Patent Application
20220362897
The present disclosure relates to hammer or breaker tools, and more particularly to covers for hammer tools, and systems, assemblies, and methods thereof.
A hammer or breaker tool may be used in mining applications to break rock boulders. The hammer tool may include a power cell having mounted thereon an automatic lubrication (“auto-lube”) system to provide lubrication to the hammer tool. The power cell may be provided inside a housing of the hammer tool, where a pocket in the housing may provide access to the auto-lube system, for instance, for grease cartridge refilling, servicing, etc. An access door may be provided over the pocket. Conventionally, such access door may be implemented by way of a plate bolted to the housing to cover the pocket. However, use of bolts to fasten the plate to the housing to cover the pocket may result in reluctance from the user to reinstall the plate once access is no longer needed. The failure to replace the access door back over the pocket once access is no longer needed may result in dust and other foreign elements gaining access to inside the housing via the open pocket, which can adversely affect the hammer tool.
Korean Patent Document KR 10-2009-0052695 (“the KR '695 patent document”) describes a breaker having a protective cover drawing a hydraulic hose, installed in a front of a bracket assembly in order to protect an automatic grease injection unit. The KR '695 patent document describes that the protective cover is provided so that an upper portion can be attached or detached, once mounting bolts are removed, according to rotation about a hinge fastened via a fastening bolt. However, to open the protective cover the mounting bolts must be removed.
According to an aspect a flexible cover for a hammer tool is disclosed or provided. The flexible cover for the hammer tool can comprise: a body; a first attachment interface at a first end portion of the body; and a second attachment interface at a second end portion of the body separated from the first end portion of the body. A predefined hinge can be formed in the body between the first attachment interface and the second attachment interface. The flexible cover can be configured to be fixedly coupled to a housing of a hammer tool via the first attachment interface. And the flexible cover can be configured to be removably coupled to the housing of the hammer tool via the second attachment interface.
In another aspect, a flexible cover for a breaker tool is disclosed or provided. The flexible cover for the breaker tool can comprise: first coupling means for fixedly coupling a first end portion of the flexible cover to a housing of the breaker tool; second coupling means for removably coupling a second end portion of the flexible cover to the housing of the breaker tool; gripping means for manually gripping the flexible cover when the flexible cover is provided over an access opening in the housing of the breaker tool; and moving means for moving a second portion of the flexible cover relative to a first portion of the flexible cover. The first portion of the flexible cover can include the first end portion of the flexible cover.
And in another aspect a hammer tool assembly is disclosed or provided. The hammer tool assembly can comprise: a housing having an aperture to access an interior of the housing; and a flexible, non-metallic cover configured to be fixedly and removably coupled to the housing, over the aperture of the housing, to prevent access to the interior of the housing in a closed state of the cover and to allow access to the interior of the housing in one or more open states of the cover. The cover can include: a body, a first attachment interface to fixedly couple to the housing a first end portion of the body, a second attachment interface to removably couple to the housing a second end portion of the body opposite the first end portion of the body, a grip provided on a front side of the body, the grip being offset inward relative to a periphery of the body, and a hinge built into the body between the grip and the first attachment interface.
Other features and aspects of this disclosure will be apparent from the following description and the accompanying drawings.
Embodiments of the disclosed subject matter relate to hammer or breaker tools, and more particularly to covers for hammer tools, and systems, assemblies, and methods thereof.
The housing 102, which may optionally taper from thick to thin at least at an upper portion thereof (from the area of mounting bracket 106 in the direction toward rock claws 108), can include a plurality of sidewalls 110. Optionally, each of the sidewalls 110 can extend in one piece from the top of the housing 102 to the bottom of the housing 102, i.e., the first and second ends, respectively. Hence, no weld portions may be provided along the length of each sidewall 110 (though according to one or more embodiments adjacent sidewalls 110 can have edges welded together to form corners of the housing 102). The tapering profile for the housing 102 can help to concentrate stress to more robust areas of the housing 102.
A plurality of panels may also be provided, including a first panel 112 and a second panel 116. According to one or more embodiments, the first panel 112 and the second panel 116 may be rereferred to as a front panel and a side panel, respectively. The second panel 116 can cover one or more underlying openings or apertures, for instance, through which components of the hammer tool assembly 100, such as a pressure control valve (PCV) to adjust pressure, accumulator, return and/or supply hydraulic connections, etc., can be accessed.
