US3333337A - Wire holding attachment for wire cutter - Google Patents

Description

Aug. 1, 1967 ug-rm, R ET AL 3,333,337

WIRE HOLDING ATTACHMENT FOR WIRE CUTTER Filed Feb. 1, 1966 Lea E flusfin Jr. Melvin 6. Komha/s v James K. Harper INVENTORS.

United States Patent 3,333,337 WIRE HOLDING ATTACHMENT FOR WIRE CUTTER Leo F. Austin, Jr., and Melvin G. Korthals, Artesia,

N. Mex., and James K. Harper, Centralia, Mo., assignors to A. B. Chance Company, Centralia, Mo., 21 corporation of Missouri Filed Feb. 1, 1966, Ser. No. 524,334 8 Claims. (Cl. 30-134) This invention relates to a wire holder attachment for use with wire cutters of the type presently employed by linemen to cut jumper wires, live conductors, tie wires and the like which comprise components of a high voltage power transmission system.

A lever type wire cutter enables a lineman to reach overhead wires and, since the extension formed by the pole of the cutter forms a long leakage path, also serves to isolate the lineman from live lines. However, such cutters have no provision for holding the cut ends of the wire after the severing operation, thereby allowing loose wires to fall or snap away from the cutter and possibly create an electrical hazard.

It is, therefore, the primary object of this invention to provide a wire-holding device that may be attached to a conventional lever type wire cutter for the purpose of gripping one of the cut ends of the wire to allow the lineman to control the disposition thereof after the cutting operation is effected.

As a corollary to the foregoing object, it is an important aim of the invention to provide such an attachment wherein a pair of wire-receiving jaws are employed and are operated by the lever arm of the cutter which actuates the cutterhead, and to provide a resilient linkage between the jaws and the arm for effecting closure of the jaws against the wire in response to movement of the arm but prior to severing of the wire by the cutterhead, and which is operable to permit continued movement of the arm to sever the wire while maintaining clamping pressure thereagainst.

A further object is to provide an attachment as aforesaid that may be readily mounted on a lever type wire cutter in the shop or in the field, and wherein the jaws of the wire holder are provided with shiftable wire grippers that enable the jaws to accommodate a range of wire sizes.

In the drawing:

FIGURE 1 is a side elevational view showing the wire holder mounted on a lever type wire cutter, both the holder jaws and the cutter blades being illustrated in their normal positions;

FIG. 2 is a front elevational view of the structure shown in FIG. 1;

FIG. 3 is a side elevational view similar to FIG. 1 but showing the various components of the holder and the cutter in actuated positions; and

FIG. 4 is an elevational view of the attachment itself as illustrated in FIG. 1, showing the side opposite that viewed in FIG. 1.

The normally uppermost end of a conventional lever type wire cutter is shown in FIGS. 1-3, the cutter comprising an insulated pole provided with a base member at its upper extremity in the form of a ferrule 12 having a side book 13. An operating rod 14 is provided with a ferrule 16 at its upper end receiving a hinge pin 18 pivotally connecting rod 14 to one end of a lever arm 20. The opposite end of arm 20 is pivotally attached to ferrule 12 by a pin 22 extending between a pair of laterally projecting ears 24 (only one of the cars 24 is visible in the figures). The lower end of rod 14 is connected to a handle (not shown) which is pivotally mounted on the lower portion of pole 10. The handle serves as 3,333,337 Patented Aug. 1, 1967 a manually operated lever which swings lever arm 20 in a counterclockwise direction from the position shown in FIG. 1 to the position illustrated in FIG. 3 and, by virtue of the action of lever arm 20, effects operation of a cutterhead 26 mounted on ferrule 12.

