US3752466A

US3752466A - Quick-acting vise

Info

Publication number: US3752466A
Application number: US00163974A
Authority: US
Inventors: N Johnson
Original assignee: Individual
Current assignee: Individual
Priority date: 1971-07-19
Filing date: 1971-07-19
Publication date: 1973-08-14
Anticipated expiration: 1990-08-14

Abstract

A vise having a jaw moving along parallel rails between a fixed jaw and an anchor block, the movable jaw is coupled through a ball joint to an elongated threaded rod having a handle at its far end, the rod threadably engaging an apertured movable block which rotates about anchor block-held pivot pins by means of a pair of spaced links pivotally coupled at their respective ends to the pivot pins and the movable block. Quick and relatively greater movement of the movable jaw is attained by moving the handle so that the length and the movable block move in a vertical plane either toward or away from the fixed jaw, while a fine adjustment and power tightening or clamping of the vise jaws is attained by rotating the threaded rod, once the rod is moved forward and its longitudinal axis lies just below the longitudinal axis of the pivot pins.

Description

United States Patent [191 Johnson QUICK-ACTING VISE [76] Inventor: Nordahl Johnson, 4416 W. 164th St.,

. Lawndale, Calif. 90260 [22] Filed: July 19, 1971 1 [21] Appl. No.: 163,974

9/1946 Great Britain 269/246 [451 Aug. 14,1973

Primary Examiner-Robert C. Riordon Assistant-Examiner-Joseph T. Zatarga Attorney.lohn I-loltrichter, Jr.

[5 7] ABSTRACT A vise having a jaw moving along parallel rails between a fixed jaw and an anchor block, the movable jaw is coupled through a ball joint to an elongated threaded Y r'od having a handle at its far end, the rod threadably engaging an apertured movable block which rotates about anchor block-held pivot pins by means of a pair of spaced links pivotally coupled at their, respective ends to the pivot pins and the movable block. Quick and v relatively greater movement of the movable jaw is attained by moving the handle so that the length and the movable block move in a vertical plane either toward or away from the fixed jaw, while a fine adjustment and power tightening or clamping of the vise jaws is attained by rotating the threaded rod, once the rod is moved forward and its longitudinal axis lies just below the longitudinal axis of the pivot pins.

7 Claims, 8 Drawing Figures PATENTED M1914 M5 83 a? s5 33 FIG 57 FIG. 4. 59

19 s3 s5 41 51 e1 & a 57 i 75 7 w \PZT FIG. 1.

FIG. 2.

FIG. 5.

FIG. 6.

QUICIGACTING VISE I BACKGROUND OF THEINVENTION The background of the invention will be set forthintwo parts.

1. Field of the Invention The present invention pertains generally to-t'he field of vises and more particularly to vises capable of quickly engaging and disengaging a workpiece without extensive manual movement of the operating handle'of the vise.

2. Description of the Prior Art F ast-acting-hand visesarewellknown. They basically fall into two broad categories: (1) vises'using toggle arrangements; and (2.) vises having open nuts threadably engagable with an elongated threaded vise actuating.

screw.

As to the first-mentioned category, most have-afixed' jaw at one end ofan elongated vise bed and a movablejaw coupled to amovable carriage both inslidable engagement with the vise: bed. The carriagesupportsa toggle linkage which pivotally attaches to an elongated handle, the front end of which pivotally attaches'to the movable jaw. These devices usually have elaborate ratchet and spring assemblies toallowthe carriage to be locked down at adesired position-along tliebed. The

latter assemblies are expensive to fabricate, are unreliable in operation and are prone to wear and. malfunction.

Others of this class-of vise have a fixed'linksupporting carriage and the elongated handle pivotally attaches to a pivoted semi-circular camwhich in turn frictionally contacts and moves a movable vise jaw toward a fixedvise jaw mounted on the vise bedi Here; only very limited jaw movement ispossibleand thefrictional cam arrangement is'very inefficient and prone to* excessive wear.