A cover 120 can be provided on the first panel 112. Generally, the cover 120 can be provided over a portion of an auto-lube system 170 provided within the housing 102, for instance, within a pocket of the housing 102. More specifically and referring also now to
Thus, according to one or more embodiments, access to the interior of the housing 102 by unwanted material such as dirt via the aperture 104 can be prevented when the cover 120 is closed or fully over the aperture 104, such as shown in
Turning now to
The cover 120, which can be formed in one piece, for instance, by molding (e.g., compression molding, injection molding, etc.), can be flexible at least at one or more predefined locations. According to one or more embodiments, the cover 120 can be made of a flexible material, for instance, a non-metallic material such as natural or synthetic rubber or a urethane or other non-rubber material. The view of the cover 120 shown in
Generally, the cover 120 can be configured to be fixedly and removably coupled to the housing 102 of the hammer tool assembly 100, over the aperture 104, such as shown in
The cover 120 can include a body 122, a first attachment interface 126, a second attachment interface 130, and a hinge 134. Optionally, the cover 120 can have a grip 138. According to one or more embodiments, the cover 120 can have a length or height greater than a width, such as shown in
The first attachment interface 126 can serve to fixedly couple the first end portion 123 of the body 122 (or cover 120) to the housing 102, for instance, to the first panel 112. The first attachment interface 126 may implement a so-called positive mounting configuration. Such positive mounting configuration may include one or more openings 127 through the body 122 to receive respective one or more fasteners 180 to couple the first end portion 123 of the body 122 (or cover 120) to the first panel 112. The fasteners 180 may be screws or retention bolts, as examples. Here,
The second attachment interface 130 can serve to removably couple the second end portion 124 of the body 122 (or cover 120) to the housing 102, for instance, to the first panel 112. The second attachment interface 130 can include one or more projections 132, for instance, flanges, extending from the body 122 on the second (or rear) side of the cover 120. Each projection 132 can interface with the underlying first panel 112 to removably couple the second end portion 124 of the body 122 (or cover 120) to the housing 102. For instance,
The projection 132 can be offset inward relative to a periphery of the body 122. Thus, the body 122 may have a portion that extends outward in the length and/or width direction past the projection 132. In some respects, such extending portions may be considered or characterized as a lip or ledge.
According to one or more embodiments, the projection 132 can take the shape of a sidewall of the first panel 112 forming the aperture 104. For instance, the projection 132 shown in
One or more tabs 133 may extend from an outer sidewall of the projection 132. For instance,
The one or more tabs 133 can provide a positive locking feature with respect to the aperture 104 and surrounding sidewall of the first panel 112 forming the aperture 104. That is, each tab 133, due to its shape, can frictionally engage and releasably lock with the surrounding sidewall of the first panel 112 when the cover 120 is removably coupled to the first panel 112. Such positive locking may be by snap-fit by way of the tab(s) 133 having shapes such that when cover 120 is pressed toward first panel 112, the tabs 133 deform inwardly and pass through opening or aperture 104, and then when the cover 120 is released the tabs 133 return to their undeformed position and shift outward to extend beyond the perimeter of opening or aperture 104, securing the cover 120 to the first panel 112.
The hinge 134 can be predefined, formed in or built into the body 122. For instance, the hinge 134 may be formed to have certain geometry to facilitate bending and hence rotation of the portion of the cover 120 between the hinge 134 and a second end of the cover 120 at the second end portion 124 about the hinge 134 relative to the portion of the cover 120 between the hinge 134 and a first end of the cover 120 at the first end portion 123. In that the hinge 134 can be formed in or built into the body 122, the hinge 134 may be referred to or characterized as a living hinge. Such living hinge 134 may not be subject to friction during operation. Portions of the cover 120 between the hinge 134 and the second end of the cover 120 at the second end portion 124 may be referred to herein as a second portion of the cover 120 and portions of the cover 120 between the hinge 134 and the first end of the cover 120 at the first end portion 123 may be referred to herein as a first portion of the cover 120.
The geometry of the hinge 134 can be a thin area, thinned in a thickness direction from one or both sides of the body 122 relative to adjacent portions of the body 122. According to one or more embodiments, the hinge 134 may extend between opposite edges 125 of the body 122, such as shown in
The rotation afforded by the hinge 134 may be in one or more directions from an initial unrotated state. For instance, the hinge 134 may provide for rotation of the portion of the cover 120 between the hinge 134 and the second end of the cover 120 in a direction of the first or front side of the cover 120 (out of the page in
The grip 138 can be provided on the first or front side of the cover 120. Optionally, the grip 138 can be offset inward relative to a periphery of the body 122, such as shown in
According to one or more embodiments, the grip 138 can extend or project from the first or front side of the cover 120, for instance, relative to the body 122. Thus, the grip 138 may be characterized as being convex or having a convex portion 140, at least relative to the first or front side of the cover 120. On the other hand, according to one or more embodiments, the grip 138 may be hollow or concave from the second or rear side of the cover 120, such as shown in
According to one or more embodiments, the grip 138 may have one or more inwardly concave, recessed, or indented portions 142 provided in the convex portion 140, for instance. As an example, the two inwardly concave portions 142 may be provided on opposite sides (e.g., side edges) of the convex portion 140. Such convex-concave configuration of the convex portion 140 can be to provide a positive holding feature for the cover 120. As an example, an individual may place respectively his or her index finger and thumb in the concave portions 142 to grip or otherwise handle the cover 120, though embodiments of the disclosed subject matter are not so limited. For instance, each of the concave portions 142 may be sized to accommodate more than one finger of the individual. Such handle or grip 138 may be referred to or characterized as a dual handle or grip. Moreover, such handling may include installation of the cover 120 over the aperture 104, opening and closing (fixedly coupling) the cover 120 relative to the aperture 104, and/or removing the cover 120 entirely from over the aperture 104.