Cutterhead 26 comprises a pair of elongated, flat cutter elements 28 and 29 interconnected by a pair of links formed by a pair of generally rectangular, aligned plates 30 disposed on opposite sides of elements 28 and 29 and extending transversely thereof. A pair of bolts 32 and 34 interconnect plates 30 and extend through elements 28 and 29 respectively. Bolt 32 is sufiiciently loosely held by its associated nut to permit pivotal movement of element 28 about its shank, while bolt 34 rigidly secures the plates to element 29. Element 28 is actuated by lever arm 20 through a link 36 (see particularly FIG. 3) pivotally connected to an extension of the inner end of arm 20 and to the lower end of element 28. The upper end portions of elements 28 and 29 present blades 38 and 40, respectively, presenting opposed cutting edges capable of receiving a wire 42 therebetween and severing the same, as illustrated in FIG. 3. The cutting action is achieved by swinging lever arm 20 in a counterclockwise direction (compare FIGS. 1 and 3) to thereby rotate element 28 in a clockwise direction about the shank of bolt 32 to shift blade 38 toward blade 40. The lower end of the element 29 is aflixed to ferrule 12, thereby maintaining blade 40 stationary with respect to the ferrule and pole 10 during the cutting operation.

The wire holder comprises an elongated fixed jaw 44 and an elongated movable jaw 46 pivotally joined to the stationary jaw by a pivot screw 48 received by an aperture in jaw 46 and threaded into a boss 50 on jaw 44. The pivotal joint is disposed approximately midway between the ends of the jaws and permits movement of the normally uppermost end 52 of jaw 46 toward and away from the upper end 54 of jaw 44. The central portion 56 of jaw 44 is generally triangular in configuration as viewed in FIGS. 1, 3 and 4, boss 48 being disposed at the apex of the triangular portion 56 remote from the main body section of the jaw. Similarly, jaw 46 is provided with a triangular section 58 (FIG. 4) which extends into overlapping relationship to portion 56, both section 58 and portion 56 being of reduced thickness so that the main body portions of the jaws are coplanar (FIG. 2). Additionally, the triangular shapes of portion 56 and section 58 provide the requisite clearance necessary to permit shifting of the movable jaw 46.

Ends 52 and 54 of the jaws are provided with serrated grippers 60 and 62 respectively which are mounted thereon by pivot pins 64 and 66. The axes of pins 64 and 66 extend parallel to the axis of pivot screw 48 and, therefore, transversely of the jaws. Each gripper comprises a pad or plate having a planar, serrated face, and is provided with a pair of cars 68 extending from the pad and receiving the respective pin 64 or 66. Note that the marginal extremities of end portions 52 and 54 limit the movement of respective grippers in one direction, while movement in the opposite direction is limited by contact Zones 70 of the jaws which are engaged by the grippers at the point of maximum inward movement thereof.

J aw 44 has an L-shaped lower end 72 which threadably receives a pivot bolt 74 having a torsion spring 76 coiled about the shank thereof between jaw 44 and the bolthead. Spring 76 has a pair of divergent legs 78 and 80, leg 78 being a rectilinear, resilient component having an outer end 82 looped about arm 26 to thereby interconnect the spring with the arm. Leg has an arcuate lower stretch 84 which merges with an arcuate upper stretch 86, the two stretches being disposed to form a slot therebetween and presenting opposed, lower and upper cam surfaces engageable with a cam follower 88 projecting laterally from the lower end of jaw 46. Follower 88, as shown, may take the form of a machine screw threadably received by jaw 46 and provided with a rotatable sleeve telescoped over its shank and received by the cam stretches 84 and 86.

The wire holder is attached to cutterhead 26 by a pair of bolts 90 and 92 which extend through holes 94 and 96 respectively (FIG. 4) in jaw 44. The threaded ends of bolts 90 and 92 are received by openings in cutter element 29 and are provided with nuts 98 and 100. Bolts 90 and 92 replace the bolts normally utilized to secure element 29 to base member 102, which is integral with ferrule 12 and extends thereform as illustrated to form a support for element 29. Therefore, by simply removing the bolts normally utilized to secure element 29 to member 102 and substituting bolts 90 and 92 of the holder assembly, the holder is rigidly secured to the cutter without the necessity of boring additional holes in cutterhead 26 or base member 102. Thus, the conventional Wire cutter may be modified to form the combination cutter-holder in the shop or field by simply discarding the existing mounting bolts for element 29 and securing the holder assembly in place by bolts 90 and 92.