As to the second group of such vises, the. elongated threaded handle is pivotally attached'at its frontend' 'to. a jaw slidably attached to an elongated "vise bed, at one end of which a fixed jaw is mounted. The movable jaw is pushed towardor away from the fixed jaw by the ban-- die and when both jaws engage a workpiece, the handle is lowered so that its threads engage the open nut fixedly' attached to theother end of the bed. It has been found that under high clamping forces and byvibratingmovement of the workpiece due to sawingv and like functions, the handle tends to jump outof engagement.

with the open. nut. This is even in more evidence as time goes'onsince the threads are. dulled by use. Being: always exposed, the threads are. easily damaged by tools and the workpiece which further lessens the useful life of these vises.

SUMMARY OF'TI-IE INVENTION In view of the foregoing factorsiand conditionscharacteristic of thepriorart, it is a primary objectofthe present invention to provide a new and improved quick-acting hand'viseinot subject to the disadvantages enumerated above.

It is another objectof the present invention to provide a simple yet'efiective quick-actingvise which: utilizes no ratchet and spring assemblies.

It'is still another'object of the present invention to provide an easily fabricated and inexpensive quickacting vise which allows the jaws to bemoved into' quick engagement with a workpiece and locked with a desired clamping pressure with relatively little manual manipulation of the visehandle. I According: to the present. invention, a quick-acting vise-is provided which includes-apair of .spaced parallel I longitudinalrailsha-ving adjacent first and :secondzends,

and a-fixed vise jaw fixedly attached to the first ends of the rails, the fixed jaw having. a first'work-ing surface perpendicular to the longitudinal axis of the rails. .Also' havingaa ball socket disposed in its rear surface opposite'the second surface. The vise further includes an elongated threaded-rodi'h'aving.aball end movably held intherball socket andhavingta pivoted handle attached at its. opposite end; a toggle arrangement including: a movable block threadably engaging. the threaded rodand a pair oflinks eachpivotally attachedadjacent one" of itsends to a different end of the movable block and pivotally attached-adjacent its other end: to the pivot pins, each" of thelinks being disposedin a different one ofthe gaps between therod rest and theside arm portion of the movable-block.

I BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF- THE DRAWINGS: 1

FIG; 1' isa plan view of aquick-acting vise: con- I structed'in accordance with the invention;

FIG. 2 isa side elevation of the vise of FIG. 1;. I FIG; .3" is a view ofthe vise of FIG. 1 in vertical section, show-ing the. device in its closed jaw position;

FIG. 4*is a vertical section of the FIG. 6 is a sectional 'view-takenalong 6 6 of FIG. 2;

FIG. 7 is a section view of FIG. 2 taken along lines 7 7'; and

FIG. 8 is-apartial 8 in FIG. 1.

DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION Referringnow'to'thedrawings, and more particularly view in section taken along lines 8" to. FIGS. 1, 2 and"3, 'thereisshown a quick-acting vise llchavingza pair of spaced parallel longitudinal rails 13- v with adjacent firstandisecond'ends 15.- andv 17, respec"-- tively. A-fixed vise jaw 1-9'is fixedly attached to the-first ends ISof the rails I3, the jaw 'l9having a first working surfaceZl perpendicular to the longitudinal axis ofth'erails 13-..Disposed transversely between andsfixedly attached to thesecond'ends 17 of therrails 13 is an anchor block 23 whichincludes upstanding side arm portions 25, a central rod rest portion 27' between and spaced'from the sidearm portions 25, andpivot pins 29' f disposed through and held by theside arm and'rod

rest portions

25 and 27 in such a manner to span the two.

gaps 31" between these portions (also see. FIGS).

The vise 11 also includes a-movable vise jaw 33, with i apertures 34 therein, slidably mounted on the rails 13} vise shown in FIG. 1', in itsopen jawposition;

FIG. Sisa sectional view of FIG. 2', taken along lines between the fixed jaw 19 and the anchor block 23. The movable jaw 33 has a second working surface 35 facing and parallel to the first working surface 21 and also has a ball socket arrangement 37 with a curved recess 39 and an apertured ball retaining plate 41 spectively in and attached to a rear surface 43 thereof. The plate 41 is here shown to be circular and provided with holes to accommodate retaining screws 45, and also has an oblong aperture 47 to accommodate a ball end 49 of an elongated threaded rod 51, at the opposite end of which rod a handle arm 53 is pivotally attached by a pin 55.