According to one or more embodiments, the cover 120 may also have an extension of projection 150, for instance, a flange, extending from the body 122 on the second (or rear) side of the cover 120. The projection 150, as shown in
Generally, the projection 150 can help serve to retain or lock the cover 120 in place over the aperture 104, for instance, to fixedly couple the first end portion 123 of the cover 120 to the housing 102 via the first attachment interface 126 and one or more fasteners 180 (e.g., screws or retention bolts). More specifically, the projection 150 can be provided through a corresponding portion of an opening in the housing 102, particularly the first panel 112. According to one or more embodiments, the opening may be the aperture 104. Alternatively, the opening can be a separate opening from the aperture 104, for instance, a correspondingly similar sized slit or slot in the first panel 112. In any event, the projection 150 may include or have a snap-fit configuration, for instance, a so-called dual side snap configuration. This can involve a ridge 152 shaped to engage with the first panel 112, at the aperture 104, and help lock the cover 120 to the first panel 112 over the aperture 104. Moreover, the snap-fit arrangement can be implemented without removably coupling the second attachment interface 130 to the first panel 112.
Retention of the projection 150 to the first panel 112 may also be to maintain clearance between the hinge 134 and the edge of the first panel 112 to which the projection 150 is engaged. Thus, the projection 150, when retained or locked to the first panel 112, may also ensure functionality of the hinge 134.
According to one or more embodiments, a third attachment interface 154 may be provided. The third attachment interface 154 may also removably couple corresponding portions of the cover 120 to the housing 102, for instance, to the first panel 112. The third attachment interface 154 can include one or more projections 156, for instance, flanges, extending from the body 122 on the second (or rear) side of the cover 120. Each projection 156 can interface with the underlying first panel 112 to removably couple corresponding portions of the cover 120 to the housing 102. For instance,
The projection 156 can be offset inward relative to the periphery of the body 122. Thus, the body 122 may have portions that extend outward in the length and/or width direction past the projection 156. In some respects, such extending portions may be considered or characterized as a lip or ledge.
The projection 156 shown in
One or more tabs 158 may extend from an outer sidewall of the projection 156. For instance,
The tabs 158 can provide a positive locking feature with respect to the aperture 104 and surrounding sidewall of the first panel 112 forming the aperture 104. That is, each tab 158, due to its shape, can frictionally engage and releasably lock with the surrounding sidewall of the first panel 112 when the cover 120 is removably coupled to the first panel 112. Such positive locking may be by snap-fit by way of the tab(s) 158 having shapes such that when cover 120 is pressed toward first panel 112, the tabs 158 deform inwardly and pass through opening or aperture 104, and then when the cover 120 is released the tabs 158 return to their undeformed position and shift outward to extend beyond the perimeter of opening or aperture 104, securing the cover 120 to the first panel 112.
As shown in
Still referring to
The recesses 160, which may be referred to as bending recesses, can define a common bending zone across variants of the size of the aperture 104. Thus, the cover 120 can be provided over differently sized apertures 104, with the recesses 160 promoting or ensuring a relatively stress-free shape change, for instance, in the event that the cover 120 needs to be bent (e.g., compressed) such that the second attachment interface 130 and the third attachment interface 154 can be suitably removably coupled to the first panel 112 such that the cover 120 appropriately covers the aperture 104. In this regard, some covers may need to be bent (e.g., compressed) to fit into the aperture 104 and other covers may not need to be bent to fit into the aperture 104, depending upon the size of the particular aperture 104. Hence, the recesses 160 may provide flexing capabilities for the cover 120 depending upon the particular size of the aperture 104 and enabling the cover 120 to be used with a range of different-sized and shaped apertures 104. That is, the recesses 160 can allow flexing of the cover 120 so the cover can be suitably fitted over the aperture 104 and/or so the cover 120 can be retained over the aperture 104 (i.e., fixedly and removably coupled over the aperture 104) even if the shape of the aperture 104 is somewhat different from the shape of the aperture 104 that the cover 120 was designed to be used with.