As indicated hereinabove, cutterhead 26 operates in the normal manner when rod 14 is shifted downwardly to swing lever arm 30 about pin 22. With the wire holder attached and leg component 78 coupled with arm by loop 82, it will be appreciated that swinging of arm 20 from the position shown in FIG. 1 to the position shown in FIG. 3 causes rotation of the torsion spring 76 about bolt 74 to place cam stretch 84 in forcible engagement with follower 88. Thus, the movable jaw 46 is caused to pivot about screw 48 to shift its gripper 60 toward gripper 62, thereby engaging the self-aligning grippers with opposite sides of wire 42. It may be noted that, when the tool is placed in its operative position by the lineman and wire 42 is received by blades 38 and 40, grippers 60 and 62 are disposed such that wire 42 also passes therebetween without further manipulation of the tool.

Since only a relatively small movement of jaw 46 will cause clamping pressure to be applied to wire 42, while a substantially greater displacement of element 28 is necessary to effect severing of the wire, it will be appreciated that the wire is firmly gripped by the holder jaws prior to actual severing thereof by the cutterhead. During initial movement of lever arm 20, grippers 60 and 62 clamp the wire, whereupon continued movement of arm 20 to complete the cutting stroke shifts blade 38 into sufiiciently closely spaced relationship to blade 40 to sever the wire. Although grippers 60 and 62 are clamped against wire 42 and jaw 46 can no longer pivot, this additional movement of arm 20 is permitted by the flexure of leg component 78. As component 78 flexes, spring 76 maintains cam stretch 84 in forcible engagement with follower 88 to, in turn, maintain clamping pressure against wire 42. Thus, when the wire is severed, grippers 60' and 62 will hold one of the cut ends thereof and permit the lineman to control the position of the cut wire after the severing operation. Lever arm 20 may be partially returned to its normal position after the wire is out without danger of releasing the hold of grippers 60 and 62 on wire 42, since spring 76 maintains clamping pressure on the wire until blades 38 and 40 are returned, or nearly returned, to their normal open positions. During return movement of arm 20, cam stretch 86 engages follower 88 to effect reopening of the clamping jaws as arm 20 approaches the upper limit of its movement and assumes its normal position illustrated in FIG. 1.

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

1. In combination with a lever type wire cutter having a cutterhead provided with a pair of relatively shiftable, normally spaced-apart blades for receiving a wire therebetween, and a swingable lever arm coupled with one of said blades for shifting the latter toward the other of said blades to cut said wire, a wire holder comprising:

a pair of relatively shiftable, normally open jaws mounted on said cutterhead and having wire-engaging means disposed to receive said wire when the latter is received by said blades;

means interconnecting said arm and one of said jaws for shifting the latter toward a closed position with respect to the other of said jaws in response to initial movement of said arm in a direction to shift said one blade toward said other blade, whereby to clamp the received wire between the jaws,

said jaw-closing means having a resilient component for maintaining closing pressure on said jaws while permitting continued movement of said arm in said direction to sever the wire whereby, after the wire is severed, one of the cut ends thereof remains clamped between said jaws and is held thereby; and

means mounting said jaw-closing means for pivotal movement with said arm,

said component being engageable by said arm during movement of the arm in said direction,

said jaw-closing means including a cam engageable with said one jaw for effecting said shifting thereof toward said closed position upon said engagement of the component by said arm.

