Patent Application
20120216399
The present invention relates generally to a wire crimping tool. More particularly, the present invention relates to an angled wire crimping tool.
Vehicles such as automobiles, trucks, planes, boats and trains have wiring harnesses in them. The wiring harness provides various functions including communications, power, control and electrical connections. Wire crimping tools having a straight crimping portion are used to service the wiring harness when a wire needs to be replaced or new connections made. In essence, the crimping tool can be used to remove insulations and to connect two or more wires together. The wiring harness, however, may be located in certain parts of the vehicle that are difficult to access. In cases where the wiring harness is difficult to reach, a crimping tool having a straight crimping portion may not work or is difficult to use to service the wiring harness. Accordingly, it is desirable to provide have a crimping tool having an angled crimping portion.
The foregoing needs are met, to a great extent, by the present invention, wherein in some embodiments an angled crimping tool having an angled crimping portion is provided. The crimping tool may have replaceable or adjustable angled crimping portions.
In accordance with one embodiment of the present invention, a crimping tool is provided, which can comprise a first and second handle located at a first end of the crimping tool, a pivoting portion coupling the first and second handles together, and an angled crimping portion at a second end of the crimping tool, the angled crimping portion having an angle relative to an axis of the pivoting portion.
In accordance with another embodiment of the present invention, a crimping tool is provided, which can include a first and second handle means located at a first end of the crimping tool, a pivoting means configured to couple the first and second handle means together, and an angled crimping means located at a second end of the crimping tool, the angled crimping means configured to have an angle relative to an axis of the pivoting means.
In accordance with yet another embodiment of the present invention, a method of crimping a connector, which can include selecting a crimping tool having an angled crimping portion, placing the angled crimping portion with the connector, and crimping the connector with the angled crimping portion.
There has thus been outlined, rather broadly, certain embodiments of the invention in order that the detailed description thereof herein may be better understood, and in order that the present contribution to the art may be better appreciated. There are, of course, additional embodiments of the invention that will be described below and which will form the subject matter of the claims appended hereto.
In this respect, before explaining at least one embodiment of the invention in detail, it is to be understood that the invention is not limited in its application to the details of construction and to the arrangements of the components set forth in the following description or illustrated in the drawings. The invention is capable of embodiments in addition to those described and of being practiced and carried out in various ways. Also, it is to be understood that the phraseology and terminology employed herein, as well as the abstract, are for the purpose of description and should not be regarded as limiting.
As such, those skilled in the art will appreciate that the conception upon which this disclosure is based may readily be utilized as a basis for the designing of other structures, methods and systems for carrying out the several purposes of the present invention. It is important, therefore, that the claims be regarded as including such equivalent constructions insofar as they do not depart from the spirit and scope of the present invention.
The invention will now be described with reference to the drawing figures, in which like reference numerals refer to like parts throughout. Embodiments in accordance with the present invention provide a wire crimping tool having an angled crimping portion and a method to service wire connections using the angled crimping portion. The wire crimping tool can be used to crimp different gauges of wire including 10 to 22 gauges. In other embodiments, the wire crimping tool can be used to crimp wire terminals.
The handle portion 12 is at one end of each of the bodies 11, 15 of the wire crimping tool 10 and is configured to interact with a user's hand. The handle portion's width may be larger than the rest of the wire crimping tool. The handle portion 12 may include an elastomeric covering to provide a better grip to the user's hand during use. The length of the elastomeric may be as long as the handle portion 12 or as short as desired by the user. The elastomeric covering can be any color and can be used to color code different crimping tools having, for example, different angles of the angled crimping portion 25. Red can be used to let the user know that the crimping angle is 45 degrees, while blue can be used to signify the crimping angle being 60 degrees and so on. The second body 15 includes a stop 13 so that the first body 11 does not slide past the second body 15 during use. Alternatively, the stop 13 can also be placed on first body 11 for the same purpose.
The pivoting portion 14 includes the pivot point 16, which is where the two bodies 11, 15 of the crimping tool are coupled together. This allows portions of the two bodies 11, 15 to pivot away from each other or to engage each other during use of the tool. The pivot point 16 includes a pivot pin 17 where the bodies rotate or pivot in relation to each other.
The angled crimping portion is constructed and designed to crimp and/or strip insulated and non-insulated terminals. The angled crimping portion 25 may include a first angled portion 18 and a second angled portion 20. The first and second angled portions 18, 20 are angled in relation to the first and second bodies 11, 15 or the pivoting portion 14. The first angled portion 18 can be angled at any degree in relation to the first and second bodies 11, 15 or pivoting portion including from about 1 to 120 degrees. The second angled portion 20 can be angled in relation to the first and second bodies 11, 15, or the pivoting portion or the first angled portion 18 handle including from about 1 to 120 degrees. In various embodiments, the first and second angled portions 18, 20 can be in the same or different angles from each other. By having the first and second angled portions 18, 20 at various angles allow for more flexibility to use the wire crimping tool in various hard to reach places. Alternatively, the angled crimping portion 25 is one piece. That is the angled crimping portion is one continuous portion. Further, the angled crimping portion can be formed as one piece with the respective first and second bodies 11, 15. That is the first end of the bodies 11,15 is relative flat and the second end is bent at angle relative to the first end.
