Patent Application
20220226967
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The disclosure relates to tool devices and more particularly pertains to a new tool device for compressing solar panel connectors together. The tool comprises a pair of pliers that has a pair of grips, each having a slot therein, for compressing a pair of solar panel connectors together.
The prior art relates to tool devices including a variety of pliers that each has elongated elements coupled to respective jaws of the pliers. In each instance the elongated elements are structurally unique from each other. In no instance does the prior art disclose a pair of pliers that includes elongated elements being coupled to respective jaws of the pliers and a pair of grips that are coupled to respective elongated elements.
An embodiment of the disclosure meets the needs presented above by generally comprising a pair of pliers and a pair of members that is each coupled to a jaw associated with a respective one of the pliers. A pair of grips is provided and each of the grips is coupled to a respective one of the members. Each of the grips has a slot extending therethrough to accommodate a conductor of a respective one of a pair of solar panel connectors having the solar panel connectors positioned between the grips. Each of the grips is urged toward each other when the pair of pliers is manipulated into a closed position. In this way each of the grips compresses the solar panel connectors into a connected condition.
There has thus been outlined, rather broadly, the more important features of the disclosure in order that the detailed description thereof that follows may be better understood, and in order that the present contribution to the art may be better appreciated. There are additional features of the disclosure that will be described hereinafter and which will form the subject matter of the claims appended hereto.
The objects of the disclosure, along with the various features of novelty which characterize the disclosure, are pointed out with particularity in the claims annexed to and forming a part of this disclosure.
The disclosure will be better understood and objects other than those set forth above will become apparent when consideration is given to the following detailed description thereof. Such description makes reference to the annexed drawings wherein:
With reference now to the drawings, and in particular to
As best illustrated in
A pair of members 24 is provided and each of the members 24 is coupled to the jaw 16 associated with a respective one of the pliers 12. Additionally, each of the members 24 is oriented to extend in opposite directions from each other. Each of the members 24 has a first end 26, a second end 28 and an outer surface 30 extending therebetween, and the outer surface 30 has a top side 32 and a bottom side 34. The bottom side 34 of the outer surface 30 of each of the members 24 is coupled to the distal end 18 of the jaw 16 associated with the respective pliers 12 at a point that is located adjacent to the first end 26 of the members 24. Each of the members 24 is oriented to extend along a line that is oriented perpendicular to a longitudinal axis of the jaw 16 associated with the respective pliers 12. Additionally, the first end 26 of each of the members 24 is directed toward each other, and each of the members 24 may have a length ranging between approximately 1.0 inches and 2.0 inches.
A pair of grips 36 is provided and each of the grips 36 is coupled to a respective one of the members 24. Each of the grips 36 has a slot 38 extending therethrough to accommodate a conductor 40 of a respective one of a pair of solar panel connectors 42 having the solar panel connectors 42 being positioned between the grips 36. Each of the solar panel connectors 42 may be an MC4 connector that is commonly employed on photovoltaic panels for daisy chaining the photovoltaic panels together. Each of the grips 36 is urged toward each other when the pair of pliers 12 is manipulated into a closed position to compress the solar panel connectors 42 into a connected condition.
Each of the grips 36 has a first surface 44, a second surface 46 and an outer edge 48 extending therebetween. The outer edge 48 of each of the grips 36 is continuously arcuate about a center point of the grips 36 such that each of the grips 36 has a disk shape. Each of the grips 36 has a hole 50 extending through the first surface 44 and the second surface 46, and the hole 50 is centrally positioned on the grips 36. The slot 38 in each of the grips 36 extends between the outer edge 48 and the hole 50. Each of the grips 36 may have a diameter ranging between approximately 0.5 inches and 1.0 inch.
The outer edge 48 of each of the grips 36 is coupled to the top side 32 of the outer surface 30 of the respective member 24. Additionally, the first surface 44 of each of the grips 36 is directed toward each other. Each of the grips 36 is oriented such that the slot 38 in each of the grips 36 extends along an axis that is oriented perpendicular to the top side 32 of the outer surface 30 of the respective member 24. Moreover, each of the grips 36 is positioned adjacent to the second end 28 of the respective member 24.
In use, the pair of pliers 12 is adjusted to a width sufficient to facilitate the solar panel connectors 42 to be positioned between each of the grips 36 having each of the conductors 40 on the solar panel connectors 42 being inserted into the slot 38 in a respective grip. The pair of pliers 12 is manipulated into a closed position such that the pair of grips 36 is urged toward each other. In this way the solar panel connectors 42 are compressed between the pair of grips 36 to engage each other in a connected condition. Moreover, the pliers 12 ensure that the solar panel connectors 42 are fully seated together when the solar panel connectors 42 are connected.
With respect to the above description then, it is to be realized that the optimum dimensional relationships for the parts of an embodiment enabled by the disclosure, to include variations in size, materials, shape, form, function and manner of operation, assembly and use, are deemed readily apparent and obvious to one skilled in the art, and all equivalent relationships to those illustrated in the drawings and described in the specification are intended to be encompassed by an embodiment of the disclosure.
Therefore, the foregoing is considered as illustrative only of the principles of the disclosure. Further, since numerous modifications and changes will readily occur to those skilled in the art, it is not desired to limit the disclosure to the exact construction and operation shown and described, and accordingly, all suitable modifications and equivalents may be resorted to, falling within the scope of the disclosure. In this patent document, the word “comprising” is used in its non-limiting sense to mean that items following the word are included, but items not specifically mentioned are not excluded. A reference to an element by the indefinite article “a” does not exclude the possibility that more than one of the element is present, unless the context clearly requires that there be only one of the elements.