Further, there is shown a toggle arrangement, generally designated 57, which includes a movable block 59 having a threaded aperture'6l threadably engaging the threaded rod 51 and a pair of links 63, each pivotally attached adjacent one of its ends 65 to a different end 67 of the movable block 59 by means of a pivot bolt 69 and a washer 71. The pivot pins 29 pass through appropriate holes in the links 63 adjacent the latters other ends 73 so that the movable block 59 may rotate about the pivot pins 29.

The plan view of FIG. 1, the elevation of FIG. 2 and the sectional and partial section of FIGS. 3 and 8 show the toggle arrangement 57 in its closed jaw position (although the jaws are not actually touching each other or a workpiece). In this configuration, the movable jaw 33 is as close to the fixed jaw 19 as it can go without rotating the threaded rod 51 since it is constrained by the movable block 59 and the links 63 pivoting on the pivot pins 29. The rotation of the movable block 59 about the pins 29 in a direction toward the vise jaws is limited by the threaded rod 51 resting in a rod conforming grove 75 centrally disposed in the upper surface 77 of the central rod rest portion 27 of the anchor block 23. The depth dimension of the grove 75 is chosen so that the longitudinal axis of the threaded rod 51 may lie just below the longitudinal axis of the pivot pin 29 when the movable block 59 is rotated fully forward.

By providing the linkage arrangement 57 with this axes relationship, there is no tendency for the threaded rod to move upward, and unlock the device, when the jaws are caused to clamp onto a workpiece by the proper rotation of the threaded rod, no matter what pressure is applied to the handle 53 or what movements or vibrations are experienced by a workpiece (not shown). It has been found that a good lock" is provided where the axis of the rod 51 lies as little as a sixteenth of an inch below the axis of the pivot pins 29. However, a distance separation between these axes of more than three sixteenths of an inch is not necessary and can only increase the upward pressure of the rod 51 which will be necessary in order to unlock the mechanism and allow rapid rearward movement of the movable jaw 33, as shown in FIG. 4.

In order that the vise jaws may securely hold a rodlike workpiece, the working

surfaces

21 and 35 may be provided with recesses79 and 81, respectively, to accommodate

replacable jaw plates

83 and 85, the latter respectively having horizontal and

vertical notches

87 and 89. As can be seen in FIG. 6, the

jaw plates

83 and 85 are retained by machine screws 91 threadably engaged in appropriate threaded holes in the respective aws.

The fixed jaw 19 and the anchor block 33 may be welded as shown here or otherwise permanently atexample. Although these elements of the vise are shown having

respective apertures

87 and 89 in which the ends ofthe rails 13 are disposed, it should be understood that. other conventional means for affixing them to the rails may be used. Also, it should be understood that the rails may have any convenient type crosssection such as rectangulan'fo'r example, and need not be limited to the circular cro's's section shown.

The materials used in fabricating the quick-acting vise herein described are not critical and any material generally considered suitable for use in hand vises may be used. For example, the rails may be hardened high grade alloy steel and the jaws may be cast or machined from any steel alloy such as stainless steel or may even be cast iron or aluminum. The threaded rod and those parts engaging the threads thereof may be of a hardened material, especially where great jaw clamping pressure is required to hold a workpiece.

From the foregoing, it should be evident that there has been described a very simple-to-fabricate yet effective and efficient quick-acting vise which is relatively inexpensive to manufacture and which is less prone to become inoperative by wear than many presently known vises of this general type.

It should further be clear from the foregoing that the invention is susceptible to numerous modifications and embodiments not shown, and that it is intended that the foregoing disclosure and drawings shall be considered only as illustrations of the principles of this invention.