2. In combination with a lever type wire cutter having a cutterhead provided with a pair of relatively shiftable, normally spaced-apart blades for receiving a wire therebetween, and a swingable lever arm coupled with one of said blades for shifting the latter toward the other of said blades to out said wire, a wire holder comprising:

a pair of elongated, relatively shiftable, normally open jaws mounted on said cutterhead and having a pivotal joint interconnecting the jaws intermediate the ends thereof, one pair of proximal ends of said jaws being provided with wire-engaging means disposed to receive said wire when the latter is received by said blades; and

means interconnecting said arm and one of said jaws for shifting the latter toward a closed position with respect to the other of said jaws in response to initial movement of said arm in a direction to shift said one blade toward said other blade, whereby to clamp the received wire between the jaws,

said other jaw being rigidly coupled with said other blade,

said jaw-closing means including an actuating member engageable with said one jaw adjacent the end thereof opposite said wire-engaging means and mounted on said other jaw for pivotal movement with said arm, and said actuating member including a resilient component for maintaining closing pressure on saidjaws while permitting continued movement of said arm in said direction to sever the wire whereby, after the wire is severed, one of the cut ends thereof remains clamped between said jaws and is held thereby, said component being engageable by said arm to shift said actuating member during movement of the arm in said direction.

3. The invention of claim 2,

said member including a cam,

said opposite end of said one jaw having a follower projecting laterally therefrom and engageable by said cam.

4. The invention of claim 2,

said wire-engaging means comprising a pair of opposed,

serrated grippers carried by respective jaws for pivotal movement about axes extending transversely ofsaid jaws,

each jaw having stop means disposed to limit movement of the associated gripper in either direction of movement thereof.

5. A wire holder attachment for a lever type wire cutter having a cutterhead for receiving a wire to be severed, and a swingable lever arm for operating said cutterhead to effect severing of the wire, said attachment comprising:

a pair of elongated, relatively shiftable, normally open jaws having a pivotal joint interconnecting the jaws intermediate the ends thereof, and being provided with wire-engaging means at one pair of proximal ends of said jaws;

a jaw actuator for shifting one of said jaws toward a closed position with respect to the other of said jaws;

means mounting said actuator on said other jaw adjacent the end thereof opposite said wire-engaging means, for pivotal movement of the actuator about an axis extending transversely of said jaws,

said actuator including a cam element and an operating element for shifting the cam element about said axis,

one of said elements being resilient,

said one jaw being provided with a follower projecting laterally from the end thereof opposite said wire-engaging means and disposed for engagement by said cam element to effect said shifting of the one jaw toward said closed position in response to said engagement; and

means for rigidly securing said other jaw to said cutterhead with said wire-engaging means disposed to receive the wire when the latter is received by the cutterhead, and with said operating element positioned for engagement by said arm during shifting of the latter to cut the wire, whereby the jaws are closed against the wire under a clamping pressure maintained by the actuator as the arm operates the cutterhead.

6. In combination with a lever type wire cutter having a cutterhead provided with a pair of relatively shiftable, normally spaced-apart blades for receiving a wire therebetween, and a swingable lever arm coupled with one of said blades for shifting the latter toward the other of said blades to out said wire, a wire holder comprising:

a pair of elongated, relatively shiftable, normally open jaws mounted on said cutterhead andhaving a pivotal joint interconnecting the jaws intermediate the ends thereof, one pair of proximal ends of said jaws being provided with Wire-engaging means disposed to receive said wire when the latter is received by said blades; and

means interconnecting said arm and one of said jaws for shifting the latter toward a closed position with respect to the other of said jaws in response to initial movement of said arm in a direction to shift said one blade toward said other blade, whereby to clamp the received wire between the jaws,

said other jaw being rigidly coupled with said other blade,

said jaw-closing means including a spring mounted on said other jaw adjacent the end thereof opposite said wire-engaging means for rocking movement about an axis extending transversely of said jaws, and having a pair of divergent legs extending away from said axis,

one of said legs being coupled with said arm to shift the spring therewith during movement of the arm and to maintain closing pressure on said jaws while permitting continued movement of said arm in said direction to sever the wire whereby, after the wire is severed, one of the cut ends thereof remains clamped between said jaws and is held thereby,

the other of said legs being configured to present a cam,

the end of said one jaw opposite said wire-engaging means having a follower projecting laterally therefrom and engageable by said cam as the latter rocks about said axis, whereby to move said one jaw toward and away, respectively, from said closed position said said arm is first shifted in said direction and then shifted in the opposite direction.

