Claims
- 1. Apparatus for gripping and rotating a workpiece comprising:
- a gear mechanism housing having therein a rotatable annular gar member rotatably secured within the housing, said gear member including a plurality of radially extending teeth extending from an integral axle said axle including integral bearing surfaces on opposite ends, said gear member axle including a torque member-receiving slot extending completely through the axle and the housing to permit a torque member to engage the gear member axle from opposite sides of the housing;
- a first adjustable jaw member including an integral elongated rack having a plurality of teeth cooperatively spaced to be received between the teeth of the annular gear member, said rack received and movable within a rack-receiving slot in the gear mechanism housing, said rack-receiving slot extending completely through the gear mechanism housing so that the adjustable jaw member can be manually forced to achieve more or less jaw separation, said slot defined by spaced inner housing wall members to maintain said gear member in alignment with said rack to maintain interengagement of the teeth of the rack with the teeth of the gear member;
- a second jaw member integral with the gear mechanism housing, cooperatively disposed with respect to the adjustable jaw member for gripping a workpiece therebetween;
- friction means disposed between said gear member and said gear member housing for frictionally engaging said gear member to provide a predetermined rotational resistance to said gear member at all rotational positions of said gear member, so that the adjustable jaw member and gear member are manually movable to manually initially set and maintain the adjustable jaw member with respect to the second jaw member onto a workpiece to any approximate, predetermined desired spacing without further movement or slippage of said adjustable jaw member from said predetermined initial spacing.
- 2. The apparatus of claim 1 including a torque applying means comprising an elongated handle engageable with and disengageable from said gear member from either of said opposite housing sides such that rotation of said handle applies torque to said gear member to rotate said gear member in either direction to the extent that the handle is rotated.
- 3. Apparatus of claim 1 wherein said gear member is a pinion gear.
- 4. The apparatus of claim 1 wherein said means for frictionally engaging the gear member comprises a wave spring.
- 5. The apparatus of claim 4 wherein the gear mechanism housing includes an annular slot for receiving the wave spring to maintain contact of said wave spring against said gear member to provide constant rotational resistance to said gear member.
- 6. A method of rotating a workpiece with a workpiece rotating device wherein said device includes:
- a gear mechanism housing having therein a rotatable annular gear member rotatably secured within the housing, said gear member including a plurality of radially extending teeth extending from an integral axle said axle including integral bearing surfaces on opposite ends, said gear member axle including a torque member-receiving slot extending completely through the axle and the housing to permit a torque member to engage the gear member axle from opposite sides of the housing;
- a first adjustable jaw member including an integral elongated rack having a plurality of teeth cooperatively spaced to be received between the teeth of the annular gear member, said rack received and movable within a rack-receiving slot in the gear mechanism housing, said rack-receiving slot defined by spaced inner housing wall members to maintain said gear member in alignment with said rack to maintain interengagement of the teeth of the rack with the teeth of the gear member;
- a second jaw member; cooperatively disposed with respect to the adjustable jaw member for gripping a workpiece therebetween;
- friction means disposed between said gear member and said gear mechanism housing for frictionally engaging said gear member to provide a predetermined rotational resistance to said gear member at all rotational positions of said gear member, so that the adjustable jaw mechanism and gear member are manually movable to manually initially set and maintain the adjustable jaw member with respect to the second jaw member onto a workpiece to any approximate, predetermined desired spacing without further movement or slipapge of said adjustable jaw member from said predetermined initial spacing;
- said method including initially manually setting the adjustable jaw member onto said workpiece to loosely grip said workpiece between the jaw members;
- connecting an elongated handle to the gear member;
- rotating the elongated handle and gear member to grip said jaw members tightly onto said workpiece; and
- further rotating said elongated handle and gear member to apply torque to said gear member and to said adjustable jaw member to maintain tight contact of said jaw members on said workpiece and to rotate said workpiece.
CROSS REFERENCE TO RELATED APPLICATION
This is a continuation of application of copending patent application Ser. No. 463,858, filed Feb. 4, 1983 now abandoned.
US Referenced Citations (6)
Foreign Referenced Citations (2)
Number |
Date |
Country |
371346 |
Mar 1923 |
DE2 |
618203 |
Feb 1949 |
GBX |
Continuations (1)
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Number |
Date |
Country |
Parent |
463858 |
Feb 1983 |
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