Turning now to
Notably, covers according to embodiments of the disclosed subject matter, such as the cover 120 and the cover 220, can be curved in the side elevational view. For instance, covers according to embodiments of the disclosed subject matter can have one or more bent portions in the body, thus, the term curved should be construed as synonymous with nonplanar, as the side edges 125 of covers 120 and 220 do not lie in a single plane. Here, each of the cover 120 and the cover 220 can have a first bent portion 121(1). The first bent portion 121(1) of the cover 120 may be at an obtuse angle θ1 and the first bent portion 121(1) of the cover 220 may be at an obtuse angle θ2 different from the obtuse angle θ1. The first bent portion 121(1) may, according to one or more embodiments, be provided at an interface where the second attachment interface 130 meets the bending recesses 160. Hence, the first bent portion 121(1) may contribute to the flexing capability of the cover 120, 220 by way of at least the recess 160.
Optionally, covers according to embodiments of the disclosed subject matter may have a second bent portion 121(2). In the example shown in
As noted above, the present disclosure relates to covers for hammer tools, and systems, assemblies, and methods thereof.
According to one or more embodiments, a cover for a hammer tool and systems, assemblies, and methods thereof can be flexible and can comprise a body; a first attachment interface at a first end portion of the body; and a second attachment interface at a second end portion of the body opposite the first end portion of the body. A predefined hinge can be formed in the body of the cover, between the first attachment interface and the second attachment interface. The cover can be configured to be fixedly coupled to a housing of a hammer tool via the first attachment interface. The flexible cover can be configured to be removably coupled to the housing of the hammer tool via the second attachment interface.
For instance, embodiments of the disclosed subject matter can involve a flexible cover for multiple variants of a hammer tool. The bottom of the cover can include two holes to fasten the cover onto a housing plate of the hammer tool. The cover can include a live hinge above the two holes allowing the cover to bend with ease while opening and closing a pocket of the hammer tool. The live hinge of the cover may be considered free from friction and rust, for instance, which may otherwise be caused from the harsh mining environment. The cover may have a progressive “V” styling and provide a positive holding experience that can encourage proper gripping because of a handle. The handle can include internal depressions or indentations for sleek robust usage. The cover can include peripheral snap features that may be distributed in such a way that positive locking is ensured. The positive locking of the cover may also be ensured by interferences, such as tabs, to engage the part of the housing that defines an aperture or opening into the pocket. As a result, the cover can be easily opened by hand, without tools, for access to the hammer tool interior and, thereafter, can be easily closed by hand, without tools, to securely seal off the hammer tool interior. The cover can include one or more bent portions at different locations, at different angles, and thereby provide one or more corresponding defined bend zones. The bend zone(s) of the cover can be defined to have stress free shape change for different hammer tool variants, i.e., one cover shape can be used with differently sized apertures. The cover can further include an extended snap feature. The extended snap feature can ensure positive locking, maintain necessary clearances, and/or ensure live hinge functionality of the cover. A plurality of ribs may be implemented to ensure that the cover is strong, light weight, and maintains suitable flexibility for multiple bends (including multiple openings and closing of the cover over the aperture into the pocket).
Turning now to
Notably,
It is noted that though
Referring to
The foregoing disclosure provides illustration and description, but is not intended to be exhaustive or to limit the implementations to the precise forms disclosed. Modifications and variations may be made in light of the above disclosure or may be acquired from practice of the implementations. Furthermore, any of the implementations described herein may be combined unless the foregoing disclosure expressly provides a reason that one or more implementations cannot be combined. Even though particular combinations of features are recited in the claims and/or disclosed in the specification, these combinations are not intended to limit the disclosure of various implementations. Although each dependent claim listed below may directly depend on only one claim, the disclosure of various implementations includes each dependent claim in combination with every other claim in the claim set.
While aspects of the present disclosure have been particularly shown and described with reference to the embodiments above, it will be understood by those skilled in the art that various additional embodiments may be contemplated by the modification of the disclosed machines, assemblies, systems, and methods without departing from the spirit and scope of what is disclosed. Such embodiments should be understood to fall within the scope of the present disclosure as determined based upon the claims and any equivalents thereof.
As used herein, “a” and “an” are intended to include one or more items, and may be used interchangeably with “one or more.” Further, as used herein, the article “the” is intended to include one or more items referenced in connection with the article “the” and may be used interchangeably with “the one or more.” Further, the phrase “based on” is intended to mean “based, at least in part, on” unless explicitly stated otherwise. Also, as used herein, the term “or” is intended to be inclusive when used in a series and may be used interchangeably with “and/or,” unless explicitly stated otherwise (e.g., if used in combination with “either” or “only one of”).