What is claimed is:

1. A quick-acting vise, comprising:

a pair of spaced parallel longitudinal rails having adjacent first and second ends;

a fixed vise jaw fixedly attached to said first ends, said fixed jaw having a first working surface perpendicular to the longitudinal axis of said rails;

an anchor block disposed transversely between and fixedly attached to said second ends, said block having upstanding side arm portions, a central rod rest portion between and spaced from said side arm portions, and pivot pins disposed through and held by said side arm and rod rest portions spanning the two gaps between said rod rest and side arm portions;

a movable vise jaw slidably mounted on said rails between said fixed jaw and said anchor block, said movable jaw having a second working surface facing and parallel to said first working surface, said movable jaw also having a ball socket disposed in its rear surface opposite said second surface;

an elongated threaded rod having a ball end movably held in said ball socket and having a pivoted handle attached at its opposite end; and

a toggle arrangement including a movable block threadably engaging said threaded rod and a pair of links each pivotally attached adjacent one of its ends to a different end of said movable block and pivotally attached adjacent its other end to said pivot pins, each of said links being disposed in a different one of said gaps between said rod rest and said side arm portions.

2. A quick-acting vise according to claim 1, wherein 5 said vise jaws have recessed portions in their working tached to the rails 13 by conventional set screws, for

spaces, and wherein cooperating rod and bar adapters are removably attached in each of said recessed portions.

3. A quick-acting vise according to claim 1, wherein said rails have a circular cross-section, and wherein said vise jaws and said anchor blocks have apertures therethrough conforming to said rails, said fixed jaw and said anchor block including means for locking said rails to said fixed jaw and anchor block.

4. A quick-acting vise according to claim 1, wherein said rear surface of said movable jaw includes a curved recess generally conforming to the shape of and larger than said ball end of said threaded rod, and wherein an apertured retaining plate is attached to said rear surface, the aperture in said plate registering with said curved recess and having a diameter less than that of said ball end and larger than the diameter of said threaded rod immediately in back of said ball end.

5. A quick-acting vise according to claiml wherein the rotation of said moving block and links about said pivot pins in a direction toward said vise jaws is limited by said threaded rod resting on said rod rest portion, said rotation being limited to a portion where the longitudinal axis of said threaded rod lies just below the longitudinal axis of said pivot pins.

6. A quick-acting vise according to claim 5, wherein said rod rest portion includes a groove in the top thereof adapted to accept and limit the downward movement of said threaded rod.

7. A quick-acting vise according to claim 6, wherein said threaded rod has a circular cross-section and wherein said groove has a conforming rounded bottom portion.

Claims

1. A quick-acting vise, comprising: a pair of spaced parallel longitudinal rails having adjacent first and second ends; a fixed vise jaw fixedly attached to said first ends, said fixed jaw having a first working surface perpendicular to the longitudinal axis of said rails; an anchor block disposed transversely between and fixedly attached to said second ends, said block having upstanding side arm portions, a central rod rest portion between and spaced from said side arm portions, and pivot pins disposed through and held by said side arm and rod rest portions spanning the two gaps between said rod rest and side arm portions; a movable vise jaw slidably mounted on said rails between said fixed jaw and said anchor block, said movable jaw having a second working surface facing and parallel to said first working surface, said movable jaw also having a ball socket disposed in its rear surface opposite said second surface; an elongated threaded rod having a ball end movably held in said ball socket and having a pivoted handle attached at its opposite end; and a toggle arrangement including a movable block threadably engaging said threaded rod and a pair of links each pivotally attached adjacent one of its ends to a different end of said movable block and pivotally attached adjacent its other end to said pivot pins, each of said links being disposed in a different one of said gaps between said rod rest and said side arm portions.

2. A quick-acting vise according to claim 1, wherein said vise jaws have recessed portions in their working spaces, and wherein cooperating rod and bar adapters are removably attached in each of said recessed portions.

5. A quick-acting vise according to claim 1 wherein the rotation of said moving block and links about said pivot pins in a direction toward said vise jaws is limited by said threaded rod resting on said rod rest portion, said rotation being limited to a portion where the longitudinal axis of said threaded rod lies just below the longitudinal axis of said pivot pins.