED SAID HANDLE PART WITH SAID BODY AND FRICTIONALLY RESIST ROTATION BETWEEN HANDLE PART AND SAID BODY.