In one embodiment, the first angled portion 18 is at the same angle as the first and second bodies 11, 15, or pivoting position and the second angled portion 20 may be between about 1 to 120 degrees. By being angled at these degrees, wires that are unreachable or hard to reach with a straight crimping portion are easier to reach and easier to work with.
The second angle portion 20 includes a working portion 22. The working portion 22 includes a teeth 24 and a receiving portion 26. The connector or wire can be inserted between the teeth 24 and receiving portion 26 in order to be serviced. The teeth 24 and receiving portion 26 are constructed and designed to mate with each other. The working portion 22 can be used to remove insulation from the wire or to connect two or more wires together. There can be different teeth 24 and different receiving portion 26 as needed and the teeth and receiving portion may be of different sizes, shapes and features. The amount of teeth 24 and receiving portion 26 in the working portion can be as much as or as little as desired.
The handle portion 32 is at one end of each of the bodies 31, 35 of the wire crimping tool 30 and is configured to interact with a user's hand. The handle portion 32 may include an elastomeric covering to provide a better grip to the user's hand during use. The length of the elastomeric may be as long as the handle portion 32 or as short as desired by the user. The elastomeric covering can be any color and can be used to color code different crimping tools having, for example, different angles of the angled crimping portion as discussed herein. The bodies 31, 35 may include a stripping portion 42 that includes holes formed when the bodies are pressed towards each other. The holes are sized for different gauges of wire. Markings of the gauge sizes may be marked next to the respective holes.
The pivoting portion 34 includes the pivot point (not shown), which is where the two bodies 31, 35 of the crimping tool 30 are coupled together. This allows portions of the two bodies 31, 55 to pivot away from each other or to engage each other during use of the tool. The pivot point includes a pivot pin 37 where the bodies rotate or pivot in relation to each other.
The angled crimping portion 35 may include a first angled portion 38 and a second angled portion 40. The first and second angled portions 38, 40 are angled in relation to the first and second bodies 31, 35, or the pivoting position 34. The first angled portion 38 can be angled at any degree in relation to the first and second bodies 11, 15 including from about 1 to 120 degrees. The second angled portion 40 can be angled in relation to the first and second bodies 31, 35, or the pivoting position 34, or the first angled portion 18 handle including from about 1 to 120 degrees. In various embodiments, the first and second angled portions 38, 40 can be in the same or different degrees from each other. By having the first and second angled portions 38, 40 at various angles allows for more flexibility to use the wire crimping tool in various hard to reach places
In one embodiment, the first angled portion 38 is at the same angle as the first and second bodies 31, 35, or the pivoting position 34, and the second angled portion 40 may be between about 60 to 90 degrees. By being angled at these degrees wires that are unreachable or hard to reach with a straight crimping portion are easier to reach and easier to work with.
The second angle portion 40 includes a working portion 32. The working portion 32 includes teeth 34 and receiving portions 36. The wire or the connector can be inserted between the teeth 34 and receiving portions 36 in order to be serviced. The teeth 34 and receiving portion 36 are constructed and designed to mate with each other. The working portion 32 can be used to remove insulation from the wire or to connect two or more wires together. There can be different teeth 34 and different receiving portion 36 as needed and the teeth and receiving portion may be of different sizes, shapes and features. The amount of teeth 34 and receiving portion 36 can be as much as or as little as desired.
The first angled portion 18 may in this embodiment may be flat or angled and may be split into two pieces, a first piece 58 integral with the angled crimping portion and a second piece 66 integral to the bodies 11, 15. The first piece 58 and second piece 66 includes a fastener receiving portion 60 that receives a threaded portion of a bolt 52. The bolt 52 secures the angled crimping portion 25 to the tool 10 when coupled with nut 56. Optionally, there may be a washer positioned between the nut and the bolt for better coupling. Although a bolt and nut are discussed herein, the angled crimped portion may be friction fit with the crimping tool 10 or other fastening means can be used such as a screw, magnets, adhesive, and rivets.
In one embodiment, the first and second pieces 58 and 66 are coupled together by being next to each other. In another embodiment, the first piece 58 can be received within the second piece 66 or vice versa.
In this embodiment, the angled crimping portion 25 can be further angled at other angles. In other words, the angled crimping portion 25 can be manufactured at one angle, for example, 15 degrees and can further adjusted to further angles such as 30-90 degrees or any angle desired by the user. This way, the user can have any angle (of the angled crimping portion) desired to reach hard to reach places and have one crimping tool instead of many that fixed at various angles. This reduces costs to repair facilities.
In operation, the user can use the crimping tool to crimp electrical connectors at various angles. The crimping tool can be used to crimp wire terminals. The crimping tool can be manufactured with the angled crimping portion having fixed angles. The crimping tool can be manufactured with replaceable angled crimping portion having different angles. Alternatively, the crimping tool can be manufactured with adjustable angled crimping portion. With the crimping tools described herein, a user should be able to crimp connectors even at various angles that previously could not be reached with a straight crimping portion.
The many features and advantages of the invention are apparent from the detailed specification, and thus, it is intended by the appended claims to cover all such features and advantages of the invention which fall within the true spirit and scope of the invention. Further, since numerous modifications and variations will readily occur to those skilled in the art, it is not desired to limit the invention to the exact construction and operation illustrated and described, and accordingly, all suitable modifications and equivalents may be resorted to, falling within the scope of the invention.