7. A wire cutting and holding device comprising:

an elongated, hand-held pole structure;

a cutterhead mounted on one end of said structure and provided with a pair of relatively shiftable, normally spaced-apart blades for receiving a wire therebetween;

a swingable lever arm mounted on said end and coupled with one of said blades;

an elongated operating member connected to said arm and extending generally toward the opposite end of said structure for swinging the arm in a direction to shift said one blade toward the other of said blades to cut the wire;

a pair of relatively shiftable, normally open jaws mounted on said cutterhead and having wire-engaging means disposed to receive said wire when the latter is received by said blades; and

means interconnecting said arm and one of said jaws for shifting the latter toward a closed position with respect to the other of said jaws in response to initial movement of said arm in said direction, whereby to clamp the received wire between the jaws,

said jaw-closing means having a resilient component for maintaining closing pressure on said jaws while permitting continued movement of said arm in said direction to sever the wire whereby, after the wire is severed, one of the cut ends thereof remains clamped between said jaws and is held thereby.

8. The invention of claim 7; and

means mounting said jaw-closing means for engagement by said arm during movement of the arm in said direction, and for pivotal movement of the jawclosing means with said arm upon said engagement thereby.

References Cited UNITED STATES PATENTS 608,807 8/1898 Tilden 56--133 X 681,972 9/1901 Postlethwait 30-134 913,290 2/1909 Higley 30-435 2,645,848 7/1953 Runde 30-188 X WILLIAM FELDMAN, Primary Examiner. G. WEIDENFELD, Assistant Examiner.

Claims (1)

1. IN COMBINATION WITH A LEVER TYPE WIRE CUTTING HAVING A CUTTERHEAD PROVIDED WITH A PAIR OF RELATIVELY SHIFTABLE, NORMALLY SPACED-APART BLADES FOR RECEIVING A WIRE THEREBETWEEN, AND A SWINGABLE LEVER ARM COUPLED WITH ONE OF SAID BLADES FOR SHIFTING THE LATTER TOWARD THE OTHER OF SAID BLADES TO CUT SAID WIRE, A WIRE HOLDER COMPRISING: A PAIR OF RELATIVELY SHIFTABLE, NORMALLY OPEN JAWS MOUNTED ON SAID CUTTERHEAD AND HAVING WIRE-ENGAGING MEANS DISPOSED TO RECEIVE SAID WIRE WHEN THE LATTER IS RECEIVED BY SAID BLADES; MEANS INTERCONNECTING SAID ARM AND ONE OF SAID JAWS FOR SHIFTING THE LATTER TOWARD A CLOSED POSITION WITH RESPECT TO THE OTHER OF SAID JAWS IN RESPONSE TO INITIAL MOVEMENT OF SAID ARM IN A DIRECTION TO SHIFT SAID ONE BLADE TOWARD SAID OTHER BLADE, WHEREBY TO CLAMP THE RECEIVED WIRE BETWEEN THE JAWS, SAID JAW-CLOSING MEANS HAVING A RESILIENT COMPONENT FOR MAINTAINING CLOSING PRESSURE ON SAID JAWS WHILE PERMITTING CONTINUED MOVEMENT OF SAID ARM IN SAID DIRECTION TO SEVER THE WIRE WHEREBY, AFTER THE WIRE IS SEVERED, ONE OF THE CUT ENDS THEREOF REMAINS CLAMPED BETWEEN SAID JAWS AND IS HELD THEREBY; AND MEANS MOUNTING SAID JAW-CLOSING MEANS FOR PIVOTAL MOVEMENT WITH SAID ARM, SAID COMPONENT BEING ENGAGEABLE BY SAID ARM DURING MOVEMENT OF THE ARM IN SAID DIRECTION, SAID JAW-CLOSING MEANS INCLUDING A CAM ENGAGEABLE WITH SAID JAW FOR EFFECTING SAID SHIFTING THEREOF TOWARD SAID CLOSED POSITION UPON SAID ENGAGEMENT OF THE COMPONENT BY SAID ARM.